Z*Magazine: 18-Dec-87 #84
From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 07/21/93-09:07:33 AM Z
From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: Z*Magazine: 18-Dec-87 #84
Date: Wed Jul 21 09:07:33 1993
______________________________________
ZMAGAZINE 84 December 18, 1987
Best of Series Part 2 of 3
Best of Technical Assistance Columns
______________________________________
Published/Edited/Compiled by:
Ron Kovacs
Zmag BBS (201) 968-8148 300/1200
______________________________________
Xx A Few Notes
______________________________________
Congrats to Rat White and family on
arrival of Elizabeth. Best wishes
from us to you!!
I just received the NEW Michigan Atari
Magazine and have a few comments!
I was rather shocked to see that MAM
has gone to a new format in their
newsletter!! I was used to getting
the small edition which fit nicely in
it's shelf, (which I personally made)
to file each edition. I miss the
talents of John Nagy and sorry to see
the originality gone!! What happen
to CHAOS!!!
The proposed mailing of the promised
special Zmag plans has been delayed.
Since I am in the middle of classes
(LaMaz) and time has been short, I
put the plans on hold until after the
first of the year. Work, Zmag, child-
care and a few other things around
here have put my present schedule into
a state of array. Stay tuned via the
Zmag BBS for the latest updates.
I have been calling around the nation
during the past week and will continue
to do so as time permits. I have not
received very many BBS information
files for the end of year issue. There
is still time to get you BBS on the
list. Please upload your title screen
and comments asap for publication in
the special issue in two weeks.
The next special issue will be
released 12/23/87.
This issue is Part 2 of a 3 part
series on the best of the technical
help columns. We conclude the
series next week. I hope you find
this series of reprints interesting.
Thanks for reading and supporting ZMag
in 1987.
______________________________________
Xx Index 84
______________________________________
<*> A Few Notes
<*> Customizing DOS
<*> Commodore Controller for Atarians
<*> More Ram fr your XL
<*> SuperCart Switching
<*> TurboBasic Compiler
<*> How To Use ARC
<*> Wedge 130 Documentation
<*> The X Device
<*> Tech Help from Antic
______________________________________
Xx CUSTOMIZING DOS
______________________________________
The following article appeared in the
May 27, 1986 edition of Zmagazine.
Submitted By:Marlene Kovacs
From May 1986 Family Computing
THERE ARE A FEW POKE COMMANDS TO
CUSTOMIZE DOS 2.0S OR DOS 2.5.
NORMALLY, ATARI DOS LETS YOU OPEN ONLY
THREE DISK FILES AT A TIME, IF YOU
POKE 1801 WITH A NUMBER FROM 1 TO 7,
YOU CAN DECREASE OR INCREASE THE
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF FILES YOU CAN OPEN
CONCURRENTLY. HERE'S A RELATED TIP:
128 BYTES OF RAM IS AUTOMATICALLY
RESERVED FOR EACH FILE. TO SAVE
MEMORY, SET THIS MAXIMUM TO REFLECT
ONLY THE NUMBER OF CONCURRENT FILES
YOUR PROGRAM WILL ACTUALLY USE.
DOS VERIFIES (READS BACK AND CHECKS)
EACH BYTE OFDATA IT WRITES TO DISK.
THIS SLOWS DOWN SAVES ENORMOUSLY. TO
ALMOST DOUBLE THE SPEED OF SAVES, TURN
OFF THE "WRITE-WITH-VERIFY" FEATURE BY
POKEING 1913 WITH VALUE 80. THOUGH
THERE MAY BE A FEW PROBLEMS USING DOS
WITHOUT VERIFY, NOTE THAT THIS
MODIFICATION WILL MAKE DISK WRITES
LESS RELIABLE THAN THEY WERE BEFORE.
ONCE YOU'VE CHANGED DOS FEATURES, BE
SURE TO WRITE A COPY OF YOUR MODIFIED
DOS TO A NEW DISK BY TYPING DOS AND
CHOOSING OPTION H (WRITE DOS FILES)
FROM THE DOS MENU. LABEL THE NEW DOS
DISK CAREFULLY.
IF YOU'RE A DOS 3 USER, YOU CAN MAKE
THE ABOVE DOS MODIFICATIONS BY TYPING
DOS, SELECTING MENU OPTION I
(INITIALIZE DISK), AND INITIALIZING A
BOOTABLE DISK LIKE THIS: ENTER A Y AT
THE MODIFY FMS PARAMETERS? PROMPT.
THREE FURTHER PROMPTS WILL FOLLOW,
PERMITTING YOU TO ENTER INFORMATION
ABOUT HOW YOU WISH TO MODIFY DOS
BEFORE WRITING IT TO YOUR DISK. DON'T
CHANGE THE ADDRESS OF THE FMS (FILE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) BUFFERS. CHANGE THE
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONCURRENTLY OPEN
FILES BY ADDING THE NEW MAXIMUM(FROM 1
TO 7) TO THE NUMBER OF DISK DRIVES AND
ENTERING THIS SUM AT THE SECOND
PROMPT. TURN OFF (WRITE WITH VERIFY)
BY ENTERING N AT THE THIRD PROMPT.
______________________________________
Xx Commodore 1350 Controller
______________________________________
THE COMMODORE 1350 CONTROLLER FOR YOUR
ATARI! (Or The Mouse That Jack Built)
by Jay Pierstorff
There has been much talk of mice and
mouse controllers lately. The new
Atari ST's come equipped with their
own mouse...(mice?)..meeces?. Anyway,
those of us who have an Atari of the
8-bit persuasion have watched with
great envy, wishing we too, could have
mice. Even if we could buy an ST mouse
for our 8-bitters (which we can't) it
wouldn't work with our existing
joystuck (sic) programs. Sure, we'd
all love to have an Atari ST, but my
130XE's library is bigger than the
ST's and more important, it's paid
for.
Atari is rumored to be introducing an
8-bit mouse, but it is not confirmed
at the time this article is being
written. Mouse envy persists. I found
myself wandering the aisles of the
computer stores. Suddenly, I noticed a
Commodore product beaming through the
glass. "The Commodore 1350 Mouse for
the C128" was printed on the package.
The price was less than $50. Those
lucky 128 owners! Too bad Atari hasn't
made one for their computers.
The C128 Commodore is an upwardly
compatible to the C64 computer. That
means that any software that worked on
the 64 will also run on the 128. The
C64 and the Atari's have always been
real friendly about using the same
joystick varieties. Would this...could
this... might this mouse work with a
trackball or mouse driver program? The
plug looked very much like a standard
joystick connector. I bought it and
took it home.
I could tell my Atari 130XE was
nervous about the whole works, but
undaunted, I loaded a trackball
program, plugged in the mouse...but
wait, the plug would not stay in! Upon
close examination of the connector, I
discovered that it was about 1/8 of an
inch too short to reach the connector
pins, (Commodore computers don't
recess their joystick ports quite as
much as Atari). I was Puzzled for a
moment and then I thought about using
a joystick extension cable! Ha! I
quickly found my extension cable and
plugged one end into port 1 and the
other end plugged perfectly to the
mouse!
With trembling fingers I slid the
mouse across the desk, and then...
nothing. The cursor was on the screen
but the mouse yawned. It would not
control the cursor, not even a little.
Now what... I tried to think, maybe it
would work with a Koala or Touch
Tablet program! I booted and failed.
Maybe it was a "joystick emulator!" A
Joystick in mouse clothing! I loaded
the graphics editor of The Print Shop,
IT WORKED IT WAS A JOYSTICK EMULATOR
ALL ALONG! Suddenly, it occurred to me
I should probably calm down. I got
down off the computer table and tried
a few more programs. Everything that
would normally run with a joystick,
was working with this imitation mouse.
A comparison of the mouse and the
Atari port shows the connections are
mostly compatible with Atari and
Commodore joysticks. Interesting that
the brief, mouse instructions made no
mention of Joystick emulation or even
compatibility with the C64! Strange
thing to keep a secret! Especially for
companies in business to make money
(right Jack?).
The only non-workable feature of the
1350 Mouse is the right button. The
left button is the standard "fire"
button on a Joystick. The right button
is connected to pin 9. The Atari looks
to pin 9 for a potentiometer reading
like a paddle controller would
produce. But since their is no paddle
emulation in the mouse, the right
button is invisible to the Atari's OS.
Oh well, one doesn't miss what one has
never had. If Joysticks were meant to
have two buttons....well you know what
I mean.
The Commodore Mouse is very usable.
Even though your computer thinks it's
a joystick, you will think it's a
mouse! It really does an amazing job
of convincing you! It feels good in
your hand and moves smoothly across
any flat surface. A clean desk or a
"mouse pad" will give best results. A
mouse pad is a rubber backed thin
cushion that gives more control over
mouse movements. For mouse
maintenance, the rubber-coated, steel
ball can be easily removed for
cleaning.
The 1350 Mouse is different from a
true optical driven mouse. A true
mouse has proportional control. The
faster you move the mouse, the faster
the cursor will move. The 1350 mimics
this action but it can't move the
cursor any faster than a joystick
would. Slower cursor movements are
imitated by the mouse delivering
short, stop and go pulses to the
computer.
A true mouse will always take the same
desktop travel to move the cursor from
one screen edge to the other. The 1350
will move the cursor at maximum speed
as long as the 1350 is in any motion
at any speed. That means a fast, long
push may not move the cursor as far as
a short, slow push! That's not really
a problem though, it's just a
difference that can be worked with. It
can even be an advantage for limited
desktop space.
The Commodore 1350 Mouse worked with
all games and programs that require a
joystick. Some are improved by the
mouse and some are more suited to
joystick control. The type of programs
that are best suited to the mouse are
those that require precision movements
of cursor or gunsight centering on the
screen. The least suited are the
programs requiring continuous
scrolling movements. They often
require picking the mouse up and
starting again if you run out of
counter space. Drawing and doodling
programs worked fabulous, Koronis Rift
scores improved markedly, Rescue on
Fractalus was confusing! Donkey Kong
was ...different! It just depends on
the type of movement involved. Many
games took on a whole new feel when
played with the mouse. Many were even
more fun with a mouse than with a
joystick!
Do you really need a mouse? Yes you
do! If you own and use a joystick, you
will definitely enjoy owning a 1350
mouse. I wouldn't part with mine.
Don't throw your joystick away yet,
but mine is seeing less use since I
let the mouse in the house! The
Commodore mouse is not just for the
C128 anymore! It's one of the best
darn joysticks since the old Atari
licorice stick!
______________________________________
Xx Hardware Modification
______________________________________
MORERAM
------
This hardware modification should be
attempted only by those who have had
some experience working with
electronic boards and integrated
circuits. If you are not confident of
your abilities, ask for assistance
from your User Group or a good TV/VCR
technician.
The object of this change is to enable
the RAM at location $D600 thru $D7FF
that cannot normally be accessed. The
RAM chips are "on" the buss during
each machine cycle unless the -CI line
from pin 16 of U3 [MMU] is low. This
added circuit forces this line "on"
during access to $D600 thru $D7FF
addresses, which is all that's
required to use the existing memory at
that location.
Dis-assemble your 800XL by removing
the six Phillips-head screws from the
bottom of the case. Carefully lift the
right side upwards (with it still
lying on its keyboard) as if you were
opening a book.
Disconnect the keyboard cable and set
the top section aside. Remove all the
screws from the main board and work it
loose from the base. Take note of the
location and sequence of the shielding
while you are pulling it apart. Now to
the fun part....
Find the trace that connects pin 16 of
U3 to pin 10 of U18. At a suitable
location, completely cut thru this
line. Then, use a small piece of
double-sided foam tape to secure a
74HC20 IC to a clear area of the main
board near U2 [74LS138]. Mount the
chip on its back so that the pins
point upward. (make sure you know
which is pin #1!!) Using 30 gauge
wire-wrapping wire, connect pin 7 to
the nearest ground (pin 8 of U2 will
do) and pin 14 to a nearby +5v
point.(pin 16 of U2...) Wire pins
1,2,4, and 5 of the HC20 to pin 16 of
U3 [MMU]. Solder a wire from pin 6 (of
HC20) to pins 9 and 10 (of HC20). Add
a wire from pin 12 (of HC20) to pin 9
of U2 [LS138] and from pin 13 (HC20)
to pin 7 of U2 [LS138]. Last wire goes
from pin 8 (HC20) to pin 10 of U18
[LS08].
ALL DONE!!
Try the board now, before you put it
back together. Just plug in the power
and monitor plugs and boot Basic. If
it shows "READY", it is OK. <If it
does not work, check your changes very
carefully. If all else fails, you can
remove your additions and solder a
wire from U3, pin 16 to U18, pin 10 -
that will return the board to normal.>
Now, you can put everything back
together.
______________________________________
Xx OSS UPDATE
...from the OSS BBS (408-446-3451)...
______________________________________
The Official Procedure: To Turn a
SuperCart OFF:
1> Close I/O Channel 0
2> Wait for the LSB of RTCLOK ($14) to
change value.
3> Do an SEI
4> Save $AFFF ... this is the 'cart
status' register ... you'll need it
if you wish to restore the cart
5> STA $D508. This turns the cart
OFF.
6> Poke $3FA(GINTLK), 0 to tell the OS
that there is no cart installed.
7> Poke $6A(RAMTOP),$C0 to tell OS
that full RAM is available.
8> Do a CLI
9> Open #0,12,0,"E:"
To Turn a Supercartridge back ON:
1> Perform steps 1-3 from above.
2> LDX with 'cart status' value saved
in step 4 above.
3> STA $D500,X. This turns cart ON
4> Poke $3FA,1 to tell OS that there
is a cart.
5> Poke $6A,$A0 to tell OS that less
RAM is available.
6> Perform steps 8-9 from above.
Notes:
These should be obvious, but if you're
a space case like me...
The ON/OFF code MUST be 'safe'. That
is, if RAM resident, it should not be
overwritten by any application you may
be running, whether under Cart control
or not. (Especially the $AFFF value if
you'll want to turn the cart back on!)
Disk .COM files are a viable
alternative.
Once the cart is off, there MUST be a
program IN PLACE to take over control
of the computer! That may be DOS or it
might be your own code.
Depending on exactly what you're
doing, some sort of RESET handler
might prove useful.
Again depending on application, XL/XE
users may want to add PORTB
manipulations.
_____________________________________
Xx TURBO BASIC COMPILER DOCUMENTATION
____________________________________
Reprint from ZMAG61
The Turbo Basic Compiler can be used
to compile programs in both TurboBasic
and regular Atari Basic. Doing so will
yield a sometimes startling (and
sometimes not so startling) increase
in speed. Like Turbo Basic itself, the
compiler (and compiled programs) can
only be run on an XL/XE. Also like TB,
it is NOT compatible with Spartados.
REQUIRED!
You need 2 files to use the compiler.
Both are in the Utilities section of
CompuServes' Atari8 SIG or on your
local BBS system.
COMPIL.OBJ is the actual compiler (and
a BIG thanks to Warren Lieuallen for
the translation job!!!)
RNTIME.OBJ is the companion 'runtime'
package.
COMPILING PROGRAMS
Load COMPIL.OBJ from the DOS menu,
with an <L> binary load command. On
the first screen, type the number of
the drive containing your target
program. (I usually have that on D8
for speed.) You'll then see a
directory of the files on that disk.
Use your cursor keys to highlight the
'target' file, then hit RETURN. As the
compilation proceeds, you'll see the
line numbers at the top of the screen.
If no errors occur (see below), the
program will then ask you for a
filename for the new compiled program.
An extender of .CTB (for Compiled
Turbo Basic) is mandatory (see
AUTORUN.CTB, below), as is a SAVE to
D1:. Put the disk that'll hold your
program in D1, type the name, then Hit
RETURN. That's all there is to it!
COMPILE ERRORS
Like most Atari compilers, this one
can be fussy. It will NOT compile an
END statement (odd, huh?) Use STOP
instead. It will also balk at
compiling a FOR that has more than one
NEXT attached, like so:
10 FOR X=1 TO 12:GET #1,BYTE
20 IF BYTE<32 THEN NEXT X
30 ? CHR$(BYTE)
40 NEXT X
If you get an error message, you'll
need to go back to your original Basic
program and try to fix the offending
code. In the above example, you would
change line 20 to:
20 IF BYTE<32 THEN 40
RUNNING PROGRAMS
Your new .CTB program is <NOT> true
machine language; it's 'pseudo code'.
THAT means you must have a 'runtime'
program to handle the final
translation. This is RNTIME.OBJ.
Compiled programs won't run without
it. You can use it in either of 2
ways.
FROM DOS: Use the <L> command to LOAD
RNTIME.OBJ
FROM DISK: Copy RNTIME.OBJ to a disk
containing DOS files and rename it
AUTORUN.SYS, which allows it to boot
automatically.
AUTORUN.CTB
RNTIME has an 'autorun' feature. When
it runs, it will look for
'AUTORUN.CTB' on D1. If found, this
file will automatically load and run.
If NOT found, an error message will be
displayed (FEHLER 9), along with a
short menu. [Dos Run <again> Load].
At this prompt, press L, then type in
the name of your compiled program.
So, to construct a complete 'boot'
disk, you should have on the same
disk:
Dos files (DOS.SYS, DUP.SYS)
AUTORUN.SYS (RNTIME.OBJ)
AUTORUN.CTB (compiled program)
Hint: here's the TB '1 liner' that I
use (compiled) as AUTORUN.CTB on my
'compiled programs' disk.
10 CLS:DIR "D1:*.CTB":STOP
>>don lebow 70717,720
_____________________________________
HOW TO USE ARC
_____________________________________
Reprint from ZMAG62
ANTIC PUBLISHING, COPYRIGHT 1987
ARC (For the 8-bit Atari)
An ARC (pronounced "Ark") file
contains one or more files which have
been compressed into a single file.
Use ARCX.COM to extract the files from
the .ARC file. ARCX is a machine-
language program which requires at
least 48K.
ARCX.COM may be downloaded from the
Utilities section of the Atari 8-bit
SIG (type GO ATARI8).
HOW TO USE ARCX.COM
Before running ARCX be sure you have
removed all cartridges and BASIC is
off. Now load ARCX.COM from DOS (use
DOS menu choice "L"), or type ARCX if
you are using Sparta or an OSS DOS.
ARCX will ask you for the name of the
ARC file to extract files from. (If
you don't remember the filename, you
can get a directory by pressing the
[+] key.)
After typing-in the name of the ARC
file, ARCX will ask you for the drive
to send the extracted files to. ARCX
will extract all files from the ARC
file and write them to the destination
drive.
Next, ARCX will ask you if you want
the screen turned off. If you press
'Y', then the screen will be turned
off during the extraction process.
This will speed up the process about
10%-20%.
ABOUT ARC
The expansion algorithms used to
extract ARC files are quite complex,
and therefore rather slow. (About one
minute for each 5K of source file.)
ARCX uses all available memory and
buffers the input and output so your
disk drives won't be running all the
time.
Keep in mind that the extracted files
can be more then twice the size of the
original ARC file. Be sure you have
enough room before you start!
ARC was originally written in C by Tom
Henderson of System Enhancement
Associates. The source code was
placed in the public domain allowing
for ARC and ARCX to be ported to a
wide variety of computers. For
complete instructions, refer to the
documentation files in the Utilities
library of the Atari 8-Bit SIG.
______________________________________
Xx WEDGE 130
______________________________________
Reprinted from June 26, 1986 Zmag.
The Basic wedge adds a 1k block of RAM
that is used just like Page Six.
BIGBLOCK
The default block is from $2000 to
$23FF (8192-9215). The pointers are
altered to keep this area protected
against RESET, NEW, LOAD, and other
nasties. Uses?
Since it is on an even page boundary,
it can be used for a character set, or
PM graphics. No more PEEK (106)
complications.
It can be used for all of those ML
utilities that you haven't been able
to squeeze into 255 bytes, or managed
to make relocateable for strings
(First we get it to work, THEN we
massage, right?) Since you have BLOAD
for loading object files, you can
shuttle things into Bigblock as they
are needed, a real boon when you're
developing ML subroutines for Basic
programs.
You can even use this RAM to Bload
what would otherwise require
AUTORUN.SYS files (device handlers
etc.), eliminating some of those Low
Memory conflicts that drive us all
crazy. Reassemble the source listings
and make your life simpler.
LOMEM RESET
For maximum flexibility, you can
change the size of Bigblock with a
couple of POKEs. The procedure is
outlined on the title screen. The
numbers you POKE are the lo and hi
byte of the address you want to be the
new LOMEM, the bottom of Basic memory.
(The RAM below this address is
protected.) The simplest approach is
to keep the low byte at 0, and use
Page Numbers for the high. A couple of
examples: TO ELIMINATE BIGBLOCK
freeing up that extra 1k. POKE 7432,0:
POKE 7434,32.
TO EXPAND BIGBLOCK to a full 2k to
accomodate single line PM. POKE
7432,0: POKE 7434,40.
NEVER EVER POKE 7434 WITH A NUMBER
LESS THAN 32. UNLESS, OF COURSE,
YOU'RE INTO DEAD COMPUTERS.
After you've POKEd the values, hit
RESET. Then type NEW, to properly
initialize the Basic pointers. It's
not quite like a direct LOMEM command
for Basic (the thought has crossed my
mind, but the crude approach saves
memory.) Close though.
RESET DEFAULTS
The text and background colors
displayed on RESET can be altered by
POKEs to 7442 (text) and 7444
(background) There is also a RESET
shadow for a custom character set (a
personal weakness.) POKE the page
number to 7452.
1 MINOR HASSLE
The Write DOS function in DUP.SYS (H)
doesn't work if you call it with
D8:MEM.SAV active. No MEM.SAV, it's
OK. Don't ask me, I just work here.
Remember that you can write DOS.SYS
from Basic with OPEN #1,8,0, "D:DOS.
SYS":CLOSE #1 and copy DUP.SYS
separately.
______________________________________
Xx THE "X" Device
______________________________________
by Alex Stevens
CHANGE NOTES: fixes and mods
01/01/85 Calls to ATARI FP ROM
replaced with integer math code
11/13/84
1. now supports BASIC PRINT statement
2. supports SYSTEM RESET key properly
3. some memory use bugs fixed - now
can CLOSE/OPEN repeatedly without
using more memory
The 'X' device driver is an 80-column
display device driver for all ATARI
computers. When loaded into memory it
installs itself between addresses
$2B00 and $35D0. Since it is not yet
relocatable this places it high enough
to allow room for normal DOS users
(DOS/XL, OS/A+, DOS2.0s) and leaves
space for the 'R' handler if the 850
Interface Module is used. A
relocatable version is planned for the
future.
The 'X' device driver loads an 'X'
device entry in the Handler Address
Table and provides standard CIO
interfacing to the driver, with some
caveats. When opened for OUTPUT it
performs like the 'E' device; all
usual cursor and editing controls are
followed and inverse video is
provided. When opened for UPDATE it
does not edit out cursor control
characters like the 'E' device, but
passes them back to the caller like
the 'S' device.
The 'X' device driver provides some
editing features that are not offered
by the 'E' or 'S' devices. ERASE Line
and Screen to and from the current
CURSOR position are provided via XIO
commands. Absolute Cursor Positioning
is also provided via an XIO command.
COMMANDS
OPEN #n,4,0,"X:" - open #n using'X'
CLOSE, GET, PUT - as usual
XIO cmdno,#n,0,0,'X:' -special cmds
cmdno = $10 - position aux1,aux2
cmdno = $20 - erase line to CURSOR
cmdno = $21 - erase line fm CURSOR
cmdno = $22 - erase screen to CURSOR
cmdno = $23 - erase screen fm CURSOR
USAGE
ATARI DOS users should name the XDSPLY
file AUTORUN.SYS on their boot disk.
It can be concatenated to an existing
AUTORUN.SYS file, such as the RS232
handler. OSS DOS/XL or OS/A+ users
can leave the file as a .COM file and
install it by running it like any
other Extrinsic command.
CAVEATS
XDSPLY does not replace the 'E:'
device. It can be used like it in
certain circumstances and you can
modify the OS's Handler Address Table
to substitute 'X:' for 'E:'; but not
all of the 'E:' features such as full
screen editing are supported.
BUGS
Please report any bugs to me via EMAIL
on Compuserve at 70545,507 and I'll
try to address them in the next
release.
______________________________________
Xx Technical Notes from Antic Magazine
______________________________________
Q:EPROM ERRORS
I really enjoyed the article on
building your own eprom burner in the
December 1985 Antic. After
constructing the circuit board, I
found that I can successfully program
an eprom, but the read function
returns many random errors which
change every time a read is done. I
have double-checked the circuit
completely. Have any readers
experienced the same problem? What
might cause it?
Allen Hurst
A:We talked to Charles Cherry, who
built and tested the eprom burner for
Antic on his 800XL. Cherry says one
reader successfully built an eprom
that worked on his Atari 800, but the
eprom would NOT work on his 130XE.
Cherry says slight differences in the
manufacture of different 800XLs could
be the cause of some 800XL
incompatiblities. And as far as Cherry
knows, the do-it-yourself eprom burner
will not work with the 130XE.
Q:NOT YET
Does the new Atari XM801 printer work
with Print Shop?
Gary Vimr
A:We don't have a sample of this new
printer in house, nor does Broderbund
Software's Customer Service
department. Broderbund says it's "too
soon to tell" if the XM801 will work
with Print Shop. In the past, printers
manufactured by Atari only did
character graphics and so were
incompatible with Print Shop.
Broderbund suggests giving their tech
support department a call at (415)
479-1170 in a few weeks for more
information.
Q:ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE -- AT LAST
I would love to see a serious series
on ST Assembly Language programming in
Antic. Trying to learn 68000
programming on the ST using generic
A/L text books is frustrating to say
the least.
ST user
Our series on ST assembly language
programming starts in the August, 1986
issue of Antic.
Q: TANDY PRINTER CONVERSION
After reading Stan and Susie Subeck's
review of the Tandy CGP220 printer
(Antic, February 1986) I decided to
buy one. It is a marvelous piece of
equipment. However, the screen dump
program for MicroPainter works fine,
but I would like to use Micro
Illustrator withit instead. (By the
way, readers might want to know that
Radio Shack has closed out the CGP220
and are selling the last of them at
$299.)
Use Charlie Jackson's Rapid Graphics
Converter, (a type-in program in
November, 1985 Antic) to convert your
Micro Illustrator files to Micro
Painter format first. --ANTIC.
AMDEK SHOPPING
To answer John Hawkin's question in
the June issue of Antic, Amdek
hardware and software may be purchased
at The Computer Corner, 7101 Broadway,
Merrillville, IN 46410. (219)738-3282.
______________________________________
ZMAGAZINE 84 December 18, 1987
(c)1987 Syndicate Services/Rovac
______________________________________
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