PPC not working properly

[Gavilan]

Guys, have a very weird situation:
an almost unused PPC card (040 no scsi) for A1200.
Inserted...machine switched on...no signals of the ppc card on early startup (not even a sign saying card working or not working...NOTHING!!!) showing likes there is no cvard attached to the Amiga

Loading WB...and oh surprise! The WB shows up 64 MB available (the memory put on the ppc card)

Sysinfo shows NO CPU but also shows processor as being 040!!!

So, in some ways, the card is "recognized", since the memories are seeing by WB and Sysinfo shows properly the 040
I tought at first that it was a problem of bios, so decided to flash firmware again
Did everything, inserted the disk, but....of course "no ppc card found"...

Im trapped here...everything was tested in a plain A1200 with 3.1 roms, with nothing but the ppc card and a big power supply

Any hints? ideas? suggestions? help pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Kind Regards

Sebastian

[Kin-Hell]

Unless you Install WarpUP & try & use the PPC you will never know for sure on 3.1Roms & workbench alone.
The ram will configure for Workbench & sysInfo sees the 040 CPU fine. It will never see your PPC chip. The program aint coded to display the PPC Chip parameters.

Technically, no PPC card will ever be found unless you install OS4 Classic. OS4.0 classic will see ONLY the ram on your PPC card (64) & imho, 64mb on OS4 Classic is as much use as a chocolate fire guard!

Good to hear you are using a hefty PSU!  ;-)

*Edit*
When you turn your Miggy on from Cold, immediately press & hold the Esc key. (It should be the same on BPPC cards as well as CSPPC)
You should see the BPPC cards Bios screen. If you can, its working & by powering on & immediately pressing both ears on mickey, your Amigas Early Startup Screen should show you have a working board under Expansion.

Tbh, I think you are expecting your PPC card to be doing more than it is, but it wont actually, unless you really use OS4.0 Classic.

Hope this clarifys things a little for you!  :-)

[Gavilan]

Hi there! This is very, very strange (at least to me)

The PPC is not seeing by the early startup menu (i got nothing, not even a "non working card"

Which Amiga only shows me the 040 part of the card as being working

However, i installed a few PPC ONLY programs, and they work perfectly!!!

I cant update/flash firmware since FlashTools shows me a "No BlizzPPC card found" error, so i dont konw what else to do to be sure that PPC side of the card is not dead or broken

Is there other way of knowing this??

If i turn my Miggy and press Esc key, nothing happens. The memories inserted in the card are seeing by WB....
Im trapped here...

Do i only have a very expensive 040 card with a broken PPC???
 :-?

[adonay]

Do i only have a very expensive 040 card with a broken PPC

However, i installed a few PPC ONLY programs, and they work perfectly!!!

Sounds to me as if it works.. You saied so your self ... download quake ppc and try that if the game can run i dont see why you think you have a nonworking bppc .. Also try playing mp3s on pup\warp.. its quite easy to see if the card works...

[Gavilan]

@adonay: for me its very odd. At beginning i was thinking that it was working. I tried a few of Amidog´s emulators compiled for PPC. They all worked (i tried Sega emulator, Gameboy emulator and MAME)

But, the thing that the card as not beeing seeing neither by Which Amiga nor by earyl startup menu and also, if pressinc Esc key nothing happens....that was really strange..

To play Quake PPC, do i need to have original Quake CD from PC version???

[Kin-Hell]

@ Gavilan

Here's the easy Solution: Go download this.

SysSpeed V2.6

After you have installed it on your Miggy & run the program. On the Main Screen TAB, flip the Low Tab up. In there, you will see the PowerPC test button. Hit it. If it Works & gives you results, your PPC card is fine.
If Nothing Shows, then summat ain't right!
The System Info Button should show the PPC CPU too, before even running the Low Tabbed PowerPC test.

Be sure to install your System Disk as supplied with your BPPC card.

Let us know how you get on!  :-)

[Kin-Hell]

Any news yet m8y?  :-?

[pyrre]

What revision of A 1200 Motherboard do you have?
There may be problems with it...
I have a rev 1D4 and it was buggy at all time, sometimes it failed to show up in early startup...
did the timing fix and the BPPC runs perfect...

[CLS2086]

Hi,
check your motherboard rev, and by where do you powerup your 1200 ? by the standard PSU input or by the Floppy power connector ?
If you haven't the right voltage, it won't work properly !
You may also have one of the first BPPC rev, that need a flash upgrade using the FORCE option.

[Gavilan]

Hi guys! Thanks for all support..

Couldn maje SySpeed to work, it says something about missing libraries...

I have tried the card in 3 different A1200 mothers: 1D1, 1D4 and 2B2.

Synthoms are all the same, the card "seems" to work, but is not seen at early startup menu.
It may be possible i habre an early board revision, that might be the key! But thing is i sold this card because i was needing some funding, and buyer returned the card to me arguing "its not working properly"

I showed him EVERYTHING i had made specific for PPC cards (demos, some prograsm, games like Genetic species optimized for PPC, emulators) and he still wants to see the card in early startup menu, otherwhise according to his "knowledge", the card is deffective because its not shonw on the menu.

I tried several times to flash the card, but always the FlashBios Tool showed "no BPPC card found" so i have no clue about this FORCE command!1

Please i need more light about this!!

Im 100% sure the card WORKS 100% since i used it and the memory is seen, the programs made for ppc are working but i think i weill avoid this buyer...problematic, he doesnt trust me at all...strange guy....

Im powering all my Amiga using a Big Foot power Supply, or with the supplied with the Power Tower, which i also have.

I also did the trick of powering using floppy drive connector, but i only get a yellow screen..

Thanks a lot for your support guys!!!

Keep the spirit!

Sebastian

[Framiga]

AFAIK the BPPC, is not showed in the Early SS menu ... its normal.

[Flashlab]

Yes, only the whole card should be shown as one entry in the early startup menu. PPC will not show because it's not recognized by the standard 3.x roms.

If the buyer sees the PPC working with his own eyes and still believes the card is broken, I wonder what he wants to do with it. Stare at the early startup menu and look at info he's never going to get?

Dump the buyer and find one that does appreciate the card; there should be enough people interested in this hardware!

[Kin-Hell]

Flashlab wrote:
Dump the buyer and find one that does appreciate the card;

Indeed! - Especially when you tell someone how to Bench their Hardware to confirm & they just can't be arsed to reply! :lol:

[Gavilan]

Well, incredible or not....i made a lot of tricks & everything....

To resume: i had 2 PPC cards. I sold them to 2 different Amiga users here in Argentina

the card which was "seen" by Early Startup Menu , was working perfectly, no errors, or anything. But cosmetically was "a disaster". I mean, lot of coolers/fans/modding.

The card which was not seen by the Early Startup Menu, was inmaculate , mint state, looked like new.

What i did? Intermediate between this 2 members. They swap cards

The most amazing part comes now: the modded PPC card doesnt work anymore, and that user suffered a terrible fire on his A1200 motherboard caused by a short circuit, which ate some parts of the mainboard, and of course, the card is dead

The mint card, on the other hand, which was not seen by early startup meu, has a VERY happy owner, just waiting for the Annual Meeting which will be held on my grandmas house next week, in which around 15/20 retrogamers (mostly of them Amiga users), will see for the first time AOS 4.0 alive.
We will install the AOS 4.0 on his machine (my friend´s machine, thats it), with the "supposedely" not working card, which, indeed, is working perfectly...

Cheers & thank you all for all kind of messages, help, hints & tips

Sebastian

[Framiga]

does one of the 2 have the SCSI chip onboard?