Options For Empty A2091 SCSI Hard Card

clh333 · 05 December 2017, 20:39

Along with the purchase of an Amiga 2500 came an A2091 hard card. ROMs are Version 7 but otherwise the board is bare: A stub for power and data and a place for a SCSI drive to be attached to the card; 16 empty sockets for RAM.

Apart from what I could learn in the Amiga Hardware Database I know nothing about this card so may I ask:

-Is it advisable to put a SCSI disk on the card or is it better to run a 50-pin cable to the chassis below the FDs?

-Is it advisable to populate the empty RAM sockets?

-Has anyone modified the board to install a 2x20 header and successfully run an IDE drive from the card? If so, how much is involved?

Thanks for your replies

-CH-

Jope · 05 December 2017, 21:05

If you mount the drive on the card, you should have the black support rod that goes across the computer from the front to the card slot brackets. However you can probably manage without, if you don't transport the machine a lot.

I would not populate the RAM, but instead I'd get a 8MB RAM card and populate that instead if needed. Preferably use the RAM on your accelerator if your machine still has one.

The 40 pin header is XT-IDE, you don't want to have anything to do with it. It is not compatible with the normal AT-IDE drives.

clh333 · 06 December 2017, 20:23

Discovered today that I also have an A2090A MFM/SCSI controller card.

Daedalus · 06 December 2017, 20:30

The A2091 is a much superior card, so if you were going to use one of them, it should be the 2091. If you do use it, even if the hard drive is mounted on the card, it might be advisable to power it directly from the PSU instead of the card - I've heard that some people have issues with a power-heavy drive when powered from the card itself.

RAM on the card is better than no RAM at all, but if you have a better way of using the 8MB of address space (e.g. RTG cards, RAM cards) then use that instead.

05 December 2017, 20:39	#1
clh333 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Posts: 45	Options For Empty A2091 SCSI Hard Card Along with the purchase of an Amiga 2500 came an A2091 hard card. ROMs are Version 7 but otherwise the board is bare: A stub for power and data and a place for a SCSI drive to be attached to the card; 16 empty sockets for RAM. Apart from what I could learn in the Amiga Hardware Database I know nothing about this card so may I ask: -Is it advisable to put a SCSI disk on the card or is it better to run a 50-pin cable to the chassis below the FDs? -Is it advisable to populate the empty RAM sockets? -Has anyone modified the board to install a 2x20 header and successfully run an IDE drive from the card? If so, how much is involved? Thanks for your replies -CH-

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05 December 2017, 21:05	#2
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	If you mount the drive on the card, you should have the black support rod that goes across the computer from the front to the card slot brackets. However you can probably manage without, if you don't transport the machine a lot. I would not populate the RAM, but instead I'd get a 8MB RAM card and populate that instead if needed. Preferably use the RAM on your accelerator if your machine still has one. The 40 pin header is XT-IDE, you don't want to have anything to do with it. It is not compatible with the normal AT-IDE drives.

06 December 2017, 20:23	#3
clh333 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Posts: 45	Discovered today that I also have an A2090A MFM/SCSI controller card.

06 December 2017, 20:30	#4
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,334	The A2091 is a much superior card, so if you were going to use one of them, it should be the 2091. If you do use it, even if the hard drive is mounted on the card, it might be advisable to power it directly from the PSU instead of the card - I've heard that some people have issues with a power-heavy drive when powered from the card itself. RAM on the card is better than no RAM at all, but if you have a better way of using the 8MB of address space (e.g. RTG cards, RAM cards) then use that instead.

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