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]

Originally Posted by 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.

Originally Posted by ktinkel

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-...58/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...xSx?iid=116383

looks more reliable.

Here's a link to the Adapatec site:

http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/support...160/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-b...?p_faqid=14790

and scroll on down to:

Ultra160 FamilyAdaptec 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 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]

Originally Posted by marlene

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

If 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 one

Nah, 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.

mxh