SCSI identify command

[Jules Richardson]

Alexandre Souza wrote:
>> My laserdisc player harks from 1986, incidentally, and even its SCSI 
>> data interface has no Inquiry support - it was just too early, I 
>> suppose...
> 
>    SCSI LASERDISC?!?!?!?!?! I think there were only RS-232 Laserdiscs?!

Yep, Philips VP-415, part of the Acorn/BBC Domesday system. It was a modified 
version of a different Philips player (VP-412 I believe) that had the addition 
  of a genlock board and SCSI control logic in a 'slice' beneath the main player.

It retained the RS-232 interface too, but that could only be used for player 
control - the SCSI interface let you also pull data from the discs into the 
controlling computer. I believe it's the only example of an LVROM drive ever 
produced; it was too big and expensive for home use, and within a few years LV 
was dying and CD was taking over anyway.

The whole setup's impressive - I've got a nearly-complete copy of the service 
manual for the player (along with otherwise-complete docs), and the technology 
is pretty advanced for the day. Sadly the players themselves were let down by 
poor electronics build quality - the vast majority of them end up being faulty 
due to intermittent connections (there's around 20 separate PCBs in the 
machine) or bad solder joints.

cheers

Jules