1028 lines
52 KiB
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1028 lines
52 KiB
Plaintext
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==(((((((((( == Z*MAG/A\ZINE ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
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=========(( === January 21, 1991
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=======(( ===== Issue #190
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=====(( ======= ----------------------------------
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==(((((((((( == Copyright (c)1990, Rovac Ind Inc..
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Publisher/Editor : Ron Kovacs
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Assistant Editor : Stan Lowell
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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CompuServe: 71777,2140 GEnie: Z-NET
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Z*NET BBS: (908) 968-8148 BLANK PAGE BBS: (908) 805-3967
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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EDITORS DESK
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============
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by Ron Kovacs
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It has been 20 days or so since the last release and we apologize. We
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do have good news though, we are beginning to receive support from our
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readers and present a few of the most recent articles in this edition.
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Happy New Year to everyone and we will return in 7-10 days with issue
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number #191. Thanks for reading!
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ATARI NEWS UPDATE
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=================
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ATARI INCREASES DEALER SUPPORT
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Atari Entertainment has announced that they will significantly increase
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its promotional activities and dealer support program during the first
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half of 1991. The specifics on the new creative and media campaign are
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being finalized but that the advertising for the first six months will
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focus on the use of cable and syndicated television and targeted spot
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radio in key markets as well as game and entertainment publications.
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First ads will highlight the Lynx's new retail price of $149.95 and will
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feature Atari's offer of a free second game cartridge with each system
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purchased. The offer will also be tied to dealer support activities
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which will include counter cards with tear-off pads, dealer roto and
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newspaper advertising support, as well as radio. For dealers who don't
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have the floor space necessary to devote to the kiosks and pedestals,
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Atari will offer countertop and slotwall displays. These displays
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feature self-running tapes that demonstrate the color, graphics and
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sound capabilities of the Lynx.
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ATARI LYNX GAME LIBRARY AT 16
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Rampage and Rygar, were among the five latest additions to the expanding
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library of single- and multiple-player games for the Atari Lynx.
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Rampage, from Bally has a suggested retail price of $34.95. Road
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Blasters from Atari Games has a suggested retail price of $39.95.
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Zarlor Mercenary, an Epyx original, will have a suggested retail price
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of $34.95. Rygar, the 1989 coin-op Game of the Year from Temco, has a
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suggested retail price is $39.95. Ms. Pac-Man, a coin-op smash hit from
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Namco, Ltd., suggested retail price is $34.95. The other Lynx games at
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prices of $39.95 include, California Games from Epyx, Paperboy from
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Atari Games, Gauntlet and KLAX from Atari Games. At $34.95, Xenophobe
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from Bally Manufacturing, Todd's Adventures in Slime World from Epyx,
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RoboSquash from Atari Games, Blue Lightning from Epyx, Chip's Challenge
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from Epyx, Electrocop, an Epyx and Atari collaboration, and Gates of
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Zendocon from Epyx. For complete information on Lynx, Atari's home
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video game systems and growing family of video game software, contact
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your local video game dealer or call/write Lawrence Siegel, President,
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Atari Entertainment Division, 330 N. Eisenhower Lane, Lombard, IL 60148;
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(708) 629-6500, FAX (708) 629-6699.
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NEW LYNX ACCESSORIES
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Atari announced a complete line of Lynx accessories. The accessories,
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which were designed to enhance the portability of the handheld video
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game system, include a traveling case, a carrying pouch, a sun visor/
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screen guard, and a cigarette lighter adapter.
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ATARI TO EXPAND LYNX GAME LIBRARY
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With the 16 new releases, on-the-go video game enthusiasts will have
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more than 30 games available for their Lynx portable systems. Many of
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the 16 games scheduled for release take full advantage of the Lynx
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features, with some allowing up to eight players. The new titles, which
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have a suggested retail price of from $29.95 to $39.95, will be on
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dealer shelves during the first and second quarters of 1991 and include:
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World Class Soccer, an Atari Games original, Ninja Gaiden, 1990 Arcade
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Game of the Year from Techmo, Blockout from California Dreams, Xybots
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from Atari Games, Shanghai from Mediagenic, Warbirds an Atari Games
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original, NFL Football, Vindicators from Atari Games, Grid Runner an
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Atari Games original, Turbo Sub another Atari Games original, Checkered
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Flag, A.P.B., Scrapyard Dog, and Tournament Cyberball 2072, from Atari
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Games.
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NEW GAMES AVAILABLE FOR 7800
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Eight new action-packed video games for the Atari 7800 home video
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entertainment system are now available bringing the total to nearly 40
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games. The new, full-color games include: Ikari Warriors from SNK,
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Planet Smashers, MotorPsycho, and BasketBrawl all Atari Games originals,
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Mean 18 Ultimate Golf from Accolade, Mat Mania Challenge from American
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Technos, Ninja Golf and Alien Brigade, Atari Games originals.
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ATARI MIDI SOFTWARE AVAILABLE
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There are more than 35 sequencing programs available for the Atari
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Computer systems. Some of these include: C-Lab Notator from C-Lab,
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Pro-24 from Steinberg/Jones, Tiger Club from Dr. T's. Notation and
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printing software includes: Copyist DTP from Dr. T's and EZ Score Plus
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from Hybrid Arts. Library and Patch Editing software include: Super
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Librarian Pixel Publishing and GenWave from Interval Music Systems. The
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Educational platform is covered, including: Electronic Courseware
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Systems and The Ear from Steinberg/Jones.
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ATARI RELOCATES ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION
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Atari announced that it has relocated the firm's entertainment division
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to the Chicago Area. The relocation was made in conjunction with the
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appointment of Lawrence Siegel as president of the entertainment
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division. Siegel was previously vice president of software development
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for Atari. Atari's announcement of the new $99.95 Lynx at the Consumer
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Electronics Show in Las Vegas is already having an impact on its
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entertainment division. The new Atari Entertainment Division will be
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located at 330 North Eisenhower Lane, in Lombard, Illinois.
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Z*NET NEWSWIRE
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==============
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AMERICAN VIDEO SUES NINTENDO
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American Video filed a $105 million damage lawsuit against Nintendo
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charging the Japanese companies with violations of antitrust laws. The
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suit states that Nintendo dominates the home video entertainment
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business with an 80 percent market share, and that it is using its
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monopoly power to cause the bankruptcy of the San Jose firm. In the
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complaint filed January 8, 1991, American Video stated that Nintendo
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ships 60 million Nintendo cartridges per year from Japan to the United
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States with a retail value of about $3 billion.
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COMMODORE LAYS OFF 10%
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Commodore announced earlier in the week that it intends to reduce the
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company's work force in the United States by about ten percent or 250
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to 300 people of it's 3,000 employees worlwide.
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RECORDABLE COMPACT DISC UNIT
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Kenwood will demonstrate a prototype for a home compact disc unit that
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will record on blank disks at the Winter CES Show. The LZ-13, a CD-WO
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(Write-once) unit that is capable of producing recorded disks from
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various sources. The disks can be played in any CD player in the same
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way as a conventional CD.
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SIG HARTMANN JOINS LDW
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Logical Design Works announced the appointment of Sig Hartmann as
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executive vice president. Most recently an executive vice president
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with Televideo. Before working with Televideo, Hartmann served in
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executive vice president positions with both Commodore and Atari Corp.
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Logical Design Works, Inc. is based out of Los Gatos and specializes in
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exporting computers and electronics into Eastern Europe.
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APPLE EARNS $150 MILLION
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Apple announced this week that net revenues rose 12 percent for its
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first fiscal quarter ended Dec. 28, 1990 compared to the same quarter of
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a year ago. Earnings per share increased 33 percent. Net revenues for
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the quarter were $1.676 billion, compared to $1.493 billion in the year
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previous period. International revenues accounted for 45 percent of
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total revenues during the quarter, compared to 36 percent in the first
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quarter of fiscal 1990. Net income in the first quarter of fiscal 1990
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included $33.7 million ($20.5 million after tax, $.16 per share) for
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expenses related to cost-reduction programs and damages resulting from
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the October 1989 earthquake in the Bay Area.
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IBM EARNS $2.5 BILLION
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IBM announced this week preliminary worldwide financial results for
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1990. Worldwide revenue for the year ended Dec. 31, 1990, was $69.0
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billion, up 10.1 percent from the prior year's $62.7 billion. Worldwide
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net earnings for the year were $6.0 billion compared with $3.8 billion
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in 1989. The after-tax margin was 8.7 percent in 1990 compared with 6.0
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percent in 1989. Earnings per share were $10.51 in 1990 compared with
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$6.47 per share in 1989. Included in the 1989 results is a one-time
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charge taken in the fourth quarter against earnings for restructuring
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initiatives, investment revaluations and other actions. Average shares
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outstanding were 572.6 million in 1990 and 581.1 million in 1989. For
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the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1990, worldwide revenue was $23.1 billion, up
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12.7 percent from the prior year's $20.5 billion.
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TANDON BUYING CORVUS
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Tandon has acquired most of all of the assets of Corvus Systems which
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makes local area networking systems, PCs and related software and
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peripheral equipment.
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NINTENDO INCREASES PRODUCTION
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Nintendo announced early this week that it will increase monthly output
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of its Super Famicom video game computers to 500,000 units starting in
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April and to 800,000 units monthly beginning in August. The Super
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Famicon uses a one-megabit dynamic random access memory microchip and
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can handle more complex game software than Nintendo's Famicom. There
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are only nine different kinds of game software available for the new
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machine, but Nintendo says they will expand to about 30 to 40 types by
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the end of the summer.
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RUMBLES...RAMBLES...RUMORS
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==========================
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by Stan Lowell, Assistant Editor
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First of all, an update to the FoReM-XE Professional BBS list in issue
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#188. The telephone number for The Outhouse BBS in Belleville, IL is
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618-398-0335. Also, another BBS in Sacramento, CA has joined the FoReM-
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XEP network: The Doggie Diner BBS, 916-921-1935.
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The State of Atari Corp.
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------------------------
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As we move into a new year, it is important to look back over our
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shoulders. A few things seem significant to me.
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1) Atari Dropping 8-bit support. Many are still bitter about it.
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While I understand, it is a fact of life that any product has at
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least two lives: a -business- life, and -usefulness- life. The
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first life has come to an end, brought on by economics and the facts
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of life. It is always sad and disappointing to have -official-
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support for YOUR machine come to an end, but the -useful- life
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doesn't end until -you- decide. There are still a few companies
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still selling their 8-bit software. Some will try to help you with
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problems, some won't. You buy it 'as is.'
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Beyond the commercial software, we still have -Shareware- authors.
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These are enthusiasts, like ourselves. They love their 8-bits, as we
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all do. They have invested many hours into their programs. Support
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them. They will continue ONLY as long as you give them your approval,
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acceptance, and the few dollars they ask in return for their efforts.
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They WILL support their programs! Their hardware breaks just like ours.
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When it does, they will be faced with the natural attrition decision:
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-Should I fix it, or 'upgrade' to (name a machine here) ?- If YOUR
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response has been sufficient, they will likely fix it. If not, we may
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have lost some more support.
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2) The 'division' of the Atari community into 8-bit camps and ST camps.
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This situation is absurd! I suppose it stems from the extreme pride
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and loyalty which has been a part of our credo as -Atarians.- It is
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very silly in my opinion. Without the 8-bits, there might not have
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been any ST's today, while the ST is part of the natural evolution
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of the marketplace. We all share the same history and should share
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the same philosophy of computing: helping each other and sharing
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information.
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This philosophy was one of the things that impressed me about the Atari
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and -Atarians- before I bought my first one. I BBS'ed for over a year
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before I took the plunge. Once I found my first Atari BBS, I discovered
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this attitude prevelant on nearly all of them. Rarely had I seen the
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degree of cooperation amongst users on -other- boards that I saw on the
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Atari boards. I watched the users on one board complete a program
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started by one user who asked for help with it. Perhaps 14 different
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users got involved with tips, hints, advice, experiences, problems, and
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actually helping write parts of the final program! This is 'our
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heritage' as -Atarians.- Every product Atari has made or makes has its
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place in our community, be it 8-bits, ST, TT, Lynx, Portfolio, or ???
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Lets all try to continue our philosophy, our credo, our heritage for
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many years to come.
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Hopefully, Atari will continue to increase its -Name recognition-, not
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as a 'game machine,' but as a serious, powerful and flexible machine
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that it is(and always has been). I think they are making inroads with
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the Portfolio. Presumably, this will lead to increased sales, support,
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and advertising here in the USA. It's a slow process because Atari is
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small, but in my opinion, Atari is trying to turn it around.
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Let's look positively into this new year. Hopefully it will be a good
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one for us all!
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More 8-Bit Commercial Support
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-----------------------------
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News of another company still supporting 8-bits from the ACUTE BBS:
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Message: 243 (#5422) - Reply to #234 Title: Parrot II
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Author: Jonathan Mordosky To: Robert Genthner (Recvd)
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Posted: Mon 24-Dec-90 at 9:08:00am
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Hi Rob,
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Parrot II is a product of Alpha Systems in Ohio. At the WACCE fest in
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October, Alpha Systems was there and one of only a few companies still
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actively supporting the 8-bit machines. In the October STart magazine,
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Alpha Systems had a half page add for their 8-bit products. The phone
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number in the ad is (216)374-7469. The mailing address is:
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Alpha Systems
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1012 Skyland Drive
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Macedonia, OH 44056
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You should be able to contact them by phone or mail. Take care, Jon
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Still Another Source for European Software
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------------------------------------------
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And another capture from ACUTE via its networked Near-Us message base.
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(The number for the Nest BBS is: 516-221-8462)
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Message: 242 (#5497) Title: Current Notes NOTE
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Author: JOHN AALTO To: Triala
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Posted: Fri 28-Dec-90 at 10:44:00pm
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Origin: Nest BBS, Long Island, New York
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Its not all that bad! Nov's Current Notes has one major article on
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-Secrets of XL/XE Power Supplies-, an column -The 8-Bit Alchemist- by
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Ben Poehland, after that its the ads and CN's XL/XE PD Library. There
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are news updates on the XE, but have you collected all the old magazines
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yet? Lots of material....dated.....but useful.
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One new source of software for the XE is coming out of Germany via
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Software Infinity which is releasing new titles from KE-Soft (Germany).
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I've just gotten a catalog from ABBUC of Germany with a whole list of
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titles. Chromatics and Cultivation. Also Tobot, Bros, Zebu-Land,
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Dredis and .........TECHNO-NINJA.........but can anyone tell me what
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ZONG is?
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Yes, the Atari 8-bit lives on! What a long strange trip its been!
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Message: 243 (#5498) Title: Current Notes NOTE
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Author: JOHN AALTO To: JOHN AALTO
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Posted: Fri 28-Dec-90 at 11:01:00pm
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Origin: Nest BBS, Long Island, New York
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If you'd like to get in touch with Software Infinities Write for their
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catalog at: Software Infinity, 642 E. Waring Ave., State College, PA
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16801. In addition to the German software they have an PD Library for
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8-bitters.
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R-Time 8 Battery Replacement!
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------------------------------
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The following is a capture from the Lehigh Valley Atari User's Group BBS
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(ACUTE - Atari Computer User's Technical Exchange, 215-261-0620):
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Message: 99 (#5246) Title: R-Time-8 Batteries
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Author: Jonathan Mordosky To: All
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Posted: Sat 8-Dec-90 at 9:17:00am
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A worn-out battery in the R-time can cause some problems with certain
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programs. Several months ago, we tracked down a problem to a weak
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battery, even though the R-time still kept perfect time. I found that
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replacement solder type batteries were impossible to find. Solution??
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Replace your worn out battery with a socket and buy replacement
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batteries at the local Radio Shack. I have tried several different
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battery holders and the best one found was from Bogen Communications,
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Inc. It is a 24mm diameter Coin Cell Holder and is available from Digi-
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Key Corporation. A good replacement battery is available at Radio
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Shack. It is a Lithium Battery, part number CR2430 at a cost of $1.99,
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the total cost of replacement is less than $3.50.
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The replacement socket adds just a little too much height to close the
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cart fully. The solution to this is easy with the Bogen socket, just
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file a little plastic from each of the three stand-offs on the socket
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and it fits perfectly!! I have installed three of them so far with no
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problems.
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P.S. Some sockets which will fit the replacement cells, will not fit
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the R-Times properly. They could require much more modifications than
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the one listed.
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Many thanks to Jon for this info! Jon is the SysOp of the board.
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Well, until next time! If you would like to submit a review, article,
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or a rebuttal (ANYTHING is welcomed!), feel free to upload to myself or
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Z-NET Online BBS. I can be reached on my BBS (908-805-3967), GEnie
|
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(S.LOWELL), and on Z*Net Online BBS(908-968-8148).
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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL USERS GROUP! Support those who support US!
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FMS FOR THE 8-BIT ATARI: Fact And Opinion!
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==========================================
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by John Picken
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This article is a brief description of the various DOS in use by, or
|
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available to, 8-bit users. I refer to them as FMS (File Management
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Systems) as a more accurate representation of function for these
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programs. This is not presented as an exhaustive, in-depth survey and
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I apologize to the proponents of any FMS I missed.
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Your computer does not need FMS to access disks. If it did, you wouldn't
|
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have -Boot Disks- among your software. The OS (Operating System) can
|
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access disk sectors but, except for the -boot- (first three) sectors,
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the computer must be told, by number, which sector you want to read or
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write. With a disk dedicated to one program which does not require a
|
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file structure, this is all that's needed. Such programs provide their
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own FMS or treat the disk as the equivalent of a fast cassette -- they
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start at the beginning and read or write consecutively until done.
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FMS is necessary for randomly accessible files. Its only function is to
|
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manage these for you. This task requires it to keep track of used and
|
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free disk space and the identities and locations of files and to make
|
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them available on demand. Tasks such as copying files or sectors or
|
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duplicating disks are not FMS functions. They are available to you in
|
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separate, but closely related and dependant, programs. Most commonly
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these are handled by a single program called DUP.SYS -- the Disk Utility
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Package.
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There are various ways of organizing files on a disk. How this is done
|
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depends on the format used by FMS. It is important to realize that
|
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there are two senses to the word -format-. The first is the meaning to
|
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the drive. No matter what, if any, FMS you use, the physical format of
|
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a disk is only changed by the drive. A standard Atari 1050 has two and
|
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only two possible formats: Both use a sector size of 128 bytes and there
|
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are always 40 tracks. In SD (single density) there are 18 sectors per
|
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track and in ED (1050 or enhanced density) there are 26. No program can
|
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ever access more or less than one complete, 128-byte sector.
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FMS formatting is concerned only with the management of sectors -- in
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other words, how it uses, accounts for and, locates them. This is where
|
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the critical difference between various FMS occurs. As long as two
|
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different FMS use the same format, either can access disks set up by the
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other. There is a -de facto- standard format which, though not the
|
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best, is most widely used. It is described in the next three paragraphs
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(technical stuff -- skip if you want).
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Sector number 360 is used to map sectors in use or free (the VTOC).
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Eight sectors (361-368) are used for the Directory with eight files
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listed in each sector. Each directory entry holds file identity, status
|
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(deleted, open, locked, etc.), length, and starting address on the disk.
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As only the starting address is available, linked files are required.
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So to access any part of a file, FMS must find it in the directory, go
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to the starting sector and read the file from there, following the
|
|
links. File links, held in the last three bytes of each data sector,
|
|
look like this (note -- bytes are counted from 0 to 127):
|
|
|
|
[nnnnnnss] [ssssssss] [vvvvvvvv]
|
|
{byte 125} {byte 126} {byte 127}
|
|
|
|
The six bits represented by -n- are used for the file number which is
|
|
just the file's position in the directory (between 0 and 63). This is
|
|
checked every time a sector is accessed to ensure that sector is truly
|
|
part of the file in use. The ten -s- bits hold the next sector number.
|
|
Finally, since the drive won't write less than a full sector, you might
|
|
have to stick filler between the true end of data and these link bytes
|
|
so byte 127 (the -v-'s) holds the count of valid data bytes for the
|
|
sector.
|
|
|
|
There is one quirk to this format: Atari disk drives count sectors from
|
|
one but programmers count from zero. As a result, sector zero, which
|
|
FMS thinks exists, does not. So the VTOC always shows it as being
|
|
unavailable (in use). Nothing was done at the other end of the range so
|
|
the drive has a sector 720, but FMS doesn't use it. This is why you get
|
|
707 free sectors rather than 708. (707 = 720 - 3 boot - 1 VTOC - 8
|
|
directory - 1 unused)
|
|
|
|
Regardless of other programs released as -Atari DOS-, this is -THE Atari
|
|
format-. When swapping software, it is the format you should use and
|
|
expect to receive. Compatibility with this is a major consideration
|
|
when selecting an FMS. If an FMS can't use Atari format, it had better
|
|
be good -- exceedingly good -- good to the point of making it worth the
|
|
trouble of converting files.
|
|
|
|
The MyDOS and TopDOS formats mentionned below are nearly identical
|
|
except that they do make use of sector 720 and they don't use file
|
|
|
|
numbers. This last means the directory can be sorted or rearranged
|
|
without the necessity of tracing and rewriting every file to change the
|
|
links. Additionally, MyDOS uses the six file number bits to allow for
|
|
larger sector numbers. MyDOS is the only FMS which uses linked files
|
|
with sector numbers greater than 1023.
|
|
|
|
DOS 2.0s is the standard. Its format is the one above. It does not
|
|
support a RAMdisk or ED. Use with DD (double density -- available on
|
|
other drives) requires a separate version. If you -must- use -Atari
|
|
DOS- this is the best.
|
|
|
|
CAUTION: An alternate DUP is available for DOS 2 with most of the
|
|
features found with SmartDOS (below). I have seen versions identified
|
|
-2.5F-, -2.6f-, and -4.0F-. It is a useful program for DOS 2 users, but
|
|
one version (I think 2.6f) has been included on a disk with a modified
|
|
FMS which will trash any normal Atari format disk. To check this, boot
|
|
the FMS and format a disk. If you get more than 707 FREE SECTORS, do
|
|
not use the FMS. You can try copying the DUP to a disk containing
|
|
normal DOS 2 and see if the format function is correct -- if it isn't,
|
|
don't use the DUP either.
|
|
|
|
DOS 3 was packaged with almost all 1050 drives and was rejected by even
|
|
more users. It uses a non-standard format which offers no advantages.
|
|
Don't use DOS 3 (ever). There are programs to convert files from DOS 3
|
|
format to the Atari standard. If you have such beasts, use one.
|
|
|
|
DOS 2.5, a rewrite of DOS 2, replaced DOS 3 after much user howling. It
|
|
supports ED and provides a 130XE RAMdisk (64K maximum). The ED format
|
|
used results in slower disk access and sacrifice of DD capability. More
|
|
critically, the format hides some files from other FMS. They can't even
|
|
be seen in the directory -- an invitation to disaster. If you use any
|
|
other FMS, steer clear of the DOS 2.5 ED format. (I steer clear of DOS
|
|
2.5 -- period.)
|
|
|
|
DOS 4 or QDOS was cancelled by Atari, but released by it's author
|
|
through the Antic Catalogue. It supports all densities but not RAMdisk.
|
|
|
|
It has some nice features but not enough to justify its custom format.
|
|
I know of no utilities to convert files back from this format so, use it
|
|
and you're on your own.
|
|
|
|
DOS XE was released with the XF551 (the 3.5- drive that cleverly became
|
|
a 5.25- unit allowing you to spend money converting it to 3.5-). It
|
|
supports all densities, a 64K RAMdisk, and is -user-friendly- to the
|
|
point of being painful to non-beginners. DOS XE uses yet another custom
|
|
format but does, at least, support subdirectories. It has an awkward
|
|
means of accessing Atari format disks though, at least, that access is
|
|
two way. Users have not generally accepted it. Like DOS 4, use it and
|
|
be alone.
|
|
|
|
DOSXL is DOS 2 with the addition of a CP (Command Processor -- you don't
|
|
have a DUP). It has alternate versions which utilize hidden areas of
|
|
RAM. It may be used in SD or DD but does not support ED or RAMdisk.
|
|
Its primary disadvantage is that it uses more RAM than may always be
|
|
available with some applications. DOSXL was good in its time but has
|
|
long since been surpassed. It is not PD.
|
|
|
|
MachDOS is PD. It is density smart and features instant availability of
|
|
MACHCP.SYS (DUP), kept under the OS or optionally in low RAM. A plus is
|
|
the ability to define -D:- as something other than -D1:-. The version I
|
|
have does not support RAMdisk or ED. It is an excellent FMS for an
|
|
800XL or 65XE owner who does not use Turbo BASIC.
|
|
|
|
MyDOS is compatible with Atari format and is similar in appearance to
|
|
DOS 2. It supports up to nine drives in any density and allows
|
|
redefinition of -D:-. Its MyDOS format supports subdirectories, a
|
|
necessity with a large RAMdisk, and sector numbers up to 65535 (hard
|
|
drives). You may opt to have its powerful DUP remain resident in RAM.
|
|
It includes a RAMdisk capable of handling up to one megabyte on almost
|
|
any machine including the Atari 800.
|
|
|
|
If you now use DOS 2 or 2.5, you would do well to switch to MyDOS (make
|
|
sure you get version 4.5) which offers far more power. It's available
|
|
in your user group library and on various BBS. It comes with complete
|
|
documentation, pre-formatted for printing but, you will rarely need to
|
|
refer to this if you are familiar with DOS 2. If Atari listened to
|
|
users before rather than (sigh) after the fact, they could have saved
|
|
all the effort spent on QDOS and DOS XE and tried to buy MyDOS before it
|
|
went PD. In my opinion, MyDOS 4.5 is now the standard PD Atari FMS --
|
|
Try it.
|
|
|
|
SmartDOS is another non-PD DOS 2 clone which offers few advantages
|
|
though its DUP has many features not found with Atari DUP like sector
|
|
copying and hexadecimal conversions. It supports neither RAMdisks nor
|
|
ED. It's not highly rated and I'm not sure you can even still buy it.
|
|
|
|
SpartaDOS and the cartridge version, SpartaDOS X, are the most powerful
|
|
FMS available. They use a custom format which produces far faster disk
|
|
access and supports a complex subdirectory structure. In addition,
|
|
Sparta can directly access Atari format single or double density disks.
|
|
It comes with a superb menu for those not comfortable with a CP. Drives
|
|
of all type, size and density, and RAMdisks of up to 1 meg are fully
|
|
supported.
|
|
|
|
There simply is no better FMS than SpartaDOS. The cartridge is more
|
|
powerful (and expensive) but many users are satisfied with the disk
|
|
version which still leaves all others far behind. My recommendation is
|
|
to go with the disk version, at least until you're sure you want to buy
|
|
the cartiridge, and switch to MyDOS when you want to use Turbo BASIC
|
|
which is incompatible. (Stick to standard Atari format for passing
|
|
files between the two.)
|
|
|
|
SuperDOS uses the same ED format as DOS 2.5 (hidden files again). It
|
|
offers far more power on the DUP side but, because of the format, is
|
|
slow accessing disks. It's not PD, it's incompatible with Turbo BASIC
|
|
and, given the format, I recommend you save your money.
|
|
|
|
TopDOS is an excellent FMS which offers its own format as well as full
|
|
compatibility with Atari format. Its DUP (optionally RAM resident) is
|
|
the best available and this combination makes TopDOS an ideal system for
|
|
users doing a lot of disk work. It supports various RAM upgrades for
|
|
all 8-bits. It even provides a special handler for the 130XE which
|
|
allows you to use the RAM -under- the OS to increase your RAMdisk to
|
|
over 600 sectors. TopDOS also supports powerful (though terse) batch
|
|
files, something which is rare in a two part FMS. I recommend it highly
|
|
after only Sparta and MyDOS (which, after all, is free).
|
|
|
|
MORE ROOM: You can safely use 931 sectors in Atari format! With MyDOS
|
|
use XIO 254,#1,175,131,-D1:- on a preformatted ED disk. Alternatively,
|
|
format in TopDOS ED. With TopDOS or VTOCFIX (from the MyDOS disk),
|
|
sector edit the VTOC and make the first byte 2 {CONTROL B}. In this
|
|
format, Sparta will read but not write to the extra sectors; MyDOS,
|
|
TopDOS, and PaperClip can use them all. With DOS 2 (and clones), POKE
|
|
4362,128 to use them. This is The only DOS 2 ED mod safe for use with
|
|
SD disks. Do not use this format with DOS 2.5 (or SuperDOS).
|
|
|
|
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published in the September/
|
|
October 1990 issue of XIO3, the newletter of the Garden City A.C.E.. As
|
|
always readers are encouraged to provide feedback to the author. Please
|
|
direct correspondence to:
|
|
|
|
GARDEN CITY A.C.E.
|
|
1003 Amphion Street
|
|
Victoria, B.C., Canada V8S 4G2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NICK'S PICKS
|
|
============
|
|
by Nick DiMasi
|
|
Suburban Chicago Atarians
|
|
|
|
BLAZING PADDLES
|
|
---------------
|
|
Illustrator
|
|
|
|
Baudville
|
|
1001 Medical Park Dr. S.E.
|
|
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
|
|
|
|
Perhaps Baudville subtitled this product -Illustrator- to forestall any
|
|
confusion about its purpose. After all, with a name like -Blazing
|
|
Paddles- we might assume that it's some sort of ping-pong (or other
|
|
arcade) game. Wrong! It's a drawing program - not a new one (1986),
|
|
but one that's not as widely known as Micro Painter or Micro Illustrator
|
|
(early 1980's vintage). This makes it worth reviewing for the benefit
|
|
of those users who are not familiar with it.
|
|
|
|
The name -Blazing Paddles- (which I'll abbreviate -BP- from now on)
|
|
relates to the fact that a pair of paddle controllers can be used as the
|
|
input device to the program. I don't have any paddle controllers, so I
|
|
haven't tried using BP with them, but I can't imagine anyone actually
|
|
preferring this over other input devices.
|
|
|
|
In SKETCH (freehand drawing) mode, it would be like drawing on an Etch-
|
|
A-Sketch. If this doesn't appeal to you, don't worry: BP can also be
|
|
used with a joystick, light pen, or graphics tablet (such as the Koala
|
|
Pad or Atari Touch Tablet; owners of the Animation Station should
|
|
already be familiar with BP, as it is the drawing program supplied with
|
|
that tablet). Sadly, the left switch on my Koala Pad, which is BP's
|
|
-action- button for tablets, is broken. I don't like using a joystick
|
|
for drawing, so until my Koala Pad is repaired, I have been using my
|
|
Atari Trak-Ball in -joystick- mode. This ability to work with most
|
|
common input devices gives BP an important advantage over other drawing
|
|
programs.
|
|
|
|
BP provides all the standard functions found in most 8-bit drawing
|
|
programs: Freehand draw (SKETCH), points, lines, connected lines, ovals
|
|
(and circles), boxes, area fill, a choice of brushes, and a magnify
|
|
(ZOOM) mode. The ZOOM mode is easy and a pleasure to use; the top half
|
|
of the screen shows the whole picture, with a cursor (small box) that
|
|
indicates the area that is magnified in the bottom half of the screen.
|
|
What's missing is a choice of drawing modes. You can't draw using the
|
|
LINE, OVAL, BOX, etc. functions - only DOTS drawing is possible, and
|
|
only with the default brush. This makes the ZOOM mode only useful for
|
|
viewing fine detail, and minor touch-ups. BP's color palette, besides
|
|
allowing you to set the hue and luminance of the 3 drawing colors and
|
|
background, also lets you mix any two of those colors, using a choice of
|
|
patterns. The resulting mix can be selected as the current drawing
|
|
color just like any of the solid colors.
|
|
|
|
Other functions provided by BP are:
|
|
|
|
SPRAY: This mode -sprays- a pattern of dots wherever you move the cursor
|
|
(while the -action- button is held down). The pattern is fixed and not
|
|
as fine as the -airbrush- found in drawing programs for larger
|
|
computers, but otherwise it works the same. The cursor shape is the
|
|
exact pattern, so you can see precisely where the color will be sprayed.
|
|
If you go over an area already sprayed, the result is denser coverage.
|
|
SPRAY may be useful for blending colors and producing variable shading.
|
|
|
|
TEXT: Text can be placed anywhere on the picture. There are three
|
|
resident fonts (small, medium, and large), and a character set can be
|
|
loaded from the BP disk (which must be done before selecting TEXT mode)
|
|
for a fourth font choice. Unfortunately, there are only three fonts on
|
|
the disk, and only one of them (Italic) differs in other than size (and
|
|
a small degree of boldness) from the resident fonts. This would not be
|
|
a problem if BP used standard nine-sector font files, since there are
|
|
plenty of those in the public domain - but its fonts are non-standard.
|
|
On the plus side, a nice feature of the TEXT mode is the ability to move
|
|
a line of text around on the screen, after it has been entered.
|
|
|
|
WINDOW: This is a -cut and paste- mode. You draw a shimmering box
|
|
enclosing the area of the picture that you wish to cut. This area is
|
|
not erased from its original position, but stored in a -window.- Then,
|
|
at any time, you can paste copies of this window anywhere in the current
|
|
picture, or a new picture - the window is stored completely independent
|
|
of the picture. You can save the window to disk or load a window from
|
|
disk. The largest window that can be cut is about 1/4 screen size. In
|
|
practice, this is a generous size, and if it's not large enough, you can
|
|
always cut 2 or more windows - saving each to disk before cutting the
|
|
next.
|
|
|
|
SHAPES: BP comes with a -library- of pre-drawn shapes, or objects, that
|
|
can be added to a picture. These are line drawings that work something
|
|
like a rubber stamp. When a shape is selected, it can be rotated and/
|
|
or flipped. When placed in the picture, the shape will normally be in
|
|
the currently selected drawing color. The selection of shapes to choose
|
|
from is changed by loading a different set of shapes from the disk. The
|
|
problem with this feature is that, with one exception, each set only has
|
|
a few shapes; and there are only three sets. The default
|
|
(-miscellaneous-) set has two men, a couple of farm animals and some
|
|
farm equipment and vehicles. The other two sets contain buildings (a
|
|
house, a church/school, etc.) and music symbols - this last appears to
|
|
be a fairly complete set, with about 35 symbols. So, for kids or
|
|
composers, the shapes library may be a great feature, but otherwise it
|
|
has limited use - fun to play with, but generally not much help with
|
|
serious drawing.
|
|
|
|
SCROLL: BP lets you scroll the screen up, down, left, or right. In
|
|
this way, if your picture (not including the background) does not take
|
|
up the entire screen, you can adjust the position of the picture within
|
|
the screen. When an object reaches the edge of the screen, it does not
|
|
disappear, but wraps around to the opposite side of the screen. It
|
|
would be nice if the user could choose between -disappear- and wrap-
|
|
around, but even as-is, SCROLL is nice to have - it was added to BP
|
|
when the program was ported to the Atari.
|
|
|
|
MIRROR: Another function added to BP when ported to the Atari, this is
|
|
different than the -mirror- mode found in drawing programs like Micro
|
|
Illustrator. In the latter, MIRROR is a freehand drawing mode which
|
|
mirrors what you draw in 4-way reflection (up-down and right-left).
|
|
BP's MIRROR works on an already-drawn part of the picture. You -cut- an
|
|
area just as in the WINDOW mode, and then indicate in which of the four
|
|
directions the area should be mirrored. This makes it easy to draw a
|
|
picture with perfect up-down or left-right symmetry, regardless of the
|
|
drawing mode(s) needed to produce the details of the picture. This is
|
|
much more useful than the other type of -mirror- function.
|
|
|
|
UNDO: This is not a drawing function in its own right, but works with
|
|
the drawing modes. Pressing the UNDO button (the right button on the
|
|
touch tablet, the BREAK key when using other input devices) removes the
|
|
last object placed on the screen. So (for example), if that oval you
|
|
just drew doesn't look right, you can erase it without affecting the
|
|
rest of the picture, and without having to change to the background (or
|
|
underlying object) color and draw over it. You can't -undo the UNDO,-
|
|
however, so if you have just SKETCHed for a long time on one press of
|
|
the -action- button, you should think twice before UNDOing it.
|
|
|
|
DISK: BP provides the usual ability to save and load pictures to and
|
|
from a disk. The popular 62-sector (Micro Painter) format is used, so
|
|
BP picture files are compatible with most other drawing and related
|
|
programs (Magniprint, YEMACYB/4, Super 3D Plotter, and many others). In
|
|
addition, windows can be saved and loaded, and this menu is also where
|
|
character sets and shape tables are loaded. When loading, a list of all
|
|
files of the chosen type on the disk is shown, and the desired file is
|
|
chosen with the cursor and -action- button. The biggest limitation is
|
|
that the disk must always be in drive 1. BP has no provision for a 2nd
|
|
drive.
|
|
|
|
PRINT: A picture can be printed using any of several brands of
|
|
printers. With the exception of the Okimate 20, pictures are printed in
|
|
black-and-white, using different patterns (the manual calls it a -gray
|
|
scale-, but it really isn't) for the different colors. It would be nice
|
|
if other color printers were also supported, like the Star NX-1000
|
|
Rainbow (Epson JX-80 compatible). The Epson setting works fine (in
|
|
black-and-white) with my NX-1000.
|
|
|
|
BP's manual is short but complete, and straightforward. As with some
|
|
other 8-bit programs, since the Commodore version of BP was produced
|
|
first, the manual is written for that version, with a loose insert
|
|
detailing the differences in the Atari version. Unfortunately, the
|
|
insert misses a few important details - for example, that to -unhook-
|
|
lines, boxes, and ovals (that you are drawing) without placing them in
|
|
the picture, you press the ESC key. The ESC key is also used for
|
|
changing colors in ZOOM mode. An even larger omission is the way to
|
|
return to the main menu from the drawing modes: press the space bar.
|
|
The help screen (at least for the joystick) does mention this, though
|
|
(it's also the way back from the help screen). The manual itself might
|
|
benefit from a few more illustrations.
|
|
|
|
Overall, BP is the most comprehensive drawing program for the 8-bit
|
|
Atari that I have ever seen, and yet it is fairly easy to use. Anyone
|
|
who does not have a drawing program, should consider BP before
|
|
purchasing any other. BP is also worth a look for those who already
|
|
have a drawing program, and who would like to have all its handy
|
|
features at their (joystick-, paddle-, lightpen-, or tablet-equipped)
|
|
fingertips.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EIGHT-BIT HARD DRIVE
|
|
====================
|
|
by Bob Nex
|
|
|
|
|
|
The first thing you must have is one of the following computers; 600XL,
|
|
800XL, 130XE. The 600XL should be upgraded to 64K to allow you the full
|
|
use of a Hard Drive. You must also have either MYDOS or SPARTA DOS
|
|
(3.2+). MYDOS is a shareware DOS now, so you could get that from your
|
|
club library. Sparta DOS, on the other hand is not PD, you must buy a
|
|
copy. You can use Sparta DOS X with a Hard Drive (HD), in fact it is at
|
|
it's best in this type of environment. Now that I've got that out of
|
|
the way, I can move on to things specific to the HD.
|
|
|
|
All of the installation instructions will come with the Interface that
|
|
you get. What I will do is give you is a list of what you might require
|
|
if you were leaning towards a HD.
|
|
|
|
First you need a 'controller interface'. This would be a Multi I/O
|
|
(MIO), BLACK BOX (BB), or the Supra interface (now called K/P
|
|
interface). The MIO and BB also gives you modem and printer ports as
|
|
well as a HD controller port.
|
|
|
|
The controller is next. This is a 'card' that interprets the signals
|
|
from the computer and the HD and makes it all work. You will need
|
|
either a SASI (sassy) or a SCSI (scuzzy) controller, you CANNOT use an
|
|
IBM PC controller. One of the popular controller's is the Adaptec 4000
|
|
series. Just a note, some HD's comes with the controller built-in.
|
|
This means you will not need a controller because you all ready have
|
|
one. The disadvantage is you cannot connect 2 HD's to a controller if it
|
|
is built-in to the drive.
|
|
|
|
The hard drive is next. They come in various capacities ranging from 1
|
|
Meg to over 120 Megs. One important note, it has to be a ST-506/ST-412
|
|
compatible drive (all IBM Hard Drives are of this type). Remember, if
|
|
you get a Hard Drive with a built-in controller you will not need a
|
|
controller.
|
|
|
|
The last major part is a power supply. You can use any IBM power supply
|
|
that you can get your hands on. You need this because the controller
|
|
and HD uses 12 volts DC. Your computer's power supply could not supply
|
|
the required power or voltage to run the controller and HD. You will
|
|
also need the required cables to connect the Interface to the controller
|
|
and the controller to the HD.
|
|
|
|
After that you will need to format the drive and set up partition's
|
|
depending on the drive size.
|
|
|
|
That is about all the hardware you will need. Now, you ask, how much is
|
|
all this going to cost? Well, quite a bit if you buy all new equipment.
|
|
I will give you a break down on what you might expect to spend on a HD
|
|
system.
|
|
|
|
I am not sure on the price of the Supra but an MIO or a Black Box will
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run about $250. It is hard to find a used interface. The controller
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can run from $20 used (what I got mine at) to $150 new. You will have
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probably have to mail order both the interface and controller, but you
|
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might want to check some of the computer stores around town for a
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controller. The power supply will run about $50 used and I don't even
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want to think about new! The big expense seems like the Hard Drive, but
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if you shop around you should be able to find a 20 meg in the $250 to
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$300 dollar range.
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Here is a list so you can see a little better.
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Interface $250
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Controller $75
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Power $70
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Hard Drive $300
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Cables exc. $30
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|
---------------------------
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Grand total $725
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So really it is not too expensive to get a Hard Drive for your 8-bit.
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My system has a Black Box, adaptec 4000A controller, ST-225 Hard drive
|
|
(20 Meg), ST-251 Hard Drive (40 Meg). I have used an MIO for 1 year.
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You can see an 8-bit using a Hard Drive on my BBS, THE POTHOLE BBS
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(604) 642-6795.
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If you have any questions or want a hand connecting a hard drive (if
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your're in Victoria), give me a call at (604) 642-6358.
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|
|
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published in the November/
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|
December issue of XIO3, newsletter of the GARDEN CITY A.C.E., 1003
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|
Amphion Street, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8S 4G2. Readers may also
|
|
contact the author by directing correspondence to this users group.
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|
1050 WRITE PROTECT SWITCH
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|
=========================
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by Dan Knauf
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(This article originally appeared in the December 1990 issue of the
|
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Puget Sound Atari News magazine.)
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|
|
First the disclaimer. Neither I nor S*P*A*C*E assumes any liability for
|
|
any damage caused by performing this upgrade. I have been using a drive
|
|
with this modification in it for about 3 weeks with no problems.
|
|
However, if you decide to do this project you do so at your own risk.
|
|
Now that we have that out of the way...
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|
|
I decided to install a write protect switch in my only un-Happy 1050. I
|
|
had a couple of public domain text files describing how to install such
|
|
a switch. One of them required using a circuit board and an IC chip
|
|
along with numerous other parts. The other one required a DPDT switch
|
|
and an LED. While this one required cutting or splicing into four wires
|
|
on the drive, it was more to my 'lazy-man' liking.
|
|
|
|
I proceded to install this version - getting fancy and making a 6-
|
|
connector plug so I could still remove the mechanism from the drive if I
|
|
needed to later. When I was all done, I fired up the drive to test it
|
|
out. Every thing worked just fine. I had three write protection modes
|
|
- ALWAYS write, NEVER write, and NORMAL (use-the-disk-notch) mode.
|
|
However, the LED only lit up when the switch was in the ALWAYS mode. I
|
|
am used to my Happy drives that let me know whether I can write to
|
|
whatever disk is in the drive by having this LED on if I can write and
|
|
off if I can't. I wanted this drive to work the same way.
|
|
|
|
I decided to LOOK at the directions I had FOLLOWED and see if there was
|
|
a way to make the LED work the way I wanted it to. The first thing I
|
|
noticed was that I had had to splice into one wire and cut one wire more
|
|
than was necessary. This added up to one whole side of the DPDT switch.
|
|
Figuring out how to make the LED do what I wanted took some further
|
|
digging though. I hauled out my trusty 1050 field service manual and
|
|
discovered that pin 36 of the floppy disk controller was where the write
|
|
protect signal ended up. Hmmm..... I wonder..... I think I'll try it.
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|
|
|
Now that I have taken up some space to make the editor happy, here's how
|
|
I installed my write protect switch and an LED that works right.
|
|
|
|
Parts: 1 - SPDT center-off switch.
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|
1 - 1k resistor (brown, black, red).
|
|
1 - LED (I used a yellow one to match my Happy's)
|
|
A little wire.
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|
|
(Sorry, no Radio Shack stock numbers - I had all of these parts just
|
|
laying around my house!)
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|
|
|
WARNING: There is nothing dangerous or risky about the write protect
|
|
switch if it is installed according to these directions. It is,
|
|
however, possible that installing the LED as directed here could cause
|
|
the disk drive be unable to write to a disk. The LED uses the power
|
|
from the write protect pin of the floppy disk controller. The power at
|
|
this pin is what tells the controller that it is ok to write to the
|
|
disk. If your 1050 has a weak power supply it is possible that the LED
|
|
will draw enough juice from the pin to make the controller think it
|
|
isn't supposed to write to the disk. I don't think this is too likely,
|
|
but it IS possible. If this happens, you could try using a resistor
|
|
with a larger resistance value in place of the 1k resistor. (Which also
|
|
will dim the LED some.) If that fails you will have to do without the
|
|
LED. For this reason, you may want to install the write protect switch
|
|
then hook up the LED ciruit and test things out BEFORE you drill the
|
|
hole for the LED.
|
|
|
|
Switch installation:
|
|
--------------------
|
|
Open the drive exposing all those fancy electronics. All referrences to
|
|
places on the drive assume that the front of the drive is facing you and
|
|
it is right side up.
|
|
|
|
Now you have to decide where to put the switch and LED. I mounted mine
|
|
on the front of the drive just to the left of the drive mechanism. I
|
|
drilled the hole for the switch so that the center of the hole was about
|
|
even with the bottom of the mechanism slot. I mounted the LED just
|
|
above that. This matches the way it is done for my Happy drives.
|
|
|
|
Once the holes are drilled, find the row of plugs on the back left side
|
|
of the mother board. Cut the wire going into these plugs which closest
|
|
to the front of the drive. This wire goes from pin 1 of J11 to the
|
|
light sensor half of the write protect circuit. Solder a piece of wire
|
|
about 11-12 inches long to each side of the cut you just made. Hook the
|
|
wire from the plug (J11) side of the cut to the middle pin of your SPDT
|
|
switch. Hook the other wire to the top pole of the switch.
|
|
|
|
Next you need to remove a little insulation from the wire immediately
|
|
behind the one you cut. This is the wire going to J11 pin 2. For you
|
|
techies, this is one of the leads going to the light emitting side of
|
|
the write protect circuit. You must solder a 12 inch piece of wire to
|
|
the place you exposed. Alternatively, you could solder this wire to the
|
|
bottom of the motherboard where pin 2 is attached. The other end of
|
|
this wire goes to the bottom pole of your switch.
|
|
|
|
If you haven't mounted the switch yet, you can do so now. The wiring to
|
|
it is done.
|
|
|
|
LED Installation:
|
|
-----------------
|
|
Cut two pieces of wire about 8 inches long. Solder one end of one of
|
|
these wires to pin 36 of the 40 pin chip just towards the front of the
|
|
drive from J11. Pin 36 is the 5th pin from the front on the left side
|
|
of the chip. Also, this chip is the left-most 40 pin chip and should be
|
|
marked as WD279x. (The x in the number could be either a 7 or a 3
|
|
depending on where the drive was made and who has hacked on it.) Solder
|
|
the other end of this wire to your 1k resistor then solder the other end
|
|
of the resistor to the LONG lead of the LED.
|
|
|
|
The wide foil strip running along the top left side of the motherboard
|
|
is ground. Take a knife and scrape a spot big enough to solder a wire
|
|
to down to the foil. Solder the remaining 8 inch wire to the spot you
|
|
just scraped. Solder the other end of this wire to the SHORT lead of
|
|
the LED.
|
|
|
|
All that is left is to mount the LED in the hole. I used a hot-melt
|
|
glue gun for this. Hastily reassemble the drive and you're done!
|
|
|
|
You now have a write protect switch with three modes. In the up
|
|
position you can ALWAYS write to any disk whether it is notched or not.
|
|
In the middle position you can NEVER write to a disk even if it is
|
|
notched. With the switch in the bottom position the drive acts NORMAL.
|
|
Ie., you can write to a notched disk that is not write-protected and you
|
|
cannot write to a write-protected or un-notched disk.
|
|
|
|
The LED will always be on if you can write to the disk that is in the
|
|
drive. It will always be off if you cannot write to the disk in the
|
|
drive. Note that in the NORMAL mode the LED will also be on if no disk
|
|
is in the drive.
|
|
|
|
This is the easiest write protect switch installation I have seen for
|
|
the 1050. It sure beats the heck outa having to notch disks!
|
|
|
|
I can be reached for comments, gripes, or (especially) praise on GEnie
|
|
at DAN.KNAUF or Compuserve at 76427,454. Geez I hate those CIS numbers!
|
|
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
Z*MAGAZINE Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine is a bi-weekly magazine covering
|
|
the Atari and related computer community. Material contained in this
|
|
edition may be reprinted without permission, except where otherwise
|
|
noted, unedited, with the issue number, name and author included at
|
|
the top of each reprinted article. Commentary and opinions presented
|
|
are those of the individual author and does not necessarily reflect
|
|
the opinions of Z*MAGAZINE or the staff. Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online
|
|
Magazine, Z*Net Atari Online Magazine, Z*Net are copyright (c)1991 by
|
|
Rovac Industries Inc, a registered corporation. Post Office Box 59,
|
|
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846. (908) 968-2024. Z*Net Online BBS 24
|
|
Hours, 1200/2400 Baud, (908) 968-8148. We can be reached on CompuServe
|
|
at 71777,2140 and on GEnie at Z-NET. FNET Node #593
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine
|
|
Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc..
|
|
=======================================================================
|