MAC OS 9.2.2 SCSI question.

[sanking]

Sandy, I still have my twin G4 chugging along when I scan, but it's a fairly simple system (I remember extensions and Conflict Manager Ugh!) - I wasn't sure how far back your experience went. Like Henry I have a cupboard full of SCSI stuff.

So your second Adaptec, second system partition approach is working? Kind of like two different computer systems in one box!

Andy

Andy,

I go back pretty far with SCSI. I owned one of the very first Macintoish compurters, can't remember which one it was but it was the one before the MAC+ that had a huge 128mb of RAM. And in addition to my MAC G4 Quicksilver I have a new 24" iMAC. So I am pretty much all MAC, as they say.

The second Adaptec 2906 is not yet in the computer so I can not say for sure it will work. What I am doing on a temporary basis is connecting just one scanner at a time to the one 29096 card I have installed, and of course booting into a specific system for each scanner. This is working very well, and it is what made me think that the most trouble-free environment for the two scanners would be running each from a different SCSI card. Based on my own experience with SCSI, and what others have said here, I am very optimistic that this will work.

And yes, it is kind of like have two different computers on the same platform. Or in fact, three, since I have a fully working OS10.3.9 system on another partition that I can also boot into if needed, and I use that system a lot for editing images, unless the file size is too large, in which case I transport over to the Intel iMac.

Sandy

[AJSJones]

There's never been a PC in our house. Our first at home was a 512 but at work I had a Plus with a 20MB hard drive that was non-SCSI (basically as fast as a big floppy!) Back then I was very happy to see SCSI arrive
Good luck with the dualSCSI cards

Andy

PS How many scanners have you tested with the USAF target? Seems like a reproducible way of assessing a key performance parameter. I've been tempted to get one but am doing OK with my DuoScan2500 so it's only be a curiosity.

[sanking]

There's never been a PC in our house. Our first at home was a 512 but at work I had a Plus with a 20MB hard drive that was non-SCSI (basically as fast as a big floppy!) Back then I was very happy to see SCSI arrive
Good luck with the dualSCSI cards

Andy

PS How many scanners have you tested with the USAF target? Seems like a reproducible way of assessing a key performance parameter. I've been tempted to get one but am doing OK with my DuoScan2500 so it's only be a curiosity.

Andy,

First, I should mention that I first contact print the USAF target to a very high resolution film, usually TMAX-100. The resolution of the contact negative with TMAX-100 is on the order of 140-180 lppm, depending on developer and film. Then I use the contact print to test the scanner. The result is about the same as if I were to test the chrome on glass target directly, but the fact that it is film makes the test more realistic since most of us are scanning film and not glass plates. So the results, while not industry standard, are perfectly valid for comparison purposes. But of course, only for resolution testing, not other factors that make scanners good or bad.

I have personally tested several Epson scanners (4870, 4990, V750) this way, and two vintage scanners that I own, a Leafscan 45 and an Eversmart Pro. The Leaf and EverSmart give resolution at a very high percentage of stated, well over 90% for both, whereas the effective resolution of the Epsons is about 50% or less. But of course the Epson are very easy to use, and for LF film give good results up to 3X-5X.

Sandy King

[sanking]

OK, here is the definitive answer to my question that began this thread.

Today I received the new Adaptec 2906 SCSI card. It came in a sealed box, and the card itself was sealed in a static bag. This of course I took as a good omen. I could also tell that the card was made in the good old days because the card was accompanied by several instructional booklets, two in full color, and a driver for the card on both floppy disk and CD.

So I shut down the G4, unplugged the power cord, and opened the back. Then I installed an anti-static ring on my left arm and connected it to the power supply. As a safety precaution I also touched my right hand to the power supply. Then I opened the anti-static bag, carefully withdrew the 2906 card, and installed it in an open PCI slot. It inserted nicely, so I screwed it on at the top, removed the anti-static ring, and closed the side to the computer.

Next I connected SCSI cables from the two scanners, each directly to one of the two SCI cards in the PCI slots. I then plugged the computer back up, turned on the scanners, and powered up the computer in MAC )S 9.2.2 from one of the two installed OS 9.2.2 systems.

Complete success. When I opened system profiler both of the SCSI loops appeared, each with a device called a scanner. Next step to see if that will work from the same SCSI driver at the same time, so I opened up the applications software for both scanners. Everything still perfect so I made a couple of pre-scans. With that much success I decided to call it a day. Even if there are some conflicts down the road in running the two scanners at the same time that would be a very minor inconvenience because I would rarely, if ever, want to run more than one scanner at the same time anyway.

So that is my end to this story, and thanks to all who offered advice and suggestions.

Sandy King

[AJSJones]

Sandy,
That's good news - and a pleasant surprise things worked out as expected
I think I'll be using my G4 and its 9.2 SCSI for my Agfa Duoscan for a while yet - I had tried to get it to work on my G5 but gave up (Firewire to SCSI was a nasty rumor and there's no such thing as a cheap SCSI board for them) and I'm not even going to try on the next Intel Mac I get

Andy