Bad Voodoo 3000 PCI?

matt3k · 06 March 2022, 03:34

I think my Voodoo 3000 PCI is bad.

I run it in my AA3000, it boots fine and works fine for 30 minutes or so, then it reboots and gives a black screen. I added a fan to the heatsink and place a fan next to it and it still fails.

Strange it seems to be heat related but even if I cools it very well it still fails the same way.

After it cools off it works again for 15 to 30 minutes.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

DarrenHD · 06 March 2022, 05:02

Hey Matt. Sounds plausible what you say. Not sure what to suggest. I do use a Voodoo 3 in my AA3000+ and it works ok. The only extra cooling is a fan on the main chip.

Here is a related story for you:

I have had a Voodoo 4 PCI card for years and have used it in various Amigas I own and for whatever reason it blinks or re-syncs randomly. So the screen like blips on and off. Very annoying but it happens on multiple monitors and at different refresh rates/resolutions. Go figure. I guess some cards behave strange due to the age, perhaps.

Darren

matt3k · 06 March 2022, 15:13

I suspect the problem is that the cards are upside down and the heat just bakes the card and causes failure.

I look at heat spots on the card and it looks like a few areas on the back of the card are browned slightly.

That is my theory anyway... So running a fan on the chip is critical since they don't come with one.

Leon Besson · 06 March 2022, 18:45

Could be the CPU paste is failing? Can you remove and refit the heatsink with something like arctic silver? Might be worth a try.

jbenam · 06 March 2022, 23:10

On some Voodoo 3 the heatsink is glued so strongly that you can't remove it without either damaging the chip or putting it in a freezer beforehand. And I still wouldn't put so much torque on old BGA connections.

I wanted to replace the paste on mine but ended putting a fan on it instead. Voodoo 3s are nowadays too rare and too pricey to risk it.

A fan keeps the temperatures manageable and it should prolong the life of the card.

@matt3k
If your issue is thermal in nature, a fan should at least extend the timing before resets, since it should take longer for the card to heat up. If the timing stays the same, it's either another component on the card (RAMs, voltage regulator, etc.) that is not getting cooled or some solder joint (I would guess either under the chip itself or one of the RAMs) that fails when heated up.

Have you tested the card in a PC to see if the same exact thing happens on one as well? Just to be sure that the issue is not coming from elsewhere...

grelbfarlk · 10 March 2022, 01:08

I have a spare Voodoo 3 that I put in my Mac 7200 for testing things occasionally with a Sonnet 7200. As soon as I turn that thing on I can smell the Voodoo 3 warming up from the area of the VRM on the Voodoo. I do get maybe 10-20 minutes of runtime on it then it crashes hard, but the same Voodoo runs fine in my A4000s for hours at a time.

My theory is that the power supply in the Mac is failing and the Voodoo 3 VRM is drawing more power to give stable voltage to the Voodoo until the thing falls on its face. Just a theory.
The difference being that my A4000s have new ATX power supplies in them, and are pretty well refurbished. I suppose I could verify this theory by screwing around with the Mac maybe testing with an ATX power supply or recapping the Mac.

jbenam · 10 March 2022, 09:08

Looks like a very good theory to me. Ripple and dirty voltages in general can make stuff like this happen.

Filtering on a card can only do so much.

Hedeon · 10 March 2022, 15:32

Lost 2 thusfar due to heat. Radeon or even V4 ftw.

matt3k · 10 March 2022, 21:03

Ok, so I found out the card is just fine, so something else in my AA3000+ is the problem.

I will try power supply first. Welcome any suggestions...

Wrangler · 10 March 2022, 21:44

Do you have a physical hard disk in it? I found major interference from the HD I was using which was only solved when I moved to SCSI2SD

jbenam · 11 March 2022, 14:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hedeon

Lost 2 thusfar due to heat. Radeon or even V4 ftw.

I have added a thin fan on the side of my Mediator because I was very worried that the same would happen to mine. Glad I did, now that I have confirmation that they would indeed perish from the prolonged heat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrangler

Do you have a physical hard disk in it? I found major interference from the HD I was using which was only solved when I moved to SCSI2SD

I am using mine with an 11gb mechanical IDE drive with no issues. I have recapped my PSU some years ago, though.

matt3k · 15 March 2022, 03:23

I'll be dipped it was the power supply after all.

Put in a different power supply in and tossed in the ragnarok and it has been running for days.

Anyone know where to send power supplies to for repair?

Now I have to figure out why I can never get Quake 2 running...

grelbfarlk · 16 March 2022, 04:26

What kind of power supply?

And you need to specify whether you're talking about Hyperion Quake 2 or Cowcat's Quake 2. And what version.

06 March 2022, 03:34	#1
matt3k Registered User Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: NY / USA Posts: 290	Bad Voodoo 3000 PCI? I think my Voodoo 3000 PCI is bad. I run it in my AA3000, it boots fine and works fine for 30 minutes or so, then it reboots and gives a black screen. I added a fan to the heatsink and place a fan next to it and it still fails. Strange it seems to be heat related but even if I cools it very well it still fails the same way. After it cools off it works again for 15 to 30 minutes. Any ideas? Thanks!

06 March 2022, 15:13	#3
matt3k Registered User Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: NY / USA Posts: 290	problem I suspect the problem is that the cards are upside down and the heat just bakes the card and causes failure. I look at heat spots on the card and it looks like a few areas on the back of the card are browned slightly. That is my theory anyway... So running a fan on the chip is critical since they don't come with one.

06 March 2022, 23:10	#5
jbenam Italian Amiga Zealot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Italy Age: 36 Posts: 1,915	On some Voodoo 3 the heatsink is glued so strongly that you can't remove it without either damaging the chip or putting it in a freezer beforehand. And I still wouldn't put so much torque on old BGA connections. I wanted to replace the paste on mine but ended putting a fan on it instead. Voodoo 3s are nowadays too rare and too pricey to risk it. A fan keeps the temperatures manageable and it should prolong the life of the card. @matt3k If your issue is thermal in nature, a fan should at least extend the timing before resets, since it should take longer for the card to heat up. If the timing stays the same, it's either another component on the card (RAMs, voltage regulator, etc.) that is not getting cooled or some solder joint (I would guess either under the chip itself or one of the RAMs) that fails when heated up. Have you tested the card in a PC to see if the same exact thing happens on one as well? Just to be sure that the issue is not coming from elsewhere... Last edited by jbenam; 06 March 2022 at 23:27.

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06 March 2022, 05:02	#2
DarrenHD Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London / Canada Posts: 781	Hey Matt. Sounds plausible what you say. Not sure what to suggest. I do use a Voodoo 3 in my AA3000+ and it works ok. The only extra cooling is a fan on the main chip. Here is a related story for you: I have had a Voodoo 4 PCI card for years and have used it in various Amigas I own and for whatever reason it blinks or re-syncs randomly. So the screen like blips on and off. Very annoying but it happens on multiple monitors and at different refresh rates/resolutions. Go figure. I guess some cards behave strange due to the age, perhaps. Darren

06 March 2022, 18:45	#4
Leon Besson Banned Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Anywhere and everywhere I have a contract Posts: 822	Could be the CPU paste is failing? Can you remove and refit the heatsink with something like arctic silver? Might be worth a try.

10 March 2022, 01:08	#6
grelbfarlk Registered User Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: USA Posts: 2,980	I have a spare Voodoo 3 that I put in my Mac 7200 for testing things occasionally with a Sonnet 7200. As soon as I turn that thing on I can smell the Voodoo 3 warming up from the area of the VRM on the Voodoo. I do get maybe 10-20 minutes of runtime on it then it crashes hard, but the same Voodoo runs fine in my A4000s for hours at a time. My theory is that the power supply in the Mac is failing and the Voodoo 3 VRM is drawing more power to give stable voltage to the Voodoo until the thing falls on its face. Just a theory. The difference being that my A4000s have new ATX power supplies in them, and are pretty well refurbished. I suppose I could verify this theory by screwing around with the Mac maybe testing with an ATX power supply or recapping the Mac.

10 March 2022, 09:08	#7
jbenam Italian Amiga Zealot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Italy Age: 36 Posts: 1,915	Looks like a very good theory to me. Ripple and dirty voltages in general can make stuff like this happen. Filtering on a card can only do so much.

10 March 2022, 15:32	#8
Hedeon Semi-Retired Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Leiden / The Netherlands Posts: 2,055	Lost 2 thusfar due to heat. Radeon or even V4 ftw.

10 March 2022, 21:03	#9
matt3k Registered User Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: NY / USA Posts: 290	Ok, so I found out the card is just fine, so something else in my AA3000+ is the problem. I will try power supply first. Welcome any suggestions...

10 March 2022, 21:44	#10
Wrangler Registered User Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: London, UK Posts: 419	Do you have a physical hard disk in it? I found major interference from the HD I was using which was only solved when I moved to SCSI2SD

15 March 2022, 03:23	#12
matt3k Registered User Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: NY / USA Posts: 290	I'll be dipped it was the power supply after all. Put in a different power supply in and tossed in the ragnarok and it has been running for days. Anyone know where to send power supplies to for repair? Now I have to figure out why I can never get Quake 2 running...

16 March 2022, 04:26	#13
grelbfarlk Registered User Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: USA Posts: 2,980	What kind of power supply? And you need to specify whether you're talking about Hyperion Quake 2 or Cowcat's Quake 2. And what version.

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