The Wand Company TOS Tricorder is coming!

[2vix]

I think the next step is making sure (somehow) that my backup can be successfully reinstalled on my tricorder. Then I can try adding custom firmware to it without worrying about how to get it back to normal. (i will still worry lol)
I found THIS on youtube. Guys home-made firmware plays video from SD on a Cortex M3 STM32 microcontroller, and our chip is a far better Cortex M7 STM32.

 

[2vix]

A 24pin ribbon doesn’t mean all 24 lines are used…

I spent some time trying to follow the pins around the board last night, and some of them seem to go nowhere, others go off and disappear under a connector etc. its a mess.

I don't want to take it apart. But I need to take it apart. I'm probably going to take it apart.

 

[FANATICO]

Ahhhh….Nostalgia from back in the day…..you got to love the effort..two different builders…two Brian’s no less

 

[FANATICO]

I spent some time trying to follow the pins around the board last night, and some of them seem to go nowhere, others go off and disappear under a connector etc. its a mess.
View attachment 1955762
View attachment 1955763


I don't want to take it apart. But I need to take it apart. I'm probably going to take it apart.

At your own risk….

Its a multilayer board and connections to other traces are probably on other layers you can’t see.

Edit: it’s a 4 layer board….

Plane layer assignments are not given that I could discern…. But.. one of them will be a power VDD plane layer, another Ground plane layer, another analog Signals plane layer, finally a Digital data plane layer…in my opinion.

 

[Number 6]

I managed to get into the tricorder and i now have a copy of the firmware that i can view. I dont know what good it is yet, but im currently perusing thru it... wish i knew more about this stuff

here it is if anyone wants to check it out:
*EDIT - I removed it because i suddenly realized it might be illegal to share?
This is the freeware im using to view it:

HxD - Freeware Hex Editor and Disk Editor | mh-nexus

pretty boring stuff. looks like this:
View attachment 1955737

From the little I can see it looks like it has the comments for the code. Maybe a good disassembler could decompile it into some understandable assembly language or maybe even into the C++ it was written in.

 

[CessnaDriver]

I spent some time trying to follow the pins around the board last night, and some of them seem to go nowhere, others go off and disappear under a connector etc. its a mess.
View attachment 1955762
View attachment 1955763


I don't want to take it apart. But I need to take it apart. I'm probably going to take it apart.

Multilayered CCA as we would expect, looking at the side might be able to tell how many layers . Not going to know where a lot actually goes without the layout diagrams showing all the traces and vias on each layer. One could use a multi meter to probe around doing continuity checks but that sounds like a horrible way to spend the day trying to map that out. But you could probably find a few that way if it was clear some where critical to know.


EDIT, I see i'ts found it's 4 layered. That's about one more than I expected. This thing is quite the design.

 

[FANATICO]

Multilayered CCA as we would expect, looking at the side might be able to tell how many layers . Not going to know where a lot actually goes without the layout diagrams showing all the traces and vias on each layer. One could use a multi meter to probe around doing continuity checks but that sounds like a horrible way to spend the day trying to map that out. But you could probably find a few that way if it was clear some where critical to know.

I edited my previous post about the layers….

 

[CessnaDriver]

I edited my previous post about the layers….

Sometimes you can shine bright light and if there is enough transparency see traces, but if there is a full on ground layer probably not and you can't see through chips.

 

[Treadwell]

Me coming down from the tower and reading this thread:

If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.

 

[FANATICO]

We need the language provided by the schematics!

 

[CessnaDriver]

Ahh the good ol days with the Diamond Select tricorders, just a few jumper settings to get other model's sounds.

 

[PhantomForge]

Only recently remembered about this in the last few days as I rewatch TOS for the first time since I was a teen— I was debating with myself if I really had the funds to get in on this, but having realized it's too late to order one (or at least I think I am, correct me if I'm wrong) I am both relieved to have the choice made for me and disappointed I didn't remind myself of this sooner haha.

Maybe if/when they do another run...

 

[FANATICO]

You know if you squint your eyes and angle them 45 deg to the right while looking at the reflection of a mirror of this tricorder you can almost make out the ‘gap’ between the last two discs on the right of the discs rack….if true that would make it either a hero one or hero two of the Wah’s versions….I think…

You can barely barely make out a sliver of silver edge of the very right disc……just after a heavy black line, the ‘gap’..

From Court Marshall……

 

[FANATICO]

Must be true because I found it in the code
View attachment 1955756

Yep it’s HEX alright….

I would say this is an Easter Egg since its not mentioned in the manual….

In my opinion this would be the preferred method for reset……versus sticking a pin in a hole wondering if your pushing the switch in directly or poking something else off to the sides of the switch.

 

[Number 6]

I managed to get into the tricorder and i now have a copy of the firmware that i can view. I dont know what good it is yet, but im currently perusing thru it... wish i knew more about this stuff

here it is if anyone wants to check it out:
*EDIT - I removed it because i suddenly realized it might be illegal to share?
This is the freeware im using to view it:

HxD - Freeware Hex Editor and Disk Editor | mh-nexus

pretty boring stuff. looks like this:
View attachment 1955737

Disappointed that I missed getting the full memory dump of the firmware. I think there’s probably a lot of interesting information that could be found in it.

 

[Simonized]

Polished bezel?

 

[Simonized]

So I ended up using a tiny bit of "Blu Tack" instead of GS cement on the inside of the moire bezel ring to stop the transparent pattern moving around, much better result that it doesn't shift now. The pattern from the show was accurate centered but the pattern would just shift if the transparency moved.

 

[Simonized]

Guys, I know a couple of people have taken the side(s) off and examined the rods but I haven't had a chance yet, can someone let me know does the rod going through the disc/moire door move with the door as it's opened and closed or do the sides hold it in place?

 

[FANATICO]

Guys, I know a couple of people have taken the side(s) off and examined the rods but I haven't had a chance yet, can someone let me know does the rod going through the disc/moire door move with the door as it's opened and closed or do the sides hold it in place?

I haven’t tried …..but then again, I haven’t seen anyone attempt to push the rod completely out of the door …. So I don’t know if the kludge points at either end of the door holding the rod in place is fixed or are actually press fits instead to hold the rod from rotating.

The rod holes on the sides, I don’t think are press fits either. I think the rod itself is both free to rotate or not rotate….it just there to hold the door(s) in place.

Below left is one of the two kludge points of the top door. The next pics are the back door hinge rod. In a vid the back door hinge rod moves freely in and out…..there’s no real effort needed to remove it.

Somebody else might know…

Curious…why are you asking?

 

[Simonized]

I haven’t tried …..but then again, I haven’t seen anyone attempt to push the rod completely out of the door …. So I don’t know if the kludge points at either end of the door holding the rod in place is fixed or are actually press fits instead to hold the rod from rotating.

The rod holes on the sides, I don’t think are press fits either. I think the rod itself is both free to rotate or not rotate….it just there to hold the door(s) in place.

Below left is one of the two kludge points of the top door. The next pics are the back door hinge rod. In a vid the back door hinge rod moves freely in and out…..there’s no real effort needed to remove it.

View attachment 1955914

Somebody else might know…

Curious…why are you asking?

The rod going through mine is a little bit looser on the right and causes it to rattle when closed sometimes because there's a bit more give on it, not annoyingly so but my other trike doesn't do it so it's nagging me lol. If the door just rotates on the rod once it's in place I can either put some glue on it, kink it a bit or if the whole lot rotates put a thicker 2mm rod in if it will fit through the door ... the ends I can adjust to go into the side panels.