The HP 4951C (19.2 kbps) and HP 4952A (64 kbps synchronous, 19.2 kbps asynchronous) are portable protocol analyzers used for troubleshooting during installation, maintenance and design of data communications networks and equipment.
The HP 4951C and HP 4952A allow you to monitor and decode data transmission, test remote facilities from your location, simulate network components, and perform bit error rate tests. They can also be used as asynchronous terminals. Protocols that can be tested include Async, BSC, SDLC (NRZI), HDLC, X.25, SNA, DDCMP and user-defined protocols. The HP4952A also tests X.21.
(from the datasheet)
My goal is to use this cute portable machine as a small RS-232 terminal for a Raspberry Pi (video), and for a SWTPC 6800 microcomputer. Along the way, I've started to get interested in writing Z80 applications to run on the analyzer too.
This repo includes:
- Disk images and copies of applications and menus extracted from them,
- Some documentation of the "remote control" protocol, and some Python code that can send commands and upload and download applications and data,
- A new game, "snek"
Other things found elsewhere:
- Some nice pictures of the three main boards (Z80, 68008, 80C88)
- More pictures with some analysis
All at the HP Computer Museum:
- Docs at HP Computer Museum
- Operating Manual at Bitsavers
- Operating Manual and other docs at emeriaud.fr
- Test Library pdf at classiccmp.org
- HP4951C service manual
- KO4BB has EPROM dumps from 4951C and 4957.
- Hackaday - David Kuder, includes keymap information
- GitHub - David Kuder - Tetris and BASIC sources!
- Hackaday - Trevor Johansen Aase, includes a good section on using
dosbox
to run 5XREMOTE - Reddit - Trevor Johansen Aase
- Twitter - Mark J. Blair