Fabricating Timeline Micro Lynx transport cables

[miroslav]

AFA the part numbers...I can't swear what exactly I ordered parts-wise (it was about 5+ years ago when I made my MX-80 cable)...but I used Tim's thread as my guide, obtained the parts and everything worked out well.

AFA the EPROM concerns...TBH, I've thought about this for some time now, more so for my MX-80, which also has a few of them in the remote and the deck. Up to now I wasn't real concerned, because I have my Otari tech that could/would reprogram them for me, and he did a refresh of all the EPROMs about 3-4 years ago when he rebuilt a spare remote for me. That said...it's hard to know how much longer he's going to be doing this work, or who knows what...so yeah, I was looking into getting a reader/writer and eraser for EPROMs to cover my ass, and at the same time, I would use it for the Timeline EPROMs.
I just have a minor fear that I might mess up an EPROM trying to read it...and not have anything to fall back on...but seeing how I have a few Timeline Microlynx boxes, I could use one of them as the guinea pig...and save the Otari MX-80 for last.

It's like $100 for the reader/write, as long as you don't need the extra adapter card for the longer EPROMs.
The eraser is another $25.
MCUmall Electronics Inc. A low cost EPROM EEPROM Atmel PIC I2C SPI programmer online store

For $145 you can get the complete kit that has the reader/writer, the extender card and the eraser tool.
PRG-113 GQ-4X Willem Programmer+ADP-054+Tool-007

I'm probably going to get it and give it a shot at some point over the winter months.

 

[timkroeger]

Good catch. The links were correct but the partnumbers in the post were not. I fixed it and updated the original post now, thanks for letting me know!

Regardig the [E]EPROM stuff, I also thought about this from time to time but did not give it a shot as I didn't have time to research what reader/writer to buy. I also read with some software on the EPROMS it's not possible to copy them without some special proprietary way of programming them. I have a few units where it might make sense to have a copy (Eventide H3000/3500, tc 2290, tc M5000, AMS RMX 16, Lexicon M300) in addition to the Micro Lynx. Additionally some EPROM types used in older units might not be available anymore with no compatible replacements around. Maybe it's a different case with the Lynxes?

Cheers
Tim

 

[sweetbeats]

I have pdf drawings of the Microlynx hood, pins and sockets. Is that of any help?

 

[brainditch]

[MENTION=79692]sweetbeats[/MENTION], yes, please post whatever PDF's you've got of the connectors. If one of the sources becomes rare, it will allow someone to have a shot at finding a pin-compatible replacement.
[MENTION=101872]timkroeger[/MENTION], thanks for correcting the original post. Any way we can help "unmuddy" the waters for these units will help everybody out tremendously. The more we can clarify the process, the more new users/explorers will be able to help us out with their info/experiences/innovations. We all win.
[MENTION=94267]miroslav[/MENTION], and everyone- about EPROM's, although there is some risk in copying an EPROM- the three main things are:
1. Be careful with removing and re-inserting them in their sockets, the pins can be bent relatively easily. Certainly be sure that no pins are bent away from proper contact with the socket before powering the unit up. Also, as I'm sure miroslav can attest, if the pins of the older EPROMs are grey from corrosion, it's fine to carefully clean them, however be careful not to use a cleaner or abrasive that's too strong or has a heavily abrasive method to it. The "tinned" plating on these pins is relatively thin, and you wouldn't want to expose the underlying copper for very long to the air, as copper oxide may have semi-conducting properties which would make for bad (unusual and hard to troubleshoot) circuit conditions electrically. If you do choose to use chemicals for cleaning, try not to leave any residue on the pins, as this may cause problems later on. A very careful application of acetone (don't get it on plastic!) with a Q-tip type swab can help prevent residue. In most cases however, the contacts of the socket should be self-cleaning, and especially with the better machined sockets, are designed to make a gas-tight joint at the point of contact once the device is inserted.

2. Definitely use anti-static measures as much as possible. An anti-static mat, or the anti-static pink bubble-wrap can be used to sit the unit on, but it's advised that you actually ground the chassis of the Microlynx or other unit with an alligator-clip lead connected to something with a reliable earth ground before you start to remove or re-insert the EPROM IC. Also use an anti-static wristband similarly attached to a good source of earth ground, preferably the same source as the chassis alligator-clip.

3. Once you're ready to read the EPROM, just follow the guidelines for your EPROM reader/programmer, and do not perform a write or refresh until you are sure that the read has been performed successfully. An excellent method is to buy and have ready a replacement EPROM, perform a read of the original and carefully set the original aside on some anti-static material; perform a write on the replacement, and verify by inserting the replacement EROM in the device and powering up to make sure it both read and wrote correctly, before a refresh of the original EPROM is attempted. In many cases, using One Time Programmable (OTP) EPROM Integrated Circuits (IC's)- (with no UV erase window on the top of the chip) are an acceptable EPROM to use for this testing phase (they are also cheaper than the UV erasable IC's by a couple of dollars), and will provide a physical backup device for posterity, or in case something goes wrong with the refresh/re-programming.

I haven't gotten my Microlynx yet (it's on its way), but I'm definitely going to "pop the hood" and check what type of EPROMs are inside. If you guys are anxious about the EPROM thing, please allow me to be the "guinea pig" for the group, and I'll post my findings before you have to commit, but please do post the actual contents of your EPROMs (as I will also), so that the group has the benefit of a backup source of the programmed code available online.

About EPROM readers/burners: the only thing I have read about that we might be facing has to do with the very earliest EPROM chips needing to have a slightly higher programming voltage than later generations in order to have a "good burn" of the code. Reading operations should be fairly straight forward, however.
[MENTION=101872]timkroeger[/MENTION]- although later generations of EPROMs might have had some new-fangled security (anti-piracy) protocols established, I doubt that would hold true for any EPROMs that were produced for our equipment up to the early 2000's anyway. The company I used to work for used plain-old "vanilla" 27CXXX series EPROM IC's, which hardly had enough memory to enact such security measures, and if we're lucky, TimeLine would have been on the same level of tech as my former employer.

If anyone feels adventurous , I would invite you to open the lid on your units, and without any unnecessary risk , simply provide us with the Revision numbers of your EPROMs. It's not as useful as the coded contents, of course, but it might give us clues as to the latest firmware TimeLine provided.

I was lucky enough to come across the listing for a Reverb-dot-com sale from a week ago (which sadly I missed out on buying) of a complete Microlynx system, including a shipping box which contained the update kit for the System Unit (I believe it had two EPROMs) and the Keyboard Remote (with one EPROM) and here's what I could read from the box's photograph:
"TimeLine Micro Lynx 130 Series Software Upgrade, Part #71E005,
Software Version: CP-1.34, MC-1.34, KBD-1.33"

So, there's a start to our knowledge base for the group: the CP EPROM=Revision 1.34, the MC EPROM= Rev.1.34, the KBD EPROM (keyboard)= Rev.1.33
Since all three EPROMs were from the same kit, we have an example right there of factory authorized compatibility levels. We as a group only have to ascertain what we collectively have, and find a way of verifying that there were no board-level mods required to accompany a particular level of firmware.
If only I could have photocopied the service bulletins that the user had saved and supplied with the Reverb-dot-com sale!

 

[brainditch]

1st EPROM Firmware Confirmation

Aha! I just downloaded and blew up the photo that sweetbeats posted from page 2 of this thread, and verified that the MC EPROM he has installed in his (very well-optioned) Microlynx is in fact Rev. 1.34!
The full text of the label is I believe:
"TimeLine
ML MC-1.34
U47/51
for M3 U41 512X"

Please confirm this anybody, as the photo blow up had some pixilation artifacts I couldn't undo.

I couldn't read the label on the companion IC due to sunlight glare in the photo, but there's a good chance it was Rev. 1.34 also.

Thanks again sweetbeats! Any chance you could confirm the second IC in the photo (the one to the left of the one I could read)?

Also, the good news is that the EPROMs appear to be 28 pin Dual In-Line (DIL) IC's in a "double-wide" package, and appear be members of the 27CXXX family I was mentioning in my post above. If I were to hazard a guess, based on the label I could read, the IC is a 27C512, a fairly vanilla, readily available EPROM! In fact, as I have examined a bunch of my old gear from the '90's (including an Alesis HR-16) this family of IC's was very commonly used in this gear.

 

[brainditch]

Er, um sweetbeats, I think after careful examination of the same photo blow-up, the other IC label for the other EPROM we need to verify is closer to the front panel, straight up from the label I could read earlier. I think it reads the following:
"TimeLine
CP-1.34 U4
512X"
Can anybody confirm this?

 

[brainditch]

Also from sweetbeats' photo, looking carefully at the lower right (in 3-D elevation, closer to the bottom of the chassis) "daughter card", I can just make out part of an IC that appears to be a double-wide DIL package with a label on it (closer to the front panel). This IC I believe belongs to the option card for the third transport. Of what I can make out of the label (I can't quite see the whole writing) it appears to be the same IC as the 1st one I identified as an EPROM, with part of the same text barely legible:
".........
U47/.....
for M3...."
Which implies to me that it is an identical EPROM with identical programming to the clearly visible one. This makes sense, as each transport (or at least each option board) may need to have an EPROM of its own, with its own microcontroller or DSP chip that the EPROM feeds, in order to fully command and control the (external) port functions, such as the "Transport" jack it is associated with. It will be useful to verify this, so that the group can learn how many EPROMs to burn for a single unit, and where the differently coded ones should be placed.

 

[brainditch]

It just occurred to me that the part numbers for the firmware itself may give us a useful clue as to what the EPROMs are for: "CP-X.XX" for Central Processor, "MC-X.XX" for Machine Control. If this is correct, a basic Microlynx System Unit (with two Transport Control ports), in addition to a single "CP" EPROM, might need two "MC" burned EPROMs. Further, units with the third transport option card installed (as mine will have also) would require possibly a third EPROM burned with the "MC" code.

 

[miroslav]

Popping open the cover of my primary unit is a big PITA...it's in a rack, jammed with cabling, and in a hard to get at the back spot...so I can't tell you what the EPROM version code is on it...or it has the same version as my spares.
I do believe though that it uses the same size/type of EPROM as my MX-80 deck, so at least I won't have a lot of monkeying around to do with them...they're not some esoteric chip.

I'm most likely going to get the EPROM kit soon...since I was planning to do a full recal on the deck, as it's been awhile...and also to give the deck and sync setup a once-over, because they haven't seen any use the last few months, and I'm no gearing things back up to full-tilt in the studio.

 

[brainditch]

Yeah miroslav, I get the need to not rip apart your whole setup just to do some research, still if the opportunity arises, please consider it for the greater good.

I'm all good with doing whatever I can currently, because I'll be needing to evaluate mine out-of-service anyway (at least until I'm sure it's working well enough, and I've documented as much as possible for my own sake).

Speaking of EPROM burners, I too have been considering the GQ-4X4 as well, but there is another burner that began to gain some traction a few years ago over at the EEVblog website- the Super MiniPro TL866A, and its similarly capable little brother- the MiniPro TL-866CS.

Because the support for USB is still relatively recent (at least with the burners going for less than $500 a piece- which by-and-large are manufacturer or "pro" level market units), check for burner device drivers supporting a relatively current operating system. Many folks are still using their burners with dedicated or antiquated PC's that run Window 7 or earlier.
Things don't generally advance in the semi-pro EPROM burner market as quickly regarding new products, I think because it's a very niche market (even more so than pro audio!), so don't be surprised to find few devices that are "up to the minute" regarding OS updates.

 

[brainditch]

Oh, and if you can "swing it" take a hard look at your MX-80 if possible before you buy an EPROM burner to verify the chip family.
Many look similar externally, but may have power supply/coding requirements that differ slightly enough that it's worth checking the burner's device compatibility list.
Also from what I've been reading of user experiences with programming older IC's on the recent generation of burners, you may want to get a USB hub that can be powered by an external "wall wart", as the older IC's may be requiring of more supply current than some PC USB ports can provide alone. Heck, I still have an external USB 1 TB hard drive that refused to be mounted by my laptop of the time, even though the HD was meant to be "USB-powered".

A good EPROM primer I found (should you be curious as to the devilish details) is here:
How EPROMS Work

It's probably more than you would need to know for a relatively simple EPROM read/backup to hard drive (the first recommended step in a refresh process), but it does cover some useful differences about earlier EPROM families that may help guide your burner purchase decision.

 

[brainditch]

Hey folks, just needed to apologize as I just realized how far off topic I've taken this thread, what with the EPROM issue and all. One last piece of detective work before I return it back to the topic of transport cables. [MENTION=101872]timkroeger[/MENTION] - I think I know what revision of firmware you have (in at least one of your units)- Rev. 1.34. Also, I believe you must have a paper copy of the manual, and it is Rev. J.
How can I know this?

You were dropping bread crumbs without knowing it from an earlier thread which I finally found (and thoroughly enjoyed reading):
Tascam BR-20T Story...

By the way that is a great and fabulously informative thread on the inner workings of the Microlynx as discovered by timkroeger, sweetbeats, and pianodano!

One of your partial quotes from the post in question (#100)-
"I found it in Operational Feature (page 6-18 for me). My manual is dated 04/13/95."
The only manuals I have seen, (or were ever online as part of the last "dump" of the TimeLine archives) were ID'd as:
"Internal Document Number: 73K014 Revision M", with a print date of 06/22/00.
It contains a document history table that states that with Rev. J of the manual (approved 03/01/95):
"Complete revision with software upgrade 1.34. TOC and Index updated accordingly."
Unless you were given a PDF of that revision level, (which more than likely would have also shown up with an intensive online research as I have done), I conclude you have a paper copy. The date of your manual is in between 3/1/95 and the next Rev: K (8/1/95) which was the only other substantial revision of the manual until its final printing of 06/22/2000. You therefore have a Rev. J copy.

Of further interest- Rev K only discusses revisions to: "Chapter 9 Advanced Features- using MediaSound software with the Microlynx", and "Appendix (SMPTE Made Simple) with Table of contents and index updated accordingly".
No other PCB or major feature-set are referred to through the last printing of the last manual revision., and the fact that your page references in your post match identically what you read about there- implies that no other changes to the manual occurred up to the chapter and section you were reading about.

All of which (including the data from my find of the Microlynx sale on Reverb-dot-com) draws me to conclude (important for us all): There may in fact be no firmware revisions beyond 1.34 (or potentially 1.33 for the keyboard).

A survey of the released Service Bulletins would prove this last point absolutely, but we may be left with the only other recourse to us to know for sure: a statistical survey of the firmware in units that still exist. And If necessary I'll make mine the second documented case (third inferred case) to that end.
'Till then I rest my case.
QED

 

[timkroeger]

I have version numbers in the system units up to 1.35 for both MC and CP (I opened them all up when I prepared for the move and put stickers on the sides). The unit I'm currently using, has CP 1.34 and MC 1.33. I'm attaching a picture of another unit with 1.33 for CP and MC in the hope that it helps everyone in their research. I thought about getting a Batronix BX48 Batego II - seems to be a quite flexible and widely compatible unit (Windows + Linux and a beta version for OS X). I feel I should back up the proms but dropping 500 just for peace of mind is a lot of cash. Knowing myself I'll eventually do it, but right now I have too much other stuff going on so I don't feel too trigger happy.



Oh, I indeed have original manuals (73A016) from 95 (J and K version). Latest PDF I have is M from 5/9/97 (print date 06/22/00).

Cheers
Tim

 

[brainditch]

Thank you very, very much timkroeger! The photo is excellent resolution, and confirms a few of my earlier assertions:
1. There is a one-to-one relationship between the number of MC EPROMs and the number of transport control ports.
2. The EPROMs they were using were ceramic package UV-erasable 27C512-15's, I'll have to look those up for compatibility.
3. There appears to be only one CP EPROM per unit, which may stand for Central Processor.
4. Not photo-related but post-related, Timkroeger has a paper copies of the manual Rev J & K. These may contain clues as to other firmware revision differences, but it might take some detective work to dig them out.

Some new data per timkroeger: My earlier assertion is apparently wrong about the highest Rev level being 1.34- 1.35 is the last known Rev. level.

Tim, are you using the Rev 1.35 version in your setup now, or is it among your spares? This is the unit that may be the most valuable to find out about, as it would presumably have the last round of bug fixes, PCB revisions, etc.

Some new data emerges:
1. TimeLine was apparently taking some security steps to prevent reverse engineering. I can see several IC's that have had their identifiers marked over, or the ink removed with acetone or similar chemical.
2. There are two devices we need to identify for the sake of posterity/longevity. The first is the 8 pin DIP IC that is socketed and labeled. I think the PCB marks it as U19. The label reads:
"76E001
REV. H"
This may be a type of EEPROM (Electrically Erasable/ Programmable Read Only Memory). I'll have to verify this on mine when it arrives by carefully attempting to peel back the label and read the original IC Identity Markings.

3. There is a device in the photo which I believe to be a type of backup battery. It is the red cylinder with white polarization markings close to the front panel. If anyone has experienced glitches or inconsistencies in operation which required a rest of the unit to correct (miroslav?) over the years, this may indeed be the culprit. It might even explain why the saving of groups didn't work as consistently as expected- possibly documented in sweetbeats BR-20T thread I mentioned above. Pianodano may have seen some evidence of this. Care to weigh in pianodano?

Also timkroeger, I've read some good things about the Batronix BX48 Batego II over at EEVblog, that it can apparently test pin conditions for higher than normal resistance (non-working) or some such. Sounds like a good burner, but you're right the cost is closer to the more expensive "pro-level" burners I spoke of earlier. My budget doesn't allow for that kind of expense currently, so I'm leaning toward either the GQ-4X4 that misroslav mentioned, or the TL-866A I was reading about. Their prices are currently (12/31/2017) around $150 USD for a kit with UV eraser "oven" (for the GQ-4X4 kit miroslav found at MCU mall), or around $80 USD for the TL-866A on the fleabay.
Anyway, thanks again for the further invaluable illumination timkroeger!

 

[sweetbeats]

Just catching up on this valuable and riveting thread.

I will pull my system unit from the rack tonight and take a bunch of pictures and write down as much as I can about the relevant parts in there...need to see if I can find the keyboard and do the same. I haven’t used this stuff in years.

And [MENTION=198037]brainditch[/MENTION] I’m sorry to report we won’t be hearing from Danny (aka pianodano) as he died a number of years ago. He was one of the good guys.

 

[sweetbeats]

Here is a link to my entire Micro Lynx document collection:

Index of /Documents/TimeLine Micro Lynx

The manual and cable schematics are the same as what Miroslav posted earlier, but I’m not sure if the Service Bulletins were linked, or the parts drawings for the sync cable hood, pins and sockets at the System Unit end.

The Service Bulletins are in the “Customer Documents” sub-directory along with option card and PROM installation guides here:

Index of /Documents/TimeLine Micro Lynx/Customer Documents

The connector parts drawings are in the “Interface Cable” and “Parts” sub-directories here:

Index of /Documents/TimeLine Micro Lynx/Interface Cable Documents/Parts

I also found a brochure page in my hard copy TimeLine stuff on the option cards that must have come with one of my units...might be of some recreational reading interest...it’s in the root directory linked above, here:

https://www.torridheatstudios.com/Documents/TimeLine%20Micro%20Lynx/TimeLine%20Micro%20Lynx%20Option%20Cards.pdf

 

[sweetbeats]

Here is the EPROM U7 in my main Keyboard Unit, revision version 1.33:



I have a spare Keyboard Unit but it is boxed up...somewhere.

Me being me I wanted to peel that label off of the chip and see what it said underneath, but it was a very stubborn label and would be destroyed in the process, so I left it alone.

Here is a shot of the memory backup battery on the Keyboard Unit PCB...it is labeled “Manufactured By Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.”:

 

[sweetbeats]

I forgot how well indeed my System Unit was outfitted...3rd machine card, VITC card and ACG card as well. Why I installed the VITC card I have no idea...no use for it...I probably just wanted to see the indicator light on the front panel. Same with the 3rd machine card. I think at one point I had delusions of grandeur to sync Tascam 48, 58 and BR-20T machines. I think anymore the most I would, if I even end up keeping it, would be to control the BR-20T from the Micro Lynx as a really powerful remote/autolocator, and in certain instances sync it with my DAW, but I’d not even be using half the functionality of the main board in that respect. I did use the ACG card for a time back when 96kHz sample rate was still new and not practical for me to use so the 48kHz sample rate limit of the Micro Lynx ACG card was usable, and I recall there being a night and day difference in certain aspects of the sonic quality of my DAW projects when using the Micro Lynx as wordclock master compared to my Yamaha mLAN setup...wider sound-stage and tighter bottom-end...better clock I believe. I now use a MOTU 8M which sounds fantastic, and goes up to 192kHz...even has BNC wordclock I/O! Anyway...here is a shot of a nicely populated Micro Lynx System Unit chassis:



Now on to EPROMs and whatnot.

All of my transport control stuff is v1.34...U4, U47 and U51 on the main board are all v1.34:







And [MENTION=198037]brainditch[/MENTION] I don’t know if this is useless information at this point but that DIP8 part U19 you were wondering about on the main board I *was* able to get the label off of that one...I don’t recognize the manufacturer logo on the chip...I’m sure one of you guys will know what it is, but it is marked “1736DPC” and “615282” under the label:





Another (maybe) point of interest, or maybe useless information, is a couple of interesting appearing socketed DIP16 parts at the backplane end of the main board, U58 and U59...I couldn’t see the top of the chips because of another PCB, but they are the same parts as U24 and U25 on the 3rd machine card which I was able to see easier. They are labeled “9606:” and “TLP627-4”. Here they are as found on the main board:



And here are the parts more clearly seen on the 3rd machine card:



Speaking of the 3rd machine card, the EPROM U4 and what I believe is the equivalent part to U19 on the main board, U9, look like the same parts as are found on the main board although U9 has a different number...I’m assuming this is a manufacture date/batch identifier, but it’s 615934 on the 3rd machine card as opposed to 615282 on the main board:





Here is the 3rd machine card in its entirety, officially named “Machine Expansion”:



On to the Audio Clock Generator card...here it is in all its glory:



The EPROM U12 is ACG v1.33:



And lastly the VITC card:



It’s EPROM U5 is labeled VITC v1.32:



I have a spare System Unit, but like my spare Keyboard Unit it is boxed up...somewhere. And I’m pretty sure it would have nothing later revision-wise than the EPROMs on my main unit pictured here; I would have transferred later EPROMs to the main unit if they existed...I can’t recall now if the spare unit has any expansion cards...something in my brain says it has something extra in it, but I can’t recall what for sure...I know it is not an ACG card and I’m thinking not a 3rd machine card...if anything it is probably a spare VITC card.

[EDIT]

This is a really valuable thread for future generations of Micro Lynx addicts. We have indeed drifted a bit off topic, but it’s all such valuable info I think. I wonder if we should request assistance from a Moderator to retitle the thread something like “TimeLine Micro Lynx Transport Cables and EPROMs”? [MENTION=101872]timkroeger[/MENTION] would you be okay with that? Additional thoughts?

 

[miroslav]

I’m sorry to report we won’t be hearing from Danny (aka pianodano) as he died a number of years ago. He was one of the good guys.

Oh shit....I didn't know he died. ..I thought he just fade off the forums like many people do.
I remember him well.
I think...going way back...he use to hang on the semi-official TASCAM forum

 

[sweetbeats]

Oh shit....I didn't know he died. ..I thought he just fade off the forums like many people do.
I remember him well.
I think...going way back...he use to hang on the semi-official TASCAM forum

Yeah that’s right...that’s how I met Danny...that’s where I started, over on the Tascam forum before it kind of died. Danny was a super nice guy and super helpful and encouraging. I spoke to him more than once on the phone. I think it was maybe 4-5 years ago he died? Anyway, it still chokes me up a bit. He and his wife were super close and I’m sure it dumped her world over.