Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-ses!hpcea!twakeman
From: twakeman@hpcea.CE.HP.COM (Teriann Wakeman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Tape drive purchase advice sought.
Message-ID: <430109@hpcea.CE.HP.COM>
Date: 10 Jun 89 00:15:33 GMT
References: <13843@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Organization: HP Corporate Engineering - Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 34

I have a Magic 60 drive, the 60meg disk drive from MacProducts USA. I
purchased it at the last SF MacWorld.  Didn't get a chance to use it
until early April because I broke a SIMM socket trying to install one of their
SIMMs {I urge caution with their SIMMs}. I sent the board back to have them
solder in a new socket & check the SIMMs out. It came back with a new problem,
I sent it back to MacProducts & it came back with a new problem & I sent it 
back & it finally came back functional. {I suspect that thier tech support
is not the best}.

It seems to run OK, is noiser then my Jasmine 20. Both SCSI sockets are
the same {I think the 50 pin}.  It came formatted {sys 6.02} with 10 meg
of software including a lot of fonts & pd anti-virus goodies. It has a
bank of power switches & can be used as a power control center. The enclosure
is metal & clearance for one of my power sockets at the back of the drive
is too great & the socket is a little loose. The enclosure is the standard
toaster mac footprint, which makes it stackable {My plus sits atop both
SCSI drives}.

I have not had any problems with it but due to the troubles I had with my
digital board after MacProducts got through with it, got through with it,
I do not entirely trust the drive yet. I was trying to set up the system 
with 2 SCSI drives, using a cripled computer {I did not know at the time
what was causing the problem} 2.5 Meg for the first time, multifinder for
the first time & 6.0.2 for the first time. I was getting very unexpected
crashes & booting problems & suspected everything including my INITs until
I got it narrowed down to my digital board coming home sick.

The price is right, my drive has worked so far, I have personally had bad 
luck with their tech support department. So no complaints about the drive
so far, knock on wood.       


TeriAnn
twakeman@hpcea.ce.hp.com