From: koivikko@cc.helsinki.fi
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.emulations,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: A2286 BB FATAL ERROR!  HELP!
Date: 22 Aug 92 12:33:55 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

In article <1992Aug22.073759.7192@agora.uucp>, lcline@agora.uucp (Larry Cline) writes:
> In article <1992Aug21.163229.22524@unixg.ubc.ca> ewong@ucs.ubc.ca (Eldon Wong) writes:
>>In article <styx.714287749@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> styx@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Allan Hirt) writes:
>>>
>>>I am trying to boot my 286 BB, and the display is giving me a 'Parity
>>>Error on main circuit board - fatal error!'
>>>
>>>What should I do?  Reseat the board?
>>>
>>>Allan
>>>styx@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu
>>
>>From my experience as a support person of DOS machines (as well as others),
>>a "parity" error usually (but not always) means there is a memory chip
>>problem.  Reseating the board probably won't fix the problem.  You may have
>>to take the board in (or do it yourself if you can) and get the memory chips
>>checked and replace the bad one(s).
>>
>>-- 
>> Eldon Wong - Site-license Coordinator  |  email:ewong@ucs.ubc.ca      o o  
>>     University of British Columbia     |  phone: (604) 822-9272        >   
>>           Computing Services           |  fax: (604) 822-5116         `-'  
> 
> 
> When I get these errors on my BB I take the board out, push down on all
> the socketed chips and reseat the board.  This generally cleared the
> problem when it occured to me.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Larry Cline


   Parity error on BB's is a common problem. My CBM dealer told me the error
would be on the old BIOS ROM chips on my A2286 BB...  Anyhow, I didn't change
the ROM's, instead I took the board out (I had earlier experienced this to
help in many BB problems) and checked the PC expansion slots (I used  a
screwdriver to press the pins closer to the mid-line of the slots). Then I
pressed down all chips on the BB, checked the contactin pins between main
circuit board and the sandwich board. I put the things back inside the A2000
and try to start BB - IT DIDN'T EVEN GET STARTED - the board was completely
jammed. For hours.

   Then I went out for dinner, and when I returned - The BB was working fine,
just everything - The problems seems to appear and dissapear by themselves.
Weird.

   Now I'm using my BB with Windows 3.0, SVGA displayand virtual HD and iI'm
quite satisfied with it ( the usual trick to improve the HD speed - ADDBUFFERS
DH1: 4000 (or as much RAM as you can afford) ). Except the every now and then
appearing problems with the keyboard - the Windows Write program seems to loose
some characters from the keyboard buffer - otherwise the keyboard emulation
works OK. But I'm going to fight that one too...

  Why am I writing this ? - because I know there is lots of people trying to
use BB and who gets frustrated by all the problems ( a known fact : the
documentation is poor and the software should be improved, lousy GFX emulation)  
- there will be problems but when it works it's a quite amazing machine (PC).

  It might depend on ROM;s , bad contact in slots, bad RAM;s - my guess is:

IT'S A LIVING CREATURE AND JUST WANTS TO PLAY WITH US !

Mika
			email   Koivikko@hylk.helsinki.fi