dreher.net

I have two CFFA3000 cards - bought at different times (one directly from Dreher.net and one from eBay when the runs weren't in production). I've had installing them in my Apple IIs in my "to do" project list for some time, and over the holidays I finally had some time to get them installed. I have an Apple IIe and a IIGS. I started with the IIGS, and plugged the cards in. Since this is a new experience for me, both cards came up perfectly on startup and after I worked out the slot configuration, etc. I was able to use both cards. The older one of the two had Firmware 3.0 and the newer one has Firmware 3.0.2 on it.

I started with the older card and managed to import two 5 1/4" disks into it and worked great. Then I started to import a bunch of copy protected disks and failed pretty much on every one. Not realizing that this was a copy protection issue, I thought I had messed something up with the slot configuration and when through all settings in the CFFA3000 and Control Panel in the IIGS to no avail. Then I went to Google and found a couple of postings about Firmware upgrades.

I downloaded first the 3.1 firmware, put it on a CF Card and booted the old card. It immediately came up saying that it found new firmware and was installing it, telling me to wait 20 seconds. I did. Then I rebooted. Now there is no sign of my card at all in the IIGS.

I swapped it for the newer card, and that shows right up. Hmmm.....

So I tried to roll back to an older firmware, and put those images on the CF card. Since the card isn't being seen at all by the computer, I tried using the dip switch settings to force the firmware update. I had mixed results with this - initially there was no sign of any success. Finally I re-read the documentation and worked out how to read the red led flashes to determine the results of the firmware update. My first check told me that my CF Card had lost its MBR (I'm running Linux on my main computer rig, so it wasn't too hard to put that right there). On a 2nd attempt, it gave me a 2/7 flash sequence which according to the documentation meant that the firmware successfully updated.

But here's the strange thing... After doing this, I have no sign of a working card anymore. Yes, it has correctly updated the firmware. But when I boot, I get nothing on the card. No sign of life at all. If I hold down M on boot, no menu. No beep noise signifying that the computer found the card as I have with the working one. Its like the firmware update has bricked the card.

Maybe I'm missing something - maybe the firmware update has reset my card back to some setting that requires me to do something special to re-enable its settings? But without any access to a menu to this card, I'm not sure how to proceed.

If someone could give me some guidance here, it would be most appreciated.

Thanks
Myles

So we don't solve this twice - is this the same issue?
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum ... te-attempt

Thanks. I did answer your questions on that forum, but the postings require a moderator to approve them so you haven't seen them yet. I'd prefer to resolve it here because I believe it would have better historical significance in these forums once its solved. But I really don't care where it gets fixed - just that it does.

Myles

To answer the question you posed on the Vintage Computer forums, if I do a PR#7 it just locks up the computer. Sits there, no response, no timeout, etc. Also there is no LEDs lit on the card both before or after the PR#7 is issued.

Myles

mylesw wrote:To answer the question you posed on the Vintage Computer forums, if I do a PR#7 it just locks up the computer.

Ok. There was another question... is switch #8 off?

And, now a new question: with the card transplanted the IIe or in the IIgs (VCForum says it's in the IIe, here you say it's in the IIgs) do you have the switches set correctly depending on which machine it's in? I don't expect the behavior you describe in either case, but let's re-check the status of the switches against which machine it's in...

david__schmidt wrote:

mylesw wrote:To answer the question you posed on the Vintage Computer forums, if I do a PR#7 it just locks up the computer.

Ok. There was another question... is switch #8 off?

Yes, switch #8 is off. The card is currently in the Apple IIe and all switches are set to the off position.

And, now a new question: with the card transplanted the IIe or in the IIgs (VCForum says it's in the IIe, here you say it's in the IIgs) do you have the switches set correctly depending on which machine it's in? I don't expect the behavior you describe in either case, but let's re-check the status of the switches against which machine it's in...

The card is in the IIe and the switches are set per the instructions (only when I had the card in the IIGS did I have switch 7 on - its off in the IIe).

Thanks
Myles

What slot is the CFFA3000 plugged into in the Apple IIe?

david__schmidt wrote:What slot is the CFFA3000 plugged into in the Apple IIe?

Slot #7. There is a Disk II card in slot #6. I've tried moving them around and removing the Disk II card altogether. No difference.

Myles

Ok, sounds good. Try this: boot up the machine, get into the monitor, and call the menu system directly. See if that works:

Code: Select all

]CALL -151

*C730G

david__schmidt wrote:Ok, sounds good. Try this: boot up the machine, get into the monitor, and call the menu system directly. See if that works:

Code: Select all

]CALL -151

*C730G

When I do that, I get back a beep and the following:

Code: Select all

C702-   A=AB  X=F8  Y=FF  P=B0  S=EE

Myles

Hmmm. This sounds like the card isn't being recognized. Can you try flipping the switch #8 to reload while in the IIe, and make extra sure the CF card has a good MBR and the firmware you want to apply.

david__schmidt wrote:Hmmm. This sounds like the card isn't being recognized. Can you try flipping the switch #8 to reload while in the IIe, and make extra sure the CF card has a good MBR and the firmware you want to apply.

Yep, did that. Exactly the same results. It shows that it loads the firmware (by reviewing the red light flashing sequence against the documentation), but when I turn off the computer, reset the DIP switches and remove the CF and reboot it, it isn't being seen by the computer. This was the same experience I was getting in the IIGS before as well. Neither computer wants to see the card anymore, yet the firmware does update successfully according to the flashing LEDs.

Myles

Why remove the CF card? What happens if you go through this, flip switch 8 back off, but leave the CF media plugged in? Or maybe try removing CFFA.xsv after update, before power-cycle?

Do you end up with the 3-7 pattern? If so, what if you remove CFFA.xsv from the card, but leave on CFFA.bin? Does that get installed? (You should get 2-7 pattern in that case.)