ReplyTo: L1M (Janny Looyenga)
From: K8G (Jonathan Harston)
Subject: Font Saver
Why do you need two different programs
for saving Beeb fonts and Master
fonts? You access them in exactly
the same way on both - that's the
whole point about upward
compatibility. Even if you didn't,
you should ask what machine you are
running on, and alter what your program
does accordingly.
Looking at the code, the only
difference between the B and M
versions is that the B version first
checks to see if the character set is
exploded sufficiently. Why does this
need a completely different program?
The normal method (and recommended) is
to do something like:
IF os<3 THEN
(I am a B or a B+)
IF notexploded THEN
Complain (or explode it anyway)
ENDIF
ENDIF
By having different programs according
to what machine it is on, you create
problems when distributing code. It is
much easier to get the code itself to
decide what machine it is running on
than to ask the person ordering it
from you who may not even know what
you're talking about.
About... oou... 13 years ago I wrote
two commands, *CLoad and *CSave for
loading and saving character
definitions when I wrote my first
sideways Rom - a character set
collection. I've enclosed them on
this disk.
ReplyTo: D9F (Gary Scott)
From: K8G (Jonathan Harston)
Subject: BBC Fonts
In my PD Library disk 16 there are
various programs and utilities for
defining characters on the BBC. I have
enclosed the main program DefChar
along with the instructions file on
this disk.
ReplyTo: D5B (Jon Ripley)
From: K8G (Jonathan Harston)
Subject: Messaging System F-Keys
Probably the best solution to what
order the function keys should be in
is to let the user decide. The
modified SendMes program I use has an
additional startup option: Keyboard
Layout Old/New/Modified. This way I
can have the keys where I expect them
(Shf1=Red, etc.), Jon can have them
where he wants them (Shf1=Yellow) and
other people can have the original
layout (Shf1=Green).
I'm currently working the latest
version of SendMes into my
modifications and I'll submit it when
it is stable.
ReplyTo: 20G (Roy Dickens)
From: K8G (Jonathan Harston)
Subject: Messaging System F-Keys
With the colour keys on Shift-F and
Ctrl-F as normally set by the MOS, I
put the other functions (Double
Height, Backgrounds, etc) on the
Normal-F keys. In effect I cut off the
top of the function keystrip and glued
it on the bottom, and cut the
righthand end off and glued it on the
left. The version of SendMes I use
even allows you to use £ signs, which
the main version, for some bizarre
reason, doesn't.
I've enclosed a program MesgKey that
prints out the Messaging System
keystrips. On running, it asks which
keyboard layout to print out. Enter
one of the following:
0 for old (original) layout
1 for new (MOS-style) layout
2 for modified (Ripley) layout
To: 999 (all members)
From: K3H (ALBERT SCHOFIELD.)
Subject: TAPE TO DISC ON THE BBC B.
Wizzy's Mansion is a game which is
quite well protected but to transfer
it to disc is once again easy when you
know how.
This game is in six parts as
follows:- MANSION!, **********,
PINK-FLOYD, MOTORHEAD, Differing
filenames and MOTORHEAD.
The first part MANSION! merely *RUNs
the second part and can be dispensed
with. The second and third parts
contain the protection and show the
title page and they also can be
dispensed with.
The game itself is in the last three
parts. So load in part four,
MOTORHEAD,from cassette using:-
*LOAD""1E40. The fifth part has
changing filenames so enter *OPT2,0 to
force the computer to load it. Then
load the file from cassette using:-
*LOAD""2040. Ignore the File?
messages. Finally, load in the last
part, MOTORHEAD, from cassette using:-
*LOAD""1900.
Now enter *DISC and save to disc
using:-
*SAVE MANSION 1900+4F40 1185 8C0
This file loads at &8C0 so it will
need to be downloaded. If you have the
*MRUN facility then typing:-
*MRUN MANSION will load and run the
game. Otherwise you will need to use a
downloader of your choice. More next
month.
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6G (Sprow)
Subject: Elk colour upgrade
A few issues back I sent in details of
how to upgrade various 8 bit Acorns to
have colour composite video outputs.
The bulk of the text came from one of
the 'BBC' archive disks available from
Chris for 50p
Missing from this disk (as Steven
Flintham pointed out) are details of
how to upgrade the Electron.
A quick look at the circuit diagram
reveals that the colour burst
circuitry is disconnected from the
composite video system by link 4.
After a rummage in the loft,I found my
Electron and jammed a screwdriver in
the link and hey presto - colour.
Hope this has been of help,
Sprow.
8BSmail: D6G
Email: rps102@york.ac.uk
Fax: 01625 431067
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6G (Sprow)
Subject: Bad program listings
Mike Galvin was wrestling with a
commercial disk that would no longer
run - it kept giving the dreaded 'Bad
Program' error.
Unfortunately this error is terminal
and there's not much can be done.
Reasons why it might occur,well,either
the thing you're LOADing or CHAINing
isn't BASIC,or the file is corrupted.
Use *DUMP to see if it starts with 0D
and ends with FF.If not then that's
the problem.
Some utilities ROMs (such as Beebug's
Toolkit,available from Chris) have a
*RECOVER or *GETMEOUTOFTHISSTICKYMESS
command that will try to patch
together what's left.
There it is then,
Sprow.
8BSmail: D6G
Email: rps102@york.ac.uk
Fax: 01625 431067
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6G (Sprow)
Subject: Len Mapp's Concept Keyboard
Len wanted to know if he could make
use of the ingenious Concept Keyboard
on a PC.
Well,Mike Cook did some articles on
how to get something out of it and
into an Acorn Risc PC through the
parallel port.
You'll need a bidirectional parallel
port to simulate the beeb's user port
and then a good head for software.
If you want it to appear just like a
normal keyboard and work seemlessly
then you'll need to write a device
driver.Best of luck!!
If it's just a home grown program you
have in mind then QBasic's (supplied
free with DOS - because nobody would
pay for that!) OUT and IN commands are
the equivalent to BBC BASICs ?
operator.
Mike Cook submits to Acorn User
still,so I think that might be the
place to start searching - for back
issue.
IDG Media
Tytherington Business park
MACCLESFIELD
Cheshire
He also has webpages with his past
articles on.He's at the Manchester
University Physics Department's
website.
Sprow.
8BSmail: D6G
Email: rps102@york.ac.uk
Fax: 01625 431067
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6G (Sprow)
Subject: Timelines
Crispin Boylan is hoping to create an
Acorn releases timeline.And not before
time!
The Atom came out in 1980
The Elk came out in 1982
The Risc PC came out in 1995 NOT 1996
as listed.
That's about all I think.
Sprow.
8BSmail: D6G
Email: rps102@york.ac.uk
Fax: 01625 431067
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6G (Sprow)
Subject: RTTY receivers
Martin Dunn was toying with this idea
of using the Beeb to receive RTTY data
for free over the airwaves.
I suggest reading in depth a past
Maplin Electronics article,from issue
32 page 16.
It details hardware and the format of
sending data and includes a BASIC
program to decode the info.Though not
BBC BASIC I'm sure that won't be a
problem.
Sprow.
8BSmail: D6G
Email: rps102@york.ac.uk
Fax: 01625 431067
To: 999 (all members)
From: D6G (Sprow)
Subject: Chip shop
As new chips are available from Maplin
and or Farnell Electronic components
(Canal Road,Leeds) for the following
6850 - Serial sender (ACIA)
6502 - processor
SAA5050 - teletext chip
68B54 - Econet chip
6845 - CRTC
ROMs - all
74xx series logic - all
Unfortunately I can't seem to find
these
DRAM chips
1770 disk controller
Custom made ULAs
Speech upgrade
And Grandata (Pop in commercial
centre,Wembley,LONDON) sell Intel's
overpriced overheating disk controller
8271 - disk controller
Unless of course,you know different!
Sprow
8BSmail: D6G
Email: rps102@york.ac.uk
Fax: 01625 431067