ACORN A5000 inbound

[HigashiJun]

@rubber_jonnie

A non twisted flat cable, tried on both connectors.

The issue is somewhere else, as I have no floppy icon on the taskbar.

Even with no floppy connected, the icon should visible.

[rubber_jonnie]

@rubber_jonnie

A non twisted flat cable, tried on both connectors.

The issue is somewhere else, as I have no floppy icon on the taskbar.

Even with no floppy connected, the icon should visible.

Ok.

Out of curiosity, have you gone into 'Configuration' and looked at the number of floppy drives set? IIRC mine did automatically show up, as you suggest, when I first got it to boot, but there is a setting there that might be worth a check.

[HigashiJun]

@rubber_jonnie

Yes, already checked.

[rubber_jonnie]

@rubber_jonnie

Yes, already checked.

Well that's rubbish...

Must admit the FDD was a lifeline for me as it was giving me flash error codes via the FDD busy light, not sure how I'd have got on without it.

[stephen_usher]

I take it you've 'scoped the signals on the floppy connector?

It could be something as daft as a bad pull-up on the STEP, DIRECTION, SEL0 or the TRACK0 lines.

[HigashiJun]

Well that's rubbish...

Must admit the FDD was a lifeline for me as it was giving me flash error codes via the FDD busy light, not sure how I'd have got on without it.

It just adds more work, and delays the repair...

[HigashiJun]

I take it you've 'scoped the signals on the floppy connector?

It could be something as daft as a bad pull-up on the STEP, DIRECTION, SEL0 or the TRACK0 lines.

No, not yet...

But I will have to check if there's no apparent reason.

[rubber_jonnie]

I take it you've 'scoped the signals on the floppy connector?

It could be something as daft as a bad pull-up on the STEP, DIRECTION, SEL0 or the TRACK0 lines.

No, not yet...

But I will have to check if there's no apparent reason.

May be simplest to start by buzzing out all the pins and tracing them to their final destinations. A lot will be tied to GND so there won't be too may to check.

[HigashiJun]

It's been a while since my last post on this thread.

Just a little update concerning the RAM.

If you remember, 2MB was factory fitted in my Archie but only 1MB was recognized and the 2MB RAM expansion was not recognized either.

So I de-soldered all the RAM chips fitted on the motheboard and soldered new chips in order to have 4MB:

4MB.JPG

All the RAM is now recognized and the A5000 proudly shows off '4096 MB' during boot.

(My guess is that a chip was faulty and was preventing the machine from having all its memory seen).

Next step will be adding the IFEL 4MB expansion, to have a total of 8MB:

IFEL.JPG

And I also have to sort the non working FDD issue...

:x

[rubber_jonnie]

@HigashiJun

That IFEL expansion is interesting, does it give you a 2nd MEMC IC to allow for 8Meg?