[synthetix]

My Indigo2 needs a hard drive replacement. The sled has a 50 pin SCSI drive installed, which I believe is SCSI-1. However, the backplane connector is the 80 pin type. I read somewhere that the SCSI controller in the Indigo2 is pretty weak, so I'm not sure it's worth trying to find a super fast disk. Recommendations, anyone?

[Raion]

SCSI2SD or a modern SCSI disk that can down-grade to Single-ended. You can get adapters that just barely fit in the tray.

[synthetix]

Thanks. Would something like this work? 68pin to 50pin?

[Raion]

Possibly, but you really want the SCA to 50-pin.

[synthetix]

Possibly, but you really want the SCA to 50-pin.

Good call, got it. That's the one I'll get.

[weblacky]

Please note with an SCA to 50. Everything will barely fit, the cable will strain! You will have to hold the drive down and push back to apply the screws.

SGI left No slack for anything other than a 50, the cable’s all weird so you can’t just replace it. You can buy a 50 pin extension cable (they are expensive) and a 68 pin drive and use a small/slim 68-to-50 adapter and go over a 1” drive and then fold the extension cable and come back. That’s less strain on the cable (if you find an ultra wide or LVD drive and jumper it SE mode).

Quantum’s are the quietest 50 pin drives I’ve ever heard. Seagate hawks are the loudest 50 pin drives I’ve heard.

A 50 pin quantum fireball is the best Indigo(2)/Indy drive you can find. But they aren’t really around above 6GB.

Also, you could fine an external scsi HDD and boot from it if you change the nvram boot options.

[Raion]

Most 50-pin scuzzy drives are incredibly old by this point, loud, power hungry and tiny. The cable can be replaced if it strains. That's not a massive issue.

[weblacky]

Irix and most software is tiny by today’s comparison.

I’ve never seen info on cable replacement, do you have a source in that?

[Raion]

No, I don't. But IIRC the connector on the sled has a plastic cap, and you can slide it back to reveal the solder joints. Then you just need a new 50-pin cable.

[weblacky]

I guess that’s possible.

But the Indigo2 sled doesn’t have any soldering in it.

Good luck splitting the ribbon cable, and using IDC crimps on both sides, and twisting the cable between crimps, while keeping all the wires straight enough for the crimps to take hold correctly without any kind of jig.

I know I couldn’t do it. We’d have better luck using a PCB design to do the routing then present a connector for a cable on the PCB. That whacky Indigo2 sled cable is the worst design choice I’ve ever seen!