1009 lines
26 KiB
Plaintext
1009 lines
26 KiB
Plaintext
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| ROVAC ZMAGAZINE |
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| Issue #173 |
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| September 5, 1989 |
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|Copyright 1989, RII|
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|This week in ZMagazine|
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User Group Update: New Jersey
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Robert Brodie
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Surge Protection
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Garry Jones
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Analog Computing Table of Contents
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130XE Upgraded
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Mark Elliot
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Information on the Black Box
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Computer Software Services
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Washington DC Atarifest Update
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Bob Johnson
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ZMag Humor
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Scott Andersen
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|USER GROUP UPDATE: NEW JERSEY|
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|by Robert Brodie, Atari|
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Reprinted from ST-ZMagazine #36
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To all Jersey area Atari users:
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On Saturday, September 9th, I will be
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attending a meeting of the Jersey
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Atari Computer Group. The members of
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the Jersey Atari Computer Group have
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scheduled appearances from ANALOG and
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Atari Explorer magazine as well.
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Scheduled to appear from ANALOG is
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Arthur Leyenberger, and from the Atari
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Explorer either Elizabeth Staples or
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John Jainschigg.
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I would like to encourage all Atari
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users in the area to attend this
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meeting. David Noyes of the Jersey
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Atari Computer Group has already
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contacted a number of other groups,
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including the Jersey Atari Computer
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Enthusiasts, ABE's ACES, Lehigh Valley
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Atari Users Group, Brooklyn Atari
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Society of Information and
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Communication, and the Ol' Hackers.
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The meeting will be held at the Bell
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Labs Auditorium on Mountain Ave, in
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Murray Hill, New Jersey at 9:00 AM.
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For further information or directions
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to the meeting, please contact
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Dave Noyes, at 201-852-3165 evening, or
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201-953-7977 daytime.
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|SURGE PROTECTION|
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|by Garry Jones (Copyright 1987)|
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Reprinted from ZMagazine #64
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When setting up a computer system, one
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piece of equipment which might get
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overlooked is a surge protector. The
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purpose of a surge protector is to
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protect equipment from:
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voltage spikes and surges caused by
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lightning strikes on power lines
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(c'mon, it never rains in Southern
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California, does it?),
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electrical equipment turning on and
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off (you didn't really plug your
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computer into the same circuit as
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your refrigerator, did you?),
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the crummy wiring in your apartment
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that your landlords won't fix
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because they're too cheap, and
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just plain lousy performance by your
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friendly local Edison Company.
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A surge protector works by clamping the
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voltage and preventing it from rising
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beyond 130 volts when a sudden increase
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occurs. To do this, a surge protector
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uses a device called a metal oxide
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varistor, or MOV for short. Of course,
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you want to know if they wear out, and
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when they do, how to tell. MOVs do
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have a finite life, depending on the
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number and severity of surges they're
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exposed to. When they fail, they
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typically create a short which will pop
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a circuit breaker if one is included in
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the circuit, immediately shutting off
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the power and saving the equipment.
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Buying a surge protector is something
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of a problem, since not all surge
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protectors are created equal. Good
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ones are fairly expensive (there's
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plenty of expensive junk out there,
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too). How do you tell the good from
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the bad, and what do you do for cash
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after you spent the last of it on some
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superwhizbang software for your new
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computer? Good news for you clever
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hacker types who can tell a hot
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soldering iron when you pick it up (by
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the wrong end): make your own surge
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protector. It's easy, it's cheap, and
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best of all, it might even work. For
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the rest of you who haven't developed
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opposable thumbs yet, watch the ground
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for pennies, steal candy from babies
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and sell it to bigger babies, see a
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loan shark, and read PC (can you say,
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-PC?- Sure. I knew you could. It
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does mean IBM, but your tongue didn't
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dry up and fall out of your mouth, did
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it?) Magazine's product tests and take
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their advice.
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Anyway, on to the project. You'll need:
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a power strip (make sure you get the
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kind you can disassemble with a
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screwdriver instead of a hacksaw),
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three metal oxide varistors
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(General Electric part no. V130LA20A
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(which means 130 volts 20 amps) or
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Radio Shack catalog no. 276-568B),
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some rosin core solder (DO NOT USE
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ACID CORE SOLDER OR FLUX--it will
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corrode the solder joints in time,
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ruining them),
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some miscellaneous tools, like Xacto
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knives, alligator clips, wire
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cutters, etc., and a soldering iron.
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Three hands would be nice, but you
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can probably manage with two--most
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of us do.
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Take the back off the power strip and
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look inside. If it has outlets, wires
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(three of them?), and a cord, it'll
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work. Notice the three wires inside:
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they're probably black, green, and
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white. White is the hot wire, green
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the ground, and black the common.
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Now, strip some insulation off the
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wires as shown in the illustration.
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Take one varistor and solder one of
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it's wire legs to the white wire, and
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the other leg to the green wire as
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shown below. Fasten an alligator clip
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to the leg being soldered between the
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solder joint and the varistor to
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prevent heat damage to the varistor
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while soldering.
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Do the same thing with the second
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varistor, except it should be soldered
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to the green wire and the black wire.
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Solder the third varistor to the black
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wire and the white wire.
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Clean the solder joints with a rag
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dipped in a little alcohol, and examine
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the joints. There should be a smooth
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shiny flow of solder between the wire
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leg of the varistor and the copper wire
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in the power strip. If the joint is
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dull, lumpy, or flawed in appearance,
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resolder it. When all the joints look
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good, reassemble the power strip. Sit
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back. Relax. You're done now. Wasn't
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that easy? Can you say, -Easy-? Sure.
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I knew you could.
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White T
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T #1 | O
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O |MOV| |
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#3 O
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P Green |MOV| U
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L #2 T
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U | |MOV| L
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G | E
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Black T
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S
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|ANALOG COMPUTING TABLE OF CONTENTS|
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ANALOG COMPUTING #77, OCTOBER 1989
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FEATURES
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Double Six..............Pierre Roberge
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A colorful version of Backgammon
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for your Atari.
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Error Manual.....Matthew J.W. Ratcliff
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Here's a helpful program that'll
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turn those cryptic error messages
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into plain English.
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ANALOG Zooms
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Into the 24th Century......Frank Cohen
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Fans of Star Trek: The Next
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Generation won't want to miss
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this interview with two of the
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hit show's artists.
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Keeping Your Atari Busy..Reid Brockway
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This tutorial shows you how to
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turn your computer into a clock
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and provides some valuable
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programming information along the
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way.
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Skull Island...............John Patuto
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You awaken to find yourself
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laying on the beach of a strange
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island. What dangers lie in wait
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for you? Can you get off the
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island safely?
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TX Cruncher..............Frank Martone
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Take control of Tx as he scoots
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across his electric grid,
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consuming energy and avoiding the
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Hulk Robots.
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Fast Move...............John W. Little
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For BASIC programmers wanting a
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convenient way to control
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Player/Missile graphics.
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REVIEWS
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Astronauts.......Matthew J.W. Ratcliff
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L.A. Swat/
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Panther..........Matthew J.W. Ratcliff
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COLUMNS
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Boot Camp...................Tom Hudson
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BASIC Training..........Clayton Walnum
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Database DELPHI.......Michael A. Banks
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The End User........Arthur Leyenberger
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DEPARTMENTS
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Editorial...............Clayton Walnum
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8-bit News
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M/L Editor..............Clayton Walnum
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BASIC Editor II.........Clayton Walnum
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Disk Contents
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|130XE UPGRADED|
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|by Mark Elliot, Innovative Concepts|
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The following changes have been
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incorporated in the 130XE computer.
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(In case there are people reading and
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shaking their heads, the 130XE is
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Atari's 8-bit computer (parent of the
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ST).)
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1) RAMs used (4), are the 41464 (4464)
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types (compared to 16-4164 on old)
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2) The O.S. has minor changes like:
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A) The MEMORY TEST (from SELF
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TESTS) tests the extra 64K now!
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(in 4 squares)
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B) Also, the MEMORY TEST checks
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the first 48K over TWICE as
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fast as before!
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C) The KEYBOARD TEST has the F1-F4
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keys missing on top (function
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keys), although the code that
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interprets them is probably
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there (like XEGS)
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D) Also, it types out -COPYRIGHT
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1985 ATARI- at the keyboard
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test when all tests are done
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(compared to COPYRIGHT 1983
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ATARI, before), and
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E) The O.S. chip itself is on a
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27256 EPROM, but only half of
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it is used! (compared to the
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original, which was on a
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16K x 8 ROM, 27128 comp.
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3) The PIA is a completely different
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chip--a 68B21! (compared to the
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6520/6520A on all other Atari
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8-bits.
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4) Last, but not least, the Owner's
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Manual (Rev. D), is now
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paper-bound, compared to
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spiral-bound on the original.
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Hmmm, at least Atari went to the bother
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of updating the new machine (probably
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will save them money, being more
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reliable with less chips).
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|INFORMATION ON THE BLACK BOX|
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|by Computer Software Services (CSS)|
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There has been a great deal of interest
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since the announcement this spring
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concerning the Black Box, so hopefully
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this file will answer the majority of
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questions.
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The Black Box is a add-on board for the
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Atari 600XL (upgraded), 800XL, and
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130XE 8-bit computers. It is a
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T-shaped board that plugs into the PBI
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port of the XL computer, or the ECI and
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cartridge ports of the 130XE.
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Connectors for both types of computers
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are built into the Black Box, so no
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adapter boards are necessary. A
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cartridge port is available on the
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board itself for 130XE users, since the
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board plugs in where cartridges are
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normally added. The board is 12 inches
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wide and 3 inches deep, sitting back
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3 inches from your computer. It has
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two switches, two push-buttons, and a
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set of dip switches on the top.
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The Black Box provides many unique and
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useful functions. The three primary
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functions are:
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RS-232 serial modem port
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Parallel printer port
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SASI/SCSI hard disk port
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A fourth floppy disk port for
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connecting 3.5- or 5.25- floppy drives
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will be available at a later date.
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> The RS-232 port provides the full
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RS232 specification signal levels for a
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modem or other serial device. It
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emulates the Atari 850 interface very
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closely, but goes beyond by providing
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19,200 baud capability. The R: driver
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is built into the Black Box, so it does
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not use ANY user memory!
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> The Parallel printer port
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interfaces to most all Centronics-type
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printers. You may assign the printer
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number and linefeed options from within
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the Black Box's configuration menu.
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The Black Box also provides you with a
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printer buffer if the board or your
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computer has extra memory. A printer
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buffer allows you to quickly dump your
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file to be printed into the buffer
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memory, then go about your business as
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the Black Box sends the data to your
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printer--a real time saver! The
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Black Box will use either its own RAM
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(if you order the 64K version), or the
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130XE extended memory banks. It's all
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controlled by the configuration menu.
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> The Hard Disk port is the real
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reason for the design of the Black Box.
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You may connect most any hard disk
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controller that is SASI or SCSI
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compatible, or drives with embedded
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SCSI controllers. It is totally
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compatible with the current versions of
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MYDOS and SpartaDOS (which both have a
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limit of 16 Megabytes per logical
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drive), but a newer version of MYDOS is
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provided that is capable of 48 Megs per
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drive. Combine that with nine drives,
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and that's over 400 Megs available at
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one time! The Black Box also provides
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a conversion toggle for drives capable
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of 512 byte sectors only. Many of the
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embedded drives have this limitation,
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and previously were unusable. The
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Black Box splits each 512 byte sector
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into two 256 byte sectors, so your DOS
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will still only see what it requires.
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Another advantage is storage space.
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Many drives/controllers will give you
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more storage when using 512 byte
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sectors, some as much as 15% more!
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Currently, format software for the
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Black Box supports the following
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drives/controllers:
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Adaptec 4000A and 4070
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Xebec S1410
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Western Digital 1002SHD
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OMTI 352x controllers
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Maxtor embedded SCSI drives
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Seagate embedded SCSI drives
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A partition is defined as a part of the
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hard disk which is seen by the computer
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as a separate disk drive. Since many
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hard disks are very large, it is useful
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to create several partitions of the
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drive, instead of one single drive, as
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your DOS sees it. The Black Box goes
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one step further in not only letting
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you define the partition for each of
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your 9 available drives, but allows you
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to have a list of up to 96
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partitions--with names! Since a
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partition can be very small, you can
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make up several small partitions of
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720 sectors (the same length as a
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standard floppy disk), and sector-copy
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any of your non-protected programs to
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these partitions. Now you can swap
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that partition in as Drive 1 and boot
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your program at hard disk speed!
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The configuration menu is the -heart-
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of the Black Box. You can enter the
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menu from anywhere you are by simply
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pressing one of the buttons on the
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board. You may now edit the hard disk
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configuration, exchange drive numbers,
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enable/disable the modem and printer
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ports, or go into the 6502 monitor.
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After you are finished, pressing
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<ESCAPE> will put you right back into
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the program you were using! No memory
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or screen display is destroyed by using
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the menu!
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The 6502 monitor is very handy for
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machine language programmers. How
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often have you wondered where your
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program was, or what caused an apparent
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-lock-up-? Entering the monitor will
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show you all the processor registers
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and display the disassembly of the
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instruction it was about to execute
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when you entered pressed the button.
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Users of MAC/65's DDT will feel right
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at home with the monitor's use.
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The Black Box has other -goodies- in
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it. Any communication with your floppy
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drive will be in high speed if you are
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using a XF-551, a modified 1050, or a
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happy 810. This will work with just
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about ANY DOS or utility!
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A text or graphics printer dump of your
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current screen may be done at any time
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by pressing one of the buttons on the
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Black Box. (The graphics dump is only
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available for dot-matrix printers
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capable of graphics.)
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You may write-protect ALL of your hard
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disks by flipping another switch on the
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board. This can be a real life-saver
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when running a new piece of software.
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The Black Box provides disk I/O tones
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with separate pitches for disk reads
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and writes to your hard disk, so you
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can hear what's going on! This option
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may be disabled within the
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configuration menu.
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The Black Box also provides support for
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users who have used an MIO previously
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to store data on a hard disk. The MIO
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actually stores data inverted. This is
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fine as long as the MIO reads it, but
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when another host adaptor reads the
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same data, it will be meaningless. By
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setting a dip switch, a previous MIO
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user will now be able to access all the
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data on his drive using the Black Box
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with a small sacrifice of speed.
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If you have any more questions, please
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feel free to call. User group and
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dealer discounts are available. The
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retail price of the Black Box with no
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buffer RAM is $199.95, and with 64K,
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$249.95.
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Computer Software Services
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P.O. Box 17660
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Rochester, NY 14617
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(716) 586-5545
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|WASHINGTON DC ATARIFEST UPDATE|
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|by Bob Johnson|
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WAACE Publicity Co-Chairman
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The 1989 edition of the WAACE DC
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AtariFest is in the final planning
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stages now, and every indication is
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that we are going to have a super show
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for you folks. Just to whet your
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appetites, here is a list of who's
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coming to date (more are being
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negotiated):
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Atari Corp.
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Alpha Systems
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ST Informer
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MichTron
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GENie
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Gribnif Software
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Gadgets by Small
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Word Perfect
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Accusoft
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ICD
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Best Electronics
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Orion Microsystems
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Toad Computers
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The Electronic Clinic
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WinterTech
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Softrek
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ASDE Inc/ST PLUG
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Double-click Software
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Codehead Software
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Seymour-Radix
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Cal-Com
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Joppa Computers
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Current Notes
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And there's more where this came from.
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We're just awaiting more firm
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confirmations by the parties involved.
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Also, we are conducting a large number
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of seminars and demos with some of the
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topics covered being:
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Desktop Publishing
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Telecommunications
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Graphics and Animation
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IBM and Mac Emulation
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Entertainment
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Business Applications
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Education
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and more
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Atari representatives will be speaking
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on the future of Atari, and a Banquet
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is planned for Saturday nite.
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The DC AtariFest 89 is taking place the
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7th and 8th of October, with the hours
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on Saturday running from 10:00 am to
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5:00 pm, and on Sunday from 1:00 pm to
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5:00 pm. Admission is free, and we
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will also be giving away hourly door
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prizes which will range from 8-bit and
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ST Software on up to a complete 520ST
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system, with a LOT of nice prizes in
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between (anyone for a hard disk?). The
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location is the same as in past years,
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at the Fairfax High School, in Fairfax,
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Virginia.
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This is shaping up to be perhaps the
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BEST DC 'Fest yet, and we are expecting
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to exceed last years total attendance
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by a good margin. If you have any
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questions or need more information,
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contact John Barnes at 301-652-0667.
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|ZMAG HUMOR|
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|by Scott Andersen|
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Reprinted from ZMagazine #67
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At first it was just rumors. I'm sure
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you've heard some of them. Mergers
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and/or joint ventures. Atari and AT&T.
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Atari and Teledyne. Atari and
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whomever. But this one is confirmed.
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I saw the proof at last month's
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outdoors exposition.
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Atari is involved in a joint venture
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with Coleman Western, the outdoor
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products giant. The offspring of this
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marriage is the Coleman Camp Computer,
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hereafter known as the CCC.
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It was on display in one corner of the
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Coleman booth at the outdoor show,
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with an Atari rep in attendance to
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demo the machine. It is quite a
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machine. Its most impressive feature
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is its ability to function without a
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power supply; the CCC uses white gas
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(Coleman Fuel) like so many other
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Coleman appliances. After filling the
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tank with fuel and pressurizing the
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system by hand pumping, you start up
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by firing the pilot/burner. The gas
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flame heats a sealed fluid system
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which powers a micro turbine
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generator. This in conjunction with a
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regulator provides all the voltage you
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need to power the CCC and all of its
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peripherals. The CCC is a 128K machine
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that utilizes the 6502 processor.
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It has a new O.S. that is completely
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compatible with all Atari and third
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party software. Two built-in languages
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are switched on or off via a three way
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rocker switch. They are BASIC (of
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course) and Action!. Atari apparently
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had a large quantity of 400 keyboards
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that they decided to use up on the
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CCC. While being a pain to type on,
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the use of the membrane keyboard is
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understandable on a product that can
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be left out in the rain. Yes, the CCC
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is completely weatherproof. Rubber
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doors cover the 4 joystick ports, the
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I/O port, the serial/expansion bus,
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and the built-in disk drive and modem.
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The disk drive is a half height 5-1/4-
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that uses single or enhanced density.
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The modem is something completely
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different. It is said to be almost
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Hayes compatible, the exception being
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that it can't answer. This is
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understandable, you have no phone
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number. At the end of the 25 foot
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modem cable is a special induction
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device that you merely clamp over any
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phone cable. No pins, no plugs, no
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muss, no fuss. The device can only
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originate calls, but it can do it
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anywhere there is a telephone line, be
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it the backwoods or your back yard.
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All this and 1200 baud too. When you
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lift the cover on the CCC you'll see
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the best feature of all. The 9- Hi-Res
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LCD color monitor has a true 80 column
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screen that is compatible with most
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available software. If not, a rubber
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toggle switch will get you back to 40
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column at any time. In either mode the
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characters are sharp and crisp and
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easy to read. All this and only 14.4
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pounds. But if that seems too heavy
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for you backpackers, the fuel tank/
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pump/burner/stand assembly can be
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detached.
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The remaining unit, at 8.3 pounds, can
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be used at any campsite simply by
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setting it on the campfire. Included
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in the $450 price are three new pieces
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of software.
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The first, -Campcalc-, is a wilderness
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management program. The second,
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-Camp-Talk-, synthesizes bird and
|
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animal calls. The third is a graphics
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|
masterpiece. It is a Conestoga Wagon
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simulator called -Yerass-. No more
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|
boring evenings around the campfire.
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Coleman Camping Computer Update
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Yes, since announced in the June 1986
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issue of Mile High Magazine, Coleman
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|
products, has barely been able to keep
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|
up with the orders for the Coleman
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Camping Computer, let alone develop
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|
any new enhancements for the popular
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system. Due to some heat disipation
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|
problems, the Camp Fire power system,
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has been dropped, in favor of a new
|
|
system using 3-6 foot solar panels,
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generating enough heat to move a small
|
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turbine, which in turn is hooked to a
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generator.
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This seems to be a much safer system,
|
|
than the camp fire unit, and is ready
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|
to ship as of this writing. Estimated
|
|
cost is a reasonable $1250 plus
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shipping.
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Shipping, due to size, must be arranged
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by the purchaser, with local contacts
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for hauling, setup and crane services.
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Estimated weight is 2200 pounds.
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Third Party Support!
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Yes, with a great product like the
|
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CCC, there is undoubtedly going to be
|
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some inovative third party support.
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DuckPuck Direct, Wholesalers for Idaho
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has jumped on the CCC bandwagon with a
|
|
couple of new products. Their feature
|
|
product is a small nuclear power
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|
supply, much smaller in size and
|
|
weight than Coleman's Solar system.
|
|
This amazing power source will be very
|
|
popular with the -way back in-
|
|
campers. True, a waste water source of
|
|
200 cubic feet per minute is
|
|
neccessary to prevent core meltdown.
|
|
And true, plutonium is some what of a
|
|
rare item,(though DuckPuck has
|
|
plutonium available in their new
|
|
catalog, and is rumored to be working
|
|
on a reactor that will be fueled by,
|
|
what else -DuckPuck-).
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Side advantages of the Alternate power
|
|
source is that you can recover some of
|
|
the cost of the plutonium by selling
|
|
the additional unused mega-watts to
|
|
the local power company. The large
|
|
amount of heat generated is a definate
|
|
plus for the artic campers. Included
|
|
is your very own lead lined camping
|
|
attire, sleeping bag, and water
|
|
purification system to assure that you
|
|
are not contamenated by the waste. All
|
|
in all an exciting package for the
|
|
CCC.
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DuckPuck has also announced some other
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|
enhancements for the Coleman system.
|
|
These include:
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For the Camp Talk Synthsis System.
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|
Domestic Animal Data Disk! Wouldn't
|
|
Old McDonald be envious. For those of
|
|
you who live on a farm and would like
|
|
to have exciting conversations with
|
|
your horses, cows, pigs, and chickens.
|
|
Requires version 26 of ODS (Out Door
|
|
Operating system.)
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Exotic Bird Data Disk. Another fine
|
|
data disk for the Camp Talk Module.
|
|
This is for those of you planing a
|
|
trip down the Amazon and would like to
|
|
keep in touch with the local wildlife.
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|
Another useful product from DuckPuck.
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Also distributed by the amazing
|
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DuckPuck Folks is Apuck74! Those of
|
|
you familar with the popular Amodem74
|
|
by our own Trent Dudley will feel
|
|
right at home with Apuck74. As usual
|
|
Mr. Dudley did a fine job of porting
|
|
the powerful program over to ODS. One
|
|
nice enhancement added to this version
|
|
is optional core temperature monitoring
|
|
with the DuckPuck Nucular power system.
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|
|
Rumor has it that DuckPuck is working
|
|
on a Code name 'P' power enhancement
|
|
for the Backpacking users. An Inside
|
|
informer claims the P stands for
|
|
potato and is the main component used
|
|
in the new device.
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For more information on these and
|
|
other outstanding CCC products contact:
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|
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DuckPuck Direct
|
|
The Software Wholesalers for Idaho
|
|
P.U. Box 3 Duckpuck
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Idaho
|
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|
|
Thanks to The Puget Sound Atari Users
|
|
for inspiration in creating this
|
|
article.
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|
|
Scott Anderson is the current
|
|
President of STARFLEET Atari User
|
|
Group of Denver, Colorado. This was
|
|
first printed in the MILE HIGH Atari
|
|
Magazine and was downloaded from
|
|
SKYLINE BBS (both of Denver).
|
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| Rovac Industries, Incorporated |
|
|
| P.O. Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846 |
|
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| (201) 968-8148 |
|
|
|Copyright 1989 All Rights Reserved|
|
|
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|
|
Reprint permission is granted
|
|
providing ZMagazine and the original
|
|
author is credited.
|
|
|
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CompuServe: 71777,2140
|
|
GEnie: ZMAGAZINE
|
|
Source: BDG793
|
|
|
|
ZMagazine Headquarters BBSes:
|
|
Centurion BBS--(618)451-0165
|
|
Chaos BBS--(517)371-1106
|
|
Shadow Haven--(916)962-2566
|
|
Stairway to Heaven--(216)784-0574
|