PC8800-FR
An Emulator of Fisher Provox DC6300/6500 Operator Consoles

Mirador's PC-based emulator of the Fisher DC6300/6500 Operator Console supports all the functions of the original device. In addition, it provides support for printing screens using any HP PCL3 compatible printer. The emulator has been successfully field tested on a Fisher LCON system..

The emulator allows replacing the following Fisher VDU part numbers:

• 12B7573X012 (60Hz Line Freq., 19.2K Baud Serial Rate)
• 12B7573X022 (60Hz Line Freq., 38.4K Baud Serial Rate)
• 12B7573X032 (50Hz Line Freq., 19.2K Baud Serial Rate)
• 12B7573X042 (50Hz Line Freq., 38.4K Baud Serial Rate)

The emulator allows replacing the following Fisher keyboards:

• DC6501 main keyboard
• DC6301 configuration keyboard

Shown below are some typical displays from the Mirador Fisher VDU emulator.

Provox VDU and Keyboards

The Fisher Provox DC6500 VDU, part of the LCON system and often used in the paper industry, is based on Intecolor 8800 hardware, but it incorporates custom cpu firmware developed in Marshalltown, Iowa by Fisher Controls International, Inc. about 1990. The custom firmware provides provides special functions for building text based graphics. A custom graphics character set used used in conjunction with this custom firmware. The Fisher VDU firmware supports serial communications with a host computer at 19,200 Baud or 38,400 Baud.

The DC6501 main keyboard is functionally separate from the VDU. It has its own power supply and serial connection to the system host computer (9600 baud). This keyboard includes a four-position key switch for setting access level and alarm buzzer. The DC6301 configuration keyboard plugs in to the DC6501.

Options for Fisher VDU and Keyboard Replacement

PC8800-FR is available in several different forms:

• As a Windows application, for installation on a user-supplied PC. This version now includes support for Fisher keyboard emulation.
• As a Linux application, pre-installed on an eBOX-2300 embedded computer. This version is especially recommended for replacement of mission-critical equipment using a dedicated PC platform. The eBOX boots from Compaq Flash (no hard drive) and is configured to launch PC8800-FR automatically at boot. The application runs full screen. This version does not currently include support for Fisher keyboard emulation.