OptoClock Information?

Other Opto Products
1

In looking through the OptoMux User Manuals for the B1 Digital Brain (3rd Ed, 1984) and the B2 Analog Brain (3rd Ed, 1984), I saw under the IDENTIFY OPTOMUX TYPE command (F) that I can expect one of three 2 digit codes on a successful reply:

00 - Digital OptoMux
01 - Analog OptoMux
08 - OptoClock (real time clock)

I understand the hardware referred to in this post is old and obsolete, but they are still rocking and rolling for me. In writing an application for a friend that controls a model train layout, I saw the above and my curiosity was spiked.

So, can anyone describe the OptoClock from a hardware perspective?

How did it integrate and support the OptoMux hardware?

Did the OptoMux protocol support it?

Thanks.

2

Hi David, welcome to the Opto Forums.

What document number are you looking at to see these commands?
I can’t see them in the OptoMux Protocol Guide;

Edit. To be clear, I found the Identify command, but it does not list the three responses you mention, just two of them.

image
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3

Hello, thank you for the welcome.

I believe these manuals pre-date the document number system Opto22 utilizes. I will check tonight and repost, but I see nothing on the book cover nor inside page (I can send/upload these if you are curious).

Edit: Attached is photo of Identify command showing the three responses.

Thank you again for the welcome, and also the reply!

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David

1 Like
4

Ok, yeah, that’s old…/grin/… I wonder if the hardware is supporting that three part response?

Have you issued the command and seen the three part reply?
I ask because its possible the firmware in your B1/B2 might not support whats in the book.

5

I have (6) B1s and (4) B2s, and they all reply 00 or 01 correctly in response to the Identify command. I never saw the 08 response, but that is because I do not have the hardware.

I started this as I wanted to learn about the OptoClock hardware, OptoMux commands it supported, and how it integrated with the rest of the OptoMux hardware.

Thank you again.

6

As a follow up, I found in the OptoMux Digital User Manual, 4th Edition, 1984, the following on the OptoClock:

“OPTOCLOCK is OPTO 22 PB4MDC - a 4-point digital controller with a real-time clock and integral RS-232 to RS-422 converter.”

Thus, I am going to conclude that the OptoClock is combination of the AC7 (RS-232 to RS-422 converter), a B1/PB4H combo, and a real-time clock. Given that conclusion, I will go to say that the OptoClock likely supports the same OptoMux commands as the B1, but also something for setting and reading the real-time clock.

From the OptoMux Analog User Manual, 3rd Edition, 1984, in the Introduction section, the OptoMux family is defined as the following devices:

PB4MD -> 4-point digital controller
PB4MDS -> 4-point digital controller with onboard power supply
PB16MD -> 16-point digital controller
PB16MDS -> 16-point digital controller with onboard power supply
PB4MDC -> 4-point digital OptoClock
PB4MA -> 4-point analog controller
PB16MA -> 16-point analog controller

David

Attached: photo of OptoClock information.
OptoClock_Info

7

Huh. Interesting!
Thanks for following up, really appreciate it.