A590 ROMS..

[giZmo350]

Hi all... Is here a way to tell which version ROMS I have in my A590 by what's printed on the ROM chips themselves? Thanks in advance....

[Jeff]

Judging by looking at the pictures in the
Big Book of Amiga Hardware
The version number should be written on the Roms themselves. Have a look at report back with more information if you don't get it sorted.

Jeff

[giZmo350]

Thanks for the reply Jeff...  The chip I'm looking at doesn't have an identifying label. It only has printing on it. Here is a pic of the actual chip... can the version be determined from this?




Also, can you tell me what the difference between V6.6 and Ver7 is? What I'm trying to do is determine what SCSI HDD I can replace the original XT HDD with. I have a Quantum 4550S SCSI 4.5 GB HDD 80 Pin that I would like to drop in. I know I should be able to figure this next question out myself but, what adapter or cable do I need to go from the A590 straight 50 pin connector to the 80 pin high density HDD connector. Do I need to still use the power connector in the A590 for the SCSI drive or is that for the XT drive only?

This next question is a doozy....  how can I transfer all the data from the XT drive to the SCSI HDD?

Also, can anyone confirm that the Quantum Atlas II 4550S / PN HN45J011 is really an 80 Pin drive? There is so much conflicting info on the web.   :-?

Also, please don't think I'm just trying to leech quick info from you guys....  I've been searching Amiga forums constantly to accomplish this project. Thanks Again!

[Xanxi]

It could be a selfmade eprom.

As those ROMS are the same as on the A2091, i can say that version 6.6 allows 1GB maximum, while 7.0 is ok with more than 1GB.
Be careful, because apparently HD partitioning tools will recognize the full capacity when setting up a new drive, but the A590 will keep writing and rewriting on the same first GB if with ROM 6.6, which is rather confusing.
 

[Zac67]

> Here is a pic of the actual chip... can the version be determined from this?

No, anything could be written to that chip. Do a 'version scsi.device', maybe other folks here with an A590/2091 are kind enough to post their ROM / device version numbers for comparison.

> What I'm trying to do is determine what SCSI HDD I can replace the original XT HDD with. I have a Quantum 4550S SCSI 4.5 GB HDD 80 Pin that I would like to drop in.

Sounds like an SCA drive, so you'd need an SCA -> 50 pin adapter. If you're not planning to use a longer bus, you can probably get away with a simple adapter w/o terminating option, otherwise you'll need a better one with terminator.

> Do I need to still use the power connector in the A590 for the SCSI drive or is that for the XT drive only?

That power connector will do fine - if the drive has one (see below).

> This next question is a doozy....  how can I transfer all the data from the XT drive to the SCSI HDD?

Well, it's either backup/restore or hook up both simultaneously (with a Y-adapter for power).

> Also, can anyone confirm that the Quantum Atlas II 4550S / PN HN45J011 is really an 80 Pin drive? There is so much conflicting info on the web.

Count the pins. ;-) If there's a power connector on the drive, it's wide SCSI (68 pin), so you'd need an adapter for that. 80 pin SCA includes power, so there's no separate connector.

[giZmo350]

> Here is a pic of the actual chip... can the version be determined from this?

No, anything could be written to that chip. Do a 'version scsi.device', maybe other folks here with an A590/2091 are kind enough to post their ROM / device version numbers for comparison.

>> OK, the pic of the chip is the one for sale from the web... looks as though many are bought from this guy so should be what he says it is.

---------------------

> What I'm trying to do is determine what SCSI HDD I can replace the original XT HDD with. I have a Quantum 4550S SCSI 4.5 GB HDD 80 Pin that I would like to drop in.

Sounds like an SCA drive, so you'd need an SCA -> 50 pin adapter. If you're not planning to use a longer bus, you can probably get away with a simple adapter w/o terminating option, otherwise you'll need a better one with terminator.

>> Yes, I beleive it's an SCA drive. So, will this work? Has anyone else used one of these?



----------------------------

> Do I need to still use the power connector in the A590 for the SCSI drive or is that for the XT drive only?

That power connector will do fine - if the drive has one (see below).

>> So, I will be utilizing the power cable from the A590 to this power connector on the adapter pictured above?

-----------------------------

> This next question is a doozy.... how can I transfer all the data from the XT drive to the SCSI HDD?

Well, it's either backup/restore or hook up both simultaneously (with a Y-adapter for power).

>> Sweet! I can have both the XT drive and the SCSI drive connected at the same time to the A590?

----------------------------------

> Also, can anyone confirm that the Quantum Atlas II 4550S / PN HN45J011 is really an 80 Pin drive? There is so much conflicting info on the web.

>> OK, there's NO power seperate power connector on the Quantum SCSI drive so I will assume it's an SCA 80 pin.

---------------------------------

Count the pins.  If there's a power connector on the drive, it's wide SCSI (68 pin), so you'd need an adapter for that. 80 pin SCA includes power, so there's no separate connector.

[FrankBrana]

Anyway to get 7.0 roms?

I dunno if there is anyone or any site selling it.

regards

[giZmo350]

I bought the ROMs here..........
The guy has over 20 sets to sell.... Seems like a reasonable price too.

ROM V7.0 for A590 A2091 SCSI adapter for Amiga 500 2000

So, is all this do-able as described above?

[TjLaZer]

That chip is a AMTEL OTP 27C256 ROM chip.  It is not an original chip.  It is a 32k ROM chip.

[Jiffy]

gizmo350 wrote:
I bought the ROMs here..........
The guy has over 20 sets to sell.... Seems like a reasonable price too.

ROM V7.0 for A590 A2091 SCSI adapter for Amiga 500 2000

I also bought a set from him for my A2091. Works great, reasonably priced and fast shipment.

[benb123]

Hi All,

1.
This A590 I have here looks like the old 20Mb XT drive's stepping motor might be corroded/seized but I can't easily test this (uses those star headed screws and I don't have the power supply or an Amiga handy where I am). I'd probably be happy enough using it if it still works. Anyone know if the shaft should be turnable by hand? Any other way to test it? I can probably get an suitable power-supply but would the A590 try and step the drive or even initialise if I fooled the POWER SENSE line while *not* plugged into an Amiga 500/1000?

2.
Also, assuming the XT drive is of useless lump of metal, anyone know where I can find the V7.0 ROMs and/or the 50-pin SCSI cable to replace it with a 3Gb or so SCSI drive?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

-- Ben

---------
Ask not why I am trying to restore an aging Amiga 1000 into a pristine collectors item, as I don't know myself, I just feel the need!

[Zac67]

1. Don't turn the stepping motor by hand - it might damage the drive. You can test the drive spinning up using any PC PSU. Otoh, if you don't need any data from the drive, just throw it away as far as you can - those XT drives are unreliable and dead slooooow.

2. You can still get SCSI ribbon cables in any decent computer/electronics shop. Just cut off two connectors worth and you're set.