[Techtoolslist] Series 90 & the 6809

[John Robertson]

On 03/24/2016 7:35 AM, Brent Walker wrote:
> John,
>
> I'd love to have more information/tips/tricks on using these.  I picked up
> one of the 6809 ones a few months back when somebody was selling 4 or 5 of
> them on eBay, but haven't used it much.  Definitely different from the 9010.
>
> I was a bit confused about how it seemed to run the mentioned tests while
> the board (Joust boardset at the time) seemed to be running, so the cycle
> stealing info makes sense (and remember reading something to that effect in
> the doc's, or in the video (available on YouTube).  I also remember getting
> certain error messages on the display that may well have been related to
> the lack (?) of the mentioned pull-up resistors on specific pins.  I'll
> have to pull it out again and give it another go at some point.
>
> I seem to remember an earlier post (or maybe it was on KLOV) talking about
> using a socket between the UUT and the 90 to make it easier to use with
> some UUT configurations, but don't remember the details - ie, install a
> couple of sockets on the UUT, put the processor into the top socket, and
> then clip the 90 into place - this may have been a means of getting a
> pull-up resistor between the uP pin(s) in question and the UUT PCB.
>
> It would be nice to have a full write-up/guide on using these with
> arcade/pinball PCB's - there's just not much out there on them, and I'm
> sure they'd be useful for cases where you just can't get your hands on a
> 9010/9100 equivalent pod.
>
> Brent

Hi Brent,

Matt Rossiter (thanks Matt!) has archived a lot of useful data on the 
Series 90 here:

http://games.rossiters.com/manuals/Fluke/Fluke%2090/

This includes Quicktools which is a DOS tool that I have never 
tried...probably really handy as you can then interface the 90 to your PC!

You need to have /HALT with a Pullup instead of hard wired to Vcc to be 
able to use the Series 90 6809 pod - if the CPU is in a socket then you 
can use a home-made adapter 40 pin plug/socket where pin 40 (/HALT) is 
tied to Vcc with a pullup resistor (4K7 for example) and then you can 
clip the 6809 pod onto the UUT's 6809. I use two 40 pin IC sockets for 
this sort of thing, top socket is wire-wrap, bottom is a standard solder 
in 40 pin socket with thin legs (to avoid damaging the UUT socket). Cut 
pin 40 on the wire-wrap a bit short and solder in the resistor and jam 
the resistor into pin 40 on the lower socket. Or cut the Vcc connection 
to pin 40 on the UUT and add the pullup permanently to the logic board 
(preferred method in my mind).

John :-#)#
>
>
>> The 90 series was designed in Canada (Edmonton, Alberta) and worked
>> fairly well as a clip-over the CPU type of exorcisor. I've got pretty
>> much the complete set and they can be handy at times, especially if you
>> don't have the pod for your 9010/9100. I have all the pods so these
>> basically sit on a shelf.
>>
>> These only work with CPUs that can support having their address and data
>> lines floated when you select a particular CPU pin, AND that pin MUST
>> have a pullup resistor on the UUT PCB. In some cases that pin was simply
>> wired to Vcc, and then to able to use the 90 you have to cut the Vcc
>> trace and add a 10K pullup.
>>
>> The 90 works by cycle stealing, it runs when the CPU is on the opposite
>> cycle. Rather cute in fact - the game can be running and you can run a
>> RAM, ROM and I/O test at the same time!
>>
>> It has a RS-232 port as I recall and if more folks on the list had these
>> then I probably would have played more with mine and we may have made
>> some use of it here.
>>
>> Perhaps a show of hands of folks with the Z80 or 9809 Series 90?
>>
>> If there is interest perhaps I can contact the designer and see if he is
>> any more interested in sharing info on the unit than he was the last
>> time I asked about six years ago...what I'd like him to do is write the
>> story of the 90 series device, and what the heck, I will try contacting
>> him again in any case. It would be nice to get the story out!
>>
>> John :-#)#
>>
>>
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