cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) (07/12/90)
Well, I finally got my ZIPs for my A3000 (TI parts, 80ns) and I
installed them (I'm typing on my 3000 as I speak). A few comments about
the process:
1. It is quite a chore to get the drive/power supply chassis off
the motherboard, mostly because the stupid hard drive cable
has all of .0001" slack in it; my hand almost didn't fit
under the chassis to unplug it. Also, it seems that you must
remove the backplane and the little expansion card hole cover
thingies in order to lift the chassis out.
2. Make careful note of which way the cables are supposed to go,
since the hard drive and floppy connectors are *NOT* keyed.
3. Be *VERY* careful about which sockets you plug the ZIPs into;
the sockets are *not* consecutive on the motherboard. The
documentation is good, though, so just pay attention.
4. Getting the chassis back on is harder than getting it off
(especially the SCSI cable...)
Now for the problem. 1.3 seems perfectly happy with the setup. I've
done some rudimentary tests and the RAM seems to be in fine condition.
HOWEVER, when I try to boot 2.0, the system always gurus before 2.0 is
finished booting, both from the floppy and from the hard drive. The
guru occurs just after the Kickstart has been read in. It is always
8000 0003, task 07D03238. I suspect that it is in Exec or Dos or
something. My configuration is: 1MB chip ram, 1MB fast DIPs, 2MB fast
ZIPs. The jumpers seem OK. Does anybody have any clues about what
might be going wrong? I really want to boot 2.0 again someday...
Ross Cunniff
Hewlett-Packard Colorado Language Lab
...{ucbvax,hplabs}!hpfcla!cunniff
cunniff@hpfcla.hp.combbaker@cbmvax.commodore.com (Bob Baker) (07/12/90)
In article <10870001@hpfcso.HP.COM> cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) writes: > Well, I finally got my ZIPs for my A3000 (TI parts, 80ns) and I > installed them (I'm typing on my 3000 as I speak). A few comments about > the process: [details deleted!] > > Now for the problem. 1.3 seems perfectly happy with the setup. I've > done some rudimentary tests and the RAM seems to be in fine condition. > HOWEVER, when I try to boot 2.0, the system always gurus before 2.0 is > finished booting, both from the floppy and from the hard drive. The > guru occurs just after the Kickstart has been read in. It is always > 8000 0003, task 07D03238. I suspect that it is in Exec or Dos or > something. My configuration is: 1MB chip ram, 1MB fast DIPs, 2MB fast > ZIPs. The jumpers seem OK. Does anybody have any clues about what > might be going wrong? I really want to boot 2.0 again someday... Did you skip the first 1MB set of sockets when installing the ZIPs? With the 1MB of DIPs still installed for FastRAM you need to skip over the first set of ZIP sockets and start installing ZIPs at U58/U60/U59/U61/U62/U64/U63/U65. > > Ross Cunniff > Hewlett-Packard Colorado Language Lab > ...{ucbvax,hplabs}!hpfcla!cunniff > cunniff@hpfcla.hp.com
joe@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe O'Hara - Product Assurance) (07/12/90)
In article <10870001@hpfcso.HP.COM> cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) writes: >Well, I finally got my ZIPs for my A3000 (TI parts, 80ns) and I > >Now for the problem. 1.3 seems perfectly happy with the setup. I've >done some rudimentary tests and the RAM seems to be in fine condition. >HOWEVER, when I try to boot 2.0, the system always gurus before 2.0 is >finished booting, both from the floppy and from the hard drive. The >guru occurs just after the Kickstart has been read in. It is always >8000 0003, task 07D03238. I suspect that it is in Exec or Dos or >something. My configuration is: 1MB chip ram, 1MB fast DIPs, 2MB fast >ZIPs. The jumpers seem OK. Does anybody have any clues about what >might be going wrong? I really want to boot 2.0 again someday... The 1MB fast DIPs are Static Column and the 2MB fast ZIPs are Page Mode. 2.0 includes code to examine the type of fast RAM in the first bank and turns on static column mode if appropriate. However, one can't run Page Mode RAMs with SC mode on. Your best bet is to move the 1MB fast DIPs over to the chip ram area so that your configuration is 2MB chip, 2MB fast. -- ========================================================================== Joe O'Hara || Disclaimer: I didn't say that! Commodore Electronics Ltd || Product Assurance || "I never lie when I have sand in my shoes." Systems Evaluation Group || - Geordi LeForge, Star Trek TNG ==========================================================================
abair@turbinia.sps.mot.com (Alan Bair) (07/13/90)
I don't have any Amiga :(, but I'm planing on a 3000 :) So the following is from carefull following of the various c.s.a.xxx newsgroups. At one point there was some heavy discussion about the RAM expansion capabilites for the A3000. As I remember it, when you add ZIPs in the fast RAM section you are suppose to move the 1M of DIPS over to the chip RAM section. You can't have both at the same time because the sockets are wired in parallel(?). In fact you cannot mix 256K and 1M ZIPs in the fast RAM section. So if you want to eventually have 16MB on the motherboard, you should only expand with the 1M ZIPs. Let me repeat that this is only what I have learned from these groups and reading various review articles. I am sure the Commodore engineers that post to this group will correct any errors I have made. -- Alan Bair SPS CAD Motorola, Inc. Logic Simulation & Test Austin, Texas abair@turbinia.sps.mot.com
joe@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe O'Hara - Product Assurance) (07/13/90)
In article <ABAIR.90Jul12220511@turbinia.sps.mot.com> abair@turbinia.sps.mot.com (Alan Bair) writes: >As I remember it, when you add ZIPs in the fast RAM section you are suppose >to move the 1M of DIPS over to the chip RAM section. You can't have both at >the same time because the sockets are wired in parallel(?). In fact you cannot >mix 256K and 1M ZIPs in the fast RAM section. So if you want to eventually >have 16MB on the motherboard, you should only expand with the 1M ZIPs. You can leave the 1MB fast ram dips in place if the added zips are the same type (static column vs page mode) _and_ the same size (256x4). However, bank one of the zip sockets must be left empty in this case. -- ========================================================================== Joe O'Hara || Disclaimer: I didn't say that! Commodore Electronics Ltd || Product Assurance || "I never lie when I have sand in my shoes." Systems Evaluation Group || - Geordi LeForge, Star Trek TNG ==========================================================================
seh@pmafire.UUCP (Steve Holaday) (07/13/90)
In article <10870001@hpfcso.HP.COM> cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) writes: >Well, I finally got my ZIPs for my A3000 (TI parts, 80ns) and I >installed them (I'm typing on my 3000 as I speak). A few comments about >the process: > > [comments on installation...] > >Now for the problem. 1.3 seems perfectly happy with the setup. I've >done some rudimentary tests and the RAM seems to be in fine condition. >HOWEVER, when I try to boot 2.0, the system always gurus before 2.0 is >finished booting, both from the floppy and from the hard drive. The >guru occurs just after the Kickstart has been read in. It is always >8000 0003, task 07D03238. I suspect that it is in Exec or Dos or >something. My configuration is: 1MB chip ram, 1MB fast DIPs, 2MB fast here is your problem ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >ZIPs. The jumpers seem OK. Does anybody have any clues about what >might be going wrong? I really want to boot 2.0 again someday... > From what I understand, you cannot have both fast DIP and ZIP. Try moving your fast DIP to chip memory :-). This will give you 2 Megs of chip RAM. -- mail: seh@pmafire.UUCP Steve Holaday or !uunet!pmafire!seh I *HATE* long signature files!
cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) (07/14/90)
In article <13170@cbmvax.commodore.com> joe@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe O'Hara - Product Assurance) writes: >The 1MB fast DIPs are Static Column and the 2MB fast ZIPs are Page Mode. >2.0 includes code to examine the type of fast RAM in the first bank and >turns on static column mode if appropriate. However, one can't run Page >Mode RAMs with SC mode on. Your best bet is to move the 1MB fast DIPs >over to the chip ram area so that your configuration is 2MB chip, 2MB fast. Aha! Mystery solved. This isn't made very clear in the documentation. It seems to imply that the check is to see whether ALL RAM is Static Column, which would have worked. To make a long story short, I moved the DIPs to the chip ram and moved the ZIPs from bank 2 into bank 0 and everything was happy. I did find out one more educational fact about the 3000/2.0, though: 2.0 won't boot if the backplane is not installed. Gave me a minor panic when my system came up with a yellow screen :-) Thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. To summarize, if you buy the cheaper page mode DRAMs, you MUST move the DIPs into chip memory. If you by static column mode DRAMs, you can keep the DIPs as fast memory if you want. For all of you who asked why I wanted to do it this way: what use is 2MB of chip ram to Lattice C? Ross Cunniff Hewlett-Packard Colorado Language Lab ...{ucbvax,hplabs}!hpfcla!cunniff cunniff@hpfcso.hp.com
abair@turbinia.sps.mot.com (Alan Bair) (07/15/90)
In article <10870002@hpfcso.HP.COM> cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) writes:
deleted......
Thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. To summarize, if you buy
the cheaper page mode DRAMs, you MUST move the DIPs into chip memory.
If you by static column mode DRAMs, you can keep the DIPs as fast memory
if you want. For all of you who asked why I wanted to do it this way:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
what use is 2MB of chip ram to Lattice C?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is a very good point. To complete all the information that has been
posted about mixing static column and page mode RAM, is there any problem
with mixing the 1M of fast DIP with EITHER of the 256K or 1M x 4 static
column ZIPs? When I upgrade my future 3000, I plan on using the 1M x 4 so
I can get the full 16MB on the motherboard. It would seem that mixing a
1M bank of DIP with 4M banks of ZIP could have some potential problems.
--
Alan Bair SPS CAD
Motorola, Inc. Logic Simulation & Test
Austin, Texas abair@turbinia.sps.mot.comlindwall@mbongo.ucsd.edu (John Lindwall) (07/15/90)
In article <10870002@hpfcso.HP.COM> cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) writes: [Helpful summary given] >Thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. To summarize, if you buy >the cheaper page mode DRAMs, you MUST move the DIPs into chip memory. >If you by static column mode DRAMs, you can keep the DIPs as fast memory >if you want. For all of you who asked why I wanted to do it this way: >what use is 2MB of chip ram to Lattice C? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It is almost as useful as the Fast RAM. It won't be AS fast. It steals some of your working storage for the custom chips. (But I still hobble along with 512K CHIP RAM). But it can still be used by the compiler and other utilities. The CHIP RAM is not exclusively for the custom chips; user programs can be loaded and executed from CHIP RAM. Hope this helps. (I'm trying to be helpful, not nasty or critical). -- John Lindwall lindwall@ucsd.edu "Oh look at me! I'm all flooby! I'll be a son of a gun!" -- Flaming Carrot
joe@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe O'Hara - Product Assurance) (07/15/90)
In article <10870002@hpfcso.HP.COM> cunniff@hpfcso.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff) writes: >Thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. To summarize, if you buy >the cheaper page mode DRAMs, you MUST move the DIPs into chip memory. >If you by static column mode DRAMs, you can keep the DIPs as fast memory >if you want. For all of you who asked why I wanted to do it this way: >what use is 2MB of chip ram to Lattice C? Please note: the type of fast RAM DIPs installed in a particular unit will vary depending upon availability at the time it was built. Commodore makes no commitment to using static column chips, although your unit may contain them. A note to this effect is being added to A3000 packing. -- ========================================================================== Joe O'Hara || Disclaimer: I didn't say that! Commodore Electronics Ltd || Product Assurance || "I never lie when I have sand in my shoes." Systems Evaluation Group || - Geordi LeForge, Star Trek TNG ==========================================================================
joe@cbmvax.commodore.com (Joe O'Hara - Product Assurance) (07/15/90)
In article <ABAIR.90Jul14122918@turbinia.sps.mot.com> abair@turbinia.sps.mot.com (Alan Bair) writes: >This is a very good point. To complete all the information that has been >posted about mixing static column and page mode RAM, is there any problem >with mixing the 1M of fast DIP with EITHER of the 256K or 1M x 4 static >column ZIPs? When I upgrade my future 3000, I plan on using the 1M x 4 so >I can get the full 16MB on the motherboard. It would seem that mixing a >1M bank of DIP with 4M banks of ZIP could have some potential problems. The fast ram chips must be all the same size. This _is_ stated in the A3000 manual. -- ========================================================================== Joe O'Hara || Disclaimer: I didn't say that! Commodore Electronics Ltd || Product Assurance || "I never lie when I have sand in my shoes." Systems Evaluation Group || - Geordi LeForge, Star Trek TNG ==========================================================================