Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Dts-6d upgrade issue

This is topic Dts-6d upgrade issue in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Thomas Moore (Member # 3427) on 07-26-2008, 06:59 PM:

hey i have 5 units I'm upgrading with the new firmware and drives. 4 went totally fine however on the 5th one it wouldn't upgrade period. then when i tried to put the other chip back with the old drives it doesn't load at all. This is the only board that has the dts silk screen logo on it. So I assume it is the E363 board. the other four that upgraded fine did not. now I'm stuck with a paperweight instead of something that at least worked occasionally. Any thoughts on this. Oh yeah...yes I checked the jumpers also. Everything is exactly how they should be. Thats probably why I feel like throwing the unit out the booth window.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-26-2008, 08:51 PM:

Does it complete a boot cycle?
Put video card in it and that may help you determine where the unit is hanging

Posted by Thomas Moore (Member # 3427) on 07-26-2008, 09:15 PM:

no it does not complete boot sequence. it holds on a solid red light on cd-rom. nothing on system or timecode light, ever.

Posted by Blaine Young (Member # 3992) on 07-27-2008, 12:19 AM:

I echo what Gordon suggests. Drop an ISA video board into an open slot and monitor the boot sequence. If the CD-Rom light comes on and stays on, it's acting like the SCSI board is not working properly. Did you replace the SCSI board as part of the upgrade? With the E363 motherboard board and the DTC Photonics SCSI board, you have to change the jumper settings. The E363 motherboard replacement document TN-E516 goes into detail.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-27-2008, 03:54 PM:

Also check the orientation of the SCSI cable

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-28-2008, 08:30 AM:

Also, I've had failures of the SCSI board on nnumerous occasions as well as defective SCSI boards out of the box. Simple board by board substitution using boards from a unit that does work should allow you to weed out the problem in about 10 min. And as Gord says check the SCSI cable... if turned around the led's on the front of the drives won't blink at all on power up.

Mark

Posted by Thomas Moore (Member # 3427) on 07-28-2008, 01:01 PM:

well ive tried everything but the video card idea. i havent found one locally as of yet. the scsi cards however i do have is a tdi-3510 C. would the jumpers on that require change when using with a e363? it isnt covered in the tn-e516 instruction. it just really bothers the heck out of me since the others were a breeze until i get to this different model mainboard!

[ 07-28-2008, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: Thomas Moore ]

Posted by Mike B. Smith (Member # 2829) on 07-28-2008, 01:57 PM:

Yes these things can be very frustrating; at least it did not happen to the first one you updated. Completing four out of five successfully is encouraging, the first thing I always do is check for any simple installation errors that may have been overlooked. Having already done this the next question would be; was this unit working prior to the update? If the answer is yes, it may narrow down locating the problem. In general description of this failure could be any number of things from a bad motherboard (yes they fail), any new boards in the kit, (yes they sometimes can be bad), cables, drives, etc. The best recommendation at this point since you have rechecked your work and swapped known good boards with the possible bad ones is to place a video card in the unit as suggested by other posts to determine at what point the unit stops loading. This is very easily done and will save you big money from sending it in for repair. It should not matter that this motherboard is different from the others and the jumpers should be the same. Any kits you received from DTS are guaranteed and DTS customer service is just a phone call away to assist in any questions you may have.

Posted by Paul Vollmers (Member # 927) on 07-28-2008, 08:01 PM:

Thomas,
Try unpluging the unit from the power.........wait about 30 sec, then plug the unit back in, and turn the DTS power switch on, and see what happens........

Posted by Blaine Young (Member # 3992) on 07-28-2008, 08:53 PM:

I certainly don't want to step on Mike's toes - he knows his stuff. The Technote for the E363 doesn't call out the TDI board because it works without any modifications.

I once ran into a unit that still had the ROM-DOS chip on the Timecode board, while installed in a 6-D. Can't imagine how it ever worked this way. Make sure that socket U12 on the D422 timecoad board is EMPTY. U14 should have a v1.46 chip in it.

On a similar topic, what does the Update Disc that comes with these upgrades actually do to the DTS-6 and DTS-6D units?

Posted by Mike B. Smith (Member # 2829) on 07-30-2008, 12:41 PM:

The purpose of the CD-ROM software upgrade disc is to load the AQRM program into the flash memory on the new DTS motherboards. The new motherboards E363 can easily be identified by the DTS logo printed on them. Older motherboards require the AQRM chip to be changed. The board that has the AQRM chip is not required in the new motherboards. Placing the upgrade disc into a unit that has an older motherboard will do nothing. If you have a new motherboard the 6 or 6D LED’s will alternately flash between system and CD-ROM when the load is completed.

Posted by Blaine Young (Member # 3992) on 07-30-2008, 01:27 PM:

Presumably, an E363 motherboard purchased in 2008 would have this software already pre-installed?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 07-30-2008, 02:05 PM:

If you stick in the upgrade disc and the software is already installed nothing will happen. It'll just pop the disc back out and tell you there's nothing to update.

Posted by Blaine Young (Member # 3992) on 07-30-2008, 02:50 PM:

That is assuming you've got a disc to stick in. I'm trying to determine if I need to bother getting a disc.

Posted by Mike B. Smith (Member # 2829) on 07-30-2008, 07:22 PM:

No Blaine you do not need a disc, I was just answering your question about this disc. If your system is currently working, your fine.