Fitting slogger turbo driver

[danielj]

You will need:
Desoldering braid (decent stuff)
Solder sucker
Pin headers (40 pins worth, turned pins and NOT the square ones)
40 pin socket.

1. Remove elk motherboard.
2. desolder the CPU, make sure all the pins are free before you try to remove it. Take it slow, don't let things get too hot.
3. Solder in a 40 pin socket.
4. Pop the CPU back in and fire up the elk just to make sure you've not kippered it.
5. All good? Fit the pin headers to the turbo board, you'll need to trim down the tops of the ones under the CPU to almost flush with the PCB. Solder the CPU into the Turbo Driver. Take it slow again.
6. Identify link 8 on the elk motherboard (to the left of the ROM)
7. remove the solder from this (it's a triple pin affair) and carefully cut the link track on the underside of the motherboard with a sharp knife (scalpel, stanley knife etc).
8. Two flying leads from the turbo driver - the SW ones go to a switch which needs mounting over by the speaker, the other two go into the holes on either side of the link you've just cut. - The black one (on mine, anyway), which comes from the pad closest to the edge of the turbo driver, goes to the top pad of Link 8, the red one (nearest the CPU) goes to the middle pad.
9. drill a hole for the switch, make sure you get it in the right place.
10. pop everything back together. Try timing some loops in MODE2 with the switch in both positions to convince yourself it's working.
11. Job done.

[Slo]

Brilliant so simple to do too whats the acorn rom IC2 on the pcb for?

[sydney]

I have a third electron on it's way soon so I'm going to take the plunge even though I've only ever soldered my peg and UPURS boards. Any tips on how to stop things getting too hot as in point 2?

[danielj]

I have a third electron on it's way soon so I'm going to take the plunge even though I've only ever soldered my peg and UPURS boards. Any tips on how to stop things getting too hot as in point 2?

I'm sure others will be able to advise too. From my point of view, use 60/40 solder if you need to add solder to the joints to make them easier to suck, iron at 300. Prime sucker, heat joint so the solder properly melts (a second or so), suck. Move onto the next one. If chip feels a bit warm give it a few seconds to cool down. Really worth practicing with something you don't care about on a piece of stripboard first.

Once you think you've got them all clear, hold it up to the light and see how it looks. Hopefully you'll be able to see light around all the pins. A pin is free if you can nudge it with the iron and it's free and springy in the middle of its hole. You might have to mop up some last solder dregs on the top side with desoldering braid. Again, you want the pins to be free and springy when nudged. If a pin resolutely refuses to desolder, resolder it and start again.

Once you're happy they're all free you can just lift the IC straight out - it should come out relatively easily.

Soldering the IC in, it's really about heating the joint for the minimum time, applying the solder and then backing off. Then move onto the next one. Bit of a gap between lets it all cool down.

They're probably more robust than I give them credit for but it'd be a pain to knacker a perfectly reasonable processor.

I should add here that there isn't enough room in the elk to socket the 6502 on the turbo-driver. I learnt this the hard way. I've attached a photo of it all fitted (before me realising it wouldn't fit with the processor socketed).

d.

elkturbo.jpg (164.11 KiB) Viewed 3040 times

[Elk Towers]

I do believe that the MOS rom needs to be placed onto the turbo board as well as this article states.

[danielj]

Can categorically guarantee it doesn't. That's what they flying leads and the cut to link 8 deal with.

[sydney]

I've taken one of my elk's apart today to retrobrite the case and keys so it seems like a good time to have a go at the turbo driver installation.

Before I risk wrecking the motherboard, is there any way to test the pal on the turbo driver to see if it works or not?

[danielj]

I've taken one of my elk's apart today to retrobrite the case and keys so it seems like a good time to have a go at the turbo driver installation.

Before I risk wrecking the motherboard, is there any way to test the pal on the turbo driver to see if it works or not?

Not without buggering about rather a lot... But you're not soldering the turbo-driver to the motherboard. It'll be sitting in a socket so you can always pull it out, desolder the PAL and replace it with a known-to-be-working GAL.

d.

[daveejhitchins]

Before I risk wrecking the motherboard, is there any way to test the pal on the turbo driver to see if it works or not?

Maybe just prudent to fit a GAL . . . Less power and you know it'll work.

Dave H

[danielj]

Maybe just prudent to fit a GAL . . . Less power and you know it'll work.

Which would also give some chip de-soldering practice into the bargain

d.

[RobC]

Wonderful - many, many thanks!

EDIT: Turbo board now fitted to my Elk and working perfectly. Thanks again!

[Arcadian]

For anyone interested, I've just uploaded scans of the original fitting instructions, here:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=6291

[danielj]

Wonderful - many, many thanks!

EDIT: Turbo board now fitted to my Elk and working perfectly. Thanks again!

Brilliant Pleased it's working.

d.

[sydney]

Hi all.
I'm busy desoldering my cpu so I can fit my turbo board and I've noticed that Daniel has fitted his to an issue 2 motherboard whereas mine is an issue 6. There seems to be a significant difference in the layout and lk8 is only 2 holes and on the top right of the pcb, nowhere near the rom. Any ideas what difference this will make?
Please don't say I've got to desolder the rom as well

[danielj]

No, you don't - you've got an issue 6...

You can take this bit from the Master Ramboard instructions:

Code: Select all

ISSUE 1 boards (German) and ISSUE 6 boards 
Locate LK13 which is to the right of the Acorn ROM in a group of 
four Links. Turn the Electron board over and note that the left 
and right hand holes of this Link ( as viewed from the component 
side ) are joined together by a track. This track must be cut VERY 
CAREFULLY using a Stanley knife or equivalent. Remove the solder 
from these two holes 

Red lead to left pin, black to right.



d.

[sydney]

Great! Thanks yet again!

[sydney]

Woohoo!!
I finally got this fitted tonight. Thanks to Daniel for the in depth instructions and to Dave Hitchins for cpu removal and pin headers.
Everything seems to be working fine. In fact the test program from the electron user shown above lists 38 and 19 as the results and I get 34 without the turbo and 18 with. Could this be due to the fact mine is an issue 6 and the magazine seem to be using an earlier issue?
I wrote a tiny program to time drawing in mode 2 and I get a 284% speed increase!
I also thought I'd finished soldering my slogger plus 2 but when I went to test it I realised I'd not added the edge connector!
It's a bit late to start on that now so I'm off to bed with a big smile on my face!

[sydney]

I'm having problems with this electron now
After half an hour or so I get random lock ups and the plus one seems to be unavailable. *help returns only OS 1.0 and the slogger pegasus banner dissapers.
Could this be due to the pal overheating? or have I broken the cpu somehow when trying to remove it?

I'm probably going to get one or two of prime's mrb reboot boards so I'm thinking it may be worth putting this electron into storage until I get one of them.

I bought one of these 6502 kits on ebay a while back and so I have a spare R65C02P4 somewhere in storage. Would this work with in my electron and the mrb?

[richardtoohey]

After half an hour or so I get random lock ups and the plus one seems to be unavailable.

Not that I'm any sort of Electron expert, but this seems to happen to the otherwise unexpanded Electrons and Plus 1s I have ... Plus 1s seem a bit flakey?

Might not be related to the changes you made? Or has the machine been rock solid up until now?

[danielj]

I'm having problems with this electron now
After half an hour or so I get random lock ups and the plus one seems to be unavailable. *help returns only OS 1.0 and the slogger pegasus banner dissapers.
Could this be due to the pal overheating? or have I broken the cpu somehow when trying to remove it?

Possibly that if it's the original PAL? If you want a GAL to replace it PM me and I'll program you one for cost/postage. It does get warm and it is a bit tight in there... The definitive test is cooling it down and seeing if it starts behaving again.

d.

[sydney]

After half an hour or so I get random lock ups and the plus one seems to be unavailable.

Not that I'm any sort of Electron expert, but this seems to happen to the otherwise unexpanded Electrons and Plus 1s I have ... Plus 1s seem a bit flakey?

Might not be related to the changes you made? Or has the machine been rock solid up until now?

I've had not a single problem until last night. It was fine when I fitted it but didn't get much use. Last night was the first time I used it properly since fitting and initially I thought I'd killed my pegasus!
The problems disappeared when I connected my plus one to another elk so I'm pretty sure where the problem lies.

I'm having problems with this electron now
After half an hour or so I get random lock ups and the plus one seems to be unavailable. *help returns only OS 1.0 and the slogger pegasus banner dissapers.
Could this be due to the pal overheating? or have I broken the cpu somehow when trying to remove it?

Possibly that if it's the original PAL? If you want a GAL to replace it PM me and I'll program you one for cost/postage. It does get warm and it is a bit tight in there... The definitive test is cooling it down and seeing if it starts behaving again.

d.

Yes it is the original PAL. How should I go about cooling it down? Servisol freeze it 20 from maplins?

[danielj]

Yes it is the original PAL. How should I go about cooling it down? Servisol freeze it 20 from maplins?

I believe so (not that I've ever used it) - I think it was recommended that you use a piece of folded card to direct it to the right place?

d.

[Slo]

Bit late to this party unfortunately but after 5 years of buying a couple of these turbo boards from arcadian, i've finally got round to fitting one and thanks to daniel's instructions its worked first time

Excellent simple instructions, though daniel I did pm you about fitting it properly then found this very thread and deleted the pm, just incase you were wondering

Wonder if it would make any difference swapping the rom over as well, not that i want to try that though

Cheers DanielJ

Andy

[danielj]

I was actually pleased you got it worked out!

No idea about the ROM. Let sleeping dogs lie, says I

[Slo]

Think I spoke too soon, i've picked it up this weekend and after about 3 minutes continuous use the picture is wobbling like mad. I tried it the next day when it had obviously cooled down and it was ok again then after approx 3 minutes picture gone to sh!t so looks like I need one of those gals, is anyone still doing these as I need 2

[danielj]

I should do if someone else doesn't pop their head up first - give me a nudge at the weekend if I haven't checked it by then

d.

[KenLowe]

I had a quick look through this thread, but couldn't find any details on the PAL type, or the equations that would need to be programmed. I've got two different types of GALs (20V8 & 22V10) I could program up for you if you can provide the necessary details.

[Slo]

Can't tell you anything about it i'm afraid other than the pal chip is PAL16L8ACN, this is another one i've got, the other is fitted

[danielj]

I've got 16v8s and I can dig out the equations - they're on here somewhere...

[KenLowe]

Assume this is the correct .jed file:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=6092&start=60#p59048

I've programmed up a couple GALs (without encryption) with that JED file.

Assuming you're uk based, would be happy to post them out - but it would be better if someone could confirm that I've programmed the right thing first!