A1200: Error reading boot block on Gotek
 

Hey, guys...

I'm not sure if this is the right place, but here it goes:

Recently I got an LBA error with my Gotek. My A1200 has always worked well up until a few days ago when it unexpectedly gave me a "LBA Change Test Failed ! Write Issue ?" message whenever I tried to boot from floppy (a 16GB USB stick on a HxC Gotek).

Thinking it was the USB stick, I changed it and the error persisted. Thinking that it could be the Gotek, changed it and the error persisted. Tried the supposedly faulty Gotek on my A600 and it worked. Changed the floppy and power cables from the A600 to the A1200 and the error persisted.

So it's not a USB stick error, it's not a Gotek error, it's not a cable error, so it's got to be a A1200 error. It does read the autoboot.hfe file but it halts at the LBA error and if I boot from the CF into Workbench and then stick the USB stick onto the Gotek (as if inserting a disk), Workbench displays it as "DF0:unreadable" instead of the usual name.

Now the dreaded question: what could it be? The floppy DMA? Some capacitor that leaked? Is it some sort of other problem?

For reference, it's a 1993 yet unrecapped rev.1D4 Commodore [as in non-Escom] Amiga 1200 fitted with custom Cloanto 3.X ROMs, a stock ACA1221 and an 8GB CF Card. It boots perfectly from the CF and the ACA is working well. Everything is as it should be except for the aforementioned problem. It does recognize the USB stick, it does read the autoboot.hfe but it displays the error right after the version number is loaded (bottom left of loader's menu). Tried to change the autoboot.hfe and the hxcsdfe.cfg file but it still gives the same error. Tried to flash a new firmware but the problem persists. I do think it's something on the A1200, unfortunately.

Any help is welcome.
Thanks.

Anyone?

It's always hard to diagnose a machine that has not been recapped as capacitors are usually the first culprit in any glitchy behavior on A1200s.
Can you try the Gotek on another Amiga?

I've done so. It works. Hence why I think the problem is with the A1200 itself.

It sucks but I think your first course of action is recapping. Only with a fresh set of caps can you keep diagnosing.

Thanks.