Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!deimos.cis.ksu.edu!atanasoff!jwright
From: jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (Jim Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Syquest-based drives?
Message-ID: <1904@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu>
Date: 8 Nov 89 08:12:56 GMT
References: <10433@venera.isi.edu>
Reply-To: jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (Jim Wright)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Iowa State U. Computer Science Department, Ames, IA
Lines: 36

Count this as one vote against MassMicro.  I have a dual cartridge
drive and a single cartridge.  The dual is particularly bad with
respect to cooling.  If left on for more than about 10 hours, it
overheats and refuses to recognize cartridges when inserted.  The
cartridges are markedly warm when removed after as little as an hour.

The power supplies are rotten.  One (of the two) p/s in the dual
died.  With much arm-twisting, they sent a replacement.  The
replacement is marginally better (i.e. it'll run the drive, usually).
The dual is about 18 months old; certainly out of warranty.  The p/s
on the single died within 2 weeks of arrival.  It's been gone for
three weeks now for repairs.  Not a peep from them about it yet.

Their service is not inspiring.  Our work *requires* the daily use
of these drives.  Being down is unacceptable.  That's why we got the
dual, and then the additional single--for reliability.  Hah.  With
half of the dual working, we could still limp along.  I verified
the p/s as faulty.  They would not send a replacement, which we were
willing to fully pay for.  It took about a week and a dozen calls
to finally get them to ship it.  They refused to send schematics,
but this isn't out of line with other companies' policies.

The documentation is written for about a third grade level.  They
really give no useful information.  I don't care if a manual has
five chapters of hand-holding, but I want at least an appendix with
some meat to it.  I can't really comment on the software, since I
have little basis for comparison.  My feeling is that the software
is above average.  You can password protect volumes, partition
cartridges into volumes, etc.  I don't use this, though.

From the sound of others' replies, our next units will be from 
MicroTech.

-- 
Jim Wright
jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu