amiga 1200 losing rgb signal with expansions

petarku · 23 September 2019, 22:39

Hi guys ,
Recently I bought amiga 1200 which is working fine when i run games from floppy.
SD card connector,SD card and 8 mb expansion arrived today and I tried to connect it but whatever I connect to amiga it is starting to lose RGB signal. if I disconnect SD card HDD and expansion i am able to boot normally and play game from the floppy.
is it power supply that is in bad state or what else can be the problem ? I thought that expansion and sd hdd dont use almost any power ?!

Thanks in advance.

solarmon · 23 September 2019, 23:28

When you say 'lose RGB signal' do you mean it does not boot up and you get a black screen?

I hope you are connecting the adapter and expansion with the Amiga switched off?!

With the expansion card try pulling it out by 1mm, and make sure you have cleaned the expansion connector pins/fingers.

petarku · 24 September 2019, 00:08

Hi Solarmon, ofcourse i am connecting adapter and expansion with Amiga switched off and cable taken out from amiga.
When i am saying that it is losing RGB signal, I mean that with extensions connected when I turn on power switch I can see green led on power but i see no signal message on the monitor. Then i disconnected hdd and just left RAM connected and tried to boot into early boot mode(both mouse buttons pressed) i can see that monitor was flickering with picture (like it is struggling to show picture until finally disconnect) and no signal message eventually appeared on monitor.
If i take out RAM extension and hdd computer boots fine and picture is shown on monitor.
Just to mention that this psu is from old amiga 500 if it is of any relevance.

solarmon · 24 September 2019, 09:48

Have you tried with just the IDE adapter and SD card - to prove that is OK on its own?

It sounds like it is an issue with the memory expansion card. What make and model is it? Post some clear pictures of it.

petarku · 24 September 2019, 11:23

When I connect just ide adapter and sd card i get no signal again so i dont think it is memory expansion.
Card is 8mb expansion from amigastore eu
Thanks for your time

solarmon · 24 September 2019, 11:34

OK - surprising that the IDE adapter and SD card would cause it to not boot.

What is the IDE adapter and SD card? What is on the SD card? Has it been set up appropriately for Workbench?

are you able to boot to the early boot menu - hold down both mouse buttons - when the IDE adapter or memory expansion connected?

And how long do you wait when you get the black screen? And does the power LED change brightness at all?

petarku · 24 September 2019, 11:52

sd card is prepared and ordered from ebay,it is 16gb, but the same thing is happening even with my sd card that i tried to prepare, so that was the reason that i ordered one from ebay... adapter is regular sd adapter to ide that you can buy on ebay.
I can boot to early boot menu only when nothing is connected. as i wrote above if i connect just memory card and try to enter to early boot , it just start flickering the screen and eventually disconnect signal to monitor. If i connect anything else monitor dont have signal at all so no early boot mode.
I get no signal from monitor straight after i power on computer if expansions are connected.
I dont see any noticeable changes in power LED brightness

solarmon · 24 September 2019, 12:11

Regarding the power LED - when it is working (with no adapters or expansions) you should notice the power LED dim during power up. This is a good indicator that is booting normally/OK.

If the LED does not dim during bootup when you have the adapter or expansion card connected then this indicates that there is something wrong early on in the boot process.

What is the physical state of the motherboard? Would be good to see some clear pictures of it and especially the IDE and expansion ports.

petarku · 24 September 2019, 12:56

motherboard is recapped recently and amiga was advertised as great condition amiga 1200 without PSU. IDE and expansion ports are clear with no corrosion.
I will check the LED-s later today. Will also try to do some clear pictures.
Thanks for your time

petarku · 26 September 2019, 21:56

I have played little bit more with ram extension , took it out and returned it to the slot and got that working so i can see it in early boot menu under extensions and it is reporting that is working fine.
With SDD Hdd still no luck. One time it will start booting , so hdd led will be lit but it will have black screen and i cannot enter into early boot menu, if i reboot to try to enter to early boot menu then i get signal loss on monitor while led lamps on power and hdd are still flashing. Next time when i try to power amiga with sdd hdd signal is lost.
Once i disconnect hdd everything boots fine.
if it is of any help SD card is 16gb and i have 3.0 kickstart.
Would this be behaviour if sdd card adaptor is broken ? Is it possible that it is something with SDD card or any clues ?
I just bought new power supply to make sure that it is not something with PSU.
Thanks in advance

solarmon · 26 September 2019, 22:22

Glad the memory expansion is working!

Sounds like corroded pins, or just not making enough contact. It would try to clean them more so they make better contact.

Post some pictures of your IDE connector and IDE adapter and SD card. I would like to see how you have it connected.

petarku · 26 September 2019, 22:56

Seems my sd ide connector arrived connected in reverse way then it should be connected. It is sorted now and amiga is booting from hard drive ! Thanks solarmon for your time and help to resolve the issue.

solarmon · 26 September 2019, 23:28

Glad you got both issues resolved!

Just remember, clear pictures (and videos) are really really useful to help quickly diagnose an issue.

23 September 2019, 22:39	#1
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	amiga 1200 losing rgb signal with expansions Hi guys , Recently I bought amiga 1200 which is working fine when i run games from floppy. SD card connector,SD card and 8 mb expansion arrived today and I tried to connect it but whatever I connect to amiga it is starting to lose RGB signal. if I disconnect SD card HDD and expansion i am able to boot normally and play game from the floppy. is it power supply that is in bad state or what else can be the problem ? I thought that expansion and sd hdd dont use almost any power ?! Thanks in advance.

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23 September 2019, 23:28	#2
solarmon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK Posts: 1,716	When you say 'lose RGB signal' do you mean it does not boot up and you get a black screen? I hope you are connecting the adapter and expansion with the Amiga switched off?! With the expansion card try pulling it out by 1mm, and make sure you have cleaned the expansion connector pins/fingers.

24 September 2019, 00:08	#3
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	Hi Solarmon, ofcourse i am connecting adapter and expansion with Amiga switched off and cable taken out from amiga. When i am saying that it is losing RGB signal, I mean that with extensions connected when I turn on power switch I can see green led on power but i see no signal message on the monitor. Then i disconnected hdd and just left RAM connected and tried to boot into early boot mode(both mouse buttons pressed) i can see that monitor was flickering with picture (like it is struggling to show picture until finally disconnect) and no signal message eventually appeared on monitor. If i take out RAM extension and hdd computer boots fine and picture is shown on monitor. Just to mention that this psu is from old amiga 500 if it is of any relevance.

24 September 2019, 09:48	#4
solarmon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK Posts: 1,716	Have you tried with just the IDE adapter and SD card - to prove that is OK on its own? It sounds like it is an issue with the memory expansion card. What make and model is it? Post some clear pictures of it.

24 September 2019, 11:23	#5
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	When I connect just ide adapter and sd card i get no signal again so i dont think it is memory expansion. Card is 8mb expansion from amigastore eu Thanks for your time

24 September 2019, 11:34	#6
solarmon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK Posts: 1,716	OK - surprising that the IDE adapter and SD card would cause it to not boot. What is the IDE adapter and SD card? What is on the SD card? Has it been set up appropriately for Workbench? are you able to boot to the early boot menu - hold down both mouse buttons - when the IDE adapter or memory expansion connected? And how long do you wait when you get the black screen? And does the power LED change brightness at all?

24 September 2019, 11:52	#7
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	sd card is prepared and ordered from ebay,it is 16gb, but the same thing is happening even with my sd card that i tried to prepare, so that was the reason that i ordered one from ebay... adapter is regular sd adapter to ide that you can buy on ebay. I can boot to early boot menu only when nothing is connected. as i wrote above if i connect just memory card and try to enter to early boot , it just start flickering the screen and eventually disconnect signal to monitor. If i connect anything else monitor dont have signal at all so no early boot mode. I get no signal from monitor straight after i power on computer if expansions are connected. I dont see any noticeable changes in power LED brightness

24 September 2019, 12:11	#8
solarmon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK Posts: 1,716	Regarding the power LED - when it is working (with no adapters or expansions) you should notice the power LED dim during power up. This is a good indicator that is booting normally/OK. If the LED does not dim during bootup when you have the adapter or expansion card connected then this indicates that there is something wrong early on in the boot process. What is the physical state of the motherboard? Would be good to see some clear pictures of it and especially the IDE and expansion ports.

24 September 2019, 12:56	#9
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	motherboard is recapped recently and amiga was advertised as great condition amiga 1200 without PSU. IDE and expansion ports are clear with no corrosion. I will check the LED-s later today. Will also try to do some clear pictures. Thanks for your time

26 September 2019, 21:56	#10
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	I have played little bit more with ram extension , took it out and returned it to the slot and got that working so i can see it in early boot menu under extensions and it is reporting that is working fine. With SDD Hdd still no luck. One time it will start booting , so hdd led will be lit but it will have black screen and i cannot enter into early boot menu, if i reboot to try to enter to early boot menu then i get signal loss on monitor while led lamps on power and hdd are still flashing. Next time when i try to power amiga with sdd hdd signal is lost. Once i disconnect hdd everything boots fine. if it is of any help SD card is 16gb and i have 3.0 kickstart. Would this be behaviour if sdd card adaptor is broken ? Is it possible that it is something with SDD card or any clues ? I just bought new power supply to make sure that it is not something with PSU. Thanks in advance

26 September 2019, 22:22	#11
solarmon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK Posts: 1,716	Glad the memory expansion is working! Sounds like corroded pins, or just not making enough contact. It would try to clean them more so they make better contact. Post some pictures of your IDE connector and IDE adapter and SD card. I would like to see how you have it connected.

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26 September 2019, 22:56	#12
petarku Registered User Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Sallins/Ireland Posts: 56	Seems my sd ide connector arrived connected in reverse way then it should be connected. It is sorted now and amiga is booting from hard drive ! Thanks solarmon for your time and help to resolve the issue.

26 September 2019, 23:28	#13
solarmon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK Posts: 1,716	Glad you got both issues resolved! Just remember, clear pictures (and videos) are really really useful to help quickly diagnose an issue.