That useless A590 switch 4!

[Zac67]

HDToolBox worked great for me with mine.  If you disable the LUN support, won't you also lose the option to use multiple cards (think it will limit you to just the CF in the PCMCIA slot)?

As long as you're using mountlists to mount the other cards I don't think it matters. The LUN scan should only affect the automount and autoboot mechanism; when a mountlist entry is used the controller should be looking at that LUN anyway. I'm not 100% sure (ignoring LUNs just because the scan is deactivated would be braindead though) but it doesn't hurt to try.
Back when I had an A590 I did a lot of hot-plugging and such, so what's been scanned during boot shouldn't really matter.

[mechy]

HDToolBox worked great for me with mine.  If you disable the LUN support, won't you also lose the option to use multiple cards (think it will limit you to just the CF in the PCMCIA slot)?

Have you considered doing the 14MHz hack, @Mechy - think that might speed things up for him any?

There's some info on it here, with links to other threads for additional info:

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=19260

From memory if you turn off luns you cant get to them period. I would love someone to prove me wrong though

These drives are hot swappable,you can change cards on them at will but BE SURE you dont pull it when writing to it or you will probably scramble it.
it is probably best to leave the card with the OS in always and just hot swap another slot. on most other accelerators with scsi the disk change is recognized(it takes a few secs in some case),but on the 590 you may have to issue a DISKCHANGE command.

overclocking the scsi chip should speed things up a bit but i doubt it will be "fast".

The latest WD or AMD scsi chip is a wise addition also,it sometimes fixes some troubles(although slow lun scan is not technically trouble and most likely will not be changed).

I have noticed some 2091/590's have different version of DMAC chips. i wonder if this explains why i see some different behavior between some 2091's? anyone have any thoughts on this?

Using FAT formatted cards:

It seems the guys over at EAB got FAT95 to work on the card reader,I knew this should be possible but never had time to pursue it. the thread is here:

http://eab.abime.net/support-apps/67430-fat95-a590-scsi-cf-using-pcd-50b.html

I used a utility called scsipcmcia.lha many years ago on the pcd-25b,but it does not work on the newer drives. The mountlist on the eab thread should work fine instead(DISKCHANGE command may be needed). the info is in the fat95 docs i believe.  
This addition allows you to read fat formatted cards on the scsi card readers like you can on the 600/1200.

Most proper scsi controllers poll the scsi bus every so many seconds and see diskchanges so issuing the DISKCHANGE command should not be needed.

[gertsy]

1. deactivate LUN support (sw 2 off) - most probably LUNs work anyway, just not for booting from or auto-mounting
2. put your boot drive on ID 0 or 1 and use HDToolbox to mark it as last drive
3. deactivate long spin-up time (sw 3 off) - if your drive doesn't work without it better replace it anyway

This should start booting within 2 or 3 seconds.

I've noticed the delayed startup too. Termination on or off didn't seem to make a diff.  Will try this on my A590. Interested in how you guys secured your PCD unit inside the A590. Mine's loose at the moment will have to get some spacers to lift it up so the molex power plug in the PCD hovers above the plug in the A590 CB.  That's the only way to close the case.

[mechy]

I've noticed the delayed startup too. Termination on or off didn't seem to make a diff.  Will try this on my A590. Interested in how you guys secured your PCD unit inside the A590. Mine's loose at the moment will have to get some spacers to lift it up so the molex power plug in the PCD hovers above the plug in the A590 CB.  That's the only way to close the case.

There some pics on this thread how i mounted mine originally. the top and front bezel can be popped off of the pcd card readers for a bit more clearance. It is a tight fit and you will need to use it with luns and no pcmcia to cf adapter.

The best thing to do with it may be to put it in a external scsi case so you can have access to it always.

[mfilos]

I mounted it with some hotglue stick cut
You can check on my blog here:
http://www.mfilos.com/2013/06/a500-a590-scsi-controller-mods.html

[giZmo350]

I screwed some standoffs into the bottom of the card reader so that the rear molex connector would clear the board molex connector. It's just sitting in there loose but the A590 cover front screw mounts hold the reader in place.

I also tried using it without the fan but that board gets very hot and I was getting memory errors. If you notice, the only air intake is thru a row of holes in the lower front of the unit to allow air to cool the board. I used the same low profile fan that mfilos did and no overheating problems now with the cover on. But ya, it's a tight fit. I need to take all back apart anyway to do the power mod 'cause that A590 PSU is a pain in the arse.

I also turned off SW3 but it has no effect on boot time.

Using FAT formatted cards is an interesting read and would be ideal for moving large files (like getting the new IndiECS Core file onto the HDD - doesn't fit on a floppy). I'm on a mission to get SuperPlus working!

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I've got SuperPlus working on mine, I use an external CD drive to transfer large files from my PC to my Amiga.  Just one re-writeable disc and I dump stuff on it as needed, and the drive was really cheap since it doesn't need to be anything Amiga-specific, just SCSI.  

SuperPlus is pretty awesome, but a bit slow @ 16 colors even with a 68030.  Hoping it will be a bit faster on my A2000 when I've got that project finished.  

Not sure if it helps but to fit the card reader inside my GVP chassis I removed the faceplate and the top cover, I also removed the internal fan that GVP used and had to clip out a small piece of plastic, drill my own holes for the studs, mod the "game" switch... yeah, it was tricky, I've heard it's easier in the A590.    I also stuck a heatsync on top of the large chip in the middle of the card reader as a preventative measure, but it doesn't seem to ever get very warm.  The "no PSU mod" works fine since the card reader draws hardly any power.

Here's an older shot of my system (there have been a few mods since this pic was taken), and a quick shot of my A500 running SuperPlus.  Lots of real estate!  ;-)  Normally I use a 654x482 NTSC overscan screen for better performance & less memory usage, however.

Love reading about your build, BTW.  It's almost exactly where I was a few months ago, so glad to help out if I can.  

[gertsy]

I screwed some standoffs into the bottom of the card reader so that the rear molex connector would clear the board molex connector. It's just sitting in there loose but the A590 cover front screw mounts hold the reader in place.

I also tried using it without the fan but that board gets very hot and I was getting memory errors. If you notice, the only air intake is thru a row of holes in the lower front of the unit to allow air to cool the board. I used the same low profile fan that mfilos did and no overheating problems now with the cover on. But ya, it's a tight fit. I need to take all back apart anyway to do the power mod 'cause that A590 PSU is a pain in the arse.

I also turned off SW3 but it has no effect on boot time.

Using FAT formatted cards is an interesting read and would be ideal for moving large files (like getting the new IndiECS Core file onto the HDD - doesn't fit on a floppy). I'm on a mission to get SuperPlus working!

Yep mine's exactly the same as yours. "Great minds"..  I'm going to get some A500 floppy type screw-in/threaded standoffs. I've seen them in neoprene but they have a different thread. Still on the look-out for metal. Same as the ones underneath the A590 drive mount plate actually. It fits fine with the pcmcia reader attached in this way. As you say you just need to clear the power connector plug and you can push it back that extra inch(carefully looping your scsi cable of course.) A590 has lots of headroom. As for heat mine runs quite cool. I'm only using a 4GB CFCard in the PCMCI adaptor. Interested in what card is causing heat?
Finally it would be great if you could get SD/XD card extender adaptors. Where one end is a card shaped plug and the other a socket with 2 screws for mounting. Like those USB headers. Then I could mount an SD socket inconspicuously out the back of the A590. Success would be complete. LOL : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SD-card-SD-Card-Extension-Extender-Cable-SDHC-32-gb-Compatible-GPS-TV-/171093916243?pt=AU_Digital_Memory_Card_Readers_Adaptors&hash=item27d5fdfa53
A bit long though. Needs a trim. I've never used the SD reader. will have to try it out. No hot swapping though.