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Offline StaticmanTopic starter

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My AmigaOne Experience
« on: October 06, 2003, 04:50:16 PM »
Hello there. Heres some good things to say to all you chirpy AmigaOne owners.
I ordered a G3SE in November 2002 and it arrived Christmas eve. It wouldnt work from the start. Oh what a fun christmas that was. After a day of owning it I felt like smashing it to pieces. Nothing would boot whatsoever and when it did get so far it would crash at the logon screen.
I called Eyetech and they sorted it out. After a while they switched it to KDE.

Next set of problems. Instability. I tried everything and nothing would resolve. The machine was basically unusable, it was logging out randomly. I posted on sites like this for help and didnt get much really. Then it wouldnt even boot KDE after a while for some reason, so I tried a re-install.
Then it decided not to read any CD's.
I just left it there gathering dust, too stressful to even think about to be perfectly honest.

Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago, I called Eyetech and explained about the constant problems. They said if I replaced the ROM chip and installed Debian instead of Suse it would make things better.
I explained to them on the phone, I am a bit of a novice and dont really know how to do this. "Well the instructions are very clear" they say. I say "Well could I just send it back. I dont really know what I'm doing here and I dont want to make things worse". The phone conversation ends.

As I'm getting prepared to post the whole thing off I recieve an envelope from Eyetech which apparently contains a ROM puller and a ROM chip. We did not spot this at the time. There were instructions saying you need a paperclip (not a rom puller) so we got our paperclip and got prepared to remoev the "ROM". The instructions were very clear indeed... right. The photograph supposedly illustrating how to remove the ROM properly is somewhat poor quality and the mans finger is completely covering the ROM chip, thus making it impossible to see which part to remove (like I said on the phone, were novice).
After trying hard to remove the thing we ended up removing the ROM chip AND the socket and most of the pins. We knew instantly the motherboard was now well and truly ####ed. We call Eyetech and they say there is nothing we can do now. After that we discover the ROM chip and puller hidden in a tiny sponge on the back of the envelope, with the replacement ROM (if we had seen this we would have known which exact part to remove).

As you can imagine I am furious with this, after 10 months of sheer hell from investing in the new "Amiga" computer, I am over £900 down, not going to get a penny back really and I feel like smashing the thing up.

Such a thing as this is what has driven me more and more away from the Amiga community.

One furious ex-Amigan.
 

Offline Tomas

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2003, 04:55:01 PM »
I feel sorry for your loss, but this was a early/beta board, you should expect some minor problems then.

I think you should have asked for example here on how to replace the rom chip, sure you would get help... A bit too late now i guess though  :-(
 

Offline Tomas

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2003, 05:00:18 PM »
but anyway... no way solder the socket back on?
 

Offline meerschaum

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2003, 05:00:48 PM »
EDIT: after reading
this my opinon has changed, although I'm still suspicious ;)
 

Offline Glaucus

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2003, 05:12:21 PM »
Did you damage anything while removing the socket? If not (although my guess is the heat from the iron may have damaged several other chips) then you should be able to get it re-surface mounted at some electronics repair shop.

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Offline Floid

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2003, 05:14:37 PM »
How much damage did you do to the PCB, and what do you want for the lot?
 

Offline JurassicCamper

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2003, 05:15:44 PM »
see my reply at aw.net
A1200T PPC 330Mhz in a Custom Modified Fractal Design R3 Case
 

Offline StaticmanTopic starter

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2003, 05:30:32 PM »
Havent really got much of an idea of how much damage there is but eyetech said the board is basically dead but they havent seen it so im not completely sure.

i havent switched it on since ive just locked it away, i get more stressed looking at it
 

Offline Nickman

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2003, 05:33:05 PM »
If some one is this novice why in the hell does he buy a beta bord wich just runs linux ?!?

I think it's sad that it didn't work out as you planned, but atleast here in sweden it says that buying an AmigaONE earlybird is NOT for novice people.

You knew what you got your self in to and now you are angry because  :-?
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Offline meerschaum

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2003, 05:34:46 PM »
Thats a good outlook nickman, dont give proper support?, blame the customer !.
 

Offline StaticmanTopic starter

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #10 on: October 06, 2003, 05:39:56 PM »
The reason being Nickman is that I was already sick and tired of waiting for a new Amiga machine to arrive as are most.
When I explain I'm novice and cannot do the job, and they dont do it then its their fault not mine because I had already explained that I was incapable of doing the job.
 

Offline Nickman

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2003, 05:41:16 PM »
Quote

meerschaum wrote:
Thats a good outlook nickman, dont give proper support?, blame the customer !.


As i understand he had support. He had a peoblem they solwed it. They sent him a new rom and the tools and instructions to replace it.

Ok maybe it could have been better (I don't know cause i haven't seen the instructions). But if a product comes with a disclamer saying "only for more advanced users" then i don't think it's for a novice person.
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Offline Wilse

Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #12 on: October 06, 2003, 05:43:07 PM »
Quote

meerschaum wrote:
Thats a good outlook nickman, dont give proper support?, blame the customer !.


I feel sorry for the guy too - I've also dismantled my A1 and put it away until OS4 is out. Linux was bursting my head. Having said that, my Pegasos experience has hardly been trouble free either.
***Application is meditating***

Having said that, Nickman is absolutely right - it says quite clearly on the Eyetech website:
Quote
This of course will not suit everybody, and if you want a switch-on-and-go AmigaOne system then this Earlybird offer is not for you.


I still reckon he should be able to get it fixed though.

Offline Nickman

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #13 on: October 06, 2003, 05:46:10 PM »
Quote

Staticman wrote:
The reason being Nickman is that I was already sick and tired of waiting for a new Amiga machine to arrive as are most.
When I explain I'm novice and cannot do the job, and they dont do it then its their fault not mine because I had already explained that I was incapable of doing the job.


Sorry can't totaly agree with you there.  When you bought the board you knew (or didn't you) that is was not an easy task to handle it. But you took the risk because you wanted it so bad. That risk was yours to take.

BUT i do understand that you are down. But i don't think that reparing your board is impossible, but you should leav it to someone who knows how to do such a thing.

Again i'm sorry for your loss  :-(
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Offline Troels_E

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Re: My AmigaOne Experience
« Reply #14 on: October 06, 2003, 05:47:57 PM »
@Meerschaum

First of all, as you are very well aware this has nothing to do with Amiga Inc.

Second, support by Eyetech has been extremely good for those A1 owners I know, offcourse there will be some misunderstandings once in a while, that happens

But why on earth is Staticman trying to install a board on his own when he obviously doesnt have a clue about how to do it, this sounds like a stunt even my mom couldn't have done any better!!

You complain about Eyetech sending the rom and the tool for people to "fix their own hardware".
I believe that would actually be considered as good service by other persons than you.
I would be happy that I didn't need to return the board to have the ROM installed ;)
And please keep in mind that a new ROM upgrade doesn't equal faulty hardware!!.

Finally if Staticman still has his board and wants to sell it, I'm interested :-D
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