Palasm?

From: Richard Erlacher <richard_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Thu Aug 10 10:11:35 2000

Please see embedded renarks below.

Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: John Honniball <John.Honniball_at_uwe.ac.uk>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2000 4:34 AM
Subject: Re: Palasm?


>
> On Wed, 9 Aug 2000 12:51:23 -0600 Richard Erlacher
> <richard_at_idcomm.com> wrote:
> > A plug in module for PALASM? What would give you that idea?
>
> Well, as I recall, that's what written on the module :-)
>
> > I've seen only
> > one place on a model 29 for anything to plug in, and that's the
programming
> > site. (there are several different ones)
>
> That's right, it's a huge plug-in module to go in the
> programming site socket. It has another plug-in module on
> top to accept the PALs that are being programmed.
>
It's been a while but the site does, in some cases have an optional socket
adapter for differing packages. Unfortunately this type of adapter was
needed in some case while other required an etirely different site to
accomodate a given package, i.e. you might need several site/adapter
combinations to handle all the different packages in which a given part was
available.
>
> > The data was typically fed to the
> > Model 29 via a serial port, and in JEDEC form. The model 29 translated
the
> > jedec file into whatever signals were needed to program the device.
>
> As I have no manual, I can't tell how this thing was
> supposed to work.
>
There was software, in my experience, running on a PC, that told the
programmer what to do, specifically how to drive the device pins and how to
process the JEDEC file. It also sent the JEDEC file once that was set up,
but these were separate steps. At the time I seriously began using
field-programmable logic devices (once price came down) there were
sufficiently inexpensive programmers from second-rank independent vendors
that the model 29 was unrealistic for someone not programming in a prduction
environment and whose needs involved a wide range of devices.

It's not unusual to see these model 29's at distributors' sites. Perhaps
one of your local electronic distributors' technicians can help you out.
The way to do that is to contact someone you know and tell them what you
want is to find whatever documentation there is on the model 29 and
examine/copy it. The guy at the will-call counter will probably be more
helpful than the phone-sales person.

> > The last time I used a model 29 was in '85. They were already pretty
old
> > back then and wouldn't program the then new Altera parts and Lattice
parts I
> > was using. That was later fixed, but too late for me. I bought a
cheapie
> > that still works . . .
>
> I've since acquired a Stag PPZ Universal Programmer.
> 6809-based machine with built-in CRT.
>
> > Is there a feature that plugs in the intelligence to compile Palasm
files
> > into the JEDEC? I'd be VERY surprised to learn that.
>
> I'll have to pop up into the loft and fetch this thing down
> for a closer look (info in this e-mail is from memory).
> I'll post model numbers, etc, in case anybody can identify
> the module and tell me I've got it all wrong :-)
>
> --
> John Honniball
> Email: John.Honniball_at_uwe.ac.uk
> University of the West of England
>
>
Received on Thu Aug 10 2000 - 10:11:35 BST