IDE SCSI Bridge with CF Card Adapter for Video Toaster Flyer

crazyegg · 06 October 2009, 17:12

Hi All,

Due to boredom, I've dug out my A4000 from the closet and decided to refurbish it to modern timIes. ;-)

I have the Video Toaster 4000 and Flyer cards installed.

I would like to hook up a IDE to SCSI bridge/CF adapter combination as a hard drive setup for the Flyer. Will this work?

If so, I see some EAB users talking about the expensive AOPEN bridge adapters. Will one of the cheaper bridge adapters on eBay work?

Regards....ed

Photon · 06 October 2009, 22:26

Not familiar with your setup. You have a SCSI card in an internal slot? Or did I misinterpret your question.

If you have IDE already, get any cheap IDE-CF adapter from Hong Kong eBay seller for $4 or so. Buy a SanDisk Extreme III 1GB-card or better. Done!

alexh · 06 October 2009, 23:06

It would be pretty costly in terms of SCSI->IDE adapters as you would need 3 of them.

3 * $35 ACARD AEC-7720U is what you're after. They are about $35 each if you live in the states, sometimes double for UK and EU.

There are non cheap on eBay at the moment but they'll be back.

crazyegg · 09 October 2009, 15:25

Hi All,

Thanks for the advice. Is the ACARD the only compatible SCSi-IDE adapter to use for the Amiga? I have seen other makers most notably Maxtor for much cheaper on eBay.

Will these cheaper brands work?

Regards....ed

alexh · 09 October 2009, 15:30

It is the best.

Others, particularly the Maxtor one were designed for a CD/DVD-ROM. May work, may not.

Only one confirmed to work is the Yamaha V769970 (which came with the CRW-F1 CD-ROM) and has been tested with Amiga and works with most (not all) drives & SCSI controllers.

rkauer · 11 October 2009, 07:52

Also remember that for good use you need loads of space on the Flyer "HD"s. 8Gb on each is hardly ideal.

crazyegg · 11 October 2009, 19:00

Hi All,

Right now, I have just 1GIG SCSI drives hooked up for the Flyer. I have never done any lengthy or serious editing work on it.

As a hobby, I am looking for a way to incorporate a Flyer setup into a stock A4000 case while remaining cool. It appears that the ACARD option is the preferred option.

Thanks for all your advice and I will report back once I find 3 of these ACARDs at an affordable price...

Regards....ed

MagerValp · 12 October 2009, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyegg

Thanks for all your advice and I will report back once I find 3 of these ACARDs at an affordable price...

This is probably the cheapest place to get them:

http://ctrsurplus.com/adaptercards.aspx

I ordered mine from them (via BIN on eBay, since I'm outside the US) two weeks ago, and I'm still waiting for it, so I can't say if they're a good place to buy from. Cheap though.

crazyegg · 12 October 2009, 19:37

Hi,

WOW! That is very cheap! Thanks so much for the link. Which one 50 pin version did you purchase? I'm pretty sure that the safest bet is to go for the one with the latest revision number right?

Regards....ed

MagerValp · 12 October 2009, 21:57

They can all be upgraded to the latest firmware, you can download the patch from Acard's homepage (though you'll need a Windows PC with SCSI).

alexh · 12 October 2009, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyegg

WOW! That is very cheap!

That is about normal. There are just a few crazy prices floating around on eBay, but that is normal.

Pyromania · 13 October 2009, 03:36

@crazyegg

We have wanted to do this for a long time too! Please give it a try and report back, we wish you much success. There has to be a way to make this work.

crazyegg · 13 October 2009, 04:05

Hi All,

Its really weird that my IDE CF 40 Pin Adapter works on my A4000 without the power from the floppy connector.

I've also tried attaching the power and it still works with no apparent ill effect.

WEIRD....

Anyways, I will be doing the Flyer project with CF adapters near the holidays and will report back then....

Regards....ed

crazyegg · 20 October 2009, 05:21

Hi All,

Just an update:

I've just purchased 3 used ACARD 50 Pin SCSI-IDE adapters from the link in the previous post.

The only thing I am missing are 3 CF cards for the 3 SCSI chains.

In order to keep this project economical, I am leaning on getting 4Gb cards for the video and 2Gb for the audio.

I will report back asap....

Regards...ed

MagerValp · 20 October 2009, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyegg

I've just purchased 3 used ACARD 50 Pin SCSI-IDE adapters from the link in the previous post.

Did you receive them as well? I'm still waiting for mine...

crazyegg · 20 October 2009, 16:23

Hi MagerValp,

I just ordered mine yesterday and have not received it yet.

Thanks again for the link!

Regards...ed

crazyegg · 29 October 2009, 20:32

Hi All,

I just received my ACards yesterday. It took just under 2 weeks to ship to Canada.

The firmware revision says 3.75 on the sticker.

Is it recommended to flash to a newer version?

Regards....ed

alexh · 30 October 2009, 08:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyegg

Is it recommended to flash to a newer version

If it aint broken don't fix it?

But then again, if you have a PC with a SCSI card then why not?

The latest appears to be 3.89 (which is probably the same as 6.89)

http://www.acard.com.tw/english/fc0101.jsp

crazyegg · 31 October 2009, 23:11

Hi All,

Just an update as promised...

I am using 3.75 firmware and all appears to be working!

I am hooking up 3 ACards to the 3 SCSI chains of the Flyer card. I am using generic Hong Kong 40 pin IDE/CF cards.

I am also currently using cheap a 1 gig AData CF card as a test. The AData CF card work but the read and right speeds are on the low side (about 5 mb/s and 3 mb/s read and write respectively). However, most problamatic is the high max idle time which is about 1600 miliseconds during the write.

Flyer specs require that the max idle time be no more than 300 ms.

I have a Sandisk Extreme III that I will have to dig out and that I will test on my Flyer setup. The read/write speeds should improve. But how about the idle time. Does anyone know where I can find idle times detailed for cf cards?

Regards...ed

cosmicfrog · 01 November 2009, 01:20

1600 miliseconds

that over 1 and a half seconds

06 October 2009, 17:12	#1
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	IDE SCSI Bridge with CF Card Adapter for Video Toaster Flyer Hi All, Due to boredom, I've dug out my A4000 from the closet and decided to refurbish it to modern timIes. ;-) I have the Video Toaster 4000 and Flyer cards installed. I would like to hook up a IDE to SCSI bridge/CF adapter combination as a hard drive setup for the Flyer. Will this work? If so, I see some EAB users talking about the expensive AOPEN bridge adapters. Will one of the cheaper bridge adapters on eBay work? Regards....ed

06 October 2009, 22:26	#2
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,604	Not familiar with your setup. You have a SCSI card in an internal slot? Or did I misinterpret your question. If you have IDE already, get any cheap IDE-CF adapter from Hong Kong eBay seller for $4 or so. Buy a SanDisk Extreme III 1GB-card or better. Done! Last edited by Photon; 08 October 2009 at 02:21. Reason: clarifications in bold

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06 October 2009, 23:06	#3
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,354	It would be pretty costly in terms of SCSI->IDE adapters as you would need 3 of them. 3 * $35 ACARD AEC-7720U is what you're after. They are about $35 each if you live in the states, sometimes double for UK and EU. There are non cheap on eBay at the moment but they'll be back.

09 October 2009, 15:25	#4
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi All, Thanks for the advice. Is the ACARD the only compatible SCSi-IDE adapter to use for the Amiga? I have seen other makers most notably Maxtor for much cheaper on eBay. Will these cheaper brands work? Regards....ed

09 October 2009, 15:30	#5
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,354	It is the best. Others, particularly the Maxtor one were designed for a CD/DVD-ROM. May work, may not. Only one confirmed to work is the Yamaha V769970 (which came with the CRW-F1 CD-ROM) and has been tested with Amiga and works with most (not all) drives & SCSI controllers.

11 October 2009, 07:52	#6
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	Also remember that for good use you need loads of space on the Flyer "HD"s. 8Gb on each is hardly ideal.

11 October 2009, 19:00	#7
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi All, Right now, I have just 1GIG SCSI drives hooked up for the Flyer. I have never done any lengthy or serious editing work on it. As a hobby, I am looking for a way to incorporate a Flyer setup into a stock A4000 case while remaining cool. It appears that the ACARD option is the preferred option. Thanks for all your advice and I will report back once I find 3 of these ACARDs at an affordable price... Regards....ed

12 October 2009, 19:37	#9
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi, WOW! That is very cheap! Thanks so much for the link. Which one 50 pin version did you purchase? I'm pretty sure that the safest bet is to go for the one with the latest revision number right? Regards....ed

12 October 2009, 21:57	#10
MagerValp Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Göteborg / Sweden Posts: 237	They can all be upgraded to the latest firmware, you can download the patch from Acard's homepage (though you'll need a Windows PC with SCSI).

13 October 2009, 03:36	#12
Pyromania Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3,375	@crazyegg We have wanted to do this for a long time too! Please give it a try and report back, we wish you much success. There has to be a way to make this work.

13 October 2009, 04:05	#13
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi All, Its really weird that my IDE CF 40 Pin Adapter works on my A4000 without the power from the floppy connector. I've also tried attaching the power and it still works with no apparent ill effect. WEIRD.... Anyways, I will be doing the Flyer project with CF adapters near the holidays and will report back then.... Regards....ed

20 October 2009, 05:21	#14
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi All, Just an update: I've just purchased 3 used ACARD 50 Pin SCSI-IDE adapters from the link in the previous post. The only thing I am missing are 3 CF cards for the 3 SCSI chains. In order to keep this project economical, I am leaning on getting 4Gb cards for the video and 2Gb for the audio. I will report back asap.... Regards...ed

20 October 2009, 16:23	#16
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi MagerValp, I just ordered mine yesterday and have not received it yet. Thanks again for the link! Regards...ed

29 October 2009, 20:32	#17
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi All, I just received my ACards yesterday. It took just under 2 weeks to ship to Canada. The firmware revision says 3.75 on the sticker. Is it recommended to flash to a newer version? Regards....ed

31 October 2009, 23:11	#19
crazyegg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 122	Hi All, Just an update as promised... I am using 3.75 firmware and all appears to be working! I am hooking up 3 ACards to the 3 SCSI chains of the Flyer card. I am using generic Hong Kong 40 pin IDE/CF cards. I am also currently using cheap a 1 gig AData CF card as a test. The AData CF card work but the read and right speeds are on the low side (about 5 mb/s and 3 mb/s read and write respectively). However, most problamatic is the high max idle time which is about 1600 miliseconds during the write. Flyer specs require that the max idle time be no more than 300 ms. I have a Sandisk Extreme III that I will have to dig out and that I will test on my Flyer setup. The read/write speeds should improve. But how about the idle time. Does anyone know where I can find idle times detailed for cf cards? Regards...ed

01 November 2009, 01:20	#20
cosmicfrog The 1 who ribbits Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: leek, Staffs, UK Age: 56 Posts: 3,557	1600 miliseconds that over 1 and a half seconds

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