First A500 HD install

[rkauer]

OK, I almost give up.

After much time (almost a full day!) trying to show up the SCSI HD on Workbench screen, running every disk install I can download to no avail, I come here.

To my shame, of course.

In favour of myself, I must admit that I never had an A500 with HD before.

So here is the description: I have a nice A500 rev6 (do you remember that brown keyboard? Yup, now it is almost white), A501 and an AddHard SCSI controller (kindly donated to me by Zetr0 :bow: ) and a multi-sync monitor. I keep the unit with the original 1.3 ROM, but the A500 runs fine with 37300 spare ROM I have.

Running Sysinfo shows an ADD_SCSI.device on the devices list, but that's all. No priority, no nothing.:-?

Running HDInstTools (Aminet version) doesn't show the controller(!), and, obviously, nor the HD.:-?

I've put a SCSI 50>68 adapter and a Quantum Viking 9.1Gb on it with the settings matching the needs: ID 0, SE (single ended), TP (termination power enabled). No terminators since is just one unit on a short 68 wires cable.

After cold boot, the HD led (on it only) lit, but not the controller LED(!). Also the Amiga shows the light grey screen (waiting for the SCSI controller) and... nada, niente, zilch, nothing, null. Damn!:headwall:

After soft-reset, if a disk is in the floppy, the Amiga boots normally, without the HD icon, of course. Note too the HD is not Amiga formatted nor partitioned yet.

Can someone enlighten me on the right direction?

Do I need to buy another small 50 HD to further test? The smallest I found is a 2Gb unit, pretty cheap.

Have someone the AddHard install disk? Some program I need to run to make things happens? :help:

 BTW: thanks in advance!

[Damion]

Did you change the HDInstTools "device=" tooltype?

 

[rkauer]

 Several times.

 ADD_SCSI.device
 add_scsi.device
 "add scsi.device"
 "ADD SCSI.device"

 With ADD_SCSI.device the program freezes the scan...

 [EDIT]

 Things goes strange...

 HDInstTools freezes with "ADD_SCSI.device" even with nothing attached to SCSI bus... :-?

[doctorq]

Doing a "version add_scsi.device" should show you something. If it returns nothing, it could indicate a faulty controller.

Otherwise, try to download the install disk for the C= A590 harddrive controller; it has an old version of HDToolbox on it, maybe it can get you further?

[Damion]

Bummer! I suppose it could be wigging out on the HD, no harm in trying another.

Aside from that, the ADD-500 and ADD-2000 software is probably the same... I'm confident some cool amiga.org member will help you out with an install disk!

[AmigaHeretic]

doctorq wrote:
Otherwise, try to download the install disk for the C= A590 harddrive controller; it has an old version of HDToolbox on it, maybe it can get you further?

Have the same problem with HDToolbox freezing on me.  Usually I have to go through about 4 or five different version before I can remember which one will work.  To new a versions freeze for me always.  (Don't have this particluar controller, but sounds like same thing)

[pyrre]

Try setting the disk to another ID number.
Controllers may take ID 0 unless otherwise specified in manuals...
Are you also sure the controller can use a disk that size?

[Tenacious]

I've never heard of this controller before this post, maybe it wasn't sold in the US.  Looking on the net, the ad says it's good with WB 1.3 and above.  I'm guessing it might be rather old and may not support HDs in the Gigabyt range.  

Can you confirm this HD and 50to68 converter on another Amiga SCSI controller? I don't remember the other systems available to you.

Did the previous owner of the controller use it on his system?  Can he help?

[rkauer]

Picasa photo link

[banzai]

Are you sure that isn't AdSCSI (one "D") by ICD? Can you get the manufacturer's ID code for the board?

It's hard to tell from the picture, but does this thing even support autoboot? All I could make out was a two-pin header for the LED. If not, then you'll need to make a boot floppy that has the drivers/handlers in the "Expansion" drawer. ICD's site only shows the TriFecta drive, maybe BBoAH?.

Remembering WB1.2 modes (vaguely), I recall that there were no autobooters. Once 1.3 allowed for this, the ROMs had to be updated on the controllers, and the proper jumpers set. Otherwise, even if you had WB4 shoved in there, it wouldn't autoboot unless the card supported it, but the card would still be ID'd by the OS.

As pointed out, there may be a >=4GB (or even 512MB) issue. Also, a funny thing happened a while back with my brother's GVP A500 unit when he popped in a new Q540: it hung. He played with it until I got there, to no avail. My solution? Wait. It turned out that the GVP had a validation routine that checked the drive, and it took about a good two minutes before it gave up (because it was a blank drive). After the wait, it booted the FaastPrep and ran as advertised. You might just want to let it run for about ten minutes or so to see if this might be the case.

But my best guess is that you have a non-booting controller with limited drive support that'll need some kind of custom startup-sequence to get going.

banzai

[rkauer]

banzai wrote:
Are you sure that isn't AdSCSI (one "D") by ICD? Can you get the manufacturer's ID code for the board?

 "Version" shows ADD_SCSI.device (resident), sysinfo found ADD_SCSI.DEVICE in the device list.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but does this thing even support autoboot? All I could make out was a two-pin header for the LED. If not, then you'll need to make a boot floppy that has the drivers/handlers in the "Expansion" drawer. ICD's site only shows the TriFecta drive, maybe BBoAH?.

 AddHard is in TBBoAH, and was made from ICD (IVS?). It supports auto-boot, since there is a ROM in the card. "Boot.ROM" is loaded when the Amiga boots.

Remembering WB1.2 modes (vaguely), I recall that there were no autobooters. Once 1.3 allowed for this, the ROMs had to be updated on the controllers, and the proper jumpers set. Otherwise, even if you had WB4 shoved in there, it wouldn't autoboot unless the card supported it, but the card would still be ID'd by the OS.

 No jumpers on the card, nor a bank of switches. And I didn't find the original driver disk anywhere (only some "relatives"). To no avail.

 Maybe my best bet is buying another small SCSI HD and try again. :-(

As pointed out, there may be a >=4GB (or even 512MB) issue. Also, a funny thing happened a while back with my brother's GVP A500 unit when he popped in a new Q540: it hung. He played with it until I got there, to no avail. My solution? Wait. It turned out that the GVP had a validation routine that checked the drive, and it took about a good two minutes before it gave up (because it was a blank drive). After the wait, it booted the FaastPrep and ran as advertised. You might just want to let it run for about ten minutes or so to see if this might be the case.

 Good suggestion. Only issue is the size of the HD (9.1Gb). Since the SCSI activity LED on the controller never lit, but the HD LED does when starts, I suppose the controller didn't find the unit. Will try it with another ID, just to be sure.

 Validation with a plain 68000 @7MHz on a huge HD will demand a lot of time...:headwall:

But my best guess is that you have a non-booting controller with limited drive support that'll need some kind of custom startup-sequence to get going.

 The unit have auto-booting, that's for sure! Main problem is I don't find the original disk anywhere!

 Thanks for your help!

 BTW: here is the link for (poor) information about the controller.

[rkauer]

 Oops! Forgot to answer this!

Tenacious wrote:
I've never heard of this controller before this post, maybe it wasn't sold in the US.  Looking on the net, the ad says it's good with WB 1.3 and above.  I'm guessing it might be rather old and may not support HDs in the Gigabyt range.

 I think that's the problem ,too. :headwall:

Can you confirm this HD and 50to68 converter on another Amiga SCSI controller? I don't remember the other systems available to you.

 Yep, HD show up in a peecee with an AHA2940, using the very same adaptor, cable and HD.

Did the previous owner of the controller use it on his system?  Can he help?

 Better ask for the friend who donated it to me. He have it as a gift, too.

[derringer3]

did you try with another hdd?
I have a custom ide adapter for my a500, it can see 40-200Mb hdds, but not above 1GB. Then i tried with a 80GB (yes GB) Samsung. It works without error. And it can read even 320GB sasmsung hdd. I don't know why it can't see 1-10GB hdds.

[BuzzBrain]

Hi.

I think you need to terminate your drive.
As most 68 pin scsi disk need active termination on their cable.
I have some 68p scsi drives in A590 and GVP series external HD units. And all want a active termination.
Have you terminated the external port? if any?

I use rom 2.05 and 3.1 on my amigas with this setup.


Buzz

[rkauer]

 Update: I use the Trumpcard disk from Installer's Heaven and it "almost" works (I was able to check the SCSI chain)... :-/

 Remove everything and toss HD+cable+adaptor on mine AHA2940 (PC controller)...

 Guess what? Yeah, bad cable!:headwall:

 Now I need to buy another cable (who will come with another HD - smaller). Expect no new updates 'till middle of week. Sigh...

 BTW: cable not terminated, the HD have built-in active termination inside.

 BTW2: 80Gb HD on an A500?!?!? Wow! I need to try this!