Through the series of coincidents that lead one to ask, "Why me, Lord?" it appears I may be one of the first on the SIG to combine a Chipmunk, a multi-bank Model 200 -- and a desire to use this combination to upload from and download to disk in Telcom. The combination functions entirely differently from a Munk/100 combination. Clearly, the combination has at least a few bugs and operational quirks, none of which are documented. This review is incomplete, because 1. As roundly condemned as the PCSG documentation might be for the M100 Chipmunk, the firm offers NO documentation specific to the M200 version. 2. The writer naively expects to buy a piece of computer hardware... to read the documentation, to plug it in -- and to have it work pretty much like a stereo system. Silly me. Bug #1: Booting CDOS with Reset ------------------------------- As with the M100, one might try to boot the CDOS by simply pushing the reset button as documented. DON'T DO IT! Booting with the reset will -- in about 20% of cases -- cold-start that bank and lock up your computer, usually resulting in the need for a Hartmann "arctic start" (remove batteries, turn off memory switch...lose everything in memory). This may be a function of using the M200 SuperRom or not -- I cannot tell. How to Boot CDOS with the M200 ------------------------------ With the M200 off, turn on the Chipmunk. Then, turn on the M200. The CDOS will boot smoothly in most cases. You may have to do it twice to get it to boot -- but you should not cold start or lock up. The small rectangular light beside the disk slot will go on briefly. Bug #2: Bank-Switching ---------------------- Another welcome to "cold-start city" if not done properly. In theory, one could push F8, "Y" to remove CDOS...and then push F1. In most cases, that will result in a stuttery kind of bank switch, and the new bank will appear with CDOS installed. However, in about 10-20% of times, the computer will hang up when you push F1...and will present a frozen half-mast menu on the screen. How to Bank-Switch with the M200 -------------------------------- 1. Remove CDOS with F8, "Y" 2. Turn off the Chipmunk 3. Push F1 to switch to the next bank 4. Turn off the M200 5. Turn on the Chipmunk 6. Turn on the M200 I have not had a cold start in several days of using this technique. Bug #3: Uploading and Downloading with Modem -------------------------------------------- You can't -- at least, not with the internal M200 modem. PCSG claims this is a phenomenon seen only when attempting to up and download to/ from CompuServe or the Source. However, I found the same problems to/ from a Tandy 2000 with a Tandy 300/1200 modem and Telecommuter, and to /from a Phillips Micom office word processing system -- all of which work flawlessly with the M200. The M200 modem differs from the M100 modem in that it has a "lost carrier" sensing circuit that disconnects the M200 when activated by the host disconnecting. For reasons not clearly understood by PCSG or Sigea, XMODEM.200, the PCSG Telecom program, and X-TEL all seem to trigger this circuit and knock the M200 offline (in the case of the PCSG program, it knocks off in a locked-up condition that must be cold started to break). PCSG appears truly concerned about the fact that the M200 Chimunk somehow has been released with this glaring problem, and it has promised to try to determine if it is correctable. If the problem is software related, it probably will be fixed. It may not be fixable. Hence, if you expect to enjoy the many wonders of a Chipmunk, you will probably have to factor in the cost of an external modem. Both the PCSG and Sigea programs work smoothly on the Chipmunk and an external modem. Since the M200 works well at 1200 baud, you'll save the price of the external modem in a few months of aggressive uploading and downloading at 1200 rathet than 300 baud. The little 300 /1200 baud modem sold by Traveling Software seems ideal (not tested). However, at $279 for the modem and $399 for the drive, you are now spending $778 to get what an M100 gets for $399. Other Observations ------------------ #1 -- CDOS occupies 5200 bytes; WSPEC.CT from SuperRom occupies 687 bytes...leaving about 13,400 bytes in each bank. While one can save to disk as one goes, I have yet to figure out how to "append" new copy to an old file...and if you're writing with Thought, you have to leave 60% of that free to make a .DO file you can save to disk. If someone knows how to spool to disk with Thought instead of to LPT, RAM, CAS or MDM (0:file.do doesn't work, even with CDOS activated), this would be a BIG boon to Munk/200/SuperRom use. #2 -- The 2 x 3 inch adapter board full of ICs on the end of the cable is a really "kludgy" setup. The board has a PC board connector that mates with the 40-pin bus connector on the back of the M200. The fit is tight, and forcing it risks cracking the PC foil. I sprayed tuner lubricant into the M200 connector to lubricate the connection and reduce the force needed to mate the connector. If I decide to keep the Munk (and I think I will), I will mount the board in a small plastic box epoxied to the connector. #3 -- Everyone has chastised PCSG for its dinky little manual, which presumes you know everything that they haven't told you. There is nothing -- not even a warning piece of paper -- differentiating M200 from M100 operation. The M200 Chipmunk appears to be a pencil-and- paper port-over from the M100 version, in many cases untested in the M200 configuration. Conclusion ---------- The Chipmunk is about 50% heavier and slightly larger than the TDD...and requires you carry a 3-4 amp gel cell (no replaceable alkaline AA cells) and an external modem to gain full use. Despite the complications of ducking apparent M200/CDOS machine-code conflicts, operation is not too complex for the motiavted user...and offers many advantages. Is it worth $399? Or better put, $779? Yes, if you must write heavily with an M200, either on the road or fixed. Up/download, folders, 360K vs 100K disk density, and VERY much higher read/write speed all add up. So do long-distance connect charges. If you use Dow Jones, PaperChase, or any costly data bases, you'd want to use a 1200 baud modem anyway...and you'd want to use a Chipmunk for sure! No, if you don't really write more than 3 hours/day with an M200, and/ or don't really need the upload/download-to-disk feature. The TDD is cheaper, its 100K disk density density is acceptable at medium-to-low use...and with the Acroatix Powr-Disk program, leaves 4000 more bytes per bank free (17,400 vs 13,400 bytes). Since the M200 Munk can't use the internal modem, I feel it's overpriced by about $100. But it clearly is a marvel of hardware, if not software or documentation. I'd be interested in observations by other Munk/200 users. Mel Snyder 70136,1007 /ex