2scope cards together and ulli not stable

[guppy]

Hello
Another day, another mystery !
I got a scope card that I want to include to my setup in place of a Pulsar 2 xtc card.
The new setup should be 2 Scope cards + 1 pulsar 2.

But once the new card installed, I can't manipulate ulli without closing Scope as I can do with my good old 1 Scope+2 pulsar2.
The mystery starts when I can install each scope cards with the 2 Pulsar cards together, and everything works fine. But with the 2 scope cards together, with or without any Pulsar2 card, ulli can't fix (48khz is blinking), and I have just to change the samplerate to reload it well.

During my tests, I sometimes got a "missing STDM connection" error (instead of blinking), that I don't have with 1Scope+2Pulsar2.
I try to isolate the problem: changing cset.ini card order, reinstall scope software and drivers, clean pci and stdm connectors with pure alcohol.

It seems those 2 Scope cards together are creating this behaviour., and not 1Scope + 2 Pulsar2. When I try with only one scope card, all the cards are working with no problem from ulli.
I don't know if it can be the STDM cable (but I have 2 , the result is the same with the 2 cables). I tried with 1 and 2 together.

By now I think I can run with it as it work when applying and restarting Scope, but i'd like to understand what is happening
Do you know please what could be the solution ?

[garyb]

try making a new stdm cable.

[guppy]

Ok, I'm going to do that
Thanks Gary !

[guppy]

I've just bought some cables and stdm connectors (beautiful gold plated ones ).

I've made 2 new cables with 3 connections to replace the old ones, which were loosy compare to the new ones.
But it didn't solve the problem. I can't synchronize the 3 cards together without reloading Scope or switching master/slave from Scope.
Do you have any idea about what it could be ?

The most strangest thing is that it's working when I use 2 pulsar2 + 1 scope, but not with 2 Scope + 1 pulsar2.
I've tried to put my old stdm cables and linked them to the 2 scope card only, but it didn't change anything.
I don't have the message "missing stdm connections", but not because the new cables as it had disappeared before (while testing and moving the cards).
But the samplerate is always blinking and don't want to stabilize when changing ULLI

Once again, my motherboard could be faulty, but i'd like to be sure that this problem is linked to it as it works well with 2pulsar2+1scope.

edit: in my main proect, i've an "unexpected dsp overload" message trying to change ulli.
edit2: I've just tried with only the 2 scope cards without pulsar2, and it doesn't sync

[garyb]

bad card....

[guppy]

I'm loosing control !!!
I'm investigating it, but I don't really understand which card or stdm cable can do that.
Is it possible that the scope cards sync with 2 pulsar2 and won't sync between 2 scope ?
For example, one scope card sync perfectly with a pulsar2 xtc, and when I put 1 pulsar2 more it won't sync.
I think the cables are ok because there are some configurations were cards are working with 1 scope + 1 or 2 pulsar.
Can 't it be a bad motherboard ? (As mine looks not totally healthy)

edit: I've just tested 1 scope with 1 pulsar2 --> doesn't work.
I changed the pulsar2 for the pulsar2 xtc, and it sync perfectly...
hmmm....i'm going to take a beer

edit: when I put 1 scope with IO, and 2 other cards without IO, it sync well with 1 stdm link

[guppy]

Ok, I got it !!!
The problem was the syncplate which was attached to the scope board.
I've tested it on the 2 scope card, and each time it made the cards unsync.
Now it works with only 1 stdm, and at least my cards are fully working now
As I don't use the syncplate by now, it's ok for me.
I'm going to try the syncplate on a pulsar2 board to see if it's really dead !
The other good thing is that now I got some beautiful and solid stdm cable !
Thanks Gary for your help (I was anxious about my babies! )

[garyb]

that's good.

it doesn't matter which card the syncplate is connected to. if it's happier with one card than another, that is ok. if it's not happy with any of them, it has a problem.

[guppy]

I've just tried it into the other scope card, and ulli don't get stable too.
I think the syncplate is dead
But I really prefer to see a dead syncplate than a dead Scope card
I don't need one by now, but it can be useful.
I'll try to get another one if I can.
As I can see that there is not a lot of component on it, I can maybe ask to a friend of mine which is very good for this things to look at it.

edit: I've just seen my friend and he told me that components on the syncplate were big enough to try to repair it, as there shouldn't be more than 5 or 6 components that could be potentialy in cause.

when I've reloaded my old projects, I had an unexpected dsp placement issue, that I've solved by putting the 2nd card as host in cset.ini, load scope and try (it worked then).
I closed it, and back to cset.ini to put the 1st Scope card as host, as it was previously when unexpected dsp placement occured: the problem disappeared

[garyb]

this might have had something to do with the freezing errors.

[guppy]

My freezing error !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope so !
I'm rebuilding some of my projects as one adat has changed from Pulsar2 to Scope now. I think it xas the cause of the unexpected overload (I forgot to change those IO into Scope, and the external instruments were loaded without the old IO setup dated from the 2pulsar2 setup).
I'll tell you tomorrow if the adventure of the big freeze from space is finished
Good night !

[guppy]

So sadly my freezing error is here today
I'm going to change this motherboard as I can't bear it anymore
I continue to have some rare bsod which are surely link to the freeze.
As I don't want to change the processor, I'll stay with 1156 (don't want to pay 180€ for a new i7 that is nearly the same spec than the i860 I own).
I think I'm going to buy a Gigabyte GA-H55-UD3H. It's relatively cheap and has 4 pci slots, I hope there's a chance that performances will be ok. I won't use the internal graphic card as it must be integrated in the i7, and my i860 doen't have this option. ( I prefer the GA-P55-UD3L, but I can't find one).
The essential thing is that everything is fine on the scope cards side.

[garyb]

that motherboard should work.