To get the Trantor device to work with a Tecmar tape backup
device, you need to use trantor's NEWMA348.SYS driver.

This driver "DEVICE=NEWMA348.SYS" goes in config.sys.

The Trantor Device does NOT provide SCSI termination power.
Tecmar Tape drives typically do NOT provide SCSI terminiation
power either since Tecmar relys on the SCSI board for
termination power. (That's why the Adaptec card has a fuse.)

If you drive is old and OUT OF WARRANTY (since Tecmar does
not provide warranty repair to those who open their units)

You may be able to get your drive to provide termination
power by performing the following modification.
(note some Tecmar drives are configured with termination
power so try it before attempting this modification).

If it's an older 2 Gb DataVault (Wangtek mechanism)
on the drive itself near ribbon cable there is an 8 position
dip switch, make sure switch 8 is ON.  Note some of the DAT
drives have a seven position switch if that is the case,
there should be a jumper next to switch #1 put a jumper there
if it's not already in place.  If you have done this and it
still doesn't work, you may have blown the SCSI fuse on the
drive (this is not a component that is easy to obtain).

If it's a new DataVault 2000 or 4000, the drive mechanism is
a WangDat DAT drive (Tecmar, Wangtek and WangDat are sister
companies) locate Jumper JP1 its on the bottom of the drive
closest to the middle of the SCSI ribbon connector just
behind the "SCSI termination resistor sockets"  make sure
there is a jumper on JP1.

I have used the Trantor device with fair results, however
consider that the tape drive is able to write data faster
then the Trantor device can provide it since it has to go
through the parallel port.  If the Tecmar tape device cannot
"stream" the drive (keep it going) then the tape drive has to
start and stop multiple times.  If the drive cannot stream
most of the time, the drive will "lose it's place on tape"
and not function reliably. (I am not aware of a fix for this
problem and I have seen this problem happen).

Tecmar Technical support DOES NOT support this device since
it has determined that the Trantor device does not work
consistently over different computers and tape drives.
(And it would encourage people to take apart their tape
drives not something that untrained people should do).

When you use the Trantor device, set the QT software to
use the Adaptec controller card (you can use I/O 330 DMA 5)
The folks at Tecmar go out and check for an "ASPI" driver
which is what the NEWMA348.SYS driver is and it should sense
ASPI present and "find the Trantor ok"

Good luck, for the most part it does work pretty good.











 
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