CyberStormPPC SCSI and LVD/SE

[L3rd]

I'm have big troubles to let work a Compact 36GB Wide Ultra3 SCSI LVD/Se drive with my CSPPC, I tried all possible configuration on the 80pin adapter but without success.

The model number of the HDD is BD036659CC (FW 3B00).
I'm using an Ultra2 LVD/SE cable with integrated terminator (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/internal-scsi-5-connector-ultra2-lvd-se-ribbon-cable-1-meter-9808).

My configuration is:
- Terminator (on the cable)
- CyberstormPPC
- Seagate Medalist ST51080N 1.08GB (w/ 50pin adaptor)
- Plextor 820Ti (w/ 50pin adaptor)
- HP/Compaq 36.4GB Wide Ultra 3 SCSI (w/ 80pin adaptor)
- IBM DNES-309170 9GB (69pin Terminated)

Every time I lunch Media Toolbox it freeze when scanning the HDD.
Do you have any advise?

[dangermouse]

Don't know if this'll help but take a look at an old thread here:

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17762

[amigadave]

Getting help for Cyberstorm SCSI controllers is very hard and most requests for help with these devices scroll off the front page of this site before they get more than 1 to 4 responses (usually that are not too helpful).  I have asked for help, or any ideas about why my own Cyberstorm SCSI controller can see and use my 68pin CDROM, but does not show any hard drives connected to the cable, no matter which hard drives I try to hook up to it and have not gotten any help in resolving the problem.  At least now I have the CDROM working, which is an improvement over not having anything recognized, so I assume that the cable is properly terminated.

I am sure there are many Amiga users that have and use the SCSI controller on their Cyberstorm accelerators (and Blizzard accelerators), but they don't seem to have any advice to give to users that are having problems with their SCSI controllers, or they don't have any idea of how they got their's working without any problems.

[dangermouse]

Same here amigadave. My CSPPC has a Plextor UW SCSI CD-ROM attached to it but nothing else..I use a 16GB IDE CF card as my hard drive so have had no need to attempt to connect a SCSI HDD.

That being said, and this is entirely from memory, I did once have an 80pin SCSI drive attached to it once to trial an install of OS 4.0 and it worked fine. From what I can remember I had the Cyberstorm on one of the middle connectors (not an end connector) and terminated both ends of the cable with an active terminator. I think I had problems using the CSPPC as the terminator so I plonked her in the middle.

[Jose]

Some ideas....
1- Try looking at the ID's of each device and then check if there are any conflicts (i.e. 2 devices using same ID).
2- Try looking at the termination requirements for both the Cyberstorm and final device in the chain, not all of them have the same requirements requiring termination and IIRC termination must be compatible between them.
Back when I had a WarpEngine 40/40 I remember not being able to use a certain model of scsi to ide adapter and yet another one worked. They were both Acard and IIRC both supported slower and faster modes.
IIRC (I read about this when I had those problems but my memory is fading...) at the very least you should have the same type of termination on both ends of the chain (Active/Passive). Active is better IIRC. Also make sure the termination used terminates all lines.
3- Are you sure you don't have some device between the ends of the chain that is terminated ? Some of them can terminate the chain even without a terminator, they have their own internal terminator that you can configure through a jumper.

[amigadave]

The Cyberstorm controller is not terminated, so the cable must be terminated on both ends, or the devices on each end must have SCSI termination built-in and enabled on them.  I have tried many different 50pin, 68pin & 80pin SCA hard drives and have yet been able to get any of the hard drives working on the Cyberstorm SCSI controller (on either of my two Cyberstorm PPC accelerator cards).  I have entered the early boot menu for the Cyberstorm using the Esc key and tried many different settings a while ago.  I am ready to try again, if anyone has suggestions on what settings to use.  I have eliminated the obvious problems of conflicting unit numbers being used on more than one device and tried to get the hard drive working with and without the CDROM connected to the cable.  I have also tried many different jumper settings on the hard drives themselves, including setting the SE jumper and with or without the LVD jumper (IIRC).

Edit:  One of my two A4000's with Cyberstorm PPC accelerators, I am using a Deneb with AmigaOS3.9 booting from a USB memory stick that works quite well, but would still like to be able to use a SCSI hard drive for additional storage space.  I do not have a Deneb for the second A4000 (yet).

[LoadWB]

I have a CS-MKIII, never had a problem with the SCSI, so other than standard SCSI voo-doo troubleshooting, I cannot offer much help.  I'm using an IBM 18GB LVD/SE hard drive, had a Plextor wide-SCSI CD, and a 50-pin Zip drive with a Datamate 68-pin to narrow adapter.  The Zip drive is gone, now, and the Plextor wide has been replaced with an Acard SCSI-to-IDE adaper on a DVD drive.

The entire bus is terminated.  Never had a problem.

[amigadave]

I have a CS-MKIII, never had a problem with the SCSI, so other than standard SCSI voo-doo troubleshooting, I cannot offer much help.  I'm using an IBM 18GB LVD/SE hard drive, had a Plextor wide-SCSI CD, and a 50-pin Zip drive with a Datamate 68-pin to narrow adapter.  The Zip drive is gone, now, and the Plextor wide has been replaced with an Acard SCSI-to-IDE adaper on a DVD drive.

The entire bus is terminated.  Never had a problem.

What jumper settings on the IBM 18gb drive are you using and what settings in the Cyberstorm early boot menu are set?

[Boudicca]

didn't see the drives ID being mentioned. Make sure its below 16. Might as well to be sure, get it below 8 as that covers all types.

[LoadWB]

What jumper settings on the IBM 18gb drive are you using and what settings in the Cyberstorm early boot menu are set?

You would ask me about jumpers after I close my case and put the computer back in its shelf after being wide open for three weeks.  :razz:

I'll get the boot menu settings in the morning before I leave if I get up with enough time.  Otherwise, I'll get both to you tomorrow night after class.

[RiFF_RaFF]

Hi there!

I have 2 CSPPC's with SCSI working perfectly.

Remember, as earlier mentioned in this thread, to teminate both ends of the SCSI cable (use active terminators!).
Also do remember to enable the jumper for termination power or term power on your drives, 1 drive will do but more won't hurt!
The CSPPC does NOT supply termination power!

I have also had to set a "force SE" jumper on some of my LVD/SE drives for them to work,
so please also check if that kind of jumper is availble on your drive(s).

-RR

[amiga92570]

Thats funny, never had a problem connecting any drives to my cyberstorms. I have all kinds of configs, 8 bit, 16 bit, scanners, cd roms. I think I maybe found two drives in about the last 10 years that were not compatible. I have a scsi tower that I interchange with 3000 desktop and tower. Everything works great.

[doctorq]

Same here, I have two CSPPC and one BPPC and have never had issues with drives either.

Make sure you have at least one LUN enabled on all IDs of the controller, as well as all settings set to Auto in the SCSI menu of the CSPPC. Set your drive as a ID different from the controller, terminate both ends of the cable, power up the machine and launch HDToolBox with the cybppc.device as device driver, and you should see your hdd.

[omgas]

I'm have big troubles to let work a Compact 36GB Wide Ultra3 SCSI LVD/Se drive with my CSPPC, I tried all possible configuration on the 80pin adapter but without success.

The model number of the HDD is BD036659CC (FW 3B00).
I'm using an Ultra2 LVD/SE cable with integrated terminator (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/internal-scsi-5-connector-ultra2-lvd-se-ribbon-cable-1-meter-9808).

<<< this cable looks to be made for LVD use, not good/ideal for old UW like csppc due to impedance of twisted cable like this. Terminator for use with LVD may be questionable on single ended use, perhaps.

My configuration is:
- Terminator (on the cable)
- CyberstormPPC
- Seagate Medalist ST51080N 1.08GB (w/ 50pin adaptor)
- Plextor 820Ti (w/ 50pin adaptor)
- HP/Compaq 36.4GB Wide Ultra 3 SCSI (w/ 80pin adaptor)
- IBM DNES-309170 9GB (69pin Terminated)

<<< what exact version of this IBM model? if it is the dualmode/multimode LVD/SE model, there is NO builtin terminator circuitry, so it cannot be used to terminate your cable. in this condition of your scsi bus impedance mismatch, the new compaq drive may not be able to work at all, also not many 80pin drives have at all been tested to work with 80pin adaptors. only certified by manufacturers to work in a pure server 80pin environment. and does any devices supply power for any working and compatible terminators present?

Every time I lunch Media Toolbox it freeze when scanning the HDD.
Do you have any advise?

so, with components not well suited for plain UW use, it may be difficult to get 80pin drives with adaptors work right.

[LoadWB]

Okay, either I have forgotten how to get into the CyberStorm's early startup menu, or it's not working.  Either way, I didn't get around to pulling the system out of its cozy, but I do recall that the drive is set with termpwr enabled, the SCSI ID (of course,) and any drive which has the SE (single-ended) setting jumper I always set.