21 Jun
2002
21 Jun
'02
10:27 a.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Smith [mailto:eric@brouhaha.com]
> Might it be some kind of embedded CPU?
It might well contain a CPU.
Well, Ok, that's more what I meant, actually.
> What does it do,
It converts electrical energy into heat. Aside from
that, it's
hard to say.
I'll have to remember to use that, next time it's appropriate ;)
Maybe the manufacturer of the system containing the
chip might, but
it's pretty unlikely.
I think that's out of the question, since it's embedded deep in
another non-computer-related thing that hasn't been made since the
late 80's.
This is why it's much more interesting to deal
with OLD computers.
I agree, but my aim is to either re-program this thing, or replace
the embedded computer completely with something that does work in a
well documented way.
It will require interpreting some (simple, open/closed and possibly
some "timed pulse" kind of things) signals from other equipment,
interpreting the signals, and displaying the results on a pair of
matrix displays. One is possibly twenty-something by twenty-something,
the other 8 or so by maybe 64. Of course, I've also thought about
replacing the matrix screens with an LCD of higher resolution.
The thing is, I'd rather see about just writing new code for it,
but to do that, I need to figure out just what I'm looking at.
Another related question is, assuming that this were an embedded
ASIC from that era, what could I hope to find inside? Might it
have its own internal PROM to store the program? (In which case,
I'd need to find a replacement, or use a different chip...)
Chris (who has less than sufficient experience with embedded
computers)
Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
Amdocs - Champaign, IL
"Confutatis maledictus, flammis acribus addictus, voca me cum
benedictis. Oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritunt quasi
cinis, gere curarn mei finis." -Requiem