TashTalk: Single-Chip LocalTalk Interface

Tashtari

PIC Whisperer
Finally got a PIC programmer and updated to 1.0.1. This solved all lingering compatibility issues I was having with LocalTalk devices. Besides the PowerMac 6100, the v1.0 firmware was not working with the LocalTalk port on my HP LaserJet 4MP. This has now been resolved.
Cool! Fingers crossed that that's it for TashTalk bugs. =)

Also, some TashTalk Hat kits are back in stock in case anyone needs one.
 

NJRoadfan

Well-known member
Someone here (I think it was @LaPorta ?) had mentioned that their LocalTalk equipped ImageWriter II was throwing all kinds of errors with the TashTalk. Maybe the 1.0.1 firmware improved things? Anyone have an ImageWriter II to test?
 

LaPorta

Well-known member
My comment previously was issues we had testing the AirTalks and using the AT IWII. Unsure what the story is with TashTalk.
 
Does anyone here have a TashTalk and one of the below machines?

-Centris/Quadra 660AV/840AV
-Power Macintosh 61/71/8100
-Power Macintosh 72/73/75/76/85/86/95/9600

If so, can you test and see if you TashTalk without the above upgrade works with your machine? The thing all the above machines share is the Curio I/O chip. Based on some research, this chip contains a Zilog "Enhanced SCC" core with some "custom" LocalTalk extensions added onto it. One of the features mentioned in AMD's datasheet and Apple's internal communications is the chip's ability to automatically send a sync pulse with any data transmission. This is very likely the source of the various compatibility problems.
I have a centris 650 which fails almost all the time - got it to work one time only. Does this machine also use the chip above?
 

Tashtari

PIC Whisperer
Forgive the cross-post advertisement:

Do any of you TashTalk owners have an AppleTalk ImageWriter, too? I'm looking for someone who has both and is willing to perform a small experiment for me for another project I'm working on...

 

Phipli

Well-known member
My comment previously was issues we had testing the AirTalks and using the AT IWII. Unsure what the story is with TashTalk.
The little 8pin socketted chip on the AirTalk is a TashTalk - it is that chip people are talking about. There was a recent firmware update that improves compatibility with first gen PPCs :)
 

NJRoadfan

Well-known member
Found the post by @RolandJuno about the ImageWriter II TashTalk issues with logs, wonder if 1.0.1 would improve things:

 

Tashtari

PIC Whisperer
I'd like to see if the behavior changes with 1.0.1, but I'm not sure I expect it to. I'm still not sure what could be causing TashTalk to flag a raft of framing errors that way...
 

ecliptik

New member
Any plans for a TashTalk restock on the kofi store? I will buy at least 2 kits and a phonenet kit for a 512ke.
 

Tashtari

PIC Whisperer
Any plans for a TashTalk restock on the kofi store? I will buy at least 2 kits and a phonenet kit for a 512ke.
Should be soon, I've got the PCBs and I've ordered parts, so maybe a week from now. Will post in this thread when they're available again.
 

Tashtari

PIC Whisperer
TashTalk 2 Hat kits are back in stock again in the Ko-fi shop! If you're interested, please get your orders in this week - after that, shop is going to be temporarily closed until the beginning of October.
 

Andrew

Well-known member
Hi all,
do you know if tashtalk hat v1 supports low level programming? Trying to update firmware using the raspberry pi zero using the guide here:

Do you know if this will work, or is pickit3 the only option?
Thanks
Responding to my own post, I am coming to the conclusion that lvp is disabled on this pic chip. I have a ST-Line v2 and some bluepill boards. Could I maybe use those somehow?
 

Tashtari

PIC Whisperer
do you know if tashtalk hat v1 supports low level programming?
It doesn't, unfortunately - low-voltage programming requires that the RA3/!MCLR pin be used as !MCLR (reset), but TashTalk 1.x uses it as the LocalTalk input, so any PIC that has TashTalk 1.x on it will have low-voltage programming disabled (and it cannot be reenabled without use of a high-voltage programmer such as the PICkit). TashTalk 2.x should support low-voltage programming since it uses one pin for both LocalTalk input and output and uses RA3/!MCLR as !MCLR, but I've never tested this... perhaps I should.
 

Andrew

Well-known member
@Tashtari, @NJRoadfan thank you for your replies. I bought a pickit 3 and managed to load version 1.01 successfully. Unfortunately it did not solve the problem that I had since day 1 of owning the tashtalk hat. Let me explain: I have a physical mac se 30 hooked up to a tashtari hat running tashrouter, and a mini vmac speaking ltoudp. Both vmac and se30 see both zones. Mini vmac can access shared folders on se30 but after some time starts to lag and fail. SE30 cannot connect to mini vmac shared folder, it times out right before asking for password.
Do you have any ideas? Using latest version of tashrouter.

Log FIle: https://pastebin.com/Rv27Me98
 
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