Problems with ACA 1221ec

[d3cka2d3pwood]

Hi all, new to this forum.

I've been having problems with my amiga accelerator card and wondered if any one could help...

Here is the problem...

I’ve been having problems with my ACA122ec accelerator, it’s been back to Amigakit who have fixed the black screen problem. My system boots up with it connected into my A1200 (full inserted into the expansion slot).

However, after finally sitting down with a working system to play some old classics, the system crashes.

I tried Chaos Engine and got this error:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T3LcNg0gzHqVYxWVZMiuIOhO1JQXRUWj

I tried Cannon Fodder and got this error:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BpA4NzK_svnOFKl7lDOytWOkegHEHQry

I tried SWOS and when playing a match, around the goal mouth the frame rate becomes very slow, I don’t remember it been like that back in the day. I have the original game so I decided to try it without WHDload/workbench i.e. the hard drive disconnected and load it from the floppy drive, with and without the accelerator card installed.

Eventually when the game loaded. Here are the results…

Without accelerator card:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Lma8Mq8TKRxT9w6knrFUQ2XQp9vHVACd

With accelerator card:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=170azlzI6OqkhamKKvp7t8jeVX6y1_21Q
30 secs in shows some slow down.

Slow frame rate only occurs with the accelerator card installed, I can’t help but feel disappointed, surely the accelerator card should improve performance not reduce it?

Some screen shots of the system information below:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rmmeK-f9qX26VvBB5hJ3yfTlxH6ArKNj

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_8YPbNcClmXg2LXsLy1KpLiurG17DfkC

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1P-9Du_j0f_QKpwSUwULP8Mp72vaghTLU

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MVOmjZjEW8qu3rl-f8ViF6opsu2FWr2e


Does anyone have any ideas how I can stop the crashing and ideas why the accelerator card reduces performance?


Here is the history of the problem on lemmon amiga forum...

http://www.lemonamiga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14322&start=30&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

[FOL]

Are other games working fine?

[Stardust]

I have a ACA 1221ec accelerator that is set to run at 28mhz during Workbench boot. My Amiga A1200 motherboard revision is 1.D.1. Kickstart 3.1 Rom. Using Classic Workbench, setup with Workbench 3.1 disks, and and the latest version of WHDLoad - 18.3 so far I have got these results:-

Chaos Engine, AGA and non AGA version loads some intro screens and menus but crashes back to Workbench before the game starts. Enabling and disabling the MapRom makes no difference to trying to get the game to load with WHDLoad.
I have tried 3 versions of Chaos Engine ADF's\boot from floppy disk emulator. One version did go beyond the intro menus and started a game but the A1200 crashed after 15 seconds of play. There are many other Chaos Engine ADF versions I can try that are from 'Amiga TOSEC & Gamebase Amiga' that is 48GB in total (uncompressed) size

Cannon Fodder - Works fine. Done the first 2 game levels without any issues.

Sensible World Of Soccer. Got the ..95-96 WHDLoad version to work. Did not see any slow down during game play.

I don't use the A1200 often so I probably am not aware of some tricks that could work. The best suggestion I have is to upgrade WHDLoad from V18.2 to V18.3

[modrobert]

d3cka2d3pwood,

Try Mad Professor Mariarti, it's one of the games known to stress the CPU/BUS regarding timing issues. After I did the timing fixes on my A1200 motherboard the ACA-1232 worked fine with that game.

Reading some of your older posts, it seems like you did the timing fix already, but what specifically did remove/change?

http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/Amiga/am..._mobo_fix.html

[Stardust]

WHDLoad ChaosEngineCD32 works. There is some menu\intro screen flickering but once a game is started it runs fine.

WHDLoad ChaosEngine 2 works. A message box 'Can't allocate Shadowmem' does appear but loading continues and a game runs fine.

WHDLoad Mad Professor Mariarti can load into a game and works fine.

I hope this information helps.

[Superman]

There is a version of SWOS WHDLoad that does suffer from slowdown. I get it on my A600 with furia accelerator. Other editions of Sensible Soccer using Whdload are okay so I think in this games case its a slave problem and not a hardware issue.

[d3cka2d3pwood]

Thanks lads for your comments and support, its appreciated.

I haven't removed anything from the motherboard as yet. I'm reluctant to tamper with original hardware but if it solves the problems I'll get it done.

Pics of the motherboard:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...ldCeHY1X2RhMmM
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...HZZV04yMWVFSDQ
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...TYxd3AxRDJuS2s
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...VVPN05selZiRjA
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...TRRNDVQSS0zNE0

@FOL I need to test more games but sometimes workbench boots up with errors, like drive missing or RAM errors, I'll take a photo of the errors.

Also I have noticed that the keyboard shortcuts don't work i.e. Amiga button and 1 should launch WHDload iGame. Also when in a WHDload game the quit shortcut doesn't work and I have to reset the machine to play a diffrent game.

@Xav I have Kickstart 3.0 not sure what difference that makes.
Thanks I'll try some different versions of game and the newer version of WHDload before attempting the timing fix/capacitor removal.

@modrobert Thanks I'll give that game a go first too. Great link you have provided for timing fix issue but it doesn't show any mods for my motherboard... Rev.1D1?

@Superman thanks I'll try a different version of SWOS, prob will be my most played game so want that working right!

[d3cka2d3pwood]

Hi again...

just tried Mad Professor Mariarti
Played for 2/3 mins good frame rate, no slow down but then it crashed with this error:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KO...xyWl2N298iLmO3

Also tried Stunt Car Racer, didn't run for long an it crashed with this error:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SC...GDYgGrzy3Jmwlh

[Stardust]

Edit: Have a look at this thread: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=11875 that has people saying using Workbench 3.1 with Kickstart 3.0 ROM can cause problems. Setting up Classic Workbench gives the choice of using Workbench 3.0 disks\adf's or Workbench 3.1 disks/adf's. That thread also mentions that its not a big problem to keep using Kickstart 3.0 ROM.

[modrobert]

Originally Posted by d3cka2d3pwood

@modrobert Thanks I'll give that game a go first too. Great link you have provided for timing fix issue but it doesn't show any mods for my motherboard... Rev.1D1?

Start reading below "Recommended changes for ACA1230/1232 accelerators" which covers all motherboard versions, the info before that are for Apollo cards.

Based on your "illegal instruction" while playing 'Mad Professor Mariarti' I think you need the timing fixes. If the problem seems sporadic rather than the same error at the exact same location, then it's probably related to bad signal integrity on the bus. Either that, or the power supply is inadequate.

[demolition]

But if exactly the same error happens at exactly the same spot, then it is probably not timing fixes that are required. It could just be a slave that is incompatible with the hardware, or that you need to play with the various whdload prefs.

[d3cka2d3pwood]

Thanks again for comments.

Note that I fixed the keyboard issue, it was a due to dirt on the ribbon cable.. whoops :/

@Xav
Thanks, I installed classicwb using workbench 3.1 adf only because I was having problems with 3.0. I'll try reinstalling with 3.0 but the setup works fine on WinUAE so i'm not sure if it is a software issue?

@modrobert
Thanks. I've tested 3 different power supplies so I don't think its that.
I'm pretty sure its the card causing the problem, and maybe need the timing fix.

Can you recommend anyone in the community who could carry out the timing fixes?

@demolition
Thanks. I'll double check but I think they are happening at the same places which completely contradicts what I have said above :/
what do you mean by 'a slave that is incompatible with the hardware'?

Do you know of any guides for whdload prefs?

[demolition]

Originally Posted by d3cka2d3pwood

what do you mean by 'a slave that is incompatible with the hardware'?
Do you know of any guides for whdload prefs?

When they make WHDLoad slaves (the file you execute when you start a WHDLoad game), they cannot test it on all platforms so you will regularly find slaves that does not run in your specific configuration so there's nothing unusual in that. Perhaps you can find another slave that works on your specific hardware, or you can get it fixed by filing a bug report for the slave in question. Amiga hardware is generally not very compatible, particularly because the games that you would use WHDLoad for were often designed specifically for the A500 and they didn't care about other/future machines.

Regarding the s:whdload.prefs file, you can try enabling and disabling the various options to see if it makes a difference (remove the ; to enable the setting). The most important ones are the ones that has to do with cache or memory.

I have an ACA1221ec as well and although I am using it with my ACA500plus, I could perhaps do a test in my 1200 to see if the slave you are having problems with would work for me. Using the nice installer feature in ACA500plus, I could very quickly create a fresh CF card with WB 3.1 that I could boot from. :-)

[amigasith]

Originally Posted by demolition

But if exactly the same error happens at exactly the same spot, then it is probably not timing fixes that are required.

Hmm... I'm not too sure about this. Before I did the timing fixes to my Rev. 2B board, I had a demo that always froze at the exact same spot. Therefore, the issue _could_ also be due to timing issues...

[d3cka2d3pwood]

@demolition
Thanks great info. I have a A500 maybe I should test the card in that? Does it matter that its not a plus. I thought the A1200 would be better for WHDload and games which is all I'm fussed about.

@amigasith
Thanks. I'm not sure about the timing mods, i'll try the A500 first. It weird how the CF setup works fine on WinUAE but not on my original hardware.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by d3cka2d3pwood

@demolition
Thanks great info. I have a A500 maybe I should test the card in that? Does it matter that its not a plus. I thought the A1200 would be better for WHDload and games which is all I'm fussed about.

I think you may be confusing ACA500plus with A500+. The ACA500plus is an accelerator for A500(+) which also makes it possible to connect A1200 accelerators like the ACA1221ec to an A500. Without a ACA500(plus) you cannot test your ACA1221ec in an A500.

The A1200 is good for WHDLoad as it has 2MB chip standard and can also do AGA games. If you do not need to play AGA games, then a A500+ with a ACA500plus and upgraded to 2MB chip is almost as good for WHDLoad.

[d3cka2d3pwood]

ah ok cheers demolition I understand now.

I'm going to try find someone who can do this timing fix for me, I've got soldering kit but I don't have much experience.

If anyone can recommend anyone it would be appreciated.

[indigolemon]

Have a look here: http://robthenerd.com/amiga/repairers

Or in the thread stickied at the top of this section

[d3cka2d3pwood]

Thanks indigolemon

Maybe related to some of the aforementioned bugs, just sharing how I worked around my problem with whdl and aca -

I have aca1221ec, running at 28mhz and CF card as my IDE harddrive. When I tried several of my favourite demos from the Whdl demo pack (motion, origin, etc.) they all kinda started but i was then very soon ejected to workbench with the requester 'illegal instruction ...'.
I then tried to run them straight off of the pcmcia CF card, and they worked just fine.
Also copying them to RAM and executing them from there worked well for me.
I guess it might be fixed by changing some setting in the hdtoolbox during cf formatting, but I don't have time to try that out now.



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