Techno-Archeology: TimeLine Product Documentation and Upkeep

[brainditch]

@bouldersoundguy - thanks for the encouragement, and yes you're correct, the original meaning of the acronym ATR was for Audio Tape Recorder. As soon as Digital Audio Tape Recording came along, it seems to be prudent to readjust the acronym a bit, don't you think? So I took the liberty! Man was that thing ever hard to haul off the island, and when I did Ellis Isle raised a foot!

[brainditch]

The next item in the User Manuals Series is the following PDF of the only AI-2 manual available, to our knowledge.
AI2_Manual.pdf

[miroslav]

site I've come across, the closest to a "public archive" I've seen thus far. There have apparently been many submissions, and he might be "into it".

2. Alternatively, there may be a way to convert .BIN to .TXT files

I don't think you need to "convert" them...just rename them... xxxx.BIN to xxxx.TXT ...and then make a note to everyone that once they download them, to rename them back to xxx.BIN.

Now...is there some scanning of files on this BBS to where a renamed file would still be "discovered" not to be a TXT file...?
I doubt it...and I've been doing the rename thing for years.
That said...many sites now employ email security that DOES actually scan the files, so it's hard for instance to attach an .EXE by renaming it to .TXT if the email system is blocking .EXE attachments. Maybe they scan/block here too...or maybe they just look at the file extension...???

Hey...try one rename...if it doesn't work, you'll know right away.

[witzendoz]

Timeline developed the Tascam MX2424 which I still use today (I have 3 units). See top right hand corner.

Alan

[brainditch]

@witzendoz , thanks for checking in, and for the nice photo of the MX2424. Nice to have a fellow "techno-archeologist" stopping by. In many ways the MX was the pinnacle of achievement for TimeLine technically- taking on challenges that they as a company had never faced before: audio quality A/D and D/A, mass storage, a much more complex operating system, and all of it "riding the backbone" of what they did so well- real time sync'ing of clock and miscellaneous signal sources.

Say, I was reading about your experiments regarding using SSD drives in the MX over on the Tascam forums, how did those work out? I'll have to take a look back at the MX2424 "channel" over there to see if I can catch up with the latest developments, now that they are no longer "disavowed" by Tascam.

[brainditch]

Hey...try one rename...if it doesn't work, you'll know right away.

Excellent point, might as well try the renaming route to test it out.
Akai AX80 (Rev K) ROM.txt

Edit: Good 'ole notepad confirms the file appears to have been unmolested by the upload, and the servers let it through after renaming- so yeah, we've got it solved! Keep It Simple Stupid- Bill!

[jpmorris]

The S-record files are text anyway. I was pondering uploading those and the source for a little C program I wrote in 2011 to convert them to binary.

[brainditch]

Whatever form you form you feel comfortable with jpmorris, I'm sure they'll be of value to the group and posterity, and thanks!..

[brainditch]

So here's something you won't find everyday, it's quite possible that it is the only version available online.

1. This is a rather poorly-made PDF of the original paper version (TimeLine revision dated 05/23/1994). The page order is scrambled, and in two segments- all the front side of the double-sided pages, followed by the back sided pages. I don't currently have access to a tool that would de-scramble them, such as Adobe Acrobat. I submit them so that individual page and content accuracy can be examined against much better (and eventually proof-read and technically trouble-shot) "working copies".

Here's the "front" side pages:
Front Manual.pdf

And now the "back" side pages:
Back Manual.pdf

The following PDF pages were scanned at a slightly higher resolution at my request, since they contain very important technical data- the circuit schematics, and the original paper copies weren't very clear themselves (certainly reduction copies of marginal resolution to begin with):
TimeLine-Alesis AI-2 Circuit Schematics.pdf

2. The following is more like a working copy of the manual, in PDF format. I spent several hours re-typing and reformatting it so that it could eventually become an editable, comment-containing "pinnacle" of a working manual.

This version contains no major textual modifications- those will come in the next installment. I was careful to keep the page numbers as consistent as possible with the original, so it could be used as an improved reference, but still fairly true to the original with whatever flaws it may contain (and there are several I noted, but chose not to change them for this edition). Here it is:
TimeLine-Alesis AI-2 Service Manual.pdf

3. The following are extractions of Figures from the Manual, to improve detail visibility.

First, the PCB Assembly Drawing- an important item to have around when troubleshooting and testing. My favorite versions of these actually use the same file as the PCB Identity Printing layer, which gives you the part numbers or schematic identities right where they are to be placed during manufacturing, but this version is a good start:
AI-2 PCB Assembly Drawing.pdf

Here are a few schemos to enable fabrication of AI-Specific Test cables-
The SYNC OUT Loopback Connector:
AI-2 Sync Out Loopback Test Connector.pdf

The EDITOR Port Loopback Connector:
AI-2 Editor Loopback Test Connector.pdf

The Lynx-2/Microlynx Loopback Connector:
AI-2 Lynx Loopback Test Connector.pdf

4. The following is an extraction from the Circuit Diagram schemo, enlarged to show details about the Lynx-2/Microlynx I/O port. This is a critical bit of info when it comes time to build those custom interface cables, especially when the schemos for the cables themselves are unavailable:
AI-2 to Microlynx I-O Port.pdf

5. The following is the "living" document of the series, an improved version of the original. It will become better with more input, and as such should be considered the very best source of information regarding the technical aspects available anywhere. Several errors or omissions in the original Service Manual have already been resolved, and some mysteries answered, such as -"where can I get a replacement LCD Display for my AI-2 when the old one is showing its age?" Anyway, here it is:
Timeline-Alesis AI-2 Improved Service Manual.pdf

[brainditch]

Maybe they scan/block here too...or maybe they just look at the file extension...???

Well folks, I just found out that this forum does have an unexpected limit. The server's filters wouldn't let me upload a .DOC file larger than 64kB! I don't know what the other filesize-related gotchas there are, but it certainly took me by surprise!

I'll have to seek out an affordable (hopefully free) DOC-to-PDF converter, as I can't seem to find a way to do it in the version of OpenOffice I have. Edit: I just had to look harder to find the "Export as PDF" tab. Doh!