PCMCIA Squirrel SCSI + A1200 + ACA1221ec

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.

    Hello,


    I recently bought this piece of hardware for A1200


    http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/surfsquirrel


    It is a PCMCIA scsi controller I'd like to use for connecting a scsi cdrom drive to my A1200.

    After driver installation I reboot the machine and the boot process is stuck halfway, Black screen, no signs of life.

    Interestingly if I boot the amiga 1200 with the ACA1221ec physically disconnected , the boot process succeeds, but even more Interestingly, if I boot the amiga with the aca1221ec connected but the PCMCIA scsi controller disconnected and wait for workbench 3.1 to fully boot and only then re-plug the PCMCIA scsi controller, the cdrom drive is automatically mounted and works flawlessly.

    This is very weird because the ACA1221ec states that the accellerator is fully compatibile with PCMCIA devices.

    Some friends of mine states that the amiga1200+aca sometime have issues with pcmcia devices but this problem could be fixed via software, without hardware/soldering intervention with some exoteric utilities on aminet for example


    http://aminet.net/package/util/boot/CardReset


    Another interesting fact is that the PCMCIA scsi installation wizard offers the option to create a boot floppy disk with a pre-made configuration to boot the OS with all I need to use the CD drive.

    If I boot from this floppy drive I hear a couple of ticks from the drive, then the amiga reboots and starts to load something else, i can tell that because the loading takes way longer the second time, but at the end I have the same problem I had when i booted from hard drive, boot process stuck, black screen and no signs of life, i only hear the floppy drive ticking.

    I tried switching the jumper position on the aca, setting it in safe mode rather than maprom mode but no luck, same exact behaviour.


    I'd like to know what is the ICOMP staff opinion on this issue and if they had some similar issues in the past with PCMCIA devices.

    Thanks

    First of all, I wouldn't have expected that any Squirrel SCSI is still in use. I never had one myself, so could not test that with the ACA1221EC. The "PCIMCIA compatilie"-advertising is tested successfully with a number fo networking cards, but can't possibly extend to "all PCMCIA cards", because the complete Z2 area is used by the ACA1221ec. So it may be possible that the SurfSquirrel uses Z2 memory space, and therefore is not compatible with the ACA1221ec.


    Is anything known about the memory map of SurfSquirrel?

    Thanks for the response Jens, actually I really dont know where to get some information about the memory map, I looked up the manual that comes with the squirrel but found nothing.

    I am sure there something on the start up sequence that breaks when the squirrel is plugged and I will try to find it, maybe I can give you a clue.

    In the meantime, is there a way to temprary disable/enable the aca1221ec from software without disconnecting it physically? I hate plugging and unplugging the aca or the pcmcia every time because I am afraid to damage the connector at some point in the future.

    Please try to set the "unprotect" jumper. This will keep the computer from running the autoconfig-ROM, which will also keep the software-patch for the PCMCIA from happening. This may give us a clue if that patch is the cause for the Squirrel drivers stopping the boot process (if that's what's happening).


    You will also not see all memory, but only 1M, but I'm hoping that this is enough for your system to start. If it does, we have a "next clue" and may be able to privide a software solution.

    Thank you jens but as I have already stated in the first message :


    "I tried switching the jumper position on the aca, setting it in safe mode rather than maprom mode but no luck, same exact behaviour."


    For know i still keep unpluggin the squirrel at boot and plug again when the workbench screen is fully loaded, in this way works like a charm

    Hi,


    we've been working on this issue for quite some time now and found that the missing reset signal is the cause for a CNET networking card not working. The workaround is to install the exact tool that you've quoted, the "cardreset" tool.


    So please get back to us with your result after installing CardReset.


    Please note that the computer not passing a reset signal is not an issue caused by the accelerator. It is inherent in the computer, and the card working without the reset tool and without the accelerator is pure coincidence.

  • The last reply was more than 365 days ago, this thread is most likely obsolete. It is recommended to create a new thread instead.

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