Error 43:DSP Control Card not ready, Boot Fail

[Saxdaddy]

Okay, I've been swimming upstream all week with the d8b. Lots of stuff pretty much decided to quit working close to the same time. Replaced the mobo. PS was bad. Patched in a sub PS and am using the momentary screwdriver on the AT switch posts to start. Replaced the DRAM. I'll probably find out that I didn't need to replace the mobo, as the HD became an apparent problem after the mobo was replaced, but a guy just can't have too many d8b spares. Read everything I could find in the Data Base. Cleaned every ribbon connector I could pry loose, and I've reattached the BFC a bunch of times as well as the data cable. Been thru the dsp cable a couple times too.

BIOS seems to be fine, I can access it easily. My d8b is the newer 300 Mhz. Here's where I am currently. If I try to boot normally, I end up with the "Error: DSP Control Card not ready. Last known state reset" notice. Mouse won't work at this point and can't find any way on the keyboard to select "Continue" to see if it will continue to boot.

Normal boot had been a dead end for me. I decided that I might as well re-format the hard drive and re-load OS 5.1 etc. But when I put the new floppy into the d8b, the green floppy light comes on shortly then I get "Read
Error. Boot Fail." I thought it might be a bad floppy drive so I harvested one from another box and get the same result. Are the DSP Control Card and Boot fail related? Doesn't seem like they would be to me unless my hard drive/OS is corrupted in some way. For now, I guess I'll make another set of floppies of OS 5.1 and give it another shot. I don't know much about this stuff. The Data Base once again has been a valuable resource, but at the moment, I'm stumped. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dave aka Saxdaddy

[Saxdaddy]

After a few false starts and a lot of coffee, I'm able to get to 3.0 load screen and the floppy buzzes along doing its thing for about 20 seconds then the monitor goes black. The floppy keeps chugging along for another 10 seconds then it stops and after another 15 seconds the board display goes to Error 43. I've swapped floppy drives back and forth a couple times with the same result and pretty much the same time frame. Pulled a 30 G quantum hard drive with windows on it and tried to format and load floppy 1 on it and get the same result. Not sure if it matters, but the windows hard drive does not open windows, it stalls out on the DOS screen and if I select "known good previous state" the screen goes black but the drive keeps spinning. I believe that the floppies are good, all the files seem to be there that should be. I've written format:on at the end of the system/tools.ini file, but no love. Both floppy drives light up and go, and make the appropriate noises. Both HD's spin. I'm not sure what else to do. I've reseated dram and cables 'til my nubs are sore. BFC has been re-seated more times too. An enigma wrapped up within a conundrum... I guess I'll visit my computer graveyard at work and see what compatible hard drives and floppy drives I can harvest. I'll keep posting my exploits so you guys can follow my bread crumbs.

[synthjoe]

I would have two guesses at this stage: bad VGA card or improperly seated CPU heatsink, that forces the Pentium/Celeron CPU shut down due to overheating after a minute or so. What is the last message on screen before going blank? A picture or something similar would be useful in troubleshooting.

[Saxdaddy]

I get the mixer screen when it finally stops at the dsp error. Wouldn't that mean that the vga card is okay? I'm trying to learn here, so please ignore my ignorance. I wouldn't know an improperly seated cpu heat sink if it bit me on the nose, so I'll need a smidge of hand holding with that one. Is the heat sink the plate that the processor is clamped to? Under the fan? I've probably got another vga card around somewhere, so I can try that as well. I'm off to work for a bit, but I'll post pics after I'm back. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm wading in deep waters.

[synthjoe]

I get the mixer screen when it finally stops at the dsp error. Wouldn't that mean that the vga card is okay?

Yes, it would. Sorry, I understood that you get a blank screen. Forget the heatsink thing, as well.

If you get the mixer screen but no comms with the desk, then you're likely to have some problems with the serial communications. Elements involved (in the order of convenience checking them):
1. serial cable between the CPU and the console (would be good if you could do a continuity test to see whether all 25 pins are wired straight through to the other connector, no shorts or breaks)
2. BIOS settings for the serial port in particular (also IrDA settings!!!)
3. ribbon cables going to the console DB25 connector, inside the CPU (would check this throughly since you've had troubles - mouse - in the vicinity of these connectors earlier) and the console

Let us know how you're getting along!

[Saxdaddy]

Thanks I'm back at it. I'll get my tester out and check the DB25 cable, no sweat. I have a feeling it won't be that simple, but I'm due for a break. I think I can work my way through items 2 and 3 as well. Much appreciated. I'll post my findings shortly.

[Saxdaddy]

Serial cable appears to be good. I've got a tester box that you just plug in to. I have a serial extension cable that I also use. Tested them together and individually. The pinouts for the ext. cable read 1/1 2/2,thru 25/25. But the serial cable reads 1/13, 2/12, etc. then picks up 14/25, 15/24 in a similar manner. I don't think my serial cable is any weird cross wired beast and I believe it is the same piece I used before my calamities, but I'm rooting around for another one just to be sure.

I did have a thought...Do I need the console to do a reformat and new OS on the HD? I'll try to check the other stuff now.

[Saxdaddy]

FWIW I have the same issues whether the DB25 cable is hooked up between the console and cpu or not. Here are some pics with comments.

First here's what I get without attempting to re-fromat/re-load the 5.1 OS.

Get the DOS screen either way to start. Can access BIOS.



Then I get the 5.1 logo screen and eventually maybe 30 seconds to a minute I get this:



Close up of the DSP error:



When I try to reformat the HD and load the 5.1 OS from floppy I get the 3.0 loader screen and the floppy is chugging along nicely:



After about 20 seconds of the floppy chugging along and the loader screen, the screen goes black, the floppy chugs for another 10 seconds then it stops.



Massive bummer...

All the cables seem to be good. I've checked the DB25 serial cable as noted in my post above. I can't find another one at home, but my computer graveyard at work will no doubt have a couple. I've printed out the BIOS info and will go thru the BIOS with papers in hand before I retire for the evening. I'm not sure what to think at this point. I guess I need you guys to tell me whether I need to ship the beast off to S&X for a couple hundred bucks in freight each way, or if I should keep plugging along? I'm considering buying another working d8b and just swap cards around as needed. Just use my existing beast for parts as needed. I'm not doing this stuff for a living anymore, so my need is not critical. If a studio owner posts with d8b woes that need to be fixed so he/she can earn a living, please help them first. I can wait. Many thanks for a great forum and a tremendous resource.

[Saxdaddy]

Bios, integrated peripherals, PCI/PNP, Chipset, power management, CMOS are all as stated in the Data Base. I'm still getting the same screens and failures as listed above. I've reseated the cables, but will check them more vigorously this evening after work.

[Saxdaddy]

Called Steve at S&X Pro Audio Seattle, WA. I bought my mobo from these guys and thought I'd tell them my plight. He said check your com port cables ( com 1 and com2). I think synthjoe alluded to these cables. The com port cables are the 2 cables that come out of the back of the DB25 cable that connects at the CPU. On the inside of the cpu this cable is split into to ribbon cables, each cable plugs into a com port. I haven't gotten home to check this out yet, but it seems promising. I get the same symptoms whether the DB25 is plugged in or not. So, if the com port ribbon cables are reversed, its as if the DB25 cable was never hooked up in the first place. I'm anxious to try this out this evening. Will report back.