1207 lines
37 KiB
Plaintext
1207 lines
37 KiB
Plaintext
______________________________________
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ZMAGAZINE 79 November 13, 1987
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______________________________________
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Published/Edited by: Ron Kovacs
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Asst Publishers: Ken Kirchner
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Susan Perry
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Coordinator: Susan Perry
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Columnists: Mike Brown
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Calamity Jane
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______________________________________
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ZMAG BBS 24 Hours (201) 968-8148
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(c)1987 Syndicate Services/Rovac
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______________________________________
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Xx INDEX 79
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______________________________________
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<*> SpartaDos ToolKit Review...M Brown
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<*> Brain Surgery...........Mike Brown
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<*> Zmag Special Offer..............CJ
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<*> Shareware............Calamity Jane
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<*> XEP80 Review #2
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<*> The Talk Box.......Project
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______________________________________
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Xx_______SpartaDOS Tool Kit__________
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a Rhetoric/Review
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______________________________________
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by Mike Brown
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Quite some time ago, I heard
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whisperings about a super accessory
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pack for Sparta DOS users planned by
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ICD. The rumors had it that the
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upcoming -toolkit- would address
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SpartaDOS needs such as being able to
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recover files that had been lost to
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bad file allocation tables, better
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handle MIO configurations, and a host
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of other things that -serious-
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SpartaDOS users have been without from
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the start. Well, those bright boys at
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ICD have finally gotten the SpartaDOS
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tool kit to market; the SpartaDOS user
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now has professional quality tools to
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rival the best in the 8-bit world.
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Just a note of explanation, since
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SpartaDOS has a structure more akin to
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MS-DOS than Atari DOS 2.x, most
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utilities for recovery and
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manipulation that were written for the
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DOS 2.x type file structure would not
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completely work or would not work at
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all. Another consideration is that
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SpartaDOS supports such exotica as
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Quad Density (DS/DD) disks and hard
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disks up to 16mb per logical device,
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such utilities that have the Atari
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180K/720 sector limits built in, were
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to say the least, lacking.
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To give you an idea of what Is
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included, I'll describe each -module-
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of the toolkit (after this, called the
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SDTK) in for you.
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The first tool is called RENDIR and
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makes short work of a touchy task for
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subdirectory users. It performs
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renaming of subdirectories without
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having to delete files, subdirectories
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and then recreate the subdirectory
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under the new name. Just give the
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command the old directory name, and
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the new directory name. Zap! you're
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done!
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VDEL will be a welcome improvement in
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the ERASE command built into
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SpartaDOS. The ERASE command goes out
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and IMMEDIATELY erases everything that
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you said to erase. This can be
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dangerous if you are using a file name
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such as *.*! VDEL shows the name of
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each file that meets the requested
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conditions, one at a time, and asks
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you for a -Y- or -N- to delete or not.
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At the end of the process, a message
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appears reporting the number of files
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deleted. Nice!
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WHEREIS is a little utility that will
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search (good for hard disk systems)
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down through all subdirectories and
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give a report of any matches found for
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the name you enter. If you only know
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part of the file name, wildcards will
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also work; the full path and file name
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will be displayed for all matches. The
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number of matches found will be
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displayed at the end.
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MIOCFG is a utility that not only
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allows Floppy disk only system users
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to back up their MIO configuration
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(before this utility, you could only
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save the MIO config to hard disk #1),
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but also allows multiple backups of
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the config to be saved in any file
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that you specify! Of course MIOCFG
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also allows you to load back in a
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config that was saved to disk, and
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even allows an option to bypass
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formatting of the internal RAM-DISKS.
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SORTDIR allows you to quickly and
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reliably sort directories and
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subdirectories and write them back to
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disk. This utility is the only one
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I've seen that will allow you to sort
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by more than one file -parameter-. The
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sorts supported are by: Filename, File
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Type (extension), File Size, Date/
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Time. There is also a Reverse sort
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option that will sort in high-low
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order if you so desire. This sort is
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quite fast compared to some PD sorters
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out there, but does not allow you the
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option to abort the sort before
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updating the directory- a minor point.
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DOSMENU is included for those types
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who just can't bear dealing with a
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-command line- DOS like SpartaDOS. It
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will display an almost dead ringer of
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the DOS 2.x menu. The instructions for
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DOSMENU say: -If you can't figure out
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how to use this menu, seek some help-.
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It's really that simple! Some new
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commands, such as -Z- Reboot System-
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and -V- View file-, as well as a full
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complement of directory commands, are
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terribly nice for the first time or
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casual user.
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The hot dogs at ICD, not knowing when
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to leave well enough alone, came up
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with COMMAND to soup up the SpartaDOS
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command processor with extra features.
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First off, it allows reprograming of
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ctrl-(number key) and ctrl-shift
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(number key) to any 20-character
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-macro- string that you desire. They
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are programmed by just keying -PF
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(number) <string>- where <string> is
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what you want put to the screen when
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the PF key is pressed. When COMMAND
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loads in, it looks for a file called
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-COMMAND.BAT- to load in your standard
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definitions, but any batch file can be
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used to automate the PF defintion
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process.
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Next, you can change the screen color
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with COMMAND loaded. Just key BLACK,
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GREEN, or BLUE to get that color
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background.
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COLD is a new command that gives a
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coldstart without having to wait for
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extended memory systems to -drain
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down-, and the content of all internal
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RAMDISKS is retained.
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HELP or ? will give you a brief list
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of all of the new extended command
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processor functions and features.
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PATH is very similar to the PROMPT
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command in MS-DOS. You can turn the
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path display on or off as you desire.
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Path ON displays not only the Drive
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that is active as a prompt, but also
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the current -path- is displayed (if
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any).
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If you turn on IBM (shame, shame)
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mode, COMMAND will emulate the use of
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the cursor keys like MS-DOS does. And
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adds these special keys: Right arrow-
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Pulls in the next character from the
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last line keyed from a buffer and
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place it on the current line. Left
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Arrow- Back up one space (just like
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the BACK SPACE key). Ctrl Ins- Places
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you in -insert mode-, keypresses will
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be processed without affectin the last
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line buffer's index. Ctrl Del- will
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advance the last line buffer's index,
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deleting characters from the buffer,
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not the current line. Start- Repeats
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the remaining characters in the last
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line buffer. If you are in the first
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position of the input line, pressing
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START will repeat the entire last
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line. And more -last line buffer-
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magik!
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CLS tells COMMAND to clear the screen,
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again, like MS-DOS.
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I have saved the best for last, DISKRX
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is a complete SECTOR editor and
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RECOVERY TOOL for SpartaDOS! There are
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so many neat features that it would
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take another whole article to detail
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them. Here are just a few of them:
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Edit sectors in either HEX or ATASCII,
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both translations are always
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displayed, but edit flips back and
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forth between the two.
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The display will tell you a bit about
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the sector being worked on, if it is
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part of the BOOT, BITMAP, MAIN DIR,
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MAIN FAT (File allocation table, or
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sector map), SUB DIR, SUB FAT, or
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DATA.
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Blank the current sector being worked
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on Show the formatted directory,
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optionally you may specify a
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subdirectory. Such useful information
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as Full File name and Size, Present
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entry Status, The first Sector Map of
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the file, and the sector(s) where the
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entry is actually written.
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File Mode shows you all the sectors
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belonging to a particular file (path
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optional) for viewing or edit. File
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mode will trace the file sector map
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for a particular file for you.
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Override allows you to recover disks
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where the first sector has been
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damaged, and the basic status of the
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disk is not readable or incorrect.
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Full searching for ocurrances of
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ATASCII and HEX strings is supported
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with imbedded wildcards.
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Toggle allocation on/off of a sector
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in the current bitmap.
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Write to the current sector or specify
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another sector to write to.
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Read Next Sector in file or next
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sequential sector, Read Prev.
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File/Seq. Quick Scan forward/backward.
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Tag sectors, and write them to a file
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that you pecify on this or another
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disk And MORE!!!!!
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Again, I have glossed over some of the
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most interesting parts of DISKRX and
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every time I sit down with it, I find
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something new and amazing that it can
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do. -M- gets you a 2-page menu of
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commands, and information about the
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commands.
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Overall, this program is well worth
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the $29.95 that ICD is asking, just
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for the entertainment value. Not many
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dealers have it yet, so call their BBS
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(815-968-2229) and order it direct.
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______________________________________
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Xx Brain Surgery for the ST
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______________________________________
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by Mike Brown
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This article attempts to let you in on
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some of the trials and pitfalls
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associated with -Do it yourself-
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memory upgrades for the 520ST. This is
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not a step-by-step -how to do it-
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article, nor is it a strict product
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review. Think of it as my opinion on
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what is viewed by some as an
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attractive alternative to a new
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computer.
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The memory upgrade kit that I am
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referring to is made by Diverse Data
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Products, I would give you the
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address, but I understand that the
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company has recently moved. The new
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phone number is 201-780-2019, if you
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feel like giving them a call. The
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reason that I became involved with
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this -surgery- (although I do not, as
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yet, own an ST) is because the owner
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became frustrated trying to install
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the upgrade herself, and asked for
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help. This was the second upgrade kit
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that was put in this computer from the
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same company. The first kit caused
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erratic memory failures, and may have
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damaged the original computer,
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although we have never been able to
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trace the true cause of the
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unexplained failure.
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Suffice it to say, that to the
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individual that is not technically
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inclined, these memory upgrades are
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NOT recommended. There is definitely
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some skill and creativity required to
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make them fly. Also, as the
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instructions note in BIG LETTERS, This
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upgrade does void your Atari warranty
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from the factory. Diverse does
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warranty the product for 90 days due
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to failures in workmanship. I hope you
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don't have a failure, as the company
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was not too responsive to our requests
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for replacement/credit/etc.
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What you get for your bux; For the
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going price of $149.99 (add $20 for
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the so-called -solderless- version)
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you get the one-piece memory
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-daughterboard-, a small coil of rosin
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core solder, and a 4 page
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(photocopied) instruction manual. It
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is recommended that (to do a good job)
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you have the following materials
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available:
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Medium Phillips Head Screwdriver
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Medium Flat Head Screwdriver
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Needle Nose Pliers
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Low wattage fine point soldering Iron
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Duct tape
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cardboard scraps
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wire cutters
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sheet metal shears or hobby tool and
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last but not least, a cheap IC puller
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from Radio Shack (or wherever).
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For the most part, the instructions
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cover the disassembly of the computer
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and the installation of the upgrade
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board in reasonable detail. I wish
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that some of the Photographs were a
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bit clearer, and that the drawings of
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the underside of the system (mother)
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board were a bit more detailed. I
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recommend that you READ and UNDERSTAND
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all of the instructions before
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beginning work!
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The big problems with this upgrade are
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as follows:
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1> If you want to maintain the metal
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RF shield over the video shifter
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chip and related circuitry, you
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must cut away about a one square
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inch area in the upper left hand
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corner of the shield so that the
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wiring from the video shifter
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-piggyback- socket can make it back
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to the daughterboard. I would
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defintely urge you to cover any raw
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metal edges with duct tape before
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re-assembly.
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2> I don't know why it is this way,
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but the legs on the previously
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mentioned -piggyback- socket are
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about twice the length that they
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can be. I about 1/8- off of them
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with my wire cutters, and got a
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much better all-around fit.
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3> The IC clip that goes over U30
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definitely requires that you remove
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the two capacitors on either side
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(C41 and C39) in order to get
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reliable contact. The instructions
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mention this, but it should be
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stressed that it is best to
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de-solder the Capacitors instead of
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just clipping the wires. Also, even
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under the best of circumstances,
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this clip sits rather loose. I bent
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the connectors -in- a bit and
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secured the whole assembly with
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small strips of duct tape to add
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reliability.
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4> The photographs and instructions
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seem to assume that you have an ST
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without the RF modulator
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attachment. Anyone who attempts
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this mod to a recent model ST (this
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one was fairly new) will have to
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get creative with the wiring
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routing from the video shifter to
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the memory board itself.
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5> Because of continued problems with
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the prongs on the bottom of the
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memory board either putting
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pressure on the -glue- chip, or
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shorting, I ended up clipping flush
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all of the protruding socket and
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component ends on the bottom lower
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part of the daughter board. As an
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added precaution, I taped thin
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cardboard (any sturdy insulating
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material would work OK) to the
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whole bottom side of the memory
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board with the good 'ol duct tape.
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6> Even with all of these precautions,
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I still could not crank the
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external case screws down all the
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way tight without getting
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unreliable operation. To get around
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this, I bent the outside RF shield
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away from the area where the memory
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board sits, and -bubbled- the
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shield about where the ribbon cable
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connects over U30. I also found
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that the RF modulator moves the
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memory board out enough that you
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probably will want to trim the
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center plastic case attachment
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-rib- about an inch or so (down to
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the round part itself) for better
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clearance. I am not sure if it is
|
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necessary, but I felt better after
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running the trusty duct tape strip
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from the back edge of the lower
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half of the ST case and the back
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edge of the memory board. It seemed
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to hold things in place a bit
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better and the memory board
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-floated- a lot less during
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re-assembly. For the same reason I
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put small strips of tape to secure
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the 3 wires that get soldered to
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the bottom of the system board on
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the MMU socket pins. By the way,
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the instructions fuzzily describe a
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modification to the wiring that can
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be made to REV E or higher system
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boards (The one I was working with
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was REV H). I tried it and couldn't
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get it to work; Save yourself some
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frustration, ignore the section
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that describes this option.
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So how much more -usable- memory can
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you expect after getting things
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squared away? The instructions claim
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about 740,000 free bytes in ST basic,
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a memory check accessory I ran showed
|
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over 820,000 bytes free (TOS in ROM)
|
|
and comparisons with VIP Professional,
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showed a mere 53,000 bytes free before
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upgrade, and a more usable 600,000+
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bytes after upgrade.
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As to if this is a good thing for the
|
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average person to invest in, I would
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have to say -no-. I think that it is a
|
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bit too -messy- for the average person
|
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to get running without possibly doing
|
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some damage. If you are an adventurer,
|
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you might want to consider it, but for
|
|
the difference in price, the 1040ST
|
|
looks like a better deal to me.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Xx ZMAG SPECIAL OFFER
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
**************************************
|
|
* FoReM BBS Coupon Offer *
|
|
*The Most Powerful BBS System for the*
|
|
* Atari ST and IBM/PC *
|
|
* Exclusively for Zmag and ST-Report*
|
|
* *
|
|
* NEW 2.0! * $59.95 *
|
|
* *
|
|
*Fifteen Dollars!Off With This Coupon*
|
|
* *
|
|
* Commnet Systems *
|
|
* 50 Eaton Road *
|
|
* Farmington, MA 01701 *
|
|
* (617)877-0257 (Voice) *
|
|
* (617)877-8756 (BBS) *
|
|
* Specify ST or PC Please *
|
|
* *
|
|
*This Offer May Be Withdrawn Any Time*
|
|
**************************************
|
|
______________________________________
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______________________________________
|
|
Xx <<<< Share Ware >>>>
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______________________________________
|
|
by Calamity Jane
|
|
|
|
I _love the Share Ware idea... I mean
|
|
the WHOLE thing. If you like a program
|
|
and can use it... then send the
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programmer the money. For the most
|
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part, the Share Ware programs I have
|
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seen are top-quality stuff... I mean,
|
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top quality. DCopy by Ralph Walden, is
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the first I got involved with. I use
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it EVERY DAY!! Now with the FoReM BBS
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program supporting the Doors <the on-line games etc>, we will see more
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of this spring up. The Mailer that
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allows FoReM to F-Net, is Share Ware.
|
|
The Mailer was not a one week job, but
|
|
several months worth of_very hard
|
|
work. In my opinion, Dave Chiquelin
|
|
deserves something. The -=*Space
|
|
Empire=-* game has taken alot of time
|
|
and effort... Jon deserves something
|
|
also. So does every one else who
|
|
desires/deserves it.
|
|
|
|
I F-Netted a -check- <done in the
|
|
message base> to Dave Chiquelin for
|
|
the Mailer program -- have you had
|
|
much luck cashing that yet? <grin>
|
|
And, today I sent my ten bucks to Jon
|
|
Radoff for the -=*SE*=- game, but I
|
|
went a step further. I have a friend
|
|
that is, well busted up and busted...
|
|
<a long story, I shall skip> He wants
|
|
the game desperately, but ten bucks is
|
|
ten bucks. It would be so easy for me
|
|
to get the game for myself and zap off
|
|
a copy and F-Net the sucker to him,
|
|
and not care whether HE pays for it. I
|
|
chose not to do this... I paid for him
|
|
also. After all, I would rather have
|
|
HIM owe ME !! Some of you are going to
|
|
think I am nuts... fine, go ahead, but
|
|
I think so much of this Share Ware
|
|
program that I will do all I can to
|
|
support it.
|
|
|
|
It's one thing for me to pay 40+ bucks
|
|
for a piece of software, that I
|
|
discover is a pile of garbage. And of
|
|
course I don't REALLY know this, till
|
|
I boot it up and play!! But it is
|
|
quite another situation for me to play
|
|
with the software, get to know it, and
|
|
see that it fits my needs. Then send
|
|
my money.
|
|
|
|
The Co-SysOp of The Prairie Chip,
|
|
Byron Cullen, is writing a game for
|
|
the FoReM Doors... It will be Share
|
|
Ware. Will I pay him?? HIM??
|
|
Probably not, I can get away with just
|
|
feeding him... <grin> He will take me
|
|
up on it, even though we are a few
|
|
hundred miles away... I do not doubt
|
|
my Co... The Chip will be home base
|
|
for this new game and I shall attempt
|
|
to see he gets what he deserves... I
|
|
know how much work has gone into his
|
|
spectacular game. I only have so much
|
|
control though...
|
|
|
|
Another method I thought was a _nice
|
|
way to pay for Share Ware, was to send
|
|
the programmer two bucks or two
|
|
disks... You know this one isn't in
|
|
it for the money... The disks are for
|
|
saving all that wonderful data on...If
|
|
the author of something you use, wants
|
|
ten dollars and all you have is five
|
|
-- by all means send it !! He or she
|
|
will appreciate the fact you even
|
|
bothered.
|
|
|
|
Support the Share Ware idea...
|
|
May it Live Long and Prosper...
|
|
|
|
<<Permission granted to reprint>>
|
|
-=-CJ-=-
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Xx XEP80 REVIEW
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Living With the XEP80 a Subjective
|
|
Review by Wally Wong, BRACE
|
|
|
|
Yes, folks, it's finally here, the
|
|
long awaited 80 column adaptor from
|
|
Atari, the XEP80. Actually, it's more
|
|
than an 80-column display module, it's
|
|
also a parallel printer interface (Due
|
|
to deadlines, I did not have a chance
|
|
to investigate the printer aspects of
|
|
the XEP80 but will tell what the
|
|
claims are). There are some delights
|
|
and some plights you should be aware
|
|
of as well as a plethora of potential
|
|
programming hacking that could keep
|
|
some Atari enthusiast awake many a
|
|
nights.
|
|
|
|
The Atari XEP80 Interface Module is an
|
|
80-column video display controller and
|
|
-standard- parallel printer interface
|
|
for all 8-bit computers with a minimum
|
|
of 16K RAM. The XEP80 looks just like
|
|
the Atari SX212 modem, same size,
|
|
dimension and color - minus the lights
|
|
on the front panel. The XEP80 comes
|
|
with just about everything you need;
|
|
video cable to connect the module to a
|
|
composite monitor (monochrome
|
|
recommended), power supply adaptor
|
|
(Egads! Another one, that makes six!),
|
|
the module, a 20 page owner's manual,
|
|
a warranty card (that no one I know
|
|
sends in), and a 5 1/4- distribution
|
|
disk, all for $79.99,list.
|
|
|
|
A nice long cable runs out the rear of
|
|
the module that connects to your
|
|
computer via joystick port one or two.
|
|
Most will probably elect to use port
|
|
two and keep the other available for a
|
|
joystick. No problem except one of the
|
|
demo programs (WINDOW.BAS) will only
|
|
work if the joystick is in port two
|
|
and the module plugged into one. The
|
|
power switch is located in the rear
|
|
and a tiny diagonal window emits a
|
|
subtle green light on the front panel
|
|
when the power is on. The video cable
|
|
is a simple cable with RCA male jacks
|
|
on both ends. One end connects to the
|
|
rear of the module and the other to
|
|
your composite monitor.
|
|
|
|
The -standard- parallel printer port
|
|
is a DB25 parallel female connector
|
|
found on the STs and IBM type systems;
|
|
not centronics, and not a Atari 850 or
|
|
P:R: Connection connector. This is one
|
|
of the reasons why I haven't tried the
|
|
printer aspect of the module; no cable
|
|
and not being able to use my 850
|
|
parallel cable. The reason for using
|
|
DB25 connection is for
|
|
-standardization- which means you can
|
|
obtain a printer cable from just about
|
|
any computer store, and not be
|
|
hand-cuffed to -Atari Only- vendors
|
|
who would be the only ones carrying
|
|
850/PRC parallel cables (but we will
|
|
make our purchase at our local Atari
|
|
vendor, right!!). If you wish to use
|
|
the parallel printer port soley as a
|
|
printer port, hold down the shift key
|
|
while booting the disk and continue to
|
|
hold until its done loading. This
|
|
will allow output to the printer
|
|
although you'll be in 40 columns
|
|
through the computer video port or RF.
|
|
Here is what the owner's manual says
|
|
about selecting the printer port:
|
|
|
|
-When you start up your system with
|
|
the XEP80 Module, the module is
|
|
prepared to direct output to a printer
|
|
throught the parallel port(P1:).
|
|
Specifying P2: directs output to the
|
|
ATARI 850 Interface Module; P3:
|
|
outputs to the 1025 Priner; P4: to the
|
|
1020 Color Plotter; P5: to the 1027
|
|
Printer; P6: to the 1029 Printer; P7:
|
|
to the XMM801 Printer; and P8: to the
|
|
XDM121 Printer.-
|
|
|
|
There is a -PRINTER.BAS- program on
|
|
the distribution disk. I haven't
|
|
looked at it, it may have something to
|
|
do with configuration and the XEP80.
|
|
The XEP80 also sports an internal 2K
|
|
buffer for printing. Nice touch.
|
|
(Nicer if its easily expandable,
|
|
that's too much to ask of Atari.)
|
|
That's all I can say about the XEP80
|
|
as a printer interface.
|
|
|
|
Turn on the XEP80, monitor, disk
|
|
drive(s), insert the XEP80 disk (of
|
|
course you made a copy of the
|
|
original, right?) and turn on the
|
|
computer. The XEP80 handler comes as
|
|
an AUTORUN.SYS file so it will boot up
|
|
automatically. If your monitor is
|
|
adjusted to give you a full screen
|
|
with a normal 40 column screen (like
|
|
mine), the first thing you will notice
|
|
is the bottom half of the last three
|
|
characters of the -READY- prompt of
|
|
BASIC in the upper left hand corner of
|
|
the screen. If you type -DOS- to get
|
|
to the DOS menu (DOS 2.5 comes on the
|
|
disk), the first line of the heading
|
|
is tucked somewhere beneath the top of
|
|
your monitor chassis. The next thing
|
|
you will notice is the bunch of tiny
|
|
characters (relative to 40 column
|
|
characters) on the screen! Folks, you
|
|
now have an 80 column display. The
|
|
characters are quite readable on the
|
|
BMC and Commodore 1702 composite color
|
|
monitors. The display looks !great! on
|
|
a monochrome composite monitor (once I
|
|
got mine to work properly).
|
|
|
|
The characters are defined within a
|
|
7x10 cell (7 wide x 10 high) compare
|
|
to 8x8 cell used normally. I think
|
|
this is the reason for the truncated
|
|
display at the top of the screen; the
|
|
characters are taller than normal and
|
|
pushing the top of the display. Now,
|
|
this is just a guess, I'm no video
|
|
display wiz. This can be corrected by
|
|
adjusting the vertical width.
|
|
Correcting for 80-colums will create a
|
|
smaller vertical screen when you
|
|
return to 40 columns. This is okay if
|
|
the vertical adjustment is located on
|
|
the front of the monitor or easily
|
|
accessible, if not, you'll have to
|
|
decide if you want to make this
|
|
adjustment and then find someone
|
|
qualified to do it.
|
|
|
|
The XEP80 can actually display up to
|
|
256 character columns but only 80 are
|
|
available at a time (Hmm, doesn't
|
|
AtariWriter Plus scroll in 256
|
|
columns??!!). The demo program
|
|
-WINDOW.BAS- and a joystick
|
|
illustrates this aspect nicely.
|
|
Remember, the module has to be plugged
|
|
into port one and the joystick in two
|
|
for the program to work. If you want
|
|
to disable the XEP80 but want to use
|
|
the printer port, hold down the shift
|
|
key when booting the system. This
|
|
disables the 80-column and enables the
|
|
normal video output; composite video
|
|
port or RF. The XEP80 handler
|
|
disables the ANTIC chip from
|
|
displaying and display I/O is directed
|
|
to the XEP80. There is a document
|
|
file on the distribution disk that
|
|
explains all this in detail.
|
|
|
|
The distribution disk comes with DOS
|
|
2.5, the XEP80 driver, assorted demo
|
|
programs written in BASIC, assembly
|
|
language source code, and a doc file
|
|
that goes into the hardware and
|
|
software specifics in detail.
|
|
|
|
The following are some thrills and
|
|
chills I've experienced during the
|
|
course of a week since I bought the
|
|
XEP80. Remember, these are only
|
|
preliminary experiences and are not
|
|
conclusive, especially the items
|
|
listed in -CHILLS.- I qualify that
|
|
because the XEP80 handler is
|
|
relocatable and compatibilty may just
|
|
be finding the right spot for the
|
|
handler.
|
|
|
|
THRILLS:
|
|
1)It is compatible with SpartaDos 3.2.
|
|
The XEP80 handler (the AUTORUN.SYS
|
|
file on the distribution disk) must
|
|
be installed through the
|
|
STARTUP.BAT. I renamed the
|
|
AUTORUN.SYS file to XEP80.COM and
|
|
when creating the STARTUP.BAT file,
|
|
the XEP80 file should be the last
|
|
item in the batch. I have not tried
|
|
it with the Time/Date Display (TD)
|
|
line since I rarely use it because
|
|
of the conflicts with other
|
|
programs. Note: If you happen to
|
|
setup your ramdisk (RD.COM) after
|
|
installing the handler, you'll get
|
|
garbage on the screen. I found that
|
|
by turning the XEP80 off and back
|
|
on, the screen clears and behaves.
|
|
|
|
2)ATARI BASIC - you still have a
|
|
maximum of three lines per line
|
|
number but now three lines equals
|
|
240 characters instead of 120. I
|
|
would refrain from extending BASIC
|
|
lines beyond 120 characters to
|
|
maintain compatibility between the
|
|
XEP80 and standard 40 column screen.
|
|
SETCOLOR AND DRAWTO commands cannot
|
|
be used.
|
|
|
|
3)MAC/65, yes!
|
|
|
|
4)The display is good on a color
|
|
monitor and great on a monochrome.
|
|
The doc file provides plenty of
|
|
information to develop some great
|
|
applications taking advantage of the
|
|
XEP80. I've been looking at some
|
|
PD/Shareware text editors written in
|
|
BASIC that could easily be modified
|
|
to use the XEP80. Remember to give
|
|
credit to the author is you plan on
|
|
using existing programs as a
|
|
foundation for your programming.
|
|
I'll leave it to your good
|
|
programming morals to contact
|
|
authors before you start hacking
|
|
someones program and distributing
|
|
them.
|
|
|
|
5)The demo programs on the
|
|
distribution disk are a great source
|
|
for programming ideas and tips on
|
|
how to use the many attributes of
|
|
the XEP80.
|
|
CHILLS:
|
|
|
|
1)There are no programs available that
|
|
uses the XEP80 except for the demo
|
|
programs.
|
|
|
|
2)AtariWriter 80, if I may call it
|
|
that, will be a couple of months
|
|
before it is released. November,
|
|
maybe?? Contrary to some rumours
|
|
that the AW80 was cancelled or
|
|
shelved, the AW80 is being worked
|
|
on; confirmed with Neil Harris on
|
|
GEnie.
|
|
|
|
3)No ACTION! XEP80 does not like the
|
|
way ACTION! behaves with the screen.
|
|
|
|
4)No BASIC XE. Same reason as number
|
|
(3). Probably the same with BASIX
|
|
XL.
|
|
|
|
5)I also found that with the system
|
|
on, it may try to reboot when
|
|
turning the XEP80 off and on with
|
|
DOS 2.5, sometimes. Turning the
|
|
XEP80 off and on like this is
|
|
probably not good for your system,
|
|
so make sure you process the
|
|
SpartaDos batch files correctly to
|
|
avoid this.
|
|
|
|
6)Inconvenience between switching
|
|
plugs connecting the monitor between
|
|
the video cable coming out of my XE
|
|
and the XEP80. You can't have both
|
|
connected at the same. There are two
|
|
solutions-
|
|
a)run out and buy a monochrome
|
|
composite monitor and connect the
|
|
XEP80 into this monitor and keep
|
|
the video connected to the color
|
|
composite monitor (or vice versa
|
|
if your present monitor is
|
|
monochrome) or
|
|
b)build a switch box that will
|
|
handle all the different
|
|
connections. Plans for the switch
|
|
box I built is simple and I'll
|
|
submit it to PSAN...next month.
|
|
|
|
Neutral Notes:
|
|
|
|
1)Be sure you try out the monitor with
|
|
the XEP80 before you buy.
|
|
|
|
2)Some monitors have a 40 or 80 column
|
|
switch either inside or outside.
|
|
This switch might have to be set to
|
|
obtain a decent display (as
|
|
suggested by Darryl, Atari Tech.).
|
|
|
|
3)If your monochrome monitor looks
|
|
fine in 40 columns but you get
|
|
flashes of indecipherable dots, try
|
|
adjusting the horizontal hold.
|
|
Again, this adjustment might be
|
|
internal so think before you jump.
|
|
|
|
4)The XEP80 supports bit mapped
|
|
graphics, 320x200.
|
|
|
|
5)the XEP80 handler replaces the E:,
|
|
S:, and P: vectors in the Handler
|
|
Address Table.
|
|
|
|
Personal Touch:
|
|
I believe this is the single product
|
|
that will make or break the -only a
|
|
game machine- mentallity of the eight
|
|
bit Ataris. If the applications
|
|
software is done well and released in
|
|
reasonable time and the advent of the
|
|
new disk drive and maybe a drop in
|
|
price, the Atari XE will be the most
|
|
affordable, versatile and serious
|
|
computer system on the market. Imagine
|
|
the day when new computer buyers
|
|
choose the Atari because it's
|
|
AFFORDABLE and DOES THE JOB WELL!....
|
|
and it has great graphics and games.
|
|
We know this already, now it's time
|
|
for the public to find out.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Xx The Talk-Box
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
by Gene Strojny and Robert Emerick
|
|
|
|
Can we talk? I mean... can we talk?
|
|
Better yet, can your Atari XL home
|
|
computer system talk? What? You mean
|
|
you don't have a speech synthesizer
|
|
for your computer? Well, now there's
|
|
no excuse not to. I'm going to show
|
|
you how to build one yourself for less
|
|
than $30.00. Sounds too good to be
|
|
true, doesn't it? Well, it is true,
|
|
using Radio Shack's SPO256-AL2 IC
|
|
speech processor chip.
|
|
|
|
The main problems with the speech
|
|
sythesizers currently on the market is
|
|
that they cost too much, or use an
|
|
excessive amount of RAM. The
|
|
schematics for the -Do It Yourself-
|
|
kits are usually too technically
|
|
complex for all except an experienced
|
|
Electronics Technician. Even the
|
|
schematics for the SPO256-AL2 are
|
|
obscure for someone who only knows the
|
|
very basics of electronics. I have
|
|
tried to simplify things and have
|
|
eliminated all but the most essential
|
|
components. I ended up with a
|
|
schematic that just about anyone
|
|
should understand.
|
|
|
|
The SPO256-AL2 Chip
|
|
|
|
The Radio Shack SPO256-AL2 chip is a
|
|
pre- programmed IC chip. It has all
|
|
the basic speech sounds programmed
|
|
into it. This means that no RAM is
|
|
tied up holding the speech synthesis
|
|
routines. I won't elaborate too much
|
|
on how the words are formed from the
|
|
basic sounds, since the SPO256-AL2
|
|
comes with a small user's manual. This
|
|
manual contains a lesson on basic
|
|
speech production, a list of the basic
|
|
speech sounds programmed into the chip
|
|
and their decimal POKE equivalents, a
|
|
small dictionary of words and their
|
|
decimal equivalents, as well as the
|
|
technical data for interfacing.
|
|
|
|
The Circuit
|
|
|
|
There is nothing critical about the
|
|
circuit. You may assemble it on a
|
|
perf board using wire wrapping, or if
|
|
you like, you may make your own
|
|
printed circuit board. The parts list
|
|
is given in Table One. The wiring
|
|
diagram is given in Figure One, and
|
|
the pin out configuration for the joy
|
|
stick ports is shown in Figure Two.
|
|
|
|
When building the circuit, install the
|
|
28-pin DIP socket first. The use of
|
|
the socket is strongly recommended so
|
|
that you don't have to apply the
|
|
soldering iron directly to the chip
|
|
and risk burning it out. Next,
|
|
install the resistors, capacitors and
|
|
cables. The wires in the joystick are
|
|
color-coded, but as far as I know,
|
|
there is no correlation between the
|
|
color of the wire and the pin numbers.
|
|
Check each wire to be sure which pin
|
|
it corresponds to.
|
|
|
|
Table One: Parts List
|
|
|
|
Qnty.
|
|
and ID Description Part #
|
|
======================================
|
|
C1-C4 1 4.47pF 272-121
|
|
C5 1 0.1uF 50v 272-1069
|
|
C6 1 1.0uF 16v 272-1434
|
|
R1 1 100K 1/4 watt 271-1347
|
|
R2 1 10K 1/4 watt 271-1335
|
|
IC1 1 SPO256-AL2 276-1784
|
|
Xtal 1 3.579 MHz 272-1310
|
|
1 28 pin socket 276-1997
|
|
2 Joystick Cables 276-1978
|
|
1 Phone Jack 274-251
|
|
1 Plastic Case 270-222
|
|
1 Amplifier 277-1008
|
|
|
|
Attach the wires corresponding to the
|
|
joystick port's pins to the
|
|
corresponding pads on the circuit
|
|
board. These are labelled in the
|
|
schematic diagram. Install the
|
|
SPO256-AL2 chip last, after everything
|
|
else is in place. Leave the chip in
|
|
its package until you're ready to
|
|
install it. While this kind of chip
|
|
is very forgiving when it comes to
|
|
miswiring, it will give out quite fast
|
|
when faced with static electricity.
|
|
This means that you must make certain
|
|
that you are grounded and aren't
|
|
charged with static electricity
|
|
whenever you touch the chip.
|
|
|
|
There are two ways to hook up the
|
|
audio. You may use a small battery
|
|
powered audio amplifier like the
|
|
#277-1008 that Radio Shack sells, or
|
|
you may take your RS-232 cable end
|
|
apart and solder a lead corresponding
|
|
to pin #11 of the CIO port, as shown
|
|
in Figure Three, to the center pin of
|
|
a miniature phono jack (Pin #11 is the
|
|
Cassette Audio pin.). The sound will
|
|
be channeled through your monitor. If
|
|
you do use this method, all other
|
|
computer generated sound will be cut
|
|
off until the connection is unplugged
|
|
from the Talk-Box. If you plan to use
|
|
the speech synthesizer in conjunction
|
|
with programs that have sound effects,
|
|
use the first method.
|
|
|
|
Whichever method you choose, don't (I
|
|
repeat, DON'T) connect your computer
|
|
to an external, unregulated line
|
|
powered amplifier. If you do, you
|
|
will most assuredly fry your computer
|
|
into Silicon Heaven.
|
|
|
|
Using the Talk-Box
|
|
|
|
All that has to be done to make the
|
|
chip pronounce a word is to POKE the
|
|
chip's decimal addresses (via the
|
|
joystick ports) with the numbers which
|
|
correspond with the group of sounds
|
|
which make up that word. For example,
|
|
the word HELLO consists of four
|
|
sounds: H/E/LL/O. After you
|
|
determine the word's individual
|
|
sounds, look up the appropriate
|
|
decimal values in the data manual
|
|
supplied with the chip. The word
|
|
HELLO would therefore be represented
|
|
by the numbers 27, 7, 45, and 53.
|
|
|
|
The joystick port must be configured
|
|
for output before you can POKE data to
|
|
it. This is done by PEEKing location
|
|
54018, subtracting 4 from the value
|
|
found there, and POKEing the result
|
|
back into 54018. Then you must POKE a
|
|
127 into 54016 and then returning
|
|
54018 to its original value.
|
|
|
|
Your program must check to see if the
|
|
SPO256-AL2 chip is busy before sending
|
|
any data to it through the ports. This
|
|
is done by checking bit 8 to see
|
|
whether it's high or low (viz. 1 or
|
|
0). the chip sets this bit low when
|
|
it's not busy, and high when it is
|
|
busy. When bit 8 goes low, you must
|
|
first POKE 54016 with (64 + the
|
|
decimal value of the sound you wish
|
|
produced). Next, strobe bit 7 by
|
|
POKEing 54016 again with only the
|
|
decimal value of your sound. This
|
|
lets the chip know there is data on
|
|
line, ready for it to accept. The
|
|
chip will then accept the data and
|
|
simultaneously set bit 8 high again
|
|
until it is done making the sound.
|
|
|
|
Listing One is a small program to test
|
|
your Talk-Box. Just type in the
|
|
listing and RUN it after you have
|
|
plugged the Talk-Box into the joystick
|
|
ports. Make sure that if you are
|
|
using the battery powered amplifier,
|
|
it is turned on and the volume is up.
|
|
When the program is RUN, you should
|
|
hear it say, -Hello. How are you?-
|
|
If it doesn't, check to make sure you
|
|
plugged all the cables into the
|
|
correct ports -- the Talk-Box won't
|
|
work if they are reversed. If it
|
|
still doesn't work, re-check your
|
|
wiring.
|
|
|
|
If at this time you're all confused,
|
|
don't worry about it. You really
|
|
don't need to understand how the
|
|
process works to use your Talk-Box.
|
|
Just copy lines 100, 130 and 140 into
|
|
your own program.
|
|
|
|
Listing Two is a small word
|
|
development program. It allows you to
|
|
quickly enter words so that you can
|
|
preview their sound. This is
|
|
especially handy when you're not sure
|
|
which of several similar sounds will
|
|
produce the desired results.
|
|
|
|
When you RUN Listing Two, it will
|
|
prompt you to enter the decimal
|
|
equivalent of the first sound in your
|
|
word. Type in the number and then
|
|
press RETURN. Continue until all the
|
|
sounds of your word have been entered.
|
|
Then press RETURN again. The program
|
|
will pronounce your word, and will ask
|
|
if you would like it repeated. If
|
|
not, just press RETURN to continue.
|
|
|
|
There are many uses for a speech
|
|
synthesizer. Use your imagination.
|
|
You might use it to give verbal error
|
|
messages, prompts, or any other
|
|
message that would normally be printed
|
|
to the screen. I hope you enjoy the
|
|
project as much as I did. If the
|
|
response is good, I'll see if I can
|
|
come up with some more easy projects.
|
|
Did I hear someone mention a Do It
|
|
Yourself printer buffer? Well, I just
|
|
happen to....
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Zmagazine Issue #79 November 13, 1987
|
|
(c)1987 Syndicate Services
|
|
______________________________________
|