1221 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
1221 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
______________________________________
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ZMAGAZINE 83 -Special Edition-
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December 11, 1987 Volume 2 No.50
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______________________________________
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ZMAG BBS (201) 968-8148 300/1200 24 hr
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______________________________________
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Modifications and Technical Help Issue
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______________________________________
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Part 1
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Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs
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Special thanks to the following for
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thier assistance this year.
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Ken Kirchner
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Susan Perry
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Mr. Goodprobe
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Steve Godun
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Calamity Jane
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John Nagy
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Rich Decowski
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Mike Shoenbach
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Ron Luks
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and the systems carrying Zmagazine
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each week. Check out the end of year
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issue dedicated to the Zmag Systems.
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______________________________________
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Xx Index 83
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______________________________________
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The following columns have appeared in
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Zmagazine New Jersey during the past
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year. These articles will pertain to
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modifications, fixes, technical help,
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and other articles. These are
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reprinted and re-publication of this
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material is granted as long as ZMAG is
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credited. This series of Special
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Issues will contain three parts.
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<*> 1050 Disk Drive Fix....W. Pelzer
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<*> SpartaDos Help........Gerald Cox
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<*> VCR Cable Hook-ups....Dawn Gordon
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<*> MyDos Modification....J. Wallace
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<*> Textpro/Express.......Don Lebow
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<*> ARCX Help.............GEnie Atari
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<*> Hayes 1200 Fix........F. Walters
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<*> Joystick Port.........C. Grimsby
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<*> Terminal Comparisons..F. Seipel
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The following BBS has been added to
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the Zmag System List.
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Mall Five Opus (617) 625-5348 or
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(617) MAL-LFIV
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______________________________________
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Xx 1050 DISK DRIVE FIX
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______________________________________
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by Willie Pelzer
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This text file will (hopefully) tell
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to how to fix your 1050 drive ONLY if
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the following conditions are true.
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#1 The drive reads disc files okay.
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#2 The speed of the drive is correct.
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Their are Utilities in DL3 that you
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may use to check the speed. Just
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BRO/KEY SPEED.
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#3 The drive refuses to format when
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given the command and either formats
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the first two tracks or none at all
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and then just spins. Sometimes it will
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return an error #139.
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#4 It refuses to write and when given
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the command,just gives an error# 139.
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These are the problems that I had with
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my US doubler 1050. If you have the
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same EXACT problem, this fix MAY work
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for you also. CAUTION! If you are not
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handy with drive internals, or do not
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want to take responsibility for trying
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this,then send the thing to ICD for
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repair (or any drive repair service).
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Why am I being so cautious? Because
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while this fix DID cure my drive, I
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wanted to let you know that I can't
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say what it may do to yours. Still
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game? Okay,here we go.
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You will need a pair of needle nosed
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pliers, a phillips screwdriver, and a
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switch (I used a cheap Radio Shack
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pushbutton, less than $3.00). Also,
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about 10 inches of wire. I used a
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piece of small gauge speaker wire. And
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a low wattage soldering iron (25 watts
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will do).
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First, unplug your drive and turn your
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drive over and unscrew the four
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recessed screws that hold the top
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down. You should'nt have to remove the
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front two that hold on the face
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plate. Now turn the drive right side
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up. Lifting from the rear, remove the
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top. Be VERY careful not to disturb
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anything! On the left rear of the
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printed circuit there are four brown
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plugs that are marked (on the board)
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from front to rear as J11, J12, J1,
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J10 and J14. The one we want is J11,
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the closest one to the drive motor.
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Take a magic marker and mark the front
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of the plug, this will make it easy to
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know which side is the front. The two
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wires we want are the north pair of
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the four (when you're in front of the
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drive). In other words, of the four
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wires in plug J11, we want the first
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two, closest to the drive motor. Once
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it's marked, CAREFULLY remove the plug
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with a pair of needle nosed pliers.
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Carefully remove the some of the
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insulation from our two target wires.
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Take a small piece of wire and connect
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the two wires together. Tape them to
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prevent a them from shorting out
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against antthing. This is only
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temporary, as first we will test the
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fix to see if it works.
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Replace J11 (using the magic marker
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mark as thefront) and without
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replaceing the top, plug up your drive
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as usual. Load your dos. Using a blank
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disc, attempt to format. IF when the
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first two wires of J11 are connected
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together, the drive formats and writes
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then we are on the way! If the drive
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still refuses to format or write, then
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undo the jumper that you made on J11,
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tape the two bare spots on the two
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wires and replace J11.
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Replace the cover and send the drive
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out to be fixed. If the drive now
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formats and writes, then on we go!
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Unplug the drive and go back to J11.
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If everything is working now, we have
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to wire up a switch because connecting
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the two wires of J11 together over
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rides the write protect of the drive.
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You can now write to ANY disc, whether
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it has a notch, write protect tab, or
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no notch at all. So, we have to put in
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a switch so that we can go from the
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old NO format, no write condition to
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ALL format, all write condition.
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Remember those extra write protect
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tabs that you had? Put them on ALL
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your discs! Just in case the sensor
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starts working again and formats or
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writes when you least expect it. All
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you people that use both sides of a
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disc (a bad practice I'M told), will
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now be able to format or write to side
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two without making a notch. On to the
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finish...
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Remove J11 again and remove the jumper
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wire that connected the first two
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wires. What we want to do is solder a
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length of wire to each of the two
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wires (the bared portions). Once
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you've done this, tape each wire well
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and replace J11 on the board. (use
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your mark for front!). Each wire
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should now be separate with a length
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of wire coming from it.
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Now solder a wire to each of the two
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terminals of your switch. (first
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decide where you're going to mount
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it, I mounted my pushbutton on the
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lower sloping portion of the face
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plate). Without replacing the cover,
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plug your drive in and test it once
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again for format and write. If it
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does'nt write or format the first time
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then push the switch to the other
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position. It should now work. If it
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worked the first time, it should work
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now. If not, go over your work. Maybe
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you did'nt make one of the connections
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properly.
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If using a pushbutton switch, in
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should allow the drive to function as
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it should and out should restore it to
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it's former no write condition.
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Now mount your switch, (keep the wires
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away from the drive mech.) and replace
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your cover. As to WHY this works or
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what happened to break your drive in
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the first place, well sorry I don't
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know. I do know that it worked for me
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and I'm hopeful that this $3.00 fix
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works for you.
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Wpiii
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Willie Pelzer 3rd ppn# 73247,206
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______________________________________
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Xx SPARTADOS HELP
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______________________________________
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by Gerald Cox
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How many times have you wished you
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could call a binary file AUTORUN.SYS
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and have SpartaDOS load it automaticly
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for you but the program will not run
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with the key board buffer installed.
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Until now the only way was to use a
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startup.bat file to do a key off then
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load the program.
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Well I got tired of it and discovered
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that you can search the X32D.DOS file
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for three bytes and change them and
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the default on boot up will be the key
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board buffer off. Just get out the
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SpartaDOS Tool Kit and load the Diskrx
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sector editor. Search for these three
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bytes. 20 DB FF. Change them to EA EA
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EA. Thats all there is to it. I also
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changed the ver. number to X32k.DOS so
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I would know that it was the one with
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the default K.B. off. I think this
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makes a great dos even better.
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If you don't have Diskrx then format a
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disk with AINIT. Copy X32D.DOS to it.
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Load up what ever sector editor you
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have and go to sector 106. Now change
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the bytes 20 DB FF to EA EA EA.
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Gerald Cox
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______________________________________
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Xx Tv-VCR CABLE HOOK UPS
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______________________________________
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Copyright 1986 Dawn Gordon
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If you've ever had a problem hooking
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up your TV and VCR to a cable system
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with scrambled channels you know what
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the word painful really means. But
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you're in luck cause if you want to be
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able to restore programmability to
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your VCR, restore remote control to
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your TV, restore time shifting, and
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the ability to tape both regular
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channels and scrambled cable channels,
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here's the answer:
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SUPPLIES
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1 Two-way splitter
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(a type with as little dB loss as
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possible--you can even get one with
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a built-in amp)
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1 A/B switch
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5 Coaxial cables with attached F
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connectors
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PROCEDURE
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1) Take the main cable that normally
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goes into the cable box, and put a
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2-way splitter on it.
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2) Take a coax cable and attach it
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to one of the outputs on the
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splitter with the other end going to
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the cable box input.
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3) The other output of the splitter
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goes to the A input of the A/B
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switcher.
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4) The output of the cable box then
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goes to the B input of the A/B
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switch.
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5) The output of the A/B switch then
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goes to the VCR RF input.
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6) The VCR's RF output goes to the
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TV.
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Here's how it looks graphically:
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Main : Cable
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:
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******
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Splitter -> * * ---------------
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****** :
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: :
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: :
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************** -------- :
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* Cable * : :
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* Box ****************
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*************** A/B *
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* Switch *
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***************
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:
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:
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:
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***************
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* VCR *
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------------- * *
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: ***************
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:
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*******************
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* *
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* TV *
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* *
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*******************
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Well that's how it works. With the
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switch in the A position on a standard
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TV you get VHF channels, and when in
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the B position you get the output of
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your cable box, which unscrambles pay
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channels. If you own a cable-ready TV
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and/or a cable-ready VCR you can get
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all cable channels (except scrambled
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ones) in the A position.
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PAY CHANNELS & ROOF ANTENNA
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If you have both pay cable and a roof
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antenna and wish to mix them here's
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what you do:
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SUPPLIES
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1 A/B Switch
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3 Coaxial cables with F-connectors
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attached
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PROCEDURE
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1) Take the main cable and connect
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it to the input of your cable box.
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2) Connect a coaxial cable to the
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output of the cable box and run it
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to the B input of an A/B switch.
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3) Take your main roof antenna cable
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and attach it to the A input of the
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A/B switch.
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4) The output of the A/B switch then
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goes to the VCR RF input.
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5) The VCR's RF output goes to the
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TV.
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Here's how it looks graphically:
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Roof : Antenna
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Main : Cable
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:
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: :
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: :
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: :
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: :
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************** -------- :
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* Cable * : :
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* Box * ***************
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************** * A/B *
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* Switch *
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***************
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:
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:
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:
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***************
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* VCR *
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------------- * *
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: ***************
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:
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*******************
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* *
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* TV *
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* *
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*******************
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When you switch the A/B switch to the
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A position you get your roof antenna,
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and when you switch it to the B
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position you get your cable box.
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______________________________________
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Xx MYDOS MODIFICATION
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______________________________________
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by Jon Wallace
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This is the correct version of the
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mod. The other one works until you
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try and make your ramdisk bigger or
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smaller.
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Mydos 4.1 fix for Basic XE.
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For you rare owners that use Basic
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XE,Mydos 4.1, and a Ramdisk(of course
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you would have to have a Ram upgrade)
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here is a little fix so that you can
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write to your ram disk in EXTENDED
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mode of Basic XE without a lockup.
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Simply type in these four statements
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in basic and then go to Dos and
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re-write Dos files.
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POKE 5487,133
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POKE 5488,49
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POKE 5489,9
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POKE 5490,175
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Then you have to modify a byte in
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Dup.sys. I used Disk Wizard 2 and
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scanned dup.sys for 8D 70 15 (in
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hex) and changed the 70 to a 72.
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You can use omnimon and change
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2E15 STA $1570 to 2E15 STA $1572
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and re-save Dup.sys.
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Don't know if that is the fastest way
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to solve the problem but it is the way
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I found first. (Second) If you have
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any questions let me know.
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______________________________________
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Xx TEXTPRO and EXPRESS
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______________________________________
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by Don Lebow
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Here's my method...
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First, create a TEXTPRO/EXPRESS MASTER
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DISK containing the following files:
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DOS.SYS
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RAMDISK.COM
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TEXTPRO.COM (version 2.5r only!)
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TEXTPRO.CNF (config file)
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TEXTPRO.FNT (custom font)
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TEXTPRO.MAC (default macro file)
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EXPRESS.COM (1030 Express v 3.0 only!)
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IMPORTANT: if you wish to use a
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joystick driver with Express, you
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<MUST> use the customized DOS 2.5
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driver available in this DL as
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TPXPST.OBJ As with the original
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joystick driver (see JOYSTK.DOC in
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DL2), you should append Express to the
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driver using the /A parameter in DOS
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2.5 (for example: select <C>opy File
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then input:
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D:EXPRESS.COM,D:TPXPST.OBJ/A
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After you've got it appended, Rename
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as appropriate.)
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CONFIG.EXP (express config file)
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PHONE1.LST (default phone # list)
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Got it? NOW do some renaming...
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RENAME TEXTPRO.COM to DUP.SYS
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(that means that it will automatically
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be saved to D8: when you boot with
|
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RAMDISK.COM) Before you do this, make
|
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sure you've erased the <ORIGINAL>
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DUP.SYS to prevent duplicate
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filenames.)
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RENAME EXPRESS.COM to AUTORUN.SYS
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You're ready to go!
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Boot up your XE as normal with Express
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using your new master disk. Turn on
|
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your 1030 modem, then the drive, then
|
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turn on the computer while holding
|
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down the OPTION key to cancel Basic.
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When the load is done, and the Express
|
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menu is up...
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MOST IMPORTANT: DELETE 'D8:MEM.SAV'
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using the 'J' command in Express!
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Dial up wherever and capture whatever
|
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text you want to D8: text files. When
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you're done, sign off as normal and
|
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you're back to the menu.
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NOW...
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<MAKE SURE> that you have your master
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disk in D1: (or any disk that has the
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TEXTPRO aux files on it) Ready?
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Press RESET. You'll see TEXTPRO
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(remember, we've fooled the computer
|
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into thinking it's DUP.SYS) loading
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(fast!) and then the aux files loading
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from D1:
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Viola! You are now in TEXTPRO
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<without> having to do a re-boot!
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The text files you have on D8: are
|
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still there. You can now go ahead and
|
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edit, do replies, whatever, using
|
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TEXTPRO's power.
|
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DO NOT turn off your 1030 modem!
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When you're done editing (at this
|
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point, I usually have a text file of
|
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replies and msgs on D8:), and ready to
|
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get back On Line..
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<MAKE SURE> you have a disk in D1:
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with EXPRESS and it's aux files (that
|
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Master Disk, again, is REAL handy.)
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Use the TP <SELECT-CONTROL-W> command
|
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to do a binary load. At the prompt,
|
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input AUTORUN.SYS (or whatever name
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you have Express saved under.)
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Providing you've followed the above
|
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steps, you'll see Express loading
|
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(again, no need to re-boot!) and
|
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you'll be back in Express, ready to
|
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Upload your new text files!
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Note that D8: still contains any files
|
|
you've saved. Just like they say in
|
|
the DOCs, it's functioning as a
|
|
clipboard (though Mr. Paranoia, here
|
|
always saves anything vital out to
|
|
D1:, just in case...)
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|
|
That's all there is to it. I've found
|
|
that you can continue swapping back
|
|
and forth between the two programs
|
|
with no degradation in performance.
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If you run into problems, leave me a
|
|
message and I'll see if I can help...
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|
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>>don [70717,720]
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______________________________________
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Xx ARCX HELP
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______________________________________
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(C) 1987 by Atari Corporation, GEnie,
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and the Atari ST Roundtable. May be
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reprinted only with this notice
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intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie
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are *official* information services of
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Atari Corporation.
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To sign up for GEnie service, call
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(with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon
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connection type HHH (no RETURN after
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that). Wait for the U#= prompt.
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Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN.
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The system will prompt you for your
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information.
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HELP for using ARCX v1.2 <file #1908>
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This is a short -How to...- on the use
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of ARCX version 1.2 as found in the
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GEnie 8 bit Atari RoundTable. This
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file is broken into two parts:
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1> loading ARCX
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2> running ARCX
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Since there are few differences in
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ARCX v1.1 and ARCX v1.2, we will refer
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only to ARCX. It is strongly
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recommended that you download ARCX
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v1.2 as it is about 30% faster than
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v1.1 and will therefore save you some
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time off line when recovering files.
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ARCX is the program that you will need
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to be able to recover and use all of
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the files in the Atari RoundTable that
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are stored in the ARC format. See the
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file ARC.HLP for more info on the
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creation of an ARC'd file.
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LOADING ARCX
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************
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To load ARCX, place a disk with your
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DOS file(s) on it in D1: and turn on
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the computer. BE SURE TO HAVE ALL
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CARTRIDGES REMOVED AND ON XL/XE
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MACHINES, HOLD DOWN THE -OPTION- KEY
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TO TURN OFF BASIC. ARCX is known to
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work with Atari DOS 2.0 & 2.5,
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SpartaDOS <all versions>, and MYDOS
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4.0 and up. ARCX ** WILL NOT **
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work with SMARTDOS.
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Once to the DOS menu, you may set up
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your RAMdisk, copy files to the
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RAMdisk, etc.. It is recommended that
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you have a freshly formatted disk
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ready to receive the recovered files,
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so you might also want to format a
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disk now.
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Now place the disk with the file
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ARCX.COM on it in the drive and do a
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binary load of the file. From Atari
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DOS, this is option 'L' and the file
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name to load is ARCX.COM.
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From SpartaDOS, just type ARCX
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<RETURN>. ARCX will load into the
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computer and be ready to run.
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Note that ARCX will work with all
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Atari 8 bit computers with at least
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48K of RAM and one disk drive.
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RUNNING ARCX
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************
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The first line of the ARCX menu will
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prompt you for a file name. If the
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file to be unARC'd has the extender of
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.ARC <as it should>, you need only
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type in the file name and not the
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extender. <ie to recover TEST.ARC,
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you need only type TEST> If the file
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to be recovered is in any drive other
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than D1:, you will need to give the
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device as part of the file name. <ie
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from a RAMdisk as D8, you would type
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D8:TEST> You may also see a directory
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of a disk by pressing the '+' key.
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NOTE:
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ARCX does not allow the use of wild
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cards, so you must enter the complete
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file name.
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Once you enter the file name to be
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recovered and hit <RETURN>, ARCX will
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ask for a destination drive. This is
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just a number from 1 to 8. There must
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be an active drive that is ready to
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receive the recovered file(s). If you
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want to send the recovered file(s) to
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D2:, put your formated disk in D2:,
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and press '2'.
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The last option that you will see is
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if you want the screen turned off or
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not while ARCX is working. Pressing
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the 'N' key leaves the screen on and
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pressing 'Y' turns it off.
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Unless you are just curious, it is
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recommended that you turn the screen
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off <answer 'Y'> because ARCX is about
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25-30% faster with the screen off than
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with it on. Once you press the 'Y' or
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'N' key, ARCX will proceed to read the
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source file and write to the
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destination drive.
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POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
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*****************
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At the very start of the ARCX process,
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you may get several different I/O
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errors. I have found that most of
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these are because of the failure to
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give a valid file name. If this
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happens, make sure that you have given
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the COMPLETE file name with NO
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wildcards. As a matter of habit, I
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also enter the .ARC extender as part
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of the file name. Also make sure that
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the destination disk is freshly
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formated and is not write protected.
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If ARCX fails to do anything when you
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load it, MAKE SURE THAT BASIC IS OFF/
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REMOVED. ARCX will lock up if BASIC
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is on.
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While ARCX is working, you may
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sometimes hear a high pitched beep. If
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the screen is on, you will also see
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the note -filename.ext Fails CRC
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Check-. This means that ARCX has
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encountered a file in the ARC'd file
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that for some reason does not match
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the original source file. This DOES
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NOT mean that the file is bad! This
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often happens on text files and is due
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to the block padding that most Xmodem
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file transfer systems do. If you get
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a CRC error, try to run the recovered
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programs. Odds are, they will
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probably run with no problems. If you
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do find that they will not run, use
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ARCX to recover the *.ARC file again
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and see if the error occurs again. If
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you have more problems, please leave
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E-Mail to one of the Atari RT SysOps
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with the file name/number, and a full
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description of the problem.
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You may get a disk full error if you
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are using only one drive. ARCX
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supports the use of a RAMdisk and it
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is recommended that you use the
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RAMdisk if you can. If you have only
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one drive and no RAMdisk, you will be
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limited as to the size of the file
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that you can recover since both the
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source *.ARC file and the recovered
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file(s) must all fit on the same disk.
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As a rough guess, the *.ARC file
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should take up no more than 30% of the
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total disk space.
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Many people have left me mail saying
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that ARCX has -Locked up- when in
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reality, it was doing just what it
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should be. This apparent lock up is
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because ARCX is fairly slow and does
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little disk access, so not much seems
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to be going on. As a rule of thumb,
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allow ARCX 1 minute for every 5K of
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*.ARC file size. <5K=40 SD sectors=20
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DD sectors> This way, you won't be
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expecting ARCX to just zip right
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through.
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Hopefully, this will answer many of
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your questions about how to use ARCX
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to recover the files here in the Atari
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8 bit RT. If you should have a
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specific question, please feel free to
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drop E-Mail to one of the SysOps, and
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we'll be glad to help in any way we
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can.
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______________________________________
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Xx HAYES 1200 PROBLEM
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______________________________________
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by Frank Walters SysOp, T.A.C.O. Bell
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Panama City, FL
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When attempting to set up an Oasis BBS
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system, a fellow sysop contacted me to
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see if we could figure out a problem
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it had with recognition of connect and
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disconnect. Here is what we found out.
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He has a 'new' model Hayes 1200, while
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I have the 'old' model of the same
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modem. The new model has 10 dips,
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while the old model has 8. That's how
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we tell them apart, especially if you
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only have one. After talking with the
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technical representitive at Hayes, it
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turns out there was an undocumented
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change in how the 1200 baud model
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handles DSR (data set ready). Since
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most terminal/BBS software uses the
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DSR signal as part of the STATUS
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check, it is critical for proper
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operation that you understand what you
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are getting.
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The 'old' model, like most modems,
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sets DSR high at carrier detect.
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Actually, the Hayes has a jumper
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between pin #6 (DSR) and pin #8 (CRX)
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so that when it sets CRX high, it
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automatically sets DSR high. The
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STATUS call will send a value of 8 to
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address 747 (decimal) for CRX high and
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128 for DSR for a total increase of
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136 in address 747. Most software
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depends on this higher value to
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determine 'connect' after dialing, or
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(for BBS software) to determine that
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a caller has connected.
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The 'new' model (10 dip switches) of
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the Hayes 1200 changed the jumper to
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pins #6 (DSR) and #5 (CTS), the latter
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normally not even connected by cable
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to the 850 interface. However, when
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the modem sets Clear to Send high, it
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is BEFORE carrier detect, and since it
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is directly connected to DSR, it also
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sets DSR high before connect,
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resulting in a false connect signal to
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the software.
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How do you get the 'new' modem to act
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like the 'old' model?
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1) Modify the modem. Nobody wants to
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mess with the modem warranty or
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screw that up.
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2) Modify the software. Most people
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don't know how to do that at all,
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and you would have to change every
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program you use anyway.
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3) Modify the cable. This appears to
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be the best solution. Here is how
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we did just that:
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Disconnect the wire at pin #6 on the
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RS-232C end. Disconnect the same wire
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(also pin #6) at the 9-pin D plug for
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the 850 or P:R: Connection. This will
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insure that the false DSR will not be
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sent from the modem.
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Then to simulate DSR at connect,
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solder a jumper wire at the 9-pin D
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plug (850 interface end) between pin
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#6 (DSR) and pin #2 (CRX). Now when
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Carrier Detect is set high, it also
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sets DSR high. This cable will work
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with the older models too.
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Here is a diagram of the new cable:
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850 (9 pin/D-male) RS-232C (25 pin)
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_________________ ________________
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#1 DTR >------------------> DTR #20
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++#2 CRX <------------------< CRX #8
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+ #3 SEND DATA >-------> REC DATA #3
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+ #4 REC DATA <-------< SEND DATA #2
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+ #5 SIGNAL GND ------ SIGNAL GND #7
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++#6 DSR <--/(disconnect)/--< DSR #6
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#7 RTS (not used) CTS #5
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#8 CTS <-------< HI SPEED INDIC #12
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#9 (not used)
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++NOTE: Jumper between pins 2-6 so
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that DSR is set high whenever CRX is
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set high by the modem.
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NOTE: #8 CTS to #12 HI SPEED INDICATOR
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is only for auto answer with some BBS
|
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software for baud recognition but
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otherwise not required. Avatex modems
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do not have #12. Some BBS software
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depends on the RING INDICATOR to force
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the program to send an ATA to the
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modem. In this case you can use #8 CTS
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to #22 RING INDICATOR instead of the
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8-12 as shown.
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Call Hayes Microcomputer Products at
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1-800-241-6492 for further
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information.
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______________________________________
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Xx HACKING THE JOYSTICK PORT
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______________________________________
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By Chuck Grimsby
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As every Atari Basic programmer knows,
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the joystick port can be used to
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produce nine different actions or
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commands (excluding the center or
|
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'null' position), utilizing the
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STICK(x) and STRIG(x) commands. The
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numbers your programs look for are:
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value stick posistion
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----- ---------------
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14 UP
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13 DOWN
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7 RIGHT
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11 LEFT
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6 UP RIGHT
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5 DOWN RIGHT
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9 DOWN LEFT
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10 UP LEFT
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15 CENTER (NULL)
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0 FIRE, (USING STRIG(0)
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1 NOT FIRE
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You may have noticed that there are
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some numbers missing from that list,
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and from all lists that show you how
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to use the STICK(x) command. Where are
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the numbers 0-4, 8 and 12?
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Well, actualy those numbers are there
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and are readable, but you can't use a
|
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normal joystick to produce them. You
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either need a numeric keypad (like the
|
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old Atari CX-85) or a special
|
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'joystick' consisting of buttons in
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place of a single stick.
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I built myself a special joystick to
|
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use as a non-moving mouse (my desk
|
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space is VERY limited) and discovered
|
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I had also created a joystick that
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would produce those non-standard
|
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numbers.
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My brother has dubed this device a
|
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'Dead Mouse' and it has proved to be
|
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very handy. It also works great as a
|
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very accurate joystick for
|
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MicroPainter.
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The new STICK(x) list using the Dead
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Mouse looks like this:
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VALUE BUTTON(S) PRESSED
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----- -----------------
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0 UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT
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1 DOWN LEFT RIGHT
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2 UP LEFT RIGHT
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3 RIGHT LEFT
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4 UP DOWN RIGHT
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5 DOWN RIGHT
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6 UP RIGHT
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7 RIGHT
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8 UP DOWN LEFT
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9 DOWN LEFT
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10 UP LEFT
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11 LEFT
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12 UP DOWN
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13 DOWN
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14 UP
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15 NONE (NULL)
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The numbers produced through the Dead
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Mouse can also be used to simulate the
|
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numeric keypad IF you have the proper
|
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AUTORUN.SYS file AND press the FIRE
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button with the other keys.
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The following list shows the funtions
|
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that the Dead Mouse key presses will
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return. Remember to ALWAYS press the
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FIRE button as well.
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FUNCTION DEAD MOUSE KEYS
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-------- ---------------
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DELETE UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT
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YES UP DOWN LEFT
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NO UP DOWN RIGHT
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- NONE (NO KEYSPRESSED)
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+ENTER UP
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0 UP DOWN
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1 DOWN LEFT
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2 UP LEFT
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3 LEFT
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4 DOWN LEFT RIGHT
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5 UP LEFT RIGHT
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6 RIGHT LEFT
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7 DOWN RIGHT
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8 UP RIGHT
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9 RIGHT
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The construction of the Dead Mouse is
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simple, due to the fact that every
|
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joystick made actualy uses four
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buttons on the inside activated by
|
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moving the stick. All you need to make
|
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the Dead Mouse are five momentery
|
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contact buttons, a female D9 conector,
|
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a six conductor cable, and a project
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box.
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You can save yourself some time and
|
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trouble by using the cable from an old
|
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broken joystick, or buying a joystick
|
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extension cord and cutting off one end
|
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instead of making a new cable.
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Start by drilling five holes for the
|
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buttons in the lid of the project box
|
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a little bit larger then the size of
|
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the buttons, and one hole in the side
|
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of the box for the cable to the
|
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computer.
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Next mount and secure the five buttons
|
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in the holes and pass the cable
|
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through the hole in the side of the
|
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box. Make a knot in the cable on the
|
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inside so the cable wont pull out.
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Now solder the wire from the cable to
|
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the switches following the table
|
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below.
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NOTE: Solder to ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE
|
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BUTTON!!
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u 1 2 3 4 5 u
|
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\ O O O O O /
|
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u\ O O O O/u
|
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6 7 8 9
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|
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PIN # BUTTON
|
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----- ------
|
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2 RIGHT
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3 LEFT
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4 DOWN
|
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5 UP
|
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9 FIRE
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Now solder pin #7 to the other side of
|
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ALL the buttons. This is the common or
|
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-ground- line.
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Put the lid on your box, and your Dead
|
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Mouse is ready to use.
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From experience, the Dead Mouse is a
|
|
very poor joystick, Don't even bother
|
|
to try and use it for game playing. It
|
|
is, however, a more profesional
|
|
looking device for use as a mouse than
|
|
a joystick, and a accurate drawing
|
|
tool for MicroPainter.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Xx TERMINAL COMPARISONS
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Written by Frank Seipel
|
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|
|
All terminal programs for the Atari
|
|
were not created equally. Certain
|
|
applications can best be performed by
|
|
only one of the popular terminal
|
|
programs, three of which will be
|
|
examined in this article:
|
|
|
|
Backtalk1.2
|
|
Amodem 7.50
|
|
Express 3.0
|
|
|
|
All three of these programs exist in
|
|
various versions, so that they work
|
|
with all popular modem types:
|
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|
|
MPP/Supra
|
|
1030/835/XM301
|
|
RS232c modems.
|
|
|
|
Backtalk, written in 1985 is nearing
|
|
its third birthday. This program
|
|
offers some unique features. I like
|
|
this program best if I am reading
|
|
text; even at 1200 baud, all text fine
|
|
scrolls off the screen. It is a lot
|
|
easier on your eyes (good for those
|
|
late-night telecommunications
|
|
sessions). This program also offers a
|
|
huge capture buffer -- under my
|
|
configuration of MyDos 4.3, it amounts
|
|
to around 10,000 characters. Most
|
|
programs offer capture to disk, but
|
|
the larger the buffer is, the faster
|
|
the transfer will take place.
|
|
|
|
One thing which makes this program
|
|
extremely powerful is its ability to
|
|
accept macros. A macro is a string of
|
|
text with imbedded commands. You can
|
|
write scripts to call a board and
|
|
download files, read messages, and
|
|
then logoff. This could be useful,
|
|
say, for dialing a long distance BBS
|
|
late at night when phone rates are at
|
|
their lowest. This program offers
|
|
more versatility in writing macros
|
|
than any other available for the 8-bit
|
|
Atari; it offers many more commands
|
|
than the competition. Perhaps the
|
|
most useful application of macros is
|
|
repetitive commands; if you use the
|
|
flat-rate long distance service PC
|
|
Pursuit, then this program is
|
|
definitely for you.
|
|
|
|
Amodem was one of the first Atari
|
|
8-bit terminal programs available.
|
|
Over the years, it has evolved quite a
|
|
bit. The latest version -- a single
|
|
Basic program -- runs on an MPP/Supra,
|
|
1030/835/XM301, or an RS232c modem
|
|
with no modifications! All you need
|
|
to do is switch handlers. (in the past
|
|
different versions had to be used for
|
|
different modems).
|
|
|
|
Since 7.0 the program has been
|
|
improved drastically; it is numero uno
|
|
for file-transfers, with X-Modem SUM
|
|
and CRC being supported, as well as
|
|
Y-Modem CRC and batch. No other
|
|
terminal programs for the Atari
|
|
support Y-Modem. It works in a
|
|
similar manner to X-Modem, but block
|
|
size is 1,024 bytes as opposed to 128
|
|
bytes. There are less handshaking
|
|
delays and the transfer goes about 20%
|
|
faster. All the newer BBS programs
|
|
support Y-Modem protocol.
|
|
|
|
If you are using a 130XE and Basic XE,
|
|
you may wish to try out a special
|
|
version of Amodem -- v7.3. It is a
|
|
modified version of the older Amodem
|
|
7.0, but with a major improvement -
|
|
the extra memory in the XE is used as
|
|
one big buffer!
|
|
|
|
Express is by far the easiest terminal
|
|
program to use. It offers a better
|
|
autodial system than either of the
|
|
above two programs. Although it
|
|
doesn't handle Y-Modem, its file
|
|
transfer routines are very reliable.
|
|
So many good things have been said
|
|
about Express that it would seem
|
|
useless here to bore you with the
|
|
details.
|
|
|
|
The Chameleon CRT Terminal Emulator
|
|
can be especially useful in certain
|
|
instances. This hard-to-find program
|
|
emulate a myriad of different
|
|
terminals. It can also act as a file
|
|
server and supports Kermit protocol.
|
|
|
|
If you only need VT100 emulation,
|
|
there are a number of programs which
|
|
support this which are in the public
|
|
domain! They even display 80 columns
|
|
on the screen. However, the text is
|
|
compressed and difficult to read.
|
|
Still this program's advantages far
|
|
outweigh its disadvantages if you need
|
|
the full screen editing that a VT100
|
|
terminal offers.
|
|
|
|
Backtalk 1.2 AP0154 $19.95
|
|
|
|
The Catalog
|
|
544 Second Street
|
|
San Francisco, CA 94107
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chameleon CRT Terminal Emulator AP0113
|
|
|
|
The Catalog
|
|
544 Second Street
|
|
San Francisco, CA 94107
|
|
|
|
|
|
Express, Amodem, and VT100 programs
|
|
are in the public domain and can be
|
|
found on the A.c.e.c. user group BBS
|
|
(614)-471-8559.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Zmagazine Issue #83 December 11, 1987
|
|
Special Edition ->Technical Help<-
|
|
(c)1987 Syndicate Services/Rovac
|
|
______________________________________
|