Sun Diagnostic Computer help needed

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rod7515

rod7515

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I'll start by asking if anyone has experience with a Sun Diagnostic Interrogator Model 1805-9.

Now heres why Im asking. When I was a junior in High School (1976) I was working for my dad in the garage he owned. He had just purchased a Sun Machine but I dont know what the model was. That was his life line in business as he used that thing every day until the day he retired and the shop. If I remember correctly it had the front panel which was filled with a dwell gauge, cylinder leak gauge, Tach, and a large oscilating scope. Im sure I missing some of the other gauges but dad loved that thing. Dads 79 now and still has cars that he constantly tinkers with. He is always saying I wish I had my sun machine so I could test this or that but mostly he wants the scope again.
Well last week as I was calling on a new customer (im a tire sales rep) I walk into this old gas station that had been shut down for 20 years but someone is going to reopen I see this sun interrogator sitting in the corner so I said to the owner, "wow a sun machine"! He says to me i have no need for it if you know anyone that needs it. I ask him what he wants for it and he says make me an offer. So i throw out $50 offer and he says sold.
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So I take the truck and trailer over the next day and deliver it to my dads as a surprise. Of course I didnt know if it would work or not. Now dads happy as hell he finally gets a sun machine again, but this one is totally different then what he had before and theres no manual with it. This one is run by what appears to be an old 286 computer with a bunch of floppy dics. So what im looking for is to find someone familiar with this model that can tell me how to jump thru screens and get to where I can show him how to use the timing light and oscilating scope and any other test side of this machine. It appears to work as I booted it up tonight but could only get a screen that would test GM cars from 81-88. there are ford dics and chrysler discs but I just want to be able to use the basic stuff.
Any information or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Rod
 
I remember our Vo-tech auto mechanics got this same exact machine brand new when I was a sophomore or junior in high school in 1986 or 1987.....But Sorry, I have no idea on how to tell you to use it, as the instructor never showed us.........You should be able to download some type of user manual online...That same year we also got a brand new computer spin type wheel balancer which was high tech for the era compared to the old bubble balancer......we were amazed at the technology........we did learn how to use that ....
 
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Talk to @halifaxhops

He is restoring a bunch of old Sun machines now and has a ton of experience with them.
 
Thanks for the info. I will contact him if he doesnt see and reply.
Rod
 
If this were mine the first thing I'd try to do is to interface a "less proprietary" computer if possible and figure out how to work around floppy disks, IE USB stick, even a hard drive. It may NOT be. I have an old HP optical spectrum analyzer which requires a floppy to operate. Unfortunately I don't have that disk nor have I found a way to get one.

Another sad story is I have a complete set of old Autocad software on CD........but you need a floppy to install it......they were VERY anal about their overpriced software!!
 
I landed a SnapOn Counsellor II last year. I've only used it once for the alternator waveforms, but it sure looks cool in the garage...I've used the grease pot I got with it much more...
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Very nice, do you know what its capabilities are? Im just hoping theres a way to get the scope on the one I bought to work. From what I have read so far it seems like its more of a troubleshooting machine then a set up machine. But I think it has the scope side and thats whats important to dad. I just need to find out how to get to that side of the tester. Last year I had a customer that sold me his old hunter alignment machine with turn tables that I gave to dad and he likes using that on his old stuff so Im just hoping I can get this to work for his needs. It keeps him busy and doing something!
Thanks Rod
 
I've got the user's manual with mine. It will do anything the older scopes will do, plus the alternator waveforms, which was great. I was working on a Jag X-type that wouldn't charge the battery with the AC on. Voltage was great with the AC off, but there was way too much ac voltage coming out of it. I don't have any of my old cars running and I need to fix one of the leads. I also recently picked up an old distributor machine that will also need some work.
 
I did some closer looking at this machine. It appears that each year and model has its own 3.5 floppy disc. I have probably 30 - 40 different discs. I was hoping to find one that was a generic disc but no luck. Does anyone know if there is such a disc so I can use the exhaust analyser, scope and timing light? Has anyone ever used a tester like this?
Thanks Rod
 
here are the 2 manuals i found inside the machine. again i havent found a way to bypass from the specific model/year discs that will boot up the system. And with out a disc the computer will not boot up.
DSCN2558.JPG

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks Rod
 
Here is a list of the discs that came with this tester:
1. 1985 Nissan E.C.C.S. 6 cyl diagnostic program
2. Ford Monitors on Board Elec. systems 83-88
3. Ford EEC-IV & MCU Monitor Program 83-87
4. Diagnostic Program Toyota 83-87
5. Diagnostic Program Mazda RX7 86-87
6. Test link program Monitors GM80-84, Ford 83-84, Chrysler 84
7. Chrysler Monitor Program 84-88
8. Diagnostic Program Chrysler 87 Turbo 2.2 and EFI
9. Diagnostic Program Chrysler Carburated 86
10. Diagnostic Program Chrysler 86 Turbo 2.2 and EFI
11. Diagnostic Program Chrysler 85 Carbureted
12. Diagnostic Program Chrysler 84 Turbo and EFI
13. Diagnostic 87 GM CCC
14. Diagnostic GM 81 CCC
15. Diagnostic GM 88 TBI
16. Diagnostic GM 88 PFI Vins L, S. #, (
17. Diagnostic GM 88 CCC
18. Diagnostic GM 86 TBI
19. Diagnostic GM 83 CCC
20. Diagnostic GM 84 TBI
21. Diagnostic GM 88 PFI Vins C, D
22. Diagnostic 87 GM Light Trk Gas
23. Diagnostic GM 85 PFI
24. Diagnostic GM 86 PFI
25. Diagnostic GM 88 PFI, Vins F, M, W, 8
26. Diagnostic GM 85 TBI
27. GM Monitor Program 88
28. Diagnostic GM 86 CCC
Anyone can shed some light on this?
Rod
 
You DO HAVE these discs? Any car before OBD (diagnostic port) the machine has no way of knowing what you have it hooked to. If you pick a disk that covers a V8 for a V8 car it should work I would think
 
I was thinking the same thing and havent had a chance to hook up a car yet. There is one more disc that I didnt pull from the computer. It does the 80-86 GM's. So my plan is to hook the 80 Trans am up and see what all it allows me to look at. The one thing I noticed so far is the screen is not very bright. Maybe that will change once you go into the programs. This week I didnt run into one shop that ever used one. With me being a rep for tires I go into 10 -15 shops a day. Its just hard for me to believe no one used these things. That means that the old guys that did are gone and since the equipment is obsolete no one kept them. Damn, that makes me old because I used the old analog one that we had in the late 70's.
Rod
 
If the screen is dim it could be a few things...

1...You might be "overexpecting" it to be brighter. Might be normal

2...There is probably an intensity/ brightness control "somewhere." Might be in the back, behind a cover, or even must access the innards

3...Or the CRT could just be getting weak. There used to be "tv picture tube rejuvanators" of a few types. One was a sort of booster device that stayed on the set after install. Another was a test "instrument" that diddled with the CRT filament to try and get more life out of it


So far as software, remember, the machine has NO idea what it's hooked to. There is no communications port between those older cars. So probably it just displays timing, dwell, etc settings, and so on.

You can BUY a USB connected floppy drive. Might be worth it to examine the files on there. See if it will boot your computer. You might be able to make an image of a "selected" floppy, and edit out the proprietary menu. And........mebee not LOL
 
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