Q: How do I use my Iomega SCSI-based Zip Plus?

The system I was sent had no manual to the SCSI board. I need to know how to change the on-board termination, so I can use an external device. I also need to know where I can buy converters, and I'm not even really sure what I need.

I have a Zip Plus that supports SCSI and parallel. I'd like to hook it up, but it uses a 25-pin connection. The SCSI card has 2 jumperless jumpers, but that's all, unless I missed something. This is my first system with SCSI, so I'm not real sure about it all. yet.

A: You have a Symbios 8951 Ultra-2 SCSI controller. The connector is called a VHD connector (Very High Density connector.) You would need a connector to convert from that to the Zip drive's connector. Also, be aware the Symbios controller does not automatically terminate the high-order bits, so the external adapter needs to do this.

I not sure such a connector exists. (Good reason.) Be aware that, if you connect any non-ultra-2 device to an Ultra-2 card, everything on that card reverts to non-ultra-2 behavior. Unlike narrow vs. wide, there are electrical differences between Ultra and Ultra-2.

You be much better off adding a second SCSI card to your system. The cost of the adapter, and cost in your own time, will likely exceed the cost of a cheap ultra-narrow card.

Alternatively, you can get a SCSI card at any major computer store. I'd recommend a Buslogic (Mylex) card, or any card from the 1st or 2nd tier of Red Hat's Hardware Compatibility List.

http://hardware.redhat.com/hcl/

You will need to modprobe or insmod the right driver, for Linux to be able to use the card. (Note that Red Hat does all SCSI drivers as modules.)

[Update a/o December 1999: For a Zip Plus drive, you would also need the IMM driver, described at http://en.tldp.org/HOWTO/ZIP-Drive-4.html#ss4.4 (and not the PPA driver required for most other Zip units). Note: The Iomega Zip Plus is designed to autoswitch between SCSI and parallel/Centronics operation, depending on what you connect it to, but has been reported to be very problematic in that regard.]