Ultra-SCSI to FireWire to Thunderbolt

There’s been an awful lot of good hardware peripherals for computers over the last 25 years. While USB now rules the land, it wasn’t always that way.

On Windows, Parallel and Serial ports dominated, while on Mac SCSI – the Small Computer Systems Interface – was the king because Macs were the workhorses in the print industry and they had to move an awful lot of data.

Firewire, or its secret identity of IEEE 1394, was the next step. First as 400 and then 800, it was pretty darn fast until USB-3 sent it packing.

As time passed, the previous protocols and their ports disappeared from OSes and computers in the quest for ever-faster throughput.

For those of us with older hardware that is still very much functional, and cannot be easily replaced, it’s worth a bit of effort to have it connect to modern computers. In this guide, we’re going to connect an Ultra-SCSI device to a recent Intel Mac with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port.

Nikon LS-2000 Film Scanner

The Nikon LS-2000 was introduced in 1998 and connects to a Mac or Windows machine via an Ultra-Wide SCSI interface. Later Nikon scanners would sport a USB interface, but the LS-2000 is still a great film scanner supporting 2700 dpi resolution and Digital ICE image cleaning.

I’ve had mine since the early 2000s and it’s been a good performer ever since. I do recommend a cleaning every few years and this guide is helpful.

Disclaimer: Cleaning your scanner is your decision and I assume no liability for your actions.

Ratoc FR1SX Ultra-SCSI to FireWire 400 Adapter

When I picked up the LS-2000 I went looking for an adapter so I could attach it to my new SCSI-less computer. At the time, Ratoc made the FR1SX and I picked one up. It worked well back then and continued to work with other FireWire-enabled computers.

A bonus is that you won’t need to install any of Ratoc’s original software or drivers to make the FR1SX work. Which is good, because the current MacOS doesn’t recognise the original CD when it’s put in the computer.

Now, I didn’t pay huge dollars for the FR1SX back then, but I’m sorry to say today it fetches $500 or more on the used market. And it’s the lynchpin in making an Ultra-SCSI device work with modern hardware. I don’t know if there’s any other adapter out there that will convert Ultra-SCSI to FireWire. Given that newer pro film scanners fetch similarly high prices on the used market, you’ll have to make the call if the FR1SX is worth it if you don’t own one already, or if a later USB-enabled pro scanner is going to be the better way for you to go.

Word to the thrifty: If all you need is a consumer-level scanner to digitise your snapshots and vacation slides to share with family there are modestly-priced USB options out there.

Ultra-SCSI to FireWire to Thunderbolt

This shows the complete chain from Ultra-SCSI to Thunderbolt 3/4/5:

1. From your Ultra-SCSI device, attach the Ratoc FR1SX.
2. From the FR1SX attach a FireWire 400-800 cable. 400 to the FR1SX.
3. From the FireWire 800 end, attach an Apple A1463 FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
4. From the Apple A1463, attach an Apple A1790 Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter.
5. Attach the A1790 to a Thunderbolt 3/4/5 port on your Mac.

If your computer only has Thunderbolt 2, you do not need the A1790 adapter.

Using Ed Hamrick’s VueScan, your LS-2000 scanner should be recognised. At this writing, MacOS 15 is current.

What About Other Ultra-SCSI Devices?

Ultra-SCSI was used for scanners, hard disk drives and other peripherals. The FR1SX was designed to work with many of them, but I’ve never had any experience with other devices. So your mileage may vary.

The FR1SX requires SCSI termination. It either needs a SCSI termination dongle in one of the device’s ports, or some devices – like the LS-2000 – come with a built-in termination switch. The LS-2000 diagram above shows the switch in the ON position.

Another requirement is enough power in the connection. When you hook everything up and power it on, the green light on the FR1SX should come on, indicating that the device has enough juice to operate. If it doesn’t, you can supplement power on the FR1SX with an AC adapter. The image above shows the AC port between the two FireWire 400 ports on the FR1SX. The FR1SX requires 5V 2A. I recommend purchasing an adapter that you can switch the plugs out on so you can guarantee a fit on the FR1SX.

But What About FireWire to USB Adapters?

I tested this on my Mac, connecting a FireWire 400-400 cable to the FR1SX and a FireWire 400-to-USB adapter.

I tried it on my powered USB-3 hub. I plugged it directly into a USB-3 port on my Mac. I added an AC adapter to the FR1SX to give it extra juice.

Each time this is the MacOS error that popped up:

While USB-3 certainly has the bandwidth to handle the data from this older device, it’s not able to see that it has access to the power it needs.

And What About Windows, You Mac-Centric Doofus?

I added a typical (and inexpensive) PCIe Firewire 400 card to my Windows 10 computer and connected the scanner. Ed Hamrick’s VueScan has no problem seeing and using the LS-2000. So referring to the adapter diagram above you don’t need the Apple Thunderbolt adapters, just the FR1SX and a FireWire 400-400 cable.

The FireWire-to-USB adapter yielded the same results as the Mac. It disabled all USB devices until it was disconnected from the computer.