Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!dptcdc!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!DavidS
From: DavidS@cup.portal.com (David Kenneth Schreiber)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: MotherBoard(Rev 6) Noise Problem with HardFrame
Message-ID: <21093@cup.portal.com>
Date: 7 Aug 89 04:00:40 GMT
References: <268@syteke.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 50

in article 268@syteke.UUCP, Jim Sanches writes:

>I just purchased a 2000 with a Rev 6 motherboard in Germany and picked
>up a MicroBotics Hardframe while I was in the US.  The hardframe came
>with Rev 1.55 software.  I found that when I tried to format or prep
>the drive(a Quantum-40S by the way) that is was VERY intermittent.  It
>would hang the system requiring a power off or work partially.  When
>I finallly got it preped(after serveral attempts) I found that the
>same behavior would occur during a copy df0: dh0: all.  I finally
>called MicroBotics in Texas and Mike(their QA/QC) guy tells me that
>yes Commodore KNOWS about a noise problem on the motherboard and is
>getting a fix out for it "real soon now".  Has this news come out on
>the net before or is this news to everyone else as well?  If someone
>can tell me the scoop on this and how I will be able to get CBM to
>install the fix without driving back to germany to get it fixed.  The
>outfit I bought it from is just a mail order house anyway(two guys in
>an unmarked storefront).

I recently bought a 2000 from Go Amigo that was also rev. 6.  I also
installed a Hardframe and an 8-UP DIP memory board with 2 megs (I have
a 67 meg Epson SCSI hard drive attached to the Hardframe).  When I used
either one of the boards by themselves, they worked fine.  Together, I'd
be lucky to go two minutes before guruing.  I took the machine in to a
local dealer to be looked at;  the dealer called Microbotics and got
basically the same story you did.  He called Commodore and was told
in essence "what problem?"  So I called Go Amigo and they exchanged my
2000 for a rev. 4.5 machine in which they installed the one-meg Fat
Agnus; this has worked fine.  This doesn't sound like an option in your
case, so I'd suggest either exchanging your Hardframe for another
controller or calling Microbotics and/or Commodore as often as possible
to see if a fix is forthcoming.  BTW, the dealer I took the machine to
tried the Supra and Commodore 8-meg memory boards with the Hardframe:
no problems.  He tried the GVP controller with the 8-UP board:  no problems.
I don't believe the problem to be with the Amiga;  it's with the Hardframe
and/or the 8-UP DIP board.

I called Microbotics, and what they told me is that Commodore had been
"dragging its feet" in resolving the situation, that they had been trying
to work with Commodore for "weeks" and that it was simply "Commodore's
fault".  I find this attitude to be totally unacceptable, especially
considering the lack of problems with various other configurations.
It's the peripheral manufacturers are responsible for conforming to the
computer's specs, not the other way around.  I would strongly suggest
anyone thinking about buying any Microbotics product call Microbotics
beforehand and check for compatibility problems.

                                                David Schreiber
at                                              DavidS@cup.portal.com

-My clever quote is backordered.  I'm expecting it in about a week.