New toy - Tek TLA614 Logic Analyzer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2013, 01:52:09 pm
content: So it's not a modular TLA 7xx series (could not afford), but it's a lot nicer than my old HP 1630G.I'll be taking this apart soon, to make a backup of the hard disk, then see if I can transfer the system to a bigger HD, and also (hopefully) get the TLA application to run under WinXP rather than Win2000.Also fingers crossed that I can add some more USB ports. It only has one on the back panel.So, more disassembly pics then.I'm really pleased to have such good luck with the cables. It has 8 ports, and a complete set of 8 P6418 cables. Also an extra one P6434 cable, for direct PCB connection.Only thing I need to get more of is the little flying lead end clips (only one included), and the clock end clips.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 03:08:10 pm
content: More pics.So far it's just an exercise in blowing out dust (lots of it.)The front panel knobs had that 'grippy' thin rubber coating, but it was yellowed. Fortunately it's easy to remove entirely by scraping with a fingernail, then finishing with a cloth with turps. I dislike the feel of that stuff anyway; and the cleaned plastic knobs look like new.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 03:40:27 pm
content: Looks like it's in really good shape!

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 05:06:30 pm
content: That looks to be a really nice units, it looks like a beast.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 05:13:53 pm
content: I see an IBM Deathstar... may want to get on that

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 06:04:39 pm
content: I powered one up last month and it did actually start and run fine, pretty good after having been in storage for about a half decade after running for around 8 years. Of course the other one did nothing but click and whine.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 06:09:16 pm
content: Nice LA, congratzI see it's chassis similar to TDS7xxx/CSA7xxx scope.Radisys i810 NLX motherboard for x86?Be sure to store NVRAM and c:/vxBoot (hidden folder with powerpc boot image and settings), or your LA will be dead when NVRAM battery loose it's chargeBtw, i personally run TLA714 remotely, just have PCMCIA Intel 100 adapter connected to my main workstation PC (Win2008), where i run TLA App 5.8 (I tried all versions on my Win2000 in TLA, and so far 5.8 was latest to work).GUI is much faster remotely on powerful PC, then locally running on LA with slow PC. Also TLA screams with bigger screen to fit all those waveform signals

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 08:25:07 pm
content: I'm not quite sure Windows XP works on this LA. On my TLA704 the newest OS I could use was Windows 2000. But I put a 200MMX cpu, more memory and an 800x600 screen in it to beef it up a little.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 11:29:52 pm
content: Quote from: TiN on September 12, 2013, 06:09:16 pmThe motherboard is an 'Intel SU810', which I have yet to search for data on. Very likely custom. Haven't even taken it out of the carrier frame it's in yet. But will be. For one thing it looks like the board has a dual USB stacked connector, while the TLA614 case only has an opening for one of the USB connectors. Fingers crossed both USB ports are actually there.I can imagine in 2000 someone at Tek saying "USB? Newfangled rubbish, will never catch on, why would anyone need more than one port? We don't want to confuse people, so just blank over the 2nd port."QuoteNow this is why I love eevblog!I'd noticed there is an NVRAM (one of those Dallas 'battery and RAM in a block' things), and guessed I probably have to back it up. I have a TopMax device programmer so can easily do that, except the thing is soldered into the main data capture PCB, and I'm highly unenthusiastic about taking a soldering iron to that board. Can do it, but fear accidents. Both of the data loss and lifted pads kind.Thanks for mentioning the hidden folder. The hard disk is annoyingly a 2.5" with the mini-IDE + power connector, so I now have to find where I put my IDE to mini-IDE adapter before I can mount the drive on a PC or USB external dock.Will probably use partition magic to make an exact image, and also ZtreeWin to do an all-files copy. That does copy hidden folders.I'm dreading finding whatever Tek may have have done to lock their software to this machine in it's exact present form, and whether that will make upgrading it (eg bigger HD) either impossible or a pain in the butt.QuoteGood idea. I'd noticed it runs like a dog compared to newer PCs, but didn't make any judgment yet whether part of that is maybe 'grandfather Windows' effect (bloated registry and other junk) or just really old, slow hardware.I mentioned WinXP because I have a stripped-down version, with CPU-cycle wasting stupidities like WFP removed, and it runs very nicely. Also I'm used to it. Really hoping I can transfer to that. But of course, on a new hard disk, keeping the original as fallback.The screen in the TLA614 is 800x600 I noticed. Not too bad. So far I didn't find any way to adjust the brightness; maybe it's just fixed at 'bright as can be'.Do you know if there's any kind of service manual available for these? I kind of doubt it, but might as well ask.Also are there any good Tek LA user group forums for this gear? For instance where did you get the various versions of the TLA App? That's something else I need to do.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2013, 11:46:34 pm
content: Quote from: marshallh on September 12, 2013, 05:13:53 pmHa ha... Took me a while to get that. So, the IBM 'Travelstar' hard drives have a reputation for sudden death?Optimal solution would be to replace with a 4" drive, since I have boxes full of them. Looks like there is physically enough space. Leaving just power supply load and wiring questions.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2013, 01:34:23 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on September 12, 2013, 11:46:34 pmAssuming its an IDE drive, just curious if its replaceable using SSD with an ide to sata converter ?

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2013, 02:51:09 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on September 13, 2013, 01:34:23 amI don't think you'll feel a major speed increase, especially with that 200MHz Pentium. A compact flash might be better.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2013, 03:26:31 am
content: I'm not after any speed increase via changing the hard drive. The objective there is simply to secure the code against loss. By having backups and establishing that I can create working images on new drives.The SSD idea would undoubtedly work, except I'd have to buy one. While I really do have boxes full of perfectly good old 4" IDE drives. Even a 20GB one would be fine.The aims are:* Eliminate NTFS. I *hate* NTFS, and the way all Windows versions use it to hide stuff and leave rabbit droppings everywhere. There's also a traumatic experience I had with NTFS once - a story for another time.* Split into separate partitions: C: system & installed utils, D: virtual mem, E, F etc: user work space. All of them FAT32.Call me old fashioned, but I like to be able to hear the drive spin up and head seeks during boot. Very useful diagnostics, if boot fails.The TLA 614 has a CDROM drive, read only. That's definitely getting replaced with a CD/DVD R/W unit.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2013, 01:38:18 pm
content: QuoteSame here on CSA7404.QuoteI'm newbie here, lol. I used to own website for long time..QuoteYes, those NVRAMs easy to loose data on overheat...and even no overheat. Who knows how alive that battery inside it already.But this NVRAM crap was already the only reason for my luck with CSA7404 scopeBought it "dead" from previous owner, and disregarding HDD with bad sectors and bad smart, main failure was NVRAM battery. After replacing HDD and installing fresh Win2000, all software for scope and drivers - it did not work, becauseof vxWorks trickery for PowerPC board. After i finally figured that out - i got everything working flawlessly and now upgrading scope in various ways (replace Celeron with PIII, add memory, already swapped CDROM to DVDRW, now changing LEDs on front panel and fixing some minor knob issues)QuoteFrom tek website. I can upload everything i have onto my public redmine project, if u want. I have TLA714 with 7AA4 module tho, not sure if everything work directly on your 614.Also CMOS battery on PC board just died on my LA, so will tear it apart again

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2013, 02:49:12 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on September 12, 2013, 11:46:34 pmcorrect, very very prone. I'd still vote for CF card over a spinner.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2013, 03:32:36 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on September 11, 2013, 01:52:09 pmFunny how here in the states $220 + $30 shipping gets you a TLA704 with a TLA 7L1 card. Much cheaper than the TLA614s I see.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2013, 05:13:13 am
content: Quote from: TiN on September 13, 2013, 01:38:18 pmIt turns out the motherboard *does* implement two USB ports (only USB ver 1.1 though.) But port zerocan be directed via jumpers to either the uppermost USB connector on the rear edge, or the NLX edgeconnector. On my board it's jumpered to the NLX connector, which Tek uses to connect the motherboard to all the other LA system components. So it's pretty certain the USB port zero is in use for controlling some other system module. Not yet sure which though.It was nice to find that Intel still has all the data for the SU810 board online, manual & drivers.https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Desktop+Boards&ProductLine=Discontinued+Motherboards&ProductProduct=Intel%c2%ae+Desktop+Board+SU810Not so good to find there are no WinXP drivers, only '95, '98, NT & 2000. I guess I may have to leave it as Win2000 after all.QuoteOK, so the NVRAM is a priority. Trick being, to get it desoldered and backed up without ever allowing random induced voltages on pins to do any accidental writes.QuoteThanks but no need yet. I'll hit the Tek website once I'm done with this initial 'secure the data' stage.The HD is a mini-IDE type, and I knew I had a mini-IDE to IDE adapter somewhere. But it took me till just now to find it. Most of the TLA is back together now after the 'explore and clean' dissasembly, and I'm eager to see if it still works with everything the same - after backing up the HD.It's a bit sad to find there's no way to add any expansion boards to the thing. No spare PCI slot. Only a couple of 'PC Card' ports on the rear. So the idea of adding a USB 2 or 3 port on the front panel seems to be out.At least the ethernet port is 10/100, thank god. I was half expecting it to be 10 MB/s only.The CPU is marked "Intel Celeron, FV524RX500 128 SL3LQ, L0010164-0835" (500MHz) and supposedly 600MHz ones are compatible. I'm not sure if it's worth bothering to upgrade the CPU. You say PIIIs are compatible? I'll look into that, eventually.QuoteThe coin cell on this MB is a bit low, only 2.9V. So that's getting replaced with the power on, next time the thing is back together.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2013, 04:09:34 pm
content: Ha ha. It's always funny doing data recovery on other people's hard disks. Guess what the bulk of the drive in this logic analyzer is full of, apart from Windows? 630MB of it.

author: casinada
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2013, 10:52:14 pm
content: At least is not porn or spyware

author: eurofox
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 14, 2013, 10:57:30 pm
content: Maybe he was debugging an MP3 playereurofox

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2013, 01:28:11 am
content: Quote from: casinada on September 14, 2013, 10:52:14 pm*Boss walks into lab*What is it you were watching?Uhhhh... It's not what it looks like. AN array of waveforms organized themselves. Seriously.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2013, 02:34:20 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on September 12, 2013, 11:46:34 pmoh yes ! the deathstar ... look for travelstar click of death ...

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2013, 02:35:40 am
content: Quote from: eurofox on September 14, 2013, 10:57:30 pmtalk to our settop box people. they are being paid to wath hd satellite tv all day long while debugging the system...

author: leafi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2013, 03:39:56 pm
content: Do you know if the capture memory is fixed and real or is it software disabled? It would be great if people could start figuring out how to unlock tek equipment! They wanted to charge me 10K to unlock more capture memory on my Oscope when it is already there just disabled. I hate that!

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2013, 08:06:25 pm
content: Well you could load the program in which you enter the upgrade key into a debugger and see what it does...

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2013, 01:22:37 pm
content: Quote from: leafi on September 15, 2013, 03:39:56 pmI hate that too. It's an attitude that takes the basic irrationality of belief in ownership of data to an extortionist extreme. So, Tek 'owns' the short string of data required to 'unlock' a feature, and those few bits are 'worth'$10,000?Anyway, yes, as more of this gear is in the hands of people who bought it second hand and relatively cheaply, with no warranty or expectation of any manufacturer support, let's hope we'll see some reversing going on.The TLA 614 options are:Base config: 64K depth at 100MHz.1S: 256K depth at 100MHz (mine is this)4S: 64K depth at 200MHz5S: 256K depth at 200MHzI haven't yet had a close look at the capture board, but once I have this thing 'data secured' to my satisfaction, I will be.The fact that there's a Dallas 'RAM in a box' soldered into the capture board, and I can't see any reason to make such a deeply stupid design decision other than to hold 'option enabling' data securely, suggests it may well be one board for all options.[Edit: that there is a flash memory chip on the board near the Dallas DS1225AD makes that suggestion even stronger. What data could be unsuitable to be kept in the bare, exposed flash chip, other than very 'expensive' data? That Dallas Ram-in-a-box is soooo getting unsoldered soon. I probably have a few old ones lying around, that I can dissect to map their guts. Ideally I'd like to end up with a replacement DS1225 in a socket on the board, and with a 3V coin cell socket hot-melt glued on top, replacing its internal battery via engraving tool excavations of the potting.]When I get to backing up that Dallas thing, I'll be paying close attention to what it contains. Maybe, maybe... I end up with 256K @ 200MHz memory. Hope so.In the meantime, I'm done with backing up the 6GB 'IBM Deathstar' HD from the TLA614. Took a little while, since it's been years since I bothered to do any low-level work on a HD, and all the tools I used to use are since dead. Norton Disk Ed...So it was also an exercise in finding new tools.With something like this, where there's a worry the critical application software _might_ be node locked to the hardware in any of several ways, it's essential to do more than just simple file backups. Safest is to capture:* A whole disk image file. For this I used PowerQuest Drive Image 7.* A direct file tree clone of the drive, for easy examination. For this I used ZTreeWin V2.2.19, zipped with ALZip.Also Overdiskhttp://overdisk.en.softonic.com/is extremely useful for examining drives.* Binary file copies of the drive's Master Boot Record (actually entire track 0), and Partion boot record. This is very useful for checking/modifying things like the HD serial number - a common node-lock reference. Also there can be keys stored in the unused track zero sectors, etc.This last one was the difficulty, since I found I no longer had any working low level HD raw sector hex editor. Off on the freeware utilities hunt. Which always devolves into trying multiple utilities that don't quite do what you want.In the end I used Active@ Disk Editorhttp://www.disk-editor.org/which is really quite nice. Except it can't directly save selected sector data as a file on another HD. But it can copy to the clipboard, so together with a good Hex editor - ICY Hexplorerhttp://hexplorer.sourceforge.net/it does the job.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 02:12:50 am
content: Quote from: TiN on September 13, 2013, 01:38:18 pmIt seems they used the first USB port for something, perhaps the front panel keyboard. It's jumpered to the MB NLX connector.QuoteExtracting & cloning the NVRAM is my next task with this thing. I'm quite nervous about this, as I can see there's a high chance of disaster. For instance the LA has option 1S, and by now I'm sure the NVRAM is where the option keys are held. I can imagine what my chances of getting a replacement 'upgrade kit' (encrypted key) from Tek would be.But it has to be done. The Dallas DS1225AD guaranteed battery life is 10 years. The LA is over that already. So it's going to lose data, and soon.QuoteAfter having struggled with the Tek website for a few hours now, and failing to find anything but a few scraps of random versions of the TLA application - no sensible 'here are all the old versions on one page, and which hardware models they work with' - I'd like to take you up on that offer please.It's like Tek are being managed by monkeys these days. Oh wait, they are:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/things-don't-sound-good-at-tektronix/msg173467/?topicseen#msg173467http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2012/12/tektronix_five_years_after_sal.htmlTektronix, five years after sale to Danaher, continues to shed jobs and struggleFive years, and five rounds of layoffs. That's the tale of Tektronix under Danaher Corp., the East Coast conglomerate that paid $2.85 billion for Oregon's signature technology company in the fall of 2007.Danaher Corphttp://www.danaher.com/Executiveshttp://www.danaher.com/leadershiphttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/looks-like-tek-are-gertting-really-desperate/QuoteAt least I remembered to replace the coin cell. With the power on, and butter-fingers protection. See pic.Something I did forget (to expect) - all my other PCs are WinXP (it's a deliberate choice.) And I *know* what a pain getting non-XP PCs to file-share on a LAN with WinXP machines always is. So now... once again the horrible battle with Microsoft's idea of how to f*ck their users over and force them to upgrade all their PCs in unison. Of which this incompatibility is just one example. Can't make Win2000 use 'simple file sharing', so all the other PCs have to do it the Win2000 way. Urrrgh! Poisonous.I'm still hoping to switch the LA to WinXP. Not possible according to Tek, but it's looking hopeful that I can find WinXP drivers for the Intel SU810 motherboard. Leaving only the Tek TLA Application compatibility issues.If that doesn't work, I guess I will be trying out Samba after all.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 11:05:07 am
content: Before you start digging in the NVRAM make a backup, clear the NVRAM, place it back on the board and see if the option changed. If not, the options are not in the NVRAM. AFAIK it should be possible to run WinXP on this logic analyser. Check the user forum on Tektronix' site.

author: madsci
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2013, 05:49:00 am
content: Quote from: marshallh on September 12, 2013, 05:13:53 pmIt appears to be a TravelStar 2.5" IDE disk...far more reliable than their 3.5" counterparts. With that said, age alone is a worry.The 60GXP and 75GXP series 3.5" drives were the ones that were the baddies. They suffered from a media delamination problem. A chunk of media would flake off the disk, get stuck under the head and the drive would scour the disk bare leaving nothing but the clear glass substrate behind. Truly a sight to behold!I kept my 60GXP that suffered this fate. I should post pics of it next time I go home from college.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2013, 06:37:57 pm
content: Huh. I would LOVE to see a photo of that

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 09:07:48 am
content: Quote from: echen1024 on September 22, 2013, 06:37:57 pmMe too. I regularly strip old hard drives, mostly for the magnets. No idea how many I've pulled apart, but I've _never_ seen any with glass disk substrates.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 09:26:24 am
content: http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/crash/

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2013, 06:10:22 pm
content: You cannoy tell they are glass until you try to bend it and it shatters. Look for an old IBM drive that is between 10-20 years old and it likely will be one with glass platters.

author: Seg
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2013, 11:55:18 am
content: Ummm yeah. IBM Travelstars are some of the most reliable hard drives the world has ever seen. Don't replace it if you don't have to. It's the Deskstars that were junk.I have a 20gb IBM Travelstar that iswaypast all its SMART wear thresholds, has been knocked around plenty and dropped once or twice, has spindle bearings so worn it makes a loud whine that annoys everyone in the room, and performance has dropped quite a bit, but it has yet to lose asinglebit of data. Which is more than I can say for every Maxtor and WD drive I have ever owned, every single one of which have managed to corrupt files after a mere year of gentle use.I keep it running as an experiment at this point...No idea if this extends to Hitachi Travelstars, but so far so good. Ask me in another decade or so...

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2013, 12:27:37 pm
content: The biggest enemy of a hard drive is heat and most PC enclosures don't provide any airflow along the hard drives. In my PCs I have mounted the hard drives in 5.25" bays and milled slots in the plastic covers so there is airflow around the hard drives. In some servers I have had hard drives running for over 10 years 24/7. Turning such a machine off/on is always a white knuckle ride but I never had a problem.In test equipment I always use compact flash cards. I don't like the whining of a hard drive right in front of me.

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2013, 12:42:37 pm
content: Quote from: Seg on September 29, 2013, 11:55:18 amif you're comparing it to other spinners, sure. if you're comparing it to some industrial rated SLC with a correctly designed board/platform? not so much.

author: madsci
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2013, 08:00:26 am
content: Quote from: alm on September 23, 2013, 09:26:24 amThat's EXACTLY what mine loos like inside, clear disks and dust.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2013, 04:14:29 pm
content: I found that keyboard really uncomfortable, maybe I'm wrong, anyway I'm wondering what would you do whit so many channels. Anyway nice toy.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2013, 07:36:24 pm
content: the 'see through' disks. I hope I find one among my buckets of old disks (literally buckets) as I'd like to fully clean some of the platters, just to get cool-looking and possibly useful precision glass disks.Oracle: yeah, I used a TLA 614 in a job once, and yes the keyboard is unbearable. Simply plug in a real keyboard. Or as some suggested here, and I've yet to try, use a remote desktop system.I want to apologize for my silence on this project. I've been snowed under.Firstly I decided to upgrade part of my work area before digging into the TLA 614, hence everything is now in a pile. Also my main computer was dismantled. I'm using a small backup PC. Then my 86 yo mum had a fall and broke two ribs. Was in hospital for a while. Then the cable modem died, so no net at all. Once that was fixed, I discovered my main PC had developed a problem, which prompts me to finally do the switch to a better PC I've been putting off for a while. So still no main PC to access net.Also my best surviving old friend is now dying of liver cancer. So I'm not very cheerful myself.Meanwhile I've been trying to keep track of multiple overseas large purchases via that USA reshipper, using improvised net connection and web-mail, urgh!And not finished the building improvements, so still chaos here.On the bright side, I bought some more toys, including another Tek LA :Tektronix TLA 721 Logic Analyzer Mainframe Dual Monitor w/ Win 2000 Pro WORKINGItem 121152614886HP 80000 (E2900A) 1GHz Data Generator Mainframe + E2902A & E2903A ModulesItem 300694263268So now I have Tek TLA 614 and TLA 721 (which takes modules), and my friend (the one dying slowly) has a TLA 715. I'm definitely going to make a serious attempt at cracking the Tek options software keying system.I have teardown pics of the HP 8000, and will also be dismantling the plugin modules to see if the damaged SMA connectors can be replaced. Likely not... But I expected that. Already have one other one on the way, and they're common enough on ebay.Once my workspace is functional again, I'll post the pics. Ditto of the TLA 721.Oh and TiN, I'll finish fetching those files once the new PC is set up. In a few days.Pics below are of a couple of mangled module-retaining screws on the HP 8000. Can anyone suggest where I might find replacements? The broken eject levers I can hopefully find, as they have a manufacturer name and PN. (Schroff 80817 135)With the screws, in worst case I can probably make them, from standard screws of the same thread.But it's academic anyway, till I determine if the damaged SMAs are replaceable. It's such a shame - the modules appear to work, except most of the output physical connectors are rooted.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2013, 08:35:10 pm
content: Sorry to hear about your friend. How much should I expect the TLA's to go for?

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2013, 06:15:06 am
content: Quote from: echen1024 on October 05, 2013, 08:35:10 pmThanks.I've been trying to get him to join this forum for ages, but he's just not a public-text-talkative guy.QuoteErr... you mean mine? I don't intend to resell them, if that's what you were wondering. The whole work area rebuild is so I'll have room to use these conveniently, and some other stuff.On ebay there are many. Searches:tektronix tla7 moduletektronix tlaThere's the usual huge price range. Patience...I've been pretty lucky lately with making offers well under listed prices, even when sellers didn't say 'make an offer'.

author: Hamster
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2013, 11:24:29 pm
content: i just thru away a bunch of those discs, i was destroying them, and did not expect the platters' to be glass and shot up and hit me in the face, good thing i had my safety glasses on!as for logic analzers, i love my HP 16700B ( 16534A (500mhz dso) x1, 16750A ( 400mhz La) 2x, 16522 ( Pattern Generator) 1x ) , i also have a spare 16700A ..

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 02:12:43 am
content: Anyone succeeded in running a Tualatin PIII-S in a TLA 721 module?Memory seems limited to 512MB because the Intel 82815 chipset only supports that much:download.intel.com/design/chipsets/datashts/29835102.pdfInstalling two 512MB PC133 SDRAM SODIMMs results in a non booting machine that gives BIOS beeps.So no more memory upgrade for meNext thing I tried was installing a 1400MHz PIII that I had tested successfully in a DL380 G2 server before. Also resulted in a non booting machine without BIOS beeps. The machine has the latest 1.00.02 BIOS and the Intel 82815 is the SL5NQ stepping that should theoretically support the latest P3 Tualatin CPUs.Any ideas why it doesn't work? Missing microcode for Tualatin? Locked CPUIDs? Haven't that much experience with BIOS hacking, so I'll probably just use the system as it is, before I break anything.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 04:15:33 am
content: I think you will just need hardware hackingLike this:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/tek-csa7404-repair-project/msg301679/#msg301679There are some straps and resets rerouted on CPU package to allow III-S 133MHz work as 100MHz in old boards. At least 1400 III-S shown on photo linked working like a charm as 1050MHz in i810 board of my Tek CSA7404. You can google about these mods to get Tualatin support on non-Tualatin ready boards.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2015, 06:39:59 am
content: Still it makes more sense to run the software remotely. A faster CPU is not likely to make the software work any faster. I have a feeling the TLA software is slowed down on purpose; it never uses the CPU for 100%.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2015, 02:51:32 am
content: It seems like TLA-721 is limited to Coppermine Pentium IIITried Tualatin pin surgery described by TIN, worked better than expected, used a very sharp soldering tip made from thick 3-phase wire, a soldering iron at max heat and some isolated enamel copper wire salvaged from broken CPU fan motor:Epoxied the wire to substrate to prevent short circuit by exposed CPU socket pins (maybe use a bit less, stupid me used far too much):After that I cleaned those pins close to epoxy sites with sharp knife/tweezers from stray epoxy, checked it under magnifying glass and put it into socket. Because Tualatin has IHS on top of die, the CPU is a bit higher and was strapped down with gummi rings for testing:Unfortunately all that effort didn't help, system still doesn't boot.Now I've installed a 1000/256/133 1.7V coppermine PIII, that works flawlessly @ 133MHz FSB:As far as I understand that pinmod:Top left pins:No RESET2# pin => no reset possible from mainboard/BIOSNo DYN_OE pin => select CPU voltage by VID pinsVTT_PWRGD--1k--VTT => VID/BSEL at correct stateTop right pins:VID25mV to VSS => lower Vcore by 25mVBottom right pins:NCHCTRL to VTT => previously reserved pins that might not be connected in Tek TLA mainboard?Any reason why VID0, VID1, VID2, VID3 pins aren't hardwired to VSS/VCC to set core voltage to a clearly defined value? I've seen other Tualatin pinmods where some more VID pins were wired to VSS. Just wondering.BTW, Thank you very much TIN for great homepage with firmware revisions for TLA7AA4 modules, impossible to find in the wildnctnico: Probably best to operate it remotely (also because of limited memory), but faster CPU with double L2 cache would be IMO still a nice thing to have, especially if it's free from trashIf anyone wants that modded Tualatin for their TDS7000 for a few €, write me a PM. My DL380 doesn't like it any more and gives a CPU fail, but I'm quite certain that it's still OK.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2015, 02:00:23 pm
content: I just bought a TLA715 (closely related to a TLA721) but I think I leave the CPU as it is.Edit: It seems I'll be needing a BIOS update/reload... none of the hard drives I tried is recognised properly.Somehow the LBA translation doesn't work properly.edit2: ofcourse it is just a bad contact... the removable drive bay has 5 connectors between the motherboard and the hard drive

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 01:58:11 pm
content: Update: My TLA 614 got killed by a lightning strike. Now repaired, and the Dallas NVRAM read and replaced.Writeup here:http://everist.org/NobLog/20160331_lightning_luck.htm#tla614