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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: swift240 on July 17, 2009, 05:24:18 PM
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Hi all I use my Amiga 1200 towered, with Mediator SX.
How ever, I took it all apart to give it a good clean as it was in a bit of a mess.
When I put it all back together again there is no graphics what so ever.
So I took out my HD and used an 4.6gig to use that as a test HD.
I installed WB3.0 then OS3.9 over that, all went well so no problems there, I use a Commodore 1701 using the video out on my Amiga to get a display to start off with.
I followed the Instructions to the letter, to find the Voodoo 3 card isnt seen by the system.
I took the Voodoo 3 out and put it into a PC and there is graphics, so I cant see how it is the Voodoo 3 PCI card?
So is it the Mediator I am wandering, So I put the Voodoo 3 into the second slot to see but same result its not seen.
Now when I say its not seen when I go to Picasso 96 mode in Prefs and I go to "Attach setting to" then under that is No board then under that Board 0: Voodoo, I have tried, every setting possible, all I get from the PC monitor is the message screen resolution to low change monitor settings.
I am worried now because the Voodoo 3 works in a PC,but not in the Amiga, the sound card works on the Mediator and so does the Ethernet PCI card.
I have tried in a shell pciinfo and it does show up there.
Any help any one?
TIA,
Mike.
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OK, so you DO see it, just not in picasso. Did you install all the updates with the fresh install? I can't remmember what they did but that might have something to do with it...
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Did you put all the cards back in the same slots they were originally in? I don't know for sure but I've some sort of funny feeling it matters on the Mediator.
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The Mediator is VERY fussy about how cards are fitted in. I know from experience, you have to get the card in jUST right for it to be recognised.
The Mediator is a little low and the graphic cards do not always go all the way in to it.
My solution was to put a washer in, to raise the Mediator up a mm. Then, it worked 2 times out of 3.
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I could never get my mediator working for more than about 5 minutes with either a voodoo or ethenet card. I spent hours and hours messing about with the position of the mediator and cards with no luck. Tried the cards in a pc where they worked fine, tried on my spare alternate revision 1200, tried diffrent versions of elbox's drivers, nothing. The 1200 would just randomly crash when the pci cards did work, but most of the time wouldn't even see that they were there.
I think the A1200 expansion connector isn't well suited to having several things put on it, an accelerator card on its own can be unrecognised if I move the tower just a bit.
My mediator is just sitting unused in a box now, AGA will just have to do and I bought a pcmcia angle adaptor and suitable ethernet card for the net.
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I also had problematic experiences with Mediator on an A1200.
From my experience the cards need to be sitted 90 degrees to the
Mediator busboard. If you put them a little angled towards the side it will moslty sure not be recognized. Even if it shows up in the PCI Info utility it doesn´t mean it´ll work.
Could you please copy the PCI Info output for the Voodoo card here?
Also, i had lots of troubles one time, and couldn´t get the Mediator to work for more than 10 minutes also, as said here already. Then i found that the Mach chips were suffering from oxidation. Try to remove them, one at a time, clean their legs with a pencil eraser, then remove the residual eraser with alchohol, and clean also the sockets. Then fit the chip and move for the next one. After i did this, i never had any more problems with my Mediator, untill the next clean up (once a year). As you said your Amiga was a bit messy, i think you have the same problem.
And by the way, never had problems with boards order, at least not after the 2.5 driver. But is recommended that the Voodoo be in the first slot (the topmost one).
Good Luck!
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Yes I know what you mean, the Mediator in ym PowerTower has been more trouble to me than when my Amiga was desktop.
I am seriously thinking of going back to desktop, at least that way I never had any trouble what so ever it was rock solid.
So if I do then its Amiga 1200 desktop Apollo Accelerator 030/40 with 32meg fastram, 4 x IDE'99 a CD burner and a DVD rom and a 40 gig HD, and a VGA adapter.
When I used to have it like that it was perfect no problems what so ever.
I do mostly now think that the Mediator was a bad move for what it does.
So what did I gain?
A Fast ethernet
A sound card
A Voodoo card
What did I use before Mediator
A PCMCIA Internet card
Amiga sound good enough for me
VGA adapter and a Philips CM8833-II monitor for the 15Khz stuff
So was it worth the money to get where I am now? no I dont think so, so to hell with it its back to desktop, at least that way I still get full use of it with no problems.
Not all may agree with any of that, but its a fact the Mediator has been more problems to me than any think before.
Also as you said if I moved my tower case around the room, I would be lucky to get it running without any sort of problem hitting me.
Yes my Mediator was fixed in the PowerTower properly along with the 1200 mobo, I gota say the Mediator is very sensitive.
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swift240 said
So is it the Mediator I am wandering, So I put the Voodoo 3 into the second slot to see but same result its not seen.
Now when I say its not seen when I go to Picasso 96 mode in Prefs and I go to "Attach setting to" then under that is No board then under that Board 0: Voodoo, I have tried, every setting possible, all I get from the PC monitor is the message screen resolution to low change monitor settings.
Try to attach seatting to "Board 0: Voodoo" and than save.
Neaxt go to Prefs/ScreenMode were you shough see some new voodoo screen modes pick the one you want & test it. If it works click save and thats it.
I have a ZVI mediator &it does not like getting to hot.
I hote this helps Steve.
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I got myself another Voodoo 3 from eBay and it works ok now.