Printable View
Hey guys, i recently came into posession of a beautiful A1200.
The guy didnt want it anymore but hadnt tested it.
Upon powering up everything looks and sounds fine, the floppy drive kicks in etc but there is nothing being output to the screen.
I am using the composite and RF outs and unfortunately dont have a monitor to test that side of things.
Anyone know what may be up with her? :unsure:
Is it a basic A1200, no memory upgrade, no gfx upgrade (indivision or other) ?
If you hold both mouse buttons while powering up can you get the boot menu?
Did you wait long enough? ;)
Seen a few times here and there that people seem to get so excited over their new toy they want the screen popup instantly, while the 3.0/3.1 ROM needs to check a few things before showing the "begging" screen.
No response from holding the two mouse buttons down but i could never get that to work on my A600 either lol.
The rf output appears to be putting out a black screen which rolls much like one of the old TVs when the v hold is out. I tried turning the screw tuner thing at the side of the RF out and it momenterily loses signal if i turn it too far but then displays the same black flickering screen even though its been turned which leads me to beleive that its not the propper signal im seeing dispalyed.
From the rgb there is no signal atall.
I'm not too familiar with the A1200s motherboard so this should be a learning experience too.
From what I can tell it has no mods, the expansion isnt filled but it appears to have 2 ROM chips both of which look to be version 3.0 ?
Ill try and post some pics shortly...
How do i do that? lol.
@Amineo
I take it the scart lead you are using works fine with your A600 my friend.
To upload piccies use the 'manage attachments' button when creating or editing your post ;)
How long is long enough? lol
And yea im using all the same stuff my 600 uses inc power supply. The 1200 came unit only.
@AmiNeo
at the moment we need to isolate what the problem actually is.
RF Issues
you are not able to pickup an RF signal from the Amiga,
I would suggest returning the frequency shift (the screw) back to the middle position, to do this, screw it to the right (no more than finger tight) and then count the turns to the left until thats finger tight. Once you have that number count half the number of turns back to the right, this will put the machine in a default (as possible output)
Now tune in your TV to the Amiga, if you get no response then its likely another problem with the RF unit (its not surprising it very old)
Amiga RGB SCART woes
Now the A1200 is a fickle beast when it comes to SCART RGB cables, infact its a damn right nightmare to find an A1200 and Monitor that play nice via the RGB port.
There are plenty of specifications on how to make your own scart cable, you can also buy them from www.amigakit.co.uk
Try Composite
In this instance I would plug a (yellow plugged) composite cable into the yellow phono jack on the back of the Amiga and then to the TV set directly or you can use a SCART RCA adapter
this will ascertain if there is a problem with the video out on the Amiga
If you have no HD installed it can take up to 30 seconds until the floppy drive starts clicking every 2 seconds which is when the Kickstart screen should be displayed...Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
TC :cool:
[QUOTE=AmiNeo;87710]No response from holding the two mouse buttons down but i could never get that to work on my A600 either lol.
I have to do that all the time on my 1200 I found out just holding the 2 mouse bottons when i power on always gets it..
Chris
Heres those pics, she looks a bit dusty in these but has since had a quick clean up.
And Chris, i totally agree with your sig, lol. im sooo guilty of that and would have every system ever most likely if i had kept them all.
---------- Post added at 18:05 ---------- Previous post was at 18:04 ----------
Hmm. i left her on for a whole 3 or 4 minutes earlier....Quote:
Originally Posted by TheCorfiotIf you have no HD installed it can take up to 30 seconds until the floppy drive starts clicking every 2 seconds which is when the Kickstart screen should be displayed...Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
TC :cool:
---------- Post added at 18:10 ---------- Previous post was at 18:05 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetr0
Zetro, i currently have 2 connections, one of which impliments the yellow socket but is a yellow (white and red too) to scart. is this not composite? or RGB?
The other is the RF and im currently attempting to find teh default position as per your guide.
Thats Composite output from the Amiga, the only way to get RGB would be to use the dedicated 23pin Video port next to the composite (to the right in the photo)
Its important to note that the composite encoder chip can suffer a bit from bad capacitors as such you will get no picture on the composite or the RF.
If with this cable you are not getting any picture from any other machine I would suspect either the cable or the TV site to be honest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetr0
But both cable and TV are working fine on my A600...
Am i looking at a caps problem then?
---------- Post added at 18:34 ---------- Previous post was at 18:19 ----------
I just tried on a whim, plugging my A600 harddrive (with workbench 2.05 installed) into the 1200. It seems to be acting a little differently.
Upon power up i get a quick grey screen before the constant black screen, which appears to be more normal than an instant rolling black screen.
Gonna try reseating the ROM chips...
---------- Post added at 18:41 ---------- Previous post was at 18:34 ----------
No change... but i tried taking the hard drive back out and its back to the rolling black screen... Adding the hard drive seems to affect it somehow.
---------- Post added at 18:49 ---------- Previous post was at 18:41 ----------
:(:(:(
---------- Post added at 18:51 ---------- Previous post was at 18:49 ----------
I just noticed theres actually no floppy seek either, it just ticks once when the power first gets switched on. No different response with a disk in either.
---------- Post added at 19:06 ---------- Previous post was at 18:51 ----------
Pulled roms out again, swapped them around and now its a constant grey screen... not sure if its light or dark grey though... its hard to tell
I would say that this is a more serious pre-post/posting problem to behonest.
As you have reseated the ROM's then realistically the next step is to replace the caps and test.
do one at a time - start with the power in area - if you notice any dull leads (of the smd caps) replace these units first.
To get the right caps, Cosmo's is offering kits to that will replace all the caps in the A1200 on here =)
... this means ill need to buy that new iron sooner than planned. I spent so much getting the 600 working that i just dont think i have the funds at the moment. :(.
This sucks... lol. If id have known i was to come into posession of a 1200 i would have left the 600 as it was.
Ok, thanks for the help guys, i may have to leave this to one side for a bit...
:|
It might be worth checking the pcmcia slot for bent pins, just on the off chance that it got rammed with something non pcmcia shaped.:unsure:
'how would this affect booting?
Should the 3.0 roms work in an a600? because im getting the same problems using them in it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
errr......
Are you saying that you are using an A600 Kickrom in an A1200 ?!?!?
if thats the case then no wonder its not working.
You need specific A1200 Kickrom(s) as there are two ROMs, in the A600 there is only 1 kickrom (larger size)
If you need A1200 3.0 Kickroms then please hit me up on a PM I have a spare set you can have for gratis. (thats free =)) just sort out postage and we are square =)
If a 5v pin is touching a ground pin in the pcmcia it will stop the amiga from booting.
The A1200 3.0 roms wont work in a 600.
---------- Post added at 20:29 ---------- Previous post was at 20:25 ----------
According to the pic he has
Kickstart V3.0 (39.106) 391524-01 A1200 (ROM 0) Kickstart V3.0 (39.106) 391523-01 A1200 (ROM 1)
no no, it came with 3.0s but i tried swapping them out both ways (a600 ROM in 1200 and 1200 ROM in a 600) and the 600 is giving the same output with the 1200s ROM.
Ive heard of people using 3.1 rom in a 600, shouldnt a 3.0 rom work too?
My logic was to make sure the 1200s ROMs were working ok, and i tried the 600s ROM in the 1200 cos i happened to have 2 of them that i know definately work.
I have no way of testing the 1200s 3.0 ROMs if they wont work on a 600.
---------- Post added at 20:32 ---------- Previous post was at 20:29 ----------
I will check the pcmcia slot...
a1200 roms are totally different than a600.
a600 is single rom.
a1200 is dual roms. not 2 of same rom, 2 make a whole.
Also, make sure they are installed the correct way around.
pcmcia pins look fine.
Amineo, the 1200 roms will not work in the 600 and the 600 roms wont work in the 1200.
I also have a fully working set of 3.0 roms i can gift you if zeets is unable to produce the goods :lol: (very unlikely i know).
Mike
lol well if the ROMS were the problem id have expected the red screen to signify that but as the 600 gives the same output when its ROM is wrong... its got me wondering if it could be the ROM.
i have an rgb (23 pin video port) to scart cable that i have no use for as it has no audio on it if you want it i can send it you for the cost of postage.
Its a little worse for wear but it works with my 1200.
At least it will allow you to test the video port
@AmiNeo
A red screen is not nessasary a BAD rom - infact in the A1200 a BAD rom is normally a black screen.
A red screen is usually reserved for problems with devices that fail auto config / initilization state - like accelerators / adapters - zorro cards etc.
Its important to understand the A1200 is a completely different beast of a machine than that of the A600
For one the A600 is 16bit and the A1200 is 32bit, now this translates to how it deals and processes its data - as such it uses 2x 16bit ROM's as 32bit words (i.e. each data fetch is 32bits) - On the A600 its data fetch is 16 bits - the only exception to this is the CD32.
Its important to note that the ROM(s) in the A1200 is right aligned - thats to say that with the rear ports at the back the rom must be placed furthest right in the socket.
have a close look at this picture
Its imperative that the ROMs are align in such a fashion or they will be destroyed - if this happens even for a second, then you will need to replace the ROMs.
Heres a pic of the output im getting...
This is on both composite and RF and the lines flicker as if the screen is rolling...
Ok i assumed that amiga may have just gone with the same codes throughout the family.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetr0
As for the ROMs seating, thats how they are, check my pics on the first page :)
Amineo as above if you can cover the cost of postage i can send you a scart cable that will plug directly into the 23 pin video port (on any amiga model) and the other end into a scart socket on a tv.
I can also send some known working 3.0 roms in the package if you want them.
Mike
If you guys are offering free stuff to test it out i would gladly accept.
I have to say this really is the most awesome place on the interwebs :lol:
=D
hit me up with your postage deet on PM AmiNeo
well the roms i'm offering are the same as zetr0 is offering but there's no point us both sending you the same thing so if Z doesnt mind i'll send you the roms along with the scart cable.
@scrappy
there you go - job done and sorted =)
Scrappy for the win! =D
@Thanks Z, no point him paying out postage for 2 of the same thing lol
@Amineo i'll get them posted tomorrow as i have your address from the 600 motherboard and due to the low cost (shouldnt be a lot for a cable and roms) i'll even cover the postage for you.
Mike
sweet crappy, cheers, i owe you one!
:thumbsup:
Crappy lol theres a new name :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
It shouldnt matter which of the 3.0 roms are ontop right? I wonder if maybe 1 of them works and teh other doesnt, cos when i swap them around (put the top one in the bottom socket and the bottom one in the top socket) the screen stops doing that rolling thing and just remains black.
---------- Post added at 21:25 ---------- Previous post was at 21:25 ----------
Damn keyboard! ROFL sorry bud! :lol:
i believe but i'm not positive they have to be in a certain orientation
They have to be seated at the far right and with the higher numbered one (391524-01) at in the top socket and the lower numbered (391523-01) in the bottom socket.
ah then that may explain the difference... I take it they were only ever released as sets then? Well i suppose originally they were never intended for use outside the factory...
you've been swapping the roms over between sockets? nnoooooooo!!!!
ummm they should be fitted like this
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showha...gi?HARDID=1459
notice the orientation in the 1st picture (empty slots to the left as you look at them)
also check which number you have in which slot
cheers, JuvUK
not swapping sockets, lol just rom chips...
And yea if you look on teh first page i posted pics of the roms i have in the board.
---------- Post added at 23:29 ---------- Previous post was at 23:28 ----------
the pics show how they were when i received it.
@ AmiNeo
If Scrappy's ROMs prove to work and yours are knackered, I have a spare set of 3.0 ROMs you can have for the cost of postage, or alternatively, I can send my set to Scrappy, it's just as broad as long.
@merlin my roms are not needed, i've just upgraded to 3.1 so AmiNeo can keep both the roms and scart i'm sending him.
Mike
well if they do work id be happy to pay scrappy a small sum for them.
If they dont it might be worth me looking into finding a new motherboard sometime... I just dont have the right tools for changing caps myself, especially the ones that are really packed together.
...Atleast until i get myself another precision iron.
heres a link to a quick vid with the fault.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ttC9-I7NOc
Typical fault caused by bad capacitors. Replace the set your self or send it to someone skilled to do it for you.
A set of capacitors is very cheap and will cure the board.
For example, our Zetr0 here is a champion and is one of the best hardware guys in UK. Nut I think he is pretty busy with other Amiga hardware right now.
So your options is wide -1. Ask for help and you shall receive. :)
For the A1200's I have owned, and the one I have now, on power-up the power LED light increases intensity in 2 stages to full brightness just as the unit is ready to boot from HDD or floppy.
The A1200 in the you tube video doesnt do this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkauer
Hmm, its definately the capacitors then?
Who else can do 1200s? I've overspent already but id really love to get this working... :help:
so your a1200 still not work ???Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeoQuote:
Originally Posted by rkauer
Hmm, its definately the capacitors then?
Who else can do 1200s? I've overspent already but id really love to get this working... :help:
i can give it a try to fix your a1200 ( www.amiga-digital.nl ) if you like it
How much you ask for the job? I'd really prefer someone in the UK to be honest, shipping on an A1200 would be huge outside the country.