To: 999 (all members)
From: K6N (Brian Raw)
Subject: Parallel data transfer
Program Name: Emulate. Screen Adaptor
Here is another User Port project.
Simply, if you can get the User Port
to behave as if it were a printer,
then you can transfer text from any
computer equipped with a parallel
printer port to the Beeb.
The advantage being that there is no
communication protocol associated with
serial data transfer to worry about.
The program first opens a named file,
then the text is read from the User
Port and sent to the screen which is
also being recorded in the file. When
all the data is passed, pressing
ESCAPE on the Beeb closes the file.
Basic programs may be transported in
this way, but may need some syntax
changes in a word processor before
attempting to EXEC and RUN it.
You need to build the adaptor which
can either have a centronics socket
into which you can plug the normal
printer lead, or you can connect direct
to the source computer. In either case
it is necessary to adapt to a 10 pin
DIL socket for the User Port.
Adaptor diagram
---------------
N/C
O X O O O O O O O
N/C
O X O O O O O O O
N/C
O X O O O O O O O
ACK
O X O O O O O O O
bit 7 bit 7
O X O O O O X O
bit 6 bit 6
O X O O O O X O 0v
bit 5 bit 5
O X O O O O X O 0v
bit 4 bit 4
O X O O O O X O 0v
bit 3 bit 3
O X O O O O X O 0v
bit 2 bit 2
O X O O O O X O 0v
bit 1 bit 1
O X O O O O X O 0v
bit 0 bit 0
O X O O O O X O 0v
STROBE CB2
O X O O X O O X O 5v
CB1
O O O O O O O X O 5v
Centronics User Port
Side Side
Track direction is across the screen.
N/C not connected
X indicates cut track.
Both grounds need to be connected
together to provide a common reference
Function
--------
8 bit data comes in the centronics
side. Then the strobe pulse is sent
which causes a CB1 interrupt. No more
data will be sent until a low ACK
pulse is received by the host
computer.
DATA IN
STROBE IN
ACK OUT
EDITOR.......... The idea behind this
article is that you get out your
soldering iron and "have a go".
However, Brian has volunteered to make
up these leads for people that would
dearly love to transfer data in this
method but cannot solder to save their
lives. £7 will secure your very own
lead.
Write to B.Raw, 5 Victor St, Thornbury,
Bradford, W.Yorks. BD3 8NG
By J.de B.Pollard
Submitted By J.Sargent
Info by C.J.Richardson
This program came with no info. I have
sussed out enough of the program to get
you started.
Sent to me as a three pass disassembler
the title actually says Two pass. When
run, the menu offers 9 options. If you
follow these instructions, you will get
an idea of how the program works.
Select option 2, "Select another area
of memory". Answer the question "File
or memory" with F for file. Answer the
question "Input file name" with
"Disp". Then press RETURN 3 times as
the program asks you for the start,
finish and entry addresses.
At this point, you would need to press
option 5, "trace from an entry point"
to select points to disassemble from. I
have however saved a trace map using
option 4 for you. Load this trace map
using option 3. So press 3 to load the
trace map for our example file disp.
The program suggests a name, this name
is correct, this is the name of the
trace map I have saved for you. Press
RETURN.
We are now ready to disassemble the
code. Select option 9 from the menu.
The screen fills with the disassembly.
There are other options to print out,
spool and put page mode on also.
As so many manuals say, "Explaining how
to understand the output of the
disassembler is beyond the scope of
this info article". Anyone care to take
up the challenge?
To: 999 (all members)
From: 3WU (Fred Price)
Subject: Poems & Centering
In the past I have asked if anyone
knew of any VDU statement that would
center a poem on printout as some
poems look better centered up. Not
all printers can be centered like mine
can & after checking my printers
handbook a bit closer I found one in
in the LQ-850 commands. It has its
faults but it will center a poem.
I started to play about with the
commands & got it to work as a VDU
statement BUT it will only work for me
in conjunction with the double height
VDU single line statement.
On the first line it prints it adds
two spurious letters in front of the
first word. First the letter ( a )
then on the following printouts the
letters ( aE ) appear on the line.
To get rid of it on the first line I
added a dummy first line to absorb it
& gave it three spare lines for cutoff.
But I am still left with one more
little problem as it will not cancel
the centering statement. So if anyone
can improve the statement please let
me know how you do it.
One of the unfortunate things about
living on the River WEAR is that we
among many things get called Geordies.
Now for those that don't know, Geordies
belong to the Tyne and we have an
accent of our own its called ENGLISH.
(Even our editor didn't know that),
When I get any local poems they are
usually in the Geordie dialect for
those that live to the north of the
River WEAR as we do understand their
way of talking & that's good for us
Wearsiders. But would you understand
the poems if I left them in the raw
Geordie accent for you & I could lay
out a Tyneside - Northumberland list
of meanings for you so you can perhaps
learn their dark hidden secrets. By the
way, them that live north of the Tyne,
they are harder to understand but we
all get on together Thank God,
Right down to the nitty gritty. In
the past I have sent some poems in of
that fictional chap called GEORDIE
BROON (Brown) of Backworth. Backworth
does exist in Newcastle. Our Geordie
is married & he has got a family.
This one is about his son Tommy, so put
the paper in the printer & don't center
up and read about Tommy Brown in:
-=- TOMSRUN -=-