A2091 and CDROM issues

[TheBilgeRat]

So, I've had a new issue come up after installing my indivision with my A2091 and the CDROM.  A2091 has 6.6 roms and a Rev4 WD chip.  CDFS is AsimCDFS.

As long as there is no cdrom in the drive, the hard drive works just fine.  If I insert a cdrom and attempt to copy from it to the hard drive, workbench starts complaining about write errors.  If I reboot with the cd in, workbench won't load from the hard drive and the resolution is changed to ntsc lores from highgfx 1024x768.

Any ideas what might be the issue?  The issue has only arisen recently.

[TheBilgeRat]

Well, I'm not positive yet, but it seems that removing the card, trying it in a different slot, then reinserting it made the difference.  Its (for now) coexisting with the hard drive.

I am thoroughly confused by this A2000.  It has 1M of chipram but says its revision is 4.3 (which is supposed to have only 512 according to the BBOAH).  There are no signs of trace cutting or jumper soldering.

Also, is there a reason the 2091 only works in the closest zorro slot to the processor?  Also, it seems that zorro slots have to be filled from the closest to the farthest without any gaps, otherwise they are not recognized.  Is that standard, or is that an issue?

[darkage]

I guess when you reinserted the card, it went back to its original Zorro slot closest to the CPU?

Is there much oxidation on the cards edge connector?
Might be a good idea to give it a quick swipe of isopropyl.

[TheBilgeRat]

I guess when you reinserted the card, it went back to its original Zorro slot closest to the CPU?

Is there much oxidation on the cards edge connector?
Might be a good idea to give it a quick swipe of isopropyl.

yes, back to its original slot.  In fact, its only recognized if it occupies the first slot.  I used a fiberglass brush plus iso plus deoxit on the edge connector.

When the month rolls around I'm going to update the board to a rev 8 chip and some 7.0 ROMS and see if that helps.  Also, the hard drive is ancient.  I think its high time it got a nice card reader from mechy.

[Ral-Clan]

You cleaned the edge connector but did you clean the edge connector socket on the motherboard?  Wrap a thin piece of cloth around a credit card, put cleaning agent on the cloth and move it back and forth gently in the slot.

An A2091 might have problems with removable media drives if it doesn't have 7.0 ROMS and the latest Western Digital chip.

However, your errors sound more like possible termination errors.  Is the CD-ROM drive terminated?

Are the terminator blister packs still present near the SCSI connector on the A2091?  If not, you'll also need to install a terminator on the external DB-25 port of the A2091.

[TheBilgeRat]

You cleaned the edge connector but did you clean the edge connector socket on the motherboard?  Wrap a thin piece of cloth around a credit card, put cleaning agent on the cloth and move it back and forth gently in the slot.

An A2091 might have problems with removable media drives if it doesn't have 7.0 ROMS and the latest Western Digital chip.

However, your errors sound more like possible termination errors.  Is the CD-ROM drive terminated?

Are the terminator blister packs still present near the SCSI connector on the A2091?  If not, you'll also need to install a terminator on the external DB-25 port of the A2091.

Termination on on the last item (HD is zero, CDROM is 3).  I know not what those blister packs look like.  There is no termination on the external port, so perhaps that is where my problem lies?

[Ral-Clan]

Termination on on the last item (HD is zero, CDROM is 3).  I know not what those blister packs look like.  There is no termination on the external port, so perhaps that is where my problem lies?

The resistor pack terminator on the A2091 will consist of three long, plastic looking things to the right and parallel to the SCSI connector on the A2091.  They are the three black looking things to the right of the connector in this photograph (RN1, RN2, RN3):

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/download_photos/a2091_2_big.jpg

If they are still there then the A2091 card is terminated.

Termination should be on the physical first and last item in the SCSI chain (i.e. the last item on the SCSI ribbon connector away from the controller) regardless of what SCSI ID you assign that device.

I.e. even if the CD-ROM drive was the last item on the Ribbon connector, it could still have any ID from 0 to 7, but it should have a terminator on it regardless.

I believe the A2091 uses SCSI device 7 for itself.

[TheBilgeRat]

The resistor pack terminator on the A2091 will consist of three long, plastic looking things to the right and parallel to the SCSI connector on the A2091.  They are the three black looking things to the right of the connector in this photograph (RN1, RN2, RN3):

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/download_photos/a2091_2_big.jpg

If they are still there then the A2091 card is terminated.

Termination should be on the physical first and last item in the SCSI chain (i.e. the last item on the SCSI ribbon connector away from the controller) regardless of what SCSI ID you assign that device.

I.e. even if the CD-ROM drive was the last item on the Ribbon connector, it could still have any ID from 0 to 7, but it should have a terminator on it regardless.

I believe the A2091 uses SCSI device 7 for itself.

Those blister packs are there, so that is a good sign.  The cable is a 2 connector (not counting conn to the board), one to the HD, and ends at the CDROM.

[Zac67]

Write error issues: make sure the SCSI bus is terminated correctly. You need exactly two terminators, one at each end of the bus. They may sit on the cable ends or within the last devices in the chain.
When only one connector of the 2091 is used, the resistor array MUST be present. If both, internal and external, connectors are used the resistor packs MUST NOT be present. If the resistors are lost you can use an external or cable terminator on the port not being used.
Not terminating the bus properly is asking for trouble. It may work for a while (with a very short bus) but will eventually fail.

1 MB chipmem: nearly all A2k revs (4.1+) have jumpers for 1 MB chipmem settings, no need to solder or cut anything.

Zorro slots: It's a good idea to put the SCSI controller in the rightmost slot, but it show work just about anywhere. If the other slots don't work it's either due to corrosion/bad contact in the slot or a bad _CONFIG chain logic (74LS32 in U606 or RP607).

[TheBilgeRat]

Write error issues: make sure the SCSI bus is terminated correctly. You need exactly two terminators, one at each end of the bus. They may sit on the cable ends or within the last devices in the chain.
When only one connector of the 2091 is used, the resistor array MUST be present. If both, internal and external, connectors are used the resistor packs MUST NOT be present. If the resistors are lost you can use an external or cable terminator on the port not being used.
Not terminating the bus properly is asking for trouble. It may work for a while (with a very short bus) but will eventually fail.

1 MB chipmem: nearly all A2k revs (4.1+) have jumpers for 1 MB chipmem settings, no need to solder or cut anything.

Zorro slots: It's a good idea to put the SCSI controller in the rightmost slot, but it show work just about anywhere. If the other slots don't work it's either due to corrosion/bad contact in the slot or a bad _CONFIG chain logic (74LS32 in U606 or RP607).

OK, so termination issue is fine.  Blister packs present, no external drives, chain terminated properly.

What is U606 or RP607?  Are those the rom chips on the A2091?

[Zac67]

U606 (74LS32 TTL chip - sits between Buster and the rightmost Zorro slot) and RP607 (1 kOhm resistor pack between U606 and the PSU connector) are the only hardware required for AutoConfig to work.