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The latest member of the family

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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 9:15 am Sod's law states that it will be the last component left to replace after you've done all the others, chasing red herrings. :-)
I feel your assessment is correct.

I just did a very quick check and the onboard ram seems to have no CAS. It appears to be present at U35 pin 12 and on the external trapdoor RAM, but not on the internal RAM. The only thing there is RP203. Or a bad trace?

CAS for the trapdoor takes a different route entirely.

Smoking gun perhaps?
Collector of many retro things!
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

OK, ignore me for now, I had the wrong RAM pinout...


:dizzy:


3/10 must try harder...
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

OK, so despite some initial confusion, RP203 is fine.

I was confused because the arrays are not commoned, so it is essentially 5 resistors in a pack, and 2 pins showing per resistor. So 1 & 2 is a resistor, as is 3 & 4 etc.

Knowing that I was able to verify each resistor was fine. I was initially trying to test like it was commoned to pin 1.

Pretty much all that's left is the RAM, and fortunately I have spares.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

And it isn't the RAM either.

I have a hint from another site that suggests bad address lines from U34, so I will check all the connections are as expected.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by HigashiJun »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 2:18 pm And it isn't the RAM either.
No luck...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HigashiJun wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 3:37 am
rubber_jonnie wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 2:18 pm And it isn't the RAM either.
No luck...
No. I tried to get DiagRom running but that doesn't work though I haven't yet tried to put a serial cable on it to see if there is output there, but on screen is corrupted.

I need to get back to the schematics, it's a bit of a head scratcher
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Hmm.

So I have popped in DiagRom and I get zero output on the serial port...

I hooked up my terminal to an ST with diag cart and that worked fine, so I see no reason why it wouldn't.


Oddly, since I replaced the RAM, one is now working, as in it heats up whilst the other 3 stay cool.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by stephen_usher »

I take it that you've 'scoped the bus (at the RAM end) and checked the power and gnd pins on the chips? Assume nothing. :-)
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 10:55 am I take it that you've 'scoped the bus (at the RAM end) and checked the power and gnd pins on the chips? Assume nothing. :-)
I did and all power was good, however I'm just going to buzz out things again and scope again. I have already buzzed out U34 to RP201 and RP202 and they are fine, so I will do U35 to RP203 next.

The _OE connections on both are fine, so I also need to check the inputs to both and from U34 back to Agnus for the address and U35 back to Agnus for the _CAS/_RAS and _WE lines.

Then I need to double check the lines across the RAM. I can't help but think I have a broken trace or via somewhere.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: The latest member of the family

Post by rubber_jonnie »

OK, so I have U35 to RP203 and it's all good. I've also buzzed out U35 to Agnus and they are all good.

Next I need to buzz out U34 to Agnus.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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