8-Bit Software Online Conversion

                             From: K3H (ALBERT SCHOFIELD) Subject: TAPE TO DISC ON THE BBC B When transferring some games from tape to disc, it may all seem fairly straightforward, but when it has been finally transferred to disc and then run, it doesn't work. Then you have to start again and find out why. One such game is REPTON 2 from the Superior collection volume two. REPTON 2 is in three parts; REPTON2, REPTONA and REPTONB. The first part REPTON2 just puts up a screen and can be discarded. The other two parts are both locked but still work when unlocked. When the second part REPTONA is transferred to disc and then *RUN, it re-enters the tape filing system and comes up with the searching message. So you then start to search through the file for the usual A9 8C A2 sequence as I described in an earlier article and when found, the 8C altered to 20 (space). The file is again *RUN but the searching message still comes up. The reason for this is because the file is encoded and the A9 8C A2 is just a red herring. The numbers to look for are EB CE E0. When decoded they become A9 8C A2. The CE needs to be altered to 6F which when decoded becomes 20. You can alter this using a sector editor but a much quicker way is as follows. Using an unlocking utility such as the one on last months disc, load in REPTONA using *LOAD""2300. Enter the following poke:- ?&4214=&6F Then save the file to disc using *SAVE REPTON2 2300+2100 43A0 Load in REPTONB using *LOAD""1900 again using the unlocking utility. Then save to disc using *SAVE REPTONB 1900+53A0 700 E00 REPTONB will need to be downloaded to E00 using the downloader of your choice. Entering *RUN REPTON2 will now load and run the game. More next month.  ReplyTo: 999 From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: Lost messages I sent some messages to the issue 52 disk, but some of them vanished. I think I accidentally sent them personally to the people I was replying to instead of publicly to all members. Anyway, I've tried to remember most of them here.  ReplyTo: D6G (Sprow) From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: Aries *FX111 Ram Osbyte OSBYTE with A=&6F (111) Read/Write Shadow Ram switch On entry: A=&6F (111) X determines action as: Bit 6 - 0 Write switch state 1 Read switch state Bit 7 - 0 No stack operation 1 Read oper'ns pop from stack, write oper'ns push to stack Bit 0 - 0 Select video Ram 1 Select shadow Ram All other bits are unused and must be set to zero. On exit, X indicates the previous switch state: Bit 0 - 0 Video Ram 1 Shadow Ram The Shadow Ram software maintains a record of past switch states on its own 8-deep stack. This allows a program to write the state in order to perform some operation, and then restore the previous state automatically with a read operation. For example: LDA #&6F LDX #&81 Select Shadow Ram, saving JSR OSBYTE old state on stack : : : LDA #&6F LDX #&C0 Read current state, JSR OSBYTE restoring previous state from stack The call can also be used to check for the existence of the Shadow Ram software. If an OSBYTE call is unrecognised, X is always returned as &FF. So, make a read call that should return something that isn't &FF to check: LDA #&6F LDX #&40 Read current state JSR OSBYTE TXA BMI no`shadow`ram BPL shadow`ram or, in Basic: DEFFNram`present LOCAL A%,X% A%=&6F:X%=&40 X%=((USR&FFF4)AND&FF00)DIV256 =(X%AND128)=0 This returns TRUE if shadow ram exists, and FALSE if it doesn't. The Watford Electronics shadow ram card uses the same OSBYTE, but some earlier boards use OSBYTE 34 instead of 111. Also, some early Watford DFSs use FX111 to select 40 or 80 track drives instead of *OPT40, *OPT80. So, when writing selection code, you should make it as widely compatible as possible by using the following code: .RamCall ½ X=action TXA:PHA:LDA #&22:JSR OSBYTE TXA:BPL RamCallOk PLA:PHA:TAX:LDA #&6F:JSR OSBYTE .RamCallOk PLA:RTS ½ X=returned state, A corrupted This tries the old Watford call first, and if that fails, uses the correct call. It is best to do it this way round as the prevents is calling the Watford DFS fx111.  ReplyTo: D4J (O.Debus) From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: Master Compact Serial Port The Master Compact Serial Port Chips are available from Acorn, order code ADF15,C232. They're about a tenner.  ReplyTo: L1T (Jeremy Stanton) From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: MOS++, etc. I've been thinking of blowing a replacement Mega-bit MOS rom, replacing some of the roms. The main problem is getting a 128k 28-pin EPROM. They don't seem to exist. The rom in the Master is a factory-blown Rom, so doesn't have a programming line. My current line of thought is to use two 64k EPROMs on a small carrier board. Also, some of the sideways roms have MOS code in them: Rom 15: Terminal Most is MOS code Rom 14: View MOS from &BA00 Rom 13: ADFS No MOS code Rom 12: Basic No MOS code Rom 11: ViewSheet No MOS code Rom 10: Edit No MOS code Rom 9: DFS SRam code, and MOS code from about &B800 What I've been currently looking at is the following: Rom 15: Terminal+Utils Rom 14: HADFS Support + MOS at &BA00 Rom 13: HADFS Rom 12: Basic Rom 11: NewView (my extended VIEW) Rom 10: ANFS with EBTEL code Rom 9: <spare> with MOS from &B800 HADFS and HADFS Support would give DFS, ADFS, HADFS, DOSFS and CPMFS.  ReplyTo: D7Y (Andrew Medworth) From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: Printer DIP switches The printer not line-feeding is not a problem associated with the 8BS text file reader, it just reads text files. When you ask it to print, it just passes the job on to another program. The problem is therefore that the default printer driver supplied with the 8BS issue disk is not configured for your printer. It can be altered with Makelp, but the easiest thing to do is, when you press P to print, it gives you a prompt: Printout with **lp Change that so it says: Printout with **lp + ie, press SPACE, then + before pressing RETURN. The printer driver then double-spaces, which on your printer will give normal spacing.  ReplyTo: D9F (Garry Scott) From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: BBC B Service Manual I have BBC B/B+ Service manuals available, as well as some other publications, both available and in the pipe-line: BBC B/B+ Service Manual, Full-size, A4 `12.00 Half-size, A5 `6.00 HADFS Reference Manual `5.00 The Treaty of Union of the Kingdom of Scotland and England `1.00 The Yards of Whitby, map `3.00 And in the pipe-line: BBC User Guide, updated edition BBC Disk System Guide, covering DFS, ADFS, Solidisk, Watford, HADFS, you name it, all in one book Econet System User Guide All prices include UK p&p.  ReplyTo: 999 From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: Menu Reader I've made a slight update to the Menu Reader program, so the output can now be sent to a disk file suitable for loading into word processors, etc.  ReplyTo: D8J (John Robson) From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: ADFS vs ANFS The ANFS won't help or hinder your disk problem, as that is the Network filing system. Your ANFS Master must also have ADFS in it if it is accessing disks. The *CONFIG. FDRIVE setting determines the drive speed. Most modern drives can cope with FDRIVE 3 which is the fastest. Try that on both machines, and if the drives don't work, progressively reduce the setting until it does.  ReplyTo: 999 From: W79 (Jonathan Harston) Subject: Telephones My 'phone number in the contacts list is now: (0114) 233 2682  D6G Sprow 999 SUBJECT - SCANNING Dear All, Marvellous though BBC hand scanners are I think flatbed ones beat them hands down for quality when scanning photos etc... If you need anything flatbed scanning post it to me (see addresses note elsewhere) along with money equal to what Chris Richardson would charge. EDITOR (JUST SUPPLY RETURN POSTAGE AND MEDIA) I'll scan it,convert it to a B&W BBC screen and post it back to you in a similar manner to Chris. *ALL MONEY GOES TO 8BS FUNDS* *I'M NOT STEALING CHRIS' THUNDER* EDITOR (NO, YOU ARE HELPING, ROBERT!) Hope this service may be of use to you, Robert Sprowson.                    