From: mikep@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Mike Powell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: SCSI, SyQuest, and diskchanges...
Date: 5 Nov 92 04:33:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: hpmwmat.10000061
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (SRSD MWTD)


	

	Hi!

	I have an A3000 with a 44M SyQuest.
	This will come as no surprise.... I have a problem with it.  :-)

	Recognizing diskchanges.... the hell of SyQuest ownership.

	I think my problem may be unique, but I thought that if anyone
	would know anything about it, it would be the .harware readership.
	Everyone I have talked to advised me to get SCSI Mounter 2.02.  I did.

	Unfortunately, it didn't solve my problem.  :-(

	I have the latest ROM from SyQuest.

	I have had my SyQuest for a few years now, and have had it installed
	in two configurations.  The first configuration was with the
	SyQuest connected to the _internal_ 50 pin SCSI port on the
	A3000 motherboard, with the motherboard terminator packs removed.
	I was powered off the A3000 power supply.

	In this configuration, the Amiga often times recognized the cartridge
	change automatically without any action needed on my part. On the
	times when it didn't recognize the change, a simple command in the
	shell did the trick.... (ex: "diskchange sdh0:" where sdh0: was the
	name of the cartridge that used to be installed).

	I was happy enough with this arrangement...

	But then I decided that I didn't like the way I ran the ribbon
	cable from the internal SCSI port... between the Toaster board
	and the A3000 lid, then down to the SyQuest.  Nor did I like that
	the SyQuest was using the A3000 power supply, or the fact
	that the SyQuest didn't have a fan for cooling.

	I decided to do the proper thing, and put together a power box for
	the SyQuest, with a power supply and it's own fan... and run a
	cable to the external SCSI connector like it should have been.

	This is when things went wrong.

	I put the motherboard terminator packs BACK IN. Then I bought
	the proper cabling to connect to the external SCSI connector...

	Interesting problem #1.
		If I power up the SyQuest box _first_ and then the
		A3000 second... the A3000 doesn't respond at all... no
		lights, no fan.  I think that the power supply in the
		A3000 is 'seeing' some power coming from the SCSI bus
		or something (and the SyQuest power supply) and deciding
		that there is a power fault of some sort, so it decides
		not to come on.

		If I power up the A3000 just before the SyQuest, everything
		works well.... including all SyQuest read-writes.

		That is until I try to change cartridges.

		The system never recognizes a diskchange automatically.
		The diskchange command works only about 10% of the time.
		If the diskchange approach fails, I have to reboot in
		order to get use of the SyQuest back.

		SCSI Mounter works, but only in those same instances where 
		"diskchange" works as well.

		But most of the time, a diskchange is not recognized by
		any technique available to me.

		If I use SCSI Mounter, (with 'unmount' selected) I do
		get an icon for the drive.... but it says it is "busy".
		(ex: "sdh0:Busy" under the icon).  When that happens, 
		which is most of the time, rebooting seems to be the only
		solution.

		I'm becoming increasingly desperate to find a solution...
		and SyQuest has attempted to help me, but with no success. 

		Can you offer any assistance?

		Thanks very much...

		Mike Powell

		P.S. terminator packs have always been in the SyQuest.
		P.P.S. I don't recall if I told the system that
		       the drive supported reselection or not (I 
		       really don't know what that means anyway), although
		       I DO know that I said it is non-bootable.