To: 999 (all members)
From: K6Q (Leslie Roberts)
Subject: RGB Synch circuit wanted
If any member could supply an
electronic circuit diagram to convert
the BBC combined-synch signal to give
separate horizontal and vertical synch
pulses to operate an RGB monitor which
I have, I would be very grateful. I
will cover your expenses.
L.T. Roberts
39 Willoughby Road
Liverpool
L14 6XA
Tel:0151-480 1456
To: 999 (all members)
From: K8F (Stuart Angell)
Subject: MIDI Software
I am a new member to the group and am
still finding my way around. I am
endebted to John from Plumstead for
introducing me to 8BS.
I have recently aquired a MIDI
TRACK PERFORMER built by Electro
Music Research and have managed to
adapt it to my Master.The system is
very good and I also aquired some
software for writing music called
SCOREWRITER. Unfortunately one of the
two ROMs required is damaged and I
would like to get hold of a new ROM
image.The ROM in question is MSERV-B
V2.0
Does anyone out there have any EMR
MIDI software and is the company still
going?? Thanks in anticipation
To: 999
From: K4P (SUE EEDLE)
Subject: MONITOR LEAD WANTED
Can anyone help, I need a BNC to
monitor lead for a mono monitor. If
you have one you don't need anymore
or if you know where I can get one
PLEASE contact me on 01502 722335.
MANY THANKS !!!
To: 999 (all members)
From: K3H (ALBERT SCHOFIELD)
Subject: TAPE TO DISC ON THE BBC'B'
Transferring files from tape to disc
is usually a simple task. Utilities
exist for doing this and the computer
can be left to get on with the job.
Getting the files to work on disc is
when the problems arise.
However sometimes transferring files
from tape to disc can be a problem if
the file is exceptionally long as in
some adventure games. Even with page
at &1100 the file tends to spill over
onto the screen when loaded, and when
saved to disc may have bits of the DFS
rom in it which means that it will not
work properly.
A way round this problem is to
transfer one block at a time. The
following program will do this.
110 *TAPE
120 IN=OPENUP("")
130 *DISC
140 OUT=OPENOUT("filename")
150 *TAPE
160 REPEAT
170 C=BGET £IN
180 *DISC
190 BPUT £OUT,C
200 *TAPE
210 UNTIL EOF£IN
220 CLOSE£IN
230 *DISC
240 CLOSE£OUT
Enter the filename for the file on
disc at line 140. If the file should
happen to be locked add the following
lines.
10 FOR pass%=0 TO 3 STEP 3
20 P%=&70:[OPT pass%
30 PHP:PHA:TXA:PHA:TYA:PHA
40 LDA &3CA:AND £&FE:STA &3CA
50 LDA £0:STA &3C7
60 PLA:TAY:PLA:TAX:PLA:PLP:RTS
70 ]:NEXT
80 ?&220=&70:?&221=0
90 *FX14,4
The file will be transferred to disc
automatically (providing you have
motor control) with no more than one
block in memory at any time.
With the complete file in disc it
will then be necessary to set the load
and execution addresses of the file to
the correct values. The following
program will do this.
10 OSFILE=&FFDD
20 DIM PARAM 18,NAME 8
30 $NAME="filename"
40 !PARAM=NAME
50 PARAM!2=&<load address>
60 PARAM!6=&<execution address>
70 X%=PARAM MOD 256
80 Y%=PARAM DIV 256
90 A%=2
100 CALL OSFILE
110 A%=3
120 CALL OSFILE
Enter the correct filename at line
30. Enter the correct load address
afte the '&' at line 50. Likewise
enter the correct execution address at
line 60. More next month.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K6N (Brian Raw)
Subject: HELP
I have been lent a modem to mess with,
namely a DACOM DSL 2123 AD (auto dial)
with power supply and manual but no
software.
Since rigging it up, all attempts to
communicate with the device itself
have been unsuccessful.
The manual informs me that the serial
link always runs at 1200 bps with even
parity regardless of the transmit and
recieve rates, but fails to say how
many data bits or stop bits.
Since the beeb defaults at no parity
I have tried using :-
*FX156,&02 7E2
*FX156,&0A 7E1
*FX156,&1A 8E1
and also
A%=151:X%=&42:Y%=0:CALL&FFF4 7E2
A%=151:X%=&4A:Y%=0:CALL&FFF4 7E1
A%=151:X%=&5A:Y%=0:CALL&FFF4 8E1
still nothing on screen.
I am pretty confident that the cable
is sound since I have used it to pass
files to and from my Apricot F2
although not entirely sure CTS,RTS
were working or I just happened to be
using such a bit rate as not to cause
a buffer overflow
Has anybody any suggestions ?
To: 999 & K2F (John Davis)
From: 15A (Steven Flintham)
Subject: Pentium bug
I tried the program given and as one
might expect the result was not
exactly zero, but it was very close
(of the order 10^-10, if I remember
correctly) - this is inevitable as a
result of the way computers generally
store floating point numbers.
The Pentium bug is something
completely different and the example
usually given involves a similar
calculation but with much larger
numbers (I can't remember the example
given off-hand) and the value returned
is 256, which is too large to be a
rounding error.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 15A (Steven Flintham)
Subject: Printing program manuals
I can certainly sympathise with Brian
Raw's problem with printing the manual
for the Macro Assembler. I have always
used A4 paper in my printers and so
printing the documentation for many PD
programs is something of an adventure.
I haven't looked at his program, but
when I printed it out a few years ago
I had similar problems with the page
length and had to bodge a program
together to format the pages
correctly.
I am not really complaining about the
author of the assembler as it is being
given away free of charge and, in my
opinion, would be well worth paying
for. However, it would be nice if
people realised that not everyone uses
fanfold paper - I often have to resort
to condensed print to fit documents on
the page, which looks a bit squashed
up.
Unfortunately I can't see any
satisfactory solution - supplying
documetation as unformatted text would
help, as then it could be formatted by
the user as appropriate before
printing. However, not everyone would
be able to do this and it would be a
bit inconvenient. Another possiblity
would be a program which could take
formatted text and reformat it to an
appropriate width. I have tried
several times to write a program to do
this, but I have never succeeded as it
is extremely difficult to tell where a
paragraph starts and to handle tables
or lists like this:
Item 1
Item 2
Item 3
without them becoming:
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3
Does anyone have, or could anyone
write, a program to reformat text
files which can handle these problems?
To: 999 (all members)
From: K2O (S Richardson)
Subject: Forthcoming Articles
Following my previous article on word
processors on our 8-bit machines, I
am planning to continue the series
for several more 'mini-reviews' on
the following topics :-
Spreadsheets
Databases
Desk Top Publishing
Graphics Packages
The purpose of this message is to
obtain some feedback as to the order
in which I should prepare these
articles for submission. So 8-Bit
members, it is up to you! Suggestions
to be forwarded to the editor or via
messages to me via the message system
or telephoning me at home after 18:00
weekdays or anytime at weekends on
0785-225781.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K2O (S Richardson)
Subject: Members Library Facility
As the proud owner of in excess of
100 books on various computing topics
mostly BBC 8-Bit oriented but also
covering Archimedes, Amstrad NC100
and NC200, Cambridge Computer Z88,
and the Psion Series 3/3a, I was
toying with the idea of setting up
a 'Members Lending Library'.
This would enable any 8-Bit Software
member to request to borrow one or
more books for a certain period of
time. The cost to the member would
be that of postage both ways.
If you think this is a service that
would be useful, then inform the
editor or myself via the messaging
system or alternatively telephone
me at home after 18:00 weekdays or
anytime at weekends on 0785-225781.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K2O (S Richardson)
Subject: Possible Future Article
As the author of a book on the
'Inter' series Roms from Computer
Concepts (which unfortunately never
made it to publication!) I may decide
to take some extracts from it and
create a series of articles on the
above mentioned Roms. The decision of
whether to proceed or not is entirely
up to you 8-Bit members.
The book concentrated on how 'Inter-
Base' provides the 'glue' for all the
other 'Inter' Roms. There were many
programs detailed in the book
covering a wide range of topics.
The series of articles would follow
a similar pattern to the book.
To lodge your request for these
articles, send a message to either the
editor, or myself via the messaging
system, or contact me by telephone
after 18:00 on weekdays or anytime at
weekends on 0785-225781.
PRESS BREAK