+MacRorie Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Folks, Can anyone with an R-Time8 (or access to a more detailed schematic) tell me the values of the diode and the rheostat(?) on the board? Thanks Edit. According to the data sheet for the M3002, the diode should be from 3 to 40 pF. I *think* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1050 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 That's not a diode or a rheostat which should be more properly called a pot. Except there isn't a pot. That's a crystal and an adjustable capacitor also known as a trimmer capacitor. 3 to 40 picofarards value will be found in a small trimmer capacitor which you can find now that you are using the proper term for it. You'll also need a quartz crystal of 32.768 kilohertz frequency, which are also a common enough creature that it can be found too. This is the device diagrammed with two plates on either side with a thin rectangle between them. The thin rectangle represents the slice of quartz which is sliced to just so-so thickness as to vibrate at 32.768 kilohertz. There is mention of diodes in one illustration and text dealing with it, but there the diodes are plain to see and are associated with charging the battery while under standard power conditions. There are no diodes in the original RT-8 schematic. Just one bypass capacitor of .1 mf value shown as 100NF, one battery CR2430, one trimmer with no value given but called CR and one crystal with no value given other than the label X which always was from the days of Buck Rogers given that symbol on schematics. The use of NF tells me that the source of the schematic is from other worldly places than the US of A. Exactly what CR is short for I couldn't speculate knowing there could be any language possible here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 That's not a diode or a rheostat which should be more properly called a pot. Except there isn't a pot. That's a crystal and an adjustable capacitor also known as a trimmer capacitor. 3 to 40 picofarards value will be found in a small trimmer capacitor which you can find now that you are using the proper term for it. Right. data sheet called it a trimmer. Forgot to edit that part of the post. You'll also need a quartz crystal of 32.768 kilohertz frequency, which are also a common enough creature that it can be found too. This is the device diagrammed with two plates on either side with a thin rectangle between them. The thin rectangle represents the slice of quartz which is sliced to just so-so thickness as to vibrate at 32.768 kilohertz.Yap. already ordered. There is mention of diodes in one illustration and text dealing with it, but there the diodes are plain to see and are associated with charging the battery while under standard power conditions. There are no diodes in the original RT-8 schematic. Just one bypass capacitor of .1 mf value shown as 100NF, one battery CR2430, one trimmer with no value given but called CR and one crystal with no value given other than the label X which always was from the days of Buck Rogers given that symbol on schematics. The use of NF tells me that the source of the schematic is from other worldly places than the US of A. Exactly what CR is short for I couldn't speculate knowing there could be any language possible here. well, .1microfarads = 100nanofarads, so I am presuming that is the measurement then. Bypass capacitor, eh? Okay. I can find that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1050 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Very good, step one completed. Back to the diodes shown in fig. 11 in the data sheet - I believe some neophytes put that one together since the circuit doesn't have the battery in the right place to work when power is off, it also has a diode backwards which would be fine if it were a zener but it's not marked as a zener so... The new guy would build it as is, and forever more call himself too stupid because it didn't work, but I never would build it as is since I've seen plenty of these kinds of foul ups before. It needs 'adjusting' to put it mildly. And if your goal in the first place is to make an original RT-8, then fig. 11 doesn't matter anyway. I just wanted to show anyone that cared that official factory datasheets can have bad info in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathy Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hello guys The original RT-8 has one major fault in my opinion. When the battery is getting low, it corrupts the signals on the bus. This at least would have to be fixed in a new version of the RT-8. Sincerely Mathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 If this will lead to a working RT8 I'll buy a few too. I would be especially interested in something I could build in an atari. When it will be reproduced, will it be stackable again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 If this will lead to a working RT8 I'll buy a few too. I would be especially interested in something I could build in an atari. When it will be reproduced, will it be stackable again? That is my plan. Now, how close that comes to reality, I do not know. Nobody get their hopes up, we still do not even know if the chips are really the correct ones, if they will work, and even if I can manage to design the PCB correctly. I want a stackable RTime8. This is the best way I can figure to do it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Parts are all ordered. Was wondering if anyone had a source of the cartridge connector? I would like to make it a passthrough and figure I would ask before re-inventing the wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Parts are all ordered. Was wondering if anyone had a source of the cartridge connector? I would like to make it a passthrough and figure I would ask before re-inventing the wheel. Something like this: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/5650118-1/A115472-ND/2135730 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Something like this: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/5650118-1/A115472-ND/2135730 Ordered. We will see if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Ordered. We will see if it works. I hope you looked it over closely and checked all the specs. I simply did a quick search and that's one of the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenames99 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 did you design a board yet or just putting on a breadboard to test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I hope you looked it over closely and checked all the specs. I simply did a quick search and that's one of the results.So far as I can tell, it should work. The blue ones by another manufacturer are the ones used in the XE-MIO adaptor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 did you design a board yet or just putting on a breadboard to test?Getting things together to breadboard and then design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillC Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 The SDX and RT8 cartridges don't use right angle connectors for the pass-thru, they use vertical connectors with the pins soldered to the traces on both sides of the circuit board. Use of a right-angle connector will work but would affect any case design to accommodate the offset. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenames99 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/5530843-2/A31715-ND/770541is what you need, the other is right angle. I do have a dead r-time8 cart, needs new m3002 and 74ls138 and other parts, it was hit by lightning so needs all new parts. I have put together a rtc using the epson chip. needs a different driver tho. I am also looking at the microchip replacement option to emulate m3002. seems overkill tho, unless some other functions can be included in that one. suggestions? also, if anyone has the multiplexer system, i did write a utility some years ago to share r-time8 time across master/slaves. that is called muxtime and needs only 1 r-time8 on the master. just fyi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/5530843-2/A31715-ND/770541is what you need, the other is right angle. Yeah, I noted that. However, I was thinking of doing some other things with it. I also found a supplier for the original part, so I will have options. I do have a dead r-time8 cart, needs new m3002 and 74ls138 and other parts, it was hit by lightning so needs all new parts. I have put together a rtc using the epson chip. needs a different driver tho. I am also looking at the microchip replacement option to emulate m3002. seems overkill tho, unless some other functions can be included in that one. suggestions?No ideas, my thought is only to replicate the RT8. As the OP noted, there are additional functions in the M3002 that go unused by the RT8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Hello, I thought I might post an update to this project. I put together a schematic and did a test PCB run. I also did a wire prototype of it with help from electrotrains XL/XE breakout cart, but I am stuck. I am running off of the schematic posted, bit I do not have an RTime 8 to test against. Even if it were DEAD, I could run the traces down and see what was working or not. At this point, I am stuck with going back to the data sheets and seeing if the schematic is accurate. I was hoping go avoid that step because, well, my expertise is not really in theoretical stuff, but wiring it together. Most of what I know is self-taught so I am sure I am not following a protocol or three. Here are the pics of what I have and what I have been following. ANY help is appreciated. This is the schematic I have been following: #12 Here are some pics of what I have done thus far (I am already to Version 7 of the PCB, the battery image I was using in Eagle was the wrong size and, thus, would not fit the battery holders I had ordered for the project.): (Also, the top will be a passthrough, the original had a card socket soldered on to card edge headers, so I am mirroring that aspect. I have the sockets, just do not want to solder them on until I have a working prototype) IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!! There are one or two quirks to work out (see video) which may be due to some connection issues, but it LIVES and I am drinking a beer!! I am going to do some PCB boards from the new schematic I made and let you know. After that, maybe, perhaps, it will be ready for prime time! Thanks -M 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 New update! All is working perfectly! I ordered test PCBs and some more chips, so---if all goes well--we should have a replacement RT8 in about a month! Now, to figure out cases. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Congratulations!!! - Michael 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caterpiggle Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 hello to you all, I need to know if the original R-Time Cartridge can fixed the old bugs of Year 2000 ? I believe I did tested on it , it still stuck in 20th Century calendar as stamp date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 hello to you all, I need to know if the original R-Time Cartridge can fixed the old bugs of Year 2000 ? I believe I did tested on it , it still stuck in 20th Century calendar as stamp date. The newer versions of SDX will fix that. Pretty sure it is not an RT8 thing, but an SDX thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 correct the drivers for old sparta and new sparta were updated for y2k many many many many years ago... I did not notice the time stamp being off but I will double check... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 IT WORKS!!!!!!!!! bwhahahahahahahahahhahahahaha {cough} {hack] [choke!} Ahem! I will put video up later, but suffice it to say, the journey is now at a wonderful way station! I have a working PCB version of the R-Time 8 clock with passthrough capabilities. I have fiddled with it a little bit to place the battery holder in a better place, and enlarged some drill holes, and that is off to the printer. HOWEVER, I have a proven working PCB version (version 8e if you must know, though technically it is version 13 . . .) It will fit in the original R-Time8 cart. However, I am going to be taking the next step now and that is recreating some new shells. I know Dropcheck is creating some, but I am going to try and see if I can do it another way. If not, I know I have hers if my way fails miserably). If you want a REimaged R-Time 8 cart, they will be for sale soon. Details will be here and The Bates Motel. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Larry Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Do you plan that yours will accommodate the newer, larger SDX images or only the original 27512 (max).? (I looked through this thread briefly, but didn't see this covered?) -Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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