Adaptec APA-1350 User manual

R
User’s Guide
MiniSCSI 1350
Parallel Port to SCSI Adapter
APA-1350

Adaptec, Inc.
691 South Milpitas Boulevard
Milpitas, CA 95035
© 1998 Adaptec, Inc.
All rights reserved. Adaptec, and the Adaptec logo are trade-
marks of Adaptec, Inc. which may be registered in some
jurisdictions.
Printed in Singapore
STOCK NO.: 512111-00, Rev. A BKB 6/98
R

R
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ MiniSCSI 1350
Parallel Port to SCSI Adapter
User’s Guide

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ Contents
Introduction 1
Contents of Kit 1
System Requirements 1
Installing the MiniSCSI 1350 2
Software Installation 4
Windows 95 Software Installation 4
Printers 5
Uninstalling the Drivers 6
Understanding SCSI 7
SCSI IDs 7
Terminating the SCSI Bus 8
Obtaining SCSI Cables 8
Connector Types 9
Troubleshooting 10
General Hardware Troubleshooting 10
WINDOWS 95 Troubleshooting 11
Improving Overall Performance 12
Formatting your hard disk drives in Windows 95 13
Contacting Adaptec 15
Electronic Support 15
Technical and Product Support 16
Sales and Ordering Information 16

1
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Adaptec MiniSCSI 1350. The
MiniSCSI 1350 is the ideal solution for Plug & Play SCSI connections
to CD-ROMs, Scanners, Hard Disks, SyQuest, Iomega, Tape, MO
drives and other peripherals. It’s fast, easy installation adds full
SCSI flexibility to your Portable or Desktop PC without the hassle
and cost of plug-in host adapters. Simply plug it into your PC’s
parallel port and you’re set.
Contents of Kit
■MiniSCSI 1350 Parallel Port to SCSI Adapter
■User’s Guide
■Registration Card
■Windows 95 Setup Diskette
System Requirements
■Supports 486 and Pentium based portable or desktop systems.
■Operates on Standard, Unidirectional, Bidirectional, PS/2, EPP
and ECP (IEEE 1284) parallel ports.

2
MiniSCSI 1350 User’s Guide
Installing the MiniSCSI 1350
Follow the steps below to install the MiniSCSI 1350 and connect
your SCSI devices to it. Refer to Figure 1 on page 3 for an illustration
of a typical installation.
1
Connect the 50-pin interface plug to the SCSI interface socket
on your peripheral device.
2
Plug the 25-pin interface plug into a parallel-printer connector
on your computer.
3 Optional: If a printer cable is already attached to the connector,
unplug it and connect it to the 25-pin socket on the MiniSCSI
1350.
Note:
This is a pass-through printer connection that
will allow printing while your SCSI peripheral is in
use.
4
Ensure that your SCSI peripheral is properly terminated and
then switch on power to your SCSI peripheral. The green
power indicator on the MiniSCSI 1350 will now be illuminated
and you are ready to install the software.

3
Installing the MiniSCSI 1350
Note:
For the pass-through function to operate, your
SCSI peripheral must be connected and powered up
because the MiniSCSI 1350 uses the power on the SCSI
bus.
Figure 1. Typical Installation
50-pin Interface Plug
25-Pin Socket
25-Pin Interface Plug
SCSI Device
Laptop
Printer

4
MiniSCSI 1350 User’s Guide
Software Installation
To use your MiniSCSI 1350, you have to install software drivers on
your computer. This one time process is described below.
Note:
Before you begin, we recommend that you make
copies of the diskettes that came with your MiniSCSI 1350.
Before you begin, close any application you may have running
before installing the MiniSCSI 1350 software drivers.
Windows 95 Software Installation
1
Start Windows 95.
2
Insert the diskette labeled APA-1350 Setup Diskette into floppy
drive A.
3
Double-click on the My Computer icon.
4
Double-click on the Floppy Drive A.
5
Double click on the SETUP icon. The installation process will
begin. Follow the on-screen instructions until the installation
is complete. At the end of the installation process, a text file
called
README.TXT
will be displayed. This file contains
additional installation instructions, a troubleshooting section,
and un-install instructions.
Note:
README.TXT
can also be viewed at any later
time using Notepad. It will be copied to the folder on
the hard disk where the APA-1350 drivers have been
installed. The default directory is C:\MINISCSI.
After installation the devices can be accessed through Microsoft
Windows 95’s My Computer or Explorer applications. Audio CDs
can be played using CD-Player in the Multimedia group of the
Accessories section of the Program menu.

5
Software Installation
Printers
In most cases and with most printers, printing via the printer pass-
through connector should not be any different than printing via the
computer’s own printer port. The printer pass-through connector
on the MiniSCSI 1350 can be used to connect a printer or any
peripheral device that normally connects to a parallel-printer
connector.
Note:
The printer pass-through connector will only work
when the SCSI peripheral is attached and powered ON.

6
MiniSCSI 1350 User’s Guide
Uninstalling the Drivers
To uninstall the MiniSCSI 1350 drivers from your system
1
Go to the Control Panel and double-click on Add/Remove
Programs icon.
2
Highlight the MiniSCSI 1350 driver entry and click
Add/Remove. The drivers will be removed from your system.
3
Re-boot the system to reflect the change.
4
Follow the instructions below to prevent the MiniSCSI 1350
from loading on bootup automatically. First, determine which
version of Windows 95 you have installed. To do this check in
the System Properties dialog box in the Control Panel.
Windows 95 OSR2 will be displayed as Windows 95 4.00.950 B.
Windows 95 Standard will be displayed as Windows 95 4.00.950.
Windows 95 Standard
a
Go to the Control Panel and double-click on the System
icon.
b
Click the Device Manager tab.
c
Double-click the MiniSCSI 1350 device entry under SCSI
controllers.
d
Uncheck the box next to Original Configuration in the Device
Usage field. The MiniSCSI 1350 will not load. This can be
verified by the red "X" that will be displayed alongside the
MiniSCSI 1350 entry in the Device Manager.
Windows 95 OSR2
a
Go to the Control Panel and double-click on the System
icon.
b
Click the Device Manager tab.
c
Double-click the MiniSCSI 1350 device entry under SCSI
controllers.
d
Check the first box — Disable in this hardware profile. The
MiniSCSI 1350 will not load. This can be verified by the red
"X" that will be displayed alongside the MiniSCSI 1350 entry
in the Device Manager.

7
Understanding SCSI
Understanding SCSI
SCSI (pronounced “scuzzy”) stands for Small Computer Systems
Interface. SCSI is an industry standard computer interface for
connecting SCSI devices (such as hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives,
and scanners) to a common SCSI bus.
A SCSI bus is an electrical pathway consisting of a SCSI adapter
(such as the SlimSCSI adapter) installed in a computer and one or
moreSCSI devices. SCSI cables are used to connect the devices to the
SCSI card. For the SCSI bus to function properly, SCSI IDs must be
assigned to the SCSI devices and the SCSI adapter, and the SCSI bus
must be properly terminated.
SCSI IDs
Each device attached to the MiniSCSI 1350 adapter, as well as the
adapter itself, must be assigned a unique SCSI ID number from 0 to
6. A SCSI ID uniquely identifies each SCSI device on the SCSI bus
and determines priority when two or more devices are trying to use
the SCSI bus at the same time.
■The MiniSCSI 1350 adapter is preset to SCSI ID 7, which gives
it the highest priority on the SCSI bus.
■In Windows 95, you can use the Device Manager to view the
SCSI ID and other information about each installed SCSI
device.

8
MiniSCSI 1350 User’s Guide
Terminating the SCSI Bus
To ensure reliable communication on the SCSI bus, terminators must
be installed (or enabled) on the devices at the physical ends of the
SCSI bus. The terminators on all devices between the physical ends
must be removed (or disabled). Termination on the MiniSCSI 1350 is
permanently enabled, since it is always at one end of the SCSI bus.
There are various methods for terminating disk drives and other
SCSI devices. Read the device documentation if you are not sure
how to do this. Here are some general guidelines for termination:
■Termination is usually controlled by installing or removing a
SCSI terminator. On some SCSI devices, termination is
controlled by setting a switch on the back of the device.
■Most SCSI devices come from the factory with termination
enabled.
Obtaining SCSI Cables
You will need additional SCSI cables if you connect more than one
SCSI device to your MiniSCSI 1350. It is important to use high-
quality cables to ensure that data is read and written correctly.
Adaptec provides high-quality SCSI cables designed specifically for
use with the MiniSCSI 1350. (To order Adaptec SCSI cables, call
1-800-442-7274, Monday to Friday, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific
Time).

9
Understanding SCSI
Connector Types
Several different types of SCSI connectors are used on SCSI devices,
and each type requires a different kind of cable. The following
diagrams illustrate the different kinds of SCSI connectors:
If you have a SCSI device with a DB25 pin or low density 50-pin
(SCSI-2) connection, you can order converters from Adaptec's web
site.
SCSI-2 High-density 50-pin Connector
Standard MiniSCSI 1350 Connector for SCSI Perirpherals
Typically used with high-performance CD-ROM drives, hard disk drives, Jaz drives, and Plug
and Play devices.
DB25 Connector
Used with Iomega ZIP drives, Syquest EZFlyer, etc.
SCSI-1, Low-density Centronics 50-pin Connector
Used with many CD-ROM drives, hard disk drives, SCSI tape drives, and scanners

10
MiniSCSI 1350 User’s Guide
Troubleshooting
Most problems with the MiniSCSI 1350 result from errors in
preparing and connecting the SCSI devices to it. So, if you have
problems, check the General Hardware Troubleshooting tips first. If the
problem still remains, refer to one or more of these sections:
WINDOWS 95 Troubleshooting....................page 11
Improving Overall Performance.....................page 12
Formatting your Hard Disk Drives
in DOS or Windows 95..................................page 13
General Hardware Troubleshooting
■Be sure all connectors are firmly connected
■Be sure all SCSI cables and power cables are properly
connected and all SCSI devices are powered
■Be sure last SCSI device (or only) is terminated
■Be sure at least one SCSI device connected to the
MiniSCSI 1350 supplies termination power to the SCSI bus.
Otherwise, the SCSI devices will not work correctly.
Note:
Some devices have a switch to enable or disable
termination power. See the device documentation for
more information.

11
Troubleshooting
WINDOWS 95 Troubleshooting
■I can read from my CD-R or CD-RW but Easy CD Pro doesn’t
recognize the drive, therefore I’m unable to write to the CD?
Please check the revision of Easy CD Pro. Adaptec has fixed
problems in their latest revision (2.11C). This is found on their
website:
http://www.adaptec.com/support/files/upgrades.html
The file you need is Easy2up.exe, and is found under the
section CD recordable software upgrades PC.
■In the Device Manager under SCSI controllers the MiniSCSI
1350 controller is recognized but the CD drive isn’t listed
under CD-ROM.
Please check that you are using the very latest installer from
Adaptec. Also, check the SCSI ID of the CD ROM, make sure it
is not ID 7, 1 or 0.
■Can I use FDISK to prepare my hard disk?
In order to partition a hard disk drive with the FDISK
command, Int 13h support has to be enabled. For instructions
on how to do this refer to Formatting your hard disk drives in
Windows 95 on page 13.
■My EPST connection is running in Nibble mode, what
should I do?
At present EPST doesn’t support the parallel mode ECP
properly. If you change the port mode to EPP you will find a
performance increase.

12
MiniSCSI 1350 User’s Guide
Improving Overall Performance
Following are some tips on improving the performance of the
MiniSCSI 1350:
■Ensure that the CMOS setting configuration for the parallel
port and the setting in the Device Manager are the same.
■Ensure that there are no Port Base and IRQ clashes with other
installed devices such as Sound Cards.
■If the parallel port supports EPP, ensure that the parallel port
mode in the system CMOS is set for EPP.
■To step up the system performance, in the Control Panel, select
System, select the Performance tab, click on File System, ensure
that the Performance is set to Full.
■Select the Trouble Shooting tab and ensure that the Write
Behind Cache is enabled. These are usually the default
settings.
■The MiniSCSI 1350s are programmed to give maximum
performance for the following parallel port Port Base and IRQ
combinations: 378h and 3BCh and IRQ 7 Port Base and IRQ
combinations other than these are likely to slow down the
performance.
■Ensure that the total cable length does not exceed 3 meters and
that no more than 7 devices are attached. For optimum
performance we recommend attaching only 4 devices.

13
Troubleshooting
Formatting your hard disk drives in Windows 95
If a hard disk drive is used that has not been formatted for Windows
95 systems, you will need to prepare the Disk for its first use with
the FDISK and FORMAT commands in the DOS directory of your
system disk. Before you can use these commands you must enable
Int 13 support for the drive.
Follow these steps to enable Int 13 support:
1
Go to the Control Panel.
2
Double-click on the System icon.
3
Click on the Device Manager tab.
4
Double-click on Disk drives.
5
Double-click on the icon for the Disk attached to your
MiniSCSI 1350.
6
Click on the Settings tab.
7
Click on the Int 13 Unit field in the Options section.
8
Reboot for the change to take effect.
Once you have completed initialization of the disk, you can repeat
the above procedure to disable the Int 13 support of your Disk. This
may improve performance.
❒