SGI: Hardware

In another (small) triumph for Fuel users, ramq noted that the Belkin four-port USB card worked fine. So I picked up a generic 2-port universal voltage nec-chipped pci adapter card.


It appears that any pci card with a NEC OHCI USB chip should work in the Fuel ? Thanks to ramq for being the brave pioneer.

< Moderator Edit: Split from The Fuel (IP35) Hardware Aggregator <recondas>

What's funky enough about the Belkin, is that it only show two OHCI ports. Perhaps it's two "channels" and it makes up a hub of two ports each? I don't know, but in the end it might show that the Fuel can only handle two ports on the four-port Belkin. I have to investigate this further when I find the time...

Hmm, that card could be interesting for Tezro - they don't have any built-in USB ports at all. Might allow for USB keyboards/mice like the Fuel.

ramq wrote: What's funky enough about the Belkin, is that it only show two OHCI ports. Perhaps it's two "channels" and it makes up a hub of two ports each? I don't know, but in the end it might show that the Fuel can only handle two ports on the four-port Belkin. I have to investigate this further when I find the time...

Not sure ... I bought what was supposed to be a Belkin to try. It was a two-port version with another internal port. hinv showed all three on the card plus the two built-in ports. I stuck a fonky tablet into one of the ports on the Fraudkin, recognized that as a keyboard right away. (I know, but what do you expect, cost three bucks. I couldn't get that tablet to work in Windows either.)

Sent that one back, pisses me off when they use a photo of one thing then send you a different one so now in process of ordering a different four + one port generic with NEC chip.

Does seem as if they should work in a Tezro ... maybe even an Octane with late o.s. and a cage ?

Those cards cost about $5 here so testing is not too expensive. Pondering a no-name combo card with TI firewire and NEC USB right now.

hamei wrote: ... maybe even an Octane with late o.s. and a cage ?

Nah, probably not. IP35 kernel driver; nothing like that in the IP30 tree (/usr/cpu/IP30boot).

nekonoko wrote: ... nothing like that in the IP30 tree.

Got Source ?

/usr/cpu/sysgen/IP35boot/ohci.o

A little more on the NEC-chip USB cards ... the one I sent back was a three-port model with NEC engine. Worked, all three ports showed up in hinv. Universal voltage card. Plugged a mousey into one port, showed up in ioconfig. Plugged a cheapo tablet in also, that showed up as a keyboard. At least stuff was talking.

Got cocky, insisted on the four-port + 1 that I'd bought. New one came, Fool won't boot. Won't get to the white light. I get a bare instant's worth of flash from the red led and that's it.

So much for getting cocky. Either I can eat crow now or go looking for another three port NEC-engine USB card.

hamei wrote: Got cocky, insisted on the four-port + 1 that I'd bought. New one came, Fool won't boot. Won't get to the white light. I get a bare instant's worth of flash from the red led and that's it.

I tried a four-port NEC USB card with the same result - machine won't even boot. Thought I was just unlucky in my chipset revision.

nekonoko wrote: I tried a four-port NEC USB card with the same result - machine won't even boot. Thought I was just unlucky in my chipset revision.

Have three different NEC-chipped cards coming. We'll see what pans out.

Stupid of me not to write down the info on the one that worked. Seemed like they all would

An update :

This is the one I really wanted to have work - Adaptec UAU 3020 dually card with TI chip for the firewire and a NEC chip for the USB. One slot, two birdies.

First one I got was a rev A in red . Alas, the firewire showed up but not the USB.

Second one was a later rev in blue . Shows up this way in hinv

So hip hip hooray but where is that little devil ? Rebooted and watched the messages more carefully this time :


So hmmm ... do I want to do that ? No guts, no glory, eh ?

hamei wrote: So hmmm ... do I want to do that ? No guts, no glory, eh ?

If you make a backup of /unix beforehand (say, to 'unix.backup'), you'd still have a way to boot the machine if something does go awry with the kernel.

nekonoko wrote: ... if something does go awry with the kernel.

Not a smart move with three major projects that must be finished by the end of the month.

I'll probably do it

That's why you make the backup of /unix

To boot the backup, you'd just restart the machine, stop for system maintenance, enter the command monitor, type 'boot'. At the SASH prompt, enter "unix.backup" and go.

YES !!

Two devices, one slot !

Adaptec AUA 3020 rev B, mine is blue . This one has two fullsized firewire ports along with the three USB's, the earlier one had a single fullsized and a mini port.

Systune pciio_multimaster_override 1

reboot

hold breath

And the fahrwahr drive works loverly still. (Had to change the device address where it mounts from is all.)

eBay time for all you Fool owners