DATA I/O System IX PROM programmer Teardown

[ChristofferB]

Hey! Had this lying around for a while, thought I'd share some info: DATA I/O system IX. This is a PROM programmer, from the mid/late 1970's.
Bought it because I hoped to convert it into an EPROM burner - probably could, it seems to support 24 pin devices - if there were ANY technical references to find on it.

It is manual, with hex displays for address and data, and a hex keypad to enter data. it can also do other functions, like, read from prom, and duplicate etc.
On the back, it's outfitted with an RS232 (the REAL RS232 with db25 connector), so it may be possible to program from a computer - either that or to connect "slave" programmers.

Setting this up for a different prom type is easy as can be! All you have to do is change two large pcb's and the socket. The "personality" pcb's for individual prom types are one analog, which I assume deals with all the voltages and timing stuff, and one digital, which may set up registers to load to the chip, configure legs, and access the analog board.
Jumpers on the socket apparently control the type of device (size, at least); with the socket I have installed, it will only count addresses as high as FF (256 in decimal) - without it: FFF.


This is probably from the earliest days of microprocessor-controlled device burners (disregarding those who are plugin modules for minicomputers and early micros). Their website has a "history" section, which lists their products from the 70's until now. There, it's claimed that the system 19 is the first processor (which was the 6800) based system, but the system IX DOES have the MC6800! -they're WRONG!
Their 70's history page: http://www.dataio.com/company/aboutdataio/40thanniversary/1970s

The microcomputer section of the burner is pretty much as standard 70's micro as can be: 4 boards with card-edge connectors plugging into a backplane,
boards being: CPU/Rom/little RAM; RAM; Serial/parallel interface; "personality" board interface.



The CPU card seems to use almost by-the-application note standard 6800 stuff: MC6800 cpu,  MC6871 clock can, MC6810 RAM, a 1K mask rom,
and 2x 2708 1Kx8 EPROM's. Cool how they've silkscreened the memory map below every memory chip on there!
(Board pics: Disregard pink napkin backdrop!)



RAM board consists of 2x AM9131 256x4 Bytes Sram, with slots for two more. Also: some 74LS goodness.



The Serial/parallel IO boad features, again, standard MC68 family stuff: MC6850 ACIA (UART), for the serial port,
and MC6821 Peripheral controller, which most likely serves as a parallel interface for the programmer AND the front panel.



The lower right card-edge connector goes off to the serial DB25 connector on the back, likely making the two 8-pin chips near it the send/receive RS232 level converter (they're MC4-- something, can't recall-) - Also; the obligatory baudrate dipswitch!

I STILL have no clue which PROM the personality boards is setting it up for - you would think that they'd either be nice enough to label it somewhere-
or or at least that the guy who fries the wrong PROM for the 200th time would put an embossing tape label on the thing stating it!

The PROM socket assembly has 715-1035-1 on it; that doesn't seem to be a PROM type, but i could be wrong.
Maybe i should just find a handful of common PROM's with the right pin count and try them and see if i get lucky.

Quite a neat bit of device history! - Thought I'd share since this device is apparently pretty rare.

[codeboy2k]

Awww. the white and purple ceramics

Nice bit of old school tech ..

[SeanB]

And the current loop serial interface............ i think I had a few ISA serial cards, complete with the 8250 UART and the socket for the optional second device, along with the crystal oscillator that allowed up to 19200 BAUD, provided the host could get the data fast enough to avoid overrun.

[codeboy2k]

I first saw and used current loop on my S-100 cards

[ChristofferB]

And the current loop serial interface............ i think I had a few ISA serial cards, complete with the 8250 UART and the socket for the optional second device, along with the crystal oscillator that allowed up to 19200 BAUD, provided the host could get the data fast enough to avoid overrun.

Is it current loop? I hadn't been able to decipher as much, from the UART card alone Not that it makes it any less interesting!

[PA0PBZ]

The personality board must have the ram to hold the prom contents, because the rest hardly has enough ram to scan the keyboard 

[codeboy2k]

Is it current loop? I hadn't been able to decipher as much, from the UART card alone Not that it makes it any less interesting!

I'm positive your board is serial, RS-232.  It has the ubiquitous 1488 and 1489 line drivers and receivers.  Using a datasheet for each chip, you can trace the pads from the 6850 though the 1488 and 1489 line drivers to the edge connectors.  This will give you the connections for TxD, RxD, DTR, CTS, etc.


EDIT: but then I read that you said the edge connector goes to the back DB-25, so you don't need to trace it out. You have the connections there already.  Tracing it out would just be educational.

[SeanB]

Optoisolators say there is the option of a 20ma current loop as well, and the jumper to select it is probably JP3. You only will be able to use 110, 150 or 300 baud as data rates though, slow but able to work over 2km of phone line dry loop.

[coppice]

This is probably from the earliest days of microprocessor-controlled device burners (disregarding those who are plugin modules for minicomputers and early micros). Their website has a "history" section, which lists their products from the 70's until now. There, it's claimed that the system 19 is the first processor (which was the 6800) based system, but the system IX DOES have the MC6800! -they're WRONG!
Their 70's history page: http://www.dataio.com/company/aboutdataio/40thanniversary/1970s

The wording on the Data I/O history page is sloppy. They describe the IX as a universal programmer, but I believe it was only a programmer for bipolar PROMs. The Model 19 was a truly universal programmer, with large plugin personality modules, which could adapt it for almost any programmable device of the era - e.g. bipolar PROMs, EPROMs, and early programmable logic devices. If you bought all the personality modules it cost a fortune. Each personality module had another little module which plugged into it, which had the right DIL socket (they were all DIL in those days) for the exact device to be programmed.

[coppice]

Optoisolators say there is the option of a 20ma current loop as well, and the jumper to select it is probably JP3. You only will be able to use 110, 150 or 300 baud as data rates though, slow but able to work over 2km of phone line dry loop.

RS232C + 20mA loop was still very common interface pairing on instruments when this thing was made. You might be able get up to 1200 baud, but you are right that you will be limited to slow speeds with the 20mA interface.

[ChristofferB]

It could very well be a multi-mode serial interface; the connector on the back doesn't say, just "Communication interface"
-The personality cards and replaceable textool socket module is labeled 715-1035-1/2, which i believe is the card set type; it matches this
http://www.textfiles.com/bitsavers/pdf/dataIO/025-1183-1G_909-1182-1_1702A_Dec77.pdf documentation, called the 909-1183-1
Which is for the 1702 (that's an EPROM) so it really is a universal system!

My specific socket is labeled (also written with sharpie underneath the programmer) 74426 - why, i can't imagine, it definately isn't the prom type, as far as I'm aware.
The PROM's in the 74-series are 74471-74475.

But what the socket DOES say, is that it's 512/256 x 4 PROM's.  (it has a toggle switch, looks like a mod)

 

[SeanB]

Probably they used this to program a prom for some equipment, and then labelled it with 74426 as a part number on a stick on label.

[coppice]

Data I/O didn't label their personality cards or modules with what they could do. They were always labelled with those long internal part numbers. When you wanted to program a device you had to look it up in a thin book (or, if memory serves me correctly, an optional colourful wall chart), and find the code numbers for the correct set of boards and socket modules to fit in your machine. If you can find a scanned copy of that documentation on line, its the key to understanding what the hardware you have was designed to do.