SCSI confusion - can you help?

[GusBrown]

Hi,

I have a Sony SDX-700C AIT tape drive that I'd like to connect to a laptop with a PCMCIA SCSI controller card. I found an Adaptec card (SlimScsi 1460) but can't figure out whether the two are compatible. Can anyone put me out of my mysery?

The Sony has a 68 pin high density connector, the Adaptec card says it comes with a 50 pin low density (SCSI-1) and a 50 pin high density (SCSI-2) cable. But the Sony is SCSI-3, right? Adaptec also sell a 50 pin high density to 68 pin high density converter (ACK-68P-50P), could I use that? Would it work?

I'm well out of my depth here so any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Gus

 

[dakota81]

Just make sure the adapter ends are correct (male / female) and it should work.

 

[zepper]

You can do that but it will substantially reduce the performance of the drive (drive is wide SCSI (16-bits at a time) - while the PC Card adapter is narrow SCSI (8-bits at a time). You can get equally good adapters cheaper at Computergate.com or hypermicro.com or on eBay than from Adaptec.
. I'm thinking there is a firewire to scsi adapter that may do a better job if you can locate it and your lappy is firewire equipped.
.bh.
B-)


He who dares not offend cannot be honest. -- Thomas Paine.

 

[zepper]

I forgot... For lots of good SCSI info, go to:

http://www.scsifaq.org

.
.b.h.


He who dares not offend cannot be honest. -- Thomas Paine.

 

[GusBrown]

Thanks guys. In the end I got a reply from Sony with the following:

------------
The SDX-700C is using the Ultra 160 SCSI-3 interface, and as such has been designed to be used with a 16-bit wide Low Voltage Differential (LVD) interface.
If your SCSI-2 adapter supports a 16-bit databus (SCSI-2 Wide), the SDX-700C should work, although with severely reduced performance. However, if your SCSI adapter has a 50 pin connector, which it should have as you are asking about a converter, it will probably not support Wide SCSI. Check the manual for the SCSI adapter to be sure.
Our AIT and AIT2 tape drives, SDX-400C and SDX-500C, can operate using an 8-bit (narrow) databus.
------------

Gus