Amiga n00b with A2091 Troubles!

athleos · 20 January 2009, 21:58

hey all, first post here! unfortunately it's about a problem...
alright, first my A2000. i have the Kickstart 3.1 ROM and am running WB3.1. i ran the ram test program on my A2091 install disk and it all checked out (2MB) so i know at least that section of the A2091 works! the A2091 has rev.7 ROMs installed but only the rev.04 WD chip. JP1 on the A2091 is set at 2M, JP2 is set at DIS for now and JP5 has all 3 pinsets set to OFF. the HD i'm trying to run is an HP C3325A 001. i have the jumper settings set like they would be from the factory (pinsets 5,7,10 and 11 are closed). i also have the SCSI termination (J4) set with pinset 1 closed and 3 open. anyhow, i have run every program on the A2091 install disk (HD install, HD Prep, Format HD, etc.) and the HDToolbox numerous times and not once has the harddrive shown up or been found. i really have no clue what to do now. also, the HD spins up on boot-up and doesn't seem to be making any weird clicks or anything and the guy i got it from said it had been tested and working. thank you to anyone who cares to give this one a go!

Amiga1992 · 20 January 2009, 22:02

Hey Athleos! Welcome to EAB, the best Amiga spot on the net

Hope someone helps you out with this over here. I sure am useless with A2000 matters.

DoogUK · 20 January 2009, 23:07

i had same sorta situation on my 2000 with a gvp hc+8....it was the drive in the end...try another known working drive first.

athleos · 21 January 2009, 07:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira

Hey Athleos! Welcome to EAB, the best Amiga spot on the net

Hope someone helps you out with this over here. I sure am useless with A2000 matters.

heya Akira, don't worry, i've got lots of A1200 questions you can help me with!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoogUK

i had same sorta situation on my 2000 with a gvp hc+8....it was the drive in the end...try another known working drive first.

thanks for the response Doog, that was gonna be my next step. i was just hoping that maybe someone would have some insight that i didn't!

when i get the time, i'll try another HD.

rkauer · 21 January 2009, 18:43

You can leave the autoboot ROM enabled (JP2 on) if the HD is the only thing on the chain.

But you need to not mix active termination (like the one on the HD) with the passive one the A2091 have. Try to find a passive termination for the cable and your problems will be sorted.

The old revision SCSI chip will have problems (sometimes) with removable media only, like CD-ROM and internal ZIP drives.

BTW: Do you know you can't have internal and external devices on the SCSI chain at the same time due the soldered resistor packs (termination) on the A2091?

athleos · 21 January 2009, 21:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

You can leave the autoboot ROM enabled (JP2 on) if the HD is the only thing on the chain.

But you need to not mix active termination (like the one on the HD) with the passive one the A2091 have. Try to find a passive termination for the cable and your problems will be sorted.

very interesting! i did not know this. i'll have to google passive termination because i have no idea how to go about this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

The old revision SCSI chip will have problems (sometimes) with removable media only, like CD-ROM and internal ZIP drives.

BTW: Do you know you can't have internal and external devices on the SCSI chain at the same time due the soldered resistor packs (termination) on the A2091?

that is interesting. i hope i have no need for any external SCSI devices! thanks so much for the info!

rkauer · 22 January 2009, 15:07

Oh, the newest SCSI chip revision (-08) was available some time ago on the other forum.

Nathan had those very cheap, IIRC.

athleos · 27 January 2009, 01:58

alright, i've got the passive termination at the end of the chain set up. i've tried two different HD's, both known to be working (with active termination disabled) and still no joy. i can't auto boot from the A2091 with an HD hooked up for some reason. if i switch the ROMs in the card it'll auto boot which is weird. i read somewhere that one of the pins on the ROMs sometimes needs to be removed? which pin on which ROM? anyone know? i've run out of ideas and i'm getting pretty frustrated.

Slayer · 27 January 2009, 02:43

This is going way back for me lol I have 8 A2000s and more A2091s than I can remember, all stacked downstairs...

let me see, I used to know this stuff inside out, up and down and under and over

.

Perhaps plug the A2091 into another zorro slot in the daughter board?

Read the documentation again, there seems to be a few things in there that aren't usually attached to a normal old run of the mill Scsi HD for an Amiga.

I mean, scsi which has to consider being master or slave? weird...

Perhaps set the jumper to make the HD run in Scsi I mode.

ya on ya own, this kind of stuff remains better hands on

athleos · 27 January 2009, 03:12

i found this quote from quite a while ago:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomMaster

When using a Commodore A2091 SCSI Controller board with your Amiga 2000 always set the SCSI ID of the Boot Hard Drive to 0. Set your CD Rom drive to 3. The A2091 should be Device 7. It reads from 0 to 7, NOT from 7 to 0. SCSI IDs 0 to 2 are for hard drives. SCSI IDs 3 and 4 are for CD Rom drives. And SCSI IDs 5 and 6 are for ZIP drives, Tape drives, and Scanners. If you are not using the external 25-pin SCSI port, make sure that the three terminating resistors are still soldered on the A2091 board. If you want to use the external SCSI connector, then those resistors must be removed. Also, make sure that your SCSI CD-Rom drive is NOT too fast. It should be 12X or LESS! 2 and 4 speed CD Rom drives are the best choice for use with an Amiga 2000 computer, but they are very hard to find now. I have five (5) Amiga 2000s and they all work great. So, when it comes to these computers, I do know what I am talking about. The Amiga 2000 is my favorite computer of all time.

so i set my HD to SCSI address 0 but i don't know what else to do. it still isn't being recognised. the whole switching ROMs thing on this card has me worrying as well. maybe i should burn my own A2091 ROMs and make sure U12 is U12 and so on. if it still won't autoboot then maybe there's another issue with the card. the amiga recognizes the RAM on the card...? i don't have a manual for my A2091 either so i'm having a difficult time tracking down info.

rkauer · 27 January 2009, 04:09

What size is the HD? Depending on the ROM version the A2091, an HD over 1Gb will not be recognized at all.

You need ROM version 7 to those "bigger" HD works.

Also remember to set the HD to be compatible with the ancient SCSI "1".

athleos · 27 January 2009, 04:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

What size is the HD? Depending on the ROM version the A2091, an HD over 1Gb will not be recognized at all.

You need ROM version 7 to those "bigger" HD works.

Also remember to set the HD to be compatible with the ancient SCSI "1".

the HD is 2 GB and i do have the rev. 7 ROMs. the HD is set as a SCSI 1 device as well. i'm totally lost now. i've never dealt with such a pain in the ass computer.

rkauer · 27 January 2009, 08:06

Is the termination pack physically after the HD?

Sacking the termination out and turning on the built termination on the HD works?

Also prefer to set the HD to ID 0 (zero).

The Amiga HD activity LED lits? It blinks?

athleos · 27 January 2009, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

Is the termination pack physically after the HD?

yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

Sacking the termination out and turning on the built termination on the HD works?

no. the built in termination on the HD is OFF and the passive terminator is plugged in AFTER the HD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

Also prefer to set the HD to ID 0 (zero).

the SCSI address of the HD is 0.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

The Amiga HD activity LED lits? It blinks?

no. that was something i was curious about. i couldn't figure out why it wasn't blinking. the LED on the actual HD itself turns on and off but the LED plugged into the A2091 is always off. no blinking whatsoever.

Toni Wilen · 27 January 2009, 08:17

Do you have scsi.device in RAM:? (Does "Version full scsi.device" return the version number?)

athleos · 27 January 2009, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Do you have scsi.device in RAM:? (Does "Version full scsi.device" return the version number?)

i might need a little help with this one. do i type "version full scsi.device" in DOS? this is my first venture with an amiga.

[edit] alright so in the AmigaShell it says this: scsi.device 40.5 (09/13/93)

RetroGeek · 27 January 2009, 09:27

Your problem is with Workbench 3.1 and that version of HDTools. Install Kickstart 2.04 ROM and Workbench 2.1. Then load up HDTools and see if it shows the hard drive. If not, then you have to add new hard drive and set up its parameters. After you make sure that the parameters are correct, save it. Next, you MUST low-level format the SCSI hard drive. Next, set up the partitions and reboot. The hard drive should now show up in Workbench. Sellect it and do the high-level format. Now, turn off the power and remove the Kickstart 2.04 ROM. Plug in the 3.1 ROM and power up the system. Boot the computer with your 3.1 INSTALL disk (not the 3.1 Workbench disk). The hard drive should show up. If it does not, load up the 3.1 HDTOOLS and see if the hard drive shows up. If it still does not show up, then that hard drive is not compatible with the A2091 SCSI controller. Also, a bad WD SCSI chip can also cause the problems that you are having. So, try changing that chip. I hope this helps.

RetroGeek · 27 January 2009, 09:56

Oh, one more thing, make sure that the termination ON THE HARD DRIVE is set to on (jumper or resister packs installed). Also, check the parity jumper.

athleos · 27 January 2009, 10:15

hey, thanks for all the info! first question, would Kickstart 1.3 work? i still have the 1.3 chip but i'd need to get WB1.3 on a disk. second question, setting the terminators to ON on my HD will turn on active termination. is that ok? third question, what do i want the parity set to?

rkauer · 27 January 2009, 10:28

WB1.3 works, but you'll need the A2091 install disk. Also WB 1.3 is a pain on the back to work with.

20 January 2009, 21:58	#1
athleos n00b Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Seattle, WA USA Age: 42 Posts: 16	Amiga n00b with A2091 Troubles! hey all, first post here! unfortunately it's about a problem... alright, first my A2000. i have the Kickstart 3.1 ROM and am running WB3.1. i ran the ram test program on my A2091 install disk and it all checked out (2MB) so i know at least that section of the A2091 works! the A2091 has rev.7 ROMs installed but only the rev.04 WD chip. JP1 on the A2091 is set at 2M, JP2 is set at DIS for now and JP5 has all 3 pinsets set to OFF. the HD i'm trying to run is an HP C3325A 001. i have the jumper settings set like they would be from the factory (pinsets 5,7,10 and 11 are closed). i also have the SCSI termination (J4) set with pinset 1 closed and 3 open. anyhow, i have run every program on the A2091 install disk (HD install, HD Prep, Format HD, etc.) and the HDToolbox numerous times and not once has the harddrive shown up or been found. i really have no clue what to do now. also, the HD spins up on boot-up and doesn't seem to be making any weird clicks or anything and the guy i got it from said it had been tested and working. thank you to anyone who cares to give this one a go! Last edited by athleos; 20 January 2009 at 22:05.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
amiga a2091 and gvp tekmagic - boot order issue amiga 2000	MoreBITS	support.Hardware	6	05 December 2011 20:26
Fusion Forty (68040) and A2091 Troubles	fortytwo	support.Hardware	3	28 March 2007 08:41
Amiga 3000 Troubles	Aral	support.Hardware	8	10 May 2006 10:04
Amiga boot troubles	Rasputin	support.Hardware	8	23 October 2005 00:02

20 January 2009, 22:02	#2
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	Hey Athleos! Welcome to EAB, the best Amiga spot on the net Hope someone helps you out with this over here. I sure am useless with A2000 matters.

20 January 2009, 23:07	#3
DoogUK Doogster Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Dorset Posts: 1,069	i had same sorta situation on my 2000 with a gvp hc+8....it was the drive in the end...try another known working drive first.

21 January 2009, 18:43	#5
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	You can leave the autoboot ROM enabled (JP2 on) if the HD is the only thing on the chain. But you need to not mix active termination (like the one on the HD) with the passive one the A2091 have. Try to find a passive termination for the cable and your problems will be sorted. The old revision SCSI chip will have problems (sometimes) with removable media only, like CD-ROM and internal ZIP drives. BTW: Do you know you can't have internal and external devices on the SCSI chain at the same time due the soldered resistor packs (termination) on the A2091?

22 January 2009, 15:07	#7
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	Oh, the newest SCSI chip revision (-08) was available some time ago on the other forum. Nathan had those very cheap, IIRC.

27 January 2009, 01:58	#8
athleos n00b Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Seattle, WA USA Age: 42 Posts: 16	alright, i've got the passive termination at the end of the chain set up. i've tried two different HD's, both known to be working (with active termination disabled) and still no joy. i can't auto boot from the A2091 with an HD hooked up for some reason. if i switch the ROMs in the card it'll auto boot which is weird. i read somewhere that one of the pins on the ROMs sometimes needs to be removed? which pin on which ROM? anyone know? i've run out of ideas and i'm getting pretty frustrated.

27 January 2009, 02:43	#9
Slayer Amiga Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: New Zealand Age: 56 Posts: 695	This is going way back for me lol I have 8 A2000s and more A2091s than I can remember, all stacked downstairs... let me see, I used to know this stuff inside out, up and down and under and over . Perhaps plug the A2091 into another zorro slot in the daughter board? Read the documentation again, there seems to be a few things in there that aren't usually attached to a normal old run of the mill Scsi HD for an Amiga. I mean, scsi which has to consider being master or slave? weird... Perhaps set the jumper to make the HD run in Scsi I mode. ya on ya own, this kind of stuff remains better hands on

27 January 2009, 04:09	#11
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	What size is the HD? Depending on the ROM version the A2091, an HD over 1Gb will not be recognized at all. You need ROM version 7 to those "bigger" HD works. Also remember to set the HD to be compatible with the ancient SCSI "1".

27 January 2009, 08:06	#13
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	Is the termination pack physically after the HD? Sacking the termination out and turning on the built termination on the HD works? Also prefer to set the HD to ID 0 (zero). The Amiga HD activity LED lits? It blinks?

27 January 2009, 08:17	#15
Toni Wilen WinUAE developer Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Hämeenlinna/Finland Age: 49 Posts: 26,502	Do you have scsi.device in RAM:? (Does "Version full scsi.device" return the version number?)

27 January 2009, 09:27	#17
RetroGeek Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Age: 66 Posts: 41	Your problem is with Workbench 3.1 and that version of HDTools. Install Kickstart 2.04 ROM and Workbench 2.1. Then load up HDTools and see if it shows the hard drive. If not, then you have to add new hard drive and set up its parameters. After you make sure that the parameters are correct, save it. Next, you MUST low-level format the SCSI hard drive. Next, set up the partitions and reboot. The hard drive should now show up in Workbench. Sellect it and do the high-level format. Now, turn off the power and remove the Kickstart 2.04 ROM. Plug in the 3.1 ROM and power up the system. Boot the computer with your 3.1 INSTALL disk (not the 3.1 Workbench disk). The hard drive should show up. If it does not, load up the 3.1 HDTOOLS and see if the hard drive shows up. If it still does not show up, then that hard drive is not compatible with the A2091 SCSI controller. Also, a bad WD SCSI chip can also cause the problems that you are having. So, try changing that chip. I hope this helps.

27 January 2009, 09:56	#18
RetroGeek Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR Age: 66 Posts: 41	Oh, one more thing, make sure that the termination ON THE HARD DRIVE is set to on (jumper or resister packs installed). Also, check the parity jumper.

27 January 2009, 10:15	#19
athleos n00b Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Seattle, WA USA Age: 42 Posts: 16	hey, thanks for all the info! first question, would Kickstart 1.3 work? i still have the 1.3 chip but i'd need to get WB1.3 on a disk. second question, setting the terminators to ON on my HD will turn on active termination. is that ok? third question, what do i want the parity set to?

27 January 2009, 10:28	#20
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	WB1.3 works, but you'll need the A2091 install disk. Also WB 1.3 is a pain on the back to work with.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)