Really appreciate your effort!!!
I'll try to measure the suggested signals and get out my bag of GOOD caps :) 

Mauro

Inviato da iPhone

> Il giorno Dec 15, 2017, alle ore 01:55, Fugu ME100 <[email protected]> ha 
> scritto:
> 
> It would be interesting to see if the Address Lines fail at a specific 
> address all the time.  Might give a clue as to what is causing the issue.  In 
> the old days it was possible to watch the address lines walk through a count 
> sequence if you had a bad ROM or RAM.   Although this one appears to keep 
> retrying something. 
> 
> Monitor them at the ROM pins if you can that way it will test the CPU to ROM 
> buffers.
> 
> On the Electrolytic caps I always assume they are dead - either dried out or 
> leaked out ….. and yes as a matter of course I just replace them all,  I have 
> bags of all the ones used on the M100 and T102s.  I also have a big bag of 
> removed caps LOL.    It takes me about 1-2hours to do a complete replacement 
> of caps, if they come out cleanly.   However your voltages seem to be pretty 
> good and the CPU is booting.  Usually if the +5V or –5V is off spec the caps 
> are bad or if the LCD screen is modulating then the –5V is bad.   At least 
> that is my experience of the M100/T102.  I just had to replace the power caps 
> on a PC8201A with a bad LCD screen now it looks good – so it is a common 
> issue regardless of the manufacturer. 
> 
> From: M100 <[email protected]> on behalf of Mauro Pintus 
> <[email protected]>
> Reply-To: <[email protected]>
> Date: Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 4:31 PM
> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [M100] diagnose
> 
> Actually the reset is moving only at power on and when I press the reset 
> button, otherwise it is stable. I tried to follow the reset signal after the 
> Reset out of the CPU through couple of buffers but it is consistent and not 
> cycling. 
> 
> As LA I only have a Saleae 8 clone, but should do the job. 
> I'll try the address and data lines as suggested. 
> Any other signal of interest I should trace?
> 
> Mauro
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On 15/dic/2017, at 01:12, Fugu ME100 <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> What is the RESET line into the CPU doing during the loops?  Is the RESET 
>> stable? 
>> 
>> The CPU appears to be RESET, heads to the ROM for data but for some reason 
>> fails to complete and RESETs itself.   No activity on the RAM or LCD would 
>> indicate the CPU is not completing the ROM boot.  At this point I would 
>> usually hang on my Logic Analyzer to see where the Address and Data lines 
>> are heading.  
>> 
>> Have you checked out the Address Lines and Data Lines to make sure none are 
>> stuck at either 0, 1 or some other state?  They all should show some 
>> activity during a RESET.  
>> 
>> From: M100 <[email protected]> on behalf of Mauro Pintus 
>> <[email protected]>
>> Reply-To: <[email protected]>
>> Date: Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 3:55 PM
>> To: <[email protected]>
>> Subject: Re: [M100] diagnose
>> 
>> Thank you Fugu and Brian for the feedback.
>> 
>> Yes I tried the beep BASIC test with no luck and also the cold start (the 
>> M10 and the M100 are almost identical...).
>> 
>> I made few other measurements trying to replicate what Brian is doing and 
>> for sure the unit is in a loop...
>> 
>> In the linked google photo album I added another picture (the first one) 
>> showing the ROM CS (Pin 20 yellow trace) and the IO/M of the main processor 
>> (Pin 34 blue trace)
>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/8YSbaAxZBuXu5rjC2
>> 
>> As you can see at the beginning of the repeted sequence, I get only 5 pulses 
>> on the IO/M
>> 
>> The strange thing is that there is so little activity on the RAM CEx (chip 
>> enable), like nothing is loaded.
>> 
>> Finally I measured also the CSx (chip select) on the LCD connector and none 
>> are moving, confirming that on the LCD nothing can be displayed.
>> 
>> Mauro
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Dec 13, 2017, at 7:01 AM, Fugu ME100 wrote:
>>> 
>>> Vee at –4.9V is good.  
>>> 
>>> You may have already looked at these options, so apologies if you have…
>>> 
>>> The repetitive nature of the ROM CS cycling could be the CPU in a software 
>>> loop waiting for keyboard input.   Have you tried the BEEP test from BASIC 
>>> to see if the motherboard is actually running?  
>>> 
>>> Have you tried a cold start?  On the M100 press ctrl+pause while powering 
>>> on, not sure about the M10.  It could be the memory is corrupted with the 
>>> loss of backup power.  Always a good idea when first powering after 
>>> switching off/on the backup power..
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: M100 <[email protected]> on behalf of Mauro Pintus 
>>> <[email protected]>
>>> Reply-To: <[email protected]>
>>> Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 5:24 PM
>>> To: <[email protected]>
>>> Subject: Re: [M100] diagnose
>>> 
>>> Hi,
>>>   I have a not working Olivetti M10 and a Rigol DS1104Z oscilloscope, so I 
>>> made few measurement to try to help Brian and in the mean time try to 
>>> troubleshoot my unit.
>>> 
>>> My unit was working properly and stopped as soon as I flipped the NiCd 
>>> battery switch off while the unit was ON (done by mistake with the cover 
>>> open).
>>> Now the screen turn on but I can regulate just the contrast and no text 
>>> appear on the screen.
>>> I also made a small arduino circuit to test the LCD alone, and I'm able to 
>>> write text on it, so the LCD should be fine.
>>> 
>>> BTW I think Brian is using way too long ground leads on the oscilloscope 
>>> probe.
>>> I made my measurement clipping the alligator clip to the metal case of the 
>>> main crystal that in the M10 is grounded with a pice of bare wire.
>>> Is your scope grounded? I can see in one of your pictures the usual US plug 
>>> with only 2 terminals...
>>> 
>>> Here are some screenshots of my measurements.
>>> 
>>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/8YSbaAxZBuXu5rjC2
>>> 
>>> Pictures:
>>> 1) CLK pin 37 of the 8085
>>> 2) Pin 7 of the 8085
>>> 3-4) CS Pin 20 of the ROM it seems to cycle over and over
>>> 5) Reset * at power on
>>> 
>>> VEE is 4.9V
>>> V across the battery is 4.02 when the unit is on and 3.9 when off
>>> 
>>> Tomorrow I'll continue hoping Brian or some of you can confirm/compare some 
>>> of my measurements.
>>> Have a nice day
>>> Ciao
>>>   Mauro
>>> 
>>> NOTE: I think I will measure all the pins on the system bus so anyone with 
>>> an oscilloscope can do the same without opening the unit case...
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Dec 11, 2017, at 9:28 AM, Fugu ME100 wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Ah the “special tool” requirement always hated to see that in any step…..
>>>> 
>>>> What did the –5V measure on the meter?  If it is not within spec neither 
>>>> the LCD or buzzer will work.  
>>>> 
>>>> From: M100 <[email protected]> on behalf of Brian White 
>>>> <[email protected]>
>>>> Reply-To: <[email protected]>
>>>> Date: Sunday, December 10, 2017 at 11:30 PM
>>>> To: <[email protected]>
>>>> Subject: Re: [M100] Fwd: Re: diagnose
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks for that tip.
>>>> 
>>>> And oh like some GM repair manuals where replacing an entire transmission 
>>>> might be 11 steps, but one of them is to use the $12,000 machine no one 
>>>> outside of the factory has ever even seen.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Dec 8, 2017 1:38 PM, "Fugu ME100" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>> It might be better to use the CLK (37) output as a reference if it is 
>>>>> needed.  The CLK is derived from the X1,X2 XTAL inputs and should not be 
>>>>> impacted by the loading of the scope probes.  
>>>>> 
>>>>> The M100 reference manual is quite good for troubleshooting some parts,  
>>>>> although it does have a few broad instructions like “Check All IC’s”.    
>>>>> :-)
>>>>> 
>>>>> From: M100 <[email protected]> on behalf of Brian White 
>>>>> <[email protected]>
>>>>> Reply-To: <[email protected]>
>>>>> Date: Friday, December 8, 2017 at 9:55 AM
>>>>> To: <[email protected]>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [M100] Fwd: Re: diagnose
>>>>> 
>>>>> I noticed something a couple days ago. Those noisy gnd and 5v lines were 
>>>>> only like that because I happened to have probes on both X1 and X2 at the 
>>>>> same time.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Later I was looking at a good M100, and happened to only be watching X1 
>>>>> and others but not X2, and everything was much better. But just by 
>>>>> touching a probe to X2 while another was on X1, both gnd and 5v went 
>>>>> exactly like those pics I posted from the bad M100. I can probe either X1 
>>>>> or X2 and it's fine, but not bith at the same time.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I don't actually see any special reason to monitor either of those 
>>>>> signals except briefly to verify they exist, or to provide something 
>>>>> steady to trigger on while probing others. Just pointing out something I 
>>>>> saw that explains those ugly traces.
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Dec 7, 2017 11:45 AM, "Josh Malone" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>> Yeah - there is something very weird with the ground on that Tandy.
>>>>>> Maybe some problematic traces? Or a bad IC leaking current to ground?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Can you measure the DC power consumption? It should be ~60-70mA IIRC.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 10:14 PM, Brian White <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>> > After watching a youtube video about how to use an oscilloscope by 
>>>>>> > sparkfun,
>>>>>> > I switched all probes and channels to 10x and adjusted the trim caps 
>>>>>> > in the
>>>>>> > probes against the built in test signal to make the square wave look 
>>>>>> > square.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > With gnd ref on the cpu gnd pin 20 instead of chassis gnd, and a couple
>>>>>> > probes on X1 and reset_in, and one probe on chassis ground, now the x1 
>>>>>> > and
>>>>>> > reset_in signals are steady, reset_in looks flatter, and only the 
>>>>>> > trace for
>>>>>> > chassis ground floats and bobs up and down now.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > So chassis ground simply floats around in relation to the rest of the 
>>>>>> > board,
>>>>>> > or at least in relation to the cpu. Not a bad afe in the scope. 
>>>>>> > *chagrin*
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > --
>>>>>> > bkw
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > On Dec 6, 2017 7:38 PM, "Brian White" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> This is the bobbing I was talking about. It's dumb for me to even be
>>>>>> >> talking about it yet since I haven't even done a basic comparison 
>>>>>> >> check on
>>>>>> >> some other reference yet.
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> https://youtu.be/b9jAYsfTOzQ
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> And here's another look at a different signal hooked up a different 
>>>>>> >> way.
>>>>>> >> Here, I have the ground ref hooked to the gnd pin 20 on the 8085, NOT 
>>>>>> >> the
>>>>>> >> chassis ground. And CH4 is on pin 18, AD6. The offsets, trigger, and
>>>>>> >> vertical scales are all visible on-screen.
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> https://photos.app.goo.gl/mel4CKym2EtcV1352
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> https://photos.app.goo.gl/K1AIj3Pmt15xXfR72
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >> --
>>>>>> >> bkw
>>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >
>>> 
>> 

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