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Automating Tektronix Field Adjustment Software for TDS oscilloscopes
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dxl:
Hi All,

i've read several threads here about Tektronix scopes. I bought one a while ago (a TDS754D). That unit had a broken display (CRT was so weak, you couldn't read anything). I replaced that with a TFT LCD, so that problem is solved now. However, the processor board lost all of it's CAL constants, and
the Acquisition board had two failed Input Attenuator Hybrids. The latter one was easy to fix, i had another Acquistion board i could take them from.

I'm still working on the re-calibration, and want to share some of the things i learned so far. Software used is the TDS700D field adjustment software.
The software requires an old NI PCII/A GPIB ISA card. As i don't have such a card nor the old DOS PC required, i started to hack up DOSEMU to add
a driver that simulates those card, so i could run everything on Linux with my more modern NI  GPIB USB HS Adapter.

The TDS Software actually expects two cards:

a) one at 0x2e1 to connect to the DUT (the oscilloscope)
b) one at 0xe2e1 to connect to all the required Measurement equipment when running in automated mode.

in adj700d.bat, there's a TMODE variable define, which influences the calibration process:

TMODE=M - default setting
TMODE=MA - asks also for humidity
TMODE=MB - exchange the meaning of both GPIB cards
TMODE=MD - prints diagnostic during calibration, i.e. why a calibration step failed

there are probably other settings, but i didn't test every possible combination.

the G_CONFIG file defines the devices present on the GPIB bus - devices where 'INAME' starts with '*' are disabled, and the Software will ask the User to manually set the device to the required setting / read values manually. If you remove the asterisk, the Software will automatically program
the measurement device.

the R_CONFIG file defines the connections between all those devices - you shouldn't change anything in the default R_CONFIG except if you want to have a full automatic calibration setup.

I've spent most of the time figuring out how automatic switching works, so i don't have to switch cables all the time. Here's what i figured out:

You have to add a 'Router' device to G_CONFIG, i added to the end:

--- Code: ---CEDAT (
        ISYSTEMNO       "1"
        INAME           "Rt1"
        IDDRIVER        "si5020"
        IMODELOPTION    "Tektronix SI5020"
        IUNIT           "1"
        IIDNO           "n/a"
        ICALDATE        "n/a"
        IDUEDATE        "n/a"
        IADDRESS    " 5"
)

--- End code ---

In R_CONFIG, there's a 'Section 3 - Path definitions'. In the manual configuration, every line has a unique number in the 'manual close' column.
To automate a entry in that section, you have to move the unique number to the 'auto close' or 'auto open' section, depending on your switch setup.

In 'Section 4: auto switching commands', you need to add one line for each of the automatic entries from section 3. Syntax is as follows:

1 1:O1,3,4_1:C2,5,6,7,8

The first column is the unique identifier from section 3. After that, the second column tells which GPIB unit should be used, and which relays should be closed and opened for that particular path. In my example above, Relays 1,3 and 4 will be closed, while 2,5,6,7 and 8 will be opened.
I haven't defined that section so far, as i'm still waiting for the HP 75000 system i bought which should do all the switching.

Hope this is helpful anyways.
sky2city:
Hi dxl,
I am working on the Calibration for my TDS754D.
Can you tell me the detial of how to hack up DOSEMU to add a driver that simulates those card.
I don't have old PC anf NI PCII GPIB card ,but a  modern NI  GPIB USB HS Adapter only.

thanks advance.

Roger
dxl:
I've uploaded the code i've written to https://github.com/sschnelle/qemu-gpib/commits/master. However, this only works for the Field Automation Software, other MSDOS software didn't work.
sky2city:
dxl,
Thanks for your reply.
I assumpt your are running the DOS on QEMU.
So what I need to do list:

A. Install a linux system on my PC, some OS like Ubuntu, and then install the linux driver for NI GPIB HS Card.
B. Download the QEMU and make it run on linux.
C. Clone qemu-gpib master brunch to local QEMU.
D. Start a DOS emulator on QEMU, like FreeDOS, at https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/QEMU/FreeDOS.
E. Last step, run the Automating Tektronix Field Adjustment, do everything must to be done......

Correct me if I am wrong.

Roger.
andy2000:

--- Quote from: dxl on December 21, 2014, 07:54:06 pm ---Hi All,

i've read several threads here about Tektronix scopes. I bought one a while ago (a TDS754D). That unit had a broken display (CRT was so weak, you couldn't read anything). I replaced that with a TFT LCD, so that problem is solved now. However, the processor board lost all of it's CAL constants, ...

--- End quote ---

The cal constants are stored on the acquisition board in a pair of EEPROMs.  It's odd that you could lose them since they are hardware write protected by the protection switch on the processor board. 
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