TiN and All,
I apologize re; the length of this post.
Short update version:
Using a TLA7NQP or a TLA7Axx version series module along with TLA-App v5.xx sw series along with TCP/IP client/server enables reasonable and acceptable user interface performance when installed in the old Tektronix TLA704, and also likely in the TLA714 series logic analyzers.
Long update version:
Hah!
To reiterate the current TLA704 configuration, --it is running Windows 2000 Pro and Tektronix TLA Application SW v 5.1, which required a TLA704 hardware modification involving replacing the 640x480 LCD panel for an 800x600 resolution panel, and also the BIOS flash ROM image required machine-language patching to enable the higher panel resolution. The TLA704 memory needed upgrading from 16MB Up to 128 Mb and the hard-drive upgraded from 800 Mb to 4 Gb. All of that was required to enable the TLA704 Windows 95 upgrade to Windows 2000 Pro installation which is the minimum level operating system requirement to enable upgrading the Tektronix TLA704 Application v3.2 software up to TLA App v5.1 software. The TLA App v5.1 installation had to be hacked to bypass the hardware readable model number trap to enable the v5.1 SW installation onto the TLA704 mainframe.
The modifications are worth the effort to upgrade the software as the newer Tektronix software resolves bunches of Tektronix design problems and poor program architecture design. And incorporating TCP/IP client/server enables the old-slow, CPU processor speed crippled (133MHz) TLA704 mainframe to be operated remotely via networked Client software loaded onto a modern, high-speed laptop/workstation and higher resolution/size LCD screens. This resolves the problem of using the TLA704 mainframe directly with the power-hungry WinOS. TCP/IP EtherNet networking is afforded by upgrading from TLA v3.2 up to v5.1. This ability significantly improves the baseline user operability of the TLA704 analyzer.
The 'new' after hw/sw modification TLA704 configuration was:
-- TLA704 Mainframe running W2k/TLA-App v5.1,
-- laptop was running WinXP-Pro/TLA-App v5.1 also,
-- TLA704 and laptop connected together through a TCP/IP network 100Mbit Cisco Switch/hub
However, in that configuration the TLA704 mainframe still ran terribly sluggishly slow? Although its performance had improved a little bit. Any acquisition configuration using larger than 64K of RAM, caused the TLA704 Win2k OS to virtually lockup. (How could Tektronix sell stuff like that? I'll bet their sales fell through the floor.) And then every operation is sluggish. I noticed that the TCP/IP network switch link indicators are constantly flashing since I upgraded to the TLA-App v5.1 software.
At the time of my upgrade efforts, my TLA704 mainframe was stuffed with two modules, a TLA7L1 (64k RAM) and a TLA7M3 (512k RAM) which I cluelessly bought several years ago, although I successfully used them for various tasks. While doing one problem solving task I discovered neither of those vintage modules incorporated counter/timers, hah! Only module serial numbers above a certain age have those features included and of course the modules I have aren't in that series range! I only paid a $100 ea for those efin door-stops!
So, as per TiN's coaxing
, I upgraded the laptop software from TLA-App v5.1 to TLA-App v5.8, (my initial reluctance and concern was driven by the fear that it may not work because of the version mismatch between the TLA mainframe version and laptop version, eg, v5.1 versus v5.
and there was a bit of monkying around required, but it installed successfully. Unfortunately the analyzer still was running like an old slow feeble dog, it was as bad as before. User ability was minimally acceptable provided that acquisitions used less than 128k of acquisition module RAM, and anything above that memory depth would virtually render the logic analyzer unusable. Don't even think about using the drag&drop measurements feature (which ALLWAYS defaults to DISPLAY mode if enabled and so if ya have a large record on the screen it locks up for over five minutes while crunching the data...how could they sell junk like that?)
So, I asked around regarding how other's TLA704s are working, I just couldn't imagine anyone using any analyzer that ran so terribly? There had to be something that I was missing that was so blatantly obvious that no one mentions the details, and that Tektronix marketing works to suppress. So I went back to the Yahoo Tek forum and I began reading ALL of the archived posts relating to TLA704, 714, 715 series analyzers, and in one of the posts was mentioned the sluggish/data-crunching lockup issues. Yep. It turns out that it WAS A BIG marketing problem, 14 ~ 11ish years ago, and that Tektronix engineers worked very hard to resolve those issues. And the Tek fixes? Client/Server software and new module hardware architectures. The sluggishness was in part due to the way the TLA7L1..4 and the TLA7M1..4 modules internally processed the data and how it passed the data to the WinOS based mainframe. The newer modules, beginning with version TLA7N1..4, TLA7Q1..4, TLA7P1..4, while each are essentially the same analyzer modules, each model having deeper memory depths, they are radically different in their operation when compared with their older cousins, TLA7Lx & TLA7Mx modules. And then the TLA7Axx1..4, apparently introduced the PowerFlex 'feature' (pay for decryption key to unlock memory manufactured into the module so that Tek no longer need maintain different models simply having larger memory capacities and speeds) are also radically different in their architecture. Collectively these series modules are considerably faster than the 7L & 7M modules. It saved their marketing butts.
So as a test, I bought a TLA7N4 module ($97 on eBay this week) in lieu of a TLA7AA4 as I have no cables for it while I have a complete set for the useless modules. And I can find no reasonably priced (for a hobbyist) flying lead P6810 cable-set for use with the TLA7AA1..4 module which are currently available for reasonable (hobbiest) prices. One vendor is selling a P6810 flying lead set for $6000, hah hah hah...I wrote him and told him he is creating a museum piece, heh heh. I would have preferred a TLA7AA4 instead, but I don't have the ca$h to buy all the cables that are also needed. Bottom line is that the TLA7N4 works GREAT!! And it has counter/timers too!
I learned a bit of new info also. The TLA-App ver 5.1 provides various module FW (firmware) images for the various modules that work with the application version. Version 5.1 supports, at least for the TLA7NQP version modules, FW 4.1.., and so I presumed that TLA5.8 would also provide the same module models FW version level. Hah! Not true. TLA-App v5.8 provides FW v5.50 which is the version required to work with TLA-App v5.8, yet TLA-App v5.1 works just fine with the newer firmware, while only requiring FW v4.1 for its operation. I made the mistake of installing the 'new' firmware remotely from the laptop, which installed the local firmware image located on the mainframe, after I archived the TLA7N4's old firmware. Turned out to be the same version level as provided by TLA-App v5.1. Having to install/uninstall that back of the module flash-jumper is a pain.
And another interesting Tektronix marketing feature is that the firmware files do not disclose version numbers either in the name structure or via the internal properties field of the filename, that would enable one to view internal file version number via the Properties page of the WinOS file utility WinExplorer.
Cheers,
bench_knob
p.s. May 15, 2015, US Congress is pushing (voting) to revoke US Net-Neutrality...things such as YouTube, Skype, WikiPedia, free bulletin-boards are gonna get expensive if Net-Neutrality is squashed....
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