ADS IEEE-1394 Pyro Drive Kit Charlotte NC

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Originally published at Internet.com

Are you interested in getting a little more speed out of your IDE hard drive? Or maybe even a lot more? If so, the Pyro 1394 Drive Kit by ADS Technologies may be what you're looking for. Promoted primarily as a way to add storage to your PC or Mac, our testing shows that it increases data transfer rates by 27 to 30 percent.

ADS Technologies, Inc. found its niche by taking technologies available in small and high end markets and translating them into more reasonably priced products for the general consumer market. The Pyro Drive Kit is a case in point. There are IEEE-1394 external drives on the market, but not only are they costly, they actually use standard ATA/33 or ATA/66 drives inside. The reviewed product allows you to use your own drive, install it in the drive kit, and operate it as an IEEE-1394 (also known as FireWire) external device for a price considerably lower than purchasing a packaged 1394 drive. ADS Pyro Drive Kit Specifications IEEE-1394 compliant, including: * Hot pluggable * Transfer rates up to 400Mb/s (faster than any ATA/33 or 66 device) * Daisy chainable (up to 63 devices) * Requires Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, or Mac OS * PowerQuest DataKeeper backup software for PCs General Specs * Enclosure Size: 7.5" (W) x 2.3" (H) x 10.8" (L) * Three 1394 ports @ 400 Mbps * Power Supply: 50 watt switching power supply * Power Input: 110-240 50/60 Hz * Cooling Fan: Ball Bearing Fan w/ dual fan guards * Safety: UL, CUL, FCC Class B, CE Accepts almost any ATA/33 or ATA/66 drive (CD, DVD, or hard drive) Pyro Drive Kit Description

The reviewed product was an off the shelf version, not an evaluation unit. Thus, readers can expect similar results. The Pyro Drive Kit consists of a case with an IEEE-1394 unit and the required connectors for an ATA/33 or ATA/66 drive. According to the documentation, any kind of ATA/33 or 66 drive can be installed. Also included is a power cable (not required if no other 1394 devices are attached), a 1394 cable, limited documentation, and software, including PowerQuest DataKeeper, a nice backup utility that lets you treat the drive like a tape backup. It runs under Windows98 SE, Windows2000, or Mac. The drive kit also includes Right and Left RCA audio outputs. If you install a CD-ROM or DVD drive into the drive kit, you can play CD audio through your sound card via the RCA outputs. Some newer drives send the audio directly along with the data, in which case the audio will automatically be sent through the 1394 cable and play with no extra cables required.

True to IEEE-1394 specifications, the Pyro Drive Kit is daisy chainable, so other IEEE-1394 devices can be plugged into the back panel. (The photo above shows the three 1394 connectors that allow two more devices to be daisychained from it.) A nice touch is the stackability of the drive kit. Since most 1394 applications are external, it's a convenience to be able to place them on top of each other.

Any ATA/33 or 66 drive can be installed in the kit, inclluding hard drives, CD drives, and DVDs. Summary --------------------------------------------------------------------- Price: Street:$162 (with PCI card)$122 (without PCI card) + Significant data transfer increase Low cost Excellent tech support - Poor documentation Overall Excellent product with a surprise extra! Data transfer rate is significantly increased when ATA/66 hard drives are installed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Setup as tested: Athlon 700 MSI K7 Pro motherboard 384MB PC100 SDRAM HP CD-Writer 8200 Plus 15GB Western Digital WD153BA, ATA/66, 7200rpm 18GB IBM Deskstar DJNA-3718, ATA/66, 7200rpm ELSA Synergy II video card

Installation

The Pyro Drive Kit is available both with and without an IEEE-1394 PCI port card. The version tested included the card. However, as long as the 1394 protocol used is standard, that is, adheres to the OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) specification-as provided by Texas Instruments-no conflicts should occur(1). Unless you're fortunate enough to have have a 1394 port native on your motherboard, you'll need a PCI host card.

Installation was not smooth, and virtually every problem that could occur did. However, the information contained here should help you avoid the same problems. The root of the trouble was related to inadequate documentation and early version drivers that were inadequate. The process, if the proper drivers are provided, is quite straight forward: 1. Plug the IEEE-1394 card in, boot the system, and follow normal procedure for device installation. 2. Install the drive in the Pyro Drive Kit. 3. Install the Pyro Drive Kit software. 4. Turn on the power to the drive kit, plug the IEEE-1394 cable into the kit and the 1394 port, run the Pyro software, and use it. Pyro Drive Kit internal view Pyro Drive Kit with hard drive installed

My experience wasn't so pleasant. Initially, the drive kit simply did not work; the system would not recognize it. That proved to be because of an outdated Adaptec driver, which conflicted with the Pyro Drive Kit. The solution, update of the ASPI layer, is available on Adaptec's web site. Full information and needed downloads are provided. After installing the ASPI update, the initial installation worked just fine, but once the power to the drive kit had been turned off, the system would no longer recognize it. After reading the information available on ADS's web site, downloading an updated driver and drive kit utility, and trying all suggestions available online, the problems seemed to have been resolved, but that proved to be only temporary.

Contacting technical support was a treat, though. Both people with whom I dealt were courteous, knowledgeable, and patient. After running through every possibility, the problems were finally resolved with the download of an updated driver, which is now included on CDs shipped with the product. During the difficulties, the ADS techs made clear that, if we were unable to resolve the problem, they would replace the unit. On a scale of 1 to 10, ADS technical support earns a rating of 10. (1) Note: Sony's iLink version does not work consistently with more standard devices. Although they do in some cases, it would be ill-advised to purchase this or any non-Sony IEEE-1394 device with the intention of operating it on a Sony product.

How to Avoid Installation Problems

* The primary key to a satisfactory installation is to first go to the ADS drivers page and download both DriveMode.exe and Windows98 SE FireWire Storage Update. If you run into any problems during installation or early use, they will most likely solve the problems. * The included documentation does not tell you, but the drive installed in the kit must be jumpered as master. * Because there is a possibility of conflict with an out of date Adaptec driver, which can conflict with the Pyro Drive kit installation, you should update the ASPI layer. Go to Adaptec's web site and download aspi32.exe. After installing the drive kit and software, run the program. * If you install a drive that has partitions, they will not be recognized until you inform the system that it is removable. After installation, go into: 1. The Control Panel 2. System 3. Device Manager 4. Disk Drives 5. Settings 6. Name of the IDE drive in the drive kit. Click on the Removable check box. This will allow recognition of partitions on the drive installed in the drive kit. * Although not noted in the documentation, it is important to note the "Unplug or Eject Hardware" icon (a green arrow pointing to the left) in the system tray. Before unplugging the drive it is necessary to run this utility. Otherwise, future use of the drive may result in errors indicating that files were not properly closed.

Performance

The Pyro Drive Kit's performance was quite a surprise. The expectation was for a slightly degraded data transfer speed, but the reality was an increase of more than 25 percent, as the following graph illustrates.

The testing methodology was fairly simple. A large directory (2.51GB) was copied from one drive or location to another and timed with a stop watch. The size of the file and length of time limits the testing error to under one percent, since a second, which is the most the largest error that is likely to occur in timing, is considerably less than one percent of the total time. The drive installed in the drive kit was an IBM DJNA-3718, 18GB, ATA/66 and 7200rpm, and the internal drive was a Western Digital WD153BA, 15GB, and also ATA/66 and 7200rpm.

The transfer time from the Pyro Drive Kit to the IDE drive (15 minutes, 16.0 seconds) was 27.3 percent faster than transferring the same directory from the drive when connected to the IDE chain (21 minutes, 0.7 seconds)(1). When comparing transfer rates from one location on a disk to another, the drive in the drive kit (16 minutes, 41.7 seconds) scored 30.3 percent faster then the IDE drive (23 minutes, 56.2 seconds)(2). This result, though, should be taken with a grain of salt, as the distance the heads on each drive had to move could have varied quite a lot.

The bottom bar on the graph shows the time to transfer data from the IDE drive to the 1394 drive-the opposite direction from the test showing a 27.3 percent greater speed. It is shown simply to demonstrate the improved speed when data is being stored on the 1394 device instead of the IDE device.

These are remarkable and impressive results, indicating that ATA/66 drives do not reach their full potential when operating on IDE chains, but that it is unleashed on IEEE-1394. (1) Calculated using the faster transfer time as base. It is 37.6 percent when using the larger number as base. (2) Calculated using the faster transfer time as base, It is 43.4 percent when using the larger number as base.

Conclusion

The Pyro Drive Kit has a trait that can considered advantageous or a problem: when powered on, the drive spins continuously. Anyone who's been frustrated by having to wait for a drive to spin up on an IDE chain is likely to see this as a good thing. On the other hand, it means that heat tends to build up, which is detrimental to the long term health of a hard drive. But ADS thought of that, and included a silent ball bearing fan in the drive kit to help keep the drive cool.

Portability is one of the traits touted by ADS. Be aware, though, that there's portability and there's ruggedness. Keep in mind that the hard disk you install is simply a standard product, designed to be immobile inside a nonmobile computer case. It isn't rugged, and nothing in the design of the Pyro Drive Kit cushions it. Thus, the term portable refers to movement within a home or office, not between them unless done with great care.

Overall, the ADS Pyro Drive Kit is an excellent product. All of the problems encountered during installation could have been resolved by good documentation. However, the quality of technical support was quite heartening, overriding the limitations of the printed material. The speed improvement was a wonderful surprise, and the product performs very well. Coupled with the bundled PowerQuest DataKeeper, it provides an excellent and cost effective alternative to tape backups. As a simple device for storing data and making it accessible to different computer systems, it's a most convenient and reasonably priced solution. ADS Technologies has, indeed, found a niche-though it seems likely that products like the Pyro Drive Kit will quickly become part of mainstream computing.