3 PCI CARD problems Please Help!!

[YISH313z]

Finally got my extra chips 2X 6dsp PulsarII, Luna card did not respond after install, it was recognized though. I installed 4.0 to see some of the extras I got with one of the Pulsars, then wrestled with the LUNA 2 card not able to Start code 10. Finally got off my arse and switched cards around, bam...all cards working in device manager.

However after uninstalling 4.0 and Installing 5.1, I now get this message upon opening 5.1 software:

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Installation error
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Cannot get board handle, Pulsar2 (brd 0) not installed or already in use.
Please check installation and configuration!

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OK
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I click OK, all still seems fine all DSPs show in meter, but I try to load 64 voices in the STS 4000/5000 and then get this message

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Problem
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No more driver memory for async vxd connections

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OK
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STDM cable kinda loose, culprit?


BTW:

WinXP SP3 Fresh Install
3gig Ram
Core2 DUO
Intel DP35DP
NVIDIA Geforce 210 Videocard
Still one unopened Half Pint of Cognac/1 lemon squeeze


please help!!

[vascomusic]

Try this: uninstall SCOPE software + drivers > disconnect STDM cables, unplug all DSP cards > clean PCI interface contacts + STDM contacts (preferably with cleaning alcohol) > replug all DSP cards in PCI slots > connect STDM cables > install SCOPE software.

When a DSP card pops slightly out of the PCI slot (equally or slantwise), SCOPE might become unstable and/or shows some very strange behaviour.
This happened a few times before... for example: random changing wordclock speeds and sync problems.

[YISH313z]

Will do. Thanks

I do have a question for anyone, in regards to the STDM connections. The Pulsar cards have 2 STDM connections, and the luna only one, is there a right and wrong way to connect the STDM cables?

[garyb]

are you sure you unistalled v4?
that looks like the message you get when Scope 4 tries to autostart and the program is unable to talk to the v5.1 driver, especially since Scope is working after that.

64 voices in a sampler? that may be a lot. the async vxd connections are lines from the system to the card, which are limited.

Scoperise has an excellent section on stdm cables, with information from both the manual and pz.
http://www.hitfoundry.com/issue_10/stm_mast.htm

[dante]

Regards the number of STDM cables, I have 1 x Pulsar II and 2 x Luna II all connected by 1 STDM cable. Its possible I may get more out of the system by using two cables but at the moment my tipping point for SAT connection overload and DSP overload are roughly the same anyway so I havent worried about it.

But if I had 2 x Pulsar and 1 x Luna it might be a different story, and be worth while to use 2 STDM cables between the Pulsars with one of them extended to the Luna.

Experiment.

[Ricardo]

If it helps, before I converted to XITE, I had a Pulsar 1, SRB 4DSP and LUNA II all connected via x1 STM cable. Never a problem. Gary may be right. I'd clean out your v4 completely (including registry and try again)

richard

[Mr Arkadin]

I don't know if it was that important, but I seem to remember that it was also advised when connecting two cards to use the outer two of the three connectors on the STDM cable, leaving the middle one floating.

[HUROLURA]

I don't know if it was that important, but I seem to remember that it was also advised when connecting two cards to use the outer two of the three connectors on the STDM cable, leaving the middle one floating.

Yes, that is necessary ...

[YISH313z]

Thanks guys, I may try it again, on Sunday, I just reverted back to 4.0 after the Async VXD errors while loading STS samplers, I am able to load them with out issues in 4.0 and most of the plugs included with v5 are included with my cards on V4 and some extras, so its no biggie.

I think the STDM cables may have been causing some issues as they are not the tightest fit, but when I rearranged the cards I managed to get them set in a way that keeps it staying put.

I may need to get a second STDM cable though as I am a stickler for having a flawless system.



So far with the extra DSP I am having fun just trying to break the thing.

It's showing to be quite robust at what I'm throwing at it. No sudden crashes or BSOD.

Once I pick up my pizza I think I will finally open this New Years bottle of Cognac and put a little groove together.




P.S. One of my cards says that I have the key for PRO-ONE but I cant seem to find the actual DEV file any where. Where can I get it at?
I see the Nokeys one but Ive heard bad things about messing with nokeys file, so I'll stay away from that for now

[dante]

I don't know if it was that important, but I seem to remember that it was also advised when connecting two cards to use the outer two of the three connectors on the STDM cable, leaving the middle one floating.

Thats wierd. I always used an outer and the middle, and left the other outer floating - works - and thats how 'seems' diagrammed in the Luna manual.

[garyb]

sure, it probably works either way, but the middle one floating is the correct way afaik.

[53E7]

I have always only used one STDM cable on 3 pro PCI cards and I have the STDM cable 2nd or 3rd out group of edge connections out from the back of the card where the breakout cables connect to the cards (it's been a while since I opened my case so I forget exactly which placement). Should I have two STDM cables? Where should they be placed? Is my current placement OK?

Dante's artical that Gary linked to suggests that he only uses one STDM cable for his three cards, but in a reply post in this thread Dante references his two STDM cables. So what is best? Would I see an improvement? I have the extra STDM cable so that's no big deal. I never used two STDM cables because I was advised when I bought the system that I only needed one (and I remember reading that here somewhere too).

[dante]

I also was advised that one would do, but I bought a spare one in case I ever wanted to try 2, but I never got round to it since I got XITE-1D anyway.

I think what it boils down to is a balance between DSP usage and inter DSP connections. Adding another cable will increase connections, but that in turn may consume more DSP due to a higher overhead of allocation fragmentation (again dependant on what devices you choose to run and the order in which they are loaded).

Lot of variables hard to predict so leaves one down to experimentation. But I'm interested to hear if anyone gets improvement from using 2 cables over 3 smaller boards.

[53E7]

When I bought the system in 2004 I spoke to the German rep for Creamware then (Rolph or Ralph?). That was who I believe told me I only needed one cable. Anyway, I use Scope the way people use the program Reason, and others like it. Scope ia a synth studio for me. Given that do you think I should try two cables, or stick with one? It's not like I've had a problem with just one. I may try two just to see what will happen. Also in the manual three cards are shown with a cable on every available slot on the top of the cards. Has anyone ever tried that?

[garyb]

if you haven't had any problems, there is no advantage to adding a cable. i'd just leave it alone.