PS2 tool - no network info screen / video signal

With this site I have an unwritten rule not to ask whether people are 'industry' or not, as I'd not like them to end up being hounded or flooded with requests from lets say less respectful members. You'll find in actual fact that there are a lot of competent programmers on AG, many with industry links, genuine industry experience or just getting their foot on the ladder.

Off the top of my head I can think of 5 active members I speak to who are currently in the industry, but I'd imagine there are a lot more.

There are indeed those actually working within the gaming industry at the moment, however the vast majority are enthusiasts who may (like me) be more interested in ensuring that development hardware finds a home rather than a skip!

From your differing time zone statement in a previous post, I'd suspect you are not local to me (Europe), otherwise I'd offer to have a look at your PS2 Tool and see whether I could fix it. As for sticking the PCI card into a PC, I'm not sure whether Unclejun did or not?

When I obtained my first Tool it was as dead as they come! One of the options was to examine the PCI card on a PC, but in the end I didn't as I had no idea at the time whether I'd be able to obtain another card if it all went wrong.

Inside the Tool, on the Linux PCB (long flat backplane on the base of the Tool) are an array of LEDs. If there is a hardware issue that array of lights 'should' display it. They are meant to switch to green, but if one of them stays red then you know there is a fault somewhere. There are other LEDs internally that are ALWAYS red, so they don't indicate a fault!

Also check that the dip setting on the rear of the unit are correct. If one of the dipswitches is 'stuck' between on/off then it could throw up an issue.

 

It slid right out with a little convincing from a small screwdriver. Thanks for letting me know I wasn't about to destroy anything.

Thanks for the offer! But you are correct, I'm not in Europe. I'll play with it a bit longer. Hopefully I can make some headway.

All of the lights are green. So I guess it at least *thinks* that everything is ok. I suppose this means it's either something simple, or extremely complicated. :/

I'll check that next - after I search for and find the correct settings, that is. :icon_bigg

I'm still confused how I was able to get the VGA to come up that one time after I started having the problem. My last thought is that it could still be a battery issue. I popped a CR2032 in there as a replacement for the dead BR2032. It shouldn't really matter as it's only a slight difference in milliamps. The two have the same voltage, the only difference being that the CR *should* just last longer. My local store didn't have an actual BR2032 in stock, so I popped in a CR2032. I just went online and ordered a BR2032 though. It should be here in the next day or two. Could a dead (or slightly different) battery on the PCI card cause the VGA signal to not come up? Or am I just grasping at straws here? I'm guessing the latter, but I really don't know what else to try.

Coincidentally, the battery *behind* the PCI card actually was originally a CR2032. I simply replaced them both with new CR2032's. A BR2032 is on it's way now though, so I suppose I'll know soon enough if that's the issue.

Cross your fingers for me, and thanks again for all the help!

 

Mmm, not exactly!

Operating temperature range:

BR Coin Cells: -30ºC ~ +80ºC
CR Coin Cells: -30ºC ~ +60ºC

Continuous drain on BR is 0.03mA, 0.20mA on CR.

BR = PolyCarbon Monofluoride
CR = Manganese Dioxide

Some useless info for ya there ;-)

Sending you a PM, by the way.

 

The correct battery arrived today and I popped it in. Unfortunately, I'm still having the no-boot issue. I get the one low beep and three high beeps, but never the 5th POST beep. (Except I got it the first time I connected a monitor to the VGA port and then that one freaky time it actually did come up after I starting having this issue) I also did check to make sure that my dips were in the correct positions, and reflipped them all just to make sure nothing was stuck.

As a last resort, I removed the PCI card and dropped it in my PC. Freakishly, the exact same thing happens. Neither the PC motherboard nor the PCI card will POST with the PCI card inserted. Take out the PCI card, and the PC motherboard boots fine. I then tried booting my tool *without* the PCI card inserted to see if I would get the POST beep in a similar scenario, but I did not. Does the 5th POST beep actually come from the PCI card itself by any chance?

So I figure one of two things is possible. Either the PCI card is bad/flaky, or somehow the tool and my PC motherboard need to know to boot the PCI card before it boots itself. Now I'm thinking that maybe when I removed the battery *behind* the PCI card to replace it, that I erased a setting somewhere on the Tool (not on the PCI card) that tells it to boot from a PCI card, and therefore the card is not booting.

Does this sound plausible? Any chance one of you with a set of manuals can check if this is a possibility? I'm really starting to pull my hair out. Or, does anyone have any other troubleshooting tips for a tool that doesn't get the 5th beep? Or lastly, anyone have a spare PCI card I can borrow/buy to test with?

Argh. Thanks again for reading and replying. You all have been so helpful.

 

Firstly, to reassure you, I have removed the battery behind the PCI card on several different versions of the unit and as yet I've not come across any issues. I've also completely stripped the units to their bare bones and spread them across a workbench, which if anything is far more risky lol

All units have gone back together again and worked. I am beginning to sense something vaguely familiar in all this however. What really throws me is that sometimes it works and other times it doesn't, which could point to something like a component issue over settings. Perhaps a cracked PCB, a bad connection, a loose connection, damaged cable that is shorting or something of that sort!

It is SO frustrating to be on a different continent, reading through your issues and unable to assist. I guess I am more useful when I can actually get to the unit and see it for myself.

A replacement PCI card is difficult to obtain and expensive. As I am just off to work I've not got any time at present to write more, but I shall re-read your posting later on and give it some thought.

However, I wanted to reply concerning your second battery issue - it would make no difference in my experience.

 

Ok, I'm outside my area of personal experience now, as I've not yet disassembled a TOOL - but it might be worth reseating the memory DIMM present on the PCI card (IIRC, the newer version of the card has 1 DIMM slot, which I'm guessing is normally populated). On older PC's I've had, just reseating the memory has sometimes been what was needed to get 'em past POST.

Might also be worth checking that the CPU heatsink looks firmly in place - as Parris himself previously had some fun with a cooked CPU (on the earlier version card) -> http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12639&highlight=car

 

Test the memory first of all. You can also remove the CPU completely and thanks to Japan-Games I now know how to remove the style of CPU you have, as previously it looked too fragile and I didn't fancy risking it. His unit turned up with the CPU completely sheered off the PCI!

When my first Tool arrived it really was a pile of junk. The main concern was the PCI card & lack of internal HDD. I got the same beeping configuration as you and no video output, but I had to go back and check against what I had written at the time. It's failing to even initiate the POST and the beeping is basically the Tool reporting that it has run system checks and not been satisfied with the result. Mine would then immediately power down.

It's a shit load of reading, but the link that Limey posted to you details the work that the entire Assembler PS community put into getting the unit running.

Without those involved throwing their hats into the ring there is no way I'd have managed to get the first system running. Since then I have repaired a few, but the continued input from the likes of UK, Port etc is essential.

My memory can be rather vague at times as I was involved in a bad accident, however the other guys put up with having to correct & remind me lol (you get used to that soon enough)

Don't give up yet - it is a frustrating, yet ultimately rewarding system!

 

hey guys, thanks again for the replies.

I have tried to reseat the memory chip. I suppose I can try it again, and maybe take the ram stick somewhere to have it tested. Unfortunately, I don't have another motherboard handy that uses that type of ram.

I'll read through that novel...err...thread as well.

The main question I have for you guys right now is what actually creates the post beep? The pci card? If I can at least narrow the problem down to the PCI card, then I can keep my eyes out for one, knowing it's the bad part, and play around with it (and components on it) rather than the rest of the actual tool.

thanks again all.

 

The beeping thing is complicated, the problem is usually on normal pc's if it boots up beeping it means something is wrong and the amount of beeps reffer to the faulty component.
But with the tool it is by default that it beeps when started, something like bump, beep beep beep: so it doesnt indicate any problems as such.

I would first test some spare memory dimms (128MB 100MHz) 133MHz is fine too if you cant find 100 as it will downgrade it automatically to 100 anyway (if you want I can send you a spare 128MB 100MHz I have here for free) and if that doesn't help test a spare cpu (pentium celeron or III socket 478) that don't cost anything nowadays anyway (also here if you need a spare tell me I have a couple of them laying around eating dust)
But don't ask me about replacing the CPU as I ran in to some weird bracket that I didn't want to break so I never tested it but I guess Parris can help you out with that

If all else fails, you might want to try placing the pci board in another PCI slot (never tested) but I think this should not give any problems and when desperate anything is worth a try

Whatever the case your problem should be found in the pci board as far as I can tell from your postings, if you are at the point of giving up let us know as we found these cards before online (160-400 euro price range) and should be able to find them again if needed for in the lower range of the prices indicated.

 

thanks for the reply port187. I should know in the next few days if the problem really is on the PCI card, as I'll have another tool I can use to swap parts and figure out exactly what is causing the problem. If it is in fact the PCI card, as I suspect, then I'll start testing components on it. I already tested the ram, but not the CPU as I don't have a spare. One step at a time.

thanks again!

 

So I just got a second tool, and I was able to combine parts from both of them to make one that works! Thanks again to all of you for the help you've given me so far.

So, the Tool boots, but I'm not getting the network info screen. I think it may be related to the error I'm getting in this photo:

http://www.4freeimagehost.com/show.php?i=ad3f5dfa8c03.jpg

Does anyone know if this is related, or how to fix it? Thanks again everyone!

 

My Best guess would be some cable is not connected properly so the system (PC part) is unable to communicate with the PS2 side somehow.
*Looking at Parris* as he maybe ran in to the same issue while reassembling his tools.

 

I am stumped to be honest as I know others have reported that they cannot get the Network Information screen to appear, but that's the first time I have seen it fail whilst booting up. Perhaps someone who has a unit (OE I think has a Tool) that fails to report Net information can confirm whether this message appears when they set up their unit or not?

Other than that, sorry, I have no idea as thus far not encountered it. :-(

Also be careful when repairing / swapping out various parts as although they might infact appear to be the same model number, both UJ and I have discovered that changing HDD from one unit to the other can throw up strange errors!

 

Both of my TOOL's 'fail' to show net info BUT niether of them show any error messages.

 

Is that error on the linux side, or the PS2 side? I'm assuming the linux side, in which case it looks like the LAN hardware is not getting seen - perhaps the PCI card needs reseating? If it was on the PS2 side, is the TOOL now being worked on a DTL-T10000 H (ie: the version that is network capable on the PS2 side)?

Can you ping the thing from another computer? That would at least demonstate that the unix side LAN is active.

 

Network is working fine, as eth0 has started succesfully so that shouldnt be an issue.
mrp0 is the dvd drive, so maybe checking if the cable is properly connected might be an option.
But I don't see why your tv output shouldnt work if the dvd is the problem? but it's worth testing.

 

As you said earlier, the PC side can't communicate with the PS2 side, so it's either the serial cable or the pci connector.
mrp0 is the PS2 side, it wouldn't make sense to only communicate with the dvd drive, right?

 

That doesn't make sense you are right, I just noticed the dvd drive led would start blinking and spinning up when mrp0 was called but that was off course the whole ps2 side booting

 

I had the same problem with my unit, exact error. A full disassembly and reassembly seemed to fix mine, Thats a bit general, but it worked!

 

This poor guy is stripping down one PS2 Tool just to have to go through the same thing with another unit!