Author: Flash (cvx-sto-1-179.ppp.netlink.se)
Date: 08-29-2000 04:45
Hi, Chris.
Yep, the HD inside your FALC is a 2.5" IDE.
Falcon has internal IDE and external SCSI2
connectors. The micro CT-50, SCSI connector
is a somewhat annoying issue, since such are
both expensive and hard to find, so I simply
removed that connector from my Falc, and
replaced it with a standard DB25 SCSIconnector.
(same as all MAC´s use for both SCSI 1 & 2)
Anyway, your new SCSI2 HD will need an adapter
cable that fits to your Falc, and the cheapest
way to get one is to make it yourself. :)
Sounds scary? -Relax, if you have ever hold a
soldering iron before then its a piece of cake.
You´ll find every pinout you´ll ever need, and
more, at: www.pinouts.da.ru ,and when you´re
there, also download and read the "SCSI notes"
textfile, it´s well worth reading.
By the way. On that site, the pinouts for
almost any connector found on almost any ATARI
machine, both computers & consoles, can be found.
That site has helped me out more than once...
Next, the HD will need a power supply, since
Falcons internal ps doesn´t have capacity to
feed external items. The simplest and probably
best solution would be to rip out the internal
ps from a trashed "peesee". Those are built-in
to separate metal boxes, with one connector for
the mains, and usually 2-4 outgoing cables with
connectors that fits to both IDE and SCSI drives.
(Just cut off any other cable from the ps...)
This is a very noble solution, and we use such
supplys here at Flashlabs, for external SCSI
drives on one Falcon, two STE/LINK2, and one
MAC 630/MagicMac. Now, trashed peesee´s can be
found everywhere, and if anyone ever charge for
an old ps, just give´m the finger, and go look
for another ps! ;)
Software: Well, I have used SCSITOOL, and it,s
driver HUSHI.SYS, for both ACSI, SCSI and IDE,
for more than ten years now, and it has always
served me good. OK, most ppl says HDDRIVER is
the best, so I won´t argu.(It co$t$, though ;)
Finally, a li´l tip about that SCSI cable:
You know that your Falcon can host up to 7
items on the SCSI cable, right? You will most
probably want to add some more hardware in the
future, so avoid to make just a simple "1-item"
cable, make it flexible, it will pay later on.
I used a standard 50-lead flat ribbon, 90 cm in
length, and soldered one Dsub25 to each end of
it; one for the Falc, and the other one plugs
into a HP color scanner. Now, I can clip on as
many HD connectors as required, along the cable.
Atm, there´s two 1GB drives, a CD burner and the
scanner.
Another V-E-R-Y good idea, would be to have
an extra, smaller SCSI drive on the chain,
where you can store BACKUPS of your most
important data!!!!! -ALL and every harddrive
WILL crash sometime in the future(!) and when
it happens, You´ll be SO happy for those
backups! Believe me, I´m talking of my own
experiences!! Got a box with crashed HDs :(
Hope some of this will help. Have fun!
Flash @ Flashlabs
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