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From: d_s_klein on 25 May 2010 12:09
On May 24, 3:07 pm, John Adair <g...(a)enterpoint.co.uk> wrote:
> The other problem you get with old software is the OS. I keep some
> machines with NT for times I need to run my old version software.
>
> John Adair
> Enterpoint Ltd.
>

Take a look at 'vmware' or 'virtualbox'. I have been able to run
antique OS's (and applications) on modern hardware using both.

RK
From: Nico Coesel on 25 May 2010 16:23
John Adair <g1(a)enterpoint.co.uk> wrote:

>Depending on what you want to achieve there are ways to make boards
>simple by using modules like our previously mentioned Darnaw1. There
>are also the DIL format Craignell1 http://www.enterpoint.co.uk/component_replacements/craignell.html
>and Craignell2 http://www.enterpoint.co.uk/component_replacements/craignell2.html
>modules. These modules allow you to develop your own carrier board but
>handle the complex and costly BGA bit for you.
>
>There are other low cost products like our Polmaddie series
>http://www.enterpoint.co.uk/polmaddie/polmaddie_family.html offer ways
>into FPGA and CPLD technology at not a lot of cost. These particular
>boards sell 1 off at GBP 40 (approx USD 60, Euro 50) in one off and
>you get a free programming cable (parallel port) for that money. Club
>together with a couple of friends and you can get free worldwide
>shipping on our web shop if you can get the order over GBP 100.
>
>All of these products are bought by hobby engineers. Tools for all of
>the above are free to download. We also use 0.1 inch/ 2.54mm pitch
>headers/sockets a lot to facilitate hobby and student markets with
>many customers even building their add ons with simple stripboard.

This is definitely a sensible way to go.

OTOH it is not very difficult to put a TQFP100 or PQ208 on a board
with a simple soldering iron.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico(a)nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
From: Philip Pemberton on 25 May 2010 17:17
On Tue, 25 May 2010 20:23:36 +0000, Nico Coesel wrote:

> John Adair <g1(a)enterpoint.co.uk> wrote:
[...]
>>All of these products are bought by hobby engineers. Tools for all of
>>the above are free to download. We also use 0.1 inch/ 2.54mm pitch
>>headers/sockets a lot to facilitate hobby and student markets with many
>>customers even building their add ons with simple stripboard.
>
> This is definitely a sensible way to go.

Seconded. The Drigmorn2 is a lovely little board -- 32MiB SDRAM, onboard
SPI flash, switches, HD44780 LCD, and a ton of LEDs. Debugging it is a
DREAM, especially when you can just plug a Harwin pin header into the LHS/
RHS headers, wire in a logic analyser pod and watch as closely as you
like.

The only thing I don't like about it is the ISSI SDRAM -- the refresh
rate figures in the datasheet are incorrect. Use 4096 cycles per 32ms
(the refresh rate for the "Industrial" spec part) and it's fine, use 4096-
in-64ms (the "Commercial" spec rating) and you get random data corruption
issues. I suspect the section on Auto Refresh has been copy-pasted from a
datasheet for a different part and not checked against the tested
specification... but that's just conjecture.

The other possibility is that the part on my DM2 is a mis-marked Ind Temp
part, but the laser-markings say it *should* be a -7BL, or a 7ns part in
Pb-free BGA... if it was ind-spec it *should* have been marked "-7BLI"...

> OTOH it is not very difficult to put a TQFP100 or PQ208 on a board with
> a simple soldering iron.

Yeah, tack down a few pins at a corner, then coat the pins in paste flux
and drag-solder. Clean up with solder wick and you're done. If you're not
a fan of manual labour you can use solder paste and a hot-air reflow
station, but drag soldering is usually quicker... not to mention more
reliable :)

--
Phil.
usenet10(a)philpem.me.uk
http://www.philpem.me.uk/
If mail bounces, replace "10" with the last two digits of the current year
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