Help needed

[maximo]

System : a1200
Expansion : Zorro / Apollo 1260 / 66

Problem : I have a CV64/3D Card which does not display anything at all. There doesn't seem to be a power signal going ot the monitor. However I can view the hardware details from the OS when my monitor is plugged into the standard video. Does anyone have any ideas that could help?

[sir_inferno]

ummm, i think i know the cause of this, its happened to me b4.........................................................the cable doesn't work  :-D

but seriously are you sure that ain't the case?

[Lemmink]

What Zorroboard do you have ? Is it a Z4 ?
When the A+ magazin tested one of the first Boards back then they reported that the first card on the bus (counting from the top, no matter wich slot is was in) was not recognised.
I seems that it was fixed in later revisions, as the Z4 I once had didn`t have such kinda problem.
But maybe you are unlucky enough to have one of the first boards. Try to insert another Zorrocard before the CV64/3D (counting from the top) and try again.

Now the standard #### question: You DID install CGX or P96 ?

[x56h34]

If you find the CV643D description on the The Big Book of Amiga Hardware page, you'll notice that there were 2 different CV643D versions made. 1 was by Phase 5, and the other by DCE.

In the description of the DCE card, there's a line that says that the only difference between P5 and DCE models was compatibility with Z4 A1200 board. P5 model lacked it, and DCE model supported it.

I guesss that could be the reason.

[voytech]

hmmm.. did you set the screenmode settings (and saved them) properly?? My buddy came to me once, saying that he's bought a crap, "No display at all".. but he didn't set screenmode settings, that was his problem (he thought that it's full auto configurable, no need of messing with any settings)..

[Lemmink]

In the description of the DCE card, there's a line that says that the only difference between P5 and DCE models was compatibility with Z4 A1200 board. P5 model lacked it, and DCE model supported it.

You got something wrong there. The Z4 had a mode that was called Fast Z2. You could set up 1 or 2 of the Zorroslots to that mode via jumper. I`m not sure how this Fast Z2 was utilised, if it was a doubling of the clock or something else, but for a card to work with Fast Z2 it has to exceed Z2 specs in some ways. The DCE modell was tuned to handle this Z2 specification violations. True the CV64/3D was ZII/ZIII so it could handle more in terms of bandwith then Fast Z2 would demand, but when inserted in a Z2 bus it behaves just like any other Z2 card

[Effy]

I have got a A1200 PPC+Bvision, but when I disconnect my hd and boot up from DF0 then I only have AGA output and nothing from the Bvision. Of course not, there´s nothing installed on the Workbench disc to use a gfx card, and even if it would be installed then the screenmode is standard set on the original video-output and not to a gfx card ... makes sense, doesn´t it ?

[maximo]

Ok then let me add further to my problem. The card is one made by DCE, it's NOT plugged into one of the Fast Z2 slots on the busboard. I have install the software that came with the card. Hopefully I've saved a screenmode that the card can display.  Shouldn't the card be sending a monitor on feed once the Amiga is powered up? Or does the card need to be driven before it send's out a signal to the monitor?

Anyone got a spec. simular to me out there?

[Jope]

Initially, the card is totally "dead".. You need to install an RTG software (which you said you did), then select an RTG screenmode in the WB's Screenmode Prefs (one of the CVision3D modes) then save that..

Of course you might want to tune the modes with cgxmode first.. I'm assuming you're running CGX and not P96, if you installed the SW that came with the card.

[Effy]

Didn´t you get 2 floppies with the card ?? Must be Cybergfx V3 I think. If you installed it all as you said then you will see in your screenmode-program some extra modes named CV64 or something like that. Is that so  :-?

[Doobrey]

@ Maximo,
 When it boots, do you get a WB screen through the standard video?
 If thats`s the case, then the RTG software isn`t setup properly.

[darksun9210]

when the amiga powers up, it doesn't know how to send a display to the GFX card, so you won't get anything. when CyberGFX initilises the librarys, it'll dump an image into the card's GFX memory (probably saying something like "CyberGFX V3" at 640x480x8 31Khz 60Hz) via the CGXbootpic.library (CGX V3) so at least you know your card is working....

that is provided you have the CGX tool types set to "BOOTPIC=1"

CGX V4 has the bootpic built into the main system library (i seem to remember), but you still need the tool type set.

otherwise you won't get a display untill the displaymode via screen mode prefs is activated, or you start playing around with CGXmode to start finetuning modes for your monitor.

the amiga won't display to a GFX card as per default, hence the picassoIV people building in a scan doublerso you got a display no matter what.
took me a few evenings to figure out when i got my CV64/3D but its a piece of cake when you know whats going on.

[maximo]

Thanks to everyone for the advise, will have a go tonight hopefully. I may well rebuild the system as I've got a number of hacks installed, they may be causing me problems. Nothing better than starting from scratch is there now.

[maximo]

Well I rebuilt the system last night, just the OS and installed the CV64/3D software. Selected a screen mode from the prefs and rebooted. This get nothing from the card?

Is there anything I need to do to the jumpers on the bus board, I take it I don't need the video slot enabler or do I?

[maximo]

Still playing with my problem. Tried using the software on the OS3.5 CD and got my monitor to power up last night. So I think I'm getting closer having a working CV64/3D, does anyone have a working Monitor file that I could try out?

Also found that installing the software break my CD-ROM driver, has anyone had this before?