Hardware and Software Assembly Tools

In order to perform the testing required as part of this assembly, the following equipment and software is needed.

Equipment

A voltmeter. Any model, digital or analog, will do.
A logic probe or an oscilloscope.

Miscellaneous

A modem cable to connect the host computer to the Interface/Charger Board.
A 4-wire telephone cable to connect the Handy Board to the Interface/Charger Board.
A DC wall adapter for the Handy Board (12 volt DC output, 2.1 mm inside diameter coaxial power plug).

Choosing a 6811 Downloader

The 6811 downloader is used to load Interactive C's operating program (filename ``pcode_hb.s19'') into the Handy Board's memory. Depending on which computer operating system and which version of the 6811 you are using, you have the following choices. If there is more than one option, the recommended software is listed first.

MS-DOS, 6811 A1 version:: Randy Sargent's DL or Fred Martin's DLM
MS-DOS, 6811 E1 version:: Fred Martin's DLM
Windows 3.1 or 95, either 6811 version:: Vadim Gerasimov's HBDL
Macintosh, 6811 A1 version:: Fred Martin's 6811 Downloader, Randy Sargent's Initialize Board
Macintosh, 6811 E1 version:: Fred Martin's 6811 Downloader
Unix, 6811 A1 version:: Randy Sargent's DL
Unix, 6811 E1 version:: There is no downloader tool for this configuration at this time.

Using the 6811 Downloader

Each of the downloader tools has its own way of being used. This information is given here rather than being scattered throughout the assembly/debugging instructions.

from MS-DOS:

If using DL, type ``dl pcode_hb.s19'' at the MS-DOS prompt.

If using DLM, type ``dlm pcode_hb.s19'' at the MS-DOS prompt.

from Windows 3.1 or 95:

Run the HBDL application. Download the file named ``dlm pcode_hb.s19''.

from Macintosh:

If using Initialize Board, double-click on the appropriate version to select the modem port or printer port.

If using 6811 Downloader, double-click on the file named pcode_hb.s19.

from Unix:

Type ``dl pcode_hb.s19'' from the shell prompt.

Initializing the CONFIG register

Some of the downloaders require a special sequence for initializing the 6811's CONFIG register. When the main assembly text indicates that it is necessary to initialize the CONFIG register, refer to these directions for information on how to do so. Note: The process of initializing the CONFIG register only has to be done once to factory-fresh 6811's. Very occasionally, a particularly nasty voltage spike will cause the 6811 to lose the contents of its CONFIG register, necessitating its re-programming, but this is rare.

DL downloader:

All versions of DL automatically perform initialization of the CONFIG register.

Macintosh, Initialize Board:

This program automatically performs initialization of the CONFIG register.

Macintosh, 6811 Downloader:

Go into the Download Options dialog box, and select ``Download into EEPROM.'' Place the Handy Board into download mode (hold down the STOP button when turning it on), and double-click on the file named config0c.s19.

The program should attempt to download a single byte, and exit with an error. Do the same process a second time, and it should complete without error. This indicates that the CONFIG register has been successfully programmed.

Make sure to return the Download Options dialog to ``Download into RAM'' for loading the pcode_hb.s19 file.

MS-DOS, DLM downloader:

Place the Handy Board into download mode (hold down the STOP button when turning it on), and type ``dlm config0c.s19 -eeprom''at the MS-DOS prompt.

Windows 3.1 or 95, HBDL downloader:

There is a text box labelled ``CONFIG.'' Make sure the value ``0c'' is present in the text box. HBDL automatically programs the CONFIG register to this value.

Configuring Interactive C

It is necessary to make sure that the proper set of Handy Board library files are loaded onto the host computer, and that Interactive C is properly configured to use them.

The following files are required:

lib_hb.lis, the master list file for the Handy Board libraries.
lib_hb.c, the standard library file code for the Handy Board.
hbtest.c, a file containing test programs for the Handy Board.

These files must be placed in the default Interactive C library path. See the IC documentation for the platform-specific pathnames.

Additionally, IC must be configured to use lib_hb.lis rather than lib_r22.lis file. With the Macintosh version of IC, this is done with ResEdit to change an STR resource. With the MS-DOS and Unix versions, this is done by executing IC with the command-line argument -config. Please refer to the IC documentation for the latest information on configuration procedures.

When IC is configured properly, it should load the Handy Board library file lib_hb.lis automatically when booted.

Fred Martin / MIT Media Laboratory / fredm@media.mit.edu / Fri Mar 15 17:39:15 1996