CV64/3D Failing

[Liqourice]

Suddenly my A4000 started crashing on bootup. After trying a few different things I discovered that removing the P96 monitor file allowed the computer to boot up. Tried reinstalling P96 but that didn't make any difference, still crashing during boot. Also tried to boot without it and start it after bootup but the computer froze and then crashed when I did that. It seems initializing the card fails.


So, something is up with my gfx card. It worked just fine up until a few days ago. I've tried reseating it and also changing zorro slot but that makes no difference. Tried with another monitor and cable as well just to make sure there wasn't something wrong there.



Any ideas what might be the problem? Have the card died for me or is it something else?

[nogginthenog]

Oh no. I love my CV64/3D. Have you changed any software recently, especially to do with 680x0.library or MMU etc? Does it Guru or just freeze? Try running snoopdos to see if you can identify what happens just before the crash.

I would create a basic WB3.x install with Pic96 (or even CyberGraphics).

Also, try cleaning the zorro edge connector with some isopropyl alcohol or a pencil eraser.

[Liqourice]

It's a quite fresh install with 3.1.4, I've only installed a few things like DOpus, MiamiDX and some other apps. Disabled everything in WBStartup and the User-Startup but that didn't change anything so it's definately related to the card.

Holding both mouse buttons during boot disables the card and it boots up to WB. It's still a bit unstable and freezes up now and then so I gather there's some other issue as well.

During boot it just crashes, power light starts blinking before I get any image. Maybe I should connect the 1084 instead of the monitor I have connected to a scandoubler to see if I get any colored screen. When it crashes in WB if I disable the card it just freezes and I have to reset manually.

Maybe time to replace the PSU. Was gonna send the motherboard away to get it recapped but so many other things came in the way, I guess it's time to do that now if this is related to bad caps.

I did have the motherboard out a few days ago to put in a button cell battery adaptor and I did clean things up a bit when I did that. Everything worked initially when I had put it all back together again, it was just after a few reboots that this started happening.

[Liqourice]

Well. I don't know.

I've had my A4000 away for restauration. Got it back and it's working beautifully, until I double-click the monitor file for the gfx card. I had it moved into storage before when it started to show signs of failure.

When I click it the computer completely locks up so something is still wrong here and I have no idea what.

I'm gonna replace the PSU as well and see. The original PSU delivers spot on for +5 and -5V but the 12V only gives 11.29 so I wonder if that can be the reason.

I'd hate if the card have died. Ideas and suggestions are appreciated.

[nogginthenog]

Does SnoopDOS report anything strange? If you have a 68040/68060 are you sure the libs are correct?

[Liqourice]

Snoopdos didn't reveal anything, only fails I got were for the tooltypes that weren't enabled, then it locked up. The last access was SYS:Libs/Picasso96/CVision3D.card but it responded OK on that just before lockup.

I have reinstalled MMULibs as well as P96. Tried in different slots and also tried with a new SFX PSU. No difference with anything.

So, gonna try and make a new WB install with just the original Phase5 libs and see how it goes. Might even try Cybergfx instead of P96.

Thing is, it started doing this before the computer as a whole started to fail. The Buster socket was corroded but has been replaced so that shouldn't be an issue, unless there's some fault with Buster itself that only shows for the gfx card which to me sounds a bit unlikely.

I don't think it's due to 3.1.4 either since that worked for a while before things started to happen but just in case I'll make a fresh 3.9 install to test with because that's worked flawlessly for years before.

[pipper]

Make sure you’re using the latest version of MMULib. There was some incompatibility of OS3.1.4 and how it setup some cachability of configuration space. The latest MMULib fixed that.

[Liqourice]

I'll test that too. Gonna try with Cybergraphx as well.

[Liqourice]

Tried booting up with the 3.9 recovery disk which has the CVision3D monitor (P96) installed and only get a black screen so it isn't MMULib that's causing this. If I boot it up without the CD in I get a native resolution screen with a requester for it and after putting it in I also end up with a black screen so it seems this issue is hardware related.

Can't try this with the SFX PSU though since I haven't been able to get hold of a floppy power adapter yet.

[Liqourice]

Updated MMULib to latest but no difference.

[Liqourice]

Just a note. It shows as working in the boot select board diagnostic.

I wonder if there might be a bad solder somewhere. Strange that it took over 20 years to show but who knows.

[Liqourice]

Now I've tried with a fresh 3.9 install and the latest 68060 library's from Phase 5 and CybergraphX V3.

Same thing happens, computer locks up at the moment the CVIsion monitor file is activated, be it in devs/monitors (I won't even the bootup to finish into wb then) or if it's in storage and I activate it manually. It doesn't matter if I have a PAL mode set in screenmode.

So, it doesn't work with 3.9 with Phase 5 libs and CGX, nor does it work in 3.1.4 with MMULIbs (latest) and P96.

So, I guess something's wrong with the card but since it shows up as working in autoconfig I have no idea what it might be and I don't have the knowledge and/or equipment to search for the fault. I have no other Amiga to test it on either and noone nearby with one to test on.

Have no idea if it's beyond repair or if it's something simple to fix.

[DigitalKeeper]

If the System is running "Stable", and the Software would be checked for errors -> the CV64 have sometimes issues with the RAM on the Card itself. Have a look for cold solder points, and for ICs with a Socket -> Contact Failure.

Get the RAM Test Programm and Test the RAM on CV64

[DarrenHD]

Originally Posted by Liqourice

Now I've tried with a fresh 3.9 install and the latest 68060 library's from Phase 5 and CybergraphX V3.

Same thing happens, computer locks up at the moment the CVIsion monitor file is activated, be it in devs/monitors (I won't even the bootup to finish into wb then) or if it's in storage and I activate it manually. It doesn't matter if I have a PAL mode set in screenmode.

So, it doesn't work with 3.9 with Phase 5 libs and CGX, nor does it work in 3.1.4 with MMULIbs (latest) and P96.

So, I guess something's wrong with the card but since it shows up as working in autoconfig I have no idea what it might be and I don't have the knowledge and/or equipment to search for the fault. I have no other Amiga to test it on either and noone nearby with one to test on.

Have no idea if it's beyond repair or if it's something simple to fix.

Try turning off cpu caches in startup-sequence, right before the monitor file is loaded... that at least helped me fix some freezing issues with Mediator board. Enabled it after startup-sequence finished.

[Liqourice]

Originally Posted by DigitalKeeper

If the System is running "Stable", and the Software would be checked for errors -> the CV64 have sometimes issues with the RAM on the Card itself. Have a look for cold solder points, and for ICs with a Socket -> Contact Failure.

Get the RAM Test Programm and Test the RAM on CV64

What program is that more specifically?

[Liqourice]

Originally Posted by DarrenHD

Try turning off cpu caches in startup-sequence, right before the monitor file is loaded... that at least helped me fix some freezing issues with Mediator board. Enabled it after startup-sequence finished.

Doesn't make a difference.

[DarrenHD]

Originally Posted by Liqourice

Doesn't make a difference.

Bummer. I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it in another machine. Maybe someone relatively local to you in Sweden...

[Liqourice]

That's another problem since I don't know anyone with a big box Amiga nearby.

I'm gonna take a close look on the card, perhaps it's just a bad solder or something like that after all. There are a few ic's that are socketed so I might, carefully, try to remove and clean them up. But I am more inclined to think it's on the end of the card, perhaps the contact that's lost contact.

Sometimes I get a click on the monitor connected to it when I activate the monitor file, sometimes I doesn't, so something does happen.

[DarrenHD]

Originally Posted by Liqourice

That's another problem since I don't know anyone with a big box Amiga nearby.

I'm gonna take a close look on the card, perhaps it's just a bad solder or something like that after all. There are a few ic's that are socketed so I might, carefully, try to remove and clean them up. But I am more inclined to think it's on the end of the card, perhaps the contact that's lost contact.

Sometimes I get a click on the monitor connected to it when I activate the monitor file, sometimes I doesn't, so something does happen.

I have a CV3D in my A2000, no issues with it. I believe it's a DCE version. If you want me to check anything related to the software I can do so for you.

Darren

[Liqourice]

Don't know what that would be to be honest. It's worked for over 20 years, now it doesn't. It started doing this before I upgraded from 040 to 060 so I don't think that's related.

I'm pretty confident it's hardware related by now. Something on the card isn't as it should be, the question is what. But I'm gonna examine the card as best I can. It's clean, never been any signs of corrosion that I've been able to see. That doesn't mean there could be a bad solder somewhere, or the D-Sub have come lose after all these years of plugging in and removing monitors from it.