Using An External Disk Drive (About Scsi) - Roland VXpanded VS-880 Owner's Manual

Using an external disk drive (About SCSI)

The SCSI connector of the VS-880 allows you to connect
disk drives such as hard disks and magneto-optical disk
drives. This section explains the procedure required for
using an external disk drive.
* Disk drives are precision devices. If they are connected or
used incorrectly, not only may they fail to operate correct-
ly, but the data on the disk can be lost or even the disk
drive itself may be damaged. In addition to the explana-
tion in this section, please be sure to read and observe the
explanations in the manual for your disk drive.
* A disk drive being used for the first time with the VS-880
must be initialized by the VS-880. When a disk drive is
initialized, all data on that disk drive will be lost. Before
using a disk drive that has been used by another device,
make sure that it is OK to erase the data.
< About IDE >
ÒIDEÓ stands for ÒIntegrated Device and Electronics.Ó This
is the standard data transmission method used by the
hard disk drives of recent personal computers. The
HDP88 series hard disk drives (sold separately) that can
be installed in the VS-880 are IDE compatible.
< About SCSI >
ÒSCSIÓ stands for ÒSmall Computer System Interface.Ó
This is a data transmission method that can transmit large
amounts of data in a short time. Since the VS-880 has a
SCSI connector, external SCSI devices such as hard disks
or removable disk drive etc. can be connected.
< Removable disk drives >
Many types of disk drive allow you to remove the disks.
In this manual, these disk drives are referred to as
Òremovable disk drives.Ó
Connecting a disk drive
Up to 7 disk drives can be connected to the SCSI connector
of the VS-880. This section will explain how to make disk
drive connections, and how to make the necessary settings.
Whenever you connect a SCSI device, be sure to check the
following points.
Connectors and cables
Terminators
SCSI ID numbers
130
Connectors and cables
SCSI cables are used to connect disk drives as shown below.
Since there is no difference between a SCSI input and out-
put, it does not matter which connector you use. This type
of connections is referred to as a ÒSCSI chainÓ or a Òdaisy
chain.Ó
VS-880 Disk drive 0 Disk drive 1
Use the following SCSI cables (optional) to connect disk dri-
ves. There are two types of SCSI cables, depending on the
shape of their connector. Purchase the type of cable that is
appropriate for your disk drive.
C-5025-6: Amphenol 50-pin connector
type connector, 6 feet (approximately 182 cm)
C-5050-3: Amphenol 50-pin connector
pin connector, 3 feet (approximately 91 cm)
When making connections, observe the following points.
¥ Keep SCSI cables as short as possible, and use only cables
which have an impedance (110 ohms +/-10%) that is com-
patible with the SCSI standard, and are completely shield.
¥ Do not allow the total length of all SCSI cables connecting
the chain of disk drives to exceed 6.5 meters.
¥ Do not connect or disconnect SCSI cables when the power
of any device is turned on.
Terminators
The device at each end of a SCSI chain must have a termina-
tor (a terminating resistance). Since the VS-880 is one end of
the SCSI chain, it contains an internal terminator. This
means that a terminator must be connected only to the
external drive which is the last in the chain. For details on
attaching a terminator, refer to the ownerÕs manual of your
disk drive.
If your disk drive takes an external terminator, make set-
tings so that the +5 terminator power is supplied from the
SCSI connector (terminator) of that disk drive. Unless the
terminator power is supplied, the operation of the SCSI
chain will not be stable. However if the fuse inside the disk
drive has been blown, etc., so that power is not being sup-
plied, attaching a terminator will have the opposite effect of
causing operation to become more unstable. In such cases,
consult the manufacturer of your disk drive.
Disk drive 2
25-pin D-sub
Amphenol 50-