Conference wrksys::alphastation

Article 49761 of comp.sys.dec:
Path: pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!not-for-mail
From: Jeff Forsythe <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: system makes 3 beeps
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 18:12:29 -0500
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp. - Workstations Engineering
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
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Tim Ross wrote:
> 
> I have inherited an AlphaStation 200 4/166 on my desktop, it appears to
> have an ATI video card and 32MB in 4 8 meg simms, the system on powerup has
> no video and makes 3 loud beeps waits about 3 secs makes 3 more beeps then
> nothing... Anyone have any idea what this error is?
> 
> [email protected]

I believe these codes are correct:

Diagnostic LED Codes

     LED Code      Meaning

        FA         memory test 1 failed
        F9         memory test 2 failed
        F8         memory test 3 failed
        F7         memory test 4 failed
        F2         DROM and flashROM corrupted
        DE         memory test failed
        DD         flashROM ID test failed
        DC         NVRAM test failed
        DB         SCSI test failed
        DA         PCI/ISA bridge test failed
        D9         TOY test failed
        D8         keyboard controller test failed
        D7         Super I/O chip test failed
                   (floppy, parallel port, COM ports)
        D6         interrupt test failed
        D0         power-on selftest passed, DROM console running
        E2         floppy load failed
        E1         flashROM load failed
        20         machine check occurred

Diagnostic Beep Codes

     Beep Code     Meaning

     1-1-4         The SROM code could not read the DROM code or
                   flashROM headers, or
                   there was a checksum failure

     1-2-1         The DROM code detected a TOY failure, or
                   the TOY interrupt did not occur

     1-2-4         The SROM code detected a hard failure (e.g., a
                   Bcache failure)

     1-3-3         The SROM code code not find at least two MBytes
                   of good memory

     3-2-1         The DROM code was unable to read the flashROM
                   so it tried to boot the floppy disk, but this
                   attempt failed because there was either no diskette
                   installed, or the floppy did not have an Alpha
boot                                     block.

     3-2-3         The DROM code tried to boot the floppy (as directed
                   by Jumper J5), but there was no diskette installed.

     3-2-4         The DROM code detected a keyboard/mouse controller
                   failure.

     3-3-1         The DROM code detected a hard failure.  See the LEDs 
                   for more diagnostic information.
                                                                 



-- 
Jeff Forsythe          
Digital Equipment Corp. - Workstations Engineering
email: [email protected] 
phone: 508.493.2153

>since then. Now I went onsite to install new software. When I powered on the
>systems, I got a beep code of 1-2-1 at test ..ec (Sound was more like 1-3,
>but this not a valid beep code according to the manual).

If what your telling me is the SRM console got to ec on it's display and you 
got a sound of a long 1 and a shorter 3 (It does kinda sound like 1-2-1) then 
you got a bios rom beep code.

	If that is the case the only time I've heard that beep code is if
the Video cable is is disconnected or you have an older Video tube. I've got
this code from the Number 9 graphics adapters and it thinks it can't find the
Video connection, It talks up the Video line.....

>If what your telling me is the SRM console got to ec on it's display and you 
>got a sound of a long 1 and a shorter 3 (It does kinda sound like 1-2-1) then 
>you got a bios rom beep code.
>
>	If that is the case the only time I've heard that beep code is if
>the Video cable is is disconnected or you have an older Video tube. I've got
>this code from the Number 9 graphics adapters and it thinks it can't find the
>Video connection, It talks up the Video line.....

I've got a PB2GA-JA in it and I had set the console to serial with no monitor
connected.

So maybe this is a bug? (I hope it isn't, because I soon will have over 30 of
these configurations.)

�tzi

>I've got a PB2GA-JA in it and I had set the console to serial with no monitor
>connected.

	My mistake I number 9; I meant S3 trio which is what you have. The 
beeps in that case can be ignored.

>So maybe this is a bug? (I hope it isn't, because I soon will have over 30 of
>these configurations.)

	To get around this just remove the PB2GA-JA  from the system.

Ok, a final statement:

I verified this today. No monitor connected to S3TRIO (PB2GA-JA),
I WILL get beep code 1-2-1 (sounds like 1-3 :-) ). It does not matter if
the console is set to graphics or serial, or if there is a mouse/keyboard
connected.

I will tell the customer that this graphics card is telling us it is sadness
about not being able to send output to a graphics monitor because of its
absence.

�tzi