A3000 restart after 10 years having video issues

[alexh]

there wasn't any difference in my other monitor

Wow, that means your other monitor is also a 15KHz capable (Amiga) monitor. OR it means that your Screen preferences is set to a software scandouble resolution (like double NTSC).... have a go at changing the workbench resolution if you can navigate to it (or at least identify which res it is set to).

and no difference when I toggled the switch

The switch only affects the AMBER (15-pin) output. It switches between 15KHz (off) and 31KHz (on).

Just tried the converter with my 2nd A3000/1950 - the one I couldn't get any picture from - and it worked, but the picture is misaligned and the mouse is showing doubles and triples of it.  Any ideas?

Hmmm I wonder why you get no picture on the AMBER output?? Find out what resolution you're in using screen-prefs. Try to change it to something else? Have a go using the overscan controls to re-center the picture?

[coldfish]

Sounds a bit like a workbench sync/refresh setting issue (if it isnt a hardware fault).  Have you tried booting an old game floppy or holding down both mouse buttons at startup?

If you just want to play a game you could always fall back on WinUAE.

[Zac67]

Hmm...

Since the machine does work and isn't crashing I'd rule out chipmem problems for now. Possibly the Denise socket contacts have gone bad (or the chip's damaged), since you've got several machine at hand I'd examine the socket closely, try reseating Denise and/or try to swap it with another machine (a 500/2000/1000 Denise should work as well).

[Tenacious]

The 3000 was unique among Amigas in that the battery actually backed some vital memory location with system (video settings?) info in it.  IIRC, there was a utility on Aminet that reset those values to defaults in case they were lost.  Maybe the battery needs some up time to recharge (as has been pointed out.  I think the battery is a rechargeable NiCad.).

I wonder if the VGA-out is working now.  Have you tried it since getting the 23-pin video connector to work?  It might help to set the trim pot to mid-range and tweak from there for best VGA image quality.

[Zac67]

The A3000 stores some data in its NVRAM, but I wouldn't actually call it vital... The settings safely fall back to sane defaults (SCSI HBA ID 7, fast HDD init, synchronous mode off). Check out http://aminet.net/package/driver/media/SCSIPrefs for details.

[vanderroll]

Video from the VGA port? Take a look at the battery - chances are that it's leaked badly and possibly destroyed Amber circuitry...

 
If you have the case(s) open just cut those batteries out because my A3000 was in storage for only 6 years and it had started to leak. I thought mine was ok but some of the ground track had started to lift off the board!!!, now replaced with a Ni-MH from Maplins.

[Zac67]

Beware: Ni-MH batteries can leak as well...
Best solution is to move the battery to somewhere it can't do any harm. Or use a coin cell mod.

[mrozlog]

All,

Sort-of fixed the problem, I purchased a new working A3000 from ebay! :lol:

However, I still have two A3000s where the video is messed up.  On one box I pulled Denise on one... :furious:

As my luck has been going so well... Denise came out and so did all of the metal clips holding the chip in the chip-socket!!!  I was going to move one Denise from one box and move it to the other and visa-versa.  However, I'm not trying to find a 48 pin chip-socket so that I can remove the current one and replace it.  Oh-Joy!

My question I guess not is can I get a different graphic card so I don't have to mess with this?  I heard that I could get a RTG and that should work if I can find them...  Next question do I have to have Denise back in before I can try an RTG card?

Mike

[alexh]

Sort-of fixed the problem, I purchased a new working A3000 from ebay! :lol:

Sell the other two as spares/repairs to an enthusiast and make your money back.

My question I guess not is can I get a different graphic card so I don't have to mess with this?

No. All RTG cards take the Denise output as an input to their scandoubler. If it is the Denise at fault and not the AMBER then the video will be messed up on RTG card.

Next question do I have to have Denise back in before I can try an RTG card?

Of course. The A3000 with no denise socket is now useless until it is repaired.

[Zac67]

No. All RTG cards take the Denise output as an input to their scandoubler. If it is the Denise at fault and not the AMBER then the video will be messed up on RTG card.

Err... Not really correct - not all RTG cards have a scandoubler or use Denise video passthrough. But Miggy just won't boot w/o Denise in place.

[alexh]

Ok, it should have read :

"RTG cards that can be used as a replacement to the standard Amiga output take the Denise output as an input to their scandoubler."