AHA®-1540CP Family

Easiest way to add high-performance Plug-and-Play SCSI to your system

PRODUCT FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS

AHA-1540CP: Bus master ISA-to-Fast SCSI host adapter
AHA-1542CP: Bus master ISA-to-Fast SCSI host adapter with floppy controller
SCSI Master® kit: AHA-1542CP, Adaptec® EZ-SCSI™ software, internal SCSI cable, and complete documentation

OVERVIEW

For performance, ease of use and compatibility, the AHA-1540CP family of SCSI host adapters is the ideal choice for PCs that run in today's multitasking environments. The AHA-1540CP family combines a powerful multithreaded SCSI I/O interface with a high-performance bus-mastering Direct Memory Access (DMA) architecture. The result is faster data throughput and higher overall system performance that enables you to run multiple applications.

As the first bus master SCSI host adapter that is fully plug-and-play capable, the AHA-1540CP family also advances the state of the art for ease of use. Installation and configuration of the adapter and Plug-and-Play SCSI peripherals is virtually automatic. Users can count on the compatibility of the AHA-1540CP family of host adapters. Providing the same level of compatibility as the industry-standard AHA-1540 family of host adapter, the AHA-1540CP family has been enhanced to support major multitasking operating systems, including Windows 95.

KEY BENEFITS

High performance for multitasking environments

Fully compatible with the major multitasking operating systems, including Windows 95, OS/2, and NetWare, the AHA-1540CP host adapters make true multitasking possible. The AHA-1540CP family provides a multithreaded, 10-MByte/sec Fast SCSI interface to the ISA bus for the seamless concurrent I/O operations that multitasking requires. In addition, these host adapters feature bus master DMA, which takes over I/O processing and frees CPU power for other tasks.

With this combination of high-performance features, the AHA-1540CP family affords the overall system performance that 32-bit applications and multitasking demand. Now you can run one or more of today's powerful applications, such as those for desktop publishing, document imaging, or multimedia authoring, and, at the same time, download a file, receive a fax, or back up a drive to tape.

Easy to install and use

The AHA-1540CP family is the first bus master host adapter family to offer the convenience of true plug-and-play functionality. The AHA-1540CP family meets all the requirements of ISA bus and Plug-and-Play SCSI specifications, making installation of the adapter and up to seven SCSI devices quick and easy. When the board is installed, resources such as BIOS and port addresses are automatically assigned to prevent conflicts. Used with Plug-and-Play SCSI peripherals and cables, the AHA-1540CP adapter automatically locates all connected SCSI devices and instantly resolves any SCSI resource conflicts. It also automatically terminates the SCSI bus, eliminating the need to handle jumpers and termination resistors.

In addition, with Adaptec EZ-SCSI software for DOS and Windows, you can install SCSI devices in minutes by following simple menu-driven instructions. And, when you want to add or remove external peripherals, the Adaptec SCSISelect optimization utility lets you quickly modify AHA-1540CP configuration settings from the keyboard.

Unparalleled compatibility

AHA-1540CP host adapters are fully compatible with the earlier AHA-1540 family, making it easy for you to add plug-and-play convenience while preserving your investment in peripheral devices and third-party software. The AHA-1540CP family is designed to be compatible with any peripheral device that complies with the SCSI-2 standard and with any computer that adheres to the ISA or EISA specifications. Compatible with major operating systems, the family is now enhanced with embedded support for the Windows 95 multitasking operating system, in addition to OS/2, UNIX, and NetWare. Support for DOS and Windows operating systems is provided by Adaptec EZ-SCSI software.

To ensure the highest level of compatibility, Adaptec conducts thousands of hours of tests in a broad range of environments and maintains strong development relationships with operating system vendors, third-party software developers, and system OEMs.

SCSI Master kit—Everything necessary to get started

The SCSI Master kit provides you with everything necessary to add high-performance Plug-and-Play SCSI devices to PC systems. The kit features the AHA-1542CP host adapter with a floppy drive controller, complete user documentation and Adaptec EZ-SCSI software for simple installation. Adaptec EZ-SCSI software applications let you play audio CDs, view photo CDs, perform tape backups, benchmark SCSI peripheral devices, and more.

Quality and reliability

In addition to comprehensive compatibility testing, AHA-1540CP host adapters undergo thousands of hours of functional and reliability inspections and tests.

Adaptec's manufacturing facility has earned ISO-9002 international certification, which ensures compliance to a high level of product quality in product design, development, and production.

Trusted for quality and reliability, Adaptec IOware® products are incorporated into the products of virtually all major computer and peripheral manufacturers around the world.

IOware products by Adaptec

Adaptec's IOware products combine hardware and software technology into solutions that are critical to ensuring the level of performance needed by today's data- and graphics-intensive applications. Resident in both the computer and peripherals, Adaptec's IOware products speed the flow of data from one part of the system to another, significantly improving overall performance.

ADAPTEC AHA-1540CP and AHA-1542CP COMPLETE KIT CONTENTS

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Computer Bus:
ISA

Interface Protocol:
Bus Master DMA

Device Protocol:
SCSI-2

Peripheral Device Support:
Up to seven (7) single-ended SCSI peripheral devices

Simultaneous synchronous and asynchronous peripheral support

Hard Disk Capacity:
Supports drive capacity up to eight (8) gigabytes (unless limited by operating system)

Adaptec BIOS:
For standard fixed disk emulation; supports up to seven (7) disks under DOS 5 and later

Floppy Drive Support:
AHA-1542CP only; supports two floppy drives (3.5" and 5.25")

Advanced SCSI Features:
Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) compliant, disconnect/reconnect, multitasking, multithreaded I/O (up to 255 tasks simultaneously), parity checking, scatter-gather, Plug-and-Play SCSI, synchronous and asynchronous data transfer, zero latency reads (ZLR) and linked commands

Bus Width:
8- and 16-bit

Host Bus Data Transfer Rate:
From 3.3 to 10.0 MByte/sec burst rate

Maximum SCSI Data Rate:
10 MByte/sec Fast SCSI

Electrical Terminations:
Single-ended, active, software-controlled

Operating System Support:
Microsoft DOS
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Window 95
Microsoft Windows NT
Microsoft and IBM OS/2
IBM OS/2 Warp
UNIX (SCO, Sunsoft, USL, Univel)
Banyan Vines
Sunsoft Solaris

MTBF:
376,130 hours (AHA-1540CP)(per TR-NWT-000332, Method I, QL-I)

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS

Length:
6.3 inches (16.5 cm)

Height:
4.5 inches (11.4 cm)

Internal Connector:
50-pin, flat cable

External Connector:
50-pin, high density (alternative 2)

Operating Temperature:
0° C to 55° C

Storage Temperature:
-55° C to 85° C

Humidity (operating):
10% to 90%, non condensing

POWER REQUIREMENTS

+5.0 ± 0.25 volts at 0.51 amps, excluding terminator power

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