XT-IDE Rev.4 Questions

[Malc]

I find the card is about 1/16" too long for the slots on the AT&T. I also removed the bolster as the spacing was a little off as well. I am loathe to trim the card next to the contacts but I don't see an alternative.

6312 WGS bricked Not sure why and with no docs not sure what line of investigation to pursue.

Tried the XT-IDE card in an 8-bit slot and a 16-bit slot, with the ROM enabled and without. Results varied from "nothing" (no power LED, no movement, no sound) to no POST, but at the end of the process no POST is where the machine remains, even with the card out. Keyboard's three lights remain on unblinking and I can hear the HD seek but nothing on the display and no beep. Disconnected the battery backup in hopes of erasing any BIOS config but as of yet no difference.

Took a shot in the dark and shot myself in the foot, it seems. Trending.

-CH-

I'm wondering Did you "Trim" the card to fit ?, I don't own that system but i remember someone having a problem with an Olivetti M240 and a lo-tech isa - cf adapter which turned out to be the CF card at fault, That is of no help to you but it got me thinking:..... I grabbed a GW R4 XTIDE and a Lo-Tech isa - cf adapter, Between the 2 i can see the difference in length you mean, Also the gold fingers on the GW XTIDE are slightly wider than the fingers on the lo-tech adapter. My thinking is, If you "Trimmed" the card did you trim off slightly too much so when you fitted the card one or more gold fingers was making contact with 2 pins of the ISA slot and on power up something shorted / burned.

[clh333]

I'm wondering Did you "Trim" the card to fit ?, I don't own that system but i remember someone having a problem with an Olivetti M240 and a lo-tech isa - cf adapter which turned out to be the CF card at fault, That is of no help to you but it got me thinking:..... I grabbed a GW R4 XTIDE and a Lo-Tech isa - cf adapter, Between the 2 i can see the difference in length you mean, Also the gold fingers on the GW XTIDE are slightly wider than the fingers on the lo-tech adapter. My thinking is, If you "Trimmed" the card did you trim off slightly too much so when you fitted the card one or more gold fingers was making contact with 2 pins of the ISA slot and on power up something shorted / burned.

I trimmed the card's excess phenolic using a Dremel tool with an abrasive wheel. I was careful to trim equal amounts from both ends and not to eat into the contacts. The trimmed card, according to my vernier caliper, is 3.12 inches long and the slot measures 3.18 inches, although it may be slightly shorter than that; it was hard to stick the vernier into the slot and know exactly where the end was. Attached is a picture of the trimmed card and its fit into the slot.

My having bridged two pins and causing a short is entirely possible, although I can't know for sure. The first test, in an 8-bit slot, resulted in no response from the PC at all; no lights, no sound. I then removed the card and tried to boot without it in a slot; it rebooted. It was only after succeeding tests with different slots and different ROM enable / disable settings that I found I could no longer boot the machine.

So: Short? Quite possible. What to do about it? No idea.

-CH-

CardTrimmed.JPG CardFit.JPG

[Malc]

It does sound like you introduced a short with the first test and subsequent test's, If the XTIDE card didn't fit the slot then it's the wrong card for the system, Have you tried removing all cards from the system and powering up, Any beeps from the speaker ?, Have you measured PSU output voltages with it still connected in system..