Is there a repair tool that you can put a IC chip into or use a clip with
jumper to connect to the device that will tell you what the chip is and if
the chip is working or not. I have one of those old HP comparators but that
has a lot of limits. I would like something a little more current that
tests newer chips. I saw something on eBay called a Hy-Tronic ??? but
could find no info on it anywhere. There has got to be something like this.
Also along the same lines has anyone seen something like the above where you
can put PAL chips into and the device can determine the program from testing
the inputs and outputs? You would think someone out there would make
something like this.

Thanks
Russ

"Russ" wrote in message
news:M8K0e.51817$hA3.5810@trnddc09...
Is there a repair tool that you can put a IC chip into or use a clip with
jumper to connect to the device that will tell you what the chip is and if
the chip is working or not. I have one of those old HP comparators but
that
has a lot of limits. I would like something a little more current that
tests newer chips. I saw something on eBay called a Hy-Tronic ??? but
could find no info on it anywhere. There has got to be something like
this.
Also along the same lines has anyone seen something like the above where
you
can put PAL chips into and the device can determine the program from
testing
the inputs and outputs? You would think someone out there would make
something like this.

ISTR Popular Electronics may have had a design like that. But it was for
very basic chips only - forget PALs and GALs.

N

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 01:51:40 GMT "Russ"
wrote:

Is there a repair tool that you can put a IC chip into or use a clip with
jumper to connect to the device that will tell you what the chip is and if
the chip is working or not. I have one of those old HP comparators but that
has a lot of limits. I would like something a little more current that
tests newer chips.

The HP comparator is pretty good, but it only works on TTL level
digital chips, and I don't know what it's frequency limit is. I'm not
aware of anything better. Mine has occasionally served me very well.

You DO know about the special board that HP made to go with the
comparator so that you could insert any TTL IC in the socket and
program it with switches to make that test, don't you? At least that
will allow you to test ANY TTL IC, at least up to the frequency limit
of the comparator.

Occasionally I've toyed with converting my HP Comparator over to some
other logic family so that I could at least work with different
voltage levels. The frequency is probably limited by the cabling and
board layout, however.

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Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
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