BIGRAM256+ Not showing up in the cards overview/ dead ??

VTUEK · Jan 26th 2022

When plugging in the Bigram256+ in my A4000/ROM 3.2/BUSTER 11 or A3000/ROM 3.1/BUSTER 11 the Bigram+ doesn't show up.

I had some difficulties with my A4000 at a certain moment. Yellow screens / sometimes only power led that flashes and nothing else.

I brought my 4000 to a person who looked at it and replaced some sockets. The 4000 was already recapped in 2020. He brought the 4000 (without the Bigram) alive again.

When inserting the Bigram+ .. nothing .. Not showing up in the overview. For and after the socket(rom) replacement the Bigram was not working.

I tried this also in my 3000. Same result. Not showing up.

Other cards that do show up : ZZ9000; Golden gate bridgeboard; TANDEMCD card.

I have also another 256MB (*) module from another shop. But because of being too long i bought one in this shop.

When inserting this (*) module .. it all works and 256MB extra in workbench.

Where to start next ?

Thanks !

Jens · Jan 26th 2022

Was there any incident, some noteworthy event after which you got the error?

VTUEK · Jan 26th 2022

At a certain moment , when i started the 4000 the power led just blinked and nothing more. I placed all this in an Amiga facebook group. The suggestion was .. try an ATX PSU. So I did. I ran for a few weeks but after that it was back to the same issue. Blinking power led nothing more. I think with the new PSU the Bigram was working for a while, but then a got more and more yellow screens until i arrived at the : Power led blinking again and nothing more. At this moment the 4000 boots into workbench. The ZZ9000 is giving Recoverable errors. When cliking on the left mouse button i reach the workbench at the end. All RTG modes are corrupt.. and hangs the system. When testing the ZZ9000 (1.8 rom and software) in my 3000. The RTG side of things works. Facts remain : Bigram256+ is not showing up.

Jens · Jan 27th 2022

Quote from VTUEK

I placed all this in an Amiga facebook group.

No Facebook here - not a single iComp employee has a Facebook profile. Your one and only port of call for support of our products is this forum. Any reference to a different location does not play a role - unless you want to avoid help from us.

Quote from VTUEK

The suggestion was .. try an ATX PSU.

So you've followed known-bad advice. Please read and spread our PSU FAQ. There are purely technical points in there. Each and everyone of them is important, and not a single one of them has been (successfully) challenged. It's about the health of your computer. Following the original guidelines of Commodore will preserve your investment in classic computers. Deviating means that you're putting value at risk, with no forseeable benefit. Normally, taking a risk means expecting a reward, and if there is no reward to be expected, such a risk is widely accepted as plain stupidity.

Quote from VTUEK

The ZZ9000 is giving Recoverable errors.

So the BigRamPlus appears to be broken, and the ZZ9000 appears to go the same route. You have seen a clear correlation with the power supply. Why in the world would you continue to use a setup that has been known-bad for years?

Please send the BigRamPlus back, add a short note that it was operated with a known-bad PSU solution, so my technicians have a quicker way to locate the fault. Please read the hints for returns, especially that your included letter should have all the information required for my technicians, as they do not read my eMail and should not be looking for scattered information. Use an insured shipping method, avoid Hermes.

VTUEK · Jan 27th 2022

Hello Jens. I will send the Bigram back for inspection. The fact is, i don't know, in my situation, what the reason is for the failure. The moment the power led started blinking i wasn't thinking of the Bigram.. That's why i placed this in an Amiga Facebook group. The PSU wasn't the problem after all, The PSU was tested and measured and all was/is ok. The ATX was/is also ok. So i didn't follow bad advice. Afterall, where to start when the 4000 refuses to boot ?? Should i've pointed directly in Icomp.de's direction ? I find your reply rather hostile, perhaps with good intentions. Let's stick with the latter. Also, and i'm not the only one , perhaps the ROM 3.2 is the reason why all fails ? Who will tell. I don't know. Anyway. I thought , let's contact Icomp.de to get this Bigram checked. Hopefully it can be fixed. I pay if there is something to pay and that's it.

Where do i say my system was known bad for years ? Never mind : I will send it back for inspection.

Thank you.

Jens · Jan 27th 2022

Quote from VTUEK

The PSU was tested and measured and all was/is ok.

How did you measure step response, ripple and precision of regulation under varying load conditions?

Quote from VTUEK

The ATX was/is also ok.

So you've verified that the 5V rail is the main regulation rail? How so?

Quote from VTUEK

Afterall, where to start when the 4000 refuses to boot ??

In a system that is heavily expanded (as pretty much every Amiga is these days), the first thing you do is to remove all expansions and make sure that the main computer starts up normally.

Quote from VTUEK

Also, and i'm not the only one , perhaps the ROM 3.2 is the reason why all fails ?

I specifically asked you if there was an incident that has a corellation to the point when it started to fail. If you had written that it started with installation of the 3.2 ROMs, I would agree, but looking at it now, attempting to pinpoint the cause with no evidence, I'd say that the probability is pretty low.

Quote from VTUEK

Where do i say my system was known bad for years ?

You don't. And I didn't either. I merely stated that ATX power supplies have been a *very* bad idea for Amiga computers ever since the first non-engineer tinkered an adapter that goes between the Amiga main board and an ATX PSU. Again, technical reasons given in our PSU FAQ. Please do take the time to read it. If you have questions, feel free to ask, but don't spread false statements if you didn't dig into the technical details. The biggest mistake any Amigan can make is to only look at the label that shows voltage and amperage.

VTUEK · Jan 27th 2022

Yes , i should have mentioned I tested the 4000 in basic setup. All cards removed and also with a 3640 instead of the 3660 before swapping the PSU. Yes in bare-config the same power-led blinking result. Anyway. Going to sent the ram stick.