Debug ROM image for Unix PC

[Convergent MightyFrame]

Does anyone know where to find ROM chip images of the AT&T Unix PC Debugger ROMs?

Here's the context:

AT&T Technical Reference Manual
4 Logic Board Test Procedures
4-6 Debugger Program

On page 4-6 (PDF page 179), we read about the Debugger Program.

Here's the link to that page in the manual:
(WARNING: this URL loads the entire 488-page PDF, and then redirects to page 179. h/t DoN)

http://www.unixpc.org/UNIXPC_Ref.pdf#page=179

I don't see anything on Bitsavers at
http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/bits/ATT/unixPC/

Further Google searching brings up a 16-year-old alt.folklore.computer post by jchausler discussing debug ROMs for the MC6800 (different than the MC68k) processor: "the debug ROM called MIKBUG."

http://bit.ly/2dVzfNH

This does not seem to be what I'm looking for, so I don't know if any of this is relevant, but I'm hoping it may spark someone's memory and interest.

Thanks always,
-AJ

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2016-10-08, Convergent MightyFrame <mighty...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Does anyone know where to find ROM chip images of the AT&T Unix PC Debugger ROMs?
>
> Here's the context:
>
> AT&T Technical Reference Manual
> 4 Logic Board Test Procedures
> 4-6 Debugger Program
>
> On page 4-6 (PDF page 179), we read about the Debugger Program.
>
> Here's the link to that page in the manual:
> (WARNING: this URL loads the entire 488-page PDF, and then redirects to page 179. h/t DoN)
>
> http://www.unixpc.org/UNIXPC_Ref.pdf#page=179
>
> I don't see anything on Bitsavers at
> http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/bits/ATT/unixPC/

I don't think that these were ever release by either AT&T or
Convergent Technologies, so unless you can find someone who commercially
repaired these systems, the odds are pretty much against you.

> Further Google searching brings up a 16-year-old alt.folklore.computer
> post by jchausler discussing debug ROMs for the MC6800 (different than
> the MC68k) processor: "the debug ROM called MIKBUG."

MIkBUG was not really a debugging ROM -- but rather a monitor
ROM -- used originally for a little prototyping board sold (and
sometimes given away) by Motorola to encourage engineers to find
applications for the MC6800 for whatever.

It had the ability to dump the contents of a range of RAM or
ROM, punch to punched tape via an ASR-33 Teletype (using Motorola's "S"
hex format, to transfer process to a specified address, and to load into
RAM from a "S" hex format tape. It used a PIA (6820) for both
experimental control of whatever, and a couple of pins to talk to the
Teletype -- via current loop, or RS-232 depending on jumpers on the
board.

I think that it was possible to set an interrupt on execution
of certain addresses, and that plus the ability to examine and change
individual addresses was pretty much the limit of its debugging
capability.

It was shipped with the SWTP 6800 kit computer as the monitor,
and many programs used it for I/O, including various DOS versions for
the 6800.

The entire assembly language source for MIKBUG can still be
downloaded somewhere. No point for the 7300/3B1 however.

The whole program fit in 512 bytes, IIRC, and there was another
monitor program which used a serial port chip (the ACIA -- MC6850) for
talking to a console. Both were in the same ROM chip -- you selected
which to run based on one address line tied high or low.

The DEBUG ROMs for the Unix-PC likely included test routines for
various parts of the circuitry.

> http://bit.ly/2dVzfNH

> This does not seem to be what I'm looking for, so I don't know if any
> of this is relevant, but I'm hoping it may spark someone's memory and
> interest.

It is certainly not what you are looking for -- unless you drop
back to playing with a SWTP 6800 or similar system.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
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--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

[Convergent MightyFrame]

On Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 6:58:43 PM UTC-7, DoN. Nichols wrote:
> I don't think that these were ever release by either AT&T or
> Convergent Technologies, so unless you can find someone who commercially
> repaired these systems, the odds are pretty much against you.

DoN, I can't believe that we found this, but here is a post on this very forum on this very topic...but it's from 1992!

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.sys.3b1/UgUjwyDcVUk/nwS7-DVOMxEJ

It was made by the late Thad Floryan, and you even weighed in on the topic. I'm not at all surprised that you wouldn't remember this, being that it was over 24 years ago!

BUT, could you please re-read this post, and comment back here?

Since you had archived one of Thad's resources for me before (tProbe), I'm wondering if you might have snagged and archived a copy of what he archived here?

Thanks always,
-AJ

[Convergent MightyFrame]

And DoN, I also wanted to thank you for your previous response here, on this thread, as well as every other post I've ever made here.

As always, your knowledge is very much respected and appreciated by me, and I very much appreciate you taking the effort and time to share everything you have here, both recently and over the years.

I just realized that I neglected to say that in my previous message, but I meant to.

Best always,
-AJ

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2016-10-09, Convergent MightyFrame <mighty...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 6:58:43 PM UTC-7, DoN. Nichols wrote:
>> I don't think that these were ever release by either AT&T or
>> Convergent Technologies, so unless you can find someone who commercially
>> repaired these systems, the odds are pretty much against you.

> DoN, I can't believe that we found this, but here is a post on this
> very forum on this very topic...but it's from 1992!

> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.sys.3b1/UgUjwyDcVUk/nwS7-DVOMxEJ

> It was made by the late Thad Floryan, and you even weighed in on the
> topic. I'm not at all surprised that you wouldn't remember this, being
> that it was over 24 years ago!

That it has.

> BUT, could you please re-read this post, and comment back here?

Reading through it, I don't see anything which suggests file
names, and running a find on my 3B1 files does not show any files with
'hi' or 'lo' in them, except a gazillion which have "files" in the path,
and "archive" in the path.

> Since you had archived one of Thad's resources for me before (tProbe),
> I'm wondering if you might have snagged and archived a copy of what he
> archived here?

It may not have ever been actually posted, which suggests that
the clear copyright was not found. No permission from Convergent,
perhaps.

Good Luck,

[DoN. Nichols]

Well -- thank you.

[Convergent MightyFrame]

Thank you for checking for it, DoN. We'll keep hunting, somehow.