What is BlueSCSI Wi-Fi Desk Accessory?

The open-source, open-hardware SCSI emulator BlueSCSI v2 can emulate a SCSI Ethernet device using the Wi-Fi chip on its Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller, with firmware functionality written in mid-2023. While this feature is largely set-it-and-forget-it on desktops, portable Macintoshes can benefit from the ability to see Wi-Fi signal strength and join other networks without needing to edit the BlueSCSI configuration file.

In addition to the basic network packet bridging code added to BlueSCSI’s firmware, a set of vendor SCSI commands was implemented to enable scanning for nearby networks, joining a new network, and viewing current network information. For Macs running System 6 and later (tested with System 6 and 7), a Desk Accessory was created to utilize this functionality.

The BlueSCSI Wi-Fi Desk Accessory is free software, licensed under the terms of the ISC license. There are also videos available about its development and C programming on System 6 in general.

Source code and its THINK C project file are contained in the latest release archive, or it can be viewed on AmendHub.

Download BlueSCSI Wi-Fi Desk Accessory for Mac

Architecture

Intel x86-64

System Requirements

From Mac OS 6.0 up to Mac OS 8.0

Compatibility notes

Tested on System 6 and 7.

On System 7 and above, drag the Wi-Fi suitcase onto the System Folder and click OK when asked to put it into the Apple Menu Items folder.

On System 6, launch the included Font/DA Mover utility. Click the Desk Accessory radio button at the top, then click Open… and locate and select the Wi-Fi DA suitcase. Select Wi-Fi from the list on the right side, then click « Copy « and Quit. A restart may be required.