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From: jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: No more gurus!
Summary: An external watchdog timer would help.
Message-ID: <863@tardis.Tymnet.COM>
Date: 11 Dec 89 02:59:39 GMT
References: <1540@geocub.greco-prog.fr>
Reply-To: jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith)
Organization: BT Tymnet, San Jose, CA
Lines: 19

In article <1540@geocub.greco-prog.fr> anthes@geocub.greco-prog.fr (Franklin Anthes) writes:
>Amigas in remote locations.  If the machine gurus, I'd
>like to have the machine reboot automatically, instead of waiting
>for somebody to click the left mouse button.

Something else to worry about: Programs that get stuck in an infinite loop.
The standard way around this problem is to have a piece of hardware set
up as a watchdog timer.  If this device does not get an "I'm OK" signal for
a certain length of time (such as 30 seconds), it triggers the CPU's RESET
pin to cause a reboot.

You could have the program send out a pulse once a second on pin 5 of the
mouse connector while it is running.  (That pin is unused on a two-button
mouse.)  After so many seconds with no pulse, RESET!
-- 
Joe Smith (408)922-6220 | SMTP: JMS@F74.TYMNET.COM or jms@gemini.tymnet.com
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