Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
Well... Finally figured it out! Found a lose solder blob shorting 2 pins on one of the motherboard ICs. That explains why I've been going crazy trying to figure out why it's been so random and intermittent. Thanks everyone for chiming in, and helping out! On 1/1/2018 6:12 PM, Nick Allen wrote: I spoke too soon, I think simply cleaning the contacts rattled a short and dumb luck made it boot the first time. By pressing the fatherboard I can see characters corrupt when running a program, guess I need to do some more digging to find out exactly where and why this is happening. On 1/1/2018 5:34 PM, Nick Allen wrote: cleaning the connector pins with a brass brush solved the issue, thanks everyone!! On 1/1/2018 5:03 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Thanks for the tips everyone! I can confirm power is GOOD, and the problem persists even without the RAM installed (Just CPU and MP-C or MP-S board). I am going to clean the buss connectors and see if it helps! On 1/1/2018 12:32 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick
RE: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
Unless your storage is very dry and clean, I'm afraid you will find that the problem returns if you don't protect those pins/sockets with some sort of electrical grease. -Original Message- From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Nick Allen via cctalk Sent: Monday, January 01, 2018 6:34 PM To: cctalk@classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800 cleaning the connector pins with a brass brush solved the issue, thanks everyone!! On 1/1/2018 5:03 PM, Nick Allen wrote: > Thanks for the tips everyone! I can confirm power is GOOD, and the > problem persists even without the RAM installed (Just CPU and MP-C or > MP-S board). I am going to clean the buss connectors and see if it > helps! > > On 1/1/2018 12:32 PM, Nick Allen wrote: >> Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community >> that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an >> ask for help. >> >> I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and >> when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting >> it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON >> cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random >> ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing >> this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if >> anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its >> a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS >> reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask >> for some direction first. >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE >> >> Thanks in advance! >> >> -Nick >> >> >> >> > --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
I spoke too soon, I think simply cleaning the contacts rattled a short and dumb luck made it boot the first time. By pressing the fatherboard I can see characters corrupt when running a program, guess I need to do some more digging to find out exactly where and why this is happening. On 1/1/2018 5:34 PM, Nick Allen wrote: cleaning the connector pins with a brass brush solved the issue, thanks everyone!! On 1/1/2018 5:03 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Thanks for the tips everyone! I can confirm power is GOOD, and the problem persists even without the RAM installed (Just CPU and MP-C or MP-S board). I am going to clean the buss connectors and see if it helps! On 1/1/2018 12:32 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick
Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
cleaning the connector pins with a brass brush solved the issue, thanks everyone!! On 1/1/2018 5:03 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Thanks for the tips everyone! I can confirm power is GOOD, and the problem persists even without the RAM installed (Just CPU and MP-C or MP-S board). I am going to clean the buss connectors and see if it helps! On 1/1/2018 12:32 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick
Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
Thanks for the tips everyone! I can confirm power is GOOD, and the problem persists even without the RAM installed (Just CPU and MP-C or MP-S board). I am going to clean the buss connectors and see if it helps! On 1/1/2018 12:32 PM, Nick Allen wrote: Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick
Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
You should also verify that you have solid +8V and +/- 12V on the backplane. In one of my SWTPC 6800 machines, I found that the white Molex connector on the power supply filter board had degraded contacts that over time (a long time!) where heating and actually melted some of the connector shell, made the contacts further crappy and resulted in too much drop in the +8V rail so that all the downstream regulators weren't happy. I replaced the on-board connector with one on wires, repaired the toasted PCB and now the machine runs fine again. The new connector floats in the air a few inches above the PCB and this actually makes it easier to plug and unplug if needed. Chris On Monday (01/01/2018 at 02:17PM -0800), Brad H via cctalk wrote: > > > I had that happening on mine.. came down to a bad RAM board. > > > Sent from my Samsung device > > Original message > From: Nick Allen via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> > Date: 2018-01-01 10:32 AM (GMT-08:00) > To: cctalk@classiccmp.org > Subject: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800 > > Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community > that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask > for help. > > I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when > it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to > successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The > other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters > (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue > that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in > what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor > board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and > diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE > > Thanks in advance! > > -Nick > > > > -- Chris Elmquist
Re: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
I had that happening on mine.. came down to a bad RAM board. Sent from my Samsung device Original message From: Nick Allen via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> Date: 2018-01-01 10:32 AM (GMT-08:00) To: cctalk@classiccmp.org Subject: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800 Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick
RE: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
Hi Nick, The "fatherboard" contacts on the SWTPc can be very intermittent. This also plagues the OSI bus. I recommend a two step treatment: 1) brush the pins with deoxit gold 2) force nyogel 759G (or the successor compound, I think 759G is discontinued) into all of the "holes" (pin sockets on the cards) using a toothpick (careful not to break it off) and seat and remove each card several times. In my experience, this treatment results in a much more reliable system. I've also used it on a couple of S-100 systems where the cards were exceedingly difficult to remove and insert. Bill S. -Original Message- From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Nick Allen via cctalk Sent: Monday, January 01, 2018 1:32 PM To: cctalk@classiccmp.org Subject: Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800 Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Help diagnosing boot issue SWTPC 6800
Hey everyone, Happy New Years! I am thankful for an active community that enjoys helping each other learn, and today I am coming with an ask for help. I have a SWTPC 6800 and ADM3A terminal, I can get it to boot, and when it boots it will continue to boot for several hours. But getting it to successfully boot takes upwards of 100 power OFF and ON cycles. The other 99 times, I get a continuous stream of random ASCII characters (see video link below). It's my first time seeing this type of issue that happens intermittently, and wondering if anyone has any insights in what might be causing this. I suspect its a faulty IC on the Processor board that resets or controls the OS reset, will need to deep dive and diagnose, but thought I would ask for some direction first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci4vhPn-3PE Thanks in advance! -Nick
