#hp9816 — Public Fediverse posts

I also have a #HP7440 plotter that I could recently repair and attach to the #HP9816. It works beautifully and it is mesmerizing to watch. Here is one of the first tests of the repaired plotter.

I still find the #HP9816 useful today, to control #GPIB instruments. I wrote two programs, one to control the Bruel&Kjaer 2034 audio spectrum analyzer to do third-of-octave analysis and another one to do various measurements with a #HP4277A LCZ meter. If I need to further process data, I download them on a modern computer using a RS232 cable I built. I transferred and published the HPBASIC source of the third of octave software on Github: https://github.com/DarwinNE/BK2034_GPIB/tree/master/HPBASIC

At one moment, a small explosion and a puff of smoke came out from the #HP9816. It was the usual pyrotechnic capacitor that decided to explode. Not a big deal, but I had to reach the power supply.

The #HP9816 came with a spectacular keyboard the #HP98203C, nicknamed "Nimitz", because of its enormous size. It's a very nice mechanical #keyboard, very solidly built and confortable to use. I like the rotary encoder, proficiently exploited by the #HPBASIC while editing a program.

Another thing I found in the #birdsite archives is how I cleaned and repaired a magnificent #HP9816 (aka HP9000/216) workstation. It's a very nice machine, based on the 68k processor, that can run HPBASIC and can be connected to external disk drives and peripherals via #GPIB. I had to clean it, but it came out quite well. #retrocomputing #electronics #HPBASIC #GPIB

I #3Dprinted a shell for a Centronics 50 pin connector that is used for the #RS232 on the #HP9816. I savaged it from an old #SCSI-1 cable many years ago. I'm pretty pleased of the results, but I forgot to leave some space for the clips and I have to print a second version of it.

I reorganised the main menu of the #HP4277A control program running on the #HP9816. I still have to work on the C vs V measurements. If you have studied a #mos structure you’ll know it is THE measurement to do to understand what’s going on.

Here is another picture of the whole set #HP9816, #HP7475A, hidden an #HP9122 and an #HP9134, the Bruël & Kjær 2034 and the #HP4277A LCZ meter.

The first plot of the #HP7475A after the #repair went very smoothly. Here is controlled by the #HP9816, plotting the impedance vs. frequency of a 4µF 400V polypropylene #capacitor (that shows a nice resonance at 300 kHz). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvrfeoOsdLM

I repaired an #Hp4277A LCR mater a few months ago. I thought it would be fun to control it with the #HP9816 computer. It is very fun, useful and it really works like a charm.