TF536 Problems with Amiga and WHDLoad

[duncan.gibb]

Awright guys.

I got a TF536, and have had nothing but grief with it, it get constant errors telling me that the ROM file needed by WHDLoad are corrupt, or other errors, like Autovector errors, which i can deal with, it seems to be very picky about what IDE to CF adapters it will use, and what CF cards it likes. I have done several fresh installs today, to try to get this thing working, and every time i take the CF card out, and try it in any of my other 2 Amiga 500's, it works fine, no corrupt files. The last time i seen anything like this, was on an ACA1230, where it had been overclocked, and when it was really pushed, it became picky about what cards it would use, and i got the same corruption messages

can anyone help please? i don't want to send this back, it's a lovely card.

nae bother.

[terriblefire]

I'd start by running AmigaTestKit from floppy. Then double check you have the MaxTransfer set correctly.

I have about 8 different CF brands and they all work fine.. So i'd suspect a physical issue like a bad cheap adaptor so some other issue.

[go0se]

Hi Duncan,

A few questions:

What revision of A500 are you using it on?
What ROM version?
Does the 536 have the three IDE buffer chips installed or not?
What brand(s) of CF cards are you using?
What type of CF adapters are you using?
What CPU is in the 536?

Can you upload some photos of the whole setup?

Cheers.

[duncan.gibb]

Thanks for that big man, i have tried 4 different CF card to IDE adapters, stuff that works faultlessly for ages in other Amigas. I can setup an OS in UAE, and then try it on the TF536 Amiga and i just get a black screen, and that's with EVERY CF to IDE adapter. I was advised to install MMULibs, as this would cure all ills, no change at all, occasional crashing now, with the odd bit of graphic corruption, i don't know what the CPU was originally, but it's not a ceramic package, so could be anything.

[terriblefire]

Thanks for that big man, i have tried 4 different CF card to IDE adapters, stuff that works faultlessly for ages in other Amigas. I can setup an OS in UAE, and then try it on the TF536 Amiga and i just get a black screen, and that's with EVERY CF to IDE adapter. I was advised to install MMULibs, as this would cure all ills, no change at all, occasional crashing now, with the odd bit of graphic corruption, i don't know what the CPU was originally, but it's not a ceramic package, so could be anything.

Its either a solder fault or a really nasty CPU i'd guess then.

Still worth checking out AmigaTestKit,...

MMULib will cure performance issues on 030 systems.. But not this kind of fault.

[duncan.gibb]

thanks for chiming in Goose

Amiga A500+ Issue 8A, recapped, with 1MB Chip RAM upgrade as per, powered by a SFF ATX PSU 150W, wired into the Amiga power connector
Kickstart version 3.1
i have no idea on the buffer chips, will take a pic
9 Sandisk CF cards, from 4GB to 32GB, 2 Trascend 100X 4GB, 8GB
Various types of CF adapters, they have no name on them. can take a wee pic if needed
CPU? dunno, its clocked @ 50Mhz, but it came with a very small fan and heatsink, that i put on it. Black, not ceramic.


thanks again

[go0se]

The issue sounds more fundamental but on the occasions that you can get an image to boot, if you uncomment NoAutoVec in S:/WHDLoad.prefs do the autovector errors go away when you attempt to start a game?

If the CPU is/was a plastic package EC then installing MMULib won't do anything as there's no MMU to manage...

[duncan.gibb]

Thanks for that big man, i have tried 4 different CF card to IDE adapters, stuff that works faultlessly for ages in other Amigas. I can setup an OS in UAE, and then try it on the TF536 Amiga and i just get a black screen, and that's with EVERY CF to IDE adapter. I was advised to install MMULibs, as this would cure all ills, no change at all, occasional crashing now, with the odd bit of graphic corruption, i don't know what the CPU was originally, but it's not a ceramic package, so could be anything.

Its either a solder fault or a really nasty CPU i'd guess then.

Still worth checking out AmigaTestKit,...

MMULib will cure performance issues on 030 systems.. But not this kind of fault.

thanks. Yeah, the seller has tried to be helpful, but says he doesn't know much about the Amiga, although from the way he talks about it, he does. The seller told me the card was soaked tested before it was sent out. So it's definitely not the card. i have been on it since 10am, it definitely is.

[PhilC]

The TF536 should work fine with those CF cards, so have a look at the soldering on the IDE header, I've had problems in the past with my bad soldering on those pins. Even poorly cleaned off flux can have an effect on those header pins.

Also I'd be tempted to try changing the CPU if you have a spare.

One other thing is to try cleaning up the cpu socket on the motherboard and also the header pins on the TF536. I've had issues with good boards caused by poor connections on the cpu socket.

Otherwise, good luck.

[duncan.gibb]

The issues sounds more fundamental but on the occasions that you can get an image to boot, if you uncomment NoAutoVec in S:/WHDLoad.prefs do the autovector errors go away when you attempt to start a game?

If the CPU is/was plastic package EC then installing MMULib won't do anything as there's no MMU to manage...

yeah, if i edit WHDLoad prefs, i can kinda deal with the NoAutoVec errors, as you say, by ommiting them, but i still get the aA5003405 kickstart in devs is corrupt, or something, you know the ROM i mean, i am sure you have seen it loads. sometimes if i click retry, it starts, but only occasionally, and them usually crashes, something about at NMI .... if it boots at all, it takes ... 2 or 3 minutes.

i think it's going back to the Ebay seller. Shame