FROM 3SQ
TO 999 (ALL)
SUBJECT MIDI
My "WIFE" has just bought our eldest
daughter an Electronic Keyboard for
Christmas, it is a Yamaha PSR310. On
the box it comes in, it mentions that
it is MIDI compatible, meaning that it
has a MIDI interface for connecting up
to "computers", now I don't know
anything about this MIDI thing myself,
I am hoping one of the membership will
know the answer to my obvious question:
IS this MIDI thing available on a BBC
Master (or "B"), if so, can anybody
please let me know what I have to do,
to obtain one, or make one?
I would imagine that MIDI, IS ONLY
really available on a PC !
Tim Parsons (3SQ)
40 Coniston Road, Flitwick, BEDS,
MK45 1QH 1525-715013 after 6pm
From K8C Arthur Adams, 125 Hall Lane,
Upminster, Essex. RM14 1AU
Tel: 01708-226137
HELP!
(1) I have several items which work
well (or well-ish) on the B+, but
simply do not want to know on the
Master. A few months ago I acquired
a 10-year old (but pristine) Cumana
Pad. It works fine on the B+, but on
the Master the signals are just not
getting through the RS 423. I have
tried two different Masters, so do not
think that there is any physical
malfunction.
I have also tried to run SLEUTH. On
the B+, it will run a Basic
program in either single- or multi-step
mode quite happily, but I have not
been able to implement the Dual Screen
facility. Any attempt to do so
causes a lock-up. On the Master the
whole thing locks up from square one.
I have tried running CONVERT on the
Master, and have also tried
running the Master on Basic 2 instead
of Basic 4. Neither helps in the
slightest. The problem must presumably
lie with the Operating System.
(There are also several games which
are Master-shy).
Can anyone suggest (a) how to get the
Dual Screen facility to work on
any machine and (b) why the Master
locks up on systems which are happy
enough on the B+?
(2) Has anyone who uses Quest Paint, or
any similar system, discovered
how, in Mode 1 (or any other mode for
that matter), to produce a
realistic brown colour?
My renewed thanks to Chris for all his
hard work in running such a fine
service, and all best wishes to all for
1996.
To: 999 (all members)
From: L1M (Janny Looyenga)
Subject: Pendulum Patience
I finished the game in 75 moves,
and am trying to do better. You too?
Press the function keys for commands -
F0 SWING F5 LOAD
F1 MOVE F6 SAVE
F2 OUT F7 HELP
F3 SHOW F8 REDEAL
F4 FIND F9 EXIT
And don't forget to press RETURN!
Abbreviations are used for the cards:
AH is the Ace of Hearts
KC is the King of Clubs
QD is the Queen of Diamonds
JS is the Jack of Spades
Purple colour instead of black.
You must begin to collect the ACES.
Look for AH, AD, AC or AS.
Only the bottom card of each column
(0-9) is free to handle , so if you
see any ACES there, maybe AH, type
(or press F2) OUT AH.
The card will be moved up.
Build these cards in ascending order,
look for the 2s now. (F2) OUT 2H when
you see this card free.
If you have created an empty place
then you may move any KING onto it...
just type (or press F1) MOVE KH 9 (or
0) -whatever king or column is free.
For creating more empty spaces the
ultra right and left hand upper card
may be used to move cards onto in
descending order.
When you don't see any more free cards
you can press F0 or type SWING and all
cards will swing to the other side of
the screen, hopefully to show some
useful cards being free to handle now!
Remember: only the ultra right/left
card can be used to move cards onto...
When you want to know where is the
next following card in the tableau,
just type FIND or press F4 and the
name of the card you want to find.
If you don't you remember the
first card in the corner..., just type
SHOW or press F3 and the name of the
card you see on top, to reveal what
is underneath.
This game does behave like a good
wordprocessor, because:
TAB type last command
SHIFT + -> goto end of line
SHIFT + <- goto beginning of line
SHIFT + ^ INSERT mode
Default is OVERTYPE mode.
CTRL + -> delete whole line
CTRL + del delete char. right
This patience game is difficult to
finish, most of the time you get
stuck, but it is very addictive.
To: 999 (all members)
From: D4H (Paul Smith)
Subject: Packet Radio
Last issue Martin Wilson (4WL) asked
for an idiots guide to Packet Radio.
Well, I have been called an idiot in
the past and I am a Radio Ham who has
used Packet Radio so I guess I qualify
to write something on the subject. :-)
If Chris receives other articles on
the subject I accept his decision as
to which he will publish.
Anyone asking the question "What is
Packet Radio?" probably knows little
about Amateur Radio so I offer a brief
explanation. Any Radio Hams among you
will, if interested, probably require
more information than this. But here
goes.
Amateur Radio enthusiasts are people
with an interest in transmitting
messages for their own personal
benefit. As the name implies you
receive no reward for this and you
only go "on-air" as and when you wish.
Almost all the countries of the world
have some people interested in Amateur
Radio so it is possible to contact
"Hams" in these countries by choosing
the most opportune frequency, time of
day or year to attempt a contact.
Several mode of transmission are
available. Morse code, various speech
modes and these days a number of data
modes are available; one of which is
Packet Radio.
Packet Radio is a system where you set
up your equipment to allow you to type
messages at a keyboard and the
equipment assembles what is typed with
information about the sender and
recipient into a "Packet". If the
"Packet" arrives at it's intended
destination a confirmation Packet is
sent back to the sender. If the Packet
contained an error the receiving
equipment would request the Packet be
sent again. If neither a confirmation
Packet nor a "send again" Packet is
received the sending equipment will
send the Packet again a set number of
times.
So what's the point? The point is that
if part of a message does not
successfully arrive only the part
containing an error or a part that did
not arrive is retransmitted. The
system therefore has a certain level of
error correction built in.
A number of Radio Hams also set up
BBSs so that messages can be left on
the BBS if the person you are trying
to contact is not immediately
available. In fact most of the traffic
tends to flow through a BBS one way
or another. It's bit like an on-air
version of the Internet. However, you
don't need an access provider but then
again it is very slow and you only
have access to the amateur radio
fraternity.
I hope this gives some of you an idea
of what Packet Radio is. As for the
cost?
Well, you do need an Amateur Radio
transmitting licence. The cost of this
in terms of cash is small but you will
need to pass a technical examination
(courses are run by many Technical
Colleges) and if you want to use the
lower frequency bands you will also
need to pass a morse code test
(courses run by the Radio Society of
Great Britain and local clubs).
The cost in terms of equipment will
vary a lot depending on how far you
want to go with it. Maybe 300 pounds
upwards for a tranceiver to get you on
the air to start with. A computer of
some description. A few years ago I
used a BBC "B" and at that time it was
quite adequate. These days I imagine
most people use a PC of some sort but
a high specification is not necessary.
You also require a Terminal Node
Controller which is a bit like a modem
to take whatever you type at the
keyboard, assemble the "Packets" and
generate the audio tones which you
will use to feed your transmitter so
that your messages can be sent on-air.
The cost of a TNC may be between 100
and 300 pounds.
So is it worth it?
If you are only interested in Packet
Radio I would say no, don't take up
Amateur Radio just for Packet.
But then Amateur Radio has far more to
offer than just Packet Radio ... but
that's another story.
Regards, Paul (G4BJG).
To: 999 (all members)
From: D4H (Paul Smith)
Subject: Beeb and Monitor faults
1) I had a problem recently with my
Beeb. I was getting errors when using
the last 8BS disc even though,
previously, I had no problem.
There was no problem with other single
sided discs.
I did a *CAT of the disc and this
showed the usual info.
I did a *CAT2 and even though the
heading showed Drive 2 as expected the
catalogue was of side 0. (???)
No, I hadn't done a BACKUP 0 2 or
whatever else might cause this. I
removed the disc drive lead from the
computer and reinserted it and now
everything is OK again.
No doubt this problem will recur and I
will end up replacing or reterminating
the drive lead. At least I will have
an idea where to look for the fault.
I have documented this in case anyone
else has a similar problem.
2) I have a Microvitec monitor which
has a problem. The manual tells me
that the problem is east-west
correction but if I adjust the
appropriate control there is no change
at all. Could anyone guide me to the
fault?
Paul Smith, 9, Renishaw Road, Mastin
Moor, Chesterfield, S43 3DW.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K4V (Trevor Crapper)
Subject: View Professional Part 6
Hopefully anyone who has followed the
tutorial and has got this far will
have written and printed a document of
some sort. And that the result has
been worth the effort. As with all
things practice makes things that much
easier. Perhaps now I should follow my
own advice and learn a lot more myself
about what VP is capable of doing!
VP is not just a word processor, it
can be used as a spread sheet, and
also as a database. I have used it as
a simple desktop publisher too. All
its functions can be used separately
or altogether, or in any combination.
The choice is up to the user.
It is not my intention to go into any
details because, apart from using the
word processor and making a database I
have not gone any further myself.
A manual is recommended to anyone who
is thinking about using VP, it will
help a very great deal in mastering
this program. It will also open the
door to a lot of information designed
to assist the committed user.
Trevor Crapper K4V
To: 999 (all members)
From: K4V (Trevor Crapper)
Subject: Z88
For anyone with a Z88 and would like
some personal advice on its use, or
perhaps a lot of written information
to read and digest then write to:-
Mr J.E. Lawrie
15 Sycamore Grove, Southam, Leamington
Spa, CV33 0EY
For anyone without a Z88 and would
like one, then contact Jack. He has
Z88 outfits for sale, and other items
of hardware as well.
To: 999 (all members)
From: D4R (BARRY SIMPSON)
Subject: PRINTER
I have an old printer which has no
identifying marks or logo but which
appears to be an IBM. I would like to
get hold of some literature on it.
The only information I have is from
the test print. The first line is as
follows:
6493229 COPYRIGHT IBM CORP
1984,1985.
I would like to be able to use NLQ
if this is available. I can get it to
print NLQ with some font programs.
Also, I need to know what the DIP
switches control. Anyone know
anything about this machine ?
To: 999 (all members)
From: D4R (BARRY SIMPSON)
Subject: TAU 87-2
This is a cross stitch program which I
have in order to get my wife to take
an interest in computing. The program
works OK but I feel I need a copy of
the article to make better use of it.
Can anyone oblige ?
To: 999 (all members)
From: D4R (BARRY SIMPSON)
Subject: TAU 89-12
This knitting pattern designer asks
for a picture in order to produce a
pattern to knit. I have tried some
but the program doesn't recognise what
I offer. Has anyone a copy of the
printed article ?
To: 999 (all members)
From: D4R (BARRY SIMPSON)
Subject: PENGO
I have a copy of Pengo from my BBC B
but I can't get it to run properly on
the Master. Apparently Snobee doesn't
chase Pengo as is supposed to happen.
Can anyone help ?
To: 999 (all members)
From: K3H (ALBERT SCHOFIELD)
Subject: REPLAY DISC UTILITY
It is often useful, when playing a
game, to be able to re-save (or
update) a file on disc for replay at a
later date. With the REPLAY utility
some files can be continuous update
files in which case pressing the
REPLAY switch will cause a save to the
program just loaded. To set a program
to be continuously updated, simply
enter the EDIT FILE mode (option 4
from the main menu) then press the
program letter, and then once the data
file is displayed, press "U". The
program name will then change colour
to purple and "R&W" will appear to the
left of the name which means READ &
WRITE. Then press "E" to exit the edit
mode and re-save the data file.
On the mark 2 REPLAY the procedure is
slightly different. In this case go
into the EDIT DATA file mode and press
the "R" key. The program name will
then be prefixed by R/W instead of
"R". To cancel this just repeat the
process by pressing "R" again and the
prefix will re-appear as "R".
Once set, a program can be loaded as
normal and then at some time during
the program execution, the REPLAY
switch can be pressed (along with one
of the drive keys f0 to f3) and REPLAY
will overwrite the old program on the
disc.
On the MARK 2 REPLAY it is advisable
not to use the AUTOMATIC FILE CREATION
feature on the disc with R/W files on
it. This is because if you load a
program from a R/W file, then any
subsequent save to the disc will
over-write this file except when there
is a W-only file to save to, or the
user has accessed the main menu.
The file priority to a disc is:-
(1) a W-only file.
(2) a R/W file if the last access to
the disc being used was to load in a
R/W file.
(3) a blank file. ie. automatic file
creation.
If the disc is full then nothing will
be saved.
More next month.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 15A (Steven Flintham)
Subject: Soldering/lead construction
This is not strictly BBC-related, but
it seems vaguely appropriate to
mention it here and I'd love to know
the answer.
Could any 8BS members possibly write a
nice detailed idiot's guide to
soldering and lead construction. The
best guide I've seen so far was in one
of the Body Building articles in The
Micro User, but (from memory) it said
that you should bring the soldering
iron, solder and circuit board (or
whatever) together simultaneously. It
would seem to me that this needs three
hands, as something has to hold the
circuit board to keep it steady and to
stop the component being soldered in
from falling out.
Leads are even worse. I haven't got a
clue how to stop the wire from
twisting itself round while I'm trying
to solder it, and even when I
eventually get a connection it
invariably 'snaps' off when I'm trying
to solder one of the others up, then
I have to strip some more cable and
try to resolder it, then another one
snaps etc etc. This means I have to
strip off a lot of the outer
insulation in order to have plenty of
free inner cables ready for stripping
them further. As a result of this, the
inner cables never fit inside the plug
and, even more annoyingly, due to some
having snapped off more times than
others the inner cables are different
lengths and so the inside of the plug
is a complete mess.
Recently I tried wiring up a serial
cable using a 9-pin D socket and in an
attempt to get the better of it I got
a socket shell and some 'snap in'
pins, so that I could connect the pins
before inserting them into the socket.
Better still, I could crimp the wires
on rather than solder them. It was
still not particularly successful, as
the wires still snapped off the
pins on a few occasions and so I had
all the usual problems. It works, but
it is a bit unreliable and forcing the
connector housing on is a real
nightmare. In fact, it seems to work
better without the connector housing,
being much more sensitive to things
nearby being switched on and off with
the housings on. In any case, this
approach is not available for (say)
DIN plugs.
Am I a lost cause, or are them some
sort of tricks of the trade which
could help me?
EDITOR...... Coming next time, an
article on soldering from K6X Paul
Clucas.
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6E (Richard Harker)
Subject: Monitor Leads
Could anyone please send me a wiring
diagram(s) or preferably complete
lead(s) for the following :-
BBC Master -> Acorn AKF18 monitor.
VCR with BNC video output -> AKF18.
(at the moment I am stuck with 2
colour, and 1 green monitors in my
room - they take up far too much
space).
I am willing to pay between 5 and 10
pounds for each lead, or exchange them
for something.
My address is
Elmlea
Sewardstone Road
Chingford
London
E4 7RG
To: 999 (all members)
From: K6E (ROGER LINGWOOD)
Subject: MANNESMANN TALLY MT90
MANNESMANN TALLY MT90 INKJET PRINTER
CAN YOU HELP
CAN ANYONE ADVISE ME ON THE CORRECT
CONECTIONS FOR CONNECTING THE ABOVE TO
THE SERIAL PORT ON A MODEL B I HAVE
BEEN GIVEN THE PRINTER WITH LOADSA
CARTRIDGES BUT NO LEAD IF YOU CAN
HELP I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL AND IF
YOU ARE AN OWNER OF THIS MACHINE I
WILL GLADLY FORWARD YOU 4 CARTRIDGES
FOR YOUR TROUBLE
I am aware that this printer can
have a paralel board fitted but this
is too expensive so it must be for
serial connection HOPE YOU CAN HELP!
PRESS SPACE