A1 black screen

After a long time I turned A1 on, it booted into WB without any problem. But after a few resets it doesn't start anymore. Only black screen is displayed even after turn-off and turn-on. No kickstart loading, nothing... any help is appreciated! Thanks!

@AmiKit

here

@AmiKit

Replace the cell battery, CR2032. They have a habit of decaying if the A1 isn't at least plugged into an AC source.

I wish ppl would learn to use a simple voltmeter, any battery 3.0V or less can cause the A1 to just appear to die like you described.

Thanks for the replies.

After few more tries (without any batter change) the system booted. Then, after a reset, the black screen, again.

Well, now I centered the monitor's display and I can see blinking underscore (_) at the upper left corner.

Is it still the battery symptom?

Also I noticed the first message after power on (when system works) is this:

SCSI: Error SCSI Controller (1000, 000F) not found
Net: 3com 3c920c#0

What that means?

@AmiKit

The Battery is still the number one suspect, those 2 messages are normal, just ignore them, I get them on booting as well.

Buy a good brand battery, the cheap ones will only cause problems again sooner.

Hi @AmiKit

Well, now I centered the monitor's display and I can see blinking underscore (_) at the upper left corner.
'Been there; done that'! I removed the U-Boot chip and cleaned it and the socket with electronic cleaner fluid. Fixed it up. BIOS only works if U-BOOT ROM is 100% connected...

@Sundown
If the battery is number one on the list of things that cause a no boot-up Amiga, then I think the U-Boot chip as second on the list. The 'master switch box' when you think about it. I think it's the low profile socket mounting.

@Snuffy
Agreed
I had this problem as well BUT also many batteries bought off the shelf are also very low in actual power, may be worth checking as well.

Amikit
Do you run in a hot environment at all? Remove you ac cord, remove all cards and reseat, change the battery (make sure it hasn't been on a display shelf for years). Give your CPU a bit of a push to make sure it hasn't come a little loose. Good luck, the A1 was a nice machine.

ace

@Snuffy

i am having the very same issue.
could you tell me how to take out uboot and put it back properly? i had no luck with new battery but as many suggested that not all of them are good even if bought as new i will check with another one as well.

any further advice besides battery, uboot chip and moving evrything inside the machine (1st and last part are already done)?
thx!

@sadddam

Hmmmmm sounds exactly like mine tried everything to no avail im suspecting the actual battery holder area when i get a chance ill re solder if its possible
also noted ive bought at least 5 cr2032 batteries all have been rather low on voltage 2.9v to 3.2 range what should a good one read ?

Hi @poweramiga
... im suspecting the actual battery holder...
Yep, 'Been there; done that' too! I thought it was too wobbly and making poor contact. I replaced mine with a nice one from AmigaKit. It has a much better battery contact design and easier to install batteries! I haven't seen any battery problems in the last couple of years.

@sadddam
...could you tell me how to take out u boot and put it back properly?...
Use a special IC puller from 'Radio Shack' for these low profile sockets. The U-Boot Rom is behind the AGP video card, so that gets removed first. Using the 'puller' tool, grab the U-Boot IC and gently pull it out; use electronic cleaner spray to clean all the contacts. If you have no familiarity with working on PC boards and ICs, I recommend you find some that can do it for you correctly.Warning!