Worth buying a HP 16500B with Failed ROM test? -> Yes for me ;-)

[davorin]

Well...I already placed an order @ Mouser now for the new ROMs....if one fails...the other will fail soon (o;

The previous readout of the first ROM was exactly the same as compared to the good ROM....

I will see in two days if the readout of the good ROMs was okay or not (o;

[davorin]

Hmm....no luck with Atmel AT27C256R-45.....though I don't see any differences in specifications from the original AM27H256-45 or CY27C256-45 ROMs....

Doesn't even do anything after power up...dark screen, no floppy noise....

And yes...checked the programmed ROMs that they have the same content as the original ones...


Hmm..the only difference I see is in the /OE to output delay with 20sec for the new Atmel ROM and 15nsec for the original Cypress ROM.

[davorin]

Hahh....normally I prefer Linux over Windows...

But thought I try it under XP under VMWare under OSX (o;

First the programmer software reflashed the TL866 programmer.....read out the good ROMs and flashed another 4 AT27C256R-45...

Et voilà....have now a second working 16500B CPU board....which gets as well the CF adapter add-on board now :-)


Update: Uploaded the ROM images in a previous post here as it turned out minipro under Linux didn't read out ROM 16 and 17 correctly...

[BloodyCactus]

did the change to CF give you any speedup?

[davorin]

You mean speedup by means of booting I assume...after booting I guess the IDE bus won't be addressed anymore?

Takes around 12secs from power on until I see the base screen....

Attached some shots of the CF IDE adapters...one is for replacing a 3.5" drive...the other can be directly plugged onto an IDE connector...
The second picture shows the modification for supplying the 5V rail onto the CF adapter...some adapter already use pin 20 for +5V.

And finally how it looks like....the CF/ID adapter with 1GB Maxflash plugged onto the 16500B CPU board (o;

[davorin]

Okay..boot time heavily depends on number of cards installed....the 12secs was without any card inside...

Now with 3 * 16550A takes around 20secs....

[BloodyCactus]

mine is a 1670G it boots from flash and saves stuff to disk but if its apps are on disk it will load them from disk (symbols, analyzer, pattern gen etc). the 1670G is basically the 16500, its treated as as a 2 or 3 slot according to the system.

I wondered about replacing the 44pin 2.5" ibm IDE disk drive with a cf card, if it will speed it up or not anything noticeable

[davorin]

How long does yours take from power-on to main screen?

[BloodyCactus]

power on is instant, screen comes up straight away with the bootup screen, roms load, etc. probably all up to the analyzer screen in about 15-20 seconds.

there are some pics n stuff in this thread;

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hpagilentkeysomehing-1670g-logic-analyzer/

this is a little vid I made for a friend to show it working, think I posted it in your 16510B pod thread.

[davorin]

Yes...remember that video...helped me to configure the 16500A correctly to see some traces finally (o;

From the video it looks like you power it up at timestamp 12sec....but at 44secs it is still loading....so more than 30 seconds...

Maybe you wont gain much transfer speeds..but seek times is much better with CF...and it draws less power....

[davorin]

Just received some cheap EDO and FPM RAM modules from Ebay....and seems the 16500B CPU board accepts them all...

So you can go from a standard 8MB board to a 64MB (o;

[davorin]

Hmm..I remember that I read somewhere here which fan people used to replaced the two noisy fans inside a 16500B....but can't find it anymore...

Apparently they didn't talk about the Comair Rotron MD12B2X model I have inside the 16500B.....
All I can find on specs are 12V DC and 6W power....no noise or cfm details...

[PaulAm]

I have a couple of Panaflo FBA12G12V fans sitting on my bench to go in my 16500b one of these days.

There may have been a thread on the hp_agilent_equipment board a couple years ago talking about the correct replacement.  I think I got the part number from there.  Do a search on Panaflow hp1500b and the threads will turn up.

[davorin]

I knew the brand name sounds like a caugh medicine (o;

Got some specs from here: http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthread.php?134151-Need-Panaflo-fan-specs-Help

Looks that there are two versions, V = variable speed, U = unvariable (o;

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Panaflo FBA12G12U - 12Volts, 510mA, 6.12Watts, 2700rpm, 114.7 cfm, 45.5 dB-A
Seems like this model would fit the Panaflow:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/OD1238-12HTB/1053-1150-ND/2621055

[rastro]

Just received some cheap EDO and FPM RAM modules from Ebay....and seems the 16500B CPU board accepts them all...

So you can go from a standard 8MB board to a 64MB (o;

Do you have part number, vendor, model on the RAM modules you purchased on eBay?  I may at some point upgrade 16500C.
Thanks

[davorin]

Not sure if the same modules would work on the 16500C as its CPU runs at mich higher speed....isn't it some RISC CPU @ 150MHz?

[helius]

The 16500C has a MC68EC030 at 25MHz. (seems to be the same as 16500B)
The 16700 is the one with a PA-RISC.

[davorin]

Ah okay....then I wonder why some cards are only compatible with the 16500C but not B model...

Here some of the modules which work:

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Siemens HYB5117400BJ-60, 32MB FPM
CW417404-6, 16MB EDO
TMS418169DZ-60, 8MB EDO