SCSI connectivity - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

11 Mar 2001

From: Eric J. Korpela &lt;korpela(a)ellie.ssl.berkeley.edu&gt;
...
 The classic-cmp question I have is at what point is a
machine too slow for
...
 SCSI, and how do things degrade as a machine gets
slower.  My Apple IIgs 

Well expereince is that there is no too slow.  I have SCSI on a 4mhz Z80
and it's decently fast compared to the MFM bridge controllers.

...
   But I assume there is a point at which things
break if bytes don't move fast enough.  Anyone know what that point is?
I've

No such point.  I've run SCSI on said same z80 at 1mhz clock (testing
something else).  SCSI does not have a minimum speed.

...
 been thinking about sticking an 8 bit SCSI card in my
old Epson PC which,
...
 because of brain damaged bus design can only pull 150
kB/s off of its drives.
...
 Think it will work? 

Yes.  Likely it will be faster.  Most of the "slow" older PCs were due to
the
limited buffers on the then current disk controllers.  My Leading Edge D
running the 8088 (4.77mhz) ran much faster with the 8bit IDE adaptor
(acculogic) and a WD420mb IDE.

Allison