BlueSCSI v2 Pico - Low cost, open hardware, fast SCSI device!

[Arbystpossum]

I've been having an issue as of late, with my own BlueSCSI. It's on a Quadra 605, card is formatted, known good, single .hda file. Any version of MAcOS 7 seems to corrupt itself when writing files to itself. MacOS 8.1 runs fine, writes/reads fine, but if I install MacOS 7.1-7.6, if I write more than ~20MB to the BlueSCSI from network/External SCSI, the system will freeze, eventually a system file will get caught up in the mess and it will boot to a [?] icon. Only under System 7 though. I'm not sure why.

 

[Nycturne]

I've been having an issue as of late, with my own BlueSCSI. It's on a Quadra 605, card is formatted, known good, single .hda file. Any version of MAcOS 7 seems to corrupt itself when writing files to itself. MacOS 8.1 runs fine, writes/reads fine, but if I install MacOS 7.1-7.6, if I write more than ~20MB to the BlueSCSI from network/External SCSI, the system will freeze, eventually a system file will get caught up in the mess and it will boot to a [?] icon. Only under System 7 though. I'm not sure why.

I've had a BlueSCSI drive image corrupt itself in a Quadra 605, but it was overclocked at the time, which meant the SCSI chip was operating out of spec. IS your's on the stock clock speed?

 

[eric]

I've been having an issue as of late, with my own BlueSCSI. It's on a Quadra 605, card is formatted, known good, single .hda file. Any version of MAcOS 7 seems to corrupt itself when writing files to itself. MacOS 8.1 runs fine, writes/reads fine, but if I install MacOS 7.1-7.6, if I write more than ~20MB to the BlueSCSI from network/External SCSI, the system will freeze, eventually a system file will get caught up in the mess and it will boot to a [?] icon. Only under System 7 though. I'm not sure why.

Please go through the troubleshooting guide https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/wiki/Troubleshooting#what-to-try-first - solves 99% of issues. Report back with a debug log if you are still having issues after completing all steps.

 

[AlexMac]

I've been having an issue as of late, with my own BlueSCSI. It's on a Quadra 605, card is formatted, known good, single .hda file. Any version of MAcOS 7 seems to corrupt itself when writing files to itself. MacOS 8.1 runs fine, writes/reads fine, but if I install MacOS 7.1-7.6, if I write more than ~20MB to the BlueSCSI from network/External SCSI, the system will freeze, eventually a system file will get caught up in the mess and it will boot to a [?] icon. Only under System 7 though. I'm not sure why.

Reminds me of the time when I was still using SanDisk SD Cards. I regularly lost my images with several of them. What make of SD Card are you using? Have you tried another one?

 

[eric]

I've updated the BootStrap image to be a bit more user friendly for Wi-Fi setup. Instead of organizing by software I've organized by high level systems:

* MacOS 6 - MacTCP, DayanaPORT driver disk copy 4 image, MountImg
* MacOS 7 - MacTCP, DyanaPORT SMI image.
* MacOS 7 (5MB+ of RAM) - Open Transport installer, DaynaPORT SMI image.

I've also updated the BlueSCSI Wi-Fi DA to 1.3 and some other apps.

 

[eric]

Well since the Raspberry Pi foundation thinks a bit of an overclock is OK we'll be (hopefully) merging this overclock into the next release. It will support SCSI FAST20 timing and users have reported up to 16.8MB/sec with a Pico2 and 15.6MB/sec with a Pico1

Give it a try if you have a compatible card that still has a narrow interface or you have an adapter. For Macs these only came as option or 3rd party cards. Also for Macs remember to use FWD toolkit drivers!

Ultra SCSI Fast20 OverClock

Open source, open hardware, SCSI emulator using the Pi Pico PR2040 and Pico 2 RP2350 - BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2

github.com

 

[ajacocks]

Absolutely amazing work! I’d love to see an option to create BlueSCSI PCBs with SCA2 connectors on them, so that they could easily replace workstation SCSI HDDs.

I am not, unfortunately, aware of a source for the connector.

There is an IDC male, but no SMD or THT male, as was included on SCA2 SCSI HDDs.

https://www.hirose.com/en/product/document?clcode=&productname=&series=DX&documenttype=Catalog&lang=en&documentid=en_DX_CAT

- Alex

 

[eric]

Under 3 min: Learn how to transfer files from your modern computer and the MacintoshGarden to your vintage mac using Infinite Mac and BlueSCSI

BlueSCSI Byes - byte size videos on how to use your BlueSCSI - let me know if you like this format or ideas on what else to cover

 

[eric]

2025 June Prerelease​

This is a testing release for early adopters who would like to help test new firmware features. We've tested this release on our systems, but we want to cast a wider net to catch any bugs before the final release.

Known Issues​

• Pico W (1/2) LED may behave incorrectly.
• Initiator Mode is currently disabled in this build and will be added back for the final release (needs more testing).
  • Please flash back to the current stable release if you need this feature.

Flashing​

• Pico 1/Pico 1-W: Use the BlueSCSI_Pico_DaynaPORT*.uf2 file.
• Pico 2/Pico 2-W: Use the BlueSCSI_Pico_2_DaynaPORT*.uf2 file.

Reporting Issues​

If you encounter any issues, please open a GitHub Discussion, join the Discord channel #bluescsi-v2-dev, or reach out on the socials BlueSky and Mastodon.

Changes​

SD Card Bootloader Added Back​

We've restored the ability to update your firmware via SD card. Place the appropriate bin file onto the root of your SD card and power cycle the BlueSCSI.
Note: During the early release some aspects of the bootloader may change and you'll need to reflash via .uf2.
Fixes: #77

Present SD Card as USB Mass Storage​

Plugging your BlueSCSI into a computer will now present the SD card as a USB Mass Storage device. This allows you to easily copy files to and from the SD card without needing to remove it from the BlueSCSI.
NOTE: The USB connection speed is USB 1.1. This can be disabled via the ini setting EnableUSBMassStorage=false.

Present SCSI Images via USB Mass Storage​

Instead of presenting the SD card contents, you can present the images on the BlueSCSI to your computer. This allows you to work with files directly on an image. Note: Your computer must support the file system of that image.
Enable it via: USBMassStoragePresentImages=true
Fixes #13

Fast20 20MB/s SCSI Bus Timings​

We now support Fast20 SCSI bus timings, which allow for up to 18MB/s transfer speeds.
See: https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/wiki/Ultra-SCSI-Fast20-OverClock

Interactive USB Console​

You can now interact with the BlueSCSI via a USB Serial connection. Currently, the available commands are: reboot, reboot into bootloader, and reboot into USB Mass Storage mode. This is useful for debugging and development. Ideas for new commands are welcome! This replaces PR #215.

Other​

• Updated frameworks:
  • SdFat 2.2.3 (Fixes #258)
  • Arduino core 4.3.0
• Bug fixes:
  • Fixed issue with ROM drive overwriting firmware (#98)
• Various other bug fixes and improvements.

Coming Features​

These are features we hope to include in this release cycle, but they may be delayed depending on our availability.

BlueSCSI Toolbox Firmware Updater​

Add the ability to update your BlueSCSI firmware via the BlueSCSI Toolbox.
This will allow you to update your BlueSCSI without needing to access the SD card or USB connections. Most of the work is done on this, but the nine retro platforms we support will need to be updated and tested.

USB -> SCSI Bridge Mode​

Want to boot your Windows 11 computer off that old SCSI drive? This will allow you to do that. This is currently disabled in this build as it needs more testing.
Fixes #212, Replaces PR #221.

Buttons on I2C Hardware​

Allow users to disable I2C and choose standard buttons instead. Not everyone needs a full screen and controls; some just want a simple button to select the next CD.

Buttons Enabled for Hardware with SW1/SW2 Pins​

Allow users to hook up to two buttons to any BlueSCSI that has pins labeled S1/S2. It will automatically configure them to any removable drives such as CDs. You will also be able to manually set them if you have more than two removable drives.

Future​

My goal this year is to finish a few of the projects I have already started.

BlueSCSI Web Toolbox​

This is actually mostly done, but has a few rough edges.

I2C Screen/Controls​

This is mostly done but will coincide with a different project's release.

BlueSCSI NeXT Toolbox​

I'm stuck on this one with the UI elements; I may just release a command line version of this.

Thanks​

Thanks to all the pre-pre-release testers for catching bugs and feedback!
Thanks to all the contributors!
And thanks to you for testing and using BlueSCSI.

Release 2025 June Prerelease · BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2

This is a testing release for early adopters who would like to help test new firmware features. We've tested this release on our systems, but we want to cast a wider net to catch any bugs before th...

github.com