Quicksilver needs a firmware update for Sonnet Encore ST 1.6Ghz?

[kyle_h]

Hello everyone

I just put a Sonnet 1.6Ghz into a quicksilver. It doesn't boot. It does with the apple CPU card though.

It was suggested to me that the firmware needs updating, however, the only Apple firmware updates I can find are for machines older than the Quicksilver. Sonnet's website provides a firmware updater for OS X, but I don't have OS X. I don't have a computer with a disc burner to make a copy with, either.

Someone gave me a copy of some sonnet software "Crescendo_Enc_Ins_2.3.1.sit", which is an installer that claims to have a firmware updater in it. It tells me to boot the system while holding down the programmers switch and it'll do the firmware.

Only it doesn't. If I hold the programmers switch in when I boot, all it does is flash the power LED for a while and dump me in openfirmware. And then if I reboot and go back to mac OS, sonnet's software bitches at me for not having the correct firmware installed.

How do I get myself out of this situation?

 

[herd]

Hello, welcome to the forum. Sonnet is still around and supports their products. The search function on this site is pretty good too.

Sonnet Support

 

[kyle_h]

I already went on sonnet's website. I said so. I also searched this website, but didn't find clear information.

I apologize for attempting to ask human beings directly.

 

[herd]

The manual is available from here:

http://www.sonnettech.com/support/downloads/manuals/encore_st_1800_qsg.pdf, among a variety of other places.

In there it has information related to the problem you have described:



This problem is well documented for a range of aftermarket G4 CPU upgrades, and there are a number of different solutions. Searches will turn up things like this:


http://www.sonnettech.com/downloads/software/ce_install_v231.hqx

 

[kyle_h]

Again, I've already done that, and said so in my first post:

Someone gave me a copy of some sonnet software "Crescendo_Enc_Ins_2.3.1.sit", which is an installer that claims to have a firmware updater in it. It tells me to boot the system while holding down the programmers switch and it'll do the firmware.

Only it doesn't. If I hold the programmers switch in when I boot, all it does is flash the power LED for a while and dump me in openfirmware.

And then if I reboot and go back to mac OS, sonnet's software bitches at me for not having the correct firmware installed.

Why are you wasting my time?

 

[finkmac]

Why are you wasting my time?

why are you wasting mine? you've forced me to read your stupid needlessly abrasive post.

 

[cheesestraws]

Why are you wasting my time?

I don't know what bit of the Internet you've crawled out of, but we don't speak to each other like this around here.

 

[Plasticoat]

If the Mac is booting into firmware, it’s half good!

If the disk is correct it should give you a series of options, 1,2,3,4 etc if your not getting those options to install remove or patch then I’d say the disk you are using is dodgy, try another installer.
With good firmware.

I cannot help any further as I sold my upgrade, I found the above a real bind in the end, even zapping pram requires you to reinstall the drivers and patch, I just got fed up with it

 

[kyle_h]

I don't know what bit of the Internet you've crawled out of, but we don't speak to each other like this around here.

Yeah usually it's much more abusive.

If the Mac is booting into firmware, it’s half good!

I wish I could share your optimism. It boots into OF when the original CPU card is installed, not with the Sonnet.

If the disk is correct it should give you a series of options, 1,2,3,4 etc if your not getting those options to install remove or patch then I’d say the disk you are using is dodgy, try another installer.
With good firmware.

Do you mean when running the installer software under Mac OS? I don't remember any such 1-4 options. It shows a diagram of a G4 showing where the programmers switch is and tells me to press it, but doing so just gets me a regular OF screen.

Since starting the thread I've got hold of a CD copy of Panther, installed it, and ran the Firmware updater on Sonnet's site. It fails under Panther with this dialog box:

Sonnet Firmware Updater

! Programming not successful!

Boot section 0xD3552ACB

Recovery section 0xB76B10F1

Main Section 0x6DA7E1AE

(ok)

I'm at a loss. Nothing much more seems to exist. Has anyone here got one of these working in a quicksilver? What did you do?

 

[joshc]

What did you do?

Have you tried using the skill of a real engineer?

 

[kyle_h]

Small update. The firmware update in sonnet's OS 9 software installer suddenly started working, but only after installing Panther and the OS X version crashing.

It booted up to OS 9 (still with the apple CPU card) and told me the firmware was updated and that I could put my Sonnet card in.

Unfortunately with the sonnet card in it starts to boot, but quickly crashes. Panther scrambles it's Apple logo after about a second. OS 9 gets a lot further, it gets until the end of the progress bar on the loading screen and then locks solid. Extensions off made no difference.

Putting the stock card in gets it working again, so at least I know that nothing is damaged.

EDIT:

I've tried replacing the ram with other ones I have, and also a different PSU - ATX with an adapter. It has no effect on it's behavior. Either the motherboard is junk or the CPU card is.

I'm about to throw in the towel on this one. Hopefully I can source something faster than a 733 with no L3 cache.

Have you tried using the skill of a real engineer?

So in a different thread I said that repairing a CRT monitor chassis as new as in an iMac without a schematic is an extremely difficult job that needs advanced, professional skills. I said that without the schematic I wouldn't try.

Somehow this has left you deeply upset. It's been hours and you're so still steaming mad about it you're bringing it up in unrelated conversations. I'm not going to speculate as to why, I can just press the ignore button.

 

[halkyardo]

So in a different thread I said that repairing a CRT monitor chassis as new as in an iMac without a schematic is an extremely difficult job that needs advanced, professional skills. I said that without the schematic I wouldn't try.

Somehow this has left you deeply upset. It's been hours and you're so still steaming mad about it you're bringing it up in unrelated conversations. I'm not going to speculate as to why, I can just press the ignore button.

You've come in here out of the blue and been nothing but rude and condescending. Your literal second post on this thread was to berate somebody for innocently offering advice. I don't know what kind of treatment you expected, but with the attitude you've shown so far, I don't think it should come as much of a surprise that people are going to be rude right back at you.

 

[kyle_h]

You've come in here out of the blue and been nothing but rude and condescending. Your literal second post on this thread was to berate somebody for innocently offering advice. I don't know what kind of treatment you expected, but with the attitude you've shown so far, I don't think it should come as much of a surprise that people are going to be rude right back at you.

Ok Halkyardo, I'll offer you a deal.

Every time you describe a problem and what you've done to try and solve it, I'll repeatedly tell you do to things you've already said you did.

Does this sound appealing to you?

The only "treatment" i expected was that people would read things before replying to them, which I don't think is unreasonable. It's the basis of human written communication?

I'll say that this forum has very different culture to any I've seen before. Many of you get offended at absolutely nothing whatsoever - and then dump steaming piles of shit on me, but expect me not to react to it.

The behavior is so unique to 68KMLA and to uniform across all of it's members I've met so far I can only guess something very bad is in the drinking water around here. See you later.

 

[halkyardo]

Ok Halkyardo, I'll offer you a deal.

Every time you describe a problem and what you've done to try and solve it, I'll repeatedly tell you do to things you've already said you did.

Does this sound appealing to you?

If you're doing it in good faith? Doesn't bother me. Sometimes people misread things, or simply forget. Even if it does upset you, it costs you nothing to ignore it instead of coming out swinging. It's not exactly doing anybody any harm.

I'll say that this forum has very different culture to any I've seen before. Many of you get offended at absolutely nothing whatsoever - and then dump steaming piles of shit on me, but expect me not to react to it.

The behavior is so unique to 68KMLA and to uniform across all of it's members I've met so far I can only guess something very bad is in the drinking water around here. See you later.

Not sure what forum cultures you're coming from, but in general, if someone joins a forum and starts acting like a jerk right from the get-go, then of course people are going to be rude back at them, and mess with them. Is it "right" that newcomers are expected to act with more humility than oldtimers? Maybe, maybe not. But that's how human interaction tents to be. It's generally a fairly good tip for getting along with a new crowd of people to not immediately start berating and insulting them.

If you're going to keep behaving this way, then I don't think you'll be particularly missed. But still, I'd encourage you to maybe do a bit of reflection and think about why folks reacted so negatively to your behavior. It's no way to go about making friends.

 

[kyle_h]

Not sure what forum cultures you're coming from, but in general, if someone joins a forum and starts acting like a jerk right from the get-go, then of course people are going to be rude back at them, and mess with them.

That's very interesting but I've not "started acting like a jerk right from the get go".

If you're going to keep behaving this way, then I don't think you'll be particularly missed. But still, I'd encourage you to maybe do a bit of reflection and think about why folks reacted so negatively to your behavior. It's no way to go about making friends.

I'm not behaving any differently than I do anywhere else, and I don't run into issues anywhere else, so it's nothing to do with me.

I'm not even remotely interested with making friends with any of you. I came here to find out what's going wrong with my Sonnet CPU card, but I figure with the Royston Vasey-eque forum culture I should just save my effort and sell it on ebay.

Also, do you know this site isn't GDPR compliant? There's no user account deletion feature.

 

[Cory5412]

My apologies for the delay on this. This is now resolved/closed.