🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3763@svin02.info.win.tue.nl> wsinda@info.win.tue.nl writes:
>
>Recently, my A3000 has developed a strange (and pretty annoying) habit
>of crashing. There is a pattern in it. At first, the crashes are not
>very serious. Sometimes only an application dies, or else a reset with
>Ctrl-Break is enough to get the machine running again. After a while,
>Ctrl-Break does nothing, and I have to use the hard reset button. The
>crashes get more and more serious, until not a power-on boot (with
>Delete pressed) fails to get the @#$@%&* thing working. No screen
>output, no nothing. At this point, the only solution is to take off the
>cover, remove the IDE interface, switch the machine on and off, and
>reassemble the whole thing. After that, all seems well until the
>pattern starts all over again.

Check your power supply leads - these are one of the commonest hardware
problems in A3000s. Take the cover off, switch the machine on,
and tweak the leads from the PSU to the main PCB - as you push/pull
on them see if there is any noticeable variation in screen output
intensity or if a crash occurs. If doing this immediately reproduces
these symptoms or those you describe you will need to remove the PSU cover
and resolder the leads to the PSU's PCB - on many A3000s they are very
badly soldered/connected at the PSU end. The loose connection causes
power and voltage fluctuations when the cover of the machine is flexed
since the leads are pressed against the underside of the cover when
it's fitted... even the smallest physical movement of the machine
causes the plastic cover to flex slightly, moving the PSU leads,
causing power supply fluctuations, in turn causing crashes and other
anomalous behaviour. Having an interface card hanging off the back
of the machine may marginally increase the stress on the cover which
would add to this problem.

Hope this helps,

	-Huw

[ H.J.Rogers  INTERNET: rogersh%p4@cs.man.ac.uk                    ]
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