TEKTRONIX 4051 comes back 40 years later!
Lot of people discover (or rediscover) this marvellous calculator with its IEEE488 (Gpib) interface.
All Manuals may be found somewhere on the Net but I have never find the 4051 Basic Cart. Please find mine:
One...
... combining different...
- A Tektronix 4051 calculator(as described above...),
- the Original Tektronix LOGO,
- AutoCad Program,
- A small Python (3.4) Program which translates AutoDesk DXF polyline into TEK Basic instruction,
- A Serial/USB adapter,
- A (Old) MacBook,
- Hex Fiend Program to troubleshoot in Hexa,
- CoolTerm Program to make a file transfert between MacBook & Tek 4051,
- A very slow RS232 Interface...
(Call"RATE", 2400, 6, 1) (2400BPS, 8bits, 1 Stop Parity Even),
- ... without any possible Handshaking...
and we obtain this picture on Tek' screen
For info: TEK is using a Motorola 6800 and 32 kbyte RAM.
Have fun to exam it !
There are lot of more "intelligent applications" that can be done with a Tek 4051.
I have using it, tens of years long, to control instruments like my TEK 492P Spectrum Analyzer, scopes, generators, counters etc. In that time cassette was working fine and programs were generally inputed using keyboard and saved on tape.
Sometimes it was useful to download tests results to PC and that was done via RS232 interface (TEK to PC) without any problem.
Now I have a major problem..
TEK tape drive is still working perfectly. This only requirement must be to clean, from time to time, MagTape'head with Isopropylic Alcohol .The story of Cassette is quite different (see annexed picture):
As you may note: the band is out of service. It was not broken but only out of real because the transport belt is broken !!!
And all my all tapes are in the same status.
I have buy some 3M Cassette more than 10 years ago and those one are all of usage too.
I have buy, some days ago, three "new" 3M tapes and they are fully working but how long...
So the best way to still use the fabulous TEK 4051 is to try to connect it to a PC (or a MacBook in my case) via a USB to RS232 adapter ans that solution works but very very slowly in the direction PC to TEK (using the TEK instruction "OLD@40:"
1° Because the speed transfert is very slow (2400 BPS, 8 bit, 1 stop and even parity)
2° CHIEFLY because, using this method, the TEK is not using the handshake signals (RTS<--> CTS or DSR<--> DTR & Xon/off is not working at all)
I'm obliged to place a dummy time of (at least 90 msec) at the end of each (short) line in order to allow the Basic interpreter to check just read instruction and place it in memory.
Is anybody has some idea of how to enter directly ( let's say 32KB) of Basic program in Memory using such a RAMPACK(?) or an interface able to store Basic program using a DMA Process or IEEE-4800 port ???
Perhaps someone has been spent some time to develop such a device some years ago?
In the other RS232'way (TEK to PC): no problem exists (even at 2400BPS) because PC is lot of time fastest as the TEK RS232 interface and the Tek Basic Interpreter doesn't check syntax any more..
But, in such required interface is existing, that way may be increased dramatically too...
If you have any idea about this subject: I'M REALLY GREATLY interested, chiefly if this access may be updated using a ARDUINO-Uno coupled to a RASPBERRY PI model B+...
