Can't save my beats!!

Hi all,

I've recently had my MPC3000 fixed by Cimple Solutions in the UK which was all good. It turned out to be a power supply issue. That's fixed, great, I've got the beast back.

Now I have a new problem...

I sampled some vinyl, (for inspiratinal purposes obviously ) chopped some bits, added in some kits, copied and varied sequences, created a song arrangement, blah blah blah. I was working for a good few hours. After my neck started hurting I saved All songs & sequences to my external CF card box thingy, all good. Then I went to save the program and red lights started flashing and the MPC tells me there's no scsi device connected! Argh!

I went to disk, option 9, make scsi active and up it popped again. I went to save and the same thing happened again. I lost my samples! (Well actually I then played the sequences soloing tracks into pro-tools) so I didn't lose everything but what a pain.

I took the MPC home from the studio to check if it happened again and low and behold the same thing happened, but this time when I saved just a sequence.

Can anyone suggest any settings I should be checking to sort this out. I'm using Vailixi 3.50 and have 32MB RAM installed and the SCSI is connected to a SCSIforSamplers Spyrus box (I don't know the exact model).

Please...anyone?

I didn't have this happen before it went off to repair but I can't see how they could have caused this but then I'm not too tech.

Did your SCSI fuse blow? Check F901 on the SCSI board to see if it's good.

I forgot to mention that this fuse has already been replaced with a ceramic fuse. I'm not sure of the exact model.

Kazee wrote:I forgot to mention that this fuse has already been replaced with a ceramic fuse. I'm not sure of the exact model.

Ceramic ? Or poly fuse ? ( The exact value would be nice to know ... a picture perhaps ? )

Either way it sounds like the termination power loop is dropping in and out.

Short in the SCSI cable ... maybe ?

Or incorrect fuse value. ( would make sense if the installed replacement fuse is resettable type with too low a value )

Rohan.

If you were hotswapping the SCSI drive, it may have blown. I've done this when I wasn't thinking and it is a pain to have to take everything apart to fix a fuse. Since then, I have make this modification to my MPC 3000:

http://www.pimpsten.se/pictures/s3000xl/s3000xl.htm

The fuse I used to replace the F901 was a polyswitch - RUE series 1.1amp. I got it from CPC and the item no. is FF01338.

I knew to get this one from trawling around on the net. At the time I was using ZIP disks. They weren't working so I replaced the fuse and it did so success I thought...until now??

I have a picture of the fuse on my desktop but don't know how to post it here.

MPCHunter,

What fuse did you use to replace the N25 one in your MPC3000?

Thanks DukeNewport

Kazee,

I wired up a fuse holder and put the leads where the fuse went and just use 1A glass fuses now.

You can't hotswap SCSI devices like you can with modern interconnects (firewire, USB). The fuse is there to protect the circuit in the case of hotswapping.

I wired up a fuse holder and put the leads where the fuse went and just use 1A glass fuses now.

Isn't that pretty much the same thing as what I've done, except obviously I've used a different fuse.

You can't hotswap SCSI devices like you can with modern interconnects (firewire, USB). The fuse is there to protect the circuit in the case of hotswapping.

I realise this but you can still remove the CF card while the MPC is on, it's just the actual SCSI device itself you can't remove or switch off.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is my understanding.

Kazee wrote:
Isn't that pretty much the same thing as what I've done, except obviously I've used a different fuse.

Yep, it works exactly the same. It's easier for me to change the glass fuse than to have to unsolder the component.

I realise this but you can still remove the CF card while the MPC is on, it's just the actual SCSI device itself you can't remove or switch off.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is my understanding.

Yes, you can remove the media, but not the device itself. It's also not good idea to plug a drive into a machine that is already on -- that's how I blew my fuse out.

Kazee wrote:

Thanks DukeNewport

This looks like the correct "alternative" fuse.

IE: A poly switch fuse to allow auto re-setting.

My guess as to what is wrong:

If the card reader is the later SPYRUS/MPL type then it has two modes of termination.

1: Get termination power from the host ...

2: Supply termination power to the host ...

If the SPYRUS/MPL is one of the latter types running in the second termination mode above, and you are connected via a 25 pin to 50 pin SCSI cable; then the MPC3000 SCSI fuse will blow ... If the SCSI fuse is a re-settable type then it will drop out and eventually reset.

So ... possible problems.

1: Latter model SPYRUS/MPL running in the incorrect termination mode.
2: Bad SCSI cable.
3: Recent repair messed some thing up.

Solutions ?

1: Change termination mode from "to host" to "from host".
2: Replace SCSI cable.
3: Get recent repair reassessed.

My feeling ?

Combination of 1 and/or 2 from above.

As your SPYRUS/MPL drive was supplied by JD from http://www.scsiforsamplers.com then he may be able to tell you what model you are running and which termination mode it is set in. ( This would help to clarify point 1 in the cases stated above )

Good luck.

Rohan.

I changed the SCSI cable and it all worked fine.

Kazee wrote:I changed the SCSI cable and it all worked fine.

I wonder if the damaged SCSI cable was a contributing factor to your initial repair need a little while back.

Any how ... for now.

Great to hear that you're up and running again.

Rohan.