Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!tomb
From: tomb@hplsla.HP.COM (Tom Bruhns)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Microbotics Starboard Stardrive
Message-ID: <5160073@hplsla.HP.COM>
Date: 4 Jan 90 16:17:01 GMT
References: <11325@thorin.cs.unc.edu>
Organization: HP Lake Stevens, WA
Lines: 66

portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) replies:
>
>>>>>> On 3 Jan 90 15:11:14 GMT, cullip@unc.cs.unc.edu (Timothy Cullip) said:
>
>timothy>    Can anyone out there give me some information on the Microbotics
>timothy> Starboard Stardrive SCSI module (the board that plugs into the Starboard)?
>
> ...
>
>	* has a Mac-style 25-pin SCSI plug -- any Macintosh-compatible
>	  SCSI disk will do, or if you are adventurous you can build a
>	  25-50 pin SCSI cable for your Rodime drive.  It comes with
>	  no cable.
But the instructions that came with the one I got about a year ago
included schematic and comments about the cable.  I built the cable
to their spec and have had no trouble with it.  I believe similar
cables are available commercially, since Macs have a very similar
problem.
>
>timothy> now I am looking for a CHEAP controller (needs not be fast) so 
>timothy> I figure the Stardrive is the best route since I already have the Starboard.
>
>If you want cheap and you already have the Starboard, the StarDrive is
>definitely the way to go.

I concur.  I've been pleased with mine.  
>
>timothy> Is the documentation adequate?
>
>Like I said above, the documentation is horrible, but I managed to get
>mine set up with the bevy of information I culled off the net.

I found the docs to be adequate, barely.  The net info was helpful
but not necessary.
>
>timothy> How about a mount list - or whatever the StarDrive expects?
>
>You can (and should) use a standard mountlist entry with the
>StarDrive.  Microbotics supplies this bogus "DHMount" program that
>supposedly mounts the drive for you, but 1) it's non-standard, 2) it
>doesn't support all of the keywords that a mountlist entry can use, 3)
>you won't be able to use the Fast FileSystem.  Naturally, the
>documentation doesn't describe how to make a Mountlist entry for the
>StarDrive.  I can supply you with my Mountlist entries if you like --
>that way, you can just plug in the parameters for your Rodime drive.

I don't recall just what my docs said, but it, coupled with the
Commodore info on Mountlist entries, was enough to bring it up.
(It seems like it was just the standard Commodore mountlist entries,
with the Stardrive driver called out, and, as noted, appropriate
entries for cylinders, sectors, tracks, whatever about the drive.)
>
>timothy> Any info would be appriciated.
>
>Hope this helps.  If you need more detalied info, feel free to send me
>email.

One additional comment:  I wish they would provide more (any?? :-) info
on directly accessing the SCSI command set, so you could write your
own drivers for other SCSI devices.  On a related note, there are
some drives that the thing seems like it should work with but doesn't.
One fellow around here had trouble with a Seagate ST-296N that he
finally solved with some custom software.  I have the feeling that
the driver wasn't written with all the corner cases in mind, and
now that drive capacity is increasing, the corners are explored more
often...