Enterprise Forever

:UK => Hardware => Maintenance => Topic started by: gflorez on 2017.March.17. 17:47:47

Title: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.17. 17:47:47
Some of the things that we Enterprise users most miss on our computers are good connectors. I'm not talking about the Expansion bus at the right side, or the cartridge bus, I understand why they where selected to be edge connectors.

But it is a pain to have that type of connector for the RGB, Serial, Parallel and Controllers ports.  If the user is handy he can make them itself by sawing a larger connector to fit, but then they have to be soldered to the leads, and this is more difficult.

But the worst it to make the connectors usable, I mean, they have to be easy to plug and unplug. The best is to glue the bottom face of the connector to a piece of printed circuit  and fix the cable to it with a plastic tie.

These solutions are far from perfect, usually the leads get broken and need to be re-soldered.

But now that I have the original Enterprise Mouse in my hands I can admire the strange beauty of its original connector....
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.17. 18:05:42
The edge connector used isn't like what I usually cut, is a little wider and has a depression along it.

Then, the housing grips the connector with a claw on each side that matches that depression. Much the same like D-sub connector cases do.

I have found a make, Cinch that manufactured similar edge connectors (http://www.soemtron.org/downloads/disposals/cinchedgeconnector.pdf). The product is outdated, of course.

But there are little stocks here and there...

[attach=1]

I think that, once the connector is cut, a D-sub connector case can serve to make a good looking connector like the original. there are at least four or five sizes, from 9 to 15 pins that can suit.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.17. 23:10:02
But this isn't a new idea of me. The same Actec company used this cheaper approach on its Speakeasy box. Observe how the claws of the trimmed D-sub housing don't get to grab the edge connector channel. Maybe heating the claws with a lighter and bending them a little, the connector can be held on place.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.18. 01:17:10
Also there is the connector that can be found on RetroCables RGB lead (http://retrocables.es/tienda/index.php?id_product=48&controller=product&id_lang=4), made with a 3D printer. Of course it is good looking, but doesn't fit very well on the socket. I had to trim it a little to fully enter in its place. Unlike the previous ones, this can be reversely plugged by accident, it has no blocking guide. Only a legend with the "UP" word prevent us.

The edge connector hasn't the channelled shape, probably glued to the housing with Cyanoacrylate glue.

But the most disappointing aspect is, although it makes very well its function, that the cable leads aren't individually shielded.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.19. 00:47:06
But for me the best connectors are those included on Werner Lindner's colection (https://enterpriseforever.com/hall-of-fame/qa-with-werner-lindner-technical-director-of-the-enterprise-computers-gmbh/msg46617/#msg46617) (technical director of ENTERPRISE Computers GmbH).

The housings consist of two simple halves, not the three complicated parts that the Patkány connector has. Also the shape is simpler, squared with lateral channels, filling completely the port hole. The edge connector is also hold in place by a claw on both housing halves, but not visible once mounted.

I can't see the way how the two halves are joined.

(https://enterpriseforever.com/hall-of-fame/qa-with-werner-lindner-technical-director-of-the-enterprise-computers-gmbh/?action=dlattach;attach=12668;image)

(https://enterpriseforever.com/hall-of-fame/qa-with-werner-lindner-technical-director-of-the-enterprise-computers-gmbh/?action=dlattach;attach=12685;image)

I would like to have samples of those connectors to clone them with a 3D printer, but I think it would not be difficult to know the measures, after all we have the computers to test.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: BruceTanner on 2017.March.19. 13:01:00
The edge connector used isn't like what I usually cut, is a little wider and has a depression along it.

Then, the housing grips the connector with a claw on each side that matches that depression. Much the same like D-sub connector cases do.

I have found a make, Cinch that manufactured similar edge connectors (http://www.soemtron.org/downloads/disposals/cinchedgeconnector.pdf). The product is outdated, of course.

But there are little stocks here and there...

I think that, once the connector is cut, a D-sub connector case can serve to make a good looking connector like the original. there are at least four or five sizes, from 9 to 15 pins that can suit.


Nice find! But you will still get sideways movement without glue?

I use a D-type shell but glue the edge connector (normal, without the recess) to the bottom half of the shell. I use Araldite Rapid, an epoxy that dries in an hour or two. It results in a sturdy connector that looks ok from the front or top but looks a bit rough in a magnified photo from the side! :oops: A black one would look nicer too but I already had a few old white D-types :oops: :oops:
[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.19. 19:55:59
Very good idea! You also can use some of the Araldite glue to mould the sides.

I will search for a variety of D-sub housings to build better connectors for my equipment.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: SlashNet on 2017.March.19. 20:57:43
One zx-pk.ru member made this connectors from COM-port bracket cases.
Uses glue. As for me - looks fine.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.19. 22:46:04
Yes, very good looking. At that blue light they are like Tron paraphernalia!


Observe the dimensions, they look big!

 
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.19. 23:56:34
Another maker (http://www.wealdelectronics.com/docs/EdgeCard_Catalogue.pdf), actual, of recessed edge connectors.

I can't  find black connectors, only green.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: Zozosoft on 2017.March.20. 09:45:09
Unused cases for Seriel/Net:
[attach=1][attach=2]
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: Zozosoft on 2017.March.20. 09:51:58
Some drawings from Werner:
[attach=1][attach=2]
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.20. 10:40:03
Unused cases for Seriel/Net:
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

Are they yours?

How are the two halves tied one to other?

I see that the ringed tube fits with a twist on the cilindrical tail, but one of the halves has an open slot.

Glued?
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.20. 10:49:30
Is this a German or an original English design?

Who designed the Patkány connector? probably Aztec independently, I gess...
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: Zozosoft on 2017.March.20. 11:20:48
Is this a German or an original English design?
The drawing are the original English.

The unused connector cases, I don't know it is are German or Hungarian. (It is found in MICROTEAM basement :-) )
We bought serial cable about 27 years ago and it is have a same connector. As I remember the two half are glued and the ringed tube make it stronger. (We dismantled the cable for modify it to NET: connection).

Quote
Who designed the Patkány connector? probably Aztec independently, I gess...
I also guess it.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: Zozosoft on 2017.March.20. 11:38:12
More photos from Werner, all are original English cables:
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.20. 14:29:37
Then those connectors can be part of the original Enterprise futuristic design.

Does Werner have the print out measures of the other connectors?
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.March.26. 16:30:09
I had detachable male joystick connectors from some cables I bought from Ebay (http://www.ebay.es/itm/Amiga-and-Atari-Joystick-and-Mouse-Extension-Lead-Cable-NEW-RETRO-/261951485595?hash=item3cfd86769b:g:WJkAAOSwZjJU64vs) to make my joysticks EnterMice compatible.

They are the exact measure for the 7 pin edge housing that the Monitor and Printer ports need.

With a saw and a cutter y have modified them a little. The square mouth, the side channel and the upside guide.


[attach=1]

[attach=2]

[attach=3]

[attach=4]

For not being careful enough I've made some scratches on the case, but it looks good, right?
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.April.01. 01:45:01
I have made a disturbing discovering: the mainboard edge connectors are displaced from the case square holes.

On my old EP(Issue 4) the displacement is about a millimetre, but  on my new EP(Issue 6) grows up to almost 1,5mm.

[attach=3]

The problem is that old female edge connectors had only single 1mm narrow contacts:

[attach=1]
Example: Patkány Edge connector.

While "modern" edge connectors have two contacts per pin, that extend the contact surface more than 1,5mm.

[attach=2]
Example: Retrocables RGB Edge connector.

I was struggling my mind trying to figure out why the Patkány refused to work on my new EP, then I have seen the difference on the mainboard position.
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.April.25. 13:10:28
Some test of cases. Blue edge connectors look fine...
Title: Re: Good looking edge connectors?
Post by: gflorez on 2017.April.26. 15:10:12
I have still parts to make ten more RGB or parallel cables. And thirteen full populated joystick cables.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.April.26. 22:23:22
The cable bought to Retrocables is a cheap lead sielded wth only aluminium foil, but it does its work perfectly on the Enterprise.

The better option for me would be a VGA monitor lead, as they have at least shielded the colours, but a simple eight leads shielded cable will suit me.

Also, I opt in my RGB cables to take the sound from the Tape out connector, as it gives a louder(standard) volume level. The sound output at the Monitor connector is so low that forces me to set the volume at max on the TV.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.13. 01:55:45
Now that I have two EPs, I want to test the NET device. I have cut one of the housings just at the middle as a test for a serial connector.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.20. 21:50:49
After reducing heads like the Jibaro indians I have soldered the lead.



[attach=1]


I have made some test with the cable. The NET works really good with two computers.

If I set both of them to 10 Mhz, the Net still works perfectly, but at 24000 baud....
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: geco on 2017.May.20. 22:59:47

I have made some test with the cable. The NET works really good with two computers.

If I set both of them to 10 Mhz, the Net still works perfectly, but at 24000 baud....
sounds great :-)
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.21. 00:03:56
Maybe we can rise the 9600 baud top on the Serial-Net driver.

If I execute "SET SERIAL BAUD 16" or greater, the system var stores the number without problems, but the driver only takes MOD 16.

After all, as it is a processor task, the EP wastes all its time on it, independently of the baud rate.

And remember the Dutch Midi project that reached 31250 bauds with a machine code routine directly actuating the registers at ports B6h and B7h.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.21. 12:30:50
As you can see, there are 16 settings, from 0 to 15, but both 14 and 15 are 9600 bauds.

A new super-fast baud-rate can be added at 14 or 15 positions or rearrange completely the table. There is an excessive number of slow rates.

The problem here is, how can the new baud rate be measured?

[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: geco on 2017.May.21. 12:53:25
I do not know how speed setting is done based on the table, but as I think faster setting is not possible based on these values, without modification of EXOS speed setting part also. :(
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.21. 13:06:28
Yes, they seem like delay cycles. At 14 and 15 they are already very low.


-------------------

Below 300 bauds are settings for very old Teletype machines.

A more rational and standard settings list can be 110, 150, 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, etc.

And adding 31250 the EP could control Midi devices directly....
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.21. 16:21:18
Passing DICT_ENG.BAS(Dictator, 27KB) took 44 sec at 4Mhz, and 24 sec at 10Mhz.

It seems that another factors are implied on the baud rate than only the processor frequency.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.21. 21:26:53
The first  word is the bit-rate, and the third byte is the wait-state, they must change accordingly but not less than 1, I think.

The bit-rate has added 243 or 244 as a constant.


So 19200 baud would be more or less 251(00FBh, 01h), and 38400 would be 246(00F6h ,01h).

Midi(31250 baud) is between them, approximately 248(00F8h, 01h).

Some technical instrument must be used to probe this....
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: Zozosoft on 2017.May.22. 22:16:09
Code: ZiLOG Z80 Assembler
  1. ;--------------------------------DATA SECTION----------------------------------
  2. ;
  3. ;       Table of Baud Delays (0 - 15) CALIBRATED FOR 8MHz CRYSTAL
  4. ;        16-bit baud delay counter, 8-bit middle-of-bit sync counter
  5. ;
  6. SECOND:
  7. BAUD_TABLE:     DW      1240H                   ;    50 Baud
  8.                 DB      0FFH
  9.                 DW      0CA0H                   ;    75  ..
  10.                 DB      0FFH
  11.                 DW      08C8H                   ;   110  ..
  12.                 DB      0FFH
  13.                 DW      0760H                   ; 134.5  ..
  14.                 DB      0FFH
  15.                 DW      06C0H                   ;   150  ..
  16.                 DB      0FFH
  17.                 DW      0548H                   ;   200  ..
  18.                 DB      0C0H
  19.                 DW      03D0H                   ;   300  ..
  20.                 DB      80H
  21.                 DW      0265H                   ;   600  ..
  22.                 DB      40H
  23. BAUD_DEFAULT:   DW      01AAH                   ;  1200  ..
  24.                 DB      20H
  25.                 DW      0169H                   ;  1800  ..
  26.                 DB      18H     ;*
  27.                 DW      014CH                   ;  2400  ..
  28.                 DB      10H
  29.                 DW      012CH                   ;  3600  ..
  30.                 DB      9       ;*     
  31.                 DW      011DH                   ;  4800  ..
  32.                 DB      6
  33.                 DW      010EH                   ;  7200  ..
  34.                 DB      2       ;*
  35.                 DW      0106H                   ;  9600  ..
  36.                 DB      1
  37.                 DW      0106H                   ;  9600  ..
  38.                 DB      1

The problem is: Enterprise serial port are fully software driven. And the 4MHz Z80 are too slow for higher rates. At the "middle-of-bit sync counter" need 0.5 value for 19200 baud... probably this is the reason why got the Modell 911 a hw serial port with SIO chip (it is expensive, when all other parts of the machine are cost reduced).
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.22. 22:48:43
Ah, ok, now I understand you. I though that the third bit was only a pause.  The routine is not very efficient.

On the other side, 9600 bauds can still serve me to connect the ESP8266 module.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.May.28. 13:48:49
Maybe a new Serial/Net  device must be created(but I have not the skills).

On the BBC scene, they have UPURShttp://www.retro-kit.co.uk/UPURS/ (http://www.retro-kit.co.uk/UPURS/), a software driven serial port software that converts the User Port on to a complete RS-232 at 115K baud, all achieved with only a 2Mhz 6502 processor and few modifications on the cable.


[attach=1]

The BBC also has a RS-423 serial port, but I don't know if it is software driven like the Enterprise one.
.

With it they can load disk images or any type of file.

The driver can be loaded like an application or like a Rom.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.June.21. 08:30:33
As you know I own two Enterprises with exactly the same add-ons, Saint 1MB internal Ram cards and  20Mhz CMos  Z80 processors with selectable speeds 4Mhz and 10Mhz.

If I connect them with the NET cable, they work as expected, but if I connect a stock EP128K to one of my modified computers at 4Mhz, the NET refuses to work at all.

As the Serial/Net is software driven, can it be the memory different speeds the problem with the connection?
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: Zozosoft on 2017.June.21. 09:27:30
If the upgraded computer have a EXOS 2.4 then it is disable the memory wait states at default. Try SET 191,4
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2017.June.21. 10:01:31
Ok, thanks. I have read you about it before, but never though it would make a difference so big.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2018.April.08. 11:00:58
A Spanish friend, Dandare, creator of the Dandanator (https://youtu.be/C_DT9LF78NQ) for the Spectrum range, has aided me to interface the Enterprise serial port to serial ttl, for example to an USB to TTL adapter based on the CH340G chip, that allows handshakes. The main intention is to interface an ESP-8266 Wifi module.

(https://i.imgur.com/JdQK2OF.png)

This is my humble prototype:

(http://www.retrowiki.es/download/file.php?id=200013386)

At last it worked without the two optocouplers at the right.
Title: Re: Good edge connectors and cables.
Post by: gflorez on 2018.April.16. 13:18:31
Usually the Wifi modules work at 3,3v TTL, so the optional LM1117 will feed the pull-ups and the module.


------

I have made a simple Basic program to talk with a PC, I can write forward, but I have problems receiving.

The GET command gets stuck if there is no incoming character. So, before reading the serial port I test bit 5 of Z80 port 0B6h(182) for incoming data. But this port is a "general purpose" one, and is corrupted by other drivers that write on it.

Long time ago Zozo answered me a tip to overcome this situation, but I don't remember on what thread.

Please, can you kindly repeat me the way to properly read the "Status in" bit?

Thanks.