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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.3b1
- Path: sparky!uunet!ceilidh!dnichols
- From: dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols)
- Subject: Parity error panics.
- Message-ID: <1993Jan27.051700.4675@d-and-d.com>
- Sender: usenet@d-and-d.com (Usenet)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: shindig
- Organization: D and D Data, Vienna VA
- References: <1993Jan25.230833.18635@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
- Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 05:17:00 GMT
- Lines: 54
-
- In article <1993Jan25.230833.18635@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> jbunch@nyx.cs.du.edu (John Bunch) writes:
- >Well, it seems I am still suffering machine crashes due to parity errors.
- >I originally thought I had a a heat problem, and then thought maybe it was
- >a ram problem, but now I am not to sure. It seems the only time my
- >machine is prone to crashing is when there is a lot of io going on, like
- >when it polls my feed site. It doesn't always crash, but a lot of times
- >it does.. Does anybody out there have a clues as to what may be
- >happening? I could type in a copy of the screen dump from the crash if
- >that would help?
-
- What baud rate are you running on the uucico? (If you are running
- 19200 and there is lots else going on, that could be a possible cause.
-
- Another possibility is that there is a pin in the D.C. power
- connector which is overheating and oxidizing, and when there is more disk
- activity (during the feed) it may be drawing enough extra current from the
- pin so that a voltage goes too low on a memory circuit, causing it to lose
- data, and crash the system.
-
- Open the box, look closely at the power connector. If you see an
- area of the plastic that is browning slightly (hard to tell on an orange
- plasitc connector, I know :-), that is the problem. Also check for
- darkening of the metal of the pins with the connector off, though this is a
- more severe case.
-
- If you see any signs of this, try pushing the connector on and off
- the pins several cycles to do a preliminary cleaning job, and see if this
- puts off your problems for a few days. If it does, you need to find a
- source for Cramolin, which seems to be the best thing for this kind of
- problem ever made (as far as I can tell.) I have no finnancial interest in
- the product, but wish I did, and that they advertised more heavily, and made
- the product easier to find.
-
- An alternative source of the same thing is a high-end audio shop,
- which may carry a product called Tweek. It is astoundingly expensive, given
- the tiny ammount that you get, but it should be far more than enough.
-
- In either case, apply it to the pins, and slide the other connector
- on and off several times, to help mechanically break up the oxides.
-
- Also, while you have the system open, unscrew the power supply and
- lift it out. Check under the pins of that connector on the underside of the
- board for signs of a cold-solder joint. If found, re-flow the connections.
- If you need advice on how to tell a cold-solder joint, go find someone who
- has built lots of things from kits, and have him help you.
-
- Good Luck
- DoN.
-
- --
- Email: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | ...!uunet!ceilidh!dnichols
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- Donald Nichols (DoN.) | Voice (Days): (703) 704-2280 (Eves): (703) 938-4564
- --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
-