[time-nuts] Advice on 5370A vs 5370B differences please

[swingbyte]

Magnus Danielson wrote:
> swingbyte wrote:
>> Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:
>>> In message <72C46D68028C463EBDB775EE14FB9578 at LapTop>, "Roy Phillips" 
>>> writes:
>>>  
>>>> Tim
>>>> I have recently acquired a 5370B and find your comments of 
>>>> interest. So in addition, what was the intention of designing the 
>>>> mother-board to have no less than three additional (and in my 
>>>> case,unused) pcb slots following the uP and Display interface, 
>>>> marked ROM, MEM(optional) and SERVICE(AID)
>>>>     
>>>
>>> The backplane is the same as in the 5370A.
>>>
>>> The SERVICE AID is mentioned in the manual, amongst other things it has
>>> two D/A converters so you can watch the address bus on a X/Y scope.
>>>
>>> The optional MEM I have not found any references to, but the 5370A 
>>> might
>>> have its ram there.
>>>
>>>   
>> According to the manual, the 5370A has its ram on a separate card.  I 
>> think these units use a bit of power - this might explain the heat.  
>> I'm none to sure as to how useful the service aid would be.  I 
>> remember a project in a mag about these back in the '80s and suspect 
>> that like the signature analyser, they were experiments in digital 
>> circuit troubleshooting.  I haven't seen the technique used 
>> extensively.  ( at all ).  It is a bit like a real time software 
>> profiler - I have seen it used but the usefulness was not too great.
>
> HP had an interesting signature based analysis instrument series (I 
> have one of them) and it was used in a series of instruments if you 
> look in the manuals. I think it is an interesting approach to fault 
> analysis, but it certainly not eliminate the traditional schematics 
> and descriptions.
>
> Fluke also made DMMs with the same signature analysis technique built 
> in. I gave those away as I thought I had what I needed.
>
> Cheers,
> Magnus
>
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Yep I have a 5006.  I think signature analysis is a great way of 
troubleshooting.  Its idiot proof and perhaps best for production line 
checking of correct operation of completed units.  I guess the advent of 
FPGA absorption of  complex logic rendered SigAs obsolete with test 
vectors simulated in software.  Does anyone have a pdf of the HP app 
note about how to design for Signature Analyser testing they could share?
See you later.
Tim