Did I just ruin my ACA500? :(

[Erik765]

Hi there,


I have an ACA500 with an ACA1232 attached and it's been working great on my A500+ (Rev 8.1).


I recently spotted a Rev. 3 keyboard (with the C= key on it) and decided to grab it. I just got it yesterday and replaced my old keyboard (which needed replacing anyway). Re-attached everything and the keyboard caps lock blinks continually and it didn't boot at all with the ACAs still attached. Well, maybe a bad chip on the keyboard. Oh well, I can worry about that later. I plugged my old keyboard back in but now I'm getting completely random results when I try and boot with my ACAs in. It boots just fine from my gotek without the ACAs in.


I'll sometimes get a blue screen. Sometimes blue will flash for a moment (like it always has), then I get a garbled screen. Sometimes it is blue then black.


It did boot successfully one time after re-seating the ACA1232, not sure why or how.


It never gets past blue any more with the ACA1232 plugged in.


I attempted to use the debrick method, but there is little to no documentation on it. I put the jumper on the debrick pins and powered it on with the menu500.aca file on a CF card in the aux slot. When powered on, it is blue, then black and the drive light flashes quickly and then it stays black. Doesn't seem to change anything afterwards.


How could just plugging in a different keyboard do this?


I pulled out my Rev. 6 motherboard and am getting the same results on that board as well


Another thought is I was using the system for a good 3 hours the night before, but everything was working perfectly the entire time. Could I have overheated something, or?


Does anyone know if the warranties are still good on these (even if I bought them both used)?


I'm so bummed right now (especially considering how much I spent on these 2 cards)


Any thoughts on anything at all I could try at this point?


Thanks in advance and let me know if you need any more details on anything.

 

[CrazyBob]

Hi, how does the system respond with only the ACA500 connected?
Are you using the original Amiga power supply or a more beefier version?

 

[Erik765]

With only the ACA500 connected, it will often be blue, then either just black or a garbled screen.

With the ACA1232 added, it's always only just blue.

I'm using a stock A500 psu (lightweight version).

 

[8 Bit Dreams]

Because of internal clock (and a mistake in rom socket pinout) issues on early boards (v.3 for example) some accelerators are not working!
It's not a bug, it's a feature! Say hello to Commodore!

 

[CrazyBob]

Can you try to clean the expansion pins on the ACA500 and the motherboard itself?
It sounds like a bad connection.

 

[rootboy]

First things first. Put a meter on the power supply lines and measure them under load.

 

[Erik765]

Thanks for the replies. I'll clean all the connections really well and test the power supply.

Can anyone assist with which lines to test and what I'm looking for? Where do I put my probes when testing for the most accurate results?

 

[rootboy]

Here you go:




As for where to put the probes. I don't have a 500 apart at the moment, but follow these lines and test where it's convenient. Check here for your schematics:

amiga.serveftp.net/Schematics/A500+_schematics/A500+_schematics.pdf

 

[Erik765]

Fixed!

I checked the voltage and everything was in the acceptable +-5% range.

I started examining the ACA500 a little closer and upon inspection, it appears as though I must have been a little too rough once when either inserting or removing the card from the system which resulted in a bent connector:



After re-adjusting/bending this back into place, we are 100% operational again. It wasn't easy bending it back, but with a little ingenuity (and a sewing needle), I managed to get it!

Lesson learned- be gentle when inserting or removing cards.

Thanks for all the helpful tips and at least I know my voltage is good as well now.

We can mark this one as 'Solved'.

 

[rootboy]

Very nice!

 

[diskers]

@rootboy
Normally putting a testing device at the beginning of any power lane is not really a trustworthy method of testing any electrical activity behavior on complex electronic circuitry. Anyone who wants to check the overall voltage or current drain at load should do it the end of the alimented circuitry.

 

[rootboy]

I suppose. But it's an easy place to check, and you can quickly see if the voltage is less than spec.