Subject: REVIEW: SyQuest SQ3270S removable media drive
From: [email-masked] (Randy Kruszka)
Date: 21 Feb 1995 16:54:28 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	SyQuest SQ3270S - ROM 1.21 (in A4000), and 1.19 (in A3000).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A 270MB (255MB formatted) 3.5" Cartridge [cart] Disk Drive [CDD].
It fits into a standard 3.5" LP (1" high) drive bay.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		SyQuest Technology
	Address:	47071 Bayside Parkway
			Fremont, CA  94538-6517

	Telephone:	(800) 245-CART or (510)226-4000 in USA,
			32-11-673140 in Europe
			65-294-8484 in Asia.
	FAX:		(510)226-4102 in USA
			32-11-683525 in Europe
			65-294-7277 in Asia

LIST PRICE

	I'm not sure what the list price is, but I paid $430 (US) in July
1994.  They have dropped to $395 (US) as of February 1995.  At this time,
cartridges are as low as $60 (US).

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		Any auto-mounting SCSI Host Bus Interface [SHBI] should be
		able to use this drive, but check with the manufacturer if
		you are uncertain.

		You need enough RAM to mount each partition, but that is it
		for memory requirements.  I can't see anyone running into
		problems unless you have several partitions and a small
		amount of RAM available.  

		No minimum CPU is required, although I assume a 68000 will
		reduce transfer speeds.

	SOFTWARE

		SHBIs that do not auto-mount will need some type of mounting
		software such as SCSIMounter, which is available on aminet
		and mirror sites.

		There is no minimum AmigaDOS version that I am aware of.
		With Workbench 1.3 you will probably have to make your own
		mountlist.  I would upgrade!  :)

		It works great with both Amigas listed below under "MACHINES
		USED FOR TESTING."

COPY PROTECTION

	Not applicable.

MACHINES USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 4000/040-25MHz, 2MB of Chip RAM and 8MB of Fast RAM.
	1 internal 1.76MB floppy drive.
	Original (Commodore-issued) 124MB Seagate hard drive.
	GVP's IO/Expander (2 serial and 1 parallel port).
	Emplant Deluxe.
	FFS-International used for all hard drives.
	AmigaDOS 3.0.

	Amiga 3000/030-25MHz, 2MB of Chip RAM and 8MB of Fast RAM.
	1 internal 880KB floppy drive.
	Original (C= Issued) 52MB Quantum hard drive and SHBI.
	FFS-International used for all hard drives.
	AmigaDOS 2.1

INSTALLATION

	I put it in the 5.25" drive bay with a 5.25" adaptor, since my 1.76MB
floppy drive from Commodore is greater than the standard 1" height.  It will
fit in the 3.5" drive bay if you have the smaller floppy drive.  (Which I
plan to get when I get a CD-ROM someday.)  In that case, I would recommend
putting it in the top 3.5" slot since it generates more heat than the floppy
does.

	The drive my A3000 friend bought was an external version, so all we
had to do was plug it in the external SCSI connector, put the terminator
block on, and away we went.  If you don't have room to install it internally
or would rather not open up your computer, this is the easiest route.

OPERATION

	Loading a cartridge is pretty simple.  After opening up the
cartridge's case, you insert the cartridge and move the lever to the right.
The disk spins up and then aligns itself.  Once the LED changes from amber
to green, you are ready to roll.  To remove a cartridge, press the button
and wait for the disk to spin back down.  The load lever will pop to the
left slightly and after you push it all the way left, you can remove the
cartridge and put in another.  The manual cautions against leaving the
cartridge in when the computer is off, but when I called SyQuest they said
that most of the users do anyway.  The head parks so I assume it's safe, but
this is at your own risk of course!

PERFORMANCE

	On my A4000, I'm using the SHBI built into the Emplant board, which
is known not to be fast unless it is being accessed directly from the
emulator itself.  Using DiskSpeed 4.2, I was able to get about 600KB/s
reads, and 700KB/s writes.

	On the A3000 (known for 4.5MB/s), we were able to get 2MB/s reads!
On the Internet, I have read that 1.7MB/s reads are typical.  We were not
able to test writes since my friend did not have an empty cartridge at the
time.  Most of the time you are reading data anyway, so this is not as
important.  (Or so I say!)  I will be able to provide more data once we get
more cartridges and a faster interface for my A4000.

DURABILITY

	I have not tested them, but as long as you keep the cartridges in
their holder, they are pretty safe.  They can be mailed this way without any
extra padding.

SIZE

	The cartridge itself is (approximately) 3.75" wide X 3/16" high X
3.75" long.  For most of the world ;), that is 9.5 cm wide X 1 cm high X 9.5
cm long.  Practically speaking, it is about as big as a 3.5" floppy and as
high as three floppies stacked on top of each other.  I wonder why they call
them 3.5" cartridges since they really aren't!  Capacity wise, it is
read/write (but not format) compatible with the 105MB cartridges as well.

NOISE

	It is very quiet compared to my Seagate hard drive, and I don't
notice the extra noise it makes until the head moves around.  The SyQuest
also spins up almost 25% faster than my Seagate hard drive.

DOCUMENTATION

	Documentation provided will depend on which drive you get.  The
external version had a different instruction manual, while my internal
version documentation came right from SyQuest.

	The documentation is well written.  It has pictures which help you
configure the right SCSI unit number, and it shows where the termination
resistors are.  There is a help section on formatting for an IBM, but of
course you won't need that!

	I think that beginners could install this drive if they felt
comfortable opening up their computer.  In the A4000, you have to remove the
front panel to pull out the drive bays, which is the hardest part.

LIKES

	Oh yes!  Besides being nice and small, your expandability is limited
only by the number of cartridges you buy.  You can take up to 255MB by a
friend's house with only one cartridge, or mail quite a bit at once.  It is
faster than optical media and the physically larger & more expensive 5.25"
models.

DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS

	The only thing I thought would be nice to improve on is the LED.
When the disk is idling, the green light stays on.  When you read/write, it
changes to amber.  Maybe I'm just used to the regular hard drive light which
stays off until you use it.  The manual is missing the sentence "Call for a
RMA# [Return Materials Authorization Number] before returning anything to
us."  These are minor problems I'd say.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	SyQuest makes a 5.25" version which is reported to be more of a
standard.  If you have a user-group that uses the 5.25" CDD and the 44 &
88MB cartridges, you may want to go this route.  If you are just starting up
for yourself or with a friend and don't intend on trading with the majority
of MAC and IBM systems, I'd go with this drive.  IoMega makes a 5.25" CDD as
well, but again it is bigger physically.  I'm not sure about transfer speed,
as their newest 230 MB version is faster than previous models.

BUGS

	There aren't any bugs that I know of.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	I did get one cartridge which formatted very slowly about 1/2 way
through the process.  I tried a low level format on it, and after a 1/2 hour
I gave up.  I returned the cartridge to SyQuest, and 2 weeks later I called
to find out that I needed an RMA#.  A week later I called and found out that
the guy who helped me was let go (!) because he was doing a poor job.  As
soon as they discovered my delay, I received a new cartridge the next day.
I would expect their normal service to be prompt.  Be sure to get an RMA#
first!

WARRANTY

	I found out later that their standard warranty lasts 2 years on the
drive and 5 years on the cartridge itself, but that it may vary with the
vendor -- and all returns should be done through them.  This obviously
reduces SyQuest's shipping costs, as they don't have to mail the fixes out
separately.

	The warranty is not transferable so I'd make sure that your source
is reliable before buying anything used.  (Cartridges are a good example.)

CONCLUSIONS

	This CDD is a nice addition to your computer if you are looking to
add removable expandability.  It is faster than both Commodore drives, fits
in a standard 3.5" drive bay, and has a low $/MB ratio.  

	I give the drive a 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone
looking for a magnetic CDD.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	     Copyright 1995 Randy Kruszka.  All rights reserved.
	                    [email-masked]

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