Mac Plus - BlueSCSI - Disk Jockey and Error 0F000A

Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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I've followed the directions at BlueSCSI V2 and tried other instructions on the interwebs; getting nowhere with running BlueSCSI on my Mac Plus.
It's stock, an early version, 4MB RAM (so I guess it's NOT stock.)
I've formatted my SD card using the SD formatter app, overwrite and exFAT set. I've added "drives" using Disk Jockey, adding OS 6.0.8 and allowing Disk Jockey to do its magic, prepping the drive for SCSI use. BlueSCSI.ini for Mac Plus in SD root.
Mac beeps, looks around while then posts a sad mac with error 0F000A showing below the icon. I've looked for a description of the error code, finding nothing specific.
Any ideas? I've tried the suggestions on the BlueSCSI troubleshooting page. No change.
I've reformatted the SD card multiple times. I've switched SD cards too.
I'm guessing there's something, probably quite obvious, that I'm either not doing or doing wrongly.
Any help is appreciated.
 
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Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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a snapshot of the SD contents
 

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Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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Oops. My mistake/lapse/failure to attend:
(I notice that the third block includes "-- Enable SSCI2 is off"
I am not cognizant of turning on or off SCSI "drives" Where might that be so I can read up on it?

Log:
Platform: BlueSCSI
FW Version: 2024.12.08-rel Dec 8 2024 22:19:03
I2C Supported
Flash chip size: 2048 kB

=== SD Card Info ===
SD card detected, exFAT volume size: 61024 MB
SD Name: GC2QT, MID: 0x1B, OID: 0x53 0x4D

=== Global Config ===
Reading configuration from bluescsi.ini
Active configuration (using system preset "MacPlus"):
-- EnableSCSI2 is off
-- EnableSelLatch is on

=== Finding images in / ===
== Opening /HD0.hda for ID: 0 LUN: 0
---- Image ready
== Opening /HD1-1GB HFS.hda for ID: 1 LUN: 0
---- Image ready
== Opening /HD4 BlueSCSI Toolbox.hda for ID: 4 LUN: 0
---- Image ready

=== ROM Drive ===
Platform supports ROM drive up to 1692 kB
---- ROM drive image not detected

=== Configured SCSI Devices ===
* ID: 0, BlockSize: 512, Type: Fixed, Quirks: Apple, Size: 821312kB
* ID: 1, BlockSize: 512, Type: Fixed, Quirks: Apple, Size: 962560kB
* ID: 4, BlockSize: 512, Type: Fixed, Quirks: Apple, Size: 20544kB

Initialization complete!
INFO: Pico Voltage: 3.254V.
 

eric

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I am not cognizant of turning on or off SCSI "drives" Where might that be so I can read up on it?
SCSI-2 referencing is the SCSI standard version 2, eg SCSI-1, SCSI-3, etc (not SCSI ID's). You can read about any of the ini settings here in the docs but you should not set any unless directed. System=MacPlus is what disabled SCSI-2.

First lets start by only having one known working drive to rule out any issues with images or the like. You can grab the 6.0.8 image from here and only have that one active. Troubleshooting is all about removing complexity till we find out the issue.
 

Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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Well that did the trick. Blue loaded the OS. My mouse wasn't connected, so I didn't shut down properly. I'm guessing that's why no log file showed up.

Do I add the files/extras I want/need one by one, booting between each .hda file and/or directory?


BlueSCSI.ini =
[SCSI]
System=MacPlus

SD card Screenshot:
OneCommander_B3DZ93r7m5.png
 

eric

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, so I didn't shut down properly. I'm guessing that's why no log file showed up.
Log is created a few ms after powering on the BlueSCSI and has nothing to do with the host, it is quite odd, and I might suspect something odd with the SD card is going on.

Do I add the files/extras I want/need one by one, booting between each .hda file and/or directory?
There is a page dedicated page of options for transferring files to your vintage mac from a modern computer. BlueSCSI toolbox is a great little utility to do just that for files, or you can use CiderPress2, or an emulator to get files to your image file. Whatever is convenient for you.

Back to your original issue - It is most likely the images you were using had different SCSI driver partitions on them and conflicted with each other, not allowing the Plus to boot. Unfortunately early Macs can run into these issues when mixing different versions/vendors of SCSI drivers. Dragging the image on Disk Jockey can replace the driver for you if it's a known bad one, and show you which one it is in use.
 

Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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MY SD card is a Samsung, 64GB. I read where you do NOT recommend Sandisk AKA Sundisk.

I have another Samsung 64GB. I'll give it a try.

You said "It is most likely the images you were using had different SCSI driver partitions on them" Is that sort-able via a more detailed ini file?

I was careful with naming each file, HDA, Toast, iso et al to make sure each was unique. Is that sufficient or is more precision required?

Thanks for your prompt assistance. I'm not proficient in coding etc. Ignorant, actually. I read the ini page you referred to and grasped 25 to 33.33 per cent of the content. I'm slow, but it takes me awhile. I know I'll get his sorted and have some fun while I do.

Thanks again for your help, Eric!
 

eric

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You said "It is most likely the images you were using had different SCSI driver partitions on them" Is that sort-able via a more detailed ini file?
No, BlueSCSI is really just a block device, it knows (almost) nothing of the contents of the file - we do some very light inspections of the file to see if it looks like an HFS image when it's on a Mac, but that'ts it.

I was careful with naming each file, HDA, Toast, iso et al to make sure each was unique. Is that sufficient or is more precision required?
Just follow the Usage details on the wiki - i dont know what you mean about precision - if you name it something not known it wont know what to do with it :)

I read the ini page you referred to and grasped 25 to 33.33 per cent of the content.
Then you read the top part that said "Most users will NOT need to create this file, and should not unless you have a reason to." ;) - You and 99.9% of users will not need any of these settings.

I know I'll get his sorted and have some fun while I do.
Thats why we're here, to have fun and learn a thing or two :)

Glad you're getting it up and running - Mac Plus was our first family computer and I spent a lot of time on it (and still have it)
 

Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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Well, the Sad Mac and error message have ceased. Now all I get is a Mac floppy with a blinking question mark. Do I label this "Progress"?

Tried formatting, more than a half dozen times. Tried downloading the system 6 HDA file more than half dozen times. Did it on the winbox and on a Mac running Sonoma. Downloaded the ini file for Mac Plus, guess how many times? Yep. More than a half dozen.

Machine beeps and boots, after a long delay, floppy with blinking question mark.

I've also tried three (what's that, a quarter of a dozen?) different SD cards with all the permutations above.

Yesterday things worked. Things went south when I attempted to do more with BlueSCSI, things like adding a shared folder. Or the toolbox. Or using Wifi. Each of those crashed/stopped things.

I followed directions. This BlueSCSI technology strikes me as quite fragile.

Any suggestions, anyone?
 

eric

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I followed directions. This BlueSCSI technology strikes me as quite fragile.
I don't understand this comment. People all over are doing all the same things with a Mac Plus with out any issues. There is no fragility with the technology.

This is a ~40 year old computer. They have issues no matter what. Poor connections or corrosion on the SCSI ports, low power from the analog board, etc etc.

Do you have another SCSI device you can test the BlueSCSI with? (can rule in or out the device or the machine)

If it's an intermittent issue could you visually inspect the BlueSCSI SD card slot and chips - it could have tested good an issue shows later.

We're all human here so please keep that in mind.
 

Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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I understand we're all human. I'm not attacking or trying to cause pain.
I AM frustrated and that probably came through. I apologize if I caused hurt or offense. Not my intention.

I used the term "fragile" because it seems from where I'm sitting that there are many balls being juggled, many balls in the air, in order for things to work. You mention old hardware. That probably accounts for three of the balls.
Add the apparent difficulty with SD cards. I had no clue how "fragile" they are: some work, some don't, with no apparent cause or fix for those which don't. I tried all three I own (not using the fourth; it stays in the camera.) Add two more balls.
Or formatting the SD card. Do it on the Mac using Disk Utility or in windows using the SD association's format utility? Again, the variables are many, (another two balls? and roughly twenty minutes for each format in windows) but I have no way to determine if the problem lies with formatting, SD card, the Mac Plus, the BlueSCSI or the phase of the moon.

I know it CAN work; with your help I got it working. Thank you, again. I've repeated your instructions (above) numerous times. Nada.

I have no other machine with a SCSI.

I'm going to stop messing with this. I may take it up again in a few days. I don't mind tinkering, messing about with hardware and using the meager understanding of software I have. All these attempts to get it all working set me off; I'll step away. I don't look forward to going through all this again but perhaps a break will allow me to see things differently, perhaps to notice something I'm doing wrong or to try something a different way.
 

Yoda

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Jan 22, 2023
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This BlueSCSI technology strikes me as quite fragile.
I think the main problem is that all these technologies are quite 'fragile', not least because these old systems are generally very cantankerous these days, and small issues with components or corrosion on circuit boards can cause inconsistent behaviours or outright failures, yet not have any obvious and visual signs. Add in a modern technology designed, built and supported by enthusiasts rather than commercial organisations, and you get the chance of frustrating difficulties which can be hard to figure out. It is well worth it in the end, however.

What doesn't help - and this is not a comment about you, but in fact all of us - is that it is very easy to get something wrong because we misunderstand/misread/mistake what the instructions say, and miss a step, or add in extra ones. When that happens, because we know we're trying the right thing, even when in fact that is sometimes not actually true, as we report the problem and others help us, it makes it harder to resolve.

As an example, I have a Mac Classic II, into which I added a BlueSCSI, replacing the original hard drive. I used Disk Jockey to create a basic 2Gb 'image', renamed it from .hda to .img and added that to the BasiliskII setup on my Sonoma MBA, and installed MacOS 7.1 on the .img using an install image downloaded from macintoshgarden.org.

With that done, I copied the .img file to a exFAT formatted (using Disk Utilities on my MBA) SD card, then renamed the file back to .hda. The Classic II booted perfectly, and all was well. Except that when I put the BlueSCSI inside the Classic II and affixed it to the mount the hard drive had been in, and had the rear casing back on the system, the Classic II wouldn't boot. Like you, I got the floppy/question mark icon instead.

It transpired that if the BlueSCSI was left outside the system, trailing on the SCSI cable, everything worked normally, but if inside the casing, it wouldn't. I tried different SD cards, different images including premade ones, and even a blank image on a SD card and then installed 7.1 from floppies on the Classic II itself. Every time, the same result - perfect operation with the BlueSCSI trailing at the back of the system, and not booting with the floppy/question mark icon when it was bundled up inside.

It was incredibly frustrating, until I tried a different SCSI cable, and it worked. Turns out the original had a broken trace in it, which if straight was still connected, but it folded, wasn't.

Since then it's worked perfectly, as have three other BlueSCSI devices, all in PowerBook 100-series systems. In each case, the SD card is a cheap generic 4Gb from Amazon, formatted exFAT on my MBA, with a blank 2Gb image created by Disk Jockey, then copied to the SD, plugged into the system, and installed from floppy disk (because I rather enjoy the old fashioned system set up process). No .ini files, no multiple image files, just keeping it totally simple. I even use an external BlueSCSI as a sort of 'USB thumb drive' containing just about all my software installers, which I can plug into my old Macs and use for getting stuff onto them - or even off again.

I realise that none of the above will help you much directly, but the point is that when something doesn't work as expected, the best approach in my experience is to keep it as simple and uncomplicated as you can while you troubleshoot. Make sure that your Mac Plus is supplying termination power to the BlueSCSI itself, because it won't work without that, and I seem to recall that as standard, Mac Plus models don't. After that, format the SD card as exFAT or FAT32 (exFAT is 'faster', but on a Mac Plus you won't notice), and make sure that's the only partition on the card. Use a pre-made .hda image if you have one you know works with the Plus - a pre-made image with an incompatible version of MacOS will give you the blank floppy/question mark when booting because it can't work with the MacOS it sees.

It's possible your BlueSCSI is faulty, but not all that likely. Most probable that some small detail has been missed. Keeping it as simple as you possibly can will help avoid missing that small detail.
 

vtgearhead

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May 1, 2023
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I'll second the point about SCSI cabling. After spending a week chasing intermittent lockups of my Quadra 650 I finally narrowed it down to a faulty OEM 50-pin ribbon cable. With the top off it always worked properly but when the case was closed it just barely touched the cable and triggered the fault. The cable didn't have a mark or nick on it and both connectors *appeared* to be properly crimped. I can only assume that some minor corrosion occurred over 30+ years.
 

Yoda

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Jan 22, 2023
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One other point: @eric is the expert on these things. Read what he says and the FAQs/toubleshooting guides he points to and take each word and step quite literally. Nothing more or less. Don't interpret or assume that if something is said it must mean something else. If you hit a point you can't follow or that doesn't make sense, stop and ask. A few hours or so waiting for an answer here is a lot less frustrating than several days searching for, finding and then unpicking a mistake.

I'm not saying you're an idiot by any means, but what I am saying is that we're all novices at stuff we don't yet know.
 

Glacier

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Mar 11, 2025
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Thanks, both of you. And no, my ego isn't so flimsy as to find any offense, insult, condescension or anything other than a concern to motivate and encourage. Thank you. I'll try not to get defensive!

My BlueSCSI (let's use BS, but only in the sense of "BlueSCSI"!) uses Museum Joe's "Clipper" cable, so I haven't soldered a diode to the Plus' motherboard.

I've worked with plenty of old hardware and realize cables are part of the fragility inherent in such devices. "Bullet proof" is rarely true of technology, despite its advertising. (It's rarely true of many things, when you think about it.)

I know the cable from Joe is good: when the BS was working, the log file showed it was working. I've re-seated it more than once, making sure connections were solid.

The Plus came with an off-brand external drive attached to the port out back, which runs just fine, if slowly. While installing the BS I have the hard drive disconnected from the Plus.

I've done the list of ideas on the troubleshooting page. More than once. Literally!

I've reduced the files on the SD drive to two: the BS.ini (which the BS web site says the Plus needs) from the BS web site and the system .HDA image, using the site Eric referenced earlier in this thread. A few days ago, that worked. The Plus booted.

I then added the toolbox .HDA and it booted. I added the Pico .HDA and it booted. I added the "shared" folder and things went sideways. Removing "shared" it wouldn't boot and hasn't booted since. Going back to "Go," I'm getting only the blinking "?" From there it was format and try it again, many times.

I'll buy some more SD cards, figuring the odds of all of them having a defect are slim to none (but what do I know about how SD cards are made? That would be zip.)

I haven't given up. I don't like quitting until things are working or determined to be dead. Neither is the case at present. I'm not dead yet, either.

Thank you for your kind encouragement and for not personalizing my remarks (although I can see no reason why you would, but neither of you got defensive, which is refreshing.)

Glacier