hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble) (11/17/88)
I think I've run into a bug in 1.3 setclock, here's the story: I was doing a HD backup with quarterback while reading the net news from a host using Handshake 2.10a when a Gomf 2.2 window came partway up on my 2000. The window was there, but the text & gadgets never showed up. Then quarteback started acting strange, then Handshake started acting strange, then I rebooted. When my startup sequence got to the setclock line I got a message something like "Battery Backed up Clock not found" I tried a cold boot, same thing. Everything else was working fine though. OK, check the battery and find it's happily putting out 4V. Then with a briliant flash of lack of stupidity I suspect S/W rather than H/W trouble. I checked the setclock program in my c: was still the same as one on a backup floppy. Yup. With "setclock reset" giving the same not found message as the setclock load in my startup, I then tried the 1.2 "setclock opt load". It loaded the S/W clock & my system then thought it was sometime in Dec. 1981. After that the 1.3 setclock works fine again! My analysis: I think a program running wild messed up the clock (set the test bits?). I think the 1.3 setclock did not like it that way & the reset option does not work properly. I think the 1.2 setclock load *did* reset the test bits. I think I'm happy I don't need to send my box out to get fixed just after the 90 day warrantee is up. What does anyone who *knows* something think about what I think? -- | Hugh D. Gamble (416) 581-4354 {lsuc, utzoo}!censor!hugh (Std. Disclaimers) | I can push any computer to its limits. | Any computer can push me to *my* limits.
johnf@light.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Flanagan) (11/18/88)
In article <120@censor.UUCP> hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble) writes: >I think I've run into a bug in 1.3 setclock, here's the story: ><...> >When my startup sequence got to the setclock line I got a >message something like "Battery Backed up Clock not found" >I tried a cold boot, same thing. Everything else was working >fine though. I have just had a similar problem. For the past week or so setclock has occasionally failed with "Battery Backed up Clock not found". Sometimes manually setting the time appeared to fixed it, sometimes rebooting seemed to help. Finally last night it failed and stayed that way. Suspecting 1.3, I rebooted with my old 1.2 setup, and the setclock still failed (albeit with a differently worded error message, but to the same effect). My setup is an A500 with the Microbotics 512k internal expansion, which is supposed to be identical to the Commodore expansion. I read the spec sheet which came with the Microbotics board, and it states that the first time the board is used, it may have to be left in a powered-up computer for a few hours while the NiCad battery charges up. Since my computer has been off more than usual in the past few weeks, I decided to leave it on over night to see whether the NiCad would charge up. Just before I left for work this morning, I tried setclock, and it worked! So, assuming Commodore also put a NiCad in the A2000, I would suggest trying to leave your Amiga on for a few hours to try to recharge it. Also, you mention that you measured the battery output to be 4V. I don't know, but I suspect that it should put out 5V when at full charge. >-- >| Hugh D. Gamble (416) 581-4354 {lsuc, utzoo}!censor!hugh (Std. Disclaimers) >| I can push any computer to its limits. >| Any computer can push me to *my* limits. --John Flanagan johnf@sag4.ssl.berkeley.edu
hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble) (11/19/88)
In article <17154@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>, johnf@light.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Flanagan) writes: > In article <120@censor.UUCP> hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble) writes: > >I think I've run into a bug in 1.3 setclock, here's the story: > ><...> > >When my startup sequence got to the setclock line I got a > >message something like "Battery Backed up Clock not found" > >I tried a cold boot, same thing. Everything else was working > >fine though. > > I have just had a similar problem. For the past week or so setclock > has occasionally failed with "Battery Backed up Clock not found". > Sometimes manually setting the time appeared to fixed it, sometimes rebooting > seemed to help. Finally last night it failed and stayed that way. > Suspecting 1.3, I rebooted with my old 1.2 setup, and the setclock > still failed (albeit with a differently worded error message, but to ... > I read the spec sheet which came with the Microbotics > board, and it states that the first time the board is used, it may > have to be left in a powered-up computer for a few hours while the NiCad > battery charges up. Since my computer has been off more than usual in > the past few weeks, I decided to leave it on over night to see whether > the NiCad would charge up. Just before I left for work this morning, > I tried setclock, and it worked! > > So, assuming Commodore also put a NiCad in the A2000, I would > suggest trying to leave your Amiga on for a few hours to try to recharge it. > Also, you mention that you measured the battery output to be 4V. I > don't know, but I suspect that it should put out 5V when at full charge. > > --John Flanagan > johnf@sag4.ssl.berkeley.edu Your problem does sound like a battery problem, mine didn't. My 2000 is less than 4 months old, somthing went with a sudden WHOMP when my system crashed, I leave it running most of the time so the battery should be fully charged, I got the clock not found message consistently until running the 1.2 setclock load once, then the 1.3 setclock would work again. No problems since then. The battery in the 2000 is spec'd at 3.6 volts. My poor memory thinks it is Lithiun rather than NiCad, but I don't suppose that makes much difference except, I believe Lithium batteries fade away rather than dieing suddenly like NiCad ones, gradually dropping their voltage as they run down. I didn't think to put an ammeter on the battery, but it was in place & the amy's power was off when I read the voltage, so it should have had the clock chip loading it right? When I had the box open, I did vacuum up about a Gazillion kg of dust & hair from my scruffy little cat whose favourite place in the whole world is the top of my nice warm multisynch II, but I don't think that had any effect. P.S. I really don't know anything about H/W, I just consider it a necessary evil to run S/W :-) -- | Hugh D. Gamble (416) 581-4354 {lsuc, utzoo}!censor!hugh (Std. Disclaimers) | I can push any computer to its limits. | Any computer can push me to *my* limits.
jbwaters@bsu-cs.UUCP (J. Brian Waters) (11/19/88)
In article <120@censor.UUCP>, hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble) writes: > I think I've run into a bug in 1.3 setclock, here's the story: > > When my startup sequence got to the setclock line I got a > message something like "Battery Backed up Clock not found" > I tried a cold boot, same thing. Everything else was working > fine though. > > With "setclock reset" giving the same not found message as I had something similar happen when I was running AMnews, the disk based magazine. It crashed and I reset the machine to reboot and the setclock load would fail, with the clock not found message. The setclock reset option would not fix it. By powering down to reboot I managed to clear up the problem. Of course I had to reset the time on the clock. -- Brian Waters <backbone>!{iuvax|pur-ee}!bsu-cs!jbwaters uunet!---/
schabacker@frambo.dec.com (Tim, posting for C. Balzer) (11/28/88)
[Sorry, but I can't crosspost (or am too stupid :-)] In article <120@censor.UUCP>, hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble) writes: > I think I've run into a bug in 1.3 setclock, here's the story: > > When my startup sequence got to the setclock line I got a > message something like "Battery Backed up Clock not found" > I tried a cold boot, same thing. Everything else was working > fine though. > > With "setclock reset" giving the same not found message as Same one here, after a wierd demo my clock was "gone". Only switching Amy off and on again helped. What a relief, I thought my hardware was going berzerk. But this isn't the only 1.3 bug and only shows that you can alpha/beta/gamma/omega test a software as thoroughly as possible and it will still wind up with some bugs. That's just life I guess. - <CB> -- _ _ / / | \ \ <CB> aka Christian Balzer - The Software Brewery - < < |-< > decwrl!frambo.dec.com!schabacker OR schabacker@frambo.dec.com \ \_ |_/ / CIS: 71001,210 (be brief!), Phone: +49 6150 4151 ------------ Snail: Im Wingertsberg 45, D-6108 Weiterstadt, F.R.G. "uoy t'nod llaf rof taht kcirt, od uoy?"