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Low End Mac's Online Tech Journal
SCSI Termination Power
Apple has used the SCSI bus since introducing the Mac Plus in 1986. The SCSI bus must have termination power for clean data transmission.
Most Macs provide termination power for the SCSI bus, so most SCSI devices for the Mac don't need to provide it. However, the Mac Plus, Portable, 100-series PowerBooks, 500-series PowerBooks, and the PowerBook 1400 don't supply SCSI termination power (see Which Model Provide SCSI Termination Power?). Neither do Macs using IDE drives, such as the Quadra 630 (aka LC 630, Performa 63x) and many Power Macs (except for the 6100 and 7100-9600, all Power Macs use IDE drives).
This may apply to some Maclones as well. However, Umax assures me this is not the case with their Umax SuperMac C500 and C600. I've heard the same for the Motorola StarMax models with EDI drives.
All Apple and some third-party SCSI hard drives provide SCSI termination power. This is essential for these drives to work with the Plus, Portable, and most PowerBooks.
- This is an important issue, because if you are using an external drive that provides SCSI termination power on a Mac that doesn't provide it, your Mac will hang if you turn off the hard drive before turning off the computer. Also, the system may not boot from the external drive if it is not powered before turning on the Macintosh.
The source of the problem is a corrupted SCSI bus. Without termination power, noise on the bus can prevent startup and cause a lockup.
This is one reason Apple has always recommended you power up all SCSI devices before or at the same time as starting the computer, but never after the computer is running.
This is a good argument for buying only SCSI hard drives with active termination, allowing them to determine what level of termination (if any) is required in a given situation. (Of course, only the last device in a SCSI chain is normally terminated. If you have devices with active termination, one of them should be at the end of the chain with termination enabled. Other drives should have termination turned off.)
Other Resources
- Termination Explained (MOTJ)
- Macintosh Makes the Connection, an examination of Mac ports (MOTJ)
- SCSI Throughput (MOTJ)
- Which Model Provide SCSI Termination Power? (Apple TIL)
Recent Online Tech Journal Columns
- Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, 06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
- Low End Mac's Safe Sleep FAQ, 06.15. What is Safe Sleep mode? Which Macs support it? How can you enable or disable it? And more.
- The Original Macintosh, 01.12. An in-depth look at the original Macintosh and how it shaped future Macs.
- The Innovative Lisa, 01.08. Apple's Lisa and how it paved the way for the Macintosh.
- More in the Online Tech Journal index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
- Group of the Day: Mac UK is for Mac users in the United Kingdom.
- February 9 in LEM history: 00: Think choices - Promoting the Macintosh - 01: Apple vs. Mac clones - 05: Apple and the $100 laptop - Yojimbo - Core Duo vs. G5 - 07: The story behind After Dark - Microsoft Office 2007
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Do We Really Need Another Mac Email Client?, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.08. Mac users have a host of free and low-cost email clients to choose from. Does Brent Simmons' 'Letters' project make any sense at all?
- MacBook Pro a Revelation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.08. After using G4 Macs for over a decade, spending a weekend prepping a first generation MacBook Pro was a real eye opener.
- 42 Reasons a Netbooks Is Better than an iPad, Hard Drive Upgrade Value, Faster Netbooks, and More, The 'Book Review, 02.05. Also why the iPad can't compete with netbooks, 802.11n WiFi card for older Intel MacBooks and Mac minis, and a DJ keyboard cover for MacBooks.
- iPad Perfect for Handheld Computing, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.05. You can hold the iPad in one hand and operate it with the other, giving it real advantages over a laptop computer.
- iPad Targets Netbook Users, iPad 'Flaws' Don't Matter, In-page Search for iPhone Safari, and More, iNews Review, 02.05. Also FSF considers iPad 'iBad' for freedom, Touch Mouse app turns iPhone into wireless keyboard and trackpad, privacy screen for iPhone, and more.
- Touch Shifts the Apple Empire, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 02.05. Apple dominates mobile computing, and it will be difficult for competitors to match the value of the iPad.
- 90% of Premium PCs Are Macs, OS and Browser Market Share, Chrome Browser to Dominate, and More, Mac News Review, 02.05. Also 27" iMac too popular for supply, eco-friendly 2 TB hard drive, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, 6-core Mac Pro rumored, and more.
- iPad Should Support a Stylus, CoolBook Quiets MacBooks, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.03. Also the iPad as a genie in a bottle, Eudora Classic 6.2, notebook battery life, and more uses for 'obsolete' technology.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 02.02. Used 2 GHz, $700; 2.4, $999; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.8, $1,699; 3.06, $2,199; new 2.53, $1,610; 2.66, $1,839; 2.8, $2,109; 3.06, $2,550; more.
- Best G3 iMac Deals, 02.02. 500 MHz CD-ROM, $40; 450 MHz DVD-ROM, $60; 600 MHz CD-ROM, $230 shipped; 700 MHz CD-RW, $300 shipped.
- Best eMac Deals, 02.02. 1 GHz SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 Combo, $100; SD, $360; 1.42 GHz Combo, $299; SD, $439.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 02.01. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $369; 1.5, $399; Core Solo, $399; 1.83 GHz Core Duo SD, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $759; Server, $985.
- Best iBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $200; 1.33 GHz, $259; 14" 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $399.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 800 MHz Combo, $285; 867 MHz SuperDrive, $400; 1 GHz Combo, $549.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 01.29. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $800; 2.26 MB, $849; new, $925 after rebate; Pro, $1,108, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.29. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $479; 2.0, $549; 2.5, $609; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $709; 2.5 GHz Quad, $939.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 01.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $50; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- More deals in our archive.
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