To buy or not to buy: SCSI cable or new scanners?

[marlene]

My new PC has an external SCSI port (Ultra Micro Centronics 68 VHDCI) that's not compatible with any of my SCSI cables.

My external SCSI devices are my ancient HP IIcx scanner, an elderly Polaroid SprintScan 35 Plus, and a Zip drive that I never use. Both scanners work fine.

A new cable with the right kind of connector doohickey will cost around $60 or more (I found it at the local MicroCenter for over $80 -- didn't buy it).

I rarely use my scanners, but still need to have them functioning just in case. I am temporarily going to leave them hooked up to the old computer but at some point I have to decide whether to buy the new cable or replace both scanners.

Having just spent a small fortune on the new PC (and girding my loins to spend more moolah on a new monitor), I'm reluctant to buy new scanners, especially considering how little use they will get.

If I decide to go for new scanners, any suggestions? I'd need a flatbed and a slide scanner.

mxh

[ktinkel]

Try looking around for connector converters — should cost less than a new cable.

I semi-remember needing those at the end of my SCSI life, when the new ones were slick and tiny (while the old were medium or large and ugly).

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

My new PC has an external SCSI port (Ultra Micro Centronics 68 VHDCI) that's not compatible with any of my SCSI cables.

My external SCSI devices are my ancient HP IIcx scanner, an elderly Polaroid SprintScan 35 Plus, and a Zip drive that I never use. Both scanners work fine.

Try looking around for connector converters — should cost less than a new cable.

When I ran into this with my HP SJ5P I found that converters were nearly as expensive as new cables and at that time that a new cable was nearly as expensive as getting a new scsi controler card!

The decision was made for me when I found that the new scsi hard drives going into the new PC were UltraWide and my old HP scsi card was both 8 bit and not UW.

I got an Adaptec 19160 controller card which has the external socket to match the HP cable but I was gobsmacked the other day to see they now want about $200 for that card!

I don't know that I'd have much confidence in the ultra-low prices pulled up by Googling:

http://www.nextag.com/Adaptec-19160-PCI-SCSI-2275758/prices-html

especially since I'm not too sure that the descriptions and picturres they give match the actual device specification. My 19160 only has one connector on the back panel, not the two shown on one site.

However the description and amount of detail on the second lowest price source:

http://www.compuvest.com/Description.jsp;jsessionid=aXwu-85ODrH4XvwxSx?iid=116383

looks more reliable.

Here's a link to the Adapatec site:

http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/support/scsi/u160/ASC-19160/

and it is supported in VISTA although it takes a bit of a struggle to locate the information:

http://adaptec-tic.adaptec.com/cgi-bin/adaptec_tic.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14790

and scroll on down to:

Ultra160 Family Adaptec SCSI Card 19160 Yes

PS I started this as a reply to KT but hopefully switched it direct to you. If your existing controller is OK with whatever you have inside the PC then this probably isn't of interest -- like Tpsy, it grew <s>

[terrie]

marlene: If I decide to go for new scanners, any suggestions? I'd need a flatbed and a slide scanner.If you are going to buy new, then you don't need a slide scanner because the newer flatbeds have both high enough scanning res and slide/neg options that you proabably only need the flatbed...

Take a look at the Epson V700 (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63056499) which sells for $549 via the Epson site--probably less elsewhere--with an optical res of 6400dpi or the Epson V500 (also with a 6400dpi optical res) which sells for $249 (Epson site price)...

Terrie

[Robin Springall]

I rarely use my scanners, but still need to have them functioning just in case. I am temporarily going to leave them hooked up to the old computer but at some point I have to decide whether to buy the new cable or replace both scannersIf they aren't going to be used frequently, and if you're keeping the old computer anyway, why not save your money and just keep 'em where they are? The old computer won't stop working just because you have a new one :)

[Howard Allen]

I'm with Robin on this one. Why not just keep the old computer? I have an old G3 Mac that I keep running just for a couple of SCSI scanners (a Lino-Hell flatbed and a Nikon slide scanner, both of which work as good as new), and some older OCR software (ABBYY FineReader Pro) for occasional use. The old 'puter costs nothing more than a couple square feet of real-estate.

[marlene]

Try looking around for connector converters — should cost less than a new cable.

I'll try that. But even the cables are hard to find online -- I was very surprised to find them in the flesh at MicroCenter (but I confess I didn't look for a converter -- I'll do that next time I'm over there).

mxh

[marlene]

Hugh,

The new PC has a fancy SCSI RAID controller. I didn't really have any other options for a SCSI RAID controller unless I wanted to spend even more money. Which I didn't. <g>

mxh

[marlene]

you don't need a slide scanner because the newer flatbeds have both high enough scanning res and slide/neg options that you proabably only need the flatbed

I dunno ... I'm very skeptical about the ability of a consumer-grade flatbed to scan slides at the level of quality I need. I'll have to do some research.

mxh

[marlene]

The old computer won't stop working just because you have a new oneNah, but the old computer might stop working because Mr. Excitement will be using it. ;)

He's been salivating over my creaky old PC for weeks -- he can have it as soon as I finish loading the new PC.

He's not crazy about having to make room for the two scanners on his "desk" (the dining room table), but if he wants my old PC he has to submit to my demands. :D

mxh

[marlene]

Why not just keep the old computer?

I am gonna try to keep the old computer as a "scanning station," at least until I find a cheap SCSI cable!

mxh

[terrie]

marlene: I'm very skeptical about the ability of a consumer-grade flatbed to scan slides at the level of quality I need. I'll have to do some research.I think the Epson V700 would be considered fairly top of the line pro-sumer scanner...there is a V700-Pro also for a bit more $$$ and I think it's just the software that comes with the scanner rather than any difference in the hardware specs...

Terrie

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

Don't blame you .....

[Steve Rindsberg]

Give me a shout .. I've probably got one or two of these things floating around.

[ktinkel]

Give me a shout .. I've probably got one or two of these things floating around.I am quite sure that I do too, only I don’t know where.

But somewhere in Jack’s basement there is a carton of SCSI stuff, all kinds. If Marlene gets stuck, we can rummage (that is, Jack can :) — I do not go to his basement lair).

[marlene]

I've probably got one or two of these things floating around

No kidding? The one I need seems to be very uncommon: Ultra Micro Centronics 68 (VHDCI) Male to Centronics 50 Male Pro Series (fast and wide) SCSI III Cable. Like this:

http://tinyurl.com/yq45mf

I just noticed a new listing on that page -- an open-box cable at a VERY reasonable price. So unless you do have a spare cable of that precise configuration that you're willing to sell to a good home, I'll buy the one listed on that page.

FvH

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

If you do buy there please let us know how you get on. They certainly have some interesting stuff like a PCCard/Parallel port for $18 complete with parallel cable!

[Steve Rindsberg]

Hm. Mine's got the high density male / 68 / with Clip locks like the one here:

http://www.cs-electronics.com/68-pin-cables.htm

Fast and loose instead of fast and wide, maybe? ;-)

[marlene]

LOL!

I'm not sure that's the kind of connector doohickey I need -- the builder was VERY specific -- he said it had to have the term "VHDCI" in the description.

I'm attaching (I hope) photos of the SCSI ports on the new PC (they're the two skinny wide ports near the top of the photo) and of the SCSI port and corresponding cable connector on the slide scanner (which needs to be the first thang in the SCSI chain).

The builder said the Belkin F2N106406 had the right kinds of doohickeys.

FvH

P.S. Only the first photo (of the new SCSI ports) uploaded -- maybe I can only upload one attachment per message.

[marlene]

Okay, I'll let y'all know if I do order the cable from them.

mxh

[ktinkel]

That does look like what I what I have. Unfortunately, I found it connected to an optical drive that I need to recover data from.

But I will show it to Jack and ask him to check the connector junk box to see if there is another like it. It won’t be soon, though. He is compulsively raking leaves; has been for a week. No end in sight, either.

That reference to Centronics makes me nervous. When SCSI first appeared, its connectors looked just like parallel connectors, but those did not work with SCSI.

Unfortunately, only relatively recent SCSI cables and connectors are marked. Such craziness! <g>

[Steve Rindsberg]

I don't think mine match up. Pity ...

[marlene]

AFAIK, the Centronics reference just means it doesn't have pins and holes, but rather the bar and slot type of connection. Not sure what the actual technical terminology would be. But I wish they'd quit calling it Centronics. Too confusing.

Thanks for offering to check your junk box for spare cables, but I'm happy enough to buy the one I found online -- the price is less than a third of what it would cost locally.

So don't even think about pulling Jack off the leaf-raking regimen.

BTW, my boy dog likes to eat the fallen leaves, especially when they are nice and crispy.

mxh

[ktinkel]

Okay. Just as well.

Our dogs liked to root in fallen leaves (finding who knows what funky stuff rotting away beneath them), and to roll in them, but I don’t remember any of them eating them.

But they did find both of our last two cats amid fallen leaves.

[marlene]

I ordered the cable from tech4less, and will report back on its goodness when I receive it.

FvH

[ktinkel]

Only the first photo (of the new SCSI ports) uploaded -- maybe I can only upload one attachment per message.Should be able to upload more than one. Could it have been a size problem with the second iimage?