Toaster Problems, HELP!

[mikerm]

My toast is coming out with Amiga checkmark images burned in them...

But seriously, I got this Amiga 4000T a while back, and it's a full on toaster box. It has all the trimmings from an accelerator to the toaster and flyer, even a TBC.

Before I bought it, the guy had it hooked up with a digital camcorder, and it was working perfectly. Now that I have gotten it home and fiddled with the rest of the machine, it won't work well anymore.

1. When no input is plugged into the toaster, the software starts up fine and I get the interface like normal, no big deal.

2. When I plug in a video source and turn on the machine, the video to the preview monitor is perfect. When I go to launch the software, the video gradually gets worse and worse and distorted until it crashes saying "video toaster is not responding". This is with a Super Nintendo or an NTSC pattern generator.

3. Per http://www.rabayjr.com/Amiga/Flyer_Faq/toaster/cfnew.html I have done the center frequency adjustment, and the most I can get from it seems to be -2.0v/-1.9v before it jumps to -3v. Video stays the same, complete trash.

4. I took the toaster card out and re-seated all of the cards and connections. I also cleaned the board up with contact cleaner and reseated the jumpers, with no change. I did not re-seat the PLCC chips (unless someone really thinks that's what the problem, I have a plcc puller, just really shy).

I haven't touched the other adjustment that's by it, since I had been told to never touch it, but I have to wonder if the guy before me did to get his video cam image stable? I'm not sure.

I have run the snes through the TBC (which seems to be having issues of it's own) which still produced great video, but the toaster acts the same.

Anyone have any ideas at all? I'm not sure what all to do.

I'm a newbie to all of this, and especially to the video world. Any advice is appreciated, even something seemingly stupid and easy to check.

 

[salaxi54]

This is not going to help, but i wonder how the previous owner hooked a digital camcorder to the Toaster setup.. As i recall, there's no Firewire or similar protocol there.

 

[mikerm]

This is not going to help, but i wonder how the previous owner hooked a digital camcorder to the Toaster setup.. As i recall, there's no Firewire or similar protocol there.

He had it connected by an rca out cable it had (with an rca to bnc adapter).

 

[salaxi54]

Ok, thanks. That makes sense now, so he actually used it as an analog device by using an AV adapter. As about your problem, i fear there might be a heating problem. But as the Toaster is an 'inverted-sandwich' construction, i'm not sure how you could find out what chip/s get hot fast, and how you could probably mount a heat sink or two..

 

[direktorn]

Could be a termination issue or cable issue?
http://www.rabayjr.com/Amiga/Flyer_Faq/toaster/2termh~1.html
http://www.rabayjr.com/Amiga/Flyer_Faq/toaster/sftnorun.html

 

[mikerm]

Well, so I haven't put anything termination wise on and I'm using the same setup he did, same tv for the preview monitor and everything. I tried booting it up without it monitor attached and got the same thing.

I'm not sure why heat would be an issue all the sudden, but I guess it could be? I do have a working fan in the case.

My setup is as simple as I could make it:
ntsc signal generator -> toaster -> preview monitor.
There's no T's or anything. I also don't have any other video cards in there right now.

 

[amiman99]

I have Toaster 2000 that I got in a lot purchase that did not work for the first time I tried it. To get it to work, I took it apart and I saw alot of white residue/corrosion around few IC chips. I cleaned it with alcohol, and then it started to work.

 

[mikerm]

Ah, forgot to mention that, I went to town on it with contact cleaner and such when I first starting having the issue, and no change. It looks new though.

There really wasn't a lot of stuff on it apart for some dust. I reseated all of the jumpers, but I didn't reseat the plcc chips. I don't know where my puller is, but last time I tried to pull a plcc I ended up breaking something, so I'm a little shy.

 

[rkauer]

2. When I plug in a video source and turn on the machine, the video to the preview monitor is perfect. When I got to launch the software, the video gradually gets worse and worse and distorted until it crashes saying "video toaster is not responding". This is with a Super Nintendo or an NTSC pattern generator.

3. Per http://www.rabayjr.com/Amiga/Flyer_Faq/toaster/cfnew.html I have done the center frequency adjustment, and the most I can get from it seems to be -2.0v/-1.9v before it jumps to -3v. Video stays the same, complete trash.

2- Seems like a heat problem for me, too. One solution is to use an internal fan blowing air into the Toaster general direction. Will help on the stability. But IIRC the Toaster takes a bit of time to stabilize and for that the board must heat...

3- Francisco is an awesome guy. Too bad he leaved Amiga long time ago. He also sold all of his Amiga collection.

That said, something is iffy on the Center Frequency circuit.

Newtek still supports the Video Toaster and can service it to good-as-new standard.

BTW: you live in the Toaster country! Go for it.

 

[mikerm]

Interesting, I didn't know they still did... I would hate to ask the cost though...

I mean, I'm at the point where I think it would be really cool to play with it, but I just don't really know if I would ever really actually use it for much. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend a ton of money on it for me.

 

[rkauer]

I think Newtek have a lifetime warranty for the Toaster units, so you'll only have to pay for courier postage (premium postage, as ordinary postal system might break the card. You know how bad common postal system is, right?).

If you can solder I recommend you to replace electrolytic capacitors on the board and hope for the best.

Sacking and re-inserting PLCC chips might fix one issue or another caused by oxidation on contacts and chip leads.

 

[mikerm]

Well, I pulled the PLCC's and starting playing around with both boards, and now both boards, no matter what hardware combo won't let the machine boot anymore. Now I'm dead in the water. Bummer.

 

[rkauer]

Time for a trip to Newtek.

 

[NJRoadfan]

The machine won't boot with the card installed? Yikes. These cards are pretty passive from what I can determine. They don't autoconfig, and they remain transparent to the system until you run the software, which activates genlock mode.

Make sure the cards are firmly in the slot and screwed in. I've run into problems with add-on cards causing a machine to flip out because they decided to run a ground through the backplate (GVP A2000+HC8, I'm looking at you!) Make sure the daughter cards on the Toaster board are installed firmly and correctly. I don't think you can reverse them, but I've seen creative things in my time.

Also don't rule out the Amiga. A tower system should have plenty of power and some decent cooling compared to the desktop models. Something that works fine and than slowly fails as the machine warms up is heat related, usually something pesky like capacitors.