Visitors gone - back in the workshop

 DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE CARDREAD APPLICATION IN PYTHON

I am writing an application to drive the Documation card reader and store the data in files using the 'binary' file mode of Brian Knittel's card reader interface programs. I adopted the same protocol that he uses with the Arduino based interface hardware I engineered, thus potentially allowing his program to drive my interface.

However, while I work on resolving the issues running his program on my Windows 10 based laptop, I have been working on my own program to replace CARDREAD.EXE just in case I can't resolve the problems using his code.

I started out with a command line program but have been switching it to a quick and dirty GUI making use of the tkinter library that comes with Python. Eventually, if I have to continue using the program, I will pretty it up including displaying a card with the holes displayed for the card that was just read. 

TESTING WITH DOCUMATION READER

I did some testing with the command line version of my program and worked out some issues. It does report status of the reader hardware properly and will make the reader pick cards. However, I don't yet have it capturing the incoming data words from the cards as they are read. 

BUILDING RETRO CHIP TESTER PRO (DESIGN OF 8-BIT MUSEUM)

I have a huge collection of chips of all types, most of which I couldn't test with the existing chip tester systems I own. I was impressed by the range of devices that are supported by the Retro Chip Pro tester developed by Stephan Slabihoud at his 8-bit computer museum ( http://8bit-museum.de ) and purchased the PCB and related documentation from him. 

I ordered all the myriad parts required to populate the board, so that when the board arrived a couple of days ago, I would be ready to begin assembly when I returned to the shop. That moment was today. I carefully mounted and soldered all the parts to the main PCB, the daughter-card power supply board and set it up for multiple powering options. 

Up next will be careful examination of all the solder joints with my stereo microscope, prior to doing a first power-up and test of the completed project. When this is working, I can revisit the large pile of untested chips I own and validate the condition of many more of them.