microtech 25-b - 3000 dilemma

Okay I usually fix things myself but after 3 days of repeatingly trying to get my card reader back to work I'm out of ideas...

Here's the deal:

I copped a pretty nice 25-b cased up like a year ago.
I've put it to use and ever since i first set it up it's been my main media for saving beats directly from the 3000 classic.

The other day I was putting final touches on a beat I had to send out.
I power up the box to save and goto the disk-9-4 activate scsi screen as usual. I try activating it but i get the all to known no scsi device found error.
Now I had saved the beat after I finished gathering samples so i know it worked just a few days ago..now nothing. no go and im pretty frustrated as you can imagine.

I've tried pretty much everything so far:

-saved the beat on one of my old zip drives and rebooted the mp
-tried other CF disks in the slots
-tried changing the cards between slot 1 and 2
-tried using one disk at a time in either slot 1 or 2
-tried making a virtual hard drive of my current CF and reformatting it with rohans 32mb image file
-tried my other adtron card reader that works on my 2k xl to recognize or format the CF disks
-tried different scsi ids
-tried adding a terminator on the 2nd scsi connector on the back of the 25b
-opened the card readers case and reseated the ribbon cables as well as the scsi id cable

when I put in a CF the green led for access lights up for a second like it used to and when I try to activate either using auto or the id I have my box set to the access led lights up like every 4 beats when you keep counting.
Still nothing.

I'm terrified. I was so happy with this solution due to speed enhancement, easy access, feeling more secure w/o moving parts or worrying about COD.

I have to load and work on beats I can't get my hand on now, this is a nightmare...

I hope someone knows the answer to this

pz
.toon

wow, 47 views and not one reply

man its just that nobody knows, i guess id prolly write to akai.. lollllll but uve got a 3k.. i have one too, my internal zip disk drive damages cds so i always save to an external one.. but thats where my knowledge stops.. i mean, its pretty technical

maybe it has to do with ur os version... or try to write to that jj dude.. he knows pretty much everything about mpcs haha

c.toon wrote:Okay I usually fix things myself but after 3 days of repeatingly trying to get my card reader back to work I'm out of ideas...

Ok ... well, lets see ...

Here's the deal:

c.toon wrote:I copped a pretty nice 25-b cased up like a year ago.
I've put it to use and ever since i first set it up it's been my main media for saving beats directly from the 3000 classic.

Good wrap for your PCD-25.

A point to note.

Most PCD-25's are "NOT" new.

Refurbished/second hand/etc.

Who knows how much mileage your PCD-25 had done prior to you having it ?

c.toon wrote:The other day I was putting final touches on a beat I had to send out.
I power up the box to save and goto the disk-9-4 activate scsi screen as usual.

You shouldn't have to do this if:

The CF media was in the drive when your MPC3000 was turned on...
...and, the CF media was formatted for use with the MPC3000.

Reason ... the MPC3000 logs in the first valid disk at boot time.

c.toon wrote:I try activating it but i get the all to known no scsi device found error.

There are a few variations of this error.

One is that no device is on the SCSI bus.

The other relates to valid MPC3000 formatted media being present.

c.toon wrote:Now I had saved the beat after I finished gathering samples so i know it worked just a few days ago..now nothing. no go and im pretty frustrated as you can imagine.

This could indicate a dead or faulty CF media card.

c.toon wrote:I've tried pretty much everything so far:

Ok ...

c.toon wrote:-saved the beat on one of my old zip drives and rebooted the mp

...and this worked ?

c.toon wrote:-tried other CF disks in the slots
-tried changing the cards between slot 1 and 2
-tried using one disk at a time in either slot 1 or 2

All variations of the same theme.

c.toon wrote:-tried making a virtual hard drive of my current CF and reformatting it with rohans 32mb image file

This isn't sounding too good.

c.toon wrote:-tried my other adtron card reader that works on my 2k xl to recognize or format the CF disks

...and this worked ? Yes ? No ?

c.toon wrote:-tried different scsi ids

Between power cycles and re-boots I hope ?

c.toon wrote:-tried adding a terminator on the 2nd scsi connector on the back of the 25b

Fair move.

The MPC3000 sends termination power to the SCSI bus for:

a) feeding an end of line passive terminator.
b) feeding an end of line active terminator.

If your end of line terminator is an active type then it's status LED would light to indicate the presence of termination power.

c.toon wrote:-opened the card readers case and reseated the ribbon cables as well as the scsi id cable

Ok ...

c.toon wrote:when I put in a CF the green led for access lights up for a second like it used to and when I try to activate either using auto or the id I have my box set to the access led lights up like every 4 beats when you keep counting.
Still nothing.

Open your MPC3000.

Power everything down and check the status of F901 on the SCSI board.
Use a multimeter in continuity check mode.

If F901 is open then the termination circuitry on your MPC3000 will be malfunctioning.

c.toon wrote:I'm terrified. I was so happy with this solution due to speed enhancement, easy access, feeling more secure w/o moving parts or worrying about COD.

The switch to another type of storage presents different type of problems.

CF media has it's own short comings.

c.toon wrote:I have to load and work on beats I can't get my hand on now, this is a nightmare...

Indeed. It would be a night mare.

Have you tested the PCD-25 on your 2000XL ?

Have you tested the PCD-25 on a SCSI equipped computer ?

Have you tried a brand new card in the PCD-25 ?

Have you tried to fresh format a card again in the PCD-25 with it connected to your MPC3000 ?

c.toon wrote:I hope someone knows the answer to this

Well ...

I go with the possibility of termination power circuit failure on the MPC3000 SCSI board.

Said circuit probably taken out by a faulty SCSI cable. ( short in the line some where )

c.toon wrote:pz
.toon

All I can offer right now.

Rohan.

hey Rohan,

thanks alot for chiming in. I was hopeing you'd see this thread

to sum up a bunch of your re-questions:

nothing i tried worked so far, but i managed to unplug the card reader and plug in one of my old zip drives.
Didnt reboot just activated and tada the zip shows up. trying this with the card reader (all my cf disks were formatted inside the 3000 apart from one transferdisk for hybrid stuff).

I dont have a scsi card in my computer right now - id need to open my puter and put an old one in again. I hope i wont have to resort to this.

i tried the different ids w/o rebooting the 3k since my previous experience was if the card reader was powered, equipped with properly formatted cfs and running i could just activate it on the fly eventhough it wasnt powered up on boot time.

I'll give the reboot thing a try then...
About opening the machine up, I have a technician that looks after my beautifull baby and hes going to do a switch replacement on one of the soft keys next week. perhaps he can do the measuring for me with that meter-thingy.

thanks alot for the input so far!
If you or anybody else come by an idea of some kind please let me know.
I'm pretty desperate over here and ive got a new beat to save and an other new one to make today

oh, and i didnt get the 2000l to recognize the 25-b at all - scsi not found....
I had an idea though, perhaps the cable died? i didnt torment it or anything, just a thought. eventhough the card reader does react to the activation screen with its blinking greed access led. just not by making the 3000 see the device unfortunately...

.toon

damn, you wont believe it....

I was reluctantly trying to activate the card reader the same way I was doing in the last couple days. No mpc rebooting, no etxra formatting...

suddenly its back again. I hope it stays like this, because I cant take fall out time like this on the regular.
I'd be a lot happier if I had found a loose cable or something knowing i fixed it for good...but hell it works again and I can work again.
thank god....
thanks for the input though rohan.
I'll update this thread in case something happens again just for fellow 3k/25-b users.

pz
.toon

Be sure to back everything up while it's working.

Is switching SCSI devices on and off while the machines running a bad idea?

hiredesign wrote:Be sure to back everything up while it's working.

Is switching SCSI devices on and off while the machines running a bad idea?

HELL YEAH! You can blow the SCSI fuse

same thing again,...

been trying to reconnect and power up cfs again. no go
Hopefully ill soon find out if its the cable or the card reader.



.toon

Power everything down and check the status of F901 on the SCSI board.
Use a multimeter in continuity check mode.

If F901 is open then the termination circuitry on your MPC3000 will be malfunctioning.

What is the solution if this is the problem?

deegood wrote:

Power everything down and check the status of F901 on the SCSI board.
Use a multimeter in continuity check mode.

If F901 is open then the termination circuitry on your MPC3000 will be malfunctioning.

What is the solution if this is the problem?

If indeed this is the problem.

Remove the failed SCSI fuse with appropriate soldering equipment, cutters, etc.

IE: solder remover tool, solder removal braid, soldering iron.

Replace the removed component with a new SCSI fuse, preferably a self re-setting type so you never have to perform this type of repair again.

Experience with soldering and general repair work is required.

Rohan.

Thanks Rohan-luckily this was not the issue with my 3k. The zip works fine. Now i'm trying to get the card reader going. Even if i can't copy zip to disk i'll be happy just to start over with the card reader working. peace

same here. if i hook up the zip its activated on the spot.
pcd-25 not at all. access led is blinking during the entire activation scan and stops as soon the timeout is reached. other than that no reaction at all

.toon

sending my spyrus rd300 back to scsiforsamplers to see what the deal is-considering just sticking with the zip-if it ain't broke don't fix it-3.50 is working so hey.......