X-Mass help please

[netmercer]

Hello CraigsBar,
my PSU comes from an Iomega Zip Drive too, but delivers only 1A 

Would you please describe your power switch on process / configuration?

[CraigsBar]

Hello CraigsBar,
my PSU comes from an Iomega Zip Drive too, but delivers only 1A 

Would you please describe your power switch on process / configuration?

mine is a SCSI zip drive power brick, and is about the largest I have ever owned lol. Anyway, yes my power on order is....

Mother 4x
Cm14
464+64Plus.

[TotO]

1A is enough to power all the MX4 boards, than should not excess 500mA.
Can you check with a voltmeter if the CPC is back-powered by it, if not turned on?
Can you check if there is 0V between your PSU GND and the CPC GND. (linked)

[Bryce]

Shouldn't there always be 0V between the two GND points?? Surely you haven't put a diode between two ground points??

Bryce.

Gesendet von meinem Motorola DynaTEC 8000X mit Tapatalk 2.

[protek]

Mmm-kay. Sanity check time.

I was able to set up Symbos running nice and smooth on X-mass. Still booting from floppy but that's all right.
I then did some other stuff and transferred files to floppies on my laptop PC.  I went and rebooted my 6128 and ran Symbos from my floppy. I was surprised to get only black screen with taskbar. I then noticed that the card edge connector of X4 was slightly slanted in the expansion port. I made sure it sits there properly and tried again running Symbos. Symbos started normally but without background image and the C drive was missing again. I tried re-initializing it with the mass storage app but I only got the error 05 - partition missing.

When I start Symbos, the X-Mass activity led flashes first very briefly and then it's constantly lit for 1-2 seconds before going off. Also the led flashes briefly, when I try to initialize it.

Is there a way to verify that the X-mass is still ok? What could I use to format the DOM, if it's somehow corrupted?

[TotO]

Shouldn't there always be 0V between the two GND points?? Surely you haven't put a diode between two ground points??

Sure, except if his PSU don't made properly contact into the jack slot...

[Bryce]

Ah, ok. For a second I thought you had offset the power rails!

Bryce.

Gesendet von meinem Motorola DynaTEC 8000X mit Tapatalk 2.

[Poliander]

Is there a really foolproof (e.g. Poliander-proof) setup for supplying a complete X4-setup with power? I think of replacing the GT-65/CTM-644 power supply with a really good 2A adapter connected directly to the CPC and skipping the second PSU connected to the X4... ?

[TotO]

Yes, it should be enough.
Now, I have prefered to add a PSU connector on the MotherX4 to avoid to much current on the CPC tracks... (they are so thin)

[protek]

I've been looking at my X-Mass and come to a conclusion that I need to get the DOM re-formatted. The Symbos mass storage utility no longer finds partitions and therefore can't be initialized, so something else is needed. Is there an utility for the CPC that can do it or do I need to stick the DOM into a laptop and use some USB or CD-ROM runnable Linux distro to format it? Or could I simply use a Win98 boot floppy?

[Prodatron]

I wonder if there is an adapter with a male connector, as the DOM side is female? All USB-adapters I found right now are female and won't fit. If you have such an adapter you should be able to access it like any USB storage device, so no problem e.g. in Windows.

[protek]

I wonder if there is an adapter with a male connector, as the DOM side is female? All USB-adapters I found right now are female and won't fit. If you have such an adapter you should be able to access it like any USB storage device, so no problem e.g. in Windows.

Probably not, if you don't fabricate your own adapter in between. Which reminds me that I do have pin headers with the right pitch. That would probably do the trick.

Is the IDE hard drive caddy connector in older laptops also female?

[Bryce]

Is the IDE hard drive caddy connector in older laptops also female?

The pins are on the HDD, the Laptop side is a socket.

Bryce.

[protek]

The pins are on the HDD, the Laptop side is a socket.

Bryce.

Apparently you also need to make a cable that flips the top and bottom rows in order to connect a DOM using a cable as it is meant to connect directly to the motherboard IDE header.

Edit: Standard Amiga 600/1200 IDE cable with the pin headers added should do the trick. I should have one extra somewhere.

[protek]

Well, this cable should do it. The closest lower pin on the right corresponds to pin 1 of the DOM. On the left the corresponding pin is the closest upper pin, which corresponds to pin 1 of a 44-pin IDE drive. I've ordered an IDE to USB adapter.

[protek]

In case someone needs to get a DiskOnModule connected to PC, here's what you need:
- an Amiga 600/1200 hard disk cable (this cable flips the pins for the DoM)
- pin header with the correct pitch matching the 44-pin connector
- an IDE/USB bridge like here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4TZ1K17603&cm_re=usb-to-ide_adapter-_-9SIA4TZ1K17603-_-Product

Connect pin headers to both ends of the cable. If you have the cable lying flat, the lower row pin on one end should be connected to the upper row pins on the other end. One of the connector holes on the IDE/USB bridge may be filled so you have to remove that pin from the pin header. Connect the DoM to one end and the IDE/USB bridge to the other end of the cable. Make sure that you have the correct orientation. Then plug the USB cable in. Windows should recognize and install drivers for the bridge and the DoM. If there is a volume recognizable by Windows, it should be available to you.

Connecting the DoM from the X-MASS may cause loss of data or worse so do it at your own risk. I did this only because I was troubleshooting mine and had nothing to loose. Think of these rather as generic instructions for connecting a DoM to PC.

[TotO]

For informations, this website offer hi-capacity 44PIN DOM (2GB up to 32GB) that I have NOT TESTED. So, use at your own risk.
Don't forget that X-MASS pinout is inverted.  The key must be cut to be plugged properly.

[TFM]

If somebody would to a test, please keep us updated. But 128 MB are really fine anyway. CPC is not a data-waster like the PC. 

[protek]

BTW, is the file system of X-MASS, FAT, FAT32, exFAT or something else?

[Prodatron]

X-MASS is the IDE interface, the filesystem is handled by the operating system.
SymbOS supports FAT16 (displayed as "FAT" in Windows) and FAT32,
BonnyDOS uses an own filesystem.

[protek]

X-MASS is the IDE interface, the filesystem is handled by the operating system.
SymbOS supports FAT16 (displayed as "FAT" in Windows) and FAT32,
BonnyDOS uses an own filesystem.

Thanks! And yes, I meant the the file system that was on the X-MASS DoM partition, when shipped.

[TFM]

Thanks! And yes, I meant the the file system that was on the X-MASS DoM partition, when shipped.

The native file-system on the DOM when shipped it type &0B, that is FAT32 in CHS mode (primary partition).

[TotO]

mine has all 4 slots occupied, from front to back....

X-mem
X-mass
PlayCity
Mini booster

It works perfectly when power either by an iomega zip drive 5v 2a brick, or a pc atx supply.
I think you have a super diode :p

I have made some tests today with a professional lab PSU (variable voltage) and my CTM (5.2V).

The CPC provide alone 4.9V from the expansion port and the voltage drop to 4.2V (diode) on the MotherX4 slots.
All the boards works properly, because my parts are able to be powered with close to 3V.

When I power the MotherX4 with the external PSU and provide 4.9V, the voltage drop to 4.2V on the MotherX4 slots too.
All the boards work properly and only 170mA is used.

If I power the MotherX4 with the external PSU and provide up to 6V, the voltage drop to 5.3V on the MotherX4 slots.
All the boards work properly and only 250mA is used. The CPC power is not altered and stay at 4.9V.

Conclusions:
- The schotty diodes protect the CPC againt back voltage.
- The schotty diodes allow to use an overrated PSU. (providing 6V for example)
- The schotty diodes should made expansions not properly working using the CTM only, if 4.5V to 5V is really required.

[TFM]

All four boards max 250 mA, that's great! 


I guess when using the Mini-Booster with Bluetooth module it will drain a lot of mA. I can't measure, but I guess so from experience. But that is the power which the Bluetooth module needs.

[Bryce]

5.3V is enough to fry some of the ICs used on the expansions and many in the CPC. I wouldn't do that too often or too long!

Bryce.