UL5D LP card, OS X 10.6.8 and scanners

Paul P · 03-31-2012, 02:31 AM

Hello,

I have a Mac Pro 2.1 computer, running OS X 10.6.8, 4GB RAM. I would like some tips on how to successfully connect up some scanners that I have. I'm not having much luck. I have a UL5D LP card with the latest driver and flash bundle. I only want to connect each scanner individually, not as a Daisy chain.

I have 4 SCSI scanners as follows :
UMAX PowreLook II
UMAX PowreLook III
Heidelberg Linoscan 1400
Agfa Arcus 1200

The only one I can get to be recognised is the Arcus 1200.

Each of these have the same 2 SCSI connectors. A 50 pin Centronics and a DB 25. I am connecting using a VHDCI to 50 pin Centronics cable with a passive DB 25 terminator.

I am using the same cable and terminator for all scanners, yet only the Arcus 1200 is recognised. I have tried connecting and reconnecting each scanner a few times with out luck. No matter what i do, I can't get the other three to be recognised. Whilst i have not actually tested them on another computer, there is no doubt in my mind that the other scanners are fine. There is nothing wrong with them. They are not damaged in any way. They should be working just like the Arcus 1200.

Any help with this would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Paul

DeltaMac · 03-31-2012, 07:53 AM

How are you deciding if the scanner is recognized? Always check in the System Profiler/Parallel SCSI tab.

SCSI is not a 'live' connect protocol.
Have you shutdown your Mac each time to change each scanner connection?
Are all scanners using the same device number? There's usually a device selector near the SCSI ports. I think any scanners should be device #0
IIRC, some SCSI devices have built-in termination, and adding a terminator without switching the internal termination off may not work.

Not all scanners will work with the built-in Image Capture software, so you should also try the fine VueScan app, which you can try out for free.
http://www.hamrick.com/#download

Paul P · 03-31-2012, 10:47 PM

Delta Mac,

thanks for your reply.

I'm using Vuescan, not Image capture.

The scanners do not appear in the Atto control panel, nor in the system profiler, nor in Vuescan's pull down menu of available scanners.

The UL5D card has a feature called "dynamic bus rescan", meaning that shutdown is not necessary. I have used the earlier UL3D card and this card on and off for years, mainly with external hard drives. Never switched the computer off to connect and disconnect, and never had a problem.

I have tried various SCSI ID's without luck. These scanners have no internal termination.

I am hoping (perhaps in vain) that it is something as simple as swapping the passive terminator for an active one. I have ordered one on line and am waiting for it to arrive. Or some tech support from Atto may help.

Thanks
Paul

DeltaMac · 04-01-2012, 06:28 AM

I don't trust that dynamic bus rescan... But, I've been around SCSI too long, I suppose.
I suspect that particular feature is designed to work with storage devices, and a scanner is not a storage device.
Be sure to try the shutdown, along with the same setup (as much as you can) for each scanner.
Do you have only the scanner attached to the UL5D when you try it?

What's your goal with all the scanners? I'm really doubtful you could get all the work at the same time, anyway.

Paul P · 04-01-2012, 07:14 AM

DeltaMac,

thanks for your reply.

No need to mistrust the dynamic bus rescan. It's worked well for me over two cards and a number of years.

I will try the full shutdown routine and see how I go.

I only have one SCSI device attached at any one time, which is a scanner. I don't want nor need to have them all attached at the same time. The PowerLook III and the Linoscan 1400 are top of the line scanners, and I'd like to try as much as possible to keep them.

Thanks.

trevor · 04-02-2012, 12:25 PM

It's been decades since I've had to use SCSI voodoo, so my skills are probably rusty. That said, here's a few possible things to try:

The convention for SCSI ID for scanners is to use 6. This is not necessary, usually, but sometimes it's best to stick with the conventions.

If your passive termination isn't working, try an active terminator. If that doesn't work, try such voodoo tricks as no termination and double termination. This is not supposed to work with zero or double termination, of course, but if the right way doesn't get the job done, try the wrong way.

A lot of SCSI problems are because of missing or wrong drivers. I haven't used SCSI devices with VueScan (or ever with OS X, really), but I'm guessing that it contains the drivers? Verify that it supports the models of scanner that you're using.

Try a different cable. Even if the one you have is working for one of the scanners, it could be marginal. Cables fail more often than people think that they do.

Check technical support forums and other documentation for your SCSI card for people reporting similar problems.

Trevor

Paul P · 04-02-2012, 10:27 PM

Trevor and DeltaMac,

thanks to both of you for your help.

I've managed to get it all working. A few things :

1. I think the cable I was using was faulty, or something. Once I swapped it, things improved. It seemed to affect the termination. The APS SCSI Sentry terminator is quite handy in this respect since the LED light gives you an instant feedback on what works and what doesn't.

2. I also noticed that the card doesn't seem to like the terminator on its own connector. Once I connected the terminator in line with the SCSI cable ( the APS SCSI Sentry allows me do this), things improved. The other connector on the scanner was left unused.

3.Also, once I changed some NVRAM settings on the card (mainly the sync rate) I got it all to work.

There's a few other minor things, but these are the main ones.

Thanks again.

03-31-2012, 02:31 AM	#1
Paul P Triple-A Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 94	UL5D LP card, OS X 10.6.8 and scanners Hello, I have a Mac Pro 2.1 computer, running OS X 10.6.8, 4GB RAM. I would like some tips on how to successfully connect up some scanners that I have. I'm not having much luck. I have a UL5D LP card with the latest driver and flash bundle. I only want to connect each scanner individually, not as a Daisy chain. I have 4 SCSI scanners as follows : UMAX PowreLook II UMAX PowreLook III Heidelberg Linoscan 1400 Agfa Arcus 1200 The only one I can get to be recognised is the Arcus 1200. Each of these have the same 2 SCSI connectors. A 50 pin Centronics and a DB 25. I am connecting using a VHDCI to 50 pin Centronics cable with a passive DB 25 terminator. I am using the same cable and terminator for all scanners, yet only the Arcus 1200 is recognised. I have tried connecting and reconnecting each scanner a few times with out luck. No matter what i do, I can't get the other three to be recognised. Whilst i have not actually tested them on another computer, there is no doubt in my mind that the other scanners are fine. There is nothing wrong with them. They are not damaged in any way. They should be working just like the Arcus 1200. Any help with this would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance. Paul

04-02-2012, 12:25 PM	#6
trevor Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Boulder, CO USA Posts: 19,549	It's been decades since I've had to use SCSI voodoo, so my skills are probably rusty. That said, here's a few possible things to try: The convention for SCSI ID for scanners is to use 6. This is not necessary, usually, but sometimes it's best to stick with the conventions. If your passive termination isn't working, try an active terminator. If that doesn't work, try such voodoo tricks as no termination and double termination. This is not supposed to work with zero or double termination, of course, but if the right way doesn't get the job done, try the wrong way. A lot of SCSI problems are because of missing or wrong drivers. I haven't used SCSI devices with VueScan (or ever with OS X, really), but I'm guessing that it contains the drivers? Verify that it supports the models of scanner that you're using. Try a different cable. Even if the one you have is working for one of the scanners, it could be marginal. Cables fail more often than people think that they do. Check technical support forums and other documentation for your SCSI card for people reporting similar problems. Trevor __________________ How to ask questions the smart way

04-02-2012, 10:27 PM	#7
Paul P Triple-A Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 94	Trevor and DeltaMac, thanks to both of you for your help. I've managed to get it all working. A few things : 1. I think the cable I was using was faulty, or something. Once I swapped it, things improved. It seemed to affect the termination. The APS SCSI Sentry terminator is quite handy in this respect since the LED light gives you an instant feedback on what works and what doesn't. 2. I also noticed that the card doesn't seem to like the terminator on its own connector. Once I connected the terminator in line with the SCSI cable ( the APS SCSI Sentry allows me do this), things improved. The other connector on the scanner was left unused. 3.Also, once I changed some NVRAM settings on the card (mainly the sync rate) I got it all to work. There's a few other minor things, but these are the main ones. Thanks again. Last edited by Paul P; 04-02-2012 at 10:30 PM.

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03-31-2012, 07:53 AM	#2
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,941	How are you deciding if the scanner is recognized? Always check in the System Profiler/Parallel SCSI tab. SCSI is not a 'live' connect protocol. Have you shutdown your Mac each time to change each scanner connection? Are all scanners using the same device number? There's usually a device selector near the SCSI ports. I think any scanners should be device #0 IIRC, some SCSI devices have built-in termination, and adding a terminator without switching the internal termination off may not work. Not all scanners will work with the built-in Image Capture software, so you should also try the fine VueScan app, which you can try out for free. http://www.hamrick.com/#download

03-31-2012, 10:47 PM	#3
Paul P Triple-A Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 94	Delta Mac, thanks for your reply. I'm using Vuescan, not Image capture. The scanners do not appear in the Atto control panel, nor in the system profiler, nor in Vuescan's pull down menu of available scanners. The UL5D card has a feature called "dynamic bus rescan", meaning that shutdown is not necessary. I have used the earlier UL3D card and this card on and off for years, mainly with external hard drives. Never switched the computer off to connect and disconnect, and never had a problem. I have tried various SCSI ID's without luck. These scanners have no internal termination. I am hoping (perhaps in vain) that it is something as simple as swapping the passive terminator for an active one. I have ordered one on line and am waiting for it to arrive. Or some tech support from Atto may help. Thanks Paul

04-01-2012, 06:28 AM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,941	I don't trust that dynamic bus rescan... But, I've been around SCSI too long, I suppose. I suspect that particular feature is designed to work with storage devices, and a scanner is not a storage device. Be sure to try the shutdown, along with the same setup (as much as you can) for each scanner. Do you have only the scanner attached to the UL5D when you try it? What's your goal with all the scanners? I'm really doubtful you could get all the work at the same time, anyway.

04-01-2012, 07:14 AM	#5
Paul P Triple-A Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 94	DeltaMac, thanks for your reply. No need to mistrust the dynamic bus rescan. It's worked well for me over two cards and a number of years. I will try the full shutdown routine and see how I go. I only have one SCSI device attached at any one time, which is a scanner. I don't want nor need to have them all attached at the same time. The PowerLook III and the Linoscan 1400 are top of the line scanners, and I'd like to try as much as possible to keep them. Thanks.