User avatar
A10001986
1986

Posted Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:16 am

I wouldn't bet on it. RS-xxx is a standard, but not for SCSI.

I think your best chance is analyzing the db25 connector... erm, while writing this, I come to think of it: Perhaps the drive works with a controller connected to the db25? For the scsi bus it does not matter where devices sit in the chain.... Only issue is power for the drive, which supposedly comes from the supra controller via the db37. But power is probably the easiest to fix. It's probably 12V and 5V. See if the drive has a molex connector and you see on what pins the power is, or where you can feed it in.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:16 am

Actually the drive uses a typical power plug (like the kind your monitor uses). You just plug it straight into the wall. Note the plug right next to the fan.

Using the db25 port on the back is an interesting concept. Feels backwards in the flow in my brain, but I love it. I'll try that out and see if my machine can see the drive going that route. Couldn't hurt! Thanks for the advice.

Aggravating there isn't a more straight-forward adapter floating around out there. But worst case scenario, I've got this gorgeous case with LEDs I could sneak something else inside. Would be cool to see if the noisy girl actually works, though.

User avatar
dalek
Australia

Posted Thu Jul 12, 2018 5:52 am

Don't connect it to the DB25 port (unless your are talking about a SCSI card) - DB25 RS232 != DB25 SCSI - completely different pinout.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:34 am

Yeah, I was. But that didn’t work.

Looks like this gorgeous drive is going to be a paperweight for now. I don’t think I can convert it’s port to something useable.

User avatar
A10001986
1986

Posted Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:27 am

Argh.. I didn't think of that possible misunderstanding. A SCSI drive needs a SCSI controller.

Of course, I didn't mean either par or ser on the Amiga, but an SCSI controller with a - then pretty common - external db25 connector (such as the A3000's). Or any other, there are adapters, after all.... (DB25 -> Centronics, DB25 -> db68, etc etc etc)

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:52 pm

I plugged the drive up to a SCSI card/accelerator on my A2000. I have a 25<->25 pin scsi cable that I used with the SCSI port on my Amiga and the 25-pin port on the back of the drive. A2000 just didn't see it. No harm done. I had a hard time believing it would work, but that is indeed a scsi port on the back of the hard drive so I had hopes.

So strange that they made such a unique cable/port for their own SCSI controller. Yet opted for the more normal 25-pin port for possible expansions. Imagine - some customers might have wanted to buy 2 drives to daisy chain and it wouldn't have worked! The second drive's cable wouldn't go into the back of the 1st SupraDrive. Bonkers.

User avatar
A10001986
1986

Posted Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:41 pm

Hm there must be a reason for using a db37 instead of any other then current scsi connector. amiga-resource says that that cable carried the SCSI stuff plus power. That unit of yours has a PSU of its own, so that doesn't really make sense.

Another test: Remove the drive from the case and connect it to a controller with a ribbon cable... (and BTW check where Supra thought one should place a bus terminator, which is absolutely needed for SCSI to work at all) If the drive is dead, you could replace it by a working one and still use that wonderful case...

Is there anything inside this box other than a PSU, the drive and that green board?





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