1221ec - WHDLoad read errors, graphics glitches. Workbench works just fine.

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.
  • Hi there!


    I just recently became a proud owner of a 1221ec. Workbench is really snappy, and even if I throw everything I can on the accelerator, it still runs super stable. However, Booting up WHDLoad games (one of the primary purposes of the card) I get a lot of issues:


    All games requiring extended memory either can't load or get error message stating certain memory addresses.

    • Alien Breed 2 AGA boots, but you can't get into the game, however, if you choose the character Zulu, the game loads, but the graphics is corrupt. (In UAE the game loads fine)
    • Breathless just quits after starting a new game (In UAE the game loads fine)

    Smaller OCS games run, but starts to get graphical glitches midway into the games (this does not happen without the 1221ec accelerator)

    • Super Cars starts getting glitchy at stage 3. Same place every time.
    • Shadow of the Beast, glitches after the first skeleton boss is defeated. Eventually an error message pops up and I am returned to workbench. Same place every time. All games that glitches out look like Shadow of the Beast.

    Larger OCS games doesn't run.

    • Indiana Jones games (Fate of Atlantis, Last Crusade) can't find certain "rooms" at certain addresses values
    • Superfrog boots, but you can't start a new game, getting error messages about addresses on the slave drive.

    non-WHDLoad Games

    • ADoom runs perfectly
    • Super Stardust HD version only works without the ACA1221ec. If installed, it just reboots into workbench.


    You probably get the picture. I have no idea what is causing this. since the small OCS games doesn't work correctly with the accelerator installed I'm thinking that it might be the accelerator malfunctioning.


    This is what I am currently running:

    • Stock Amiga 1200 Rev 2B 1992 by Commodore. However, I have removed E123C and E125C according to the iComp instructions., since these were mounted, E121C and E122C were not.
    • ROM: 3.0 (39.106) - MX D9350 (c)1992 Commodore
    • IDE to SD-card adapter + 32GB SD Card. three partitions, less than 2GB in size. (This was done in UAE, works very well in workbench)
    • Classic WB ver 28. WHDLoad 18.2 (the one that came with classic workbench)
    • Everything is connected using an RGB-cable to a Commodore 1084 monitor.


    Anybody more experienced than me that can help me find a solution to this? Could the ACA1221ec be malfunctioning? or could it be something else? WHDLoad? HDD sector issues? The common theme is that loading/mapping data onto memory is glitchy and causes both games and WHDLoad to malfunction. Like I said, Workbench and applications does not seem to inherit any of these problems.

  • Your Sysinfo screenshot shows that you're operating the card at 42.5MHz - that'the first thing I'd try would be to reduce speed to the value that's guaranteed (28.38 MHz). It is likely that the CPU just overheats and malfunctions at that high speed.


    Overclocking the 68ec020 requires active cooling and a *very* stable 5V rail.

  • Your Sysinfo screenshot shows that you're operating the card at 42.5MHz - that'the first thing I'd try would be to reduce speed to the value that's guaranteed (28.38 MHz). It is likely that the CPU just overheats and malfunctions at that high speed.


    Overclocking the 68ec020 requires active cooling and a *very* stable 5V rail.

    Hi Jens!


    I have tried all speeds 17Mhz, 28MHz, 42.5MHz. The processor does have active cooling, but like you said, since it could require very stable 5V rail I have tried the other options as well. But the problem persists. I have had ADoom running with the 42.5MHz mode active for over an hour without hiccups. Running the drive in WinUAE, WHDLoad games boots just fine and does not show any artifacts or error messages.


    Another issue worth for me exploring is my SD Card reader. The weird part is that the Amiga HDD LED lights up all the time. I have seen videos of people using the same adapter (and they are being sold as an alternative for the Amiga.... although mine was bought on ebay), but their amiga LEDs function with this adapter. I have the original 40MB 2.5" HDD. When this is plugged in the LEDs work as intended. The only issue is that I have no proper way of transferring WHDLoad files onto the original drive (for testing). I think I will order a new adapter (although it feels completely unnecessary if this is not the problem). Why I am against the idea of the SD card being the villain is the fact that Super Cars, Shadow of the Beast, Alien Breed 2 and other OCS games does work without the accelerator, while causing errors with the accelerator (I have tried these games at all speeds on the accelerator). AGA games on the other hand doesn't start since they require expansion memory. It seems to be a memory addressing issue to be honest.


    I'm running the classicWB 3.1 with the bog standard standard file format. Three partitions. one 259MB System drive, one 1019MB Work drive, and 1019MB dedicated for games. all of these are running on a 32GB Samsung Evo (it's hard getting hold of small SD Cards these days).


    question about WHDLoad (I know it's the wrong forum, but since people are very familiar with the Amiga lineup of computers here). Is it hard getting WHDLoad to work? Or should it work as a "out of the box experience" similar to what it does in an emulator? I was thinking if I need any specific file format, sector sizes etc, and if this is causing error messages and graphical glitches? (because I went default on all of this)

  • I have tried all speeds 17Mhz, 28MHz, 42.5MHz.

    I would have tried 21 MHz as "safe speed" :-) However, if it's all the same, then the source of your problem may be different. Further, are you running the computer with MapROM? Did you activate VBRmove? Are caches enabled/disabled in the WHDload prefs? Are you sure that no software requires an FPU?


    Running the drive in WinUAE, WHDLoad games boots just fine

    This can only be a comparison if you set the exact same emulation parameters: CPU, chipset, CPU/FPU and memory, and of course memory, including addressing "all within the lower 24-bit area".

    Another issue worth for me exploring is my SD Card reader. The weird part is that the Amiga HDD LED lights up all the time.

    It is trie that the LED is controlled directly by the drive, or by the adapter. Please note that we don't do support for those products, so if you believe that the SD-card adapter is the source of the problem, just transfer the file(s) to your 40MB harddrive and see if it persists.


    I'm running the classicWB 3.1

    ...so an unofficial compilation of files, not the true standard installatino as it comes from the installation disks. Granted, the emulation runs it, and if you really set the same chipset/CPU/FPU/RAM settings, it should work on the real machine as well.


    question about WHDLoad (I know it's the wrong forum, but since people are very familiar with the Amiga lineup of computers here). Is it hard getting WHDLoad to work? Or should it work as a "out of the box experience" similar to what it does in an emulator? I was thinking if I need any specific file format, sector sizes etc, and if this is causing error messages and graphical glitches? (because I went default on all of this)

    You might want to try a MaxTransferSize setting of 64k or less. The SD-card adapter is likely to have a very small buffer, so it probably can't handle anything larger than 64k.


    It seems to be a memory addressing issue to be honest.

    That should be easy to find out; run a memory test program on the real machine.

  • I would have tried 21 MHz as "safe speed" :-) However, if it's all the same, then the source of your problem may be different. Further, are you running the computer with MapROM? Did you activate VBRmove? Are caches enabled/disabled in the WHDload prefs? Are you sure that no software requires an FPU

    Yes, I tried that as well. 21MHz, MapROM, even the unprotected mode. When using ACATune -VBRmove it identifies the accelerator as a 1230 @ 28 MHz (!) (no matter the clock speed) and tries to add 62MB of fastmem, The A1200 freezes shortly, goes into Guru Meditation and then reboots. This is kind of weird since I have a 1221ec.


    ...so an unofficial compilation of files, not the true standard installatino as it comes from the installation disks. Granted, the emulation runs it, and if you really set the same chipset/CPU/FPU/RAM settings, it should work on the real machine as well.

    I am going to format everything and try to run clean install of WB3.1 and clean install of WHDLoad, and then clean install of games through WHDLoad installers and only using no-intro ipf-files. But yeah, it will probably take a few days before I have time for that. xD I think this is easier since I have no way of transfering between the old IDE harddrive and my PC.


    You might want to try a MaxTransferSize setting of 64k or less. The SD-card adapter is likely to have a very small buffer, so it probably can't handle anything larger than 64k.

    Where do I set this up? I added it to WHDLoad.prefs. but yeah, problem still remains.

    This can only be a comparison if you set the exact same emulation parameters: CPU, chipset, CPU/FPU and memory, and of course memory, including addressing "all within the lower 24-bit area".

    It's kind of hard getting the exact same configuration since you don't have detailed control over clockspeed. just cycle exact or "fast as possible" or by multiplier.


    I will try some further investigation down the road, thanks for the help Jens, let me know if the ACATune thing is weird, since it does not recognize my accelerator as the "right one".

  • When using ACATune

    ACAtune is not for the ACA1221ec. Only use the library-based tools. We do have a GUI tool in the works that will go online tonight or tomorrow, but you can surely already download the ACA1221ec tools, such as the flashtool and the clock setting/Maprom tools.


    Where do I set this up?

    MaxTransfer is a setting of HDToolbox.

  • For the HD light, this is a common 'problem'. Adapters to fix this issue are available at some amiga webstores. I use these in all my amiga 1200 and 600's. Nice thing --at least for me--is that the angle gets towards the PCMCIA slot just above the capacitors left to the IDE port.

  • GUI tool for ACA1221ec and ACA1233n is now online: http://wiki.icomp.de/wiki/ACA1221ec#software


    This will, however, not change anything on the MaxTransfer setting. You need to start HDToolbox, partition drive, tag "advanced options", click on "change" (button under the "file system"), set MaxTransfer to 0xfffe. Leave with "OK", go back to the main screen with another click on "OK", then click "save changes to drive". Now restart the computer, so the new setting is read from the RDB of the card.

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