New ZIP-GS 7/32: Crashes repeatedly; Advice Sought

[sebugg@presby.edu (Stephen Buggie)]

May 29, 1995                                             sebugg@presby.edu




                NEW ZIP-GS 7/32 CRASHES REPEATEDLY: WHAT TO DO NEXT?
                ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



I have had a ZIP-GS installed for the past week, and it intermittently gives
a catastrophic failure.  Most of the time it works o.k., even passing the
internal self-test, but even from the first day it has given sudden
unrecoverable crashes.   This is very annoying because it forces me to
"save" my word-processing files very frequently.   The ZIP-GS was purchased
new from a reputable retailer, and it is still under warranty.  I am 
experienced
with working with ICs and did all the precautions (grounding on the power 
case,
etc. during installation).  I installed two  8-bit ZIPs successfully, one 
in a
IIe and one in a IIc.   I also installed a Transwarp-GS successfully in this
same IIgs.

When it fails the self-test it does so on a screen with black center and
white surround, giving this error message:

SYSTEM BAD:     0B030000


But _sometimes_ it makes it all the way through to SYSTEM GOOD.  The
intermittency of the failure has made me reluctant to ask for advice until
now.  But now, this morning, I have had about a dozen crashes in two hours
so "emergency room" treatment is needed!  Yesterday it worked fine all day,
about 6-8 hours of use.

SYMPTOMS OF THE CRASH:

       It happens with "Zip Enabled" ---- Not positive but I think it does
not happen with "ZIP DISABLED."  The first symptom is that the mouse 
"freezes"
in the vertical direction ---- cursor will move left and right, but not 
up or
down.  Then, when I try to print or to save to disk, it crashes, with
gibberish on the screen.

MY IIGS CONFIGURATION:

AE Heavy-Duty GS Power Supply    ROM 01 IIGS

Slot #            CARD
======================================================================

1     Parallel printer card  (connected to Quadram Micrifazer 64K print
                              buffer, then to Commodore 6400 daisy wheel
                              printer)
2     AE Datalink 2400 Modem
3     ZIP-GS 7/32
4     (vacant)
5     AE Sonic Blaster
6     (vacant)
7     Apple Rev. C. SCSI card, connected to 41 meg Quantum SCSI HD

Memory slot:  Chinook RAM 4000  4 meg memory card, filled

Other items:  RGB Apple monitor, Kensington Turbomouse ADB, internal fan,
      and also Kensington System Saver GS between the CPU and the monitor.
      Most launches are from System 6.0.1.


The DIP switches were set differently on arrival than the manual's
recommendations.  I reset them recently, but it still crashes regardless of
DIP switch settings.


Any suggestions?   I have had it for only a week and the fault is 
intermittent,
but with a dozen crashes this morning I feel that I must take my word
processing elsewhere!   I have seen it crash only on the word processor
so I will recopy the word processor again onto the hard drive.  (But it never
failed like this with the 65816 or with Transwarp-GS.)

At what point should I notify ZIP company?  Since this has behaved this way
from theh start, maybe I should tell them soon in the event that the ZIP 
needs
replacement.

One hypothesis I have is that with all my interface cards, the power supply
is overloaded.   BUT, I had no overload problems with Transwarp GS which
takes 10 times the power load of the much-touted ZIP-GS.   Also, it _is_ the
heavy-duty AE power supply.

Advice from ZIP-GS loyalists will be appreciated!  When this problem is
eventually solved, I will send a summary report to this BBS on it.


Stephen Buggie      sebugg@presby.edu



                                           |"If you reach into the hive |
                                           | in search of honey, you    |
  Stephen Buggie                           | must expect to be stung by |
  410 Chestnut Street                      | the bees."  (Zambian ex-   |
  Clinton,  SC  29325                      | president Kenneth Kaunda)  |
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