WTB: Pods for Fluke9010A

[Elgen]

Just got a 9010A base unit, but have no pods.
I'd really like a Z80, a 68000, and a 6502, but atm anything have my interest. Working or defective doesn't matter, I'm interested.

 

[woodchips]

Is a logic analyser with disassembly of any use? There is also a similar UK made item called a boardmaster, anyone ever used one? Bob

 

[Elgen]

Don't quite know what a Logic Analyzer is?!...have you got a brand/make? Maby a link to info or pics...

It is specifically the Fluke pods I'm after, but other tools cool is always of interest };-P

 

[dave_m]

Just got a 9010A base unit, but have no pods.

As you know by now, it is not a good idea to buy a 9010A without the pod for the target microprocessor. The pods are rare and go for nearly the price of the 9010A base unit. There is a guy (artfromny) that sells working pods that he has refurbished, but they may be costly.

The same is true for old logic analyzers like the HP 1630 or Tektronix 1240. You can find them on ebay, etc for about $150 USD, but without a complete set of pods and associated test leads (flying lead sets) which may be missing, the logic analyzer base unit is useless. Always ask the seller about pods and test leads.

I hope you find the pods you need as a fully operating Fluke 9010A is very useful in detecting bad ROM/RAM chips in microprocessor boards used in old computers and arcade games. You do need a working board to obtain the correct 'data signatures' for the ROMs, but having that data in hand, one can then test unknown boards.

 

[Elgen]

Yup, I do know that, but this unit was dead cheap, working and with both RS232 and the 006 option (Asynch Sig). So I just couldn't let it go }

I do know about artfromny, but he hasn't got any Z80 atm, and he's also a bit expencive as I think I might be able to repair defective pods myself.

I have been puzzling with the thought of making pods myself. If you look at the schematics there are only a couple of custom chips on them. And the same custom chips are used in many different pods. So it might be possible to snap the custom chips from one of the less popular pods and build say a Z80?!

 

[dave_m]

I do not have the schematic of my 6502 pod handy, but if the custom chips are simple like 24 pin PALs, then it would be fairly easy to build a tester to reverse engineer the outputs VS. inputs and derive the logic equations. I doubt that the equations would be the same across all pods. Is there a dash number associated with the part number? That would signify a unique chip.

There may also be some code in ROMs that would have to be copied. Best of luck in your endeavor.

 

[Elgen]

ROMS and GALs shouldn't be a problem no, I also have friends with those pods...but there seems to be 1 or 2 REAL custom chips in every pod (usally called 9000-something), and I haven't got the slightest idea what it does.
Btw the schematics are always in the manual for the pods and most of them can be found as scanned PDFs by googling a bit }

 

[dave_m]

..but there seems to be 1 or 2 REAL custom chips in every pod (usally called 9000-something), and I haven't got the slightest idea what it does.

The 9000A-8076 device (U10) in the 6502 pod seems to be voltage monitor of the unit-under-test (UUT) power line which has an output called 'power fail' to let the the 9010A know if the UUT voltage is out of the 5V +/- 10% limit. I would guess that you could just bypass that function and ground 'power fail' signal and measure the Vcc pin manually with a voltmeter sometime during testing.

Take note of the the A1 - A5 devices which are listed as 'hybrids'. They contain diode/resistor clamp circuits that protect the interface lines along with some fault monitoring latches according to the theory of operation writeup. I don't know how hard it would be to reproduce those circuits without an internal schematic.

Maybe your original plan to find a cheap dead pod and try to fix it would be best to try first.