A590 problem
17 messages in this thread
Hi,
I've got a problem with my hard disk. It's an A590 with a 42Mbyte
mechanism installed.
Every once in a while (e.g. several months), the disk drive disappears –
any attempt to access it fails, and the set-up utility happily says that
there is no hard disk present. However, the extra memory fitted in the
drive is still available, and works. Also, there's an appreciable delay
before the Amiga tries to boot from a floppy, if one has been inserted.
The symptoms are identical each time.
I can fix this problem, for a few months at a time, by disconnecting the
hard disk from the computer, spraying the connector liberally with WD40,
waiting a few minutes for the excess to dry/run off, and reconnecting.
However, eventually the problem returns, and I'm afraid that one day I'm
going to have serious problems – when the drive fails during a write.
Has anybody come across this kind of problem? What is it likely to be?
Any ideas about what to look for? I think that it might be just one
particular signal going astray. Unfortunately the handbook shows the
signals at the connector, but gives no clue as to their function.
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
Shraddhan,
First of all, WD 40 is probably one of the worst things you use on
a computer. It's an oil, and as such, collects dirt…but not only that,
it's a penetrating oil, that is…it'll attempt to work its way into the
tinyest crack or crevice, including chip sockets.
You'd be MUCH better off using a spray designed for electrical
contacts.
As to your problem, it sounds as if the A500 and A590 don't quite
mate up, or that you tend to shift them around. Either of those two things
are one of the major problems with "Slap On The Side" (SOTS) expansion
units.
What I'd do, is throughly clean the contacts…make sure the A500
and the A590 line up exactly (use a spacer under one or the other if
necessary) and keep the units from moving as much as possible.
If the problem crops up again…have the edge connector in the A590
replaced.
Don
Don,
I agree that WD40 is probably not a good thing to use.
For a long time now, I've made a point of _not_ accidentally moving the
computer/hard disk on my desk, and when I do need to move them, I hold them
together and move them carefully as one unit. For some time, I had spacers
underneath one or other unit, but this didn't help.
Yesterday, I took the Amiga apart, cleaned it up, and soldered over the
gold plated connections on the under side of the Amiga, thinking that the
slight extra thickness would guarantee that everything would now work.
When everything was put back together, the HD didn't appear to be present.
I unplugged it, sprayed it with WD40, and tried again. Still didn't work.
Walked round the room a few times trying to calm down, then I sprayed the
Amiga connector, top and bottom. Put everything back together, and it's
been working fine ever since.
So, maybe the edge connector is OK and the fault is elsewhere.
When the fault appears, it happens for no apparent reason. I could be
typing away on a word processor, and saving the file every so often. Then,
suddenly, the save will fail, without any error messages – the drive light
comes on and stays on, and the word processor sits there waiting.
Unplugging the HD and then reconnecting it has no effect.
I used to clean the contacts carefully with isopropyl alcohol, and this
would sometimes do the trick, but a year or so ago, this technique stopped
working, and it was only in desperation that I tried WD40 and found that it
worked.
I suppose I _could_ have the edge connector in the A590 replaced, even
though it _looks_ OK…
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
Shraddhan,
Soldering over the gold wasn't such a hot idea either….solder
oxidizes and isn't designed for contacts…you'll eventually end up with
very poor conduction.
My guess is that the fingers in the edge connector are slightly
bend leading to a loose connection. Typing on the keyboard jiggles things
around enough that you end up with a poor contact.
At this point, I'm not sure what your options are.
Don
Don,
I'm no longer convinced that the problem is the connector itself. I
believe that it might be a dodgy plated-through hole just behind the
connector.
Vibration doesn't seem to trigger the failure; rather it seems to be time.
My current theory is that the WD40 fills up the dodgy plated-through hole
and allows the current to flow through it, until the oil evaporates or
drains away.
I had been thinking of upgrading from WB1.3 to WB2.04, but now I'm toying
with buying an A1500 or A2000 (I'm not sure what the difference is) with a
larger hard disk. So I'm beginning to look on my A500 as expendable, and
therefore I may take the risk of soldering wires through all the
plated-through holes near the edge connector, in the hope that this will
solve the problem.
I'm hoping to sell my smaller car this weekend, and the proceeds will go
nicely towards a total hardware upgrade.
Thanks for your advice.
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
Shraddhan,
I suggest an upgrade if you can. An A2000 (or 1500 I believe) is
far more reliable when expanding it. I've had 0 problems with my 2000 and
it's one of the first ones out.
Don
Don,
An upgrade is certainly on the books. Hopefully in the next few weeks,
when my cheques come in.
Can you tell me what the difference is between an A1500 and an A2000?
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
Shraddhan,
The A1500 is not sold in North America. As for as I know it's a UK only
marketing package. It's an A2000 with 2 floppies and a software bundle of
some sort.
-sja
Steve,
Perhaps someone in the UK will tell me the difference between an A1500 and
an A2000. I don't need any more software, just a plain computer.
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
Shraddhan,
The A1500 is purely a marketing job by C=. It is a base A2000 with 2 floppy
drives – no hard disk and bundled with Platinum Works (yawn) and some other
rubbish. (oh and 1mb ram …) Give my mate Ambi a call at Micro Anvika
(Tottenham Court Road) on 071 636 2547 (he's there on Saturdays) he will be
able to give you some good prices. He knows more about Amiga's than C= UK !
If expandability is your aim, buy an A2000 or A3000T, if you want a small
footprint, buy an A3000.
Cheers,
Andrew
Shraddhan,
The 1500 isn't for sale here in the US, so I'm not positive of what
the diffrences may be.
Don
Shraddhan,
I had a problem like yours on my 500. I to thought it was the edge
connector. I tried contact cleaner, alcohol, pencil erasers, scotch brite
ect. Each time the thing would guru after awhile. I replaced the edge
connector and I thought that that fixed it but it would always guru after
about 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. I told the guy at the local dealership about
it and he said that he thought the 68000 was bad. I ordered a new one for
$15 from Grapevine and believe it or not that solved the problem. It has
been rock solid ever since. Just a thought. Best…
Mike Reid
WHAP!ping from "The Field Of Dreams"
Mike,
I'll bear your experience in mind. If all else fails… The guarantee
expired years back. However, my hard disk just seems to disappear. I
never get a GURU when this happens, and the time scale is currently months
not hours. Each time, I get more desperate…
Yes, thanks for the suggestion. I'll certainly think of replacing the
processor next time.
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
Mike,
PS (to my previous message to you)
Out of curiosity, what (who?) is "The Field Of Dreams"?
Regards,
Shraddhan – via Whap! from Hertfordshire in the UK
I was afraid you ask that… I suspect that it's a reference to the movie..
which took place/was filmed around Waterloo, IA, as I understand (can't be
sure; when I heard it took place in Iowa, I boycotted it).
Today must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Shraddhan,
The Field of Dreams comes from a movie made here in Iowa a few years ago.
Best…
Mike Reid
Via WHAP! & CatZap & Switch & BroCon
uhm… nevermind <sigh>
Today must be Friday. I never could get the hang of Fridays.