2 - Fault Finding

Owned by Vic Gerhardi
Last updated: Jul 20, 2015Version comment
6 min read

Introduction

There are normally five main areas that you need to check if your Z88 does not work. Most of these items require Dismantling your Z88, but check the text before you get your screwdriver out.

The Cards

Make sure that you follow the Inserting RAM or ROM Cards Rules as the Z88 gets confused on what size of memory it has if this has not been followed. Memory cards sometimes do go faulty. If they do, you do not need to dismantle the Z88 to fix them.

Inserting RAM or ROM Cards Rules

You can add more memory (RAM packs) by following the INSERT RAM/ROM procedure, any time. Whenever removing a RAM you need to do a Soft Reset. This will clear the FAIL message and all your files that you may have stored.

You can add programs (ROMs) by following the INSERT RAM/ROM procedure again any time.

Insert Ram/Rom Procedure

Installation instructions usually start with a warning telling you to switch off and disconnect all power. Quite the opposite is true in this case... To install the ROM, take the following steps:

  1. Switch on the Z88 pressing both  keys in the usual way.
  2. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the  key.
  3. Ensure the INDEX is on screen.
  4. Open the card flap which is the clear perspex cover labelled 1,2,3.. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
  5. Insert the ROM into Slot 2 or an empty slot.
  6. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear.
  7. If there are any errors at this stage will cause a message to be printed at the extreme right of the screen.

You should try to leave Slot 3 free for EPROMs as they can ONLY be used there. You can use any of the Slots for RAMs or ROMs except if you put a RAM in slot 3, your Z88 will use more battery power. I have found that the following combination works best. Slot 1 RAM. Slot 2 RAM/ROM. Slot 3 EPROM only. See Check Z88 Cards.

Installation instructions usually start with a warning telling you to switch off and disconnect all power. Quite the opposite is true in this case... To install the ROM, take the following steps:

  1. Switch on the Z88 pressing both keys in the usual way.
  2. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the key.
  3. Ensure the INDEX is on screen.
  4. Open the card flap which is the clear perspex cover labelled 1,2,3.. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
  5. Insert the ROM into Slot 2 or an empty slot.
  6. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear.
  7. If there are any errors at this stage will cause a message to be printed at the extreme right of the screen. See tCARD.

Removing the Application

Before removing an application you should first check that it is still not being used. To do this:

  1. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the key.
  2. Look at the Suspended Activities section on the right-hand side of the screen.
  3. If you can see an application running that you wish to remove (it also has a number 1, 2 or 3 in the card column as well) move the cursor over it and select tKILL.
  4. Open the card flap. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
  5. Remove the ROM from the slot.This can be a little awkward. Using the edge of a coin or something similar, carefully prize the cartridge from its slot
  6. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear.

It is important to note that you should follow this full procedure even if you are installing another application afterwards.

If you were not in the INDEX when you removed the card, you get a continuous bleep and the error message INDEX on the right-hand side of the screen. If this happens, open the flap and re-insert the card in its original slot.

Note: Errors caused by removing a card can be rectified by re-inserting the card into the original slot from which it was removed.

Avoid excessive force. Be particularly careful not to damage the transparent cartridge cover - your Z88 will not operate without it! does not work.

Installing another or moving an Application

You must treat this as two operations. If you take a card out, treat it as removing the application and close the flap first to let the Z88 know that you have removed it before opening it again to install the new one.

CARD

If the Z88 starts to bleep and displays message CARD in the top right-hand corner of the INDEX screen after you have inserted or removed a ROM, the above procedures have not been followed .

To clear this do the following

  1. Get to the INDEX page by pressing the key.
  2. Ensure the INDEX is on screen.
  3. Open the card flap which is the clear perspex cover labelled 1,2,3.. (The Z88 bleeps and switches off automatically).
  4. You need to undo what you did before you got the beeps. This could have been
    1. taking the ROM out of a slot and putting it in another slot without closing and opening the flap in-between that operation
      solution - reverse what you did.
      1. taking it out of the slot you had put it in
      2. return it to the slot you had taken it out of.
    2. removing a card whist not in the Index
      solution - put it back again
    3. removed a card whist still running an Application
      solution - put it back again and then KILL the application.
  5. Close the card flap. The INDEX page should now reappear without the CARD message.
  6. Carefully follow the instructions for Installing and/or Removing as two separate operations.

Check Z88 Cards

After inserting any card, it is a good idea to check that your Z88 knows about it by selecting (CARD) while in the INDEX.


The display should match what you have really got in the card slots. If this does not match, you have found another problem. Sometimes the EPROM is not shown. See Header on EPROM.

Device fails to boot OZ in slot 1

Intel Flash Chip

Another sort of memory failure only occurs when you are booting the Z88 from slot 1 and it just fails to boot. This is caused by an INTEL flash chip, it is NOT the software. If an old INTEL chip is being used, consider getting the more modern version, AMD or AMIC versions. They are faster and do not suffer from this fault.

This failure will not be detected by OZ when it is running, as it is a hardware problem. The INTEL chip is not quite fast enough for the Z88 hardware and can lead to a sporadic performance. Sometimes it works, other times it fails.

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