[time-nuts] IOTECH 488 EPROM

gary lists at lazygranch.com
Wed Mar 21 03:15:46 UTC 2012


That helps a lot. Something I think you guys are using telepathy.

Yeah, running the NI serial box from Hyperterminal works. It was 
something odd when I was trying to use software. Most likely pilot error.

I forgot who mentioned using VB, but back in the VB6 day, I found much 
of the documentation regarding the serial port kind of lacking. I got 
Jan whatshernames "serial port complete" book which helped a lot.

With linux, compilers and IDEs are free. With windows, it is more 
difficult to get freebies, and compilers are expensive. Borland usually 
gives away the last rev of Jbuilder. You need to register. MS gives away 
a somewhat restricted version of Visual Studio. MS C++ is so bizarre 
(make that non-ISO) that you really need to buy the Horton's "Beginning 
Visual C++ 2010" book. MS C++ does have an ISO mode, but it also has a 
version for command line and one for GUI.

Back to GPIB, in the dark ages, I used one of the ICS boxes which used a 
Z80 to emulate an old HP desktop computer. For me, it was heaven. I just 
translated the HP Basic to C.

ICS is still around, but I don't think they sell that old box anymore.
> http://www.icselect.com/

However, this is similar:
> http://www.icselect.com/pdfs/4895_ds.pdf


Rocky Mountain Basic is a way to describe HP Basic out of Colorado 
without getting sued.


On 3/20/2012 6:38 PM, J. L. Trantham wrote:
> Gary,
>
> I have a CT-A and a CV-A.  They come apart by removing all the mounting nuts
> of the 232 and GPIB sockets.
>
> The 'upgrade' was focused on the IOTECH 488 boxes to convert all to a
> controller.  The conversation 'morphed' into 'NI boxes' by the thought that
> they share a common firmware.  I don't think they do, for many reasons,
> including the fact that they have different packages and sizes of their
> firmware PROM's, comparing the IOTECH and NI boxes.
>
> The CT-A and CV-A both have a socket for their PLCC 32 OTPROM.  I tried
> reading the two, moving the firmware from one to the other using an EEPROM
> and saw no benefit.  I guess there is the possibility that the CT-A version
> I have is somehow damaged but I was able to get the CV-A to work quite well
> with a Solartron 7081 and an HP 3458A using HyperTerminal on my XP computer.
>
> An educational but not particularly helpful experiment.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Joe
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On
> Behalf Of gary
> Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 8:12 PM
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] IOTECH 488 EPROM
>
> So if you have the GPIB-232CT-A, in my case 181930G-01 Rev 001, there is
> no advantage to the ROM upgrade?
>
> How does this unit come apart? I'm assuming one or both of the nuts
> holding the 232 or GPIB socket have to be removed. And I never did get a
> reply as to what this upgrade does.
>
> I got two of these. Actually I sold one. The first cost a whole dollar.
> That pissed off a friend who wanted one. I swore he would get the next
> one I find, and he was good for $50. That one cost $3. The last time I
> played with it, there was something odd with CRLF on data. My friend
> gave up and just bought the USB dongle from NI. Life is short. NI was
> still doing the trade in program, where basically any NI controller
> would get you half off. That may still be true. Basically they didn't
> want customers going to Prologix and other vendors.
>
>
> On 3/19/2012 4:52 PM, paul swed wrote:
>> A couple of answers.
>> The difference between the pass through and full controllers is
> significant
>> in the ease of use for my 2 cents. Well worth the effort.
>>
>> Joe I have never seen a NI controller as you describe. What I have seen is
>> that NI seems to garner rabid interest even at flea markets.
>> I believe the cntrollers I have been finding are simply black boxes that
>> look like the old rs232 so no one thinks twice.
>> Even if they did not work the cases are very nice for projects.
>> Regards
>> Paul.
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Joseph Gray<jgray at zianet.com>   wrote:
>>
>>> Paul,
>>>
>>> Thanks for that info. I'll keep an eye out for those models (cheap). I
>>> guess my NI unit is too different to use that EPROM.
>>>
>>> Joe Gray
>>> W5JG
>>>
>>> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 12:42 PM, paul swed<paulswedb at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>> Hello to the group
>>>> Joe here are the exact model numbers that I have and do indeed work.
>>>> IOmega488a
>>>> IOtech Micro 488a
>>>> IOtech 488ex
>>>> IOtech serial 488a
>>>> Black Box 232 to 488a
>>>> If I would run across other units at $5 as I have in the past I would
>>>> indeed try the mod.
>>>> I think the key to the discussion is the MPU board needs to actually
>>> have a
>>>> eprom socket.
>>>> Regards
>>>> Paul.
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 1:56 PM, paul swed<paulswedb at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Joe
>>>>> Its been a while since I posted those eproms and info.
>>>>> I need to do 2 things. Look specifically at my models tested and listed
>>>>> and see what that means in the context of your question. Perhaps later
>>>>> today.
>>>>> Regards
>>>>> Paul.
>>>>> WB8TSL
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 11:38 AM, J. L. Trantham<jltran at att.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Paul,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Have you tried this in an NI GPIB-232CV-A or a GPIB-232CT-A?  I have
>>> tried
>>>>>> to swap the data between a 232CT-A and a 232CV-A with no joy.  The two
>>>>>> units
>>>>>> are fundamentally different.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's why I have the chips.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com]
>>> On
>>>>>> Behalf Of paul swed
>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2012 9:38 AM
>>>>>> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] IOTECH 488 EPROM
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hello to the group.
>>>>>> Indeed the prom changes the behavior to a full controller and the ones
>>> I
>>>>>> listed were changed and worked. Because those were the units I had
>>> found
>>>>>> over the years. No idea about this particular prom and such. Regards
>>> Paul
>>>>>> WB8TSL
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 10:12 AM, J. L. Trantham<jltran at att.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Joe,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The NI GPIB-232CV-A uses an ST M27C256B-15C1 One Time PROM in a PLCC
>>>>>>> 32 pin package.  However, a Winbond W27E257 EEPROM is a pin for pin
>>>>>>> substitute. The M27C256B and the W27E257 both come in a 28 pin DIP
>>>>>>> package (0.6
>>>>>>> spacing)
>>>>>>> so you should be able to use a programmer with that chip support and
>>> a
>>>>>> DIP
>>>>>>> to PLCC adapter, wired appropriately, to do the programming.  The 28
>>> pin
>>>>>>> DIP
>>>>>>> packages are UV erasable.  I've never seen a PLCC UV erasable
>>> package.
>>>>>>    Do
>>>>>>> they exist?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In any event, I can program the chip for you if needed.  I have some
>>>>>>> spare W27E257P-10 chips and can burn one for you as well and send it
>>>>>>> to you if needed.  I am in Northwest Florida.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com]
>>>>>>> On Behalf Of Joseph Gray
>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2012 2:18 AM
>>>>>>> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
>>>>>>> Subject: [time-nuts] IOTECH 488 EPROM
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The text file accompanying the EPROM file on KO4BB's site mentions
>>>>>>> using this EPROM image with a NI controller. I have a NI
>>> GPIB-232CV-A.
>>>>>>> Can I use the image with this controller? If so, I assume that I then
>>>>>>> have the equivalent of an IOTECH controller?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I partially disassembled my GPIB-232CV-A and from peering between the
>>>>>>> boards, it looks like the EPROM is a PLCC. I can't burn one of those.
>>>>>>> If I can use this image with my controller, can someone burn a chip
>>>>>>> for me? I'll pay for the chip and shipping, of course.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Joe Gray
>>>>>>> W5JG
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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