A3000T Problem. Power On. Flashing Yellow Screen HELP

[nyteschayde]

I wish it were that simple. The problem is that when I try to boot with the stock 030 onboard I get nothing but a flashing yellow screen. When I try to boot with the accelerator I get a black screen. I need to be able to boot somthing to change the libraries. So until I reach that point I won't even be able to test that theory. Thanks though.

[RexxMast]

Are your motherboard jumpers set correctly for the onboard processor? And, are you sure the 3.1 ROMS are seated well? Sometimes they are a complete bitch to get in. You think they are seated when they are not. A couple of times while trying to get those things in, I honestly thought I was going to crack the motherboard, as I had to put that much force on them to get them seated.



The only way I could get the machine that I mentioned booted up was via floppy with no startup-sequence. From there I copied the various 68040 libs that I mentioned.

And yes moving those static RAM chips does suck doesn't it? :/

[nyteschayde]

Pretty sure about the ROMs. When you booted with the floppy. Could you see the hand inserting the disc image if you didn't use the floppies. Or did you have a blank screen that suddenly worked once you put the disc in?

[melott]

Hi ....
 I just went through a simular problem. I mean not
the flashing screen but the black screen upon
installing the CPU card (mine, A3640). Anyway
without setting these jumpers all I got was a
black screen. Check these jumpers...

J100_3-4
J102_2-3
J103_1-2
J104_2-3

J151_1-2
J152_1-2
J851_2-3

These settings worked for for my machine
and the A3640 card. Remember that the
arrow box around the jumper points to #1
Hope this helps
Mel Ott
 :-)

[nyteschayde]

Great I'll check this out a little later today. Does anybody have any idea how to use the led flash count to identify the problem when I get a yellow flashing screen?

I remember seeing documentation at one point but I cannot find it right now. I know that the yellow flashes mean there was some CPU exception during the sytem check but the number of flashes should help me identify what it is choking on. Let me know.

[melott]

Hi again...
 I can't help with the flashing except to say that
 if it is the CPU, then by installing the accelerator
 and setting the jumpers you will be disabling the
 on-board 030 CPU and using the CPU on the card.
 So in affect, it may solve a bad CPU problem.
 Hope this helps
  Mel Ott

hey dude, i remember when i got a yellow screen on my old viper030 it was memory problems. Try changing the mothboard simms maybe ?

There used to be some web site explaining the various coloured screens, if the cpu was the problem i think it would be a red screen (or maybe ive got them the wrong way around).

l8r

[nyteschayde]

Tried that. It doesn't work. Damn. I am having serious troubles diagnosing this. Anybody else have any ideas?

[nyteschayde]

Checked the RAM and it all came from a working machine... I even removed all the expansion Chip RAM zips. That didn't work either.

[Jule]

Just had a similar problem, though with a flashing red screen on my 3000T.  I also had the flashing LED.  What finally worked for me was to go over the whole mother board with a magnifying glass and a bright flashlight until I found that two pins on the 030 were touching.  I must have inadvertantly knocked the chip when I was taking out my accelerator.  When I seperated the pins (using a fine sewing needle) it worked fine.  Jule

[Desmon]

I've sent you all the Amiga diagnosis stuff I have here through email. Hope some of it helps.

[Quixote]

Nyteschayde noticed:

I've removed all accelerators, video cards, etc... and still same problem. The board is completely stock. Any ideas would be great.

;-) My A3000D has flashed a colored screen (I forget the color, I think it was either yellow or green) when the Zorro daughter card was absent, or not seated properly.  You might want to ensure that the contacts are clean.

Also, IIRC, there are two jumpers on the motherboard marked “INT/EXT” (or similar) to indicate whether the machine is to use the on-board (internal) processor or an add-in (external) processor.  These needed to be set when I moved my WarpDrive ‘040 from my A4000D.  Your A3000T may have similar jumpers.

Beyond that, an Internet search might reveal documentation somewhere.

:-D Good luck…

[Indoro]

OK..to correct a few things:

1. The ZIPP modules are fast memory, not chip. They are inserted in sets, and thereofre if you fill the boad with an incomplete set, you will receive an error. There are jumpers on the logic board that determind what kind of ZIPP modules you are using. These have to be set correctly as well. If even one pin on on ZIPP is not fully inserted, the system may fail to boot, or may act flakey.

2. Yellow is an error reported by the processor, not an error for the lack of. Generally I have found this to be a misconfiguration of either the ZIPP memory expansion on A3000 systems, or a misconfiguration of the processor jumpers. There are jumpers for the board clock, the system speed, the fpu ststus, and the cpu ststus that need to be set appropriately. If even one of these is off, the system may malfunction with a yellow or grey screen.

I really can't say much more without seeign the board. If you want to send it in we can diagnose it and repair it for you, but as it stands, withotu examining it personally, I really can't offer you much help. I suggest that you remove the ZIPPs, insert one complete set (make sure you skip the sockets so that you have one in, the skip three, one in, skip three, etc.)..make sure the jumpers are set for the right type of ZIPP too...

When inserting them, they should make a harsh feeling (metal on metal), not a mushy feeling. If they feel mushy, then there is a bent or misalligned pin.

If that fails, make sure that your jumpers are set correctly. (These are for using the internal 030 processor.)

J100, Quadrature Clock Phasing "QUAD CLK": Pins 1 and 2(INT).
J102, System Clock Source "BRD CLK": Pins 2 and 3 (INT)
J103, FPU CS/BERR "FPU ON/OFF/BRR": Pins 2 and 3(ON)
J104, CPU Clock Source "CPU CLK": Pins 1 and 2(INT)

--

For the 040, use this configuration:
J100, Quadrature Clock Phasing "QUAD CLK": Pins 3 and 4(EXT).
J102, System Clock Source "BRD CLK": Pins 2 and 3 (INT)
J103, FPU CS/BERR "FPU ON/OFF/BRR": Pins 1 and 2(OFF)
J104, CPU Clock Source "CPU CLK": Pins 2 and 3(EXT)

Ram jumpers are J851 and J852:
J851, RAM Speed, "RAM SPD": Pins 2 and 3
J852, RAM Type, "RAM TYPE/4M 1M": Pins 2 and 3.

Please also note your DMAC version, and your RAMSEY version. If yoru DMAC is an -02 rev, an 040 card may not work well (or at all) if you persue that route. If you have a DMAC-04, you are a lucky b@stard.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
//R//

[nyteschayde]

I appreciate the help. I'll look into the mobo settings. Since this is an A3000T there is 1MB of ZIPP ram that is used for CHIP RAM. This only occurs in the tower version of the A3000. It is left of the CPU and away from the FAST RAM area.

I have pulled the RAM from the CHIP RAM area and it made no difference. I moved the FAST RAM ZIPPs from a working A3000D and that didn't fix anything either. I felt all the chips during the time in which the machine is running nothing became abnormally hot at least as far as I can tell.

Where are you located? Probably in Europe right? If so it would be extremely expensive to ship the machine to you for repairs. I live in San Francisco.

I need to fix this sometime soon. I am going crazy.

[Indoro]

Gabriel,

I have sent you an e-mail at the address you have listed in your profile...I hope this is a valid address.

Cheers,

//R//