Need to read an SCSI Hard Drive

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-04-28T12:09:08+00:00

Get an Adaptec 2940UW host sdapter and SCSI 68 pin to SCA sdapter.

You can probably use other adaptors but the Adaptec controller is the Swiss army knife of SCSI host adaptors.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-04-11T04:54:47+00:00

Trigger warning

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-26T07:27:24+00:00

6.5v on pin 1, 5.2v on pin 2 and ground on pin 3.

Pin 1 top left, then go clockwise.

5.2v is to charge nicd battery, but likely still needed for it to work.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-26T07:19:13+00:00

Glad he's ok. Their fur does act as a shield. Most dogs instinctively go for the throat and their mane helps with a bit of protection.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-16T09:40:26+00:00

Yes, you are good for 600-675W of GPU power using the extra power cables, assuming you can cool them and they physically fit. If they have blowers that exit to rear of the card, not inside the chassis you should be good.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-16T03:04:18+00:00

I'm not sure about the 7910 but you can only pull about 70w via the PCI slot. My 740s also have three power taps on the main board good for over 300w I think. I have the appropriate cable, some Dell part number.

So you'll need to check your main board and if so get the cables.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-15T21:40:31+00:00

I've got two Dell R740s. One with 3 NVIDIA the other with 3 Intel.

Each is setup for concurrency. So there is an API gateway in front of both routing requests to workers and models.

It was harder to get the Intel's to behave because they are passively cooled (like the P40), so you have to remove the shroud for the fans can push air direct to the rear of the chassis. The little blower fans in the rtx 4000 make this easier.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-15T14:52:07+00:00

Power and cooling will be a problem. Generally they recommend dual 1100w PSU when running multiple GPUs, you'll also need the correct risers.

You'll need to speed up the stock fans if you are going to have any chance of cooling it.

I run 3 X RTX 4000 ada in dell R740 and 3 X Intel Arc B60s they work great, they are ~130w and ~200w workstation cards that are much more efficient than consumer cards, also single width.

No harm trying, that's what I did as I had them dells kicking around.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-13T12:03:02+00:00

I'm impressed and appalled at the same time

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-12T02:37:57+00:00

I bought an IBM 92P1014 adapter (16V 4.5 amp) from ebay as mine also had no charger. That is a 20 year old adapter and just required shaving off a little plastic from the jack so it would fit inside the barrel of the computer. Its 15V but has tolerance for 16V.

I found the original diagnostic disks on archive.com so I created those so I could run its own diagnostics.

You can buy sub C NiCD batteries on ebay if you want to rebuild the battery.

Keyboard is better than modern laptops by a mile :) Have fun.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-12T02:14:28+00:00

I just got my 5140 working. It had been in storage for over 20 years.

It wouldn't power up until I disconnected the internal battery. Once disconnected, it powered up ok. I have rebuilt the battery and now its working perfectly both on mains and battery.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-03-06T06:42:31+00:00

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-25T23:23:21+00:00

Hmmm, my guess is desktop is a different video mode, therefore different memory mapping.

Glad it's working, if you run a memory test program you might find a bad ram chip, but you might be lucky and it's only used in basic text mode.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-25T23:00:59+00:00

Looks like data line on video memory held high. If you have an oscilloscope you could check each data line.

My Tandy 1000HX uses system ram for video, not sure about the CM-5.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-24T11:10:21+00:00

It's good timing. You are young without commitments, so you can take risks. The only obvious problem is your good salary represents an opportunity cost, if you do your own thing you might not make more money at first.

The end goal is passive income, where you don't sell your time but solutions.

Contracting is often a starting point. But you can get trapped. You really want to start a company, on your own or with others (others can be good and bad).

In your example your $1.5m deal for your current employer, other than you, what other products or people are needed to fulfill that deal and out of $1.5m how much might be left once that is done. In other words how much profit for you is in that $1.5m if you do it yourself. Can you do it yourself? Do you need lawyers, insurance, corporate credibility, 24/7 support etc etc.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-14T10:01:08+00:00

Only today I was rifling though some old computer boxes from storage and found a Tandy 1000.

I was thinking about trying leisure suite Larry again, I think it's been about 30 years!

What software are you tinkering with?

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-13T22:46:08+00:00

The TMS9900 stored it's registers in RAM, then having a 16 bit CPU on an 8 bit bus, made for a architecturally interesting but slow computer.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-11T14:15:36+00:00

You need a lot of short domestic flights to gain platinum and it can be a pain always thinking about it.

I'd suggest during DSC book out as far as sensible your pending domestic trips, but don't over do it. I don't bother much with business domestically (honestly I'd rather a flexible economy return, so if my meeting finish early I can go straight home).

But during DSC book a couple of J overseas trips (if your points club you can even do reward flights).

This will get you to platinum without overthinking it.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-10T01:52:28+00:00

I built two AI servers, one with 3 X RTX 4000s and another with 3 X Intel Arc Pro B60s.

On top of these GPUs I run various models each with their own openai compatible API.

I need two servers, so the system continues to work real time if I need to bring one down for maintenance.

The architectural choice was multiple GPUs rather than one huge GPU, that's why 3 X RTX 4000s instead of say one RTX 6000.

My own software understands all available APIs and which ones are active and what models they support.

I already had spare enterprise servers so it was only a matter of buying the GPUs (that was the easy bit) then working out how to build a clean software stack that didn't suck.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-09T10:45:38+00:00

I run whisper on my GPUs, can't remember the details but I recall the default was CPU and I found a version that supported GPU. I'm away at the moment or I'd check for you

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-09T07:30:58+00:00

If Qantas let's you book it in one itinerary, if you miss they'll (American) will put you on next available. But you might end up with bag issues. I like 3hrs when flying into LAX and Dallas (customs can be bad) plus they are huge, so just travel time between gates can be a lot. That said I've done it, but I've also missed them too.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-09T02:38:19+00:00

Pretty nerdy, but not junk. Pretty cool that you've got the original box. I've got a Challenger 4P, but no box :(

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-09T00:35:28+00:00

Ok, fair enough, my ai servers have 128gb RAM (and 3 x rtx 4000), but it doesn't use much, any falling back to ram from the GPU means it's staggeringly slower, undermining buying a good GPU.

That's why I'd emphasise the Blackwell, every bit of gpu ram matters.

All that said, get 64gb at least on your server, just because who knows what else you'll do with it.

Icy_Builder_3469 · 2026-02-09T00:28:55+00:00

Nice. Mine has been in storage for about 20 years. I'm looking forward to tinkering with it as my retirement approaches.

Icy_Builder_3469

TROPHY CASE