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Ferguson Big Board 1 monitor rom

K

kyeakel

Experienced Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
491
Location
Curwensville, PA
I got a ferguson and after replacing a bunch of caps, it will come up in the monitor. The problem is that it isn't the PFM monitor that came with the board but some other thing that says Dept 742 Fergie. I tried booting CP/M with it, but no go. Dumps of the roms (there are 3), show the basics of starting to load from the disk, no monitor commands that I could see, and the character rom.
I'd like to get an image of the PFM monitor and/or the source code. The Bitsavers site has the files for the Big Board 2, but not the 1. Does someone have the source? It's in the manual but I was not able to scan it in a fashion that didnot require extensive editing to fix it.

Thanks,
Kipp
 
Hi Kipp, i have a Ferguson BB1 (its italian clone) working fine here close to me. Let me know it you solved finding the original PFM monitor rom or not and at what step you are now.
I'm interested in all around Bigboard. At the end how do you found it? Thanks Enrico - Pisa - ITALY


Website: http://elazzerini.interfree.it (also in english language!)
 
Enrico,
Hi, my big board 1 is functional. I replaced the rom images that were in the board when I got it with those from Al Kossow. I also had to replace the 8 electrolytic caps that are on both sides of the memory. Most of them had white residue near one or both ends. There were many broken noise suppression caps that I replaced as well. I then tried it but got no text from the composite video out. Swapping back the original roms got me some text. Next I installed a Z80 ice with the PFM roms, and could see that the code was stuck waiting for a signal from the keyboard. Since I didn't have a parallel keyboard, I got a PS/2 to serial-parallel converter from retro-innovations. I now get the monitor init line and prompt. When I type a character to get a command to work, I always get "what?" so I need to check the conversion timing on the adapter. I've made boot disks from Dave Dunfield's site, but so far the disk spins but no seek. It's a work in progress, so I'll keep plugging away. I found the board on eBay, but listed as a big drive with a buy it now of $99. I could tell it was more than just an 8" drive as it had keyboard, serial ports on the back. I was hoping it was a ferguson but didn't know for sure till I got it.
Kipp
 
Wow Kipp, Great JOB!!!
For to connect a keyboard ps2 i used a PIC16F84 and a little sw given me from a friend from melbourne (it worked at its first shot!!). Let me understand well: with old eproms you get "what?" when you try to type any chars but with new eprom with PFM monitor never get anything? Ask to me any doubt you could have... i studied this board so much. I also got cp/m images from the GREAT Dunfield and got its boot so well. I connected to the 50pin connector 2 3.5" drives to save time. (You can do this cause original dischette had 77x26x128byte and any 3.5" can work until 80 tracks. Of course 1771 can works only SSSD so you'll use just 1 side of the 3.5" dischette.

You said: I found the board on eBay, but listed as a big drive with a buy it now of $99. I could tell it was more than just an 8" drive as it had keyboard, serial ports on the back. I was hoping it was a ferguson but didn't know for sure till I got it. May you explain better? Maybe was it sold from Microcontrol? I'm so curios cause i follow for it and for a bigboard II for almost 5 years, but this is my hobby and i spend my money with care.

my email is: elazzerini AT interfree DOT it

Regards
Enrico
 
This is the ps2 to parallel schematic:
PS2toParallel.jpg
Below the code i used with the PIC 16F84:
:020000040000FA
:10000000831603138101E0298B138B1B04289600B0
:10001000030E970083010A0898008A0183130408DD
:1000200099009308031D1728051A3328362813084A
:10003000083C031C2328051E9413051A9417031962
:100040003628940C36281308093C031C2828362827
:10005000051E33281017831603130610831203138B
:1000600006100B123428940193013728930A8B1041
:100070001908840018088A00170E8300960E160EC1
:10008000090014089500F03C031D492810141011B4
:100090003E29101CE32810101408123C03195328A1
:1000A0001408593C031990101408583C031D5E288D
:1000B000901D5C2890113E2990153E291408113C92
:1000C000031D6428101250291408143C031D3E29F6
:1000D00090125029820700343934003435343334D7
:1000E0003134323432340034303438343634343409
:1000F00009347E34003400344829462900344A2922
:10010000713431340034003400347A34733461345F
:1001100077343234003400346334783464346534F2
:100120003434333400340034203476346634743458
:1001300072343534003400346E34623468346734D9
:10014000793436340034003400346D346A34753414
:1001500037343834003400342C346B3469346F3421
:1001600030343934003400342E343F346C343B3472
:1001700070342D34003400340034273400345B34C0
:100180002B3400340034003446293C295D340034DB
:100190007C340034003400343C3430342E34323477
:1001A0003534363438340034003431342B3433347D
:1001B0002D342A34393400340834003400343134D6
:1001C000373434343734101D06291408753C031DA8
:1001D000EC280B30940038291408723C031DF328D6
:1001E0000A309400382914086B3C031DFA280830A3
:1001F000940038291408743C031D01290C30940024
:10020000382914085A3C031806293E291408613C71
:1002100003181C290E3094021408613C031C132996
:10022000193094071C291408773C03181C2914085A
:10023000D23C031910153E2900308A0014086A20A8
:100240009400940803193E29901A4C291408603C24
:100250000318512914087A3C031C512914089019D9
:100260003429901C3829362990183829E03E94000A
:100270001408B721C1213E290D300800831603134D
:1002800006148312031310130B1608009014003485
:10029000101600349016003414081F3994003829C1
:1002A0003E29901C382914080D3C031838291508DC
:1002B000613C031C382915083C3C031862293D3079
:1002C00095026B291508243C0318692923309502EF
:1002D0006B290430950701308A00150871219400BC
:1002E0003829820726342A34243423343C34003419
:1002F0000034003429342834003425343E342F347B
:1003000000343A3400345F3460345E3400342234D4
:1003100000347B343D340034213400340034003464
:0E0320007D3400345C340034403400343E340C
:100340008C00810183160313C030810508008C00E6
:10035000810183160313C0308105013081048312AB
:1003600003130B110B1DB2298C0BB129080091004E
:10037000110D8600C3218510C321C321C32185141B
:100380000800910008001D308D00C92908308D003B
:0C039000C9298D0BC929080092013728EB
:1003C0000510831203130514831603130614051670
:1003D0000113851001308600831203130B1693015D
:1003E0009001F8308B058B172A308E000D08B7214D
:0803F000C121101B4120F92975
:02400E00F13F80
:00000001FF

It is very easy and it works at 1st shoot.

Looking to the ebay's link you posted i understand how it is so hard to find some board like your and mine.

PS: what kind of drivers do you think to use??

Enrico

Enrico
 
Hi Kipp, i'm really curious, may you send some pics of the board (compoent side) assemled in that case?
Enrico
 
Sorry Enrico,
Got to the point of building a machine to make 8" disks, built one for a different s100 computer, and then got tied up in household projects. Haven't had a chance to work on any of the computers in a couple of months.

Kipp
 
I can understand, time is never enough. I had sent the information to build a PS2 to parallel converter so you can use any PS2 keyboard with your board. I understand that you should be able to take a step forward if you're trying to create CP/M system disk. Since I connected 5.25" and 3.5" drives to the 50-pin connector of a Ferguson Bigboard 1, if you want i could to pass to you the connection diagram to do this and in this way you can save time, instead to connect the 8" drive at your PC, to create the disc boot CP / M, simply by creating one on a floppy disk 3.5 "or 5.25" and use those ones getting the CP/M boot from them.
Enrico
 
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