GT NIT White Screen

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
Driving me mad, and seem to be going round in circles.

I wonder if anyone could suggest what's going on.

This a 'Mark 1' Magneti NIT, that is version 7.x Hardware: No USB or Bluetooth. Yes it's rubbish.

This isn't the usual repeated rebooting, with the Maserati Logo, that is attributable to disk head crashes. The disk has been replaced and clean image loaded. It was the test system for Phil's excellent work in replacing the disks and solving the boot issues.
Before I start pulling the NIT and probing inside again, perhaps someone could shed some light.
The cabling is fine. Although the NIT's been out many times as part of the tests, the cabling looks sound. It's tight behind there, and thought that a connector was becoming dislodged or cable pinched near one of the sharp metal support. Side panels off, cable carefully routed away from obstructions, connectors fine.
Oh, and as a precaution, the battery was replaced on Tuesday with a Bosch 5 as recommended on a recent post, unfortunately to no avail. Katching, £179.

Symptoms:
I'm going to call this 'Cold Start'. Not an accurate term, but let's say after the car has been standing for between 12 to 18 hours.
Screen completely blank. No controls on NIT work, radio, source, on off switch.
Stays that way for 12 to 15 minutes, then boot logo, and rapid boot to last screen setting.
Everything fine.
Re-starts normally for the rest of the day.

Warm start: Let's say left for 2 or three hours.
Either starts up immediately to last screen without boot sequence, or rapidly reboots as normal.
Perceive this is normal

Hot Start: Let's say left off for half an hour:
Restarts to last setting bypassing boot screen
Perceive this is normal.

One suggestion is that the boot EEPROM is losing its checksum, in which case is loads a fresh image from the disk, together with archived previous settings.
This could account for the time lapse especially if the EEPROM is 'slow' write.

The question is why?
It certainly seems to be a power bank issue. I'd expect to see CMOS RAM to behave this way, as when a PC's battery is duff, failing to keep the CMOS up, and previous settings are lost. But, EEPROM shouldn't do this, and their lifetimes are usually much longer than 10 years.

The question is, and before I start stripping the unit again, is it CMOS and supported by an on board battery? If so this is probably curable with a simple replace. However I don't recall seeing any battery when last dismantled, but that was 3 or 4 months ago.

This NIT is the only thing that really bugs me about the car, well, apart from not having a valved exhaust, but that is solvable. A new unit is about £3,500. Fuff, second hand one's I can't find, apart from the Polish/German chap on e-bay without assurance that it'd work. . I'd readily swap it out for a 8.x hardware unit if I could find one (replacing the carp disk again), or just solve this one.

Anyone know about the 7x board and what it might be? Probably exactly similar to the 8.x board processor.
Anyone know where I might source a 2nd hand replacement.

Any thoughts, helpful or amusing most welcome.

Hugs and kisses
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
Your ideas of the battery seem sensible. I assume you have a copy of the technical manual? If not, PM me an email address

C
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
I know of a second hand NIT which had symptoms of a drive failure (replaced with aftermarket solution at a main dealer) which might be worth a bid on? At least you could swap components etc...

The system has an integrated Flash Memory where the main application files are stored and run from.

It is referenced by the software as Drive /F and it is internally called TFFS.

It contains compressed versions of the main application files and some user settings.

This drive is formatted on every software update and all the necessary files are copied here by the upgrade script.
A Backup is made to the /C/BACKUP Folder during the upgrade.

If a file in this area gets damaged (or is changed without calculating the correct checksum) the systems fetches the backup copy made to the Hard disk.

(For example, if you replace the BootScreen.bmp file stored here without having the correct checksum, the system replaces it with the copy from /C/BACKUP/BootScreen.bmp)

It seems that some user settings are also stored here, such as /F/USER_DATA/User_Profile/User_com.dat
This is the location where the files are used. They seem to be copied periodically to the hard disk.

The manual C refers to sheds no more lights on the various EEPROM or Batteries used unfortunately so might not be much help.
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
There's reference to a safety battery and shown on the diagram on page 36. Maybe misleading, still investigating.

Ping me how I get hold of the second hand one Phil, please.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
It's got a bloody big arrow pointing to it on page 36!

On page 37 it's the black unit mounted in the white plastic 'tray'

C
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
Well I'm confounded.
Latina puttana.

Recap: Main Battery replaced last week.
NIT Failed to fire up as usual next day.
Some discussion and inspection of schematic for on board battery.
Yup there is one. Could be failing to keep CMOS up, and cold rollback bootstrap from hard disk.
Not started for 4 days.
Just started her up. Was going to pull the NIT to examine type of battery.
NIT burst into life.
Confounded.
Wonder what she'll do tomorrow.
Latina Puttana
(Still love her)
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
As expected.
This morning startup.
Less than 18 hours from yesterday.
White screen.
No rhyme or reason
Madam
Still, the whooosh down to Surrey and back was gorgeous.
To be continued
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
Not showing boot logo, Phil, so eeprom/cmos boostrap not starting, looks like either zero power or onboard primary boot sozzled.
Don't think it's even getting to pulling its secondary code from boot sectors.

Yup. I'll pull it and inspect, poke, jiggle, stroke, cuddle and cajole.

Seriously you're probably right, somats loose
 

Moz1000

Member
Messages
820
As this was used as a test system for Phil's upgrade work it is conceivable that the hard drive connector and/or ribbon has become damaged due to (I imagine) repeated disconnects of the hard drive. That ribbon is quite fragile. I'd take a look at the ribbon and the solder connections at the hdd connector.
Moz
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
NIT Pulled.
Covers off.
Disk ribbon fine.
Rear Power amp removed, connectors fine
Discovered 'Battery'
Removed from clips.
It's a dummy.
It really is
It not only says so, but it's an empty plastic box, with no connector terminal plates where it should mate with the board.
RT3ev Dummy pack.
Serves no purpose other than a decoy.
Magneti Marinelli is playing 'Got ya' games.
There's no fan.
Didn't remove the remainder, not wishing to disturb the main circuit board.
There seems to be someone called Autotronic.eu, specialising and describing the common Marinelli systems common to FIAT, Lancia, Renault etc.
Looks an odd outfit, only comms via web based mail.
While dismantled, sprayed switch cleaner on all connectors, external and internal.
Reinstalled, ensured rear wires not trapped: bleeding wrists and hands
Working fine, but then it does that.
Stumped.
Might be £3.2k new unit
Any ideas, or does anyone know who could look at these rather common Marinelli units?
Latina Putana
 

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CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
Boggle.

Are there connectors for the battery on the board? I just wonder if it's been replaced?

How about ripping one from a Peugot?

C
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,617
There are contact pads on the board. I'd agree and disagree with your with the suggestion that it's been replaced.
Disagree 'cos it clearly states RT3EV on it which is the id of the NIT common across the makes of car in which it's used, and therefore an item specific to it. BUT why go to all the trouble of manufacturing an empty plastic box with all the locating lugs and locks if it does nothing?. If it were to stop debris getting to the board terminals then there are easier methods.
Agree cos there's a screw missing from one of the locations (not used to retain the cover) so some bu&&er looks to have been in there, and the tamper tapes were marked when I opened it first earlier this year.

I'd bung a Renault one in, but as we know, the eeprom boot is different for each vehicle make.

If they are that common across such a huge range (there are RT3ev's RT3EV, etc across all models no doubt following in the no frills, then USB, then BT + BT variants) there must be at repair people who'd fix these blasted things.

I'd have to jiggle the eeprom with appropriate checksum. All doable but I'd rather be driving my b1tch than faffing with her inards