Does anyone repair Picasso II cards?

Info-Seeker · 28 February 2011, 23:15

Hey guys, I have at least 2 Picasso 2 cards that have something wrong with them. 1 Shows up in the computer until you initialize it, then it disappears from the system and can no longer be seen. The other shows up and reports all clear, but won't initialize up. I have a 3rd that works fine, so I know its not my configuration, I just swap the cars in and out to test them... So I was curious if anyone has any experience repairing them, since I hate to get rid of them...

Zetr0 · 01 March 2011, 00:35

just grabbing at straws here -

could it be a segregated ram / linear ram issue?

Info-Seeker · 01 March 2011, 02:08

I checked all the jumpers, and they are all configured the same... I did notice a resistor on 1 of the cards that isn't on the other 2... but the 1 that works doesn't have the resistor...

I've gone through the manuals and everything, I do not believe it is a configuration issue..

Zetr0 · 01 March 2011, 03:16

*still grabbing at straws here*

These cards are nearly 20 years old, what is condition of the connector edge?

Recently I had to use an abrasive rubber (eraser) to clean the connector of both my Picasso 2+ (as it kept appearing - disappearing) and my Combi 040 - I also decided to take the liberty and dishwash the A2000 motherboard.

Now, its quite likely that you have tried all of the above in one sort or another, but I do have a question on the given behavour -

Q: When the cards fail to initialize are they still seen/available in reboot/early start menu?

Info-Seeker · 01 March 2011, 17:41

yea, they both show up in the preboot list, the 1 only disappears after the drivers try to initialize a video mode. It like kicks to high res, flickers, then goes back to the normal desktop, and then the card is no longer seen until reboot. The other 1 the drivers say it can not attach to the card. I haven't tried cleaning the edge connector contacts, I'll give that a try when I deal with it...

I was hoping there may be someone who is familiar with dealing with the cards who might have experience fixing them like the accelerators. They aren't the Highest end cards, but still pretty nice.

and thanks Zetro! Appreciate the thought yer putting in on this...

SpeedGeek · 02 March 2011, 02:06

@Info-Seeker:

If you have tried cleaning the edge connector without success you can try reseating the socketed chips. There are 8-16 DRAM chips and 4 GAL chips an a PicassoII.

First discharge any static charges on your body by touching the metal case or power supply. (This may not be a problem where you live but it's better to be safe than sorry).

Using a small flat blade screw driver carefully pry each chip up a little ways on each end then press them back into the sockets.

You may also want to reseat your Buster or SuperBuster chip on the motherboard but you should use a PLCC extractor for SuperBuster. NOTE: Some A4000's may have SuperBuster soldered to the motherboard.

The next thing to check for is signs of Battery leakage on the motherboard. Also check for signs of cap leakage. (Either of which may need immediate attention!)

Also, if you have any other Zorro2 boards give them a try and see what happens. Finally, use a DMM or Voltmeter to check the +5 Volt supply on the motherboard. Good Luck!

Info-Seeker · 02 March 2011, 06:30

Well, I felt Zetro deserved a whole message thanking him for his efforts.. but if you don't think he was worth a separate message, I will include it in the future...

Actually, I forgot to say thanks in my first message and just wanted to make sure I said so, and just typed it in the message box without thinking...

SpeedGeek: I have actually already reseated all the chips on the card and tried that already, but appreciate the advice. I am using them in a 2000, and as I said, I have 1 card that works, and 2 that do not. The cards are exactly the same, so all I have to do to test them is swap the cards... Not sure why the buster chip, and battery would be an issue, but I removed all the batteries and cleaned the motherboards prior to use. And since the machine works fine with multiple cards in it, and accelerators, and only these 2 cards don't work, I think it is pretty safe to assume through the process of elimination that it is the cards and not the computer.

But I do thank you for your thoughts. The reseating the chips was a good idea, I had come up with it myself when I was trying to get them to work. I had even considered swapping the chips from the good card to the others to see if I could get it to work, but didn't want to trash the working card by accident. Having only 1 out of 3 of the cards work, at the time, they seemed pretty fragile to me. Though it could just be age too...

I actually found 1 more that appears brand new still in its box with manual and disks, so I am hoping I have 2 good and 2 bad, but haven't tested it yet.

Zetr0 · 02 March 2011, 09:51

@Info-Seeker

Quote:

yea, they both show up in the preboot list, the 1 only disappears after the drivers try to initialize a video mode. It like kicks to high res, flickers, then goes back to the normal desktop, and then the card is no longer seen until reboot. The other 1 the drivers say it can not attach to the card. I haven't tried cleaning the edge connector contacts, I'll give that a try when I deal with it...

This sounds like the exact same problems I was having with my Piasso2+ until I cleaned the card edge.

It might be worth the info but my A2000 is a Rev 6.2 with the following

450 watt PSU (converted ATX)
GVP Combi 040@33 (16MB Fast)
ECS Denise
1MB ChipRam Adapter (2MB Total)
Picasso 2 +
XSurf2
Catweasel Buddha Z2

I am also building into it a 1GHz P3 SBC

so from there I would look at the possibility of needing a bit more power, those switching relays on the Picasso might need a smidge more juice than an aged A2000 PSU kick out.

I believe our SpeedyG "tweeked" his PSU over time =)

Since I was plumbing a whole other computer in the chassis I decided that to replace it with a far more powerful unit was the best way.

Also, I didn't have a choice the PSU was that knackered it couldn't even turn a 12volt fan let alone an A2000 LOL.

Info-Seeker · 04 March 2011, 08:16

Very Interesting Zetro, I had not considered a weak power supply. Wouldn't it be great if that was the issue... Lets hope it is that simple!

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to read this and form opinions on the subject!

Info-Seeker

28 February 2011, 23:15	#1
Info-Seeker Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA! Posts: 75	Does anyone repair Picasso II cards? Hey guys, I have at least 2 Picasso 2 cards that have something wrong with them. 1 Shows up in the computer until you initialize it, then it disappears from the system and can no longer be seen. The other shows up and reports all clear, but won't initialize up. I have a 3rd that works fine, so I know its not my configuration, I just swap the cars in and out to test them... So I was curious if anyone has any experience repairing them, since I hate to get rid of them...

01 March 2011, 17:41	#5
Info-Seeker Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA! Posts: 75	yea, they both show up in the preboot list, the 1 only disappears after the drivers try to initialize a video mode. It like kicks to high res, flickers, then goes back to the normal desktop, and then the card is no longer seen until reboot. The other 1 the drivers say it can not attach to the card. I haven't tried cleaning the edge connector contacts, I'll give that a try when I deal with it... I was hoping there may be someone who is familiar with dealing with the cards who might have experience fixing them like the accelerators. They aren't the Highest end cards, but still pretty nice. and thanks Zetro! Appreciate the thought yer putting in on this... Last edited by TCD; 01 March 2011 at 18:12. Reason: Back-to-back posts merged. Use the edit function.

02 March 2011, 02:06	#6
SpeedGeek Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Wisconsin USA Age: 60 Posts: 839	@Info-Seeker: If you have tried cleaning the edge connector without success you can try reseating the socketed chips. There are 8-16 DRAM chips and 4 GAL chips an a PicassoII. First discharge any static charges on your body by touching the metal case or power supply. (This may not be a problem where you live but it's better to be safe than sorry). Using a small flat blade screw driver carefully pry each chip up a little ways on each end then press them back into the sockets. You may also want to reseat your Buster or SuperBuster chip on the motherboard but you should use a PLCC extractor for SuperBuster. NOTE: Some A4000's may have SuperBuster soldered to the motherboard. The next thing to check for is signs of Battery leakage on the motherboard. Also check for signs of cap leakage. (Either of which may need immediate attention!) Also, if you have any other Zorro2 boards give them a try and see what happens. Finally, use a DMM or Voltmeter to check the +5 Volt supply on the motherboard. Good Luck! Last edited by SpeedGeek; 02 March 2011 at 02:11.

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01 March 2011, 00:35	#2
Zetr0 Ya' like it Retr0? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United Kingdom Age: 49 Posts: 9,768	just grabbing at straws here - could it be a segregated ram / linear ram issue?

01 March 2011, 02:08	#3
Info-Seeker Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA! Posts: 75	I checked all the jumpers, and they are all configured the same... I did notice a resistor on 1 of the cards that isn't on the other 2... but the 1 that works doesn't have the resistor... I've gone through the manuals and everything, I do not believe it is a configuration issue..

01 March 2011, 03:16	#4
Zetr0 Ya' like it Retr0? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United Kingdom Age: 49 Posts: 9,768	still grabbing at straws here These cards are nearly 20 years old, what is condition of the connector edge? Recently I had to use an abrasive rubber (eraser) to clean the connector of both my Picasso 2+ (as it kept appearing - disappearing) and my Combi 040 - I also decided to take the liberty and dishwash the A2000 motherboard. Now, its quite likely that you have tried all of the above in one sort or another, but I do have a question on the given behavour - Q: When the cards fail to initialize are they still seen/available in reboot/early start menu?

02 March 2011, 06:30	#7
Info-Seeker Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA! Posts: 75	Well, I felt Zetro deserved a whole message thanking him for his efforts.. but if you don't think he was worth a separate message, I will include it in the future... Actually, I forgot to say thanks in my first message and just wanted to make sure I said so, and just typed it in the message box without thinking... SpeedGeek: I have actually already reseated all the chips on the card and tried that already, but appreciate the advice. I am using them in a 2000, and as I said, I have 1 card that works, and 2 that do not. The cards are exactly the same, so all I have to do to test them is swap the cards... Not sure why the buster chip, and battery would be an issue, but I removed all the batteries and cleaned the motherboards prior to use. And since the machine works fine with multiple cards in it, and accelerators, and only these 2 cards don't work, I think it is pretty safe to assume through the process of elimination that it is the cards and not the computer. But I do thank you for your thoughts. The reseating the chips was a good idea, I had come up with it myself when I was trying to get them to work. I had even considered swapping the chips from the good card to the others to see if I could get it to work, but didn't want to trash the working card by accident. Having only 1 out of 3 of the cards work, at the time, they seemed pretty fragile to me. Though it could just be age too... I actually found 1 more that appears brand new still in its box with manual and disks, so I am hoping I have 2 good and 2 bad, but haven't tested it yet.

04 March 2011, 08:16	#9
Info-Seeker Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA! Posts: 75	Very Interesting Zetro, I had not considered a weak power supply. Wouldn't it be great if that was the issue... Lets hope it is that simple! Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to read this and form opinions on the subject! Info-Seeker

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