From: apn@Apple.COM (Alex Novickis)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: BusTek programming
Date: 22 Jul 92 19:45:35 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA

In article <1992Jul22.151427.10709W@lumina.edb.tih.no> ketil@edb.tih.no writes:
>I bought a BusTek 542B a year ago; I planned using it in my teaching at
>the Technical College where I work. We teach the SCSI protocol in fairly 
>great detail, but it is all theoretical yet, no practical experience with 
>it except using through MS-DOS, and then you are certainly far away from 
>the protocol! I was told that BusTek was one of the more "transparent" 
>SCSI cards, that would allow me pass it arbitrary  commands that it would 
>put onto the SCSI bus but take care of all timing, DMA access etc.
>
>Maybe it is transparent, but then I must know *how*. The vendor has several 
>times promised to get me programming specs, but failed. Now, I am referred 
>to the distributor in Norway, but he refuse to provide info, and refuse to
>give me the address of the BusTek company for me to contact them - "We are 
>not allowed to provide their address to end users" (!!).(strangely enough, 
>the manual delivered with the card neither included a phone number nor a 
>mail address!)
>
>So: Has anyone out there succeeded in obtaining programming info for 
>BT-542B? How did you do it - have you got an address of someone capable 
>of and willing to provide details? Or is it so that BusTek are afraid of
>loosing their profits from selling new drivers if they allow CoSci students
>to do programming exercizes on their hardware???
>
>Another funny thing: I managed to blow the fuse on the card (I was careless
>and didn't turn of power before plugging in an external disk), and those
>fuses are not found in ordinary component shops here in Norway. Before this
>distributor could help me to a new fuse, I had to specify the serial number
>of the card, and he would call me back after validating the number. Huh?
>Validating the serial number for providing a replacement fuse?? (He has not
>called back yet, so I still don't know if I am wanted as a customer.)
>
>Maybe I should buy myself another SCSI card of a different brand! 


Ok, Here's the address:

Bus Logic (formerly BusTek)
4151 Burton Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Phone # 408-492-9090
BBS   # 408-492-1984


I've had no problems with BusTek, they even send me free (yes free!)
firmware upgrade's in eprom. I suspect you have bought the board from 
SMS, which renames the BusTek 742 card to the 542B number and sells
under their label. Sometimes they will need the serial #, as that's how
they track revision level.

As a side note of a different species - I've had no problems with the
BusTek card except the weird TecMar/Adaptec wiring. I mean wiring in
the legal sense, that is. The TecMar guys had Adaptec implement some
custom calls in the 1542 "microcode" that the BusTek product does
not implement. This causes problems using the BusTek with any of the
TecMar software that will normally work with the Adaptec Equiv. card.
Mostly QTOS, and the other tape backup product.....

Also, BusTek now has the 747 card which is about 2x DMA performance
of the 742 (aka 542B, from SMS)

... I have no affilation with BusTek, AdapTec, TecMar... just a consumer...


their
-- 
Alex P. Novickis, Real Time systems demi-guru.  (W)   408-370-4541
ALINK:alex.n                                    
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Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi