2000XL Not Recognizing CF Reader

Hey fellow MPCers! I came across this awesome forum about a month ago after I bought my first MPC, the 2000XL. Through it I've learned a ton about hardware modifications, so I mustered up the confidence to ditch the stock floppy drive for a CF reader.

I believe I've done everything that's required for it to work, but when scrolling through the menu to find the drive all I see is Floppy, F-ROM, and SCSI. As I understand it, ATAPI should be visible but it isn't.

Things I've done already:

1. Upgraded OS to 1.20
2. Made sure reader is plugged in and card is inserted before booting the MPC
3. Set jumper on reader to Master
4. Tried two different IDE cables and switched the ends on MPC and reader
5. Using SanDisk 1GB Ultra II

Here's the reader - Addonics ADIDECF
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uhSkmMy9y8VSeyudXXRuIQ?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UVzj5iWABjs11Oz7o47BPg?feat=directlink

Here's a look at the IDE cable and the power source
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hvJ3o87coJ8bBFonnf5XIg?feat=directlink

Is it possible that the reader is just DOA and needs to be replaced? Or could the IDE port on the MPC be bad? Any help would be much appreciated!

In your picture, it looks like the jumper is set to slave. At least that is where I set slave on mine.

Can you take an overhead picture of the card reader so we can see the jumper orientation?

If you install the card reader in a PC you should be able to confirm if the reader is faulty.

Thanks for the response MPCHunter. I've added an additional photo to the original post. I'll have to test the reader in a PC tomorrow- will return and post results. Thanks again.

So there's some good news and some bad news.

Good news is I've been able to verify that the card reader works in the PC. Bad news is that I still can get the MPC to recognize it.

Here's what I noticed about the difference in the PC environment.

1. The cable has 39 holes to match the 39 pins in the card reader
2. The floppy power source has four wires (two black, one red, one yellow) compared to two in the MPC

My dilemma is that the IDE port on the MPC has 40 pins so I can't try out the 39 hole PC cable. (Note: the other two I mentioned earlier were both 40 hole.) Do I possibly need a ribbon cable that has 40 holes on one end and 39 on the other? Is it possible the IDE port is shot?

SpartaChris wrote:
Here's what I noticed about the difference in the PC environment.

1. The cable has 39 holes to match the 39 pins in the card reader

You can use a 40 pin IDE cable with the card reader. The missing pin is a keying feature on the cable/connector so it only gets plugged in one way.

Make sure you are plugging the IDE cable in the correct orientation on the card reader.

SpartaChris wrote:
2. The floppy power source has four wires (two black, one red, one yellow) compared to two in the MPC

That is normal.

Floppy drives need 12V from the yellow wire to spin the motor assembly. The card reader only needs 5V which is supplied by the red wire. The black wires are both ground.

Are you able to format the card in your PC as FAT16. The card may have a partition that is causing the MPC not to read it.

MPCHunter wrote:
You can use a 40 pin IDE cable with the card reader. The missing pin is a keying feature on the cable/connector so it only gets plugged in one way.

Make sure you are plugging the IDE cable in the correct orientation on the card reader.

I've tried every variation possible in connecting the cable. I've noticed though that there is a correct way to connect the cable because in some cases the MPC will boot to a completely blank lit screen.

MPCHunter wrote:Are you able to format the card in your PC as FAT16. The card may have a partition that is causing the MPC not to read it.

The card is currently FAT16. Wouldn't the MPC still recognize the reader regardless of it having a card inserted anyway?

I'm kind of at my wit's end now. Don't really know what else to try. Thanks again for your help.

I have the exact same reader and problem.

Try using OS1.14 to see if it fixes the issue. Some have had success with OS1.11 and 1.14 with their IDE card readers. I think OS1.20 is only needed if you are using CF cards greater than 1GB.

Also, you may want to try a different card than your Sandisk Ultra II to see if you have any success.

Have you tried removing the other jumpers (in particular the DMA jumper )on the board to see if it works differently.

I have the same card reader, though mine is an earlier revision. It is possible something may have been changed by the manufacturer.

The MPC will not recognize the reader if a card is not installed previous to turning on the machine.

MPCHunter wrote:Try using OS1.14 to see if it fixes the issue. Some have had success with OS1.11 and 1.14 with their IDE card readers. I think OS1.20 is only needed if you are using CF cards greater than 1GB.

Unfortunately, no luck even after rolling back to 1.14. I tried every possible variation of IDE cable connection and jumper settings.

MPCHunter wrote:Also, you may want to try a different card than your Sandisk Ultra II to see if you have any success.

I guess I'll try that next, but at this point I highly doubt it has bearing on the drive not being recognized.

Am I completely missing how to find the new device? After connecting the hardware and booting up, I do Shift + 3 (Load) and scroll through the devices hoping to see ATAPI. Every time I get everything but that. I'm seriously lost on what to do next.

After trying everything, I decided to spring for what was originally my second choice- the one from PSI. Looking around this board, I haven't seen a case where that one didn't work out.

Just ordered this one. Will report back when I've got it installed and working (fingers crossed).

http://www.psism.com/psiiic.htm

SpartaChris wrote:After trying everything, I decided to spring for what was originally my second choice- the one from PSI. Looking around this board, I haven't seen a case where that one didn't work out.

Just ordered this one. Will report back when I've got it installed and working (fingers crossed).
http://www.psism.com/psiiic.htm

I don't think that'll solve the issue. Those non-swappable CF readers do not have controller chip; they are just connection converters. Compact Flash cards work as IDE devices, just like hard drive.
(hot-swappable CF readers have controller have IC chip to control data between CF card and host.)

You should check out power connection. I had similar experience with XL. The ZIP drive in XL started malfunctioning, and after a few hours of tinkering, I accidentally found out that MOLEX connector on XL and wire were damaged (it was not obvious damage.)

Check the connection between XL's board and CF reader.

I ruled out a power issue because every time I plug the floppy drive back in it works with no problems. Still, I double checked each end of the power source and all is in tact.

Looking at other people's pictures of the Addonics card, I'm beginning to believe I have a different version which may be the problem.

JVC, I was looking at yours in this thread http://mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140216 and noticed differences like jumper placement and possibly a different version number (V3 or V5?). Mine says V4. I know it's still a simple drive but I don't know what changes they could have made which could affect it.

Can anyone else confirm, if this drive is not working for you, what version number you have?

I cannot be 100% sure, but I don't think CF reader version would matter for IDE (non-ATAPI) CF readers.
OK, now how about IDE ribbon connector? I made a hole on the regular 39 pin ribbon connector, so that it fits to the IDE port on XL (the 40th pin is not used.)
Are you trying with only the short IDE ribbon cable? Maybe the IDE cable is the culprit. You should try other IDE ribbon cables.

JVC wrote:I cannot be 100% sure, but I don't think CF reader version would matter for IDE (non-ATAPI) CF readers.

I know it sounds crazy, but that's the only thing I can come up with at this point.

As for the ribbon cable, I've tried 4 different ones in every single variation and get the same result every time.

BTW, I canceled my order with PSI for the time being and instead bought an $8 one off ebay. Worth a shot.

SpartaChris wrote:

JVC wrote:I cannot be 100% sure, but I don't think CF reader version would matter for IDE (non-ATAPI) CF readers.

I know it sounds crazy, but that's the only thing I can come up with at this point.

As for the ribbon cable, I've tried 4 different ones in every single variation and get the same result every time.

BTW, I canceled my order with PSI for the time being and instead bought an $8 one off ebay. Worth a shot.

Yeah, it really sucks.

I am start to wonder whether the IDE port on your XL work fine or not. I now realized that you haven't used the IDE port on your XL before.
Mine came with ZIP drive, so I knew for sure that IDE port was working fine.
I hope you'll have better luck with the new CF reader.

By the way, my Addonics CF reader is "V.3" printed on the board.