Altair-Duino 8080 (old version) problems

[sunnybo...@gmail.com]

I built my Altair-Duino 8080 many years ago. It's the bamboo case version, but has bluetooth module and on the back of the bamboo case there is a plate with barrel power jack, DB-9 connector and USB-C connector (at least looks like one).

It has been powered off for some years as the rack it was in got pushed behind stuff and inaccessible.

I have now moved the rack to a new location, and have powered on the AD8080. It came up as per the manual. I was able to use TeraTerm on my windows7 PC to connect to it. The first time I set the switches to 0000010 (kill-the-bit). When I depressed AUX-1 the terminal said "[Running Kill-the-Bit]" and indeed it was on the front panel. 

Since then I tried various other switch and AUX combinations, and now seem to have gotten the machine into a kind of "stuck" state. No matter what I do, the best I can get out of the terminal window is:

[replaying to 88-SIO]
[loading example 0]
[stopping example load]
[replaying to 88-SIO]
[loading example 0]
[stopping example load]
[replaying to 88-SIO]
[loading example 0]
[stopping example load]
[capturing from 88-SIO]
[ending capture]
[replaying to 88-SIO]
[loading example 1]
[cannot start capture (replay operation in progress)]
[stopping example load]
[replaying to 88-SIO]
[loading example 2]
[stopping example load]

(stopping in the above happens when I raise the stop switch). I cannot get kill-the-bit to run again no matter what (power off, power on, wait, switches set correctly, depress AUX-1... nothing).

What I really want to do is load CPM again but so far that does not work either. Most of the time I can't even get terminal response. This last response (just now) happened after I held reset up during a power-up. 

It's been so long since I used the AD8080 that I'm rather stuck. 

[sunnybo...@gmail.com]

PROGRESS!!!

It really helps to know the difference between AUX1 and AUX2 (the left one!!!).

I searched around and found rob brucks github page (https://github.com/robbrucks/AltairDuino-How-To/blob/master/Basics.md). I followed the described reset process (hold STOP up, toggle RESET up, release), then will all switches down, pressed AUX-1 (the LEFT one!!!) and saw the correct printout of [print this directory] on my connected terminal (via bluetooth).

So I'm finally moving in the correct direction, and will now set about loading CPM2.2. It is fairly clear to me at this point my SD card is intact and good, at least so far. Loading CPM will be the true test.

[sunnybo...@gmail.com]

By the way, just so it's clear I'm not all that confused, I ALSO found instructions on the internet for the altair-duino 8080 that clearly show AUX-1 as the RIGHT switch. So I'm not the only one apparently confused about AUX-1 and AUX-2. (these were not some newby type instructions either - they seemed 'authorative'  (but not addwaterandstir either, but I won't post the link at this time.)

[Tom Wilson]

And don’t forget the main menu: Stop + Aux-L Up. I never bother with the “switches” method of loading images when I can just set the default boot disk in the menu and press Aux-L Up. 

Tom Wilson
wils...@gmail.com
+1(619)940-6311 

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[sunnybo...@gmail.com]

Thanks Tom! I have been able to load 16K basic from switches and run a couple of programs, so all appears good so far. I also tried Stop+Aux-L UP and got the main menu. Although I thought I had a hard disk loaded (I did), it was "empty".  

I know I had all this working years ago after I built the kit, but there's been enough time and enough other systems that I'm definitely missing the memory of how to do this. (and worse, I never wrote notes and those I did confused the Altair-Duino 8080 with my IMSAI 8080 system, so of course everything's wrong!)

Next step is doing more reading so I can boot to CPM 2.2. Slowly, but coming...