[Info-vax] Low power SCSI disk drives

[H Vlems]

On 2 nov, 03:24, Alan Frisbie <Usenet02_REM... at Flying-Disk.com> wrote:
> I've been trying to find ways to cut down on the power
> consumption and heat of my systems at home.   Today's
> search is for low(er)-power disk drives for my Alpha
> XP1000.
>
> While researching lower-power SCSI drives, I came across
> the Seagate Savvio 10K.1 2.5" Ultra-320 SCSI drives.
> They seem to be the lowest-power parallel SCSI drives
> made -- under 5 watts, not to mention the increased
> capacity they provide.   Plus, they are newer-generation
> drives with, hopefully, more reliability.   At least
> they would be newer than the old RZ2DD drives I'm using
> now!   :-)
>
> The only problem with using one in my XP1000 is the
> physical size and the 80-pin connector instead of
> 68-pin.   However, I see that I can get 2.5" to
> 3.5" adapters, as well as 68-pin to 80-pin adapters.
> It looks like it should work, but I wondered if anyone
> has tried it?
>
> If it works, it would certainly help with the power
> consumption as well as improve the air flow across
> the drives.
>
> Does anyone have any other ideas for reducing heat from
> an Alpha system?
>
> Thanks,
> Alan "The Other AEF" Frisbie

I use converters from 50 pin or 68 pin (both sockets available) to 80
pin SCA connectors.
This allows SCA drives in VAX systems. Not that the speed will improve
but SCA disks are more readily available than 50 pin drives these
days.
To make an SCA drive work on a 50 pin controller you need active
termination on the converter.
On eBay look for MC Price Breakers, they sell good equipment (not
exctly cheap though).
Hans