stdm contacts

cream · Post by **cream** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:14 am

Hi,

Sometimes my stdm-cable(s) doesn't fit properly on the contacts. When i move it a bit I see my dsp-meter load up again.
Most weird is when I use sfp without problems and I shut the computer down, the next time I start up the computer the dsp meter is zero altough I didn't move the cable. Then I have to move the stdm cable and it works again.

Is there anything I can do to solve this?
I don't want to do this for the next years as moving the cables is bad for the contacts and the fact of touching anything when the pc is on is not a very good thing.

btw. I have two stdm cables connected, none of them is working properly.

alfonso · Post by **alfonso** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:45 am

If you have 2 cards you must use the outer connectors of each stdm cable, leaving the mid one unused.

Check also that the cards are properly seated in the pci slots, that the snake cables coming from the cards are not hanging but have somewhere to rest.

I don't know if this applies to your set, but this is what I could add...

Post by **garyb** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:41 am

add: clean the card contacts with 99% or purer alchohol.

cream · Post by **cream** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:51 am

did all that already...
Send them to creamware?

alfonso · Post by **alfonso** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:19 pm

Try with one stdm cable only, it works also with one, first one and then the other, it might be just one of them, in that case you just have to get a new one.

put always the cable near the I/O's when you use one only. In case with cards with more than 2 stdm connections, always start from those near the I/O's.

cream · Post by **cream** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:56 pm

I tried it before.
Isn't there any contact glue or something?

cream · Post by **cream** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:00 am

I got new ones..I changed them in every possible way. I cleaned it with alcohol but it didn't work.Maybe God doesn't want me to make music. Am I that bad?

cream · Post by **cream** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:02 am

..and that's a smiling smiley but it's really frustrating. Every time I solve a problem there's always another one after that and after that etc.

Post by **garyb** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 9:47 am

i have multiple cards and they work properly so, yours should too. try using one(or the other) stdm cable only. you only need one and i have heard that in some cases, one works better.

JGR · Post by **JGR** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:51 am

Hello! Cream!
I had been had same problem!! I had Luna2 and PP2 board and also two differnt STDM cables (which i had been tried to use). It was exactly as you said dsp meter shows zero and only turn on/off stdm cable can solve this problem but sadly not finally only for some time and than i need do it again and again adn so on !!Also sometimes i had random noise from my A16 connected to PP2 It's starting and dissapearing in an unpredicted manner so i had numerouse reasons for worring about my CW board conditions. Lucky after some time i had been realized that it's not CW board STDM connection problem (despite that turn on/off STDM cable can solve this problem for some time)but improper motherboard or Windows IRQ software(driver) handlers work.
So do next thing with your motherboard:

1.Try to off all Motherboard's COMs,MIDI,AC97,Parallel, FDD, an even IDE(if you are using SATA drives) ports from BIOS. 2. Try to rise ULLI setting if you have slow CPU.
3. Try to reinstall your CW boards in others mohterboard slots in order to get more prioritized IRQ setting. Same can be achived by manually assigning IRQs for PCI slots from BIOS but be sure that it takes an effect because some BIOSes and OS itself can override this setting (this depends from your Motherboard chipset and manufacturer)
4. Take look to ACPI IRQ order and be sure that all devices like SATA,USB,LAN (if you are using it) ports has less prioritet (more number) than your CW hardware. Only pure system devices like ACPI controller and so on may have high prioritized IRQ settings (lower numbers) than you CW hardware. Exception may be your graphic AGP board (depends from motherboard manufacturer) but in this case be sure that you are using latest and appropriate driver for it.
5. For starting use latest and cleanest (i.e reinstall windows) Win32 software (Now i'm using W2k3 server SP1) also latest SFP 3.1c or newer software and try dont install additional software or hardware (can install it later in one to one manner after completed solve DSP meter problem).Also for first time do not use any additional or advanced drivers for conventional motherboard staff (like nvidia IDE drivers or so on). You can install it later if all will be fine.

Now i have 2xPP2+Luna2 boards and only two STDM cables connected to it, also same motheboard (nforce250 Epox)and all working fine!
Now only my AGP graphic (GF6800) board has higher prioritized IRQs settings than CW boards.All other motherboard stuff like SATA,USB,LAN has lower prioritized IRQ setting and all work flawlessly.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: JGR on 2005-06-06 07:41 ]</font>

cream · Post by **cream** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 7:21 am

Nooo don't make me tweak again!

I already replaced the cards in every possible way and configured everything to the right settings. I think I have to live with it.

btw, I used another stdm cable again (3th) and the last 3 times it worked.

(but then again I don't think the previous cables where faulty)

JGR · Post by **JGR** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:10 am

You can belive me or not but nothing helps me besides disabling unused motherboard stuff and uninstalling advaced drivers for conventional devices.
Now i'm using same stdm cables which i used when i had dsp meter zero problem and more over this another CW card and all works fine. So I think stdm cable itself is not the reason of malfunction but motherboard itself or an incorrect working system device driver although maybe not every time but only in some circumstance(but sorry.. dont know which of..)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: JGR on 2005-06-06 09:31 ]</font>