ACA1234 - Red screen on cold boot

Caution: Non registered users only see threads and messages in the currently selected language, which is determined by their browser. Please create an account and log in to see all content by default. This is a limitation of the forum software.


Also users that are not logged in can not create new threads. This is a, unfortunately needed, counter measure against spam. Please create an account and log in to start new threads.

Don't Panic. Please wash hands.

    i bought a second hand aca1234 from ebay. licensed for 40mhz.

    when it arrived it worked perfectly and i setup everything in acatool and started the days long process of unarchiving whdload from pcmcia to the onboard CF


    the machine wasnt switched off at all for days, but when i did it does not turn back on except for displaying a red screen.

    the only way of getting rid of that screen is to move the jumper to reset the eeprom onboard the aca. at which point the amiga will boot to the insert disk kickstart screen. i then switch off, park the jumper and power on again and the computer will boot after a lengthy pause but with a loadmodule error 10 message.

    i can then run acatool and add the maprom image and set frequency of the cpu etc, reboot using ctrl-amiga-amiga and it will work


    details and things ive tried -


    amiga 1200 rev 2b. recapped by retropassionuk with polymer caps and timing fixes done

    physical 3.2 roms onboard

    wb 3.2.2.1 installed on CF

    internal ide not used

    rom from hyperion 3.2.2.1 hotfix archive installed in maprom slot

    tried both uncompress and compressed (using lzocompress) roms - a1200.47.111.rom

    sha-1 matches between pc and archive using cloanto getcrc tool

    i have run the latest aca1234 firmware update.

    wirelink on the back of the card is present.

    when running the computer runs perfectly. had it on for several days straight running AIBB modules (survived 4 complete module tests), games and demos.

    only things connected to amiga are pcmcia card reader, psu, amigakit vga adapter, mouse.

    psu is this one from retropassionuk - https://www.retropassion.co.uk/product/commodore-amiga-psu-for-a1200/?v=79cba1185463

    have tried my original a1200 psu - same thing happens


    im at a loss as to what to try next and dreading turning my amiga back on today incase it happens again.

    edit - it happened again. powered off overnight. as soon as i powered the card on now, i have a red screen that does not go away.

    Quote from corncob

    psu is this one from retropassionuk

    That's known-bad; it's from Elektroware, using a Meanwell chassis, which is not suitable for an Amiga (let alone an expanded one). More details in our FAQ. You should send that PSU back for a refund. Calling this "for Amiga" is false advertising.


    Does ACAtool report the latest CPLD version?


    Jens

    wont use that psu anymore. but it also happens with my official amiga 1200 psu aswell. same exact symptoms.

    and only happens if the amiga has been powered off for many hours. turning it off for just a couple minutes does not seem to cause the issue.



    acatool reports cpld v3 + wirelink

    There is nothing in the ACA1234 firmware that would turn the screen red. However, the Kickstart may do that if it finds a bad checksum. It might just be a temperature-dependent problem with your A1200 motherboard, but it may also be a power or grounding problem (noise that affects timing during voltage ramp-up).


    The stock Amiga PSU may be a bit weak for a full system with expansions. Try to reduce power consumption, for example remove the PCMCIA card: especially networking cards are thirsty and cause funny effects when the PSU is overloaded. That VGA adapter you're using, is that an active thing, or just some wire adapter for a 15kHz-compatible monitor?


    Jens

    Quote from Jens

    That VGA adapter you're using, is that an active thing, or just some wire adapter for a 15kHz-compatible monitor?


    Jens


    all i know is that its a buffered vga adapter. bought it ages ago from amigakit

    theres no power or anything going to it from external sources

    https://amigakit.amiga.store/amiga-monitor-adapter-p-183.html?aksid=s9dbnj5h065otjsakf98aebsjg&currency=GBP


    ive ordered a ca-psu from you. it should come tomorrow.

    will see if that solves the issues.

    the ca-psu arrived yesterday and the problem still happens


    if the amiga is powered off for a short time then it works perfectly. either through a hard shut down or soft reboot.


    if its powered off overnight then i get a red screen on boot, indicating a rom error. resetting the eeprom on the aca1234 is the only way to proceed


    its like the eeprom on the aca is corrupting the rom image, or its losing the image after an extended period of not having power.

    is that possible if the eeprom battery backup (or whatever it is that it uses to store settings and images) doesnt work?


    edit - acatool doesnt need to be copied to C: or have an entry in the startup-sequence to function correctly??


    edit - i will add that when this red screen happens there is a green light flashing on/off inside the amiga. it looks to be located around the hard drive led on the amiga top cover. the sort of flashing you get when you get a guru meditation.

    another update - the card is licenced for 40mhz operation. if i set the frequency to 33mhz and ctrl-amiga-amiga i get the red screen instantly. it lasts for amount 1minute and then will boot into workbench


    according to another thread on here, where someone had cf slot loading problems. you (jens) suggested it might be a faulty oscillator.

    could i have two faulty oscillators on this board?

    the 33mhz being faulty immediately and the 40mhz being faulty after being powered off for some time?


    (at the moment im testing a 50mhz setting on the card. its been 2 hours running a continuous unarchive to ram script and it seems ok.)


    really need help/advice/something on this because im really get fed up with the amiga completely and considering selling it in favour of emulation.

    ive spent loads of money and still it doesnt work any better than it did before i had it recapped.

    Quote from corncob

    i also want to add that i have a RTC module (its just for a clock) on my amiga 1200 mainboard.

    does that RTC module HAVE to be on the aca1234 or does it not matter?

    Location of the RTC module does not matter - the signals are the same.


    Quote from corncob

    when this red screen happens there is a green light flashing on/off inside the amiga. it looks to be located around the hard drive led on the amiga top cover. the sort of flashing you get when you get a guru meditation.

    This means that the launch control process has detected an error with your A1200. Did this computer ever get a repair? During launch, the frequencies of oscillators are checked against each other, and if the Amiga's oscillator is off, the ACA1234 stops.


    Launch control actually outputs clear text on an RS232 terminal, which is send-only on the jumper pins of the ACA1234. If you have a TTL-compatible RS232 interface for any computer, I could guide you to reading the actual error message that launch control is sending.


    Jens


    the only work thats been done on the amiga is a premium polymer recap, timing fixes and rf modulator removal from retropassion in the uk


    i do not have a rs232 cable for an amiga or pc. i dont think i would even know what they look like.

    i could maybe buy one on amazon and then connect it to my pc??


    why would the a1200's oscillator affect the aca1234? the aca1234 is going to be running faster than the a1200 anyway, so surely there will be a mismatch automatically.

    and that also wouldnt explain why it works sometimes and not others? it always boots at 25mhz. it does not boot at all at 33mhz and at 40mhz its intermittent

    50mhz multi-hour lha decrunch is stable (still going after 4-5 hours) but im reluctant to upgrade the licence only to find another red screen.

    Quote from corncob

    i do not have a rs232 cable for an amiga or pc. i dont think i would even know what they look like.

    i could maybe buy one on amazon and then connect it to my pc??

    I personally avoid Amazon where I can, but you may find a USB-TTL serial adapter there, too. Compare to eBay article #402196630192 that I just found; it's a very simple USB adapter that comes with wires to connect to a different pin header.



    Quote from corncob

    why would the a1200's oscillator affect the aca1234? the aca1234 is going to be running faster than the a1200 anyway, so surely there will be a mismatch automatically.

    Of course the ACA1234 runs faster than the A1200, but it needs to talk to the Amiga at 14MHz. The ACA1234 uses sophisticated acceleration on chip ram access that relies on the base frequency of the Amiga to be either 28.37516MHz (for PAL machines) or 28.63636MHz (for NTSC machines).


    If the oscillator does not come up in time, the frequency measurement may fail. Note that these canned oscillators have to be considered mechanical devices: They may fail if they're hit hard or the board has fallen on the ground at some point.


    Quote from corncob

    and that also wouldnt explain why it works sometimes and not others? it always boots at 25mhz. it does not boot at all at 33mhz and at 40mhz its intermittent

    What's the warranty ID of that card? You've bought it used, so it may have a history that has led to this behaviour.


    Quote from corncob

    50mhz multi-hour lha decrunch is stable (still going after 4-5 hours) but im reluctant to upgrade the licence only to find another red screen.

    Right, let's fix the other problem first. If starting at 33MHz fails, it indeed indicates that the board frequency of the A1200 is off, or the 50MHz oscillator of the ACA1234 is off (that's the "source frequency" that everything is checked against).


    I take it that this A1200 is the only one you have?


    Jens


    where would i find the warranty id?


    yes, its the only amiga i have


    edit - i think i found something in acatool. --- hT86Q

    is that the warranty number?

    1. ACAtool displays the warranty ID.

    2. there's a silver sticker on the card itself, along with a 2D-barcode

    3. there's a sticker on the side of the retail box, along with a 1D-barcode


    Naturally, all should show the same 5-digit alphanumeric code. Please mind upper/lower case.


    Jens

    hT86Q


    thats what acatool displays


    person that sold the card, said it worked perfectly at 40mhz for months before he decided to sell it

    That card was originally a 25MHz card, but it has an F91C mask set, so the CPU should be good up to 50MHz. Card passed QC on December 27th, 2021 and was originally shipped with the latest CPLD and wire patch installed, no none of the cards that were upgraded by the earlybird buyers.


    I can also confirm the 40MHz overclocking license. Note that if you overclock the card, the only thing that is operated "out of spec" is the CPU. All other components are operated within specification, no matter what frequency you run the card at.


    I'll check the database for past repair services on this card tomorrow - database server is already shut down for today. However, at this point I'd really search for a problem in the A1200 itself. I understand that you don't want to spend any more money, but maybe you can be convinced to get at least a USB-TTL serial converter and cables, so you can read the error message (if any) that the ACA1234 sends on it's serial port.


    Jens

    Quote from Jens

    I'll check the database for past repair services on this card tomorrow - database server is already shut down for today. However, at this point I'd really search for a problem in the A1200 itself. I understand that you don't want to spend any more money, but maybe you can be convinced to get at least a USB-TTL serial converter and cables, so you can read the error message (if any) that the ACA1234 sends on it's serial port.


    Jens


    i dont mind spending money on those cables. thats a small amount

    but the ebay code you gave doesnt work for me, no results found.

    a link to something so i can then source it from ebay or amazon would be nice, thanks


    is there any diagnostic software i can run on the default amiga to help find the problem?


    i will also add that i had a tf1230 card before i got the aca1234. the tf1230 did not work - but the seller confirmed it did when he checked it after i returned it.


    could it be something small like the edge connector being bad? or the amiga 1200 having no top shield?

    Thanks - I had not put the link in, as that could be taken as an endorsement of the seller, which I don't know and therefore cannot recommend. However, since they accept PayPal and you can always get your money back if something is wrong, this is OK (and the link will expire in a week or two anyway, so another thanks for taking the time to upload the picture).


    Jens

    Fair enough re: perception of endorsement. Just wanted to make it clear that the information you provided was valid and if nothing else could provide a starting-off point for the search for a similar item from elsewhere perhaps.