Problem booting Super Gold Card

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Sam-Can
ROM Dongle
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Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by Sam-Can »

I have a Super Gold Card I've been given that on powering up the otherwise regular Issue 5 QL displays as follows and just sits there. If I then power off, remove the SGC, and power back on, there's the usual faux-tartan screen fill and the usual F1/F2 selection.
SGC.jpg
Hoping that one of you more experienced folks might be able to offer some insight please. I'm sensing a possible RAM issue on the SGC, and am wondering whether some contact cleaner and chip re-seating would be a good place to start? As you can maybe guess, I know enough to be dangerous :lol:


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bwinkel67
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by bwinkel67 »

Sorry to hear it's not working. I want friends like yours though that agive away Super Gold Cards :-)


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vanpeebles
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by vanpeebles »

What happens if you press reset a few times?


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tofro
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by tofro »

#1: Do any of the QL chips (notably 8301 and 8302) get (very) hot? Then it's likely you have a contact problem on the edge connector, leading to a failed handover between the two CPUs and, in that course, to both halves of the system meaning to own the bus, resulting in the bus driven from two ends. Most likely, it is the 8301 that gives in the end. I had that in two systems, one had a bad solder joint on the SGC connector, the other a bent pin in the edge connector.

#2: The SIP memory on the original SGC is a nightmare and known to give all sorts of problems, not necessarily the RAM itself, but rather its connection to the board. I've seen a number of broken pins in SGCs or oxidized sockeds with bad contacts. Remove all RAM from the SGC and carefully examine all sockets and pins. Use contact cleaner to clean the socket contacts and pins, carefully straighten all pins that seem to be bent, then re-seat the RAM.
Last edited by tofro on Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Derek_Stewart
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Hi,

Try removing the 68008 CPU from the QL, there might be a power issue.


Regards,

Derek
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XorA
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by XorA »

RGB to Scart cable causes that effect I seem to recall if the resistor in vsync is missing.


Silvester
Gold Card
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by Silvester »

The Gold card and Super Gold card use the QL display VSYNCH line for the floppy driver chip DP8473 (pin 35 DSKCHG/RG). It looks like your display is suffering from a synch problem. I would look at QL expansion bus pin B15 on the QL and the SGC. I can't think of anything else that would cause the problem.

(Edit ; removed line that pin 35 is in/output)
Last edited by Silvester on Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:50 am, edited 1 time in total.


David
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tofro
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by tofro »

A (seemingly unrelated, but crucial) question: How is your monitor connected?

Some SCART cables connect composite sync from the QL directly to SYNC on the RGB monitor, without any resistor in-between (should be ~3.3k, some say 330 should suffice). This doesn't hurt on the standard QL, but may severely affect memory refresh on the GC/SGC. Can you do a quick check whether the QL+SGC works when connected via RF?


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Silvester
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by Silvester »

I don't understand how VSYNCH (20mS) connected only to FLP chip has anything to do with memory refresh? (YMMV)


David
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Pr0f
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Re: Problem booting Super Gold Card

Post by Pr0f »

Silvester wrote:I don't understand how VSYNCH (20mS) connected only to FLP chip has anything to do with memory refresh? (YMMV)

Is it connected to the FLP chip? That seems odd if it is.


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