[conspire] questions re firewire pci card and firewire enclosure for 30GB hard drive

[Darlene Wallach]

Paul Reiber wrote:
>> Rick,
>>
>> Thank you - I would rather go with the Firewire - esp since
>> the IDE ribbon cable in external mode is not its intended
>> use.
> 
> 
> Hi, Darlene!
> 
> External drive enclosures perform 4 distinct functions.
> 
> 1) They provide a separate power supply for the drive
> 2) They provide a nice case so the drive & controller aren't exposed
> 3) They provide some amount of shock absorption should the unit fall
> 4) They provide data-line connectors between the drive and the back of
> the enclosure, sometimes doing protocol conversion (example: USB drive
> enclosures that house IDE drives)
> 
> The only problem with using one of these enclosures is that #4 is
> talking SCSI rather than firewire.  - if we simply ignore the SCSI
> connectors, one of these enclosures would almost certainly meet your
> needs.  They're metal cases, of good solid construction, so I'll guess
> that the quality of power supply and of the shock absorption would
> exceed what you'll get from more modern plastic units.
> 
> The enclosures that Mark gave us are large enough that we could
> route a firewire cable directly to the drive, eliminating the need for
> you to purchase a firewire-compatible drive enclosure.  We'd simply
> ignore, and not use, the SCSI circuitry.
> 
> I'm unsure of what the price point is for external firewire
> enclosures; if it's low enough, you might decide you like the
> convenience of being able to unplug the drive's cable _on both ends_
> rather than just on the computer's end... but if you're trying to save
> money, this is definitely the way to go.
> 
> I've got a few of them in the back of my car, so if you'd like to
> check one out, just ask at the next SVLUG meeting.
> 
> Regards,
> -Paul
> 
> 

Paul,

Thank you with your patience with my ignorance.

I appreciate your offer and will definitely like to check
one out at the next SVLUG meeting.

Darlene