View Full Version : Amb System Help!!!!!


jajnmj
02-13-2006, 12:32 AM
I bought a amb system from a guy on here, supposed to be complete. I have the 8800 with the amb 20 converter, comes with a iso card you have to install on a older computer such as windows 98' the problem is that i have a copy of b&B auto score, but the computer needs drivers software for the amb system, that was not supplied like the complete system should have!!!! Does anone have a copy of the correct drivers for the 8800 system, that they could upload and send to my email address @ jnjohnson11@hotmail.com it would be greatly appreciated, we had to cancel our first race at our new facility this weekend over this issue..... thanks a bunch sincerely jeff johnson!!!!!!!!!!! :cry:

Matt Bayless
02-13-2006, 12:55 AM
Call me Monday. after 3:00 pm. I think I can help you .

jajnmj
02-13-2006, 11:58 AM
anyone else have any help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tres
02-13-2006, 12:18 PM
Do you have DOS or Windows Autoscore?

There are no drivers for the card, just INT/IRQ settings.

To use the Windows version I think you must have the RS-232 serial converter box.

Craig
02-13-2006, 04:38 PM
Our old 8800 system with the B&B software ran under DOS, wouldn't run under Windows and you had to coordinate those IRQ settings with any other peripherals you may have had. Best thing to do is find a stripped down computer with just the basics, install an old version of MS-DOS and that's it.

Now this is assuming you're running an older version of the B&B software. But we never had any driver files for teh 8800 system and everything worked fine.

jajnmj
02-14-2006, 03:30 AM
windows auto score, the guy i got it from sent me a version of the dos, but my email wouldn't accept it!!!!do u have a solution what is the serial converter box, i have the big box that says 8800, and the little one that say amb 20 converter, and a coaxial type connection comes out of it to a little black box that goes to the loop wires. I have windows cd for b&b i go to transopders screen on the main page, it comes up with the area where it has search for amb 20 or amb rc, it searches com1 and com 2 on my computer and says interface set to none!!!! please help!!!!!!!! thanks

Tres
02-14-2006, 09:45 AM
To use the windows version, you need the RS-232 box from AMB.
There are drivers for the card that I know of.

It uses non-standard IRQ/DMA from what I remember.

Also get a couple extra of the small resistors on the corner of the board.
They are used as a fuse. (2ohm 1/8 watt I think???)

swtour
02-14-2006, 09:10 PM
Tres,

I've got a AMB20 (red box) that does speak to the computer. (The light lights up w/ transponders cross the loop, but it doesn't send to the computer)

Any ideas??

kevinm
02-14-2006, 10:37 PM
windows auto score, the guy i got it from sent me a version of the dos, but my email wouldn't accept it!!!!do u have a solution what is the serial converter box, i have the big box that says 8800, and the little one that say amb 20 converter, and a coaxial type connection comes out of it to a little black box that goes to the loop wires. I have windows cd for b&b i go to transopders screen on the main page, it comes up with the area where it has search for amb 20 or amb rc, it searches com1 and com 2 on my computer and says interface set to none!!!! please help!!!!!!!! thanks
The old 8800 system used a card made by AMB in the computer. Most computers can't use the card, either because the I/O addresses or IRQs are used by something else, or maybe the clock speed is too fast. The serial converter is a 3rd box that AMB sold to convert the signals from the 8800/S20 boxes into RS-232, so the system could be used with newer computers. (I don't know if they still sell it. It was around $500 !) If you don't have the card that goes in the PC, it won't work without the serial converter.

Tres
02-14-2006, 11:25 PM
swtour: I would assume it has has the wrong serial port selected in the software.
The RED box is true AMB20 with the serial port built in I thought.
What software are you using?

The old 8800 works best on a true DOS machine.
or one that is at least booted to DOS and NOT thorugh a windows CMD prompt or compatibility mode.

Craig
02-15-2006, 03:07 PM
The 8800's first came with an 8bit I/O card that plugged into the mother board. 8bit slots were just about gone when the first Gen. Pentium machines came out. There aren't any computers now that have an 8bit slot on the boards so the I/O card is useless if you have a computer that's less than about 12-15 years old. The RS-232 interface replaced this card and made it possible to use the system with the newer computers. The AMB20's used the same board. You did have to have an open RS232 port on your computer and had to check in the CMOS setup to see how your ports were configured. Often times if you had a modem and a mouse the systems couldn't find the interface on Com3 or whatever the next available com port was. The IRQ address of the ports was important when setting up devices on the Com ports. Without that address the peripheral was invisible to the system.

It would be helpful to know what kind of computer you have that you're trying to run this on. Also if you are running under Windows your port assignments can be viewed under SETTINGS- CONTROL PANEL. See what COM ports are available and how they are allocated.

As far as availability of the RS232 interface, they quit supporting them years ago when they started to push the new AMBrc system. I had to buy an RS232 interface several years ago (probably more like 5 or 6 years) and they were phasing them out then. That one ran me $450.

swtour
02-18-2006, 02:40 AM
tres,

I've got a 8800 system w/ AMB20 converter, a TRUE AMB20 and a AMBrc system.

My AMB20 system decoder doesn't work with either the WINDOWS or the DOS programs. With either it seems to pick up the transponder signal at the box, but doesn't send the signal through to the computer.

If I hook up the AMBrc or the AMB8800 system...either will work.

I figure I probably have a bad connection someplace, but don't have time to find it...

I'd make a good deal on the AMB8800 w/ system 20 converter, the AMB20 decoder and about 30 transponders.