h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having just purchased a new Mac Pro for our business, I am facing a challenge in connecting an older SCSI device.

I've been reading the Mac Pro's small manual instructions about connecting PCI cards, and only PCI "Express" cards are mentioned. The new Mac Pro has "one double-wide PCI Express graphics slot and three PCI Express expansion slots, for a total of four slots."

We have purchased an Adaptec 2906 PCI card, but it looks as if this card may not be compatible with the newer PCI Express technology (unconfirmed assumption on my part). I haven't opened the package for the PCI card yet, so I'm not sure of whether it will work or not. Does anyone know how to confirm compatibility of this item without actually installing?

Does anyone have any suggestions for connecting an external, DB 25-pin SCSI device (LaCie DAT drive) to a brand-spanking-new Mac Pro? Or, is the device hopelessly outdated?


Help! I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody! Help! You know I need someone.... H-E-L-P!

When I was younger, so much younger then today.
Traveller in Time not with real help
"I ever purchased a 2900 card for my pc.
But now its days are gone. It is not used as it should.
Now I find the macs have IDE and opened up for windows. "

Apple needs to realize that we need our old peripherals and lyrics!

PCI Express are *Not* PCI compatible. They are purely for graphics cards. They may develop PCI-E SCSI cards in future, but I doubt it as, like AGP before it, it is designed primarily for graphics.

For everything else you have USB and Firewire. Shockingly you can't even use ADB peripherals on these new Macs

You can use one of these http://www.nextag.com/firewire-to-scsi-converter/search-html

Traveller in Time trying to find out about PCI Express
"Get the impression they are compatible.

What can be a higher obstacle is :

<quote>"
• Adaptec SCSI cards should not be used as Adaptec has discontinued development of drivers for Mac OS X.

Ask Adaptec: "search by" Answer ID 11052

"Adaptec is no longer developing SCSI drivers for the Mac OS. Technical support is available for those products still in their complimentary support period; however, there will be no new SCSI drivers, firmware, or patches available."
"<quote> Quote from:< http://www.blackmagic-design.com/support/detail.asp?techID=60 >

More or less the same comment here: < http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=54&itemid=23128 >

"

>>"Get the impression they are compatible.

Doesn't matter what impression you get, the simple fact of the matter is that no PCI-E card will fit in a PCI slot and vice versa. In this picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PCIExpress.jpg the top four yellow slots are types of PCI-E, 4x, 16x, 1x, 16x. The bottom yellow slot is PCI.

PCI-X on the otherhand *is* PCI compatible, both backwards, that is PCI card in PCI-X slot, and, mostly, forwards, that is PCI-X card in a PCI slot.

Well, it looks as if I've ordered the wrong card... the correct one will cost 10 times more, which will likely get me into trouble with the boss.

Thanks for the information, everyone... it's very kind of you to take the time to respond.


I won't be looking forward to facing this particular headache tomorrow at w*rk.... why doesn't upgrading to a new system ever go smoothly?

Don't worry.... I'll live... but I won't like it.

Traveller in Time removing the microscope
"Hmm, protocol on th ebus looked the dame was wondering where they would hide the serial communication path .

Just tell your boss what is going on: the big manufactureres force every one to follow their incompatible upgrades, just to make the PC-card business 'more' one standard. "

That's a good idea, Traveller. I'll just have to confess to complete ignorance.... which is the truth in this case.

Many thanks for the Ratoc Firewire to Ultra SCSI Converter suggestion, T.B. Falsename. That looks as if it will be the best possible solution... and the boss won't quibble about the cost.

I'm so glad to have experts to turn to here at h2g2.

s all around

Traveller in Time closing the door with a
"Glad to be of service "

Sure enough, the Sony SDT-9000 DAT drive, which is the exact model we have enclosed in the external LaCie case, is listed as compatible with the aforementioned converter.

Oh joy!


I really should have asked you people this question sooner.



*does a happy dance*

There may be other, cheaper, converters you can get, that was just the first one I found.

This is another possibility....

Ratoc U2SCX - storage controller - Ultra SCSI - Hi-Speed USB

... but, the specs do not mention our device on the compatibility list.


The price isn't much different. However, the Firewire converter would need an A/C adapter on our particular drive. I'll probably need a connector adapter too.

Decisions, decisions.

Is anyone else annoyed at the proliferation of species of SCSI pins? I know, I know... they're a thing of the past... except when it comes to DAT tape drives.

Now I discover that the old Apple Cinema Display won't connect to the Mac Pro without another $100 adapter -- with a brick the size of a Mac Mini. ADC to DVI adapter... not included.

*tears out hair*

I asked for a new monitor, but the boss wanted to wait until the first of the year to buy.

I never thought an Apple Display wouldn't connect to an Apple computer. Stop changing the connections already, Apple!

>>Many thanks for the Ratoc Firewire to Ultra SCSI Converter suggestion, T.B. Falsename.

No need to thank me...just send me an old G5 PowerMac ....Preferably with a minimum of 1Gb RAM

All we have here is a tired G4 (containing 1 GB of RAM) with a hard drive blown out. Since this is the second drive we've lost in the old pooter, let's assume there is an electrical problem, possibly explosive in nature. Fireballs and thick smoke will soon eminate from the interior, I'm sure... so you wouldn't want it in your home, now would you?

Traveller in Time collecting less modern hardware
"Sounds familiar, think I have something like that here
Alrady tried the third disk and it ever makes more noise. "