E-mu Emulator Sampler User Forum for the EIII EII EI and EIII XP

Hi folks,

I have an EIIIXP which has the SCSI boot problem mentioned elsewhere on the site. Even after receiving a boot-disk from someone, it still won't boot.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

When I opened her up, the RAM sockets seem to be empty (please see the photo).

The chips that you can see are Mitsubishi, and have the number: M5M44400L

Does anyone know if these are actually RAM chips?

I'm really stuck and would hate to have to sell it for scrap value.

Best Regards,

Chris.

Take it easy....

First, what happens ? Does the disk spin ? What is written on the display ?

Hello from Scotland!

Thank you for your quick reply.

When I switch on, the LEDs all light up (including the Green LED on the Floppy Drive).

The next screen says;

EMULATOR EIIIX
@1992 E-mu Systems
Firmware: EIIIX v.66
Checking Floppy... SCSI 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7...

I don't have a bootable floppy disk. A friend made me an EMAX II disk, but this didn't work.

I have tried hooking up a SCSI CD-Rom drive with an original Emu Disk, but again nothing. Just this loop of checking the SCSI chain.

Best Regards,

Chris.

I don't have a bootable floppy disk. A friend made me an EMAX II disk, but this didn't work.

Why don't you try a Mickey Mouse one as well ? I cant believe it...

Find an EIIIX disk, don't you think it may work better ?

Firstly, I appreciate you wanting to help me.

However, I'm reasonably sure that I read on this very site (about 1 year ago) that an EMAX II formatted floppy would allow the EIIIXP to boot up.

Clearly I'm wrong (or the posting was wrong).

In any event, if you have a look at the photo I posted, I'm fairly sure that the the ZIP Ram is completely missing (again, I read a posting on this site from someone else who had a "butchered" unit, and had described the empty ZIP sockets).

There is nothing online about the chips (that are visible in the photo) being RAM.

I'm not a technical "expert" when it comes to fixing pro-audio issues, but I'm no fool either.

I wouldn't have tried the EMAXII boot disk unless I had it on good authority that it would work (i.e. this website).

I purchased USB Floppy drives to try to create an EIII boot disk using the method described elsewhere on this site. This also proved impossible, and almost destroyed my laptop.

So I'm stuck - and I've clearly annoyed you - so sorry.

You are NOT annoying , come on !!!!! ::)

Okay, gimme a minute, I'll be back...

I just modified your picture.

The red blocks on the right are either memory adressing or data drivers. I don't know. I think it may be adressing. Since the circuits has a sticker with a name code, it means it may be PALs (Programmable Array Logic) and then, if you don't have the right PALs, you cannot add memory, wich means you have to buy them from E-Mu, about 5 trillion dollars.
The circuit with green spots are memory chips, I can't read read clearly what is written on them. Can you tell, please ?

Hi again,

The chips are Mitsubishi, all numbered M5M44400L.

There are sixteen of them.

Wgat is written under M5M44400L ?

Sorry... It's 023SE5F - 10

There is the documentation of the memories (attached). You've got an 32 Mg (on 16 bits) machine.

16 x 4 Megs on four bits makes 16x2 on 16 bits, wich is 32 Megs.

You must find a EIII XP diskette, dude !

You are truly the EMU GURU !!!

Thank you very much for your time and expertise...

Very much appreciated.

I shall now go and contact Route 66, as I see they now do them!

All the best my friend!

In could not attach the file, too big.

Go to :


http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/M/5/M/4/M5M44400A.shtml (http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/M/5/M/4/M5M44400A.shtml)

Is there anyone around who can make a diskqette for him, or put the file somewhere ?

In some way it's true that something was written about using Emax-II formatted disks in the EIIIXP.
What has been stated here a while ago (by me  :) ) is that the low level physical format of Emax-II floppy disks and EIIIXP floppy disks is the same. This has been said because OmniFlop didn't have the EIII in its list of supported disk formats, but it had Emax on its list. Do that was a workaround to make a low level formatted disk for the EIIIXP/XS. The newest version of OmniFlop has the EIII in its list now.

Of course such a disk will only work as a bootable disk if the EIIIX OS has been written on that low level formatted disk, instead of the Emax-II OS !! So low level formatting is not sufficient for making a bootable disk, it is however sufficient to use it as a sound disk.

So what should be done now is: take that floppy Emax-II disk from your friend and copy the EIIIX OS disk image to it with the OmniFlop software. You'll need a Windows XP machine which has an internal floppy drive.
As mentioned earlier, this EIIIX OS disk image can be downloaded here: http://users.skynet.be/emxp/Additional_downloads.htm

///E-Synthesist

Thanks for these precisions.
Now, this won't be sufficient because he has as well to have a hard disk to install the software residing on the diskette on the hard disk of the EIIIXP !
Something else : I am not at all an "expert" of the EIII XP because I went off this business when the 4K appeared, along with the Proteus, Morpheus and the damn keyboard, I forgot what it was, a real shit.
In other words, its when E-Mu became a shitty company with 500 vice-presidents and young wankers with suits and attache-cases, just like it happened with Kurzweil.

He is apparently from Stotland and some important offices are over there, in Edimburgh, in Musselburgh, in fact.

Thank you very much for that.

I bought an IBM USB Floppy Drive hoping it would work with Omniflop - but it actually damaged my PC, causing the Blue Screen of Death, and major headaches to follow.

I shall to locate a computer store with an old PC capable of writing floppy disks.

The Emax II disk at least shows that the Floppy Drive on the EIIIXP is working, and trying to read.

Perhaps the easiest way is to order a disk from Route 66.

This EIIIXP was used by New Order on many of their hits, so it would be nice to get it back going again!!

I dealt with the Musselburgh office on many occasions over the years. I bought many items direct from them in the nineties!!

You must have been in contact with George BELL or Roy GOUDIE, nice people !

But still, you must have a hard disk inside your EIII XP !!!!

Take pictures, there must be a connector somewhere.
If there is a SCSI plug in the back, you may see, at the inside of this connector, where it leads.
Well, never mind, take pictures and put them here, I'll show you.

Here is a photo showing the SCSI connectors inside (at back right).

There is definitely no HD. The Floppy drive is in the right foreground.

Getting an older external SCSI 1 device might not be that easy now. I have several external SCSI 2 and SCSI 3 devices, but I would doubt the EIIIXP will mount them.

I have a couple of SCSI 1 CD-Rom drives which I connected, with an original Emu CD-Rom disk inserted to see if it would boot, but no.

At least it's got 32Mb RAM, and if I can get a boot floppy from somewhere, it will be operational (I think!)

Please make another picture with a more vertical angle (60° or 45°)

Here are another two;

another...

Okay... You need :

A metal plate, done in the way to allow the mounting of the hard disk inside the machine (see the standoffs)

An old hard disk (like the Quantum ones) aluminium look, wich where on Apple computers. These ones are great because they need little energy.

A 50 conductor flat SCSI cable

A 50 pin Active terminator wich fits into the external SCSI connectors (at the outside)

Instructions :

Make the plate

Take away the resistor packs wich are on the disk and before doing it, read first the instructions lower, concerning the resistor packs wich are in the machine.
Stick the disk resistor packs on the hard disk cover with an adhesive tape and take care of not obstructing the air input of the disk (little hole)
Put the disk in SCSI ID anything except : 0-1-3-7
This because :
0 is for Mac internal disk
3 is the CD Rom
7 is the Mac CPU board
1 is just to piss you off




Mount the disk on the plate
Mount the equiped plate into the machine

Inside the machine :

Take away the three resistor packs and stick them with adhesive tape INSIDE THE MACHINE (so you won't loose them).
Note that they are oriented, you CANNOT turn them around and neither swap them around. Stick them in a logical way
So, BE CAREFULL OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING

Plug the flat cable between the internal SCSI connector pins of the machine and the connector of the hard disk. The red wire of the cable is pin n°1, be carefull to respect this orientation on both sides.

Plug the power supply MOLEX connector into the disk

Plug the active terminator into the "A" SCSI connector (at the outside)

You are ready to go.

Prepare the machine in a way that you can see IMMEDIATELY on the display of something is wrong.

Power up

If the display is blank, if there is a whistle sound coming from the power supply or it blinks, STOP IMMEDIATELY and send a message here.

Missed a picture

Thank you so very much for all your help.

I will go and locate a suitable hard drive. I used to own a couple of smaller SCSI 1 Quantum drives for previous machines.

I take it the machine will not simply work "as is" with a boot floppy, but rather it's needs to run off an internal SCSI disk?

I take it you do this for a living in the USA ??

I will go and locate a suitable hard drive. I used to own a couple of smaller SCSI 1 Quantum drives for previous machines.

It would be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT !!!!!!

I take it the machine will not simply work "as is" with a boot floppy, but rather it's needs to run off an internal SCSI disk?

No, it should work only with a boot floppy, but imlagine what a pain in the ass ...

I take it you do this for a living in the USA ??

What do you mean ?

What I mean is, your technical knowledge is so very-good that I would imagine you could make your living from designing / building / servicing Pro Audio equipment!!

 

I have been doing this for twenty-five years...

Well, thank you again my friend.

I'll let you know how I get on with the mod.

Best Regards, Chris.

Happy for you.
Let us know about your progress.

Cheers