HP16500A Logic Analyzer Help

The 16500 mainframe and each module needs its own system support file.

The 16500 mainframe needs the file named: "SYSTEM_"

The 16550A needs the file named: "SYSTEM_032"

The 16515/16A needs the file named: "SYSTEM_001"

You may have an additional problem because the 16516 is an expansion only module and your must have a 16515 module before the 16516 will be of any use.

The "SYSTEM_" files can be quite large and it may not be possible to get all of the require files onto one of the 16500A disks. If this is you case then put any additional files on a second disk and put it in the front drive. The

16500A only needs these at boot time. After the analyzer has booted you can put a blank disk in the front drive to save your setups and captured traces.

Keyzer,

Thank you for your generous help. Yes, I looked again and found that I have both boards, the 16515 Master and the 16516 Slave. Can you point me in the direction of the "SYSTEM_001" system file?

Thanks again for your generous help.

Tod

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traces.

This link is to the file 16500A_OP_SYS.zip

If the above link is too mangled or does not work go to the Agilent web site:

and search for "16500A"

The search should return a list of results with an entry titled:

"16500A Operating System Software (Version 6.00)"

This will be a link to the 16500A_OP_SYS.zip.

The file you need is OP_SYS\DISK4\system_0.01

The 16500A cannot read DOS format disks and these files need to be copied using a special utility program.

This utility program (LIFUTIL.EXE) in the archive.

The LIFUTIL will copy files from a DOS file system to the LIF file system used by the 16500A.

The LIFUTIL.EXE is designed to work from MSDOS.

The computer you run LIFUTIL on must be a DOS or Win98 system.

Windows 98 second edition was latest version it works with.

You will need a LIF formatted disk so use the 16500A mainframe to make one.

Then use LIFUTIL to copy the file you need onto this disk:

Put your LIF formatted disk in your DOS computer.

Use the "DOS to LIF Copy" function

Be sure to select "File format conversion: DFS to LIF: file type preserved"

Keyser,

Thank you again. I appreciate your expertise.

Tod

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Keyzer, I down loaded the ver. 6.0 zip file from the Agilent website but I can not seem to get the disk built right for the analyzer. I am pretty sure that the floppy drives in the analyzer are high density because I did a dick copy operation from the rear drive to the front drive with a high density disk in the front drive and verified that the analyzer booted properly with the copied disk.

I used the utility LIFUTIL.exe to format a high density disk using a PC. Then I ran the utility to copy the DOS files (SYSTEM_0.01) to the newly LIF formatted disk. Then I put it in the analyzer and I got an error message that the media was bad.

If you have any insight to this problem I would appreciate hearing from you again.

Thanks,

96

Timing

file.

While high density disks will work in the 16500A the mainframe uses 720k "double density" disk drives.

This means that it is troublesome to use the LIFUTIL for format disks in the PC.

The LIFUTIL can format disks that will work in the 16500A but it also does several types of disk formats that will not.

Since you can boot up the OS for the 16500A the easiest solution for your setup is to always use the 16500A OS to format disks.

You may need to bulk the high density disks before they will format reliably in the 16500A.

Another "feature" of the 16500A OS is that the disks must format with no bad sectors.

You may need to try several before you get one that will work correctly.

Keyser,

Yes, you were right. I found some old double density floppies and formatted them in the analyzer and then using the LIFUTIL I was able to make a boot disk for the 1 GHz timing modules. When I put it in the rear drive it booted up and recognized the master and slave modules. Thank you very much for helping me get this far. I do have one more question. I saw on the ends of the cables that are connected to the timing modules have two machined sockets. It looks like one connection is for ground and the other for the signal to be measured. Do you use flying leads to connect to this or is there some special grabber that you connect to a test point? I do have all of the accessories for the 16550 module and maybe it is possible to use the flying leads that connect to the woven ribbon cable.

Thanks again Keyser, I appreciate your help and I am grateful that you could spare your valuable time to help me.

Tod

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The probes for the 16515/16 are designed to connect directly to your circuit.

When new the 16515/16 modules come with standard accessories that include short fly leads that connect to HP standard grabbers.

Each of the 16515/16 probe tips includes an input network.

The fly leads for the 16550 include an input network as well.

Using the 16550 fly leads with the 16515/16 probes may not give reliable measurements.

At one time HP did offer a 16550 type fly lead assembly without the input network.

It should be easy enough to put together something similar using available E-Z hook wire assemblies.

The link on the Agilent set to the 16515 operators guide seems to be bad. It links to the programming guide.