Very Computer

Can anybody throw any light on the following problem with hard booting?

(Alternative to fixing it myself is dealing with sole distributor for the  
USA, who happens to be in Canada; and that might mean sending hardware  
back thru customs etc, which I should like to avoid if possible.)

**************************************
        Turn on monitor

min:sec

0:00    Turn on power switch of RPC-600
        Blue screen appears
        Three Keyboard lights are on (Num, caps & scroll lock)
        Fan starts up
0:24    Clicking noises (makes screen blips) approx one every 1.5 sec
0:34    Hard disk starts moving
        That's all, folks!

        ***********

1:00    Push reset button on rear
1:11    Memory checks, etc, all OK except:
                Keyboard is not connected
        One flash from floppy drive
        Desktop starts
        Everything works except keyboard

        ***********

2:00    Click on shutdown and restart
        Keyboard still "not connected"
        Desktop starts
        Everything works except keyboard

        ***********

3:00    Remove and replace keyboard plug
        Only keyboard light now on is "num lock"
        Push reset button on rear or CTL-Break

Computer works fine until I turn off the power.
Then we go through the whole rigmarole again

**************************************

Many thanks,

david pickett (Indiana University School of Music, USA)

Dr David A Pickett
Director of Recording Arts
Indiana University School of Music
Bloomington IN 47405

http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/audio/

: Can anybody throw any light on the following problem with hard booting?

: (Alternative to fixing it myself is dealing with sole distributor for the  
: USA, who happens to be in Canada; and that might mean sending hardware  
: back thru customs etc, which I should like to avoid if possible.)

description snipped...

might there be a dry joint on the keyboard socket..?

Although if there is I am surprised that the sequence described is the same
every time in terms of time...

unless of course you have a cracked mother board, and as it warms up the
board warps slightly - as warm up time will be the same everytime...

have you tried the old Beeb cure-all of removing and reinserting evrything
socketted?

might be of use...

James

: Can anybody throw any light on the following problem with hard booting?

: (Alternative to fixing it myself is dealing with sole distributor for the  
: USA, who happens to be in Canada; and that might mean sending hardware  
: back thru customs etc, which I should like to avoid if possible.)

At a guess it could just be the keyboard - Try stealing one from
a PC, and see if this helps.

: min:sec

: 0:00  Turn on power switch of RPC-600
:       Blue screen appears
:       Three Keyboard lights are on (Num, caps & scroll lock)
:       Fan starts up
: 0:24  Clicking noises (makes screen blips) approx one every 1.5 sec
: 0:34  Hard disk starts moving
:       That's all, folks!

Perhaps the keyboard isn't resetting - usually the 3 lights come one
briefly. Can anyone shed a light as to what the RPC does if it doesn't
get the "keyboard OK" signal? My guess is that it tries another reset
(and hence the VIDC syncs stop briefly), so clinking the montor.

: 1:00  Push reset button on rear
: 1:11  Memory checks, etc, all OK except:
:               Keyboard is not connected
:       One flash from floppy drive
:       Desktop starts
:       Everything works except keyboard

Again looks similar. When reset is pressed, do the LED's on the keyboard
flash on then off?

: 2:00  Click on shutdown and restart
:       Keyboard still "not connected"
:       Desktop starts
:       Everything works except keyboard

The same condition - this has not affected the keyboard in any way.

: 3:00  Remove and replace keyboard plug
:       Only keyboard light now on is "num lock"
:       Push reset button on rear or CTL-Break

Very interesting - by removing the power to the keyboard you have
forced it to reset (as opposed to the software reset which the RPC
also performs). The keyboard _should_ start up with no LED's lit
in this condition (I wonder why num-lock comes on?).

: Computer works fine until I turn off the power.
: Then we go through the whole rigmarole again

Try a new PC keyboard, if this doesn't work, then you're probably
looking at a repair job on the RPC.

Stuart
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Stuart Tyrrell                        |

Room MB/A19F, UMIST, PO Box 88,       |
Manchester M60 1QD. Tel 0161-200-4714 |       Cancel   No   Yes   Quiet
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