Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!decwrl!pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!engage!ootool.dec.com!tenny From: tenny@ootool.dec.com (Dave Tenny) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: PLI Superfloppy vs. CubeFloppy (DIT) & Floppyworks; NeXTConnection Message-ID: <1991May9.131840.11866@engage.enet.dec.com> Date: 9 May 91 12:57:59 GMT Sender: news@engage.enet.dec.com (USENET News System) Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 91 I have some information to relate about buying the above drives, and some questions, since the one I bought isn't working well on my NeXT. I called NeXTConnection (800-800-NeXT) all ready to order the PLI Superfloppy 2.8 for $449. I have an "old" cube with 330mb Maxtor drive, 68040 board, and OD. When I spoke the the person at NeXTCOnnection, they informed me that the PLI superfloppy doesn't WRITE to DOS formatted disks! I was very surprised. The person then told me that the CubeFloppy with Floppyworks bundled package, for $579, would not only write to DOS disks, but 1.44 MB MAC disks as well. I didn't particularly care about MAC disks, but I did need to be able to write IBMPC DOS compatible disks. So I ordered the CubeFloppy. (Which to me, after buying my NeXt, and upgrade, and other stuff feels like "The World's Most Expensive Floppy Drive"). After the horse was out of the barn, and I mean right after ordering, I called PLI (800-288-8754) to see if it was true that they're drive wouldn't write to DOS disks. (The Spring 1991 NeXT Software & Peripherals guide says for the PLI "A 2.8 MB floppy disk drive for use with floppy disks from NeXT and MS-DOS, OS/2, and UNIX-based computer systems". It doesn't say whether it will WRITE and format all those disks). The PLI operator forwarded me to a technical support person who didn't know the answer to the questions "will it write to DOS disks". She apparently asked around and then said "yes", but didn't have any further data. I didn't feel this was a conclusive answer, so let my order with NeXTConnection stand. I then asked some fellow NeXT owners if they knew from experience. One of them has the PLI drive. He says it reads, writes, and formats DOS disks without a problem. This would imply that the PLI support person was correct in her brief way, and that NeXTConnection has (not intentionally I'm sure) sold me a bill of goods for $120 more than I wanted to pay. QUESTION 1: IS THERE SOME PROBLEM WITH PLI SUPERFLOPPY 2.8 DRIVES READING, WRITING, AND FORMATTING DOS FORMAT DISKS ON THE NEXT? If not, I've got a bone to pick with NeXTConnection. --------------------------------- Topic 2 --------------------------------- So I hooked up the DIT CubeFloppy 2.9 and installed Floppyworks. I DID RTFM carefully before installing. The floppy drive is SCSI device 3, and the floppy is device 0. I didn't check the OD. How do I get a list of the SCSI device numbers to check for conflict? Anyway, the default (#3) for the floppy drive works, MOST OF THE TIME. There is no on/off switch, so I just leave it plugged in all the time. Here's the problem: the machine only boots about 50% of the time. Sometimes it boots without a hitch. Other times it stops. If I have the verbose ROM Monitor enabled, I see these messages like: sc: couldn't complete and then some messages about controller hangs, errors, and reboots. Sorry, I don't have the exact text. The messages which arise in the event of a hang are always the same. When the machine DOES boot, I notice that there is an SD1: UNIT ATTENTION near the announcement of the PLI device presence in the monitor boot log. The boot process then waits and issues about 15 dots (".") while it waits for some timeout or something from the floppy drive. QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE CONTROLLER AND THE DRIVE? Do I need to use a different device number for the floppy drive? I wouldn't expect so. When the machine *does* boot, all devices coexist peacefully. But this 50/50 chance of a controller hang since the introduction of the CubeFloppy to my system is unacceptable. If the manufacturers or reps of DIT, NeXTCOnnection, and PLI read this, I'd appreciate help. If NeXT owners have knowledge that will help, ditto. I've read all the ongoing dialogue of people with floppy drive problems on their cubes (for external drives), but I haven't seen this particular problem in the dialogues. Perhaps I just missed it. Thanks folks! Dave [Who really doesn't want to be an unpleasant customer, but is approaching the frustration limit for paying the extra $120 for things I might not have needed, and expects the darn device to work FLAWLESSLY for the money, aside from general principal.]