Help!!!!!...FW soundcard not being recognised!!!

[SmG]

Hi, Just wondering if anyone could help me?

I bought an 828mk2 Firewire a few months ago off ebay 2nd hand and it worked fine when it arrived. I did the sensible thing and tested all inputs and outputs with mics etc and it worked no problem. The drivers had already been installed from another 828mk3(i think) I borrowed from my university a while before and they seemed to work!

Once I knew it was working I didn't really use it for a good few weeks with being busy studying etc and when I went back to connect it again, my macbook just wouldn't recognise the sound card!!

I've tried all of the immediate troubleshooting: Uninstalling the drivers and reinstalling them, updating all of the computer's software etc. I went into the Apple "genius bar" and even brought the Motu along. They tested the Firewire ports on the Mac and they were all fully functional! They just recommended to reinstall the drivers, update software etc etc.

I've also tried hooking the 828 up to a different mac and it still isn't recognising it!!!..

...However, it does work stand alone! I can plug a mic into it and monitor through headphones etc so the device its self can't be broken!?
One other thing is, although I said the computer doesn't recognise it, the sample rate indication light is on solid when disconnected and flashes when connected to the mac which shows that there is some kind of communication between the two devices!

Apologies for the long post, but if anyone has any idea or experienced this before I would be really grateful for any help

Thanks

Sean.

[stephentayler]

repair permissions?

Cheers

Stephen

[SmG]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your reply, I didn't know what repair permissions were tbh, but read up on the subject a bit and understand it as being a kind of disk sweeper. Is that the kind of thing you meant? I found the repair disk permissions function on my laptop and ran it anyway but it didn't seem to change anything. Is there any chance of explaining repair permissions briefly??

Cheers

Sean.

[Dwetmaster]

two obvious things that might have been overlooked:
Try another FW cable?
Try the ohter FW port on the 828?

[SmG]

...I've tried using a new firewire cable and the cables were tested with other devices when I brought them into the apple shop to eliminate the computer end of things. I have tried both FW ports on the Motu but the computer doesn't recognise it, however the light which displays the sample rate on the 828 flashes when connected to one of them!! This only happens when the computer is connected to the right hand firewire port (looking at it from the back)!!

There must be some kind of connection between the mac and the motu if this is happening??

Its probably also worth mentioning that once the 828 is connected, its settings on the front panel cannot be changed, but while disconnected it seems to function properly as a stand alone device!!!

[Dwetmaster]

Might be a firmware issue on the 828 (NOT a driver on your computer)

Whenever the S.R. light flashes on my MOTU device, it's ALWAYS related to a wrong clocking source selected in the MOTU Audio Setup utility.

[SmG]

could be, I don't think I understand firmware enough to be honest - how would one go about checking this on the 828 itself?

With regard to the Setup utility, It won't let me do anything except tick a box saying:
"Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hardware becomes available".
Thats literally the only thing that happens when I run the Setup utility!

[Pappy725]

My 828mkII isn't seen by my MacBook Pro either. Fortunately, I have an 8pre which is so I have it first in the FW chain. Have you tried putting a hard drive or some other FW device in front of the 828? Does your laptop have FW 400 or 800? Just a couple of thoughts of things to try.

The firmware version shows up on the front LCD panel when the 828 boots up. Mine says MOTU 828, then CueMix DSP, then v1.00. I've seen something about a firmware update for the 828 but I couldn't install since mine isn't recognized by my computer.


Pappy

[torrentg]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately, it sounds like to me that one time or another while you connected/disconnected the firewire cable from either the MOTU or Mac, you've placed it in upside down.

Doing this would fry the firewire chip inside the MOTU by crossing the data and power lines, which obviously should never happen.

Doing this would also cause your exact situation...a unit that your computer can not recognize.

If this is the case, MOTU will repair or replace the unit at their discretion for approximately $100 U.S.

You'd have to make a ticket on their site to get an RMA number, and then you can send it in.

Please keep us updated on the situation and good luck!

Again, sorry for the bad news. Perhaps I am even wrong about you doing this, but I'm afraid that is not very likely.

[Pappy725]

If my Fw port is fried from being plugged in upside down. (which a MOTU tech suggested when I took my MBP, 828mkII, and 8pre into the Apple store) why would I be able to use both those ports to connect it to the 8pre and an external HD? With the 8pre's second port being used to connect it to the MBP?

Pap

[mikehalloran]

I had a similar issue on my G5 caused by a FW hub. Resetting the PRAM fixed it. Returning the hub under warranty kept it from coming back.

Try a PRAM reset by holding the command/option/P/R keys when starting. Let it chime three times and release. Good luck!

[SmG]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately, it sounds like to me that one time or another while you connected/disconnected the firewire cable from either the MOTU or Mac, you've placed it in upside down.

Doing this would fry the firewire chip inside the MOTU by crossing the data and power lines, which obviously should never happen.

Doing this would also cause your exact situation...a unit that your computer can not recognize.

If this is the case, MOTU will repair or replace the unit at their discretion for approximately $100 U.S.

You'd have to make a ticket on their site to get an RMA number, and then you can send it in.

Please keep us updated on the situation and good luck!

Again, sorry for the bad news. Perhaps I am even wrong about you doing this, but I'm afraid that is not very likely.

This is the kind of thing I was afraid of!!! It sounds very likely in my case as i've tried everything else!! I did plug the fw cable in upside down by mistake once although i'm sure at that point the mac already wasn't recognising it!

So this basically means shipping it to the states from the UK unless its possible to get it done here??

[torrentg]

This is the kind of thing I was afraid of!!! It sounds very likely in my case as i've tried everything else!! I did plug the fw cable in upside down by mistake once although i'm sure at that point the mac already wasn't recognising it!

So this basically means shipping it to the states from the UK unless its possible to get it done here??

Yes, you will have to ship the unit to Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It's a city directly next to Boston, where the Red Sox play. You can walk to the stadium (Fenway Park....I was there about 3 weeks ago) from MOTU's headquarters.

I don't believe they repair anywhere else worldwide, but it shouldn't hurt to ask them.