A1XE : cpu fan not running, no video output

[WarPiper]

oh ok, fan is now working, nevermind my last post

[Floid]

Hm, dumb thought, maybe it's already implemented (I've not looked at the SourceForge U-Boot tree lately, let alone heard much new about the AmigaOne version) ... Maybe there should be a blind flash feature?

Hold down (Ctrl/Alt/Win) - 1, 2, 3, or 4 during boot, and the loader would ignore everything 'risky,' look for a properly-structured ISO9660 image on the IDE device picked (given that we don't really do floppies yet), and provide some feedback (speaker tones, keyboard LED flashes) as to whether it's flashed itself properly or not?

Be a bit troublesome for SCSI, but 1. 90% of everyone's using ATA right now, and 2. if it were worth doing for SCSI, you could, perhaps, have a (Ctrl/Alt/Win)-S to try selecting the first SCSI controller, followed by acknowledging/error response, and the user could then tap the ID of their SCSI optical to attempt the flash.

[N7VQM]

Framiga wrote:
Not all PowerSupply, works in the same way!
Some requires, minimum charge, to works correctly.

Switching power supplies require a minimum load to operate correctly.  Without the minimum load, voltage regulation may be poor or, worse, the PSU could be damaged.  Linear power supplies don't generally have such a limitation but are far less efficient.

At any rate, a 440W or even 600W (but, what A1 needs something that beefy?), PSU won't be damaged by an A1.  If you're using a faster harddrive, it alone presents enough load to satisfy the PSU unless you have an exceedingly cheap supply.  You definately get what you pay for with power supplies, regardless of application.

[Rogue]

One more question... Have you tried moving around the ram? Some mainboards is a bit picky of which slot the ram is plugged in.

Not an issue. RAM should work in either slot.  What might cause problems is if the module is not properly seated, some of them have a hard time sliding completely into the socket.

[Tomas]

Rogue wrote:

One more question... Have you tried moving around the ram? Some mainboards is a bit picky of which slot the ram is plugged in.

Not an issue. RAM should work in either slot.  What might cause problems is if the module is not properly seated, some of them have a hard time sliding completely into the socket.

Actually i have encountered some motherboards being picky about this.. One i had was even picky about what order the sdram was in. :O Not very usual but some few actually have a prob with this, and neither anything to loose from trying  ;-)  

[Floid]

Tomas wrote:
Actually i have encountered some motherboards being picky about this.. One i had was even picky about what order the sdram was in. :O Not very usual but some few actually have a prob with this, and neither anything to loose from trying  ;-)  

At least one obvious thing that could cause such would be the "DIMM clock select" feature you might've noticed in some BIOSes.  I know not enough about SDRAM in general (ask me how much fun BX-era boards have caused me lately), but the clock-select feature apparently relates to how the board provides clock to the DIMMs - enabled, it decides if a module is present, only provides clock if it is (how it detects, how it switches, and how many traces all this uses, I've no idea); apparently this saves a small bit of power, maybe preserves signal integrity, and helps them pass FCC and other RFI certifications (I suppose it's worse to have the traces acting as an antenna, without a DIMM to sink the signal).

In any case, OEM BIOSes often lock down such settings, such that you might not be aware the design features are even there/decisions have been made... If that feature isn't perfect in some designs, I could imagine it favoring the use of sockets 'in order.'  Then you have odd designs like my old EPoX 8KTA3, which provided 'extra' slots wired single-sidedly?/single-bankedly?/with fewer lines, somehow, giving users a chance to recycle their piles of older, smaller modules while still taking advantage of the then-new 256 and 512MB DIMMs.

Plenty of design oddities out there; sometimes the manufacterers don't even know what their products support.

[kgrach]

Eyetech should post a warning sticker on that stupid fan I have seen more than a few users and a dealer who took the fan off the proper shipped position and stuck it in the wrong position. The fan in the proper position is offset to the front of the mother board. People see this and assume the fan is on wrong and "correct it". The fan is reverse polarity protected and won't spin backward. I have seen fans become fused when they where left in that position for too long.
WARNING!!!! if you replace the CPU fan or you use the case fan header. Cut the yellow wire that is on some fans. The yellow wire is a rpm sensor. If you hook that to the AmigaOne you will be putting noise on the 3volt bus.

Kinston SDRAM while recommended is no GUARANTEE THAT THE RAM IS GOOD.
Kinston SDRAM even the same model number vary greatly from batch to batch.

Odd behavior and random crashes or errors ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BAD RAM.....

Your problem is the Memory. The Amigaone Needs memory in order to run the X86 emulator so it can boot  the Video card.

To the individual having to reset the machine for the graphics card to work. I have seen this before. Guess what! That too was fixed with the substitution of proper memory modules

Not to do a plug for myself But.... That is why we are buying Memory  MADE FOR THE AMIGAONE/PEGASOS boards because of the inconsistencies with memory modules you buy you can never be sure if the memory you buy works correctly. These Modules have been made by the Manufacturer to work specifically for the AmigaOne and have a special model number. MHC-(XXXX)-R1XE. they even put together special 2 Gig packages for the AmigaOne.

One more warning for the DIYr's out there.  BE SAFE ALWAYS UNPLUG THE POWER SUPPLY FROM THE WALL BEFORE WORKING ON YOUR MACHINE. We need you and your machine in one piece.

[lionstorm]

a little update :
fan is working
no video output from ATI radeon 7500LE, tv and DVI, 64Mb
BUT serial output is working using A1 serial connected to a pc running mandrake9, and minicom set at 9600 8N1. If I remove the graphic card, I reach the prompt ( ] ) and the keyboard is working. I was able to set the date and autoboot but can not install debian since the bootargs specified a video output to a graphic card. The moment I plug the graphic card I loose the control in minicom. So how do I install debian ?
Lio
PS: ram is allright, bought it from my dealer where I bought my A1 and graphic card.

[B00tDisk]

The A1 supports basic VESA modes, right?  Have you got an old PCI video card you can throw in there and try?

[lionstorm]

@bootdisk : yes I did try an old pci card which I borrowed from work. It was an Ati mach64 but still no luck in having any video output.
Lio

[Rogue]

Actually i have encountered some motherboards being picky about this

Do you mean "motherboards in general" or "AmigaOne boards"? In the latter case, the memory should really either work on both slots, or not at all. If it doesn't, then the board is broken  :-)

[Tomas]

Rogue wrote:

Actually i have encountered some motherboards being picky about this

Do you mean "motherboards in general" or "AmigaOne boards"? In the latter case, the memory should really either work on both slots, or not at all. If it doesn't, then the board is broken  :-)

Motherboards in general yeah... I have no experience whatsoever with the AmigaONE boards, since i dont have one myself.  :-)

[seer]

yes I did try an old pci card which I borrowed from work. It was an Ati mach64 but still no luck in having any video output.

This thread is getting a bit big, not sure this was suggested before, but did you try a different monitor and/or cable ?

And to add to this, I had 1 weird experience myslef with a monitor (TFT) that woukd show a 640*480 and a 1024*768 but not a 800*600 screen, so even if the monitor works on another setup, try another as well

[kgrach]

you can try to see if switching the FSB speed to 100 helps

look on your motherboard there are three jumpers in a row in front of the AGP slot.
change JP13 from 12 to 23
Remember to do this with the power plug removed from the wall.

If you do this and you get a plain blinking cursor on the screen.
you got the ram working enought to partialy boot  the card. Replace the SDRAM

If you got the full boot sequence and debain installs with no errors then the SDRAM is good It just won't work at 133 FSB you can now either replace it or change you CPU clock multiplier to 8X.

Sorry to be a jerk about this but I Have seen this quite abit. Most of problems People have with the Aone is Memory related maybe your dealer didn't check the entire batch or maybe not at all. Maybe they Just brought modules of a supposedly good type.

 Either that or your graphics card is bad.

You can check your Card by pluging it into a PC if the PC comes up to the post screen you know the card is good.

[lionstorm]

Ram is allright, I see the initialisation steps until the prompt using serial output and no plugged graphic card. This graphic card not initialising problem should be fixed in the latest firmware (U-Boot 0.4.0) and I am still figuring out how to transfer the file to my Aone (floppy, cd-rw failed, struggling with minicom ATM).

Thanks to everyone so kind and willing to help
Regards
Lio

[Daedalus]

Framiga wrote:

Thats crap a machine will only use upto the power it needs mine works fine with a 440watt qtec power supply.

Not all PowerSupply, works in the same way!
Some requires, minimum charge, to works correctly.

Ciao

This is true, sometimes you'll see on PSUs +5V 2-15A or whatever. It's not that common, but it does exist, and PSUs like that won't switch on fully as a safety feature if the required load isn't present.