FlukeEm is a software emulator of the Fluke 9010A Hardware Troubleshooting System. The end goal of this project will be to create an accurate software implementation of the 9010A as well as a Fluke POD to USB adapter for PC use.
FlukeEm v2.0
Project Admins:
Hi I was wondering if anything has happened with the FlukeEm Fluke 9010A Emulator. With older
game pcb's just getting older and harder to repair it's a great idea.
Hi, I'm happy to help with the hardware design and testing, if this project is still active.
I extensively used the Fluke 9005A/9010A during the 1980s and I am fully aware of its capabilities and I found it an incredibly useful piece of equipment (during the 80s), but in 2023 I would achieve Fluke 9010A functionality (it is nothing more than In Circuit CPU Emulation with Generic H/W Test) in a different way.
It's one thing to develop and promote FlukeEm for nostalgic reasons, but it's another if people are trying to promote FlukeEm for microprocessor equipment repair in 2023. Sure you can use an AVO meter from the 1930s to repair modern technology such as an iPhone, but there are better choices to measure volts in 2023.
In my opinion, in 2023 and beyond it would be much better to design a generic 40 pin IC DIL package interface (to access the UUT via the microprocessor socket) where a 5V capable FPGA device would connect its I/O lines to every pin on the 40 pin IC DIL interface (40 pin microprocessor socket).
To begin with, you can implement the microprocessor of the UUT with VHDL, but even before you go so far you have the power of JTAG boundary scan capabilities made available to troubleshoot an old school Z80, 6502, 6800, 8080, 8088, etc, etc system.
Bringing in JTAG boundary scan capabilities into a troubleshooting repertoire diagnostics tool set would increase the diagnostics over a standard Fluke 9010A.
The Fluke 9010A was a great piece of kit in the 80s, but the user interface is very outdated and behind the times when comes to 2023.
The Fluke 9010A was a great piece of kit in the 80s, but not for 20s.