Question about Adam and the AtariMax 128-in-1 USB Flash Multicart diagnostics

[chad5200]

I have a Coleco Adam that is having trouble booting up to a FujiNet.  As it is loading the FujiNet, the screen start going crazy and its not consistent.  I am unable to actually load the FujiNet.  (I have a second Adam that boots this FujiNet fine so I know the FujiNet is OK.)

 

I was wondering if maybe there was a RAM problem on my Adam.

 

I have an old AtariMax 128-in-1 USB Flash Multicart that I purchased back in 2007.  It has a Diagnostic program on it.

 

My question is... when I run the RAM diagnostic test on that cartridge, is it testing the ADAM RAM and the COLECOVISION RAM?  Or is it just testing the COLECOVISION RAM?  Or do the ADAM/COLECOVISION share the same RAM?

 

[rietveld]

Known problem with the fujinet/Atarimax combo

 

Press the cart reset to load the Atarimax them immediately pull the Adam reset.  The fujinmetv will now load.  

 

Other option is to boot without the Atarimax in the Adam or to down grade the Atarimax firmware

[rietveld]

Here is the Atarimax downgrade firmware and instructions 

 

John Lundy - AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart - ADAM Workaround.zip

[chad5200]

5 minutes ago, rietveld said:

Known problem with the fujinet/Atarimax combo

 

Press the cart reset to load the Atarimax them immediately pull the Adam reset.  The fujinmetv will now load.  

 

Other option is to boot without the Atarimax in the Adam or to down grade the Atarimax firmware

My AtariMax 128-in-1 USB Flash Multicart is from 2007.  It has whatever firmware was current at that time.

 

But I think I wasn't being clear with my first post.  When I try to load the FujiNet, I do not have any carts plugged in.  And it fails to boot correctly (the screen does crazy things) so I figured maybe my Adam had a RAM problem.  So I was thinking maybe I could get out my old AtariMax cart to test the RAM on my Adam (completely separate from my FujiNet).  When I run the test, it passes.  But my question is... does it test ALL the RAM in the Adam?  Or is it only testing the Colecovision section of the Adam?  (or is there only one section of RAM in the entire Adam/Colecovision architecture?)

 

[NIAD]

The AtariMax 128-in-1 test utility is only checking the ColecoVision PCB in your ADAM.

 

Download the numerous Coleco test utility cartridges that are available on The ADAM Archive in the ADAM\Cartridges directory (not the ColecoVision directory) and place them on your AtariMax cart using it’s software program. Then run each one to see what is reported… they work with the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart so they should work with the 128-in-1. BTW, the best and newest is the RAM Test utility that was released by Eric Pearson a couple months ago.

 

You are correct that no other updates are available for the 128-in-1.

Try plugging in the FujiNet to the front ADAMnet port where you normally plug in the Keyboard and plus the Keyboard into the side ADAMnet Port to see what happens.

 

remove any expansion interface cards that you may have plugged in to the internal slots and external expansion interface.

 

Are you using the same ADAMnet Cable to connect the FujiNet to both of your ADAM systems? If not, make sure to use the cable that works on your other system to see what happens.

 
Are you using the same power supply for both systems?

 

 

[chad5200]

15 hours ago, NIAD said:

Download the numerous Coleco test utility cartridges that are available on The ADAM Archive in the ADAM\Cartridges directory (not the ColecoVision directory) and place them on your AtariMax cart using it’s software program. Then run each one to see what is reported… they work with the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart so they should work with the 128-in-1. BTW, the best and newest is the RAM Test utility that was released by Eric Pearson a couple months ago.

I have downloaded XRAM Tester by Eric Pearson.  When I run it, it is asking how many banks of RAM that my Adam has.  Considering I have a stock Adam with no expansions, how many banks should I put?

 

 

[NIAD]

9 hours ago, chad5200 said:

I have downloaded XRAM Tester by Eric Pearson.  When I run it, it is asking how many banks of RAM that my Adam has.  Considering I have a stock Adam with no expansions, how many banks should I put?

 

 

Sorry, I thought that one tested system RAM also but it is for testing Expansion RAM that is provided by a Memory Expander installed in internal Expansion Slot #3.

 

Other rom utilities you can try are ADAM Diagnostic, ADAM Final Test - Menu Version and Gamma Debug to see if any system RAM errors are found. In Gamma Debug, the chip labels listed correspond to the positions on the ADAM Logic Board but there aren't any detailed instructions for it.

[chad5200]

14 hours ago, NIAD said:

Sorry, I thought that one tested system RAM also but it is for testing Expansion RAM that is provided by a Memory Expander installed in internal Expansion Slot #3.

 

Other rom utilities you can try are ADAM Diagnostic, ADAM Final Test - Menu Version and Gamma Debug to see if any system RAM errors are found. In Gamma Debug, the chip labels listed correspond to the positions on the ADAM Logic Board but there aren't any detailed instructions for it.

Thanks @NIAD!  You pointed me in the right direction with recommending Gamma Debug.

 

I actually started another thread specific to the bad RAM.  Please see it here: