[Info-vax] BA356 16-bit (wide) personality module

[H Vlems]

On 24 okt, 16:52, hel... at astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---
undress to reply) wrote:
> Continuing my tests....
>
> All of my shelves and cables seem OK and I've weeded out the few bad
> disks I have.  Now I'm testing controllers.
>
> Apparently, the SCSI connector on the side of this piece of hardware is
> designed to be connected to the controller and the one at the front is
> for daisy-chaining to other systems.
>
> Unfortunately, a standard cable won't fit on the side.  The only such
> angled cable I have have has a VHDCI on the free end.  Great for testing
> controllers which are VHCDI, but unfortunately due to lack of cables I
> can't test any controllers with the wide 68-pin connector.
>
> What I can do to somewhat test a wide controller is put the 8-bit
> personality module into the shelf and connect it up with an appropriate
> cable (small 50-pin at one end, large 68-pin at the controller end) and
> I can see the disks.  Alternatively, I can use the 16-bit personality
> module but turn the cable around and connect it to a narrow controller
> (on a different machine), using the front rather than the side plug.
> Also in this case I see all the disks.  However, it doesn't work with a
> wide controller (and appropriate cable) with the front plug.
>
> I'm guessing that with a narrow controller, it can only see IDs 1--7 so
> the front connector works somehow.  However, with a wide controller, I
> have to use the side connector since the front one is for daisy-chaining
> (though it does work with a narrow controller).  Probably some issue
> involving automatic termination which just happens to work with the
> narrow controller but not with the wide controller.
>
> Or am I barking up a completely wrong tree?

Not sure Phillip, could you give some model numbers?
Your explanation indicates you're using a shelf controller with two 68
pin female connectors, one on the front
and one on the side of the controller, right?
If so, with what SCSI controller are you conducting the experiment? I
may have a cable that fits.
Hans