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Old 12th Dec 2016, 10:12 pm   #81
McMurdo
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

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re we talking about Abekas as in Reading and Quantel in Reading and Newbury
I dont remember, it was in the late 80's! I started as a dogsbody and had jobs wrapping parcels in despatch, operating the pad printer putting custom OEM logos on the filters, potting filters, winding coils, fault-finding on boards, soldering smt on boards, operating the network analyser etc. Terribly tedious.

We supplied Quantel with the chroma and luma A-D converter filters.
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Old 12th Dec 2016, 11:28 pm   #82
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

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Originally Posted by evingar View Post
Well done on the reverse engineering - You wouldn’t have been very popular with "Q" if you had done this during the heyday of the equipment - to put it mildly

The tablet configuration is done from the tablet I/F box.

Config 1 (LHS switch) sets NTSC or PAL - 0 for PAL
The RHS switch sets tablet size - I think this one should be at "0" for A3.
Thanks, yea, i think they would have gone superfly tnt!

the tablet interface box, yes that brings up another enigma... as mine doesn't have one!

Keyboard and rat plug into the tablet which then plugs directly into the PB, it does have a rotary encoder but it doesn't seem to do anything, i think the entire system is an old one so maybe predates the interface box?

i have noticed that during boot it does say 'A4 tablet expected' even without the tablet plugged in, was there a switch, jumper or software option that could affect it?
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Old 13th Dec 2016, 9:17 pm   #83
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

Yes, the control box solution came in late 1994 / early 1995, with Wacom tablets. Your control system must be prior to that.

The rotary on the back only selects NTSC or PAL, locations 0 and 1 are the only active locations AFAIK (see attached, from HAL manual, but tablet arrangements were the same).

I don't think there are any setting links on the CPU for tablet size, there are a row of DIP switches that pertain to tablet use, but I'm pretty sure they only select the serial I/F type (RS232 / RS422). It is possible there are setting links on the tablet interface board, but in all honesty I don't know for sure. I never saw a Paintbox shipped with an A4 tablet size, but Picbox tablets (when fitted) were invariably A4.

The later tablet / interface box combination should work with earlier machines, may be worth a go if you have the parts.
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Old 13th Dec 2016, 10:32 pm   #84
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

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Originally Posted by evingar View Post
I don't think there are any setting links on the CPU for tablet size, there are a row of DIP switches that pertain to tablet use, but I'm pretty sure they only select the serial I/F type (RS232 / RS422).
yea i didn't think there was any options either, there's nothing on the tablet I/F tucked in the back of the tablet.

Quote:
The later tablet / interface box combination should work with earlier machines, may be worth a go if you have the parts.
i did try... i have two interface boxes, two newer tablets and a keyboard, but no matching pen even though i have three different types. Not even the keyboard worked so no idea what's going on there.

maybe i should be thankful i have some kind of working tablet and worry about it later!

Was there a hidden area that quantel could log into in the console for deeper admin?
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Old 14th Dec 2016, 9:56 am   #85
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

Are the interface boxes you have for a paintbox? If it's the boxes I'm thinking of (off white, about the size of two small house bricks 'side by side') then these were used across various bits of kit - Paintbox, Hal, Encore etc and each one will obviously have custom software in it. Just a thought.
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Old 14th Dec 2016, 10:09 am   #86
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

Yea that sounds like them, with 'RJ' style input sockets for the keyboard, joystick and tablet, i have two of them along with a A4 tablet, A3 tablet and one keyboard

TBH i was under the impression the tablet, rat, joystick, keyboard protocol was standard across all the systems. But was switchable between RS232 and RS422. But i am of course no expert!
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Old 14th Dec 2016, 9:44 pm   #87
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

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Originally Posted by dexterslab View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by evingar View Post
I don't think there are any setting links on the CPU for tablet size, there are a row of DIP switches that pertain to tablet use, but I'm pretty sure they only select the serial I/F type (RS232 / RS422).
yea i didn't think there was any options either, there's nothing on the tablet I/F tucked in the back of the tablet.

Quote:
The later tablet / interface box combination should work with earlier machines, may be worth a go if you have the parts.
i did try... i have two interface boxes, two newer tablets and a keyboard, but no matching pen even though i have three different types. Not even the keyboard worked so no idea what's going on there.

maybe i should be thankful i have some kind of working tablet and worry about it later!

Was there a hidden area that quantel could log into in the console for deeper admin?
The Quantel pens can be substituted for Wacom types of the correct version. The Wacom pens are specified differently in terms of extra switches on the side (etc) but the basic function should work - The "prox" light should illuminate when the correct pen is moved near the tablet, irrespective of anything else being connected bar power.

The firmware in the Quantel tablet I/F also varied for different Wacom tablet types. There is one version of the Tablet Interface box that is compatible with a range of tablets, selection by rotary switches. This version usually had a table of supported versions Vs switch settings stuck to the box.

I loose track of how many generations of Wacom tablet V-series went through, but it sounds as though you have been unlucky with your pen / tablet combination. As I inferred above, it may be possible to buy a replacement Wacom pen for the relevant tablet, although they, annoyingly, seems to regularly make these obsolete
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Old 15th Dec 2016, 1:14 am   #88
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Default Re: 1980s Quantel Paintboxes

thanks Chris,

i have used several generations of wacoms on the PC (both serial and USB) so i know their game, that only the same generation pens work with the same generation tablet. It's most annoying especially as there are always a good supply of tablets on ebay but they are always missing the pen!! - maybe the pens run off with the Biros to form a uniquely biroid lifestyle?

I'll stick with what i have at the moment as it works, maybe something will come to light about why i can't use the full area of my current tablet
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