[Info-vax] Multia/UDB and (modern) 2½" SCSI disk

[MG]

On 6-9-2012 17:06, Rich Jordan wrote:
> If anyone has a spare Seagate SAVVIO 2.5" SCSI drive I can
> strongly recommend them for use inside a DS10L (or any other
> SCSI system) as long as you have the 2.5 - 3.5 adapter to
> mount them (and an SCA to 68 pin adapter). They're very
> quick, use less power, and are pretty quiet compared to
> most of the 3.5 SCSI drives. I replaced all my hobby system
> drives with these when they got dirt cheap on ebay.

Guess what?  I did just that and it turns out to work great
inside a Multia/UDB.  Thank you very much for the excellent
advice.

Simultaneously, I ended up returning the Stratos Technologies
CF PowerMonster II adapter to Art-Mix (the reseller) and on
top of that I was entitled to a full refund, for which I'm
very grateful.  I have also been in touch with them, to the
very end.  They were actually quite close to obtaining an
Alpha, to possibly explore the possibility of adding specific
Alpha support.  The intentions were there but, sadly, in the
end it turned out to be very hard for them to procure a
Multia/UDB, or any Alpha system in general, over in Japan.
That was another reason why I decided to give up, to almost
do them a favor.

For the record, to emphasize this once more: This is a simply
awesome solution.  It's nearly as good as, or --- if you ask
me, especially in the light of performance --- much better
than, a CF card... well, if that had worked in the first place
(it sadly never did for me).  ~73 Gbytes may be a bit overkill
for a Multia/UDB, but who cares, right?  The disks were only
a few euros/dollars each!

In the process I've also removed the floppy diskette drive
entirely, as my only drives are dead or near-dead.  For file
transfers, I might rather use tape, CD or over ethernet.  I
also took a custom SCSI cable from an old Sun "911" external
disk enclosure, so I can also wire the external SCSI port.

Currently, the front --- where normally the shield for the
stock old 2½" disk and 'slimline' floppy diskette drive reside
--- almost looks a 'hot-swap' bay, especially with the disk
mounted on the 3½"<=>2½" HDD 'adapter'/'mounting clamps'.  In
fact, if I'd screw a 'handle' of some kind onto the front of
the disk (since it has screw holes there), I might as well
attempt use it in that fashion, as the backplane is secured in
place.

In conclusion, this entire Multia/UDB had a complete overhaul.
I'm a lot more enthusiastic about running the Multia/UDB now.
The new fan I installed (already months ago) also does a great
job.  That brings me to my next point: What I almost like best
of all, of the overhaul, is how very silent this system became.
Especially now with this 2½" disk, as a finishing touch.  In
fact, it's probably even more silent than my HP Intel Core i5
laptop that I purchased last year.  (I'll make a few pictures
soon, if anyone is interested.)

The thing I'm now going to 'investigate', is whether I can run
something beyond VMS V7.3.  From here, V7.3-1 for starters and
maybe even V7.3-2, ultimately also versions beyond that.  (Just
for the sake of trying, to see what might 'work'.)

  - MG