Tag Archives: DR11

DR11 data entry

Posted on by
1

DR11 data entry for older PHI electronics

Most of the digitally controlled power supplies on PHI card rack based and older stand alone power supply surface analysis systems used HEX commands to produce output voltages. By following the calibration procedures that are included with the manuals for the system the individual units and cards can be calibrated. Following the calibration procedure step by step is an integral part of the troubleshooting process when a unit or card is malfunctioning.  Some of the power supplies and controls used on PHI systems have high voltage, so be sure that you refer all testing and calibration to personnel properly trained to work safely with high voltage.

For systems that use the RBD 147 interface unit, the diagnostics that are included in the AugerScan program provide an easy way to load the DR11 data commands to the boards per the specific calibration procedure.

To use the 147 to enter calibration commands first open the System- Diagnostics dialog box in the AugerScan program.

147-diagnostic-dialog-box

147 diagnostic dialog box

In the DR11 section (shown in the above image), select the port and CSR bit for the unit that you are calibrating or troubleshooting. See the list below for the Port and CSR assignments for PHI units used on scanning Auger and XPS systems.

Enter the Data and then depress the Write button.

You can enter either Hex or Octal data. Most PHI calibration procedures use HEX

Note that the PHI procedure may specify a different CSR bit that what is used on an RBD upgraded system.  When connected to a RBD 147, you need to select the CSR bit shown below.

147 DR11 output port
 A B C D
CSR J1 J7 J8 J9
PHI UNIT Description  
20-320 base=1 1 B
20-520 CS 0 A
20-520 DP 0 B
20-622 1 B
20-810 1 A
32-055 Digital 0 C
32-095 Digital 0 B
32-100 Digital 0 A
32-150 Digital 1 A
32-600 Digital 1 C
71-205 Digital 0 B
71-205-5 Digital 0 C
71-205-7 Digital 0 C
72-030 Digital 0 C
72-100 Digital 0 A
72-150 Digital 1 A
72-600 Digital 1 C
73-057 Digital 1 C
73-070 Digital 1 C
74-500 Dash IN B
74-500 Dash OUT D
77-067 Digital 0 A
77-070 CS 0 A
77-070 DP 0 B
80-360 Digital 1 A
80-360-1 Digital 1 A
80-365 Digital 1 A
80-366 Digital 1 A

 

Testing the DR11 chain

Posted on by
Reply

On the older Physical Electronics (PHI) surface analysis systems that are still in service the communication between the computer and the electronic units is based on the old DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) DR11C protocol. In the late 70s and early 80s PHI used DEC PDP11 computers to control their line of Scanning Auger and X-ray Photoelectron (then called ESCA, now called XPS) Spectrometers. They transitioned to Perkin-Elmer 7000 series computers in the early-80s, then the Apollo workstations in the late 80s and finally to IBM-compatible PCs in the 90s. The one thing that all of these computers had in common was that the interface to the electronics was based on the DR11C protocol.

Occasionally an electronic unit in the DR11 chain can have a problem that results in the DR11 data bus being loaded down, which in turn can cause symptoms that indicate failure in another unit that is actually working properly. In these rare cases, a unit may work fine when tested on the bench, but fail when inserted into the DR11C daisy chain on the system.

For PHI systems that have the RBD 147 PC interface unit, it is easy to test the entire daisy chain using the diagnostics in the AugerScan program. Simply connect all of the units in the DR11C chain that you want to test and run the DR11C diagnostics in the Augerscan –System Diagnostics dialog box. DR11D reads in TTL data; DR11 ports A, B, and C all write TTL data out.

It is important to daisy chain only units that are on the same DR11 bus per the AugerScan and AugerMap software assignments. In the example below, all of the units use DR11A. Note that the DR11 male-to-female adapter is used to reverse the DR11 chain before it goes into the RBD 147 DR11D. Whenever testing a DR11 cable or port, the DR11D cable must be reversed 180 degrees from the normal configuration.

DR11 chain with RBD 147 interface unit

Testing the entire DR11 chain lets you know that all of the electronic units in the chain are not loading down the bus, and also that all of the cables have good contact. If the DR11 test fails, then you can test each cable one at a time and then add in one unit at a time until you find the cable or unit that is causing the failure. This can be a very useful technique when troubleshooting a problem where a unit may work fine on the bench but not when installed into the system’s electronics rack.

Here is a link to a detailed procedure on testing the DR11 ports on the RBD 147 PC interface unit  – RBD 147 DR11 Testing