Can I connect my old SCSI PowerLab (MacLab) to my new computer?

There are a number of reasons why it is not possible to connect a PowerLab or MacLab with a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) connection to a modern computer and as such ADInstruments withdrew support for such units in 2008. The units no longer supported are:

  • MacLab MkII
  • MacLab MkIII
  • MacLab e-series
  • MacLab s-series
  • PowerLab '00-series
  • PowerLab s-series

The reasons are as follows:

 

Firstly, few new computers will have SCSI connections nor would they support the required drivers if a SCSI card were added. Some users have inquired about using SCSI to USB adapters in order to get around this issue however, the availability of such adapters is increasingly difficult and the reliability of these adapters to ensure accurate data transfer is low.

 

A second issue is that only the latest version of LabChart (currently LabChart 8) has been extensively tested on the most recent operating systems.  LabChart 8 will not contain appropriate PowerLab enablers for the aforementioned units so these would not be recognised. 

For further technical assistance with this or any other issue, please contact ADInstruments Technical Support by clicking HERE.