A1200 doesn't boot without an accelerator

[Tz_Amiga]

Hi to everyone,

I'm a long standing Amiga user with several A1200s. My brother has an A1200 revision 2B which doesn't boot/show the Kickstart screen without an accelerator being installed. The board was recapped a few years ago and it has 3.2.2 ROMs currently. He's not yet run through checking with test kit but did try swapping the previous 3.1.4 ROMs with no change. Without an accelerator installed the board does show the boot options when you hold both mouse buttons down so that should indicate that the 020 and Chip RAM are functional. With either his ACA030 or Pistorm-lite installed the Amiga works without issue. Any ideas on the likely cause? Thanks

[Nor Bert]

How long have you been waiting to boot?

[derSammler]

Originally Posted by Nor Bert

How long have you been waiting to boot?

That would have been my first question as well, as the wait time for the IDE to come up is rather long. If there is no HDD installed, it can take 30-60 seconds in the worst case (depends on the Kickstart).

[Predseda]

Isnt there anything in your startup-sequence that expect for example Flash kickrom?

Edit: hm, it would show early bootup menu anyway.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by Tz_Amiga

Hi to everyone,

I'm a long standing Amiga user with several A1200s. My brother has an A1200 revision 2B which doesn't boot/show the Kickstart screen without an accelerator being installed. The board was recapped a few years ago and it has 3.2.2 ROMs currently. He's not yet run through checking with test kit but did try swapping the previous 3.1.4 ROMs with no change. Without an accelerator installed the board does show the boot options when you hold both mouse buttons down so that should indicate that the 020 and Chip RAM are functional. With either his ACA030 or Pistorm-lite installed the Amiga works without issue. Any ideas on the likely cause? Thanks

As a long standing Amiga user with one post after several Amiga 1200's, why has it taken this long for you to post ever whilst your Bro has a fubar 2B?

AGA Amiga's... A1200, A4000D or A4000T.... always got delayed for IDE Wait States over SCSI. - 30 seconds for a time out to be precise....

So.... in your Bro's Escom 2B Amiga 1200 without an Accelerator.... What happens if you put a OS3.2.2 Instsall floppy in DF0:?

Does it boot or say....."Please install an accelerat0r" ? ? ?

It should actually boot before the 30 second delay because there is a bootable floppy disk in DF0: ....



It is these moments in "Amiga-Life" where most folk don't know how their Amiga should Boot/beahve on start up!

[Tz_Amiga]

Originally Posted by Nor Bert

How long have you been waiting to boot?

Several minutes. It's just a black screen with no floppy or hdd activity

Originally Posted by Kin Hell

As a long standing Amiga user with one post after several Amiga 1200's, why has it taken this long for you to post ever whilst your Bro has a fubar 2B?

I've been out of regular Amiga use for a long time. My 060 A1200 tower with PIV, Catweasle mkiv and various other things installed hasn't been powered on for 20+ years. We were mostly involved with music production through the 90's and had another A1200 with an 030. Although I do periodically look at what's happening in the Amiga world, the emergence of the Pistorm greatly renewed my interest.

Originally Posted by Kin Hell

AGA Amiga's... A1200, A4000D or A4000T.... always got delayed for IDE Wait States over SCSI. - 30 seconds for a time out to be precise....

So.... in your Bro's Escom 2B Amiga 1200 without an Accelerator.... What happens if you put a OS3.2.2 Instsall floppy in DF0:?

It should actually boot before the 30 second delay because there is a bootable floppy disk in DF0: ....

Thanks, I'm aware of the usual wait, what's happening is that without an accelerator installed there's no activity from the floppy or hdd whilst leaving it for several minutes. There's just a black screen output. I should mention also that I have used several power supplies with it including the modern replacements just to rule that out. It's an odd one as like I mentioned it does show the boot options holding down both mouse buttons.

[RetroPassionUK]

Sounds like a onboard CPU issue, when you plug in an accelerator that disables or should I say overrides the onboard CPU. There are no dodgy legs on the onboard CPU like shorting or bent? if it was something major she would not boot at all even with an accelerator so it will be something simple.

The timing fix is needed to use certain accelerators so it won't be that as your accelerator works.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by Tz_Amiga

Several minutes. It's just a black screen with no floppy or hdd activity



I've been out of regular Amiga use for a long time. My 060 A1200 tower with PIV, Catweasle mkiv and various other things installed hasn't been powered on for 20+ years. We were mostly involved with music production through the 90's and had another A1200 with an 030. Although I do periodically look at what's happening in the Amiga world, the emergence of the Pistorm greatly renewed my interest.



Thanks, I'm aware of the usual wait, what's happening is that without an accelerator installed there's no activity from the floppy or hdd whilst leaving it for several minutes. There's just a black screen output. I should mention also that I have used several power supplies with it including the modern replacements just to rule that out. It's an odd one as like I mentioned it does show the boot options holding down both mouse buttons.

Originally Posted by Boing-Ball

Amiga 2B board… This is definitely an Escom/Amiga Technologies Revision? Or is this an original Commodore version of the 2B?

If the latter, then it’s a long shot, but the E123C/R and E125C/R are in place? Or removed?

Technically this is part of a timing fix for faster Accelerators like the Apollo or the older ACA Accelerators when they were fitted which gave a black screen. Not the way you are describing. But it maybe something to look for.

The onboard 68020 CPU. When the A1200 is powered up and left for sometime without an accelerator. Does this chip actually warm up? If not, you may have a borked onboard CPU..

Originally Posted by RetroPassionUK

Sounds like a onboard CPU issue, when you plug in an accelerator that disables or should I say overrides the onboard CPU. There are no dodgy legs on the onboard CPU like shorting or bent? if it was something major she would not boot at all even with an accelerator so it will be something simple.

The timing fix is needed to use certain accelerators so it won't be that as your accelerator works.

Hold the phone.....

If both ears on the mouse allow you access to the Early Boot Screen... the onboard CPU is not compromised....Unless.... Whilst in the early boot up screen.....

The CAPS Lock key stops responding after 6 presses or so.....

On-Off-on-Off-on-off... yardy ya..... if the LED stops lighting up after whatever number of presses... Yeah the onboard 020 is Fubar!

If there is no issue with this & the CAPS Lock LED stays secure, you should be able to boot from a bootable Workbench Floppy.....

Please conform before you get too excited about an Escom 2B board not liking an Accelerator.

PS... There is not a C= version of the 2B board that I know of.....
Escom were the culprits for that revision tiko... Period!

[derSammler]

Originally Posted by Kin Hell

PS... There is not a C= version of the "B board that I know of. Escom were the culprits for that revision... Period!

Really? I have a 2B board in one of my A1200 systems that is from week 46, 1993. So ESCOM did own Commodore on late 1993 already? I don't think so. ESCOM sold board that Commodore already made and had in stock. They did not design new ones. Well, they did - but those never saw the light of day.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by derSammler

Really? I have a 2B board in one of my A1200 systems that is from week 46, 1993. So ESCOM did own Commodore on late 1993 already? I don't think so. ESCOM sold board that Commodore already made and had in stock. They did not design new ones. Well, they did - but those never saw the light of day.

Really???

https://www.amiga-stuff.com/hardware/amigaboards.html

2B A1200 motherboards are Escom.....

Without wanting to be rude....shove your pre-conceived weeks idea fella & go re-think your AMIGA life....

https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/b...uct.aspx?id=13

C= A1200 last mobo was the 1D4 & Escom farted the 2B after C= went into Bankruptcy....

If anyone can say different..... I will retire once & for all & languish in OAP Amiga cretinism....

Commodore were not responsible for A1200 2B mobo's & here are this Site's ethics& opinions on the matter...

https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=611912&postcount=3

[DJBase]

ESCOM only produced what Commodore already developed. All belongs to Commodore, thats a fact. The only thing that ESCOM did was changing later the silkscreen and removed the "Commodore Electronics Ldt." line and cut a trace for the cheaper floppies. If someone says Commodore does not Rev 2B has just no clue.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by DJBase

ESCOM only produced what Commodore already developed. All belongs to Commodore.

Bullshit.....

Escom were a bunch of Dicks pissing in the wind.....

[DJBase]

You have no clue it seems. Look at the picture, its Rev 2B made Week 02 in 1994 so this was long before ESCOM and even months before being bankrupt.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by DJBase

ESCOM only produced what Commodore already developed. All belongs to Commodore, thats a fact. The only thing that ESCOM did was changing later the silkscreen and removed the Commodore Amiga line and cut a trace for the cheaper floppies. If someone says Commodore does not Rev 2B has just no clue.

Originally Posted by DJBase

You have no clue it seems.

Escom followed on from 1D4 because C= went into receivership after declaring themselves bankrupt....

Obviously you have no clue about the demise of Commodore and what they stood for....

[DJBase]

Originally Posted by Kin Hell

Escom followed on from 1D4 because C= went into receivership after declaring themselves bankrupt....

Obviously you have no clue about the demise of Commodore and what they stood for....

Nope, you are wrong.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by djbase

nope, you are wrong.

1966....

[DJBase]

Look... here we have another Rev 2B... made in Week 50 in 1993 even...

[SkulleateR]

... and furthermore after Escom bought C= in 1995 there were plenty of old stock mainboards sold, so 2B is definitely a C= Mainboard, later given some tweaks by Escom

[Photon]

Unless 3.2.2 does things differently, holding down both mousebuttons at boot should take you to the Early Boot menu. If it does, this is proof that the original CPU works.

Like others have said, sometimes you have to wait a long time if nothing is connected to the internal IDE connector. 3.2.2 might have a longer IDE wait timeout maybe?

I don't even know of any computer that could use another CPU without the original one working. So your A1200 is probably fine.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by SkulleateR

... and furthermore after Escom bought C= in 1995 there were plenty of old stock mainboards sold, so 2B is definitely a C= Mainboard, later given some tweaks by Escom

Now you've hit the nail on the head.

Commodore went into receivership on August 30 1995 & Escom paid $14,000,000 for the assets of Commodore International.

@ DJBase...

I stand corrected. Thank you.

See PM.