Emax

This is not normal...

The Emax-II should *not* check the disk for Emax-2 compatibility at all when selecting the Master->5.Format Disk option
It will only check the drive for Emax-2 compatibility. 
The Emax-II only reports "Not an Emax2 disk" when trying to load data from the disk or when trying to write data to the disk.

So even when *no* ZIP disk is inserted in the ZIP drive, you can go quite far into the Format process.
I just checked it, with a ZIP 100 drive on SCSI 5, Termination ON on an Emax-II 4MB, booted from internal HD on SCSI 1. 
No (!) ZIP disk is inserted into the drive.
Here's what happens in that case:

1/ I select: Master->5.Format Disk
   Emax-II displays: Format Erases Memory OK ? (Y/N)
2/ I select: Yes
   Emax-II displays: Loading Software 
     (Emax-II loads the software from the most recent drive which was selected just before going into the Master->5.Format Disk module...)
   Emax-II displays: Format Disk: Select a drive
3/ I select: 5
   Emax-II displays: SCSI 5: IOMEGA  Z
4/ I select: enter
   Emax-II displays: Format Drive #5 ? IOMEGA ZIP 100
5/ I select: yes
   Emax-II displays: Formatting Drive
     (after a while...:)
   Emax-II displays: SCSI: Hardware Error
     (that's because no disk is inserted in the drive of course :-)

So... it actually seems that your Emax-II does not recognize the drive on scsi id 5. It happens from time to time with Emax-IIs out there. But in that case you should also not be able to load/save data to that drive. Strange.
If the Emax-II does not see the SCSI device, it may be required to first boot the Emax-II and only then power the zipdrive. Although this is exactly the opposite of how things should be done according to the "book" :-)

PS: it's correct that EMXP can't format Emax-II and Emulator-III Zip disks; I didn't succeed in this when I was coding that part of EMXP - but I will give it another try in the future...

///E-Synthesist
  


--- In emax@yahoogroups.com, "factormax86" <factormax86@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> 
> Just joined the forum having just obtained an EMAX II (had an EMAX I for a while).
> 
> It's a 2212 that has been expanded to 4Mb memory.  I'm booting from floppy with OS v2.14.
> 
> I have a SCSI ZIP drive attached as SCSI #5 and with Termination set "on".
> 
> I can't see anything in the manual about formatting ZIPs, but I went through the format process using the Master module and Option #5 "Format", and I get to the point where it says "Format Disk Select a Drive", and when I try to select SCSI #5, it says "Not an EMAX2 Disk".
> 
> I believe the ZIP drive is connected correctly because I can load banks from the ZIP disk that the previous owner supplied, and it works absolutely fine.
> 
> I've tried it with both re-used and brand new unopened ZIP 100 disks, and it's no different.
> 
> I tried formatting first on a PC using an USB ZIP250 drive, but again, the EMAX II won't recognise it as an EMAX2 disk.
> 
> I looked at EMXP, but that also says it can not format an EMAX2 ZIP.
> 
> Is there something obvious I'm doing wrong?  (For example, is there any write-protection on a ZIP disk - I can't see anything obvious like there is on a floppy?)
> 
> Any help welcome.
>