HD3 3rd card not recognized

[dhumez]

I just got a new 2.93Ghz nehalem and want to transfer my PTHD3 in it from and older Mac Pro woodcrest. Accel card 3 in slot 4 is not recognized. It works well in the old system no problem at all with the flex cable. I did re-install PT8 from scratch.
Usually I get error -1123 which pertain the a bad flex cable but I know mine works.
I have painstakinlgy instal and re-install the cards between the 2 computers since the last two days with all combination that I can think of (I was a software developer so I can me pretty inventive while testing computers).
But I must admit temporary defeat so I ask for help. Even a simple hello would be appreciated it is snowing over a foot of snow outside in New Jersey now....
Thanks
Eric

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by dhumez

I just got a new 2.93Ghz nehalem and want to transfer my PTHD3 in it from and older Mac Pro woodcrest. Accel card 3 in slot 4 is not recognized. It works well in the old system no problem at all with the flex cable. I did re-install PT8 from scratch.
Usually I get error -1123 which pertain the a bad flex cable but I know mine works.
I have painstakinlgy instal and re-install the cards between the 2 computers since the last two days with all combination that I can think of (I was a software developer so I can me pretty inventive while testing computers).
But I must admit temporary defeat so I ask for help. Even a simple hello would be appreciated it is snowing over a foot of snow outside in New Jersey now....
Thanks
Eric

Hello

I guess you've tried the obvious and tried with just the core card and one of the accel cards (accel 2) then just the other accel card (accel 3) with just the core, and using the 2 different flex cables.
So in the new computer you have established if its NOT either accel card or either flex cable at fault!! If so it must be PCI slot 4.


Have you run digi test? its in applications/digidesign/pro tools/utilities?? well somewhere inside the pro tools folder you'll find it.

Chris

[TVPostSound]

So if you swap the card from slot 4 to slot 3 the card is recognized?
But any card put in slot 4 is not recognized??

Sounds like the Mac Pro, get it exchanged, you have 14 days.

[dhumez]

Thanks for your replies. yes I try all combo possible. HD card 3 is not recognized in slot 3 or 4 but works fine in my old mac pro. Card 2 works in slot 3 ????.
The funny thing is the same thing happen to me a couple of year ago I got a Mac Pro 8 cores (2.8GHZ) at the time and the same exact problem happen.
I am calling Avid tomorrow because chances are it is not the new Mac Pro
How can 2 Mac pro be defective in exactly the same way. I have to face it I am nor doing the right thing. Is any one running HD card(s) on a Nehalem machine? BTW that 2.93 GHZ is a monster just for the fun of it I was running 48 Logic pro space designer reverb cathedral setting with the Mac pro only a 50% CPU..

I'm gonna try you suggestion about the dig test.
Maybe it is not a good thing to do but I plug in the card #3 in slot 4 while the computer was on. If the card is recognized the computer will do a restart.
Wich it did so I know it is not the PCIe.
Right now I put the cards back in the old computer I have work to do, but will continue trying until success.

Eric

[BaileyBass]

Originally Posted by dhumez

Maybe it is not a good thing to do but I plug in the card #3 in slot 4 while the computer was on. If the card is recognized the computer will do a restart.

Eric

OUCH!!!! That in the manual? JEEZZZZ

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by dhumez

Maybe it is not a good thing to do but I plug in the card #3 in slot 4 while the computer was on. If the card is recognized the computer will do a restart. Wich it did so I know it is not the PCIe.

Brave soul.

Usually it will break either main board or the card, if you plug a card in while the power is on. It will also force a restart when the computer finds out there's some erratic change in main board voltages, so your logic of "recognizing" the card is not right. Yes the computer recognizes the card but not because it could "talk to" the card but because the card is disturbing the computer's status quo.

Now you have few things to test before you call anyone.

#1:
Take cards 2 and 3 off the computer, label them so you know which is which, and also label both flex cables so you don't mix them either. Then try to run PT with only the core card, run digitest and power off the computer. This should work perfectly, with PT and using Digitest. (Be sure to reboot/shutdown your computer after running the Digitest...)

#2:
Insert card 3 (the one that you think is not working) into slot 3 (the one that you think should be working) and be sure to use the flex cable that has already been working in your earlier testing. Try to run PT and see what happens, and also run Digitest. If the card is recognized and shows on PT, then you know that the card and the flex cable are working just fine.

#3a:
If it works, then replace flex cable with another one and try again. See if both the flex cables are really okay. If the both cards still show up, your flex cables are okay. If not, you know you have a faulty flex cable and luckily the spare part is cheap.

#3b:
If the step 2 does not work, then replace flex cable with another one and try again. If it works now, you know that the first flex cable you tried is faulty and luckily the spare part is cheap. If it still does not work with either flex cable you have, then you most probably have a faulty card in your hands.

#4:
If steps 2 and 3a were success, then put in the last card into the last slot using any flex cable (because you have now proven both flex cables should be working). Try to run PT and see what happens, and also run Digitest. If all the cards show up now, then you might have had bad connection earlier.

#5:
If you only see two cards, then swap cards 2 and 3 and try again. If the perfectly working card 2 does not work in the last slot, then you most probably have a faulty motherboard in the Mac Pro. You can verify this assumption by swapping flex cables and try one more time, and if the last slot does not come alive then it most likely is fried.

Follow this logic and you will find what's bugging you

[dhumez]

JFreak
I will try you suggestion just because you 're so nice to spend the time writing the step by step instructions. That's classy.
I know however that all my 3 cards and the 2 flex strip works fine since I have them right now working on my old mac pro (Woodcrest 2.66Ghz x 4).
The transfer to the new Nehalem Mac Pro is what gives me the problem. Also some time ago I returned another Mac Pro 2.8 Ghz to sweetwater because the same problem happened. I thought I had a faulty PCIe. How can I have the same problem twice with 2 new computer? The one on Sweetwater worked fine on returned. I just cannot see how can I have a faulty card when its already working ? returning the present nehalem makes no sense either.Now Im gonna copy your instruction and back to work (Third day)
Thanks
Eric

[dhumez]

JFreak (Brave soul too)
I ran your test, boy its late 4:30 Am good thing I work at night....
I fail #2
SO I wanted to see if the PCIe card were fried so I install the Core card in slot 2, 3 and 4 all pass the digitest.
Then I did the following
Core slot 4 card 3 slot 3 flex 3 : fail
Core slot 4 card 3 slot 3 flex 2 : fail
Core slot 4 card 2 slot 3 flex 3 : pass
Core slot 4 card 2 slot 3 flex 2 : pass
Core slot 4 card 2 slot 3 card 3 flex 3 : fail
Core slot 4 card 2 slot 3 card 3 flex 2 : fail

So card 3 does no work on a valid PCIe (Nehalem), both flex strip are OK.
But all 3 cards work 100% on another Mac Pro (Woodcrest 2.66GHz)

Time to call Digidesign or is it AVID now soon to be Lacie?
Thanks for you extended help.

Eric

[Lizardpoint]

Is this a card 3 firmware issue ?
If you put card three into any slot, will it pass the digitest utility ?
Display the slot info for this slot in the Digitest utility.
Is your card 3 different to your card 2 according to the slot info page.

Hope this helps

Lizardpoint