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From: pwong@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Patrick Wong)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: My experience with the company ASI (Applied Storage Information)
Summary: Unhappy with ASI
Keywords: ASI, T1000SE, SCSI, hard drive
Message-ID: <1990Nov27.203300.6085@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: 27 Nov 90 20:33:00 GMT
Sender: pcw@squid.graphics.cornell.edu
Followup-To: comp.sys.laptops
Distribution: na
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
Lines: 49

Hi, netters:

As a T1000SE owner, I just want to express my dismay publicly regarding
a company called ASI (Applied Storage Information).  Since I am interested
in getting an external hard dirve for my machine ( With my requirement that
the connection has to go thru the 100-pin bus connector ....because I do
not want to loose the parallel port or the serial port), the ASI ad on
an external SCSI hard drive attracts me.  So, I called and yesterday I
received the brochures.  It is a removable external hard drive system
which consists of a SCSI cartridge (that plugs to the bus connector
on the laptop at the end and a DB25 connector at the other end), a
25-wire cable, a base (or docking) unit, a removable 20 meg SCSI drive
unit, power supply, and some software.  The price is $725 for the 20 meg.

Since the price is way beyond my financial ability, I was just about to
discard the brochures when I discovered from the price list that they
do sell the SCSI cartridge ALONE !  Immedidately, my mind told me that 
perhaps I can just build a cheap external drive by pulling together
a SCSI and a casing with power supply and just buy the SCSI cartridge
from ASI.

So I called them up again and told them my plan on how I am going to use
their cartridge.  I was NOT surprised when they said it will void the
warranty if I used the cartridge on drive not bought from them.  I also
was NOT surprised that they won't guarantee that their SCSI cart. will work
with other SCSI drives.  And, I was NOT surprised when they said even
if I buy the software from them and use it on my home-brew system, it
may or may not work.

However, I WAS very surprised that they will not supply the pin-out
info on the DB25 connector on the cartridge even if I buy the cartridge
from them with the understanding that I will void the warranty if I
play around with it.

At first, I thought this policy is not as outrageous as it sounds because
from a company's standpoint, they would certainly want the customers to
buy their complete system package without having to worrying about
interfacing related problems.  But, on second thought, I begin to
think that this isn't right because if they are selling the SCSI
cartridge alone as one of their company products, they should at least
have the courtesy to supply all the info regarding this product, including
the pin-out info.  I am not asking them how to build my home-brew system,
I just want the pin-out info.

Anyway, sorry for wasting the bandwidth !  Any comment or opposite
opinion should be directed to me thru E-MAIL.  Thanx for your time !

Patrick Wong
pcw@squid.graphics.cornell.edu