Plextor PL-6P2 Operation Manual

Hardware Installation

By itself, your CD-ROM drive is incapable of communicating with your computer.

You must use a hardware link that enables your drive to ‘‘talk’’ with the rest of your

computer.

Plextor’s 6PleX drives use a SCSI interface as their link. If you own a PC, there are four

ways in which you can make the SCSI connection:

1) Use a separate 16-bit SCSI interface board. This is the most common method

for both internal and external drives. We recommend using a 16-bit SCSI

interface board to maximize the drive’s potential. Using an older 8-bit SCSI

interface board will reduce the performance of your 6PleX.

2) Use a soundboard that also has a SCSI interface built onto it. This helps save

a slot in your computer by combining the functions of two boards (SCSI

interface board and soundboard) into one. 

Caution: Many older sound-

boards use only an 8-bit SCSI chip. If you need the performance a 16-bit

SCSI interface board provides (see page 32), you’ll have to buy a separate

SCSI board or a soundboard with a 16-bit SCSI interface built into it.

3) If you have an external drive, you can also use a parallel-to-SCSI interface.

This is a device that plugs into the parallel port (the one your printer normally

is connected to) of your computer. It is convenient, but typically at a cost of

reduced performance to your CD-ROM drive.

4) If you have an external drive and a portable computer with a PCMCIA slot

(Type II or III), use a PCMCIA-to-SCSI card. This is a small, credit-card size

device that plugs into the PCMCIA slot. It too is convenient, but also provides

less performance than a direct connection to a 16-bit SCSI interface board.

PCMCIA connections should, however, provide better performance than a

parallel-to-SCSI interface.

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