10:52:01 AM EST Sunday, April 13, 1986 (Robert WALTER) Where can I read about using the forum (Sysop Tony) You can read about the forum virtually everywhere. There are six or seven Bulletins you get to by typing the letter B and pressing the ENTER key. There is a 21 page online guide to commands and command syntax, you get by typing GUIDE at the main menu function prompt. You can type HELP or a question mark at virtually every prompt; you can order forum guides from CompuServe online (Type GO ORDER). You can read the help files in DL0 (about 10 of them I think.) You can type X0, X1, X2, etc. at the main menu function prompt to learn about the database. There's a complete SIG index in DL9. There are indexes and catalogs in every data section. There's a master catalog in DL9 called CATLOG.CAT that directs you, by subject to anything in the database and you can always ask for help. (whew!) Any specific questions, Robert? (TERRY COFFEY) DO YOU EXPECT RADIO SHACK TO ANNOUNCE A BASIC IN ROM FOR THE MOD 100 TO SUPPORT THE 3 1/2 DISK DRIVE..? (Sysop Tony) No, I don't. The Tandy Portable Disk Drive was "in the chute" for about a year before it actually hit the stores. There was plenty of time for them to come up with an alternate operating system, or an improved BASIC ROM. They didn't. I don't see them doing it now. (TERRY COFFEY) I see. So what are we to do if we want to be able to program and use the TDD? (under program control) What are the alternatives for us ? (Sysop Tony) If you need to use the TDD under program control you have to buy the software that will do it. There are three systems available now, two of which will provide access to files on disk from BASIC and TEXT. A fourth is coming online this month. See the files POWR-D.PRD and TS-DOS.PRD in DL6 for information. You have to remember: the disk drive was never built to support direct file access. It's a modified version of a drive built by Brother for their typewriters, and originally only had direct file input and retrieval. That's all it does if you don't buy extra software. (RICH L) I have both Power-D and TS-DOS...both are good but I just love the TS-DOS!!!....the SAVE-ALL feature is the best...saves all the RAM to disk under one name it's just like switching banks. (Sysop Tony) Yes, both TS-DOS and POWR-DISK have good points. (John R) How long does a save of 32K take? (RICH L) bout 20 sec's (Sysop Tony) How about loading it all back? (RICH L) same (Sysop Tony) But what if you don't have as much RAM as originally saved? (RICH L) it kills everything in RAM and replaces it. Thus you can have a disk with diff. Systems on it and load the systems as required. (Sysop Tony) Yes... that's useful. (MARTIN) CAN YOU RUN THRU FAST DOWNLOAD (Sysop Tony) No, Martin. Extensive files are prepared on that subject already. They're there for downloading and reading; the information is too extensive for short message instructions here. Suggest you read DOWNLD.HLP in DL0. (dan h.) about getting a 100... just wanted to know about the amount of memory you can get. (Sysop Tony) The M100 comes stock with 8K or 24K; you can add in 8K steps, up to 32K, then in "banks of 32K" up to a total of 128K. (dan h.) Where do you get 32k bank switch memory and is there any clearing house for interesting hardware and software? (Sysop Tony) Dan, read the file EXPAND.RAM in DL6. (larry l) dan..there are two expansion rams available for M100...the traveling software [Editor: P.G. Designs] ram and the PCSG ram. I have been using the PCSG ram 128k total. (larry l) anyway I have PCSG ram and can recommend it wholeheartedly. (Sysop Tony) Thank you. Dan, if you read the file EXPAND.RAM in DL6, you'll find instructions, prices and ordering information for a bunch of options. There are 5 RAM bank expansions available. Two companies. Actually 3, but the third sells through one of the original two. You can go 32K, 64K, or 96K, plus the original 32K. (Rob D) I use PG Design's 64K Ram. I've had a few unexplained bank crashes but in general am satisfied with the product and certainly their support. (Sysop Tony) This SIG is the only "clearing house" I know of and a very good one it is. (Rob D) It looks like the inside of the 100 could accomodate both a memory expansion of RAM and of ROM if factory installed on the reverse side of the sockets. has enyone ever tried this? Mike Anders is on CO, perhaps PCSG has tried? (Sysop Tony) I know little about adding stuff that way. But there is a do it yourself project described in DL4 to add 32K internally. (Mike A.) We're really a software house marketing the RAM made by Cryptronics of CA and I'd reccomend a call to Tony Fong if you want to know the engineer's side. But I think the only practical way is thru the 40-pin bus for the RAM and multiple ROMs require the ROM Bank, also made by the Cryptronics folks. it's a little ungainly, but certainly does the job. (Sysop Tony) Thanks Mike, and there was some little discussion a few months back about the internal buss not being able to handle a lot of external stuff without additional buffering. which may not be in the mind of do it yourselfers. (larry l) sort of on the same subject, i have been trying to adapt a multifunction board i have for my zx81 to the m100 but i find that there are no data lines on the expansion buss. any ideas? (Jay M.) Unlike the Z-80 CPU, which the ZX-81 is based on, the 8085 uses common address and data lines, and a signal called ALE (Address Latch Enable) to indicate whether or not the data on the 8 AD lines (AD0-AD7) is address (either I/O or memory) or data. You'll have to implement an external latch, driven by ALE, to latch the address, and then use ALE inverted to gate data to the ZX81 bus's data lines. (larry l) AHA!! thank you much..i think you just solved my problem. I am still learning the 8085. (Mike A.) On expanding memory, I'd also reccomend new users check out the Chipmunk disk drive since it's the only machine I know of that can download direct from Telcom almost ad infinitum (356K) and no RAM can do that ! (Sysop Tony) True. I'm a heavy disk user and can't understand why folks would rather have three or four of those itty-bitty banks instead of a single disk with 11-12 times the capacity. But then, "different strokes".... (larry l) mike..i told you a few weeks ago that i was having prob with my 96k ram; it seems that i was using a bad rom(v 2.4) so tell all your friends that they need v 2.5 (Mike A.) Thanks, Larry. all news units ship with 2.5. (Sysop Tony) Mike, not to put you on the spot.... But just to put you on the spot. How's come we never get any advisories of new versions of this or that being released???? Hear Super ROM went through 6 versions in about a week??? Did all the .1, .2, .3 (etc) users get advised? (Mike A.) I think all who had a problem have been upgraded. but yes, the ROM did go thru several fast changes during initial shipments. Now we're burning 1.6's and 1.7's (depending on 100 or 200) and that Should be IT. (Sysop Tony) I also hear Chipware is up to 1.4? Also Chip ROM is 3.45? (Mike A.) exactly! Yes (Sysop Tony) I understand you don't have the time or $$$ to advise everyone everytime a jot or tittle is changed but gee, is the official policy to only upgrade if there's a problem? (Mike A.) I don't think anything's official over there ! (larry l) is there any way to format a short but multi line message for uploading to CO. (Sysop Tony) No. At the present time, CO will choke, and automatically lock out anyone who tries to upload to the CO channels. Sorry, but extensive abuse in other Forums. (larry l) even if you use CR's? (Sysop Tony) The CR's are what it's keyed to. Too many within a certain period of time is assumed to ba an upload. (Robert Woeger) I'm having trouble with my new T600 and xmodem with the Dls. Am using TYMNET to access and can't get xmodem protocol working (Sysop Tony) I hear you. But have no solution the problem appears to be in the TYMNET connection. They have some different delay problems which involve packet switching and a whole lot of other stuff. Nothing we can do about it. If you have another computer you can download via capture, then transfer it to the 600 with Xmodem. (Robert Woeger) I Can't download the binary stuff via capture. I believe you're right about TYMNET. I called a long-distance CIS number & xmodem worked fine. (Sysop Tony) Well... that's the answer then. You could complain to CompuServe via FEEDBACK but I doubt it would do any good. Guess you've just got to really want something to justify the extra charges. Sorry. (Robert Woeger) Thanks.... You confirmed my suspicions. (CJK) i've pcsg's 128 k upgrade and its ram+. the only thing RAM+ does that's useful is transfering files between banks. is there any other way other than to use up my rom slot with RAM+? (Sysop Tony) Well, I thought that was what it was for. Any answer Mike? (Mike A.) It's true RAM+ is needed for file transfer now, but I've mentioned to the programmer about a RAM-resident copy program and he's thinking about it or, of course, a disk drive could be used for the same thing. (John Butler) Im new to this so forgive my lack of knowledge, but I understand that Ram+ leaves a code behind for use, but that you can not transfer between banks without the ROM. (Mike A.) Yes, you're right. It leaves behind very short .CO programs to bank switch. also there's a program in the DL's somewhere to allow random bank switches from 2 to 4 for example. (larry l) if you want random bank switch, just copy the appropriate switch routine fro to the bank you want to use. i keep a copy of goto 4 in bank 1 so i don't have to go through all 3 (Mike A.) Exactly right larry...I believe Corky Richmond just put it together in a short Basic program. (Jim) I use switch all the time, works fine and is quicker than the goto's. (Robert Woeger) Does anyone know if PSCG or anyone is developing ROM or disk based software for Tandy 600? (Mike A.) Well, I must say I don't know of any projects underway right now. (Sysop Tony) Nor do I. The Tandy 600 seems to have VERY LITTLE SUPPORT in the open market. (Robert Woeger) Well it was worth a try....maybe later when the machine gets cheaper. (Sysop Tony) There is more here on the SIG, thanks to Sysop Dave who has been working with the 600 before it was released. No where else is there the amount of programs or information already here. Personal opinion: The 600 may not get cheaper, but may just disappear. (John R) Since IBM now has an MS-DOS poratable with 2 disk drives, I have to agree with Tony's assessment. (Jay M.) I think the jury's definitely still out on the PC Convertible. IBM, as usual, made some booboos here and there. Somehow, the laptop MS-DOS market still has some maturing and some settling out to do. (Jim) but at what price?--that IBM? (Sysop Tony) Who knows.... let's leave IBM for a few minutes.... and come back to that question if we have time. (EJ McK) anybody dove into the TDD's .co to figure out the command codes? (Sysop Tony) Yes a number of folks. Those who have, have made programs available to those of us who can't. (EJ McK) i'd like a list of the codes and results. know where i can get it? (Sysop Tony) Wanna work for Brother Industries in Japan? (EJ McK) not really (Sysop Tony) Folks who have done it, and who are selling programs based on their work are not likely to want to give you the codes. (EJ McK) true..i thought some of the public domain people may have come up with the codes..(we all know how the beast is not) capable of direct sector access (or is it..but not throught the dos?) (Sysop Tony) You may be able to drag some info out of the author of DSKMGR J.K Heilman. he has some current message on the board. However, the "DOS" we're talking about is not the "DOS"... only a communication program. The "DOS" is in ROM, inside the TDD. (John R) I understand That Ed G of Acroatix is willing to provide consulting services on the programming for the TDD. (Sysop Tony) Yes, and Traveling Software will license the "Kernal" to communicate with the TDD, too. But that's not public domain. (EJ McK) i've got TS-DOS and i understand the dos/comm prog question. i'll try J.K. Heilman. (John Butler) The dos for the pdd seems pretty poor. I just bought the m100, pdd, printer. I would like a better dos. is there one available? (Sysop Tony) I keep reminding folks. The Tandy Portable Disk Drive is built by Brother Industries and has been available for several years, as an attachement for an "intelligent typewriter", with limited capabilities. The "operating system" provided only for access to the disk in a manner which would save or load files into memory. The internal ROM prevents random access. There are three alternate operating systems available with a fourth becoming available this month. See the files DSKMGR.* in DL5 for a public domain version of a stripped down FLOPPY.CO; and the files POWR-D.PRD and TS-DOS.PRD in DL6. (John Butler) What pub. is my best source of info on portable systems, software, hardware? (Sysop Tony) This SIG is the best source of information, but if you HAVE to have a magazine, the best is Portable 100/200/600. However, lots of folks report difficulties with their subscription service. Next are PCM (mostly other Tandy machines), PICO (mostly other laptops) and 80micro (mostly non-relevant stuff). See the file MAGS.100 in DL6. 12:59:32 PM EST Sunday, April 13, 1986 (John Butler) It's 13:00, tony seems to be gone (Tom A.) Did our Sysop just say bye? User ID Nod Handle ----------- --- ------------ 70250,211 LTR PETER 70466,1511 BTM Maddi 71036,1603 HOO Jay M. 71066,573 HOO Tom A. 71216,1564 QFI Eiji 71326,34 VFL SAM M 72057,52 QAI BOB H 72216,512 RPA GENE NESTRO 72217,2440 QFI Robert Woeger 72217,541 QBA joshua 72226,3555 PNX KENNETH WOOD 72346,177 STC Robert WALTER 72407,3224 SYR Marty T 72415,1005 DLQ LYLE LIVINGSTON 72507,2034 ELP TERRY COFFEY 72517,1077 CAP Douglas McLean 72746,1014 OKC John R 72757,3400 POR Jim Samuels 73076,171 CGW Jim K 73117,2554 WCH EJ McK 73127,1423 LRK yoshi okamura 73127,1671 QCA MARTIN 73176,1625 QCA ROSS RAYMOND 73765,605 NYY larry l 75046,2325 LRK Jon O 75515,1757 FWY Rob D 75715,100 ATJ RICH L 75745,120 SPF dan h. 75765,1124 DCQ Mike A. 75775,1430 QBA Don Zeikel 76576,772 CAP JOHN CARMICHAEL 76606,3354 NFK John Butler 76703,4062 SIE Sysop Tony