Hardware Error on PCI Card

[Trööt]

Hello to all people who have knowledge to help me!
Hello to all others, too, of course ... and happy easter eggs for all!

I have some PCI cards, and one of it - an older 3DSP - shows an hardware error while starting with Scope Software. It says something like "Memory error - adress 80000 shows value 123456".

I asked Sonic Core some time ago and they told me that they can't help me, because those old cards are not supported any more. Which is quite understandable for me.

But some time ago, I have read somewhere (I think in ScopeRise?) that TECHNICALLY it is still quite possible to repair these old cards, and that some people do that.

So I ask for:

- someone who does rapairs of PCI cards,
- some information about how this repair would be done (i.e. which chip may be the bad one, and so on),
- some information about what exactly happened in software and hardware before this message box appears,
- the costs of an eventual repair,
- experience from people who had repaired a card or let it repair,
- and so on.

Any information is welcome.

And, yes, I know, of course, that probably it would be cheaper to buy a card as a replace on eBay, than to pay for someone who can desolder those SMD-chips. To ask for technical information doesn't mean to be unrealistic or naive. It just means that the guy who asks want to increase his knowledge, even if having this knowledge has no practical benefit at all.

I am very curious for answers. Especially for those who are such advanced that I have to google for some technical terms.

Thank you for reading, thank you for writing.

Troet.

[garyb]

send jhulk a private message...

[dante]

Where are you from ? JHulk is in UK but he also has a contact in the US.

http://www.hitfoundry.com/issue_25/pci_mast.htm

[Trööt]

Where are you from ?

Oh, sorry ... forgot to tell. I am from München, Germany, Europe. I am a typical "german tueftler", just like Hardy Kruger in this movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL--FHZ7wwA (forget the remake from 2004!)

But my curiousity doesn't know any borders, so I am happy about technical information from all over the world, even if it makes no sense to send a board to another continent.

It was exactly this article on hitfoundry.com, which made me hope that maybe I can find the problem by myself ... by looking for cracks on the PCB with a microscope, for example. But this is a lot of work, and it would be helpful to know as much as possible about the parts of the board and how they work together, before you start with this job.

A memory error can have many reasons. A defective memory chip, of course, but a defective power supply could be the reason, too, for example. So any additional knowledge about the components of the board and how they work together will be helpful to know, WHERE on the board such a crack may be located. I don't really think that anybody could send me schematic diagrams, but that's the direction I am thinking off.

Greetings

Troet.

[dante]

Best contact JHulk I would think.