I'm sort or regretting buying this Dataman programmer. I need to spend a lot more time trying to figure out exactly what's going on with it, but assuming my unit doesn't have some weird intermittent fault, then the quality of the software; specifically the USB driver sucks.
I've tried this programmer now in three different machines; 2 x Windows 10 and 1 x XP SP3 and in all machines it's very hit if the USB driver will work. There seems to be a correct start-up sequence that's required but I can't quite seem to pin it down. I'm hoping to spend some dedicated time with it over the weekend and if I can't get to the bottom of what's going on, I'll have to return it (and I knew I should have kept the flippin box). Bugger.
Progress on my Acorn System 1 is a bit more positive.
I received a batch of PCB's from JLC the other day and I've started assembling and testing them.
Unfortunately I've already spotted some silly mistakes and areas for improvement.
Of the three I've tested two are fine; with only some slight modifications, and the 3rd which is the backplane board, well, that's for the bin unfortunately.
Somehow, I'd managed to misalign the Euro sockets. The first socket is fine, but as you move along the row of sockets, a very slight position error can be seen and by the 3rd socket, it's impossible to get it to align correctly with the mounting holes on the rack.
The board is still useable standalone, or even in a homemade enclosure, but it's useless if you want to mount in within a proper 19" rack with pre-drilled backplane mounting strips.
So I'm more annoyed about the time wasted than the actual money; a set of five of these boards (minimum quantity) only cost me around £10.
However, it does give me the opportunity to make some other adjustments. One thing I may do is look at moving it to a single sided board. This will make removing of these large 96 way Euro connectors a LOT easier. It's basically impossible with through-plated holes.
Today, I'm also taking my RSGB foundation exam which will allow me to have a radio amateur call sign and operate a modestly powered transceiver. This should be interesting. I have looked at the syllabus; maybe twice so we shall see how it goes. Twenty six questions, and a minimum pass mark of nineteen required.
I've tried this programmer now in three different machines; 2 x Windows 10 and 1 x XP SP3 and in all machines it's very hit if the USB driver will work. There seems to be a correct start-up sequence that's required but I can't quite seem to pin it down. I'm hoping to spend some dedicated time with it over the weekend and if I can't get to the bottom of what's going on, I'll have to return it (and I knew I should have kept the flippin box). Bugger.
Progress on my Acorn System 1 is a bit more positive.
I received a batch of PCB's from JLC the other day and I've started assembling and testing them.
Unfortunately I've already spotted some silly mistakes and areas for improvement.
Of the three I've tested two are fine; with only some slight modifications, and the 3rd which is the backplane board, well, that's for the bin unfortunately.
Somehow, I'd managed to misalign the Euro sockets. The first socket is fine, but as you move along the row of sockets, a very slight position error can be seen and by the 3rd socket, it's impossible to get it to align correctly with the mounting holes on the rack.
The board is still useable standalone, or even in a homemade enclosure, but it's useless if you want to mount in within a proper 19" rack with pre-drilled backplane mounting strips.
So I'm more annoyed about the time wasted than the actual money; a set of five of these boards (minimum quantity) only cost me around £10.
However, it does give me the opportunity to make some other adjustments. One thing I may do is look at moving it to a single sided board. This will make removing of these large 96 way Euro connectors a LOT easier. It's basically impossible with through-plated holes.
Today, I'm also taking my RSGB foundation exam which will allow me to have a radio amateur call sign and operate a modestly powered transceiver. This should be interesting. I have looked at the syllabus; maybe twice so we shall see how it goes. Twenty six questions, and a minimum pass mark of nineteen required.
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