Re: Clock Card?

["Bill Garber" <willy46pa@comcast.net>]

"Don Bruder" <dakidd@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:8B5ab.22396$dk4.697052@typhoon.sonic.net...
> In article <PYqdneEA3bDUU_WiXTWJig@comcast.com>,
>  "Bill Garber" <willy46pa@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > Another and I have determined that this is some form
> > of clock card. It has "IDS" formed into the face of the
> > card using the trace material but that part is not connected
> > to any of the real and actual traces. I have 2 of these cards
> > and would like to use one or both. If anyone has one of these
> > and has software to configure it, or would like to accept one
> > for study and possibly engineer some software for use with it,
> > I would be happy to allow them to keep the card as payment
> > for doing so. A layout of the card is available at the link below.
> >
> > http://garberstreet.netfirms.com/MysteryCard.jpg
>
>
> Bill:
>
> FWIW, I'd have to agree that it's a clock card - It took some hunting,
> but google finally turned up some info on a couple of the non-74LSXXX
> chips, all of which I see on your diagram are very generic chips seen
> anywhere interface work is being done. First and foremost of the
> "informative" results is the MSM5832RS chip. The best info I can find on
> it right now is that it was used as the heart of a critter called "The
> Timekeeper", which was a RTC card developed for the "ACT Sirius 1"
> computer (a machine I'd never heard of until now - apparently it
> ran/runs MS-DOS (Version 2.0, no less!!!!) and/or CP/M on an 8088 chip).

That is very interesting. Finding another whole computer while
looking for something for an Apple II.

> The very little information I can find suggests that the 5832 is a
> microprocessor in and of itelf, with timekeeping as its dedicated
> function, and gets interfaced to the host system, whatever that might
> be, through a PIA or PPI chip such as an 8255 (in the case of The
> Timekeeper) or the MC6821CPDS that happens to be a PIA, and lives on
> your cards.

I had found an entire PDF loaded with info on the 5832. Well,
actually I was led to it by someone else. Also interesting is that
I now remember early PCs using 5832 and 8255 in their clock
circuits.

> I suspect the "best target" to shoot at on this thing is going to be
> trying to dump the EPROM to possibly see what the devil is going on in
> there. Even before I'd do that, though, I'd try slapping it into Slot 4
> (clock cards used to be recommended for slot 4, in the days before mouse
> cards were preferred there, if I recall rightly) and try firing up the
> newest version of ProDOS you can come up with. *MANY* of the clock cards
> sold for the Apple, especially after the introduction of ProDOS, did
> their best to be "Thunderclock compatible" so that time and money didn't
> need to be wasted on developing a new driver for them. The Thunderclock
> driver is built into ProDOS, of course, so if this card, whatever it
> actually is, is one of the "I'll pretend to be a Thunderclock so you
> don't need to write a driver" types, it should "just work" once plugged
> in and powered up. Setting the date/time/etc on it may be a problem
> without a separate utility, however... I can't recall whether the
> Thunderclock driver included "set-the-clock" functionality.

That would be best accomplished in a //e I presume. I will give
that a try just as soon as I make space on one of my worktables.

> Also, the part you have labeled "pot" probably isn't... I'm betting that
> it's actually a trimmer capacitor, which, with a crystal, another
> (fixed) capacitor, a couple of resistors, and part of the 74LS04, would
> make up the local oscillator. The trimmer would allow fine-tuning of the
> frequency in case of any "drift" in the crystal or the other capacitor.
> It's also possible that this trimmer (and the crystal and other assorted
> items right near it) feeds directly into the 5832, allowing it to do its
> own clock-frequency generation. Without seeing actual traces (and
> support parts) I can't be much more specific than that, though...

If I can get my camera working I will take pics of both sides
and then you might be able to see the traces. I hope I can get
it large and clear enough. I would also be glad to send you one
and let you check it out in person, if you have the time only.
Don't want to burden anyone with it.

> Also, you might want to take a look here:
> <http://home.hccnet.nl/h.v.d.heijden/rtc-e.html>
>
> That seems to be a page devoted to a 5832 & 6821 PIA-based RTC add-on
> board for the "Acorn A.T.O.M.", a 6502 based machine that *I THINK* was
> something of an Apple II clone. Mention is made of software being
> available, but in skimming around, I didn't see the software itself.
> Maybe I missed it? Maybe it's gone? You tell me! :)

Going to check that out now.

> Best of luck...

Thanks much. Lots of great info there.

Bill @ GarberStreet Enterprizez };-)
Web Site - http://garberstreet.netfirms.com
Email - willy46pa@comcast.net
> -- 
> Don Bruder -  dakidd@sonic.net <--- Preferred Email - SpamAssassinated.
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