XIAC Museum — 2010 — Cremer CF830 upgrade (USA field install)
The Cremer CF830 is a beautiful mid‑1980s tablet counter: robust mechanics, disciplined electronics, and an era where software updates arrived as a new 2716 EPROM. This Museum piece follows the evolution from potted solar‑cell detection modules and an Intel MCS‑48 control core, to a serviceable, self‑calibrating detection system and a Mitsubishi FX3UC PLC — shipped to the USA for customer self‑installation.
The story
The CF830 represents a time when industrial design was unapologetically practical: stainless where it mattered, electronics you could trace with a meter, and a user interface that did its job without ceremony.
The original detection system used silicon solar cells as receivers — big, forgiving active areas that deliver a clean signal. The “secret sauce” lived in the analogue conditioning, often protected by epoxy potting.
My upgrade kept the mechanical intent and the proven wiring layout, but modernised the nervous system: self‑calibrating detection channels (no screwdriver trim ritual), a PLC spine for deterministic control, and original cables retained so the machine could always revert if required.
Before: the CF830 in the wild
Cremer CF830. Classic layout: simple UI, robust stainless mechanics, built to run.
Front panel. Straight‑talking keypad + VFD display — simple menu structure.
Original control era: MCS‑48 + EPROM swaps
Inside the original electronics. The CF830 control core was based on Intel’s MCS‑48 family: a ROM‑less 8035 with external firmware in a 2716 EPROM (software updates by chip swap).
- 8035 as main controller (ROM‑less) + external 2716 firmware
- 8748 often used for UI logic (UV‑erasable internal EPROM variant)
- Updates delivered as labelled EPROMs — tangible, reversible, and deliberate
Original detection electronics: potted & protected
Epoxy‑potted detection modules. A period‑correct blend of IP protection and environmental ruggedness. (Unless, of course, the spare parts were not potted.)
Front view. The red/white leads go straight to the solar‑cell detectors at the optical face.
Solar cells as detectors
Big silicon, clean signal. Each channel used two silicon “solar cell” elements: 10×10 mm + 20×10 mm to form a 30×10 mm receiver — across 8 channels.
XIAC detection upgrade: PIC per group
My version. A PIC16F73 per group of 4 channels — distributed intelligence, repeatable modules, and service diagnostics built in.
- Fault isolation and predictable timing
- Cleaner interface to the machine controller
- Designed for serviceability, not secrecy
Self‑calibration: guaranteed stable operation
Self‑calibrating channels. Channel equalisation was done automatically using an analog multiplier controlled by a PIC16F73, bringing all channels to the same level — without the manual trim pots used on the original boards.
Control spine: Mitsubishi FX3UC PLC
PLC-based control. Built around a Mitsubishi FX3UC — same proven architecture as the King TC‑8 upgrade: deterministic sequencing, clean I/O discipline, and field‑service familiarity.
Connectors & harnessing. Built for real installations — and designed to keep the original machine wiring intact.
Bench testing (because… why not?)
Prototype lab, courtesy of someone else’s compressed air.
The full system was tested off-machine in a workshop environment that had the one thing I didn’t have at the time: reliable compressed air.
Shipped to the USA: customer self‑install
Ready. Upgrade assembled and documented for a remote install.
Field reality. Shipped to the USA, installed by the customer using supplied instructions.
More build details
Original cables retained. Proven routing and strain relief — and a clean rollback path if ever needed.
Inside the enclosure. Practical wiring discipline: clear segregation, service access, and robust terminations.
Evolution towards the CF1220 upgrade
Transitional architecture. XIAC control board interfacing a piggy-backed Mitsubishi PLC with the original Cremer electronics — a concept that later formed the basis of the CF1220 upgrade.
The CF830 upgrade would later evolve into the Cremer CF1220 upgrade, built around a XIAC-designed interface control board. This board formed the clean separation layer between a piggy-backed Mitsubishi PLC and the OEM Cremer electronics.
This approach allowed modern control, diagnostics, and HMI functionality to be added without disturbing the original machine logic, preserving compatibility while extending capability.
- PLC handles sequencing, diagnostics, and external integration
- OEM Cremer electronics remain electrically and functionally intact
- Clear architectural boundary between legacy and modern control