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From: cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (gordon hlavenka)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: CMS 60/120MB tape drives
Message-ID: <1991Feb13.050250.2044@vpnet.chi.il.us>
Date: 13 Feb 91 05:02:50 GMT
References: <26853@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Organization: Vpnet Public Access
Lines: 40

In article <26853@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> jdb@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Brian K. W. Hook) writes:
>    I am interested in the CMS 60MB tape drive (120MB w/compression)
>    and am wondering:
>       
>    A.  Since I have two floppies hooked up to an RLL controller right now,
>        do I need the external drive or do I need the special controller
>        card?

The drives being sold now by CMS will work on a dual controller with two
floppy drives.  Some kind of magic with handshaking, I imagine.  All you need
is a floppy cable with _three_ connectors.

>    B.  What are the benefits of the external drive?  I heard that they are
>        faster.

Using the tape adaptor board gives you better throughput.  The adapter board
is required for the external drive so yes, it's faster.  The internal drive
will also run faster with the adapter board.

>    C.  Is the CMS 60MB any good?

I use it, and I'm satisfied.  There are other drives which are faster, have
greater capacity, etc.  But they aren't in the CMS price range.  For me,
"Jumbo" is just fine.

>    D.  Will it conflict with an IDE controller/disk (Conner CPD3204)?

Probably not.  The only conflict I know of is the Seagate ST01/2 controller.
The drive will work with these, however you have to turn off "concurrent DMA"
which means that your backup times are much longer.  (Instead of streaming as
it should, the tape has to stop during disk accesses.  Then it needs to re-
sync in order to write the data.  Yecch.)

--
I have no connection with CMS.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------
Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
Disclaimer:                Yeah, I said it.  So what?