Lab-Volt 6502 Trainer - Looking for instructions

[cbmeeks]

FYI, I saw that exact same trainer on eBay the other day. So either another one showed up, or groinksan decided to sell it.

I would have loved to buy it but it was in the $300 range IIRC (or maybe it was more...can't remember). I just remember it was pretty expensive.

Speaking of trainers, my next big design is going to be a 6502 trainer. I hope to include a couple extra goodies as well.

[rootboy]

Thanks guys!

I didn't get any notifications of your responses, I looked for the email notifications, but I couldn't find them. Ah, now I see it, I needed to check it in the full editor.

Concerning the trainer, I took it to Phreaknic in Murfreesboro last weekend and opened it up and ohmed it out a bit. I found that the 15 pin connectors connected to the power pins on the board, but that was about it (I don't have cables made up yet for the power cable to the boards).

The traces on the boards are hidden by a black mask. Thanks Lab Volt...

I have to find my EEPROM programmer first, and then I can upload the program.

If you look at the Advanced Digital Logic Trainer, you will see little ovals with (usually) two dots in them. At first I thought that these were LEDs, but that didn't make sense. Now I'm thinking that they are some sort of test point. Odd...

On the Microprocessor Trainer, there are 50 pin headers under the styrofoam (which I should have removed before taking my picture. Duh). I've got plenty of SCSI cables that should fit. The Digital Trainer boards also have a 50 pin connector on them.

Ohming out the power connector shows that the pins in it are connected to the various power pins on the 50 pin headers.

I'll order some 15 pin connectors and build up some cables and give it a shot. Meanwhile, here are some pictures.

Thanks again,

John

[rootboy]

cbmeeks wrote:

FYI, I saw that exact same trainer on eBay the other day. So either another one showed up, or groinksan decided to sell it.

I would have loved to buy it but it was in the $300 range IIRC (or maybe it was more...can't remember). I just remember it was pretty expensive.

Speaking of trainers, my next big design is going to be a 6502 trainer. I hope to include a couple extra goodies as well.

I lucked out, there were three of them available last April for $79 each (including shipping, IIRC). I didn't need it, but at that price I couldn't pass it up.

[Dr Jefyll]

rootboy wrote:

I didn't need it, but at that price I couldn't pass it up.

LOL! Familiar words! You're not the only one susceptible to that logic!

Good pics. I gather that the "half board" mounts on top of the "Microprocessor Trainer," is that right? And the other two boards aren't related?

-- Jeff

[rootboy]

Dr Jefyll wrote:

rootboy wrote:

I didn't need it, but at that price I couldn't pass it up.

LOL! Familiar words! You're not the only one susceptible to that logic!

Oh yeah, so much so that I'm running out of room. I tell people that my house looks like the back room of a television repair shop.

Dr Jefyll wrote:

Good pics. I gather that the "half board" mounts on top of the "Microprocessor Trainer," is that right? And the other two boards aren't related?

-- Jeff

Thanks Jeff! I hadn't even noticed that. And yup, it plugs right in to the ZIF connectors on the bottom of the half board.

I took another photo, this time with the styrofoam removed. Notice the 25 volt pins?

I've got connectors and cable coming in by this Friday, I'll try to power it up over the weekend.

And I came across another deal, this time based on Z80 chips.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zilog-Z80-CPU- ... 2749.l2649


John

[BigEd]

I'm a bit confused about the Logic Trainers. They have the look about them of a patch-based synthesiser: I'd expect to see pins or sockets which take flying leads so things can be connected.

But those oval patches sound like they are neither pins nor sockets - at best, points to probe with a scope or a logic probe.

How does the student experiment with connecting the various components? Is there a hidden layer of electronic switching which is controlled somehow??

[rootboy]

Exactly. I have no idea how one would go about using these boards.

[Dr Jefyll]

BigEd wrote:

But those oval patches sound like they are neither pins nor sockets - at best, points to probe with a scope or a logic probe.

They do look odd. My first guess is that they are sockets, which accept a solid-conductor wire (as do those on a solderless breadboard). But I admit they look the same as the pads on the nearby bypass capacitor. And all the pads appear to be filled with solder -- IOW, no holes to insert wires.

Could in be that the flying leads are intended to be tack-soldered in place?? Unlikely though that sounds, I see no more plausible explanation. Hm.

[rootboy]

So I ohmed out these odd connectors and each pair, or triplet, are connected together. The top of the connector is a bit spongy, so I tried stabbing the male end of a Dupont connector into one. And it works, and it holds nicely. They don't go in very far (I took the top off and looked, and they are basically a shallow socket).

[rootboy]

And I got the LV powered up. It's a bit touchy, sometimes taking several tries to get it to boot correctly.

[Dr Jefyll]

It's alive! <maniacal laugh>

rootboy wrote:

It's a bit touchy, sometimes taking several tries to get it to boot correctly.

Hmm, you're sure it's getting a nice, solid 5 volt supply? The next thing to wonder about is the IC sockets -- a very common source of flakiness, particularly on old equipment. The remedy is primitive but usually effective. With the power off, simply remove (or partially remove) every IC that's in a socket, then re-seat it. The wiping action is sufficient to remove any oxide or tarnish on the pins and/or the socket inserts. Maybe you already know this. It can make a dramatic difference.

[rootboy]

Nope. The power supply will be the next thing that I look at.

And thanks for the suggestions, I've got about 50 retro computers, and it's always something...

And I don't like how the power cable doesn't screw down, but I have some standoffs that should fix that.

[jaevans]

Old topic I know, but these things pop up from time to time. Was anyone successful in obtaining and scanning the book ? Microprocessor concepts and applications is listed in WorldCat at a school in Florida but an Interlibrary Loan request was cancelled claiming the book was not available. I requested the second book, Microprocessor troubleshooting : concepts and applications, from ILL but WorldCat lists a different school as having it. Maybe I will have better luck with my second request.

John - Colorado Springs, CO, USA

[jaevans]

Book found and scanned.

john - Colorado Springs, CO

[BigEd]

I see Hans Otten has put up a scanned copy - nearly 600 pages - and it includes a listing of the monitor:
https://archive.org/details/microp-conc ... 6/mode/1up