CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[papalek]

My Ampro 2600 would not start up. It just said initializing on the remote. I checked the battery voltage and it was 1.7v. I ordered one from Curt(thanks Curt). I have installed it and no change. It will still show initializing and that is all. Some times I can get it to change channels But nothing will show on the screen. The remote shows the new channel and it will "click" like it is turning on but nothing will show on the screen. If I turn the power off and back on it will show auto restart and will not go farther.


This looks like something for TSE or Curt.

[papalek]

When I say change channels. I mean that if I turn the power off and then back on it will say auto restart. And everything will power up including the high voltage. The remote will still say auto restart. I then push a number and channel and the remote will show RGB input and the channel number but will not display anything. If I then hit the power button it will power down. Then when I hit the power button it will say initializing but will not go any farther.


Maybe it has something to do with the battery. The 2600 CPU does not have the battery jumper under the battery like the 4200. I just removed the old one and solder on the new one.

[macgyver655]

How about a test pattern?

[macgyver655]

Also did you try a code 909?

[papalek]

No test patterns or anything. It is a glitch in the CPU of some kind.

Normally when you turn on an Ampro it will say Initializing then what ROM version copyright Ampro corporation and then it will turn the video on and show what input type and what channel it is on.

Mine never goes beyond saying "Initializing". It will stay at that point until you kill the power. You can not turn it off with the power button,you have to turn off the main power. Then when you turn it back on it will say "Auto Restart" and stay on that.But if you push a number then channel it will click and show RGB input and channel number but will not light the tubes. At that point you can hit the power button and it will say powering down and tun off. Then you hit the power button and it will say "Initializing" and stay at that point again. I can not get it to do any thing else.

[macgyver655]

Im assuming you checked the switches after you put the CPU board back in to make sure one didn't get switched to the wrong baud rate. Also do you have another remote to try. I had a bad remote once that would only give 1 or 2 functions. The traces on the flexible circuit inside the remote were cracked at the bend. If not that then probably a corrupt CPU. I had one of them a few weeks back, however it was also not displaying correctly on the remote. Removeing power from the projector and plugging it back in and turning it on and off about 20 to 40 times and presto, it was fine again. I think there is also something about this procedure under the Ampro section here. Good Luck!!!!!

[AnalogRocks]

Have you tried re-programming the CPU via the DIP switches and the remote? There's a procedure in the 2000 manual I have here. I had to do that because my 4000 coulnd't see the Quad decoder card (S-video.video and V sysnc )

Not sure if it has to be done for RGBS card though.

[AnalogRocks]

Have you tried re-programming the CPU via the DIP switches and the remote? There's a procedure in the 2000 manual I have here. I had to do that because my 4000 coulnd't see the Quad decoder card (S-video.video and V sysnc )

Not sure if it has to be done for RGBS card though.

[stefuel]

[papalek]

I have tried another remote. No change. Chip the CPU was not working BEFORE I changed the battery. It is the same now as it was then. I have turned power on and off many times with no change. When it says "Auto Restart" and I push a channel,I found out that I can max out contrast and brightness and get an image on the screen. I just can not adjust it. I can not get the help or test patterns to come up. When you push the help or test buttons the image will flicker once but stay the same. I can only do things when it is in "Auto Restart". I can enter codes and get most of them to work. but if I power it off and power it on normally and it says "Initializing" nothing will work from the remote. It will not respond to ANY buttons until you kill the power and it goes to "Auto Restart". But even in "Auto Restart" it does not finish starting up normal. But that is the only time it will respond to any buttons.

[Curt Palme]

I hate to say this, but I have not seen this fault before. Usually on the older CPU boards, you can easily lose the whole LCD display after the battery is changed, and usually with a bunch of effing around with pulsing the power switch (!) or reseating chips. it will come back. Getting stuck in initialization mode is a new one on me.

I would say though that this is a fault on the CPU board only as you already suspect. Post a pix of the board, I'll see if I have one.

[Curt Palme]

I hate to say this, but I have not seen this fault before. Usually on the older CPU boards, you can easily lose the whole LCD display after the battery is changed, and usually with a bunch of effing around with pulsing the power switch (!) or reseating chips. it will come back. Getting stuck in initialization mode is a new one on me.

I would say though that this is a fault on the CPU board only as you already suspect. Post a pix of the board, I'll see if I have one.

[dbaisey]

I have seen this on one NEC system board where it stayed EE. Could not clear it. Doug

[macgyver655]

Curious, but when you were able to see something with the contrast and brightness turned up, did you check to see if the the tubes were turned off. Sometimes they default that way. Does it even read on or off when you press and hold a color button. Also, the one I had, When it came on and not functionally properly, I left it on for about a half to a full hour, and thats when it started to come back. Good Luck.

[papalek]

I can use the codes to turn the tubes off and on. The CPU has a glitch in it of some kind. I will try leaving it in the "Initializing" mode for a couple hours and see if it straightens out when I get home tonight.

[tse]

It does sound like the processor is hanging up. Probably won't help but try going to factory mode with sw3. The password is probably 122595. Try shutting off the I2C errors with sw5.

http://www.curtpalme.com/docs/Ampro_CPU_SW.pdf

See if that makes any differnce.

Scott

[macgyver655]

Hey Scott. Is there any software to read and write to the Cpu on board or do they have to be programmed when removed and is there anything available for that? Even as far as revision updates.

[tse]

More than you want to know is located at:

http://www.curtpalme.com/Ampro3600_Downloads.shtm

The firmware is all in one time programmable ICs.

Scott

[macgyver655]

Yea. read all that before. Doesnt do much good if its on a one time write chip unless one could still aquire the actual data, locate blank chips and had the correct hardware to mount and install data.

[papalek]

[papalek]

I let it set on "Auto Restart" for an hour and it stayed right there,saying "Auto Restart"


It has me baffled. We only use it a couple times a month,most of our viewing is with the 4600. And the last time it worked fine. Turned it off and now this crap.

[papalek]