Ultra320 SCSI for Macs? Other Server interfaces? — #8

Post #8 by Bunsen

Source Forum	68kMLA
Category	Hardware
Post Date	Thu, 19 Apr 2012 - 02:04
Original URL	https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/ultra320-scsi-for-macs-other-server-interfaces.25210/

Post

Gotta start searchin' for Ultra320 Drive Bundles!

Subject: U320 2.5" SCSI HDDs in vintage Macs?

Some of the newer U320 drives will not however even allow you to fall back on older and slower rates by jumper. I have a small stack of 36gb drives that are useable in nothing but my SGI gear because they are not compatible with the older SCSI standards, even with an adapter.

It may be best to search for U160 drives instead.

SE mode

aka Single Ended

I'm not worried about heat output, power input / I'll be running SCSI 2 in a couple of Radius Studio Array Boxen! [] ]'>

One other factor that server drives are known for is their noise output. Running in an external box though, you would have the opportunity to do some noise reduction mods. For example, if you chose 2.5" SCSI drives, you could do the old aluminium sheet heatsink sandwich and mount them on rubber feets or bungee in the 3.5" bays.

A couple of useful links:

All About 68k SCSI Hard Drives! Some notes by Tyler Sable

PowerBook SCSI drives and IDE adapters by macdan

AFAIK, all SCSI-based PowerBooks can accept up to 17mm thick drives

... which means the 15mm server drives would fit, but the necessary adapter/s might not, and heat would be a much bigger issue inside a PowerBook as well.