At 23:39 -0700 08/26/2002, Bolton Peck wrote: >Jeff Walther wrote: > >> At 19:23 -0400 08/26/2002, Tom & Lisa P wrote: >> >> >> >>I am wondering, can I buy a new PC Adaptec 2940UW controller and will it >> >>work? Do I have to flash its BIOS first, or do I have to get the Mac >> >>specific version for the BIOS chip to be big enough to hold the >> >>bootstrap code for use in a Mac? >> > >> >Yes, you can convert: >> > >> >http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/tips/adaptecConvert.html >> >> The article was written almost four years ago and needs some updating. >> >> 1) Everywhere it reads EEPROM, substitute Flash memory. It's a nit, >> but accuracy and all that. >> >> 2) To remove the PLCC Flash chip, you can simply snip or saw through >> the pins and then lift out the body of the PLCC chip. Then desolder >> the individual pins with a soldering pencil. This is irreversible in >> that the original Flash memory is destroyed, but it is much easier >> than the desoldering methods described. Actually, this is one of the >> methods described, it just wasn't recommended at the time. > ><snip> excellent instructions > >Well, that helps very much, thanks guys and gals!
I forgot to mention one more important thing (actually two): 8) There are also newer versions of the 2940UW for the PC called the 2940UW Dual and the 2940UW Pro. Neither of these will work on the Mac. I think they use a different main chip than the original 2940UW. The original uses the AIC-7880P which is under the white sticker on the central large square chip. So, if you want to try the modification, look for a card with the 7880 chip. The Dual and Pro would be more expensive anyway, because they are sort of bastard dual channel SCSI cards. 9) Kennedy makes two folks (that I've heard from) who have flashed with the 4.1 firmware and not had later problems. I don't know how to reconcile the discrepancy, so I think it's worth trying the method of just flashing with the 4.1 firmware as it saves you the hardware modifications (except you, Mad Dog (and me), because you'd enjoy the soldering for its own sake) but to test thoroughly to make sure there aren't problems, because you could get data corruption on drives on the 2940UW. The folks who did the 4.1 flash without the hardware modification who reported problems all thought it worked properly at first and noticed frequent crashes and other disk related problems withing a few days to a few weeks, so the problem was fairly subtle. I believe that Kennedy's is working properly because he's been using it for so long and is skilled enough to have caught any problems. So it seems to work at least some times, without teh chip replacement. But I'd be careful to determine which category your card falls into if you try it. > >Now I know I can get one of these cards used for a good price, probably >sub-$30 if I work at it. >I wonder if I could find the bigger DIP package ROM on something else, like >a defunct TT128 card or something? The TT128 uses a smaller capacity EPROM. It won't work. Later video cards which use Flash all seem to use PLCC packages, not DIP which makes the soldering tougher. Also, there's some stuff that you need to match up regarding boot blocks or uniform sectors, so what it boils down to is stick to the two chip models I listed. Others may work, but I know that many do not work. I know that the SST and Atmel chips I listed will work. I imagine that there is a Macronix equivalent as well, but I don't know the part number--probably something like MX29C010. Jeff Walther -- SuperMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | Service & Replacement Parts [EMAIL PROTECTED] | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> SuperMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/supermacs/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/supermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
