jim@syteke.UUCP (Jim Sanchez) (08/04/89)
I just purchased a 2000 with a Rev 6 motherboard in Germany and picked
up a MicroBotics Hardframe while I was in the US. The hardframe came
with Rev 1.55 software. I found that when I tried to format or prep
the drive(a Quantum-40S by the way) that is was VERY intermittent. It
would hang the system requiring a power off or work partially. When
I finallly got it preped(after serveral attempts) I found that the
same behavior would occur during a copy df0: dh0: all. I finally
called MicroBotics in Texas and Mike(their QA/QC) guy tells me that
yes Commodore KNOWS about a noise problem on the motherboard and is
getting a fix out for it "real soon now". Has this news come out on
the net before or is this news to everyone else as well? If someone
can tell me the scoop on this and how I will be able to get CBM to
install the fix without driving back to germany to get it fixed. The
outfit I bought it from is just a mail order house anyway(two guys in
an unmarked storefront).
Any help will be appreciated.
--
Jim Sanchez {sun,hplabs}!sun!sytek!syteke!jim OR
Hughes LAN Systems, Brussels mcvax!prlb2!sunbim!syteke!jimDavidS@cup.portal.com (David Kenneth Schreiber) (08/07/89)
in article 268@syteke.UUCP, Jim Sanches writes: >I just purchased a 2000 with a Rev 6 motherboard in Germany and picked >up a MicroBotics Hardframe while I was in the US. The hardframe came >with Rev 1.55 software. I found that when I tried to format or prep >the drive(a Quantum-40S by the way) that is was VERY intermittent. It >would hang the system requiring a power off or work partially. When >I finallly got it preped(after serveral attempts) I found that the >same behavior would occur during a copy df0: dh0: all. I finally >called MicroBotics in Texas and Mike(their QA/QC) guy tells me that >yes Commodore KNOWS about a noise problem on the motherboard and is >getting a fix out for it "real soon now". Has this news come out on >the net before or is this news to everyone else as well? If someone >can tell me the scoop on this and how I will be able to get CBM to >install the fix without driving back to germany to get it fixed. The >outfit I bought it from is just a mail order house anyway(two guys in >an unmarked storefront). I recently bought a 2000 from Go Amigo that was also rev. 6. I also installed a Hardframe and an 8-UP DIP memory board with 2 megs (I have a 67 meg Epson SCSI hard drive attached to the Hardframe). When I used either one of the boards by themselves, they worked fine. Together, I'd be lucky to go two minutes before guruing. I took the machine in to a local dealer to be looked at; the dealer called Microbotics and got basically the same story you did. He called Commodore and was told in essence "what problem?" So I called Go Amigo and they exchanged my 2000 for a rev. 4.5 machine in which they installed the one-meg Fat Agnus; this has worked fine. This doesn't sound like an option in your case, so I'd suggest either exchanging your Hardframe for another controller or calling Microbotics and/or Commodore as often as possible to see if a fix is forthcoming. BTW, the dealer I took the machine to tried the Supra and Commodore 8-meg memory boards with the Hardframe: no problems. He tried the GVP controller with the 8-UP board: no problems. I don't believe the problem to be with the Amiga; it's with the Hardframe and/or the 8-UP DIP board. I called Microbotics, and what they told me is that Commodore had been "dragging its feet" in resolving the situation, that they had been trying to work with Commodore for "weeks" and that it was simply "Commodore's fault". I find this attitude to be totally unacceptable, especially considering the lack of problems with various other configurations. It's the peripheral manufacturers are responsible for conforming to the computer's specs, not the other way around. I would strongly suggest anyone thinking about buying any Microbotics product call Microbotics beforehand and check for compatibility problems. David Schreiber at DavidS@cup.portal.com -My clever quote is backordered. I'm expecting it in about a week.
jdm@gryphon.COM (John Mesiavech) (08/09/89)
In article <21093@cup.portal.com> DavidS@cup.portal.com (David Kenneth Schreiber) writes: >in article 268@syteke.UUCP, Jim Sanches writes: > >>I just purchased a 2000 with a Rev 6 motherboard in Germany and picked >>up a MicroBotics Hardframe while I was in the US. The hardframe came >>with Rev 1.55 software. I found that when I tried to format or prep >>the drive(a Quantum-40S by the way) that is was VERY intermittent. It >>would hang the system requiring a power off or work partially. When >>I finallly got it preped(after serveral attempts) I found that the >>same behavior would occur during a copy df0: dh0: all. I finally >>called MicroBotics in Texas and Mike(their QA/QC) guy tells me that >>yes Commodore KNOWS about a noise problem on the motherboard and is >>getting a fix out for it "real soon now". Has this news come out on The fix is simple. Turns out there's a chip at position U605 that can generate an excessive amount of noise on the bus, causing random Gurus with some highspeed peripherals that demand a clean bus. The fix is known to CBM dealers, and involves a 100K resistor to be soldered onto two legs of the chip. If you have a Rev 4.4 motherboard, the rev changes to 4.5. If you have a 6.0 motherboard, it changes the rev to 6.01. [stuph removed for brevity] > >I recently bought a 2000 from Go Amigo that was also rev. 6. I also >installed a Hardframe and an 8-UP DIP memory board with 2 megs (I have >a 67 meg Epson SCSI hard drive attached to the Hardframe). When I used >either one of the boards by themselves, they worked fine. Together, I'd >be lucky to go two minutes before guruing. I took the machine in to a >local dealer to be looked at; the dealer called Microbotics and got >basically the same story you did. He called Commodore and was told >in essence "what problem?" So I called Go Amigo and they exchanged my >2000 for a rev. 4.5 machine in which they installed the one-meg Fat [diatribe removed for brevity] >at DavidS@cup.portal.com > Davit et al; The local dealers here in Cal have known of problems with the rev 6 motherboard for some time (since they started getting them). The Rev 6 motherboards have significant noise problems with the bus slots, and any timing-sensitive peripheral won't work reliably on them. These types of devices include DMA peripherals, and ram expansions. If your board rev is 4.5, you don't have the problem. At first, the dealers thought it was the Fat Agnus chip that caused the problem, but experience has since proven that it's not. BTW David, in me personal machine I'm running a Hardframe-2000 connected to TWO Quantum drives (a Pro-40 and a Q280), with a 8-up SIMM board populated to 4 megs, a tablet card (Easyl), AND a A2620 board. I can definitely say that there are no Guru problems with the above mentioned setup. You may have gotten a defectinve board somewhere. John -- 0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-> All disclaimers apply; I didn't write this <-=-=-=-=-=-0 | ----------------------|------------------- | | "I want a New Duck | John Mesiavech | | One that won't try to bite | net.soldier.of.fortune | | One that won't chew a hole in my socks | {backbone}!gryphon!jdm | | One that won't Quack all night" | Go Purdue! (by req) | | Weird Al Yankovic, "I Want a New Duck" | | 0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-0
DavidS@cup.portal.com (David Kenneth Schreiber) (08/11/89)
In article <18629@gryphon.com> jdm@gryphon.com (John Mesiavech) writes: >In article <21093@cup.portal.com> DavidS@cup.portal.com (David Kenneth Schreibe r) writes: >>in article 268@syteke.UUCP, Jim Sanches writes: ... >The local dealers here in Cal have known of problems with the rev 6 >motherboard for some time (since they started getting them). The >Rev 6 motherboards have significant noise problems with the bus slots, >and any timing-sensitive peripheral won't work reliably on them. These >types of devices include DMA peripherals, and ram expansions. > >If your board rev is 4.5, you don't have the problem. > >At first, the dealers thought it was the Fat Agnus chip that caused the >problem, but experience has since proven that it's not. > >BTW David, in me personal machine I'm running a Hardframe-2000 connected >to TWO Quantum drives (a Pro-40 and a Q280), with a 8-up SIMM board >populated to 4 megs, a tablet card (Easyl), AND a A2620 board. >I can definitely say that there are no Guru problems with the above >mentioned setup. >You may have gotten a defectinve board somewhere. >John Perhaps I didn't make myself as clear as I should have. I had problems galore with the Microbotics stuff & my Rev. 6 motherboard. But Go Amigo swapped the 2000 for a Rev. 4.5 machine with a one-meg fat agnus about two weeks ago. I've had no problems with this setup. Thanks for the info though (I'm glad there's a fix). I'm surprised that the defect was in the motherboard, though. A local dealer tried the Hardframe w/ a Commodore and a Supra 8 meg memory board (one at a time, of course), and found no problems as he did with the 8-UP. His suggestion at the time was to switch memory boards. Sounds like he wasn't as informed as he should have been...:-( David Schreiber at DavidS@cup.portal.com -You know you have a good hard drive setup when you find yourself cold booting just for the exhilaration of it.