CompuServe Thread

" Also, I have noticed that when I access any of the SCSI devices the screen "jumps" or "flashes" in a manner similar to the look of going from one screen resolution to another with the A4000. (Brief black screen, flash…" Don, The problem you are describing occurs with SCSI interfaces that were not designed to do proper DMA transfers on the Amiga 4000. Specifically, the GVP 4008 is only a Zorro-II card and must DMA to Chip RAM first, then copy the data from Chip to Fast RAM (if necessary); The result is that Chip RAM is strained so much that the graphics chips (which paint the screen from Chip RAM) can become locked-out from time to time, causing flashes or tears in the display. The remedy is to buy a real Zorro-III SCSI board which was designed to work in the A4000. Currently, you have only one choice, the Z3-FastLane which costs over $500. You could also try turning off the DMA access on your GVP 4008, but this is at the risk of making your disk access painfully slow. One last note – If you have an older A4000 (over 10 or 12 mo. old), then you may not be able to use most Zorro-III cards in your A4000 (although the FastLane is one that will work) since these units have a defective SuperBuster chip that is not replaceable. To remedy this, you must bring your A4000 to your dealer for repair, and after a fee of about $200 (regardless of warranty status) and a 2 mo. wait, you will finally have an A4000 that works as advertised. -Chris

Don, >>> Is this card currently available for shipment? Not at this time. >>>If so, how much is an upgrade from the A4008 to the A4098? When the A4098 is released, pricing and upgrade information will be ,ade available. Until that time, however, no pricing is known. >>>Also, I have noticed that when I access any of the SCSI devices the screen "jumps" or "flashes" in a manner similar to the look of going from one screen resolution to another with the A4000. (Brief black screen, flash screen back, repeat) You may have to experiment with mask values or MAX TRANSFER values. Also, adding memory to the A4008 unit will speed up access and potentially eliminate the jumping screens. Check you SuperBuster and make sure it is a revision 11. If not, I strongly recommend that you consider upgrading it. >>>Is there anyone there that has a fix for this problem, or have there been any other reports of similar problems? This has not been widely reported, although most of these types of issues have been narrowed down to DMA and Buster sources. GVP TECH

Do you know if you have the soldered Buster chip or the socketed one? Jim R. Ollick Using AP from Bergenfield, NJ

Don, The 4098 is not available yet. For ANY tradeup or upgrade information, please contact GVP's Customer Service department at 610-354-9495. They have all info on this subject. In regard to the "screen jump" problem with the A4008 in the Amiga 4000, please download the gvppatch program from GVP's BBS (610-337-5815) and run the patch on timer.device. That will solve it. GVP TECH