OT - trouble with UAD2-Solo

[Henry Robinett]

This is the most frustrating thing. My PCIe UAD card has stopped working. And I'm getting almost zero support from support. I've never been ignored like this from an audio company ever. EVER. They have no answer. The card is only a year or two old. I had three UAD-1 cards that never failed. They'd probably still work. This one must be a bad card. I get the "No Device Found." I used to be able to reboot Mac and about half the time it would come back. Then after the third reboot it'd come back. Now never.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[mikehalloran]

Have you tried it in a different slot? Have you tried resetting the NV RAM (PRAM)?

This is a Hail Mary but worth a try: How long has it been since the NV RAM battery has been replaced? A run down battery can cause all sorts of weird behavior including the PCIe slots not being properly recognized on bootup—if that's the real problem, then a new battery will fix you up. It's not unusual for these to crap out after 4 or 5 years.

Although the OE battery is a BR2032, you can safely substitute a CR2032 in a 2012 and older Mac Pro (the BR2032 should be used in the the new MP and 2011-on iMacs because of their higher running temperatures).

[Henry Robinett]

Wow. I have reset PRAM many times. I reseated the card and changed many times as well. But the battery is a good call.

[crescentoon55]

I just had that happen with El Capitan...I re-installed the software and that eliminated the problem.

[Henry Robinett]

I uninstalled the UAD software and reinstalled it. No change

[Henry Robinett]

Have you tried it in a different slot? Have you tried resetting the NV RAM (PRAM)?

This is a Hail Mary but worth a try: How long has it been since the NV RAM battery has been replaced? A run down battery can cause all sorts of weird behavior including the PCIe slots not being properly recognized on bootup—if that's the real problem, then a new battery will fix you up. It's not unusual for these to crap out after 4 or 5 years.

Although the OE battery is a BR2032, you can safely substitute a CR2032 in a 2012 and older Mac Pro (the BR2032 should be used in the the new MP and 2011-on iMacs because of their higher running temperatures).

I'm still having problems with this. UA even sent me a brand new Satellite Duo 2 FireWire to compensate because their customer support was so bad and didn't even try to find a solution.

But now I'm trying to solve something else as well. The MP 2.8 ghz quad ( now 3.46) doesn't restart and shutdown. This was long before the CPU upgrade. So I want to try your battery solution. My MP is a mid 2010 quad. 5,1 of course. Which battery should I get? BR2032 or CR2032? Does it matter in my case? I just installed an X5690 CPU and 32 ram. I don't want any weird problems on this otherwise humming machine.

And if it solves the UAD problem, great. Right now I'm suspecting one of the two FireWire PCIe cards. Next I'll try removing them. Can I get these batteries at a local electronics store or should o order them online?

Thanks!!


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Henry Robinett]

So those are just the common lithium batteries I can get at most any store?


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[mikehalloran]

So those are just the common lithium batteries I can get at most any store?
_

Yes.

The BR2032 has a slightly lower voltage and slightly shorter service life compared to the common CR2032. It's advantage is that it can survive lower and higher operating temperatures and has a longer shelf life. The BR2032 should be used in 2013 and newer Mac Pros and 2011 and newer iMacs.

Older Macs and Minis are better ventilated where the battery is mounted and can take the common CR2032. If you look at NewerTech on the OWC site, you will see they make the same recommendation. Some brands call it a C2032 — same battery.

The makers of my medical devices caution against using generic batteries and insist there is a difference. Eveready, Duracell, Rayovac and Panasonic are the approved brands. I find them cheaper at the hardware store than the drug store.

There's a trick to removing the old battery without breaking the holder. If you don't see how to do it without forcing anything, watch a YouTube video or two. There are other videos on replacing the holder if you accidently break it.

[Henry Robinett]

Thank you Mike!

Another thing I'm going to try is to clean the contacts on my various PCIe cards. I have three, 2 firewire and the UAD-Solo. Do you think using either DEtoxIt or WD-40 - spraying on the contacts would suffice?

[Henry Robinett]

I'm a little concerned since I've never removed the video card. It's not coming out. I'm worried it's connected in some other way. I have to remove this to get to the battery. I'm looking at instructions from Apple. There's a metal bar that seems like it's holding it place. ARGGH.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Henry Robinett]

The retainer bar . . .


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Henry Robinett]

Update - I think I figured out my problems. There were two issues. First MP would not restart or shutdown except for manually. Second UAD-2 Solo wouldn't get recognized. They seemed entirely unrelated except for the fact that they were two problems happening at the same time. You can see some of my trials and troubleshooting in this thread. Just a little. It's been going on for many months.

I was going to do a clean install, but just short of that -- that was my next move. I still might do it -- I decided to just install Yosemite again. Although you can't get it from the Apple Store any more, you can get it in your history of purchases.

So that did it. Whatever it was fixed both problems. The good news is UA sent me a brand new Duo satellite FireWire card because their customer support was so terrible. They said it's not a replacement. I can keep both!!

So anyway. Good news on Valentine's Day! Thanks all those who tried to help. Much appreciated.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[HCMarkus]

Cool news Henry. BTW, batteries a lot cheaper online.

[Henry Robinett]

Well batteries were pretty cheap at the local store. And although I did change the battery, that turned out to not be the problem.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Henry Robinett]

Follow up. That was not the issue. It appears that - and I've been fooled before - my primary OS/app/doc drive was not in the MP it wanted to be. For some reason I switched the drives several months ago. It took me a long time to realize there was a problem because I leave my main MP on 24/7.

I don't know why this appears to be the case but I'm thinking something is machine specific. Not that it won't run but something will not go right. The UAD or something else was looking for something it couldn't find. The problem was not only that UAD wasn't working. It was that my MP wouldn't restart or shutdown on command. Only manually.

I don't know. But as soon as I put the OS drives into the MP they were set up with its run like a dream. And if course neither drives are the original drives. Go figure.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_