Dacta Control Lab Software

[JopieK]

22 hours ago, eloybroock said:

Ok just wrote a fuc.... long text and it seams that it has disappeared..

I got it running under W10 32b  :)

 

Well it did not disappear:

"Hi there, though it is my first post here I will try to help out, as I have been sorting out the huge amount of information during the last months. I am also writing a guide for dummies and for people who just want some basic pogramming.

First of all.... I got the RCX (serial with USB adapter) and Control Lab (with null modem USB adapter)  running under W10 32 bit :)  just apply the compatibility mode and admin mode on every exe.file you need to run

Second... it is important to install the software in a sequence and English version

• RIS 2.0 + patch 
• Robolab 2.5 

I must admit that I am missinh the original Lego Control Lab software and I am using the LEGO Interface B 9751 (70909) Modbus I/O Server Gateway to check the in- and outputs. And I am quite impressed that at least I can control the outgoing power, so I run some MOC smoothly rather then putting the gears under stress.

Give me a couple of days and I will upload a pdf-file with screenshots, pictures and links to the software I use..."

You just posted using the report button I think (read: I'm sure of).

Glad you figured out how to post now. 

[eloybroock]

33 minutes ago, JopieK said:

Well it did not disappear:

"Hi.....

You just posted using the report button I think (read: I'm sure of).

Glad you figured out how to post now. 

 

Thanks mate, I thought so and hoped I didn´t  but I did... so thanks and happy quarentine xD

[eloybroock]

Got finally the InterfaceB running under  W10 - 32bit using Robolab 2.5 (No Labview, Linux, python, java, etc etc.. needed)

 

If you followed the my guideline     Guideline for dummies to run the LEGO RCX&Control Lab software under W10 32 bit

Just read the following documentation   Using Robolab - HOW TO USE THE CONTROL LAB INTERFACE WITH ROBOLAB - Page 173

Picture as proof

 

 

Edited March 20, 2020 by eloybroock

[evank]

5 hours ago, eloybroock said:

Just read the following documentation   Using Robolab - HOW TO USE THE CONTROL LAB INTERFACE WITH ROBOLAB - Page 173

Very helpful, thanks!

I gave up on putting '98 on the same computer where I already have DOS 6.22 and Win 3.1 + 95. :)  In the next couple of months I will have a second period-appropriate computer. That computer or the current one (TBD) will get '98 and Robolab.

I think I read someplace (can't find where) that ONLY the Robolab 2.5 version supports Interface B. Is that correct? Does anyone have a link to where I can find Robolab 1.0? I saw 1.5 somewhere, but it would be cool to run 1.0.

@eloybroock that page also says, "For more information reference the RCX-Control Lab folder on your ROBOLAB CD." I am looking for that folder now (extracted from the .iso file), since I can't actually install it anywhere at the moment.

[evank]

@eloybroock I got 98 and Robolab running in Virtualbox (on my Linux desktop) and found the Control Lab help file -- it's a simple html file in the directory c:/robolab/engine/help/controllab.html -- but I can't figure out how to get that file * OUT * of Virtualbox and onto the real computer! Copy/paste (either the file or the source) between the VM and the physical computer isn't working, nor is 98 support for USB storage, nor even for my USB floppy drive. IE 5.0 can connect to insecure websites, but not to secure sites like Google Drive or my hosting company. I tried accessing an email account through Outlook Express but that too has security issues. LOL, how the heck can I get a file out of this VM...!? Need a creative solution!!!

[evank]

Important updates for ControlLab users:

1. My friend Bob Flanders (@semuhphor on Twitter) helped me extract the Control Lab help file from the RoboLab 2.5 software. I temporarily put it in a Google Drive (it'll move to my website in a couple of months, maybe sooner). You need to download the .html file and image folder. Click here to access it. Then you can open the file in any browser. Specifically, this is a help file for operating the Lego 9751 "Interface B" hardware, circa 1993, from inside RoboLab 2.5, circa 2001. I may have discovered the file on my own by tinkering with Robolab one day, but I must thank @eloybroock for posting about it here!

2. The original Control Lab manuals, including the nowhere-to-be-found-online Reference Manual, recently appeared on eBay. I didn't want to pay the asking price, but I also didn't want someone to buy it and never have it show up again! That reference manual NEEDS to be online. @jarstx and I pooled some $$ and bought it together after making a more reasonable offer to the seller. It should arrive here in a week or so, and then I'll get busy scanning it. Chances are the PDF will go to Archive.org, which in my opinion is the best place for such things vs. any individual person's own website. Archive.org can be trusted to maintain things long-term.

3. I'm serious about wanting to get a copy of Robolab 1.0 if anyone has it to make available online. The oldest version I can find is 1.5 here.

That's all for now!

-Evan

 

Edited March 21, 2020 by evank

[eloybroock]

10 hours ago, evank said:

@eloybroock I got 98 and Robolab running in Virtualbox (on my Linux desktop) and found the Control Lab help file -- it's a simple html file in the directory c:/robolab/engine/help/controllab.html -- but I can't figure out how to get that file * OUT * of Virtualbox and onto the real computer! Copy/paste (either the file or the source) between the VM and the physical computer isn't working, nor is 98 support for USB storage, nor even for my USB floppy drive. IE 5.0 can connect to insecure websites, but not to secure sites like Google Drive or my hosting company. I tried accessing an email account through Outlook Express but that too has security issues. LOL, how the heck can I get a file out of this VM...!? Need a creative solution!!!

I tried before using a VM.,... and I failed. I found that one solution and I am so happy as I can program and use the RCX & the InterfaceB with RoboLab.... I let the creative to the programming experts, I am just an advanced dummy user 

8 hours ago, evank said:

Important updates for ControlLab users:

1. My friend Bob Flanders (@semuhphor on Twitter) helped me extract the Control Lab help file from the RoboLab 2.5 software. I temporarily put it in a Google Drive (it'll move to my website in a couple of months, maybe sooner). You need to download the .html file and image folder. Click here to access it. Then you can open the file in any browser. Specifically, this is a help file for operating the Lego 9751 "Interface B" hardware, circa 1993, from inside RoboLab 2.5, circa 2001. I may have discovered the file on my own by tinkering with Robolab one day, but I must thank @eloybroock for posting about it here!

2. The original Control Lab manuals, including the nowhere-to-be-found-online Reference Manual, recently appeared on eBay. I didn't want to pay the asking price, but I also didn't want someone to buy it and never have it show up again! That reference manual NEEDS to be online. @jarstx and I pooled some $$ and bought it together after making a more reasonable offer to the seller. It should arrive here in a week or so, and then I'll get busy scanning it. Chances are the PDF will go to Archive.org, which in my opinion is the best place for such things vs. any individual person's own website. Archive.org can be trusted to maintain things long-term.

3. I'm serious about wanting to get a copy of Robolab 1.0 if anyone has it to make available online. The oldest version I can find is 1.5 here.

That's all for now!

-Evan

 

@evank  I think I have it somewhere give me time to find it on another harddrive

 

 

@evank   this should help

 

Lego Mindstorms software DDK RIS EV3 NXT

Edited March 21, 2020 by eloybroock

[evank]

Thanks @eloybroock!

[evank]

I download RIS (Robolab) 1.0. Unlike the 2.5 version, this version installed fine on Windows 95.

But there's always another obstacle. :)  The software opens, but it won't let me into the programming environment or the help file until after I connect the tower and RCX box. I don't have those! Just wanted to poke around the development screens and see what's there.

[evank]

Hey look! In the last day or two, someone in Seattle posted new software for using Control Lab through 64-bit Windows (7, 8, 10), MacOS (minimum 10.10), and Raspberry Pi (3B/4B). Pi uses .deb formats, so I contacted him and requested an Ubuntu build, which is immediately supplied. Awesome! I was able to operate motors through my Linux computer just now. He said he'll update his website with the Linux part soon. Click here. Note, this doesn't appear to have input ports, only outputs! I asked him about inputs just now. Waiting for a response.

Between this new software and (in the next couple of weeks) an online scan of the original Reference Manual, it's a good season for Control Lab fans!

Edited March 22, 2020 by evank

[evank]

Clarification: it's not Control Lab running on modern hardware, it's entirely software-based ... this isn't a hardware replica.

Edited March 24, 2020 by evank

[evank]

On 3/6/2020 at 6:30 AM, jarstx said:

Hello everyone,

I've uploaded the LEGO DACTA 9751 CLab software for MS-DOS and Win3.x via OneDrive (here) for those who need it.

On further inspection, the MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 programs are identical. They're both Dacta Control Lab version 1.3 from 1995.

This version works fine directly from DOS or from inside Windows 3.1 (I tested both on real hardware). However I would like to see a version 1.0 if you or anyone else has it available. (The 1.0 software posted on page 1 of this thread, from 2012, is for Windows 95.)

Version 1.0 for MS-DOS was sold on a 5.25" floppy: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?G=821915#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

Version 1.2 is here: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?G=4102514b

Edited March 23, 2020 by evank

[evank]

Another update, while I wait for slow book shipping during this crazy virus situation ... I tracked down one of the Lego engineers who helped build Interface A, so I asked if he also worked on Interface B ... I'll report back here when he responds!

Edited March 24, 2020 by evank

[djm]

On 3/23/2020 at 6:13 PM, evank said:

On further inspection, the MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 programs are identical. They're both Dacta Control Lab version 1.3 from 1995.

This version works fine directly from DOS or from inside Windows 3.1 (I tested both on real hardware). However I would like to see a version 1.0 if you or anyone else has it available. (The 1.0 software posted on page 1 of this thread, from 2012, is for Windows 95.)

Version 1.0 for MS-DOS was sold on a 5.25" floppy: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?G=821915#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

Version 1.2 is here: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?G=4102514b

Seeing that I added those images to BrickLink, I must have the floppies lying around somewhere. I've got an old PC gathering dust in a corner with a 3.5" drive, so I should be able to get the content off the disks. Although I (must) have the 5.25" floppy, I don't have a drive to read it. However I've also got the version 1.0 for MS-DOS on 3.5" too so that should suffice.

I will have a dig around in the next day or two and then drop you a PM.

Regards,

David

[evank]

Just now, djm said:

Seeing that I added those images to BrickLink, I must have the floppies lying around somewhere. I've got an old PC gathering dust in a corner with a 3.5" drive, so I should be able to get the content off the disks. Although I (must) have the 5.25" floppy, I don't have a drive to read it. However I've also got the version 1.0 for MS-DOS on 3.5" too so that should suffice.

I will have a dig around in the next day or two and then drop you a PM.

Regards,

David

That's great! Yes, please get those files onto an online drive somewhere. Let me know if you need help. I have a 5.25 drive.

[evank]

I had that phone interview today with the guy who led development of Robolab. :) Learned all about the history of how/why things happened when they made that software. It will all go onto my website.

Meanwhile, the Control Lab reference guide books should be here in another couple of days.

[eloybroock]

On 3/25/2020 at 8:38 PM, evank said:

I had that phone interview today with the guy who led development of Robolab. :) Learned all about the history of how/why things happened when they made that software. It will all go onto my website.

Meanwhile, the Control Lab reference guide books should be here in another couple of days.

That is awesome mate. Guess he was also a bit flattered that someone still asks about that. Next time think of me an we arrange a "telco" 

I am starting now to programm. Will tell how things are going.

[evank]

Thanks @eloybroock! I spent 20 years writing for computer magazines and now work as a science writer at a technical university here in New Jersey, so it comes natural to me to find the right people and interview them.

The person I interviewed is also here in the U.S., but after we discussed Robolab I asked if knows anyone who worked on Control Lab and he referred me to someone in Denmark. I'm scheduling a time to talk to that person by Skype, hopefully very soon. That person already mentioned yet another Denmark engineer. So, exciting things are happening!

[eloybroock]

Just now, evank said:

Thanks @eloybroock! I spent 20 years writing for computer magazines and now work as a science writer at a technical university here in New Jersey, so it comes natural to me to find the right people and interview them.

The person I interviewed is also here in the U.S., but after we discussed Robolab I asked if knows anyone who worked on Control Lab and he referred me to someone in Denmark. I'm scheduling a time to talk to that person by Skype, hopefully very soon. That person already mentioned yet another Denmark engineer. So, exciting things are happening!

Denmark is just a virus cough away from me  

Well I rediscoverd my "talent" for combining Lego with electricity. My first Lego MOC was a tunnel for my Märklin railway, and I connected a small bulb into the tunnel wiring it. But the hard thing was to make a connection between wires and tracks in order for the light only to go on once the train entered the tunnel...  And I also spent hours in the summer holidays programming in basic the nice spectrum and late the C64+. All before I was even 10.
Dunno what changed, I only know that I focused on sports hahaha

 

And nowadays you woul never guess what I am 

 

Btw  have you seen this page?    http://lukazi.blogspot.com/2014/07/lego-legos-first-programmable-product.html

[evank]

My first programming language was Logo on a Commodore 64, but they only taught us turtle graphics, not the rest of the language. That was in 5th grade, so I was 10. Then we moved on to BASIC with the Apple II+ and Apple //e in 6th-7th grades. I got a //e for my bar mitzvah! LOL, one very happy 13-year-old.

Stopped being interested in Lego as a teenager when I discovered 1/10-scale electric car kits. Tamiya, Team Associated, etc. .... those were WAY more fun to build and race than Lego.

That hobby stopped when I got a driver's license and a real car.  :)

Sometime in my 30s I became interested in vintage computers, and from that world I re-discovered Lego ... eventually finding out ways to do both things together!!! That's where I am at now.

Let me guess, you work in IT or software development?

[eloybroock]

@evank     I converted that file you uploaded into a pdf  and added some other useful docs

Control lab RCX documentation

Just now, evank said:

 

Let me guess, you work in IT or software development?

[evank]

Good job.

Re: Lukazi's blog -- yes, that post helped a ton when I first started using the 1980s set (#9700, #9750, etc.) a couple of years ago. If you read the comments on that page, you'll see a few from Evan K. ... guess what, I know that guy. LOL pardon anything I said in those comments that makes me sound clueless; I know a LOT more about the technology and the products now than I did back then. Ragooman was the other person in those comments. He was a close friend of mine and an electrical engineer. He died of cancer in 2018. If you go to my site (again, it's www.mindsbeforethestorm.com, with the 16-bit section coming online soon), you'll see a tribute link to him (Dan Roganti) in the header.

[eloybroock]

Oh shit I hit tge backslash after the smiley and lost all the answer lol

Resuming

Financial Controller + business law

now. translating and building a safe maglev system to use with lego or whatsoever  (liquid nitrogen is used)

Just now, evank said:

Good job.

Re: Lukazi's blog -- yes, that post helped a ton when I first started using the 1980s set (#9700, #9750, etc.) a couple of years ago. If you read the comments on that page, you'll see a few from Evan K. ... guess what, I know that guy. LOL pardon anything I said in those comments that makes me sound clueless; I know a LOT more about the technology and the products now than I did back then. Ragooman was the other person in those comments. He was a close friend of mine and an electrical engineer. He died of cancer in 2018. If you go to my site (again, it's www.mindsbeforethestorm.com, with the 16-bit section coming online soon), you'll see a tribute link to him (Dan Roganti) in the header.

will have a closer look the next days as I am into Lego again.... was finishing a furniture project for mmm "special" activities xD

[evank]

41 minutes ago, eloybroock said:

building a safe maglev system to use with lego or whatsoever (liquid nitrogen is used)

Wow! That should be its own thread.

[eloybroock]

1 hour ago, evank said:

Wow! That should be its own thread.

Definitely there will be something a post at some moment, though I am thinking lately of an application for commercial use. Currently waiting for an answer regarding a suitable and affordable pressure-reducing valve to lower the 200 bar pressure from the  LN₂ sold in a portable tank to 0,87 bar, so that you get only the  N₂  quantity needed into liquid state. 

In case I get a valve the next step is to develop a safe refueling system for "normal" users.  Estimated costatm  aprox. 200+ € including superconductor, magnet track, and  LN_2.   

Or I wait until the new superconductor that reaches magnet level 0 at -70° C ( dry ice cold) is ready for industrial use. Issue is, hat you get   LN₂  in a portable tank much easier then dry ice, also that you would need to handle the dry ice yourself.

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by eloybroock