EPROM issues, who can burn?

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Mon Nov 1 10:17:05 1999

Now, I didn't say anything about simulation. I suggested a couple of ways
of making hardware which emulates the "real McCoy" in that it plugs
something other than the original MFG's proms into the sockets. How you get
there, or how you proceed afterward is not defined.

True, if a simulation hosted on another machine satisfies you, the job is
trivial by comparison with getting the old dinosaur to breathe. It's all a
question of what it takes to trip your trigger.

The fact remains, however, that one could either install copied EPROMs into
the sockets, or, in those cases where the EPROMS are no longer readily
available, build some sort of hardware-compatible substitute. I merely
suggested that one form of HARDWARE emulation, which is more than just
substitution of one piece of hardware for another, might be to use those
"smart-socket" parts from Dallas Semi and stuff them with RAM which could be
written in some way as yet TBD prior to their installation. I've got some
UK-made 15-year old 2kx8 battery-powered RAMs which still work. They're an
option, though there are others which are somewhat less bulky.

The latter substitution seems to me to be a far cry from simulation on a
different computer.

Dick

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Ford <mikeford_at_socal.rr.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, November 01, 1999 2:29 AM
Subject: Re: EPROM issues, who can burn?


>>1) if the goal is to have an "authentic" system, one has to have the
>>authentic EPROMs with the binary images in them. The spec's for
programming
>>pre-32-pin eproms were not kept secret.
>>
>>2) if the goal is simply to have a working system, there are several ways
to
>>get around the ancient EPROM oddities. All of these involve wiring and
>>maybe even soldering something. The easiest of them, however, is to build
>>an adapter board with the binary images residing in battery backed rams
>>intended for substitution for EPROMs, and a simple programmer for them for
>>those situations when things go wrong.
>>
>>3) Now comes the hard part . . . You have to choose.
>
>Thats simple, if emulation will make you happy, why stop at the eproms,
>just run one of the emulators for the whole system on your PC. My goal is
>to get old systems running at a low cost, and I think that means original
>or functional equivalent parts.
>
>
Received on Mon Nov 01 1999 - 10:17:05 GMT