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From: davidy@sumax.UUCP (David L. Yee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: GVP Series II/A2000 problems
Keywords: GVP, A2000, 4.3
Message-ID: <1484@sumax.UUCP>
Date: 3 Nov 90 02:17:17 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Seattle University, Seattle, WA
Lines: 67


	(Apologies if this has already been discussed- I missed a few days
	worth of posts, and you know how the traffic is......:^)

		I am in need of some help and or information. I just recieved
my GVP Series II hardcard with on-board memory exapansion. This is the new one
with DMA access. Anyway, it refused to operate with the memory installed and
the memory configuration jumpers set appropriately. If I disabled the RAM
jumpers, or removed the RAM entirely, the card booted and runs fine.
	Needless to say, I was a little perturbed, so I called up GVP today
(11-2-90, 1:30 PST) and asked to see what was up. A person named Gary took my
call. What he told we was this:
	 I have a rev 4.3 motherboard. Gary said that Commodore made a
	   number of 4.3 motherboards without a certain resistor. This
	  resistor is a 470 ohm, 1/4 watt resistor that (I believe) he said
	  was supposed to be connected to the DTACK line of the 68000 (My
	  memory on the DTACK portion is a little hazy, the rest is not.)
	  Anyway, here is approximately where it should go:
	    ________
           |        |
           |        |
           |        |
           |        |       
           |        |     ||
           |        |  R  ||
           |        |     || <-resistor pack 
           |MC68000 |     ||
           |        | ||  ||                    R= location of missing resistor
           |        | ||  ||
           |        | ||<-resistor pack
           |        | ||  ||
           |        | ||  ||
           |        | ||  ||
           |        | ||
           |        | ||
           ----------          Front of A2000

	I hope this is adequate to describe where the missing resistor is supposed to go, because he was trying to describe its location and where it should
be soldered over the telephone, which was NOT easy. :^)    
	GVP claimed that they had been in touch with Commodore, and that earlier
this Monday they had concluded that this was why the Series II RAM's were 
failing. He said that this was Commodore's fault, and that it was a random
occurance as to which rev 4.3 boards were missing this resistor. Now, I tried
checked up on this by calling a local Commodore service center (Butler's
Computers in Federal Way, WA) and they said no way. They had not heard anything
about such a problem, and they were very effusive in their praise for Commodore
and its support/information supplied for the service centers. I was certainly
not going to try soldering on a resistor with no electronics assembly
experience and with over-the phone directions. So, the $25,000 question is:
   *****Is their really such a problem with the rev 4.3 motherboards? I 
hope someone from Commodore can help out here, because I don't know who to
call or email to to find out the scoop from Commodore's side. I do not want
to unfairly malign Commodore if GVP is trying to pass the buck. (GVP was
very courteous and helpful, though.)
	If anyone can provide enlightement or suggestions, it would be 
enormously appreciated. I hope this will help out anybody else who may be
suffering from GVP II/RAM combos. Please email replies if possible, I cannot
always keep up with the tremendous flow of posts on the amiga forums.

				Thanks in advance,
				----DLY-----
				David L. Yee
				email to: davidy@sumax.seattleu.edu

BTW: The guy at GVP that was supposed to have discovered the 4.3 problem with
     Commodore was named Robert. Sorry, I didn't get his last name, I should
    have.