UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Computers

Notices

Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 30th May 2018, 6:09 pm   #41
RF Burn
Hexode
 
RF Burn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Ramsgate, Kent, UK.
Posts: 252
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

The disks will be posted to JimmyDeath tomorrow.

Adrian
RF Burn is offline  
Old 2nd Jun 2018, 10:32 pm   #42
jay_oldstuff
Octode
 
jay_oldstuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,074
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Hi guyes I finally had a chance to play with my speedmaster 1000 today and it functions perfectly with the DOS software, I was able to read out some eproms. and with the chiptest software test some SRAM and DRAM and check some 7400 ic's.
This is going to be a seriousely usefull bit of kit for me. I may never use it to program an eprom as i like my wellam programmer and am used to the software. But for testing ic's It will get plenty of use.
__________________
The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the headlight of an oncoming train
jay_oldstuff is offline  
Old 4th Jun 2018, 10:41 pm   #43
JimmyDeath
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 238
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Hello

Sorry for the delay but have been away for a few days and just got back this evening.

Thank you Adrian for the floppies, I have recovered the dos disk which contains:

Chiptest V1.01 - Eprom V2.30 - PAL V2.19.

This isn't the newest set we have but it may be of interest depending on how ICE updated their programs i.e. did they remove old devices to add new.

If anyone would like a copy anyway let me know and i'll attach it here.

I'll try and have a look at the winlv disks tomorrow.

BTW does anyone have a scan of the manual for these programmers as I have never seen one and I would like to have a play with designing some chiptest files

Regards

James
JimmyDeath is online now  
Old 5th Jun 2018, 12:05 am   #44
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

I don't have a scan, but I do have the actual manual which is A5 sized and ringbound so I could potentially take it apart, scan the pages and put it back together. Strangely, the 38 pages are all single sided as though the manual itself was produced on a photocopier, and maybe it was. Whatever the reason, that obviously makes it more straightforward to duplicate.

It covers the Speedmaster 1000, Micromaster 1000 and the 8-way Speedmaster 8000 gang programmer which was contemporary with these models, plus the emulator feature for those models which had it as an optional add-on.

There is just one page devoted to "Test Vector Editing and Operation", and the information given there is not much more than you might be able to guess. I'll look at scanning the manual, since this thread is turning into an unofficial repository of all things ICE-TECH.

I would appreciate it if you would upload copies of the DOS software from Adrian even though they are older versions than the others, for exactly the reason you mentioned - sometimes, because the software had to fit on physical media with limited capacity, some more obscure parts or features would be removed in order to fit newer ones on. The excluded parts may still have been available as individual downloads from ICE-TECH's BBS, but that resource is long gone, so running older versions of software may be the only way to access parts which were excluded from later versions.

It will be interesting to know if WinLV V1 from the disc - an older version than the one Adrian emailed - can 'see' the 1000 (not plus) series programmers.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 6th Jun 2018, 11:06 pm   #45
JimmyDeath
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 238
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Hello

Here is the MicroMaster 1000 DOS SW from Adrian, whilst my machine is a Speedmaster 1000 it seems to work fine albeit the selftest throws up an error.

Not having much luck reading disk 1 of the WinLV software yet though

Regards

James
Attached Files
File Type: zip MM1000 - 020894.zip (751.0 KB, 142 views)
JimmyDeath is online now  
Old 6th Jun 2018, 11:37 pm   #46
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

James, thanks for that - already safely saved. The more this software and other information is scattered around and hoarded, the better, really.

Looking at the manual again I'm not entirely sure that the page about test vectors is related to CHIPTEST, as it seems to be lumped in with the bit about PALs. Furthermore, although the manual mentions the other DOS utilities EPROM, PAL, SELFTEST, and EMULATE it does not mention CHIPTEST, so I'm now wondering if CHIPTEST had its own separate manual.

If it did, it's not in the box with the programmer (everything else was, including the original purchase receipt - £769 in 1993! I wonder what Jay paid for his?) but I would never have thrown something like that away so I'll have a look through my 'digital equipment related manuals' box file to see what I have in there.

Which selftest throws up the error? Every other time I run selftest on my MM1000, it reports an error on test.... four or five, I can't remember which. About half the time it passes with no errors.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 7th Jun 2018, 7:01 pm   #47
jay_oldstuff
Octode
 
jay_oldstuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,074
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

intaresting mine also throws up a single error when runing selftest. £768 wow that was a lot of money back in 93. I got mine in an Ebay lot with some vintage computer parts and software. I paid £200 for the lot and the software alone is worth more than that on the retro games scene.
__________________
The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the headlight of an oncoming train
jay_oldstuff is offline  
Old 11th Jun 2018, 10:56 pm   #48
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

There's an epilogue to this:

I've just had a short email exchange with someone who has good knowledge of ICE TECH's programmers from that period, and he mentioned that the 'Plus' versions of the Micromaster 1000 and Speedmaster 1000 are essentially LV series programmers with their features limited to roughly equal those of the original Speedmaster 1000 and Micromaster 1000.

The main difference is that the 'Plus' versions are, like their full featured bigger brothers, able to communicate with WinLV.

So Adrian's MM1000+ works with WinLV, but the slightly earlier versions owned by myself, Jay and James were only ever supported by DOS software.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 13th Jun 2018, 11:01 am   #49
RF Burn
Hexode
 
RF Burn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Ramsgate, Kent, UK.
Posts: 252
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Quote:
So Adrian's MM1000+ works with WinLV, but the slightly earlier versions owned by myself, Jay and James were only ever supported by DOS software.
Thanks Graham, at least that clears up some confusion.

Adrian
RF Burn is offline  
Old 14th Jun 2018, 1:31 am   #50
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

I've hunted through the places where any separate manual for CHIPTEST ought to have been if it ever existed but have unfortunately drawn a blank. I can still scan the main manual if desired, although as stated, CHIPTEST is conspicuously absent from that manual.

One of the features of CHIPTEST is that it allows you to take an existing chiptest profile, modify the parameters and save it as a 'user' part. (You aren't allowed to make changes to the 'built in' tests). If you load up an existing chiptest profile, say for a Hex Inverter, and look through the profile and understand how it works (assert input states pattern 1, look for expected output states, assert input states pattern 2, look for expected output states) and then go on to something more complicated like a counter (7490?), that will illustrate how to generate an input clock pulse, and so on and so forth.

Generating a test sequence for a micro peripheral IC such as the 8255 (already provided in the standard CHIPTEST parts set) or a Z80-PIO, or Z80-DART must take a great many individual test steps.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 25th Jun 2018, 11:36 am   #51
JimmyDeath
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 238
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Hello again

Well I finally manged to extract some of the files from the WinLV disks from Adrian although I couldn't rescue the install executables. I did however borrow these from another archive and it does seem to install ok in both dos and windows. In runs in dos but throws up an error in windows 98, it does however say it is for a windows 95 machine.


The DOS software does not work with my SM1000 but it does work with my Micromaster LV

regards

James
Attached Files
File Type: zip WinLV 1-01-0139a.zip (1.26 MB, 111 views)
File Type: zip WinLV 1-01-0139b.zip (1.26 MB, 101 views)
JimmyDeath is online now  
Old 25th Jun 2018, 11:39 am   #52
JimmyDeath
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 238
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Hello

Here is a newer archive that works with my Micromaster LV but not the SM1000, this does work in windows 98

Regards

James
Attached Files
File Type: zip WinLV 1-0-0241a.zip (1.34 MB, 90 views)
File Type: zip WinLV 1-0-0241b.zip (1.44 MB, 106 views)
JimmyDeath is online now  
Old 25th Jun 2018, 11:50 am   #53
JimmyDeath
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 238
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Hello

And finally here is another version that came with my LV but doesn't work with it, the software runs but I suspect (especially from the version number) that it is for newer Icetech machines.

Note, you will need to delete the '.zip' from the files with z01,z02 and z03 in them for the files to extract e.g. change 'WinLV 2-0-0008.z01.zip' to 'WinLV 2-0-0008.z01' etc

Regards

James
Attached Files
File Type: zip WinLV 2-0-0008.zip (523.1 KB, 99 views)
File Type: zip WinLV 2-0-0008.z01.zip (1.37 MB, 74 views)
File Type: zip WinLV 2-0-0008.z02.zip (1.37 MB, 82 views)
File Type: zip WinLV 2-0-0008.z03.zip (1.37 MB, 99 views)
JimmyDeath is online now  
Old 25th Jun 2018, 6:29 pm   #54
JimmyDeath
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 238
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Ref Post 51

Have built a virtual Windows 95 machine and installed the software on it, it runs properly with a Micromaster LV.
JimmyDeath is online now  
Old 26th Jun 2018, 6:27 pm   #55
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

James, thanks for all this work. Although my own programmer is a little too early to be able to benefit from it, it will be appreciated by anyone who drives by looking for this material in future.

I may yet have something further to contribute as I have come across a different archive of the DOS software - just need a spare moment to look through it to find out the version numbers within it.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 4th Jul 2018, 9:40 am   #56
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

I've had a look through my recently acquired archive of MM1000 / SM1000 DOS support software and it appears to contain the same versions as in the archive which James attached in #28 of this thread, so it seems that's the latest we will be able to lay hands on for now.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 4th Jul 2018, 7:08 pm   #57
jay_oldstuff
Octode
 
jay_oldstuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,074
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

I am going to give the DOS version to a VERY clever frend of mine who is a software developer if he can decompile it there may be a chance he can produce a version with a windows interface. he said it may or may not be possable but he is going to have a try. I think I now have the lastest version so will give him that to play with. it wont add anything new but will make it more compatable with newer computers.
__________________
The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the headlight of an oncoming train
jay_oldstuff is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2018, 10:30 am   #58
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

As the interface to the programmer is 8-bit parallel you could (in theory) just analyse lots of traffic going back and forth between the DOS software and the unit - by making use of the 'custom device' creation feature you could see exactly what changes when you only change the programming voltage or the programming pulse type, for example.

Much easier if your colleague could make a Windows - I've forgotten the proper term - 'wrapper?' to go around the original DOS software. The main problem is gaining full speed access (through Windows) to the parallel port which few modern machines will have in any case.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 5th Jul 2018, 3:05 pm   #59
jay_oldstuff
Octode
 
jay_oldstuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,074
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Quote:
Much easier if your colleague could make a Windows - I've forgotten the proper term - 'wrapper?' to go around the original DOS software. The main problem is gaining full speed access (through Windows) to the parallel port which few modern machines will have in any case.
If he could just make something that would work in 95 or 98 id be happy with that but he thinks he can get something working on XP too, I've said to him to aim for a P4 (most have proper parallel ports) running XP as the newest machine. it may be some time before we have anything as he's just taken on a huge NHS contract but you all keep your fingers crossed he can come up with something.
__________________
The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the headlight of an oncoming train
jay_oldstuff is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2018, 10:06 pm   #60
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,483
Default Re: ICE Speedmaster 1000 Eprom programmer

Not sure if you are aware but the DOS software works perfectly well on Win '95 and '98' machines, you just have to go to their version of DOS through the 'MS DOS Command Prompt' icon which is probably in Start/Programs somewhere and run it from there.

That's how I run my MM1000E.

It was only from XP onwards that Windows ceased to co-operate properly with DOS software, especially DOS software which wanted direct access to hardware ports.

I think what you probably have in mind is an actual windows application with a true Windows-style GUI like ICE-Tech's WinLV, which unfortunately does not work with our older programmers. If your colleague can do something like that, that would be great, but it sounds like he has a heavy load on at the moment.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 8:00 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.