HDD LED with a mind of its own

john1979 · 15 September 2012, 03:50

Does anyone know why my A1200 HDD LED flashes at random?

The best I can pin it to is CPU activity. I'm running the CF card and adapter that come from Amigakit.

[ Show youtube player ]

amiman99 · 15 September 2012, 05:57

Interesting
Run a Snoopdos to see if there is anything accessing the HD.

Jope · 15 September 2012, 08:39

Some CF adapter/card combinations make the HDD led blink erratically.

Arnie · 15 September 2012, 10:22

I have the Amigakit card/adapter combo (4gb SFS) and my led flashes normally.

Does the led on the adapter blink like that as well?

Have you another card to try?

john1979 · 15 September 2012, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnie

Does the led on the adapter blink like that as well?

Have you another card to try?

The LED on the card behaves itself and only blinks when there's real activity. I have another card and adapter (a cheap chinese one) on a different 1200 that does exactly the same thing.

@amiman99
Thanks, but not sure how to do that

It also does it when kickstart 1.3 is used too and I guess that version will have no knowledge of the IDE port.

@Jope
So it's just a fact of life then? Like death and taxes? Still would be interesting to understand why the phenomena occurs.

Amiga1992 · 15 September 2012, 15:54

I never seen such a thing occur. Have you checked if the cable has shorted with any part of the computer? Since it goes under the keyboard perhaps you have pinched it and it's touching the metal part of the keyboard assembly. This is just a wild, uninformed guess, though.

Anemos · 15 September 2012, 16:47

Maybe ghost in your Amiga..

FOL · 15 September 2012, 18:17

Definately card used with combination of certain mobo's
Seen this a few times. Some cf cards cause light to blink erratically and randomly when hdd is not used.

Jope · 16 September 2012, 09:32

My guess is that some cards let the activity pin float and as a result the voltage occasionally goes above the threshold voltage required to switch the LED on. Could be perhaps fixed with a mild pullup resistor at the CF adapter?

This is not based on any measurements though. Feel free to dig out your oscilloscope and check it out. :-)

lilalurl · 16 September 2012, 10:00

Have you tried the Turing test to be sure if it has a mind of its own?

john1979 · 16 September 2012, 12:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jope

My guess is that some cards let the activity pin float and as a result the voltage occasionally goes above the threshold voltage required to switch the LED on. Could be perhaps fixed with a mild pullup resistor at the CF adapter?

This is not based on any measurements though. Feel free to dig out your oscilloscope and check it out. :-)

That does sound very plausible.

Quote:

Have you tried the Turing test to be sure if it has a mind of its own?

melbourneben! · 26 October 2012, 07:37

I have the same problem on my A1200 1D4, I got the card/adapter from Amigakit...It works great apart from the eratic flashing. It seems like it flashes when it detects any IO...even moving of the mouse pointer.

Anyone know how to fix this?

Cymru · 26 October 2012, 14:48

Cf cards vary in what they tell the host controller. Some say are hard drives assumed to be non-removable, some say that they are removable which causes an intermittent "poll" of the channel to see if they have been changed, and I would guess that yours is of the latter type with CPU activity mediating the periodicity.

FOL · 26 October 2012, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by melbourneben!

I have the same problem on my A1200 1D4, I got the card/adapter from Amigakit...It works great apart from the eratic flashing. It seems like it flashes when it detects any IO...even moving of the mouse pointer.

Yet it works fine here when we test them. So its definately the board rev used.

Bamiga2002 · 26 October 2012, 15:42

The HDD flashing is downright annoying...I just put some tape on the leds for now.

31 January 2013, 23:46

Mine does this too, using a latest (Escom) motherboard - REV 2B and the CF HDD solution from Amigakit and mine is strobing / flickering / flashing like a goodern - when blanker kicks in it seems to increase it's intensity by a factor of 3 in comparison with an idling machine.

Turran · 01 February 2013, 10:07

I've tested two different IDE-CF adapters (both cheap ones from ebay) and one of them does this as well. The light blinks all the time, but not as bright as when there are actually IDE IO. Then it lights upp the LED "all the way"

jimbob · 01 February 2013, 11:19

I have one of Kippers CF adaptors and it will do this if you have the jumpers closed with a card inserted. LED behaves properly when the jumpers are opened. Perhaps he can make an educated guess at what is going on.

FOL · 01 February 2013, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbob

I have one of Kippers CF adaptors and it will do this if you have the jumpers closed with a card inserted. LED behaves properly when the jumpers are opened. Perhaps he can make an educated guess at what is going on.

Which jumpers are you referring to?
As the only jumper is master / slave. If this open, then drive will not work at all.

As I said it only seems to effect certain motherboards, our test board works fine.

demolition · 01 February 2013, 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by FOL

Which jumpers are you referring to?
As the only jumper is master / slave. If this open, then drive will not work at all.

Kipper2k's CF adapters have two jumpers. One for Master/Slave selection and the other for the LED. If he didn't have that second jumper, it would take longer to boot the machine if there was no CF card installed.

15 September 2012, 03:50	#1
john1979 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: UK Age: 44 Posts: 748	HDD LED with a mind of its own Does anyone know why my A1200 HDD LED flashes at random? The best I can pin it to is CPU activity. I'm running the CF card and adapter that come from Amigakit. [ Show youtube player ]

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15 September 2012, 05:57	#2
amiman99 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX USA Age: 50 Posts: 1,184	Interesting Run a Snoopdos to see if there is anything accessing the HD.

15 September 2012, 08:39	#3
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	Some CF adapter/card combinations make the HDD led blink erratically.

15 September 2012, 10:22	#4
Arnie R.I.P Smudge 18-08-16 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Leicester/UK Age: 66 Posts: 3,968	I have the Amigakit card/adapter combo (4gb SFS) and my led flashes normally. Does the led on the adapter blink like that as well? Have you another card to try?

15 September 2012, 15:54	#6
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	I never seen such a thing occur. Have you checked if the cable has shorted with any part of the computer? Since it goes under the keyboard perhaps you have pinched it and it's touching the metal part of the keyboard assembly. This is just a wild, uninformed guess, though.

15 September 2012, 16:47	#7
Anemos 70X7 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ἑλλάς Posts: 1,078	Maybe ghost in your Amiga..

15 September 2012, 18:17	#8
FOL PSPUAE DEV Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Wales / UK Age: 45 Posts: 5,999	Definately card used with combination of certain mobo's Seen this a few times. Some cf cards cause light to blink erratically and randomly when hdd is not used.

16 September 2012, 09:32	#9
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	My guess is that some cards let the activity pin float and as a result the voltage occasionally goes above the threshold voltage required to switch the LED on. Could be perhaps fixed with a mild pullup resistor at the CF adapter? This is not based on any measurements though. Feel free to dig out your oscilloscope and check it out. :-)

16 September 2012, 10:00	#10
lilalurl Global Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: France Posts: 3,289	Have you tried the Turing test to be sure if it has a mind of its own?

26 October 2012, 07:37	#12
melbourneben! Registered User Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: adelaide Posts: 44	I have the same problem on my A1200 1D4, I got the card/adapter from Amigakit...It works great apart from the eratic flashing. It seems like it flashes when it detects any IO...even moving of the mouse pointer. Anyone know how to fix this?

26 October 2012, 14:48	#13
Cymru Registered User Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Dorathea/AT Posts: 376	Cf cards vary in what they tell the host controller. Some say are hard drives assumed to be non-removable, some say that they are removable which causes an intermittent "poll" of the channel to see if they have been changed, and I would guess that yours is of the latter type with CPU activity mediating the periodicity.

26 October 2012, 15:42	#15
Bamiga2002 BlizzardPPC'less Join Date: May 2004 Location: Finland Age: 46 Posts: 3,210	The HDD flashing is downright annoying...I just put some tape on the leds for now.

31 January 2013, 23:46	#16
A1200 Posts: n/a	Mine does this too, using a latest (Escom) motherboard - REV 2B and the CF HDD solution from Amigakit and mine is strobing / flickering / flashing like a goodern - when blanker kicks in it seems to increase it's intensity by a factor of 3 in comparison with an idling machine.

01 February 2013, 10:07	#17
Turran Moderator Join Date: May 2012 Location: Stockholm / Sweden Age: 49 Posts: 1,571	I've tested two different IDE-CF adapters (both cheap ones from ebay) and one of them does this as well. The light blinks all the time, but not as bright as when there are actually IDE IO. Then it lights upp the LED "all the way"

01 February 2013, 11:19	#18
jimbob Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kilmacolm Age: 45 Posts: 632	I have one of Kippers CF adaptors and it will do this if you have the jumpers closed with a card inserted. LED behaves properly when the jumpers are opened. Perhaps he can make an educated guess at what is going on.

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