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Imacon Flextight, SCSI, and OS X 10.5, Leopard
Wednesday · April 8, 2009 | posted under: New Images · Tech Notes | 4 comments
This is a quick note that hopefully will save a few people some of the time I just spent. I use a an old Mac G4 as a development server here to test ideas before they go live. It is basically a mirror of the software on the web server run by webfaction: django, Apache 2.0, mod_python, etc. It also has an old Adaptec SCSI card, which makes it a special sort of relic and the only gear that can talk to an the Imacon scanner here. The main drive failed yesterday so I took the opportunity to upgrade the system software to OS X 10.5 (leopard), which as I quickly learned doesn't have drivers for the SCSI card effectively turning the Imacon into a paper weight. All indications on the web suggested that the only ghost of a chance was the Ratoc Systems FR1SX FireWire to Ultra SCSI Converter, which has reportedly worked for some but not everyone—SCSI being one of those black arts closer to witchcraft than computer science. Loath to spend $110 on something that might or might not work, I thought I'd try everything else first. Apadtec's website suggests the card is not supported with 10.5. Then I found this: Mac OS X Driver, version 1.1. I downloaded, installed it, and unbelievably it worked.
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4 Reader Comments
Hello Mark. Thanks for your post. I'm planning to buy a Imacon Flextight Precision III for a very good price. In your opinion and experience would it work on my Imac "24 + osx Leopard 10.5.? I went to visit the Adaptec's website and was not sure about the product you talked about. Is this one.? (External SE SCSI Cables - ACK-68V-50HD-1M-T). Thanks in advance for your kind answer. Massimo
Posted by Massimo on Thursday, November 26, 2009
I am doing the same research. What Mac do I need for using the Flextight? I do know one thing. The scanner's software doesn't run on the Mac Intel processors. Supposedly it doesn't run with OS 10.5 but I just read where somebody got that to work, but I'm skeptical about that.
Posted by Susan on Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Susan: The post to which you are replying tells you that I have it working with OS X 10.5. 10.5.8 to be specific. It is a G4 processor. My intel machine does not have a SCSI card so I can't say whether the the software will work—it's possible it will work under Rosetta, but I wouldn't bet money on it.
Massimo: the product I am talking about is the SCSI card inside the computer. Any SCSI cable should work if you can get the driver software to talk with the SCSI card. That's the challenge.
Posted by Mark Meyer on Thursday, December 10, 2009
it was very interesting to read.
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
Posted by furry_overture on Saturday, July 24, 2010
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