88mph
Well-known member
Ok, here's an interesting scenario:
I have a Fluke 9010 that I have been using on some Tron boards. I have a 3 board set that runs fine apart from some minor sprite issues, so I hook up the Fluke. When I run UUT, the board comes up with RAM and ROM errors from the built in self test on the Tron boardset. (Keep in mind this board was running fine without the Fluke.) Rebooting will randomize the RAM/ROM errors, i.e. they are different every time you reset the board with the pod attached. When I pop out the Fluke pod, and pop the original CPU chip back in, the game runs fine.
The Fluke does fine in self test.
So--I figured it might be a bad 40 pin socket on the Tron board. I figured the Z80 chip was making good contact but the pod was not--this is something I have seen before. I replaced the 40 pin socket with a brand new dual wipe. I stuck a Z80 chip in the socket and the board runs fine. I stick the pod in, and I *still* get random ROM and RAM errors on startup.
Last but not least, and upon consulting with some friends, we thought the speed of the chip might be a factor. So I removed the Z80 chip in my pod and replaced it with the one that was running fine when connected to the Tron boardset. I pop in the pod, power up the board, and it is *still* giving me the same random RAM and ROM errors. This fluke works fine on other Tron boards--no problems whatsoever.
Can anyone think of a scenario in which a CPU will work on a board, but that same CPU will not run that board while it is inside a fluke pod? Is the Fluke pickier about things like clock pulses, etc? I have checked voltages at all the ROM and RAM chips with/without the Fluke connected and they are all within tolerance.
I have a Fluke 9010 that I have been using on some Tron boards. I have a 3 board set that runs fine apart from some minor sprite issues, so I hook up the Fluke. When I run UUT, the board comes up with RAM and ROM errors from the built in self test on the Tron boardset. (Keep in mind this board was running fine without the Fluke.) Rebooting will randomize the RAM/ROM errors, i.e. they are different every time you reset the board with the pod attached. When I pop out the Fluke pod, and pop the original CPU chip back in, the game runs fine.
The Fluke does fine in self test.
So--I figured it might be a bad 40 pin socket on the Tron board. I figured the Z80 chip was making good contact but the pod was not--this is something I have seen before. I replaced the 40 pin socket with a brand new dual wipe. I stuck a Z80 chip in the socket and the board runs fine. I stick the pod in, and I *still* get random ROM and RAM errors on startup.
Last but not least, and upon consulting with some friends, we thought the speed of the chip might be a factor. So I removed the Z80 chip in my pod and replaced it with the one that was running fine when connected to the Tron boardset. I pop in the pod, power up the board, and it is *still* giving me the same random RAM and ROM errors. This fluke works fine on other Tron boards--no problems whatsoever.
Can anyone think of a scenario in which a CPU will work on a board, but that same CPU will not run that board while it is inside a fluke pod? Is the Fluke pickier about things like clock pulses, etc? I have checked voltages at all the ROM and RAM chips with/without the Fluke connected and they are all within tolerance.

