Thread

Mac 630CD needs zip drive

· Peripherals · 14 posts · Feb 1, 2010 — Feb 5, 2010 View original thread ↗

#1 Mon, 1 Feb 2010 - 07:10

Who can tell me how to hook an external Zip drive to my Performer 630CD? I have access to a Zip 250 external drive but don't know how to hook it to my Mac?

Are Zip drives made scuzzy and parallel or is the difference in the cables?

#2 Mon, 1 Feb 2010 - 12:30

First things first, you must use a SCSI Zip drive on that Mac. Parallel port Zip drives require a parallel port, which is only found on PCs, if you connect a parallel port device to a SCSI port, at the very least, it simply won't work. At the most, you may damage the SCSI bus on the logic board, or the drive. Make sure the drive is definitely a SCSI unit before connecting it.

Once you have a SCSI Zip drive, connecting it is a case of using a male DB-25 -> male DB-25 SCSI cable, and ensuring that you have the Iomega Driver installed in the Extensions folder.

#3 Mon, 1 Feb 2010 - 15:18

If it has a picture of a printer on the second 25 pin port, it is a parallel Zip drive. Do NOT connect this drive to a Mac.

#4 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 06:32

As I said in my first post, "Are zip drives made as scuzzy, parallel, or one for all or is the difference in the cable hook up?"

How does one know it is a scuzzy drive if you don't have the original box?

I find them from time to time at thrift shops but don't know how to tell which is which?

I have used an outboard zip on my custom PC where the drive is daisy-chained with the printer but now it is installed on-board!

I guess what I want to know is, how to identify a scuzzy zip drive when I find one or where to buy a 250 one?

Next, I am running OS 7.6.1 and wonder if It will support the zip drive? Any ideas?????

Thanks to all for any help!!!!!

#5 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 06:44

As I said in my first post, "Are zip drives made as scuzzy, parallel, or one for all or is the difference in the cable hook up?" How does one know it is a scuzzy drive if you don't have the original box?

I find them from time to time at thrift shops but don't know how to tell which is which?

I have used an outboard zip on my custom PC where the drive is daisy-chained with the printer but now it is installed on-board!

I guess what I want to know is, how to identify a scuzzy zip drive when I find one or where to buy a 250 one?

Next, I am running OS 7.6.1 and wonder if It will support the zip drive? Any ideas?????

Thanks to all for any help!!!!!

If you look at the back, one port will say "zip", this is the side that goes to the computer. The second port will have either a small printer, or the SCSI logo. If it has the SCSI logo, it's SCSI. If it had a small printer, it's parallel. (The SCSI model also has to small switches, one to set the SCSI ID, and one to turn termination on or off.)

You can see pictures on Iomega's support site. It shows every ZIP drive they made. The fourth one down is parallel, the fifth is SCSI. (A second pair, the 100 MB models, are located further down the page as well, although they look identical.) Second to last is the rare "ZipPlus" which would automatically switch between SCSI mode and parallel mode depending on what you had it plugged in to. Notice that it says "AutoDetect" instead of "zip", and has both the SCSI logo and printer logo, as well as only one switch. Again, this one is really rare.

#6 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 06:59

Hey, wonderful!!!

Thanks to all who answered my questions about how to identify a SCSI zip drive!!

Now I get it!! It says SCSI on the back and has 2 small switches!!!!

O.K. now where can I buy a used 250 along with the cables, cheap????

I guess the power supplies are interchangeable. I already have several of those!

#7 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 07:16

Try asking in the Trading Post here, someone may have one that they'll sell you.

As for System 7.6.1 supporting the Zip drive, yes it will, so long as you have the Iomega Driver present in the Extensions folder, as I said in my previous post.

#8 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 16:33

It says SCSI on the back

In writing? Maybe, maybe not. It will definitely have the SCSI symbol:

scscsymbol.gif.68cd7c2f566a25023e8d46fb1729b39f.gif

#9 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 21:51

If it has a picture of a printer on the second 25 pin port, it is a parallel Zip drive. Do NOT connect this drive to a Mac.

Weren't there a couple Mac clones that had Parallel ports?

#10 Wed, 3 Feb 2010 - 02:18

About the SCSI symbol, I didn't know that so thanks another million for the tip!!!!

Live and learn I guess.

#11 Wed, 3 Feb 2010 - 19:59

It's a pity I didn't find this thread sooner. I dumped a bunch of Zip drives recently both SCSI and parallel models. I have an intense dislike for Zip drives and strip them out of every machine I have that has them. I'd rather have a hard drive in the space they take up.

#12 Thu, 4 Feb 2010 - 07:30

I'm sorry to hear that!! I love the zip 250 drive because it is so easy to keep all my inventories on disks and update them anytime without the time and expense of burning another cd!

I use a different disk for each type of inventory or collection. If I ever want to archive it I just burn a CD/DVD!!!!

#13 Thu, 4 Feb 2010 - 11:31

Heh, I used to have one 10 years ago, I loved it for that same reason. But then it got the silent click of death, causing me to become extremely anti-Zip, as some may remember from the early days of the 68kMLA.

#14 Fri, 5 Feb 2010 - 06:47

Hey, thanks for your thoughts! Sorry to hear that!!!

I haven't been able to use a zip long enough to have that happen yet!

I've used one at work some and hope to finally get one on my MAC. That's where I have all my inventory at present but my hard drive is filling up and floppies won't hold much!

The PC I'm working on now has a zip but I hate to think of transferring all that data!!!!