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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: LoadWB on August 02, 2006, 05:00:48 AM

Title: CyberStorm MkIII '060 vs SCSI Zip 100 drive
Post by: LoadWB on August 02, 2006, 05:00:48 AM
Okay, my latest project is getting the Zip drive to work on my CyberStorm.  I have a 50-pin to 68-pin adapter on the Zip drive and (supposedly) all termination and termpwr is set correctly... SCSI being the VooDoo that it is :-)

The ZIP: mount list has not changed since the WarpEngine other than changing the DEVICE tooltype.  IOTools recognizes and can manipulate the Zip drive when ZIP: is mounted, but the system seems to completely ignore it.

I have pondered that there is a setting in the CyberStorm's early startup firmware that may effect how the Zip drive is perceived by the system, but I have not found any documentation on the menu settings.

I would appreciate any insight or experience on this matter.  This is next on my list of things to get done with my Amiga systems.  I was very pleased tonight to get my new 4GB CF card working in the A1200, and to find that my A500+ rig with the 50MHz Derringer works after being boxed and shuffled around for about five years.
Title: Re: CyberStorm MkIII '060 vs SCSI Zip 100 drive
Post by: adolescent on August 02, 2006, 05:23:54 AM
When you say the system ignores it, what do you mean.  Can you format cartridges?  Can you access ZIP: from CLI?  Have you tried issuing a CHANGEDISK command after changing disks?
Title: Re: CyberStorm MkIII '060 vs SCSI Zip 100 drive
Post by: LoadWB on August 02, 2006, 05:26:34 AM
The drive doesn't show up in "info" (though "devs" can see it.)  ZIP: appear on the Workbench, CLI, nowhere.  Changedisk doesn't have any effect.
Title: Re: CyberStorm MkIII '060 vs SCSI Zip 100 drive
Post by: adolescent on August 02, 2006, 05:54:14 AM
Here's the contents of my DEVS:DosDrivers/ZIP file:

FileSystem = L:FastFileSystem
Flags  = 0
Surfaces = 1
SectorsPerTrack = 68
SectorSize      = 512
Reserved = 2
Interleave = 0
Buffers  = 136
BufMemType = 1
MaxTransfer = 0x001FE000
Mask  = 0xFFFFFFFE
BootPri  = -127
StackSize = 1024
Priority = 10
DosType  = 0x444F5303
LowCyl  = 2
HighCyl         = 2890
Mount  = 1
Activate = 1
GlobVec  = -1

And the tooltype:

ACTIVATE=1
STARTUP=1
DEVICE=scsi.device
UNIT=0

(My Zip is on the onboard IDE as master...  Should be no different for a real SCSI chain as long as IDs and termination are okay.)
 
Title: Re: CyberStorm MkIII '060 vs SCSI Zip 100 drive
Post by: LoadWB on August 03, 2006, 03:50:17 AM
Identical to mine, with the exception of cybppc.device and unit=3.  Odd, but I'm working on it.
Title: Re: CyberStorm MkIII '060 vs SCSI Zip 100 drive
Post by: LoadWB on August 03, 2006, 04:27:12 AM
Right.  I have made a few discoveries at this point.

First, I found where I had hid my real ZIP dosdriver file.  According to the notes I put in it  :-o  apparently I started using the Zip drive while I was still running 1.3 and used the GVP FastPrep utility to create some Zip disks with RDBs.  So, my mountlist actually looks like

FileSystem = L:FastFileSystem
Flags = 0
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 32
Reserved = 2
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 2
HighCyl = 3071
Buffers = 32
GlobVec = -1
BuffMemType = 1
Mask = 0xffffffff
MaxTransfer = 0xffffffff
Mount = 1
DosType = 0x444f5301
StackSize = 4000

Secondly, the CyberStorm SCSI driver includes a pretty neat removable device feature.  This doesn't seem to fully work on the Zip disks.  What it does seem to do is scan to Zip disk's RDB, then mounts a device based upon the RDB drive name.  When I have ZIP: mounted, it automagically mounts ZIP.0: for a disk with a partition name of ZIP, MOD: for a disk with a partition name of MOD, etc.  In the firmware setup configuration, this is denoted with a setting of "Removable" or "Auto Removable".  Even so, the disk shows up as "Unreadable disk" in c:info.

Third, the drive currently does not notify the system when a new disk is inserted.  Not sure about this one, but I'm working on it.  If I do a manual "diskchange zip:" it loads.  I think in the past I had set WatchZ100 to execute a diskchange.  No notes on that one, though.

So, at this point I have the SCSI settings in the CyberStorm for device 3 set as No Mount and No Removable.  I want to play with the removable drive feature of the CyberStorm's SCSI device and see if I can just use that instead of a real device mountlist.  More later!