Re: TransWarp GS repair questions

[Conrad <conrad.russo@gmail.com>]

Hey there everyone,

Thanks for replying!

Geoff: THANK YOU!!! I was so concerned that I couldn't find the FPGA program and wouldn't be able to make repairs if it was damaged. This one bit of info makes me feel so happy. It means that as long as the board isn't physically broken it will be repairable no matter what. Thank you again, you have just taken a load off my mind!

Jonas: Hi Jonas! Thanks for putting in your ideas!

old CPU: I am going to order a new Sanyo core '816 from WDC, I just haven't got to it yet. If anyone has one lying around I'd be happy to buy it!

bad Oscillator: As I mentioned earlier, the card came with a suspect 25MHz oscillator that would have had the card underclocked to 6.25MHz. I replaced it with a brand new FOX full size 32MHz oscillator. Since it was full size I had to solder 2 small lengths of wire to the lower 2 leads and then bend the leads almost flat against the oscillator body and then bend them again at a right angle to make it fit the half size socket, and before you ask yes I insulated the leads against shorts on the oscillator body :P. 

Since you get the errors (which ones?): I mentioned it earlier but its way back at the beginning so for those who missed it the errors I am encountering are: Speed Control Error 3 (0503), Interrupt Logic Error 1 (0601), and Slot Slowdown Error 1 (0701).

cracked solder joints: I did find a few solder joints that look suspect on through-hole components, I am going to touch them up the next time I sit down to work on this.

bad Cache: My cache passes all the tests with flying colors. I am planning to replace it with a 32k card with the latest ROMs anyway.

wrong GALs: I am going to reprogram my GALs with the latest set anyway, just to be safe. I am planning to buy myself a universal programmer that handles GALs soon.

I have already gone over the board and removed, cleaned, and firmly reseated every removable component on the board. Any solder joints that look suspect I will go over and clean them up. If necessary I will completely remove the solder and redo that joint from scratch. I have a proper automatic vacuum desoldering station, so I can remove and redo any suspect solder joints with no effort. Also, I will finish up the power supply cabling today and test it with a better power supply. Thanks again for everyones suggestions, help, and support, I felt hopeless when I first posted but now I feel that there is no doubt that with all of your help we will succeed in solving this issue once and for all! Thank you all again for everything!

Conrad