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Need help with "unresponsive" Teletek FDC-1C all in one computer-on-a-board.

If Chuck(G) can't find you one, PM me, I'm sure I've got a couple somewhere. Just shipping would be fine, like Chuck(G) said, they're pretty common (hope you don't mind used).
patscc
 
patscc said:
If Chuck(G) can't find you one, PM me, I'm sure I've got a couple somewhere. Just shipping would be fine, like Chuck(G) said, they're pretty common (hope you don't mind used).
patscc
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Boy, I dunno, ---used?... Well, OK!!! I guess a decades old machine won't have a problem with it. :D :D

Bruce
 
patscc said:
Certainly a lot quicker than waiting for either Chuck(G) or myself to get around to digging them out of whatever box they're buried in.
patscc
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LOL!
I've probably got abt. 100 or so but didn't even offer since it'd probably be Thanksgiving (yours, not ours!) before I'd get them shipped ;-)
 
Chuck(G) said:
Bruce, wouldn't it be much cheaper just to order from a good old US supplier? Jame has several speeds of NEW 6116s for around $2; they'll even ship overnight.
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I looked at about four listings and everybody was out of stock, was beginning to look like they might not be available, then found this, -ordered, and ONLY THEN was astute enough to figure out that I had ordered from Asia. :confused:

I've made that mistake before. Usually doing too many things at once and not paying attention.

If Jameco has them then I'll get a couple on the way ASAP, looks like one is enough but if I get a bad one I don't want further delays.

You ALL can stop laughing now!!!

Bruce
 
After going out and looking over some of the sites mentioned here and another chat, I am amazed at the I.C.s that are still available here in the US of A, I quite wrongly figured it would be a futile search.

If I can get the Teletek to wake up and talk to me, then I can worry about the addressing and testing of the 64K RAM17. Going to be a steep uphill curve for me to learn these tricks, I'm too used to relying on someone else's programming to check the RAM when I start a newly completed computer. One of the reasons I want to start with an S-100 of my own is to learn some of the underlying knowledge that makes computers tick. My twelve core Xeon monstrosity was about as easy to build, and clock up from 2.4 to 3.8 GHz as inserting tab A into Slot B. These days the things just work, and the BIOS is smarter than me by a humbling margin.

B.
 
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Well, the 6116 RAM chip had no effect on the power up results; still just a "special character" or two on power down or power up. So after my other three show up, if anyone needs one, I know exactly where all mine are. :D

Now I'm trying to tie pins 4, 5, & 20 together at the card end on my primary serial out J1 (S-IO A). I am fairly sure that is the directive from a hand typed addendum or supplemental. Edited to add - this had no effect.

I've found it wants to be 8 bits, no parity 2 stop bits and no more than 9600, so I set 4800.

The symptoms seem to be a comm configuration problem, since there is a response to the power. I have noticed that my reset button came wired wrong or the Teletek doesn't like it. I get about 3V on it and nothing happens other than continuity showing up during the press. I don't think it matters for now, though, as it is stated somewhere in my pile of papers that the card considers a PWR-ON as a reset, then is supposed to take a look at the floppies.

It never does anything, just my little character! BTW local echo works fine, I let it show cr/lf because it only works when computer has power; all keys come back correctly, and scroll lock says "hold", "caps lock" is there and numlock reads out "lock" in the status area at the bottom of the screen. No command type prompt ever, through many config variations.

I will try to get those voltages measured too to be sure both regulators are working and that the power is making it across the board. Docs are scary confusing to my un-knowing eyes!

Hoping the main system EPROM with the FDC-1C label is not toast. I can't get that one guy in the world, Dennis, who not so long ago ran a Teletek to reply, and he may be my last hope of burning one.

Bruce

Pic is replaced with one showing the RAM, http://i.imgur.com/4Ov3f.jpg
 
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USASAgencyman said:
Now I'm trying to tie pins 4, 5, & 20 together at the card end on my primary serial out J1 (S-IO A).
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Should work, although pin 20 is usually connected to pin 6 (and 8 )
I've found it wants to be 8 bits, no parity 2 stop bits and no more than 9600, so I set 4800.
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Are you sure? It's usually only one stop bit with 8 data bits and no parity.

I have noticed that my reset button came wired wrong or the Teletek doesn't like it. I get about 3V on it and nothing happens other than continuity showing up during the press. I don't think it matters for now, though, as it is stated somewhere in my pile of papers that the card considers a PWR-ON as a reset, then is supposed to take a look at the floppies.
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It would certainly matter if it's holding the CPU in a reset state; what do the voltages on the address lines look like?

It never does anything, just my little character! BTW local echo works fine, I let it show cr/lf because it only works when computer has power; all keys come back right, and pause, caps lock and numlock read out in the status area at the bottom of the screen. No command type prompt ever, through many config variations.
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Not sure what you mean; are you sure you're looking at local echo through the computer and not just within the terminal? Kind of unusual for a computer to be in half-duplex mode by default but that would suggest that it's actually running.
 
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Thanks for chiming in, I will do the best I can with a Fluke multi meter and my "Teletek Manual".

MikeS said:
Should work, although pin 20 is usually connected to pin 6 (and 8 )
Are you sure? It's usually only one stop bit with 8 data bits and no parity.
I double checked the FDC-1 supplement, it specified 4, 5, & 20, and used the phrase "must be tied together at the computer". I did NOT take that to mean grounded to the chassis). It also cautioned against messing with the ribbon cable. All I have is the single ribbon that had been simply snaked out of the back of the chassis to a D25 on the monitor, so I fashioned some flat jumper strips to slide down the pins at S-IO A and let the connector come on down in between my strips.
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It would certainly matter if it's holding the CPU in a reset state; what do the voltages on the address lines look like?
I need to work on how where to measure that! :confused:
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Not sure what you mean; are you sure you're looking at local echo through the computer and not just within the terminal? Kind of unusual for a computer to be in half-duplex mode by default but that would suggest that it's actually running.
I think it comes back from computer to the monitor, the carriage return only beeps and does not go down the screen if computer is powered down. It then shows all the missing CR/LFs once I power up the computer. Half duplex is a check-box in monitor setup that I have so far ignored
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OK. I had one from back when I tested laptop RS232 to programmable consumer remotes like RTI.

I guess the colors are standardized but mine has the computer side in red.

Here is monitor powered up no connection to FDC-1.

MonPWRonlyNoConnect.jpg

And here it is connected and computer powered up

MonPWRConnectFDC-1.jpg

FWIW, if I tag the jumpers for FDC-1 pins 4, 5, 20 to chassis, RD pin 3 on the monitor side goes out.

All the total activity I can generate either way is no more than very feeble blink of pin 2 on the computer side. That is all.

I don't know how to test those 1488s and 1489s so I guess I just order some of those next.
 
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Well, you could try manually pulling the input high or low, and then using a multimeter to see if you get -10v and +10v or so, assuming the 1488 is using +- 12v for supply.
patscc
 
All right I'm ready to manually pull some of the I.C.s out by the roots!

How do I manually pull hi?

This is embarrassing you know to be so, well, out of the enclave.

Bruce :)

Where can a person learn this kind of information? I'm not asking for someone to do all the research work for me, I'll get a book on S-100s if someone can give me a good lead.
 
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USASAgencyman said:
I don't know how to test those 1488s and 1489s so I guess I just order some of those next.
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I guess you didn't try what I suggested about 20 posts back which would probably at least tell you whether the receive side works, nor did you confirm that it should use 2 stop bits, or answer whether the terminal is in half or full duplex mode (it should be in full duplex mode, i.e. terminal local echo off). Not sure why you're jumpering the RS-232 to ground; that can have ambiguous results.

Confirm that you're using a straight-through cable and that the board is configured as DCE, i.e. RS-232 pin 2 goes to the 1489 and pin 3 to the 1488; note which pins of the 1488 & 1489 rs-232 pins 2 and 3 connect to and look in the datasheets to find the corresponding TTL side pins.

Assuming it's in a socket (your picture's no longer available), lift the 1488 TTL side pin(s) corresponding to RS-232 pin 3 and jumper to the 1489 TTL side pin corresponding to RS-232 pin 2.

Set the terminal to full duplex, no hardware handshaking and a fairly low baud rate. Disconnect it from the computer and jumper pins 2 and 3 of the terminal cable; it should display what you type. Remove the jumper, plug it into the computer, power up and see if it still displays what you type.

As to checking the address lines, just measure the voltage of any of the address lines, preferably the higher ones, and see if there's a difference between when you hold reset and let it go.
 
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I've never pulled a side pin on an I.C. in my 63 years. I'm going to scan what I have for a manual, it is a lot like crib sheets in many areas...
I'm going to go through everything in my "manual" again, try all the monitor variables again. Time.

I am not pulling any of you folk's chain, I am intending to learn this, and either get it running or know that it needs its EPROM re-P'd, or the whole thing buried in the back yard with an appropriate marker.

MikeS said:
I guess you didn't try what I suggested about 20 posts back
Mike, your help is appreciated, not ignored; still trying to get the basics selected, the manual assures me it should boot to the carat right out of the box. Your post still in a note on this desktop, to-do. I was not sure of the procedure, the RAM still had to be obtained then, consensus seems to be that nothing works without it. Second nature to you guys is new territory to me
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which would probably at least tell you whether the receive side works, nor did you confirm that it should use 2 stop bits,
2 stop bits
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or answer whether the terminal is in half or full duplex mode (it should be in full duplex mode, i.e. terminal local echo off)
In terminal setup half-duplex is a checkbox selection, I have not checked it, as is local echo, I've now un checked that
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. Not sure why you're jumpering the RS-232 to ground; that can have ambiguous results.
I only tried the ground momentarily to see if it showed a change on the LED serial test device , it did. The supplement for FDC-1C was very adamant about pins 4, 5, 20 being joined, but I wasn't sure about the chassis gnd., it said to make that connection "at the computer" and not modify the flat cable
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Confirm that you're using a straight-through cable and that the board is configured as DCE, i.e. RS-232 pin 2 goes to the 1489 and pin 3 to the 1488; note which pins of the 1488 & 1489 rs-232 pins 2 and 3 connect to and look in the datasheets to find the corresponding TTL side pins.
will work on that next, but don't have that in my papers, I'll look up the chips
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Assuming it's in a socket (your picture's no longer available)
It needed to be updated with the RAM chip for another viewer http://i.imgur.com/4Ov3f.jpg
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, lift the 1488 TTL side pin(s) corresponding to RS-232 pin 3 and jumper to the 1489 TTL side pin corresponding to RS-232 pin 2.
Set the terminal to full duplex, no hardware handshaking
I went with "flow control off"
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and a fairly low baud rate
I'm at 4800
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. Disconnect it from the computer and jumper pins 2 and 3 of the terminal cable; it should display what you type.
Not yet, I'll try more terminal settings
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Remove the jumper, plug it into the computer, power up and see if it still displays what you type.
As to checking the address lines, just measure the voltage of any of the address lines,
On the motherboard, FDC-1 in or out?
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preferably the higher ones, and see if there's a difference between when you hold reset and let it go.
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Bruce
 
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