IDE card for G4

[bunnspecial]

Since I have an overabundance of IDE HDDs, I'd like to load up my G4s with some extras. It would be really nice if they were bootable, but just having the storage space will work also.

I have a few IDE controller cards lying around, but I'm wondering if there's anything in particular I need to look for to

a. have the card with with a G4

b. Be bootable on a G4

The one I have in my hand at the moment is Belkin branded(model F5U098), and has a Silicon Image controller chip. Any thoughts on this particular card?

 

[bunnspecial]

Well, I think that I might have at least partially answered my own question.

I put both the IDE cards I had in my DA G4. Both of them, despite carrying different manufacturer names on them, had the same Silicon Image controller chip.

Although I did not connect drives to either card, when I booted the computer neither card showed up under the "System Profile."

I'll still try connecting drives to them, but I'm not overly hopeful at this point.


I'd still appreciate suggestions on any specific IDE cards that will work with the G4.

 

[robertdsc]

I have a Sonnet Tempo IDE card in my DA 466. It works just fine.

As an aside, make sure your master/slave jumpers are correct when connecting ribbon cables. If the jumpers are not right, the Mac may freeze, not boot correctly, and cause other problems of that kind. I've had my share of issues with not setting jumpers correctly, so I'll pass on these words to get them right before turning the Mac on.

 

[bunnspecial]

I have a Sonnet Tempo IDE card in my DA 466. It works just fine.

As an aside, make sure your master/slave jumpers are correct when connecting ribbon cables. If the jumpers are not right, the Mac may freeze, not boot correctly, and cause other problems of that kind. I've had my share of issues with not setting jumpers correctly, so I'll pass on these words to get them right before turning the Mac on.

Thanks for the suggestion on a specific card.

Your reminder about jumper settings is duly noted. I've been swapping drives around enough lately that I think I could probably set the jumpers on the major brand drives in my sleep(or at least on Seagate, Maxtor, and Hitachi drives, which are probably 90% of what I have) and am constantly checking them when I'm installing drives. A reminder about this is very much appreciated, though, as forgetting to set the jumpers is the sort of stupid mistake I would make if I got in a hurry.

And, to further follow up on my above comment about specific cards-I went ahead and connected one drive(set as master) to the cards I have, and still neither the drive nor the card itself registered on my DA. So, I think I can write off the "Silicon Image" IDE cards as not being G4-compatible.