Question: How to see if a4000 is working

[Invisix]

Until my Scan Magic Scandoubler/Flicker Fixer I ordered from SoftHut arrives tomorrow, is there away to tell if the a4000 I ordered from eBay is working?

I turn it on, and the HDD led is active, and the HDD is "churning" so I assume it's in working order. I sure as hell hope so, I paid $500 USD for it... just because it included it's original box, manuals, inserts, etc. :-P :-D

[SilvrDrgn]

Usually if you can hear the HD actively churning (i.e. searching and sounds like it's loading data), then that's a good sign.  You don't have any other method to hook it up to a display ??

EDIT: Hey, I just realized that this was my 1000th post!  Woo Hoo!   :-D

[Wol]

When you turn it on,
the power LED will light then dim for approx 0.5 sec
then return to full brightness befor the HDD starts to search.





If keyboard has problems,

keyboard caps lock LED will come on then go out.

If your keyboard LED flashes, you have a problem:-

One flash then pause....ROM checksum failure

Two flashes then pause...Ram test failed

Three flashes then pause....Watcdog timer failed

Four flashes then pause....A short exists between row lines on
keyboard

[Cyberus]

Wooohoooo!
Congrats :pint:


@OP
If the A4000 came with all the bits, there should be a VGA adaptor, a little silver widget that was bundled with A4000s that goes in the RGB port and allows you to plug in VGA monitors. This should allow you to boot a Workbench disk.
Otherwise if you, or anyone you know, has the modulator that came with the A500, you can plug the A4000 to a TV using a standard RF lead.

[Ilwrath]

If the A4000 came with all the bits, there should be a VGA adaptor, a little silver widget that was bundled with A4000s that goes in the RGB port and allows you to plug in VGA monitors. This should allow you to boot a Workbench disk.

Not really.  It's not a VGA adaptor, it just converts the pins from the Amiga23 pin video to HD15 VGA connector.  The sync rate for NTSC or PAL will be out of range for the majority (read all but about 3) VGA monitors ever made.  The workbench defaults to NTSC or PAL (depending on region)  Plugging a VGA monitor into that 15khz PAL/NTSC default signal will result in one of the following:
1) A pretty "Signal out of range" message from the monitor.
2) A high pitched whistling sound out of the monitor, and no picture, with possible damage to the monitor if you leave it sit like that for a while.
3) A click-click sound from the monitor, as it shuts itself off.

It's a catch-22.  You can specify 30khz video by clicking on a few options from workbench... But you need a 15khz display in order to see the 15khz default workbench.  Otherwise, you don't know where to click to specify the 30khz video output mode.  ;-)  That wasn't very well thought out by C=.

The A520 from an Amiga500 TV converter will work on the A4000, though, allowing you to plug it into a TV to see the initial 15khz screen well enough to specify 30khz video.  

[Cyberus]

You're right of course - When I got my A4000 the WB on the hard disk was already set up to boot and display on a VGA monitor. It's seeing the bench in the first place to be able to change things thats the problem!

edit: but don't you think you're being a pedant? I mean what else are you going to call it? In the Big Book of Amiga Hardware they call it a VGA adaptor, or is it a case of "Must have the last word and debunk what other people have said IN order to massage my ego syndrome ". I would think that 'adaptor' is a fine name for it. I personally would use the noun, 'converter' when talking about something that actually scandoubles....