Adaptec’s USBConnect Puts SCSI Devices on a USB Port

Adaptec has announced USBConnect, a converter that plugs SCSI devices into any USB port. The main target is iMac owners, whose new machines dropped SCSI but who still want the scanners, external CD-ROM drives, Jaz drives, and hard drives that speak it. It works on any USB-equipped computer though: Macs, PCs, and portables alike.

The converter has a one-meter cable built in and never asks you to crack open the case. It recognizes devices on the fly, so there are no restarts every time you swap peripherals, and it is light enough to carry between setups. USBConnect arrives in August through resellers, retailers, catalogs, and Adaptec’s online store, boxed with the converter, a manual, and a setup disc for a suggested $69.95. If you have a drawer full of perfectly good SCSI gear and a machine with nothing but USB ports, seventy bucks beats rebuying everything.