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Questions about Setups: Black Box, IDE+ 2.0, & Lantronix


MacRorie

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Okay,

 

Here's the problem, I think: There are partial kits floating about out there and when I get them, not everything falls into place. Since there are no places to really Google for them AND most of the answers are contained here, I am going to keep trying to get answers. If I get annoying, well, I do apologize, it is not my intent. I am hopeful that my questions are such that other users might benefit from them.

 

I have an MIO that I sent to Ken Jones for evaluation and it will hopefully soon be back in my hands, so until then, I am trying to set my BBS back up using what I have in hand.

 

So, thanks in advance, and on to the questions:

 

IDE+ 2.0

Is it possible to use this . . .

1. In conjunction with an Ultimate 1MB and a SiDE2? Why would you want to do such a thing you ask . . .well, it would make for easy backups amongst other things!

2. In conjunction with an Ultimate 1MB and NO SIDE2?

3. Where is the most comprehensive and clear documentation/manuals to be found?

4. Where is pin 1 on the 50 pin IDC header? I would like to use a cable for my 800XL. I read the entire thread, but never once did I see a definitive "Here is Pin 1." I am not saying it is not there, I AM saying I did not see it! :-)

 

Black Box

1. Does anyone have the Utility floppy that came with this? I have the Floppy Board disk and the ST/IBM reader disk, but not the utilities to, you know, format the hard drive.

2. I have the manuals for the BB/Floppy Board, but again, designating WHERE pin one is for the 50 pin SCSI connector seems to be not as obvious as I thought. The connector *IS* keyed, so I am presuming it is idiot proof. Of course, CSS might not have tested it with THIS idiot!

3. Is it possible to use an Lantronix (UDS-10 and/or UDS-1100) on the BB? If so, cables as described in the BB manual and hook them up to UDS-XXXX or something else? (Also, on that subject, I have TRIED AND TRIED to setup these two via an 850 and BobTerm and seemed to have lost the ability to connect stuff. I mean, I ran a BBS for years and usually had to tell PacificBell how to wire the line, but this is escaping me. Maybe I have bad hardware? I am using a CX-87 Cable and tried both a UDS-190 and a UDS-1100 to no avail. Perhaps a stickied noob topic on this would be helpful?)

 

Sorry, if I am going on. I just would like some answers and cannot seem to find them. I am trying to provide as much information as possible and am *pretty* sure I have enough brain electricity to figure this out, but perhaps I should just stick to carts?

 

Anyhoo, much appreciated. I think I am going to bed now.

 

 

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Okay,

 

Here's the problem, I think: There are partial kits floating about out there and when I get them, not everything falls into place. Since there are no places to really Google for them AND most of the answers are contained here, I am going to keep trying to get answers. If I get annoying, well, I do apologize, it is not my intent. I am hopeful that my questions are such that other users might benefit from them.

 

I have an MIO that I sent to Ken Jones for evaluation and it will hopefully soon be back in my hands, so until then, I am trying to set my BBS back up using what I have in hand.

 

So, thanks in advance, and on to the questions:

 

IDE+ 2.0

Is it possible to use this . . .

1. In conjunction with an Ultimate 1MB and a SiDE2? Why would you want to do such a thing you ask . . .well, it would make for easy backups amongst other things!

2. In conjunction with an Ultimate 1MB and NO SIDE2?

3. Where is the most comprehensive and clear documentation/manuals to be found?

4. Where is pin 1 on the 50 pin IDC header? I would like to use a cable for my 800XL. I read the entire thread, but never once did I see a definitive "Here is Pin 1." I am not saying it is not there, I AM saying I did not see it! :-)

 

Black Box

1. Does anyone have the Utility floppy that came with this? I have the Floppy Board disk and the ST/IBM reader disk, but not the utilities to, you know, format the hard drive.

2. I have the manuals for the BB/Floppy Board, but again, designating WHERE pin one is for the 50 pin SCSI connector seems to be not as obvious as I thought. The connector *IS* keyed, so I am presuming it is idiot proof. Of course, CSS might not have tested it with THIS idiot!

3. Is it possible to use an Lantronix (UDS-10 and/or UDS-1100) on the BB? If so, cables as described in the BB manual and hook them up to UDS-XXXX or something else? (Also, on that subject, I have TRIED AND TRIED to setup these two via an 850 and BobTerm and seemed to have lost the ability to connect stuff. I mean, I ran a BBS for years and usually had to tell PacificBell how to wire the line, but this is escaping me. Maybe I have bad hardware? I am using a CX-87 Cable and tried both a UDS-190 and a UDS-1100 to no avail. Perhaps a stickied noob topic on this would be helpful?)

 

Sorry, if I am going on. I just would like some answers and cannot seem to find them. I am trying to provide as much information as possible and am *pretty* sure I have enough brain electricity to figure this out, but perhaps I should just stick to carts?

 

Anyhoo, much appreciated. I think I am going to bed now.

 

 

 

You can combine U1MB + SIDE2 with IDE+ 2.0; I'm doing that, and it works great. (Of course you can not access both partitions mapped to D1:) so when you have a D1: on IDE+ and you want to backup to Side2 you need a partition on another Dx: on Side2)

 

(Btw. you can also make images on a PC/MAC of your CF card if you use flash media, which is the best backup there is, and the fastest)

 

On BlackBox your SCSI cable has to be plugged in upside down.

 

I don't use a cable for IDE+ so I can't tell you at this moment what pin 1 is.

 

Yes Lantronix works on BB, but IIRC you have to switch of Hardware Flow Control in the Lantronix setup (or on the BB)

 

If you also needed to know: I believe you can not combine IDE+ and BlackBox. The BlackBox does not really share the PBI. I heard about a small mod to the BlackBox so it can share PBI, but I don't have the mod.

BlackBox can be used with U1MB, although I had some (serious) stability issues, and you can not use BASIC and BlackBox Together with U1MB.

 

Greetz

M.

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You can combine U1MB + SIDE2 with IDE+ 2.0; I'm doing that, and it works great. (Of course you can not access both partitions mapped to D1:) so when you have a D1: on IDE+ and you want to backup to Side2 you need a partition on another Dx: on Side2)

Interesting. This is good to know.

 

 

(Btw. you can also make images on a PC/MAC of your CF card if you use flash media, which is the best backup there is, and the fastest)

Right. I suspected as much. However, if you restore, it is an all or nothing proposition. Ideally, I would like to be able to restore files, so I could change the partition map. For example, I would like to partition my SiDE2 disk to three partitions (Atari, FAT32 for loader, and FAT16 for ease of transport)

 

On BlackBox your SCSI cable has to be plugged in upside down.

Hmm, not sure what this means. Does this mean the key on the IDCF header sticks in the air? If so, got it.

 

 

I don't use a cable for IDE+ so I can't tell you at this moment what pin 1 is.

 

It is a little confounding that this information is so difficult to find.

 

 

Yes Lantronix works on BB, but IIRC you have to switch of Hardware Flow Control in the Lantronix setup (or on the BB)

 

If you also needed to know: I believe you can not combine IDE+ and BlackBox. The BlackBox does not really share the PBI. I heard about a small mod to the BlackBox so it can share PBI, but I don't have the mod.

BlackBox can be used with U1MB, although I had some (serious) stability issues, and you can not use BASIC and BlackBox Together with U1MB.

 

Fair enough.

 

My goal is this: Use the VBXE (as a Rambo upgrade as well as video)/BB/Lantronix/Percom/Amdek/3.5" drives on the BBS. Use the U1MB/SiDE/IDE+2/Lantronix/VBXE on my personal machine.

 

 

Greetz

M.

 

Thanks!

-M

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Hmm, not sure what this means. Does this mean the key on the IDCF header sticks in the air? If so, got it.

 

 

My blackbox is not connected at the moment, but I remember that when you attached the connector the way you expected it to be (as in the connector asks for) then you had it wrong connected. I did not know that piece of plastic in the middle was called the key, but yes, that thing is not fitting in the 'lock' of the connector indeed if you connect it right. (IIRC that key has to point in down direction)

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My blackbox is not connected at the moment, but I remember that when you attached the connector the way you expected it to be (as in the connector asks for) then you had it wrong connected. I did not know that piece of plastic in the middle was called the key, but yes, that thing is not fitting in the 'lock' of the connector indeed if you connect it right. (IIRC that key has to point in down direction)

[Higgins Voice]

Oh. My. God!

[/Higgins voice}

 

SO MUCH does this explain. FFS, why oh why would a company defeat the safety interlocks on a connector ESPECIALLY when on SCSI it can result in FIRE!?!?!

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