Emax

OK, here's my setup:

- The Emax Plus contains the newest PC333 motherboard, so it has 
native SCSI support. 
- It only has a floppy drive, no internal HD.
- Since it didn't have an external SCSI port originally, I added it a 
while ago. This port is connected to the CN2 50-pin motherboard 
connector, which is intended to be used for the internal hard drive. 
The CN9 25-pin connector, which is intended to be used for the 
external port is not used.
- I have put an internal IBM WDS380S hard drive (80 MB) into an 
external HD box which was used with one of my Mac computers. The case 
is an original Mac 540MB case, but the original Quantum drive is 
dead, so I replaced it by the IBM one. Anyway: towards the Emax, this 
HD behaves like an external HD, connected to the external SCSI port 
of the Emax...
- I didn't set any jumpers on this drive because to select SCSI ID 0 
no jumper should be set on the ID0/1/2 pins, so that's OK.
- The external port of the Emax is internally connected to the last 
connector of the ribbon cable; the previous 2 connectors of that 
cable are not used.
- The SCSI chain is terminated by the Mac TI03T external terminator 
which is put onto the second SCSI port of the external case, and 
which was the original terminator device which joined the Mac 
external HD.


What I did in the meantime:
- I replaced the floppy drive by the one of my Emax SE keyboard --> 
same problem: no HD boot.
- I disconnected the floppy drive ribbon cable from the motherboard --
> emax crashes at boot time
- I connected a ZIP drive (SCSI ID 6) to the second SCSI port of the 
external case, and terminated the ZIP drive, so I have a HD on scsi 0 
and a terminated ZIP on scsi 6 --> same problem: no HD boot.
- I connected the very same HD to my Emax-II (again in the external 
box), I changed the SCSI ID to 1 --> Emax II is able to boot from the 
this hard drive.

What I still could try to do is to hook the drive directly to the 
motherboard (without using the external port), but I don't know how 
to terminate this drive. 

Last important (odd) remark:
Once the Emax has booted from the floppy disk, it doesn't need this 
disk anymore ! So when the Emax has to load another part of the OS 
(when I press a module button), it loads this OS module from the hard 
disk instead of the floppy disk !!

I don't understand this machine :-)

///E-Synthesist

--- In emax@yahoogroups.com, "Ted Summers" <djtbs1@...> wrote:
>
> Esynthesist-
> 
> After all you have done to help this group as you have, I think I 
speak for
> most of us, if not all, when I say your posts are welcome, whatever 
they may
> be.....
> 
> I noticed the inability to scan earlier posts myself recently.
> 
> I dunno what may be wrong. I am not sure.
> 
> .....termination pwr jumper missing for the drive or missing 
termination
> resistors?
> ....the drive is on the last connector of the cable....correct?
> You say no external HD is hooked, do you have an external Zip 
hooked????
> 
> Can you clarify exactly the scsi chain-
> 
> for example:
> emax board ------   scsi cable------  last connector of cable ------
 HD
> HD settings- which HD and what jumpers are there....
> Confirm value of the termination resistors- they should be 
220/330ohm.
> 
> My Compact Flash drives are set as ID 0 on my Rack and keyboard. I 
have slim
> floppy on both units.
> They work as you describe  in the "bottom line" section of your 
post-
> If floppy is present, boot from it, if no floppy, boot from 
CF/HD......
> 
> I am using SE Plus 1.0 OS.
> 
> Regards,
> Ted
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 8:22 AM, esynthesist <esynthesist@...> wrote:
> 
> >   The problem below has probably been posted here before, but the
> > search engine on the yahoo groups seems not to scan older messages
> > anymore, so I thought I'm "allowed" give it another try:
> >
> > I just connected a hard disk to my Emax Plus Rack. Except for the
> > floppy drive, no other hard drive is connected to the Emax. The 
SCSI
> > ID of the HD is set to 0.
> > The problem is: the Emax only wants to boot from the floppy. Once
> > this is done, it recognizes the HD on SCSI ID O and I can 
load/unload
> > banks from it. The HD also contains the Plus operating system: it 
has
> > been formatted by the Emax and I performed an additional "copy
> > software" just to be sure...
> >
> > Now I read about this "cheat" of the floppy connector on the
> > motherboard (jumper between pins 25 and 26).
> > But that's mainly used for replacing the floppy drive by an 
internal
> > ZIP drive and making sure that the Emax still thinks a floppy 
drive
> > is connected. That's not what I want.
> >
> > Bottom line: I don't understand this boot issue with the Emax. In 
the
> > original documentation of Emu, it seemed perfectly possible to 
have
> > an Emax with both an internal HD and a floppy drive. When booting,
> > the Emax should first check the floppy drive; if no floppy disk is
> > found, the Emax should boot from the HD on SCSI ID 0.
> > It doesn't do that on mine, it doesn't even check the SCSI chain, 
it
> > immediately asks to insert a disk.
> >
> > So what do you think I'm doing wrong ?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > ///E-Synthesist
> >
> > 
> >
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>