Master failed ?

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polka
Trump Card
Posts: 196
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:43 am

Master failed ?

Post by polka »

Hi All !

When I boot my QL with the Tetroid CF interface, normally, I get this on top of the boot screen :

Code: Select all

QUBIDE/QubATA Driver - V3.10BT(AH)
Timing calibration >........<Done>
Detection >>1<Done>
CF300s
QubATA Driver started
Miracle Systems       V1.37 C 1984
  Trump Card              896K RAM
CARE/QJUMP  TK2.26   C 1985
But lately, instead, I get sometimes (rather often) this :

Code: Select all

QUBIDE/QubATA Driver - V3.10BT(AH)
Timing calibration >........<Done>
Detection >>1<Done>
Master failed
Unknown/faulty device  (ATA)
QubATA Driver started
Linking WIN1_ failed!
Miracle Systems       V1.37 C 1984
  Trump Card              896K RAM
CARE/QJUMP  TK2.26   C 1985
telling that "Master failed - Unknown/faulty device" and thus, "Linking WIN1_ failed!" too.

And twice, I even got this :

Code: Select all

QUBIDE/QubATA Driver - V3.10BT(AH)
QubIDE not found or GALs error - Halted
Miracle Systems       V1.37 C 1984
  Trump Card              896K RAM
CARE/QJUMP  TK2.26   C 1985
Sometimes too, the QL may freeze in the middle of a session.

Someone tell me what would cause this behaviour ? the CF ? the interface ?

I have to tell, that because I found the 8Gb CF too large to be really useful, I partitionned three smaller CF cards that I had, succesfully : after trying several partitionning schemes, I finally did :
- 24 partitions of 40Mb with 2Kb blocks (80Kb FAT) on a 1Gb CF (1999 tracks : 82 tracks per partition).
- 12 partitions of 40Mb with 2Kb blocks (80Kb FAT) on two 512 CF (they have not exactly the same geometry, one has 1001 tracks and the other 993).

The incidents I describe began to happen after I had checked that everything was OK and already thansfered all my 720Kb floppies to the 1Gb CF (8 boxes of 14 floppies - filling unsorted 2 40Mb partitions). And after I made with the HABI image editor an "image" of the 1Gb CF and one of the 512Mb CF that I use for tests, and succeeded restoring that image on the same 512Mb CF - but not on the other - message : not the same geometry ! So, to move content from one CF to another, I guess that I will have to do it with the files transfer option of the HABI software.

Any Ideas, anyone ? I precise that when swapping the CF cards, I !!!always!!! took the precaution to shutdown the QL before.

May the Forth be with you !

Paul


May the FORTH be with you !
POLKa
User avatar
Dave
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Re: Master failed ?

Post by Dave »

I do not have an answer to your specific problem, but I can add that CF cards are hot swappable by design. As long as they’re dismounted and all transfer activity is finished the devices are hot swappable, or they do not meet the CF spec.

Hope this rules out some options.


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polka
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Posts: 196
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:43 am

Re: Master failed ?

Post by polka »

Thank's Dave !

Yes, I have always shutdown the QL before swapping the CF cards, because, they insist in the "installation and user guide" leaflet of the Tetroid interface :

"Fitting and removing the Compact flash card into the TDI
Before you fit and remove a Compact Flash Card BE SURE TO SWITCH OFF ALL THE POWER TO YOUR SYSTEM!!!"

(capital typeface as in the text)

Paul


May the FORTH be with you !
POLKa
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Pr0f
QL Wafer Drive
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Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:54 am

Re: Master failed ?

Post by Pr0f »

The last error you get suggests something wrong with the interface itself. I think in this design there are no GAL's as such, as the logic is all within the main chip on the board. I wonder if you may have a damaged pin on the CF card socket that might be causing issues and possibly shorting out another pin. Might be worth taking the interface out and having a good look at the CF socket and the board in general - see if you can spot any obvious mechanical damage.


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polka
Trump Card
Posts: 196
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:43 am

Post by polka »

But I have to add that for running the HABI image editor, I use a SMARTDISK "digital photo bank", a hard disk that has slots for CF SD MMC MS SM.
And in their user guide they say that the CF cards may be hot-swapped - even without dismounting the device : it has to be dismounted (globally) only if you want to unplug the USB from the PC.

Paul


May the FORTH be with you !
POLKa
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