Well, as the little gremlins would have it, that TS1500 bug fix (SWN 2/6 Forum) had a bug of its own! In the corrected code for EPROM, at location 5361, I have 1863h, which is JR BADT. What it was supposed to be was JR NC BADT or 3063h. Also, since this is a two byte instruction instead of a three byte instruction, the next location (5363h) should contain a NOP (this byte ended up on the cutting room floor).
Dear Editor, would it be possible for you to print a schematic depicting how to install that “reverse diode” (SWN 2/6 Forum), as mentioned in John Oliger’s letter?
Jean-Claude Touzin
CP 41, La Sarre, P.Q. J9Z 2X4
Yes! You need a 1N4148 diode. We printed the LOAD schematic in SWN 2/5 pg. 7. The diodes are CR25 and CR26. Your addition would be to have the third diode parallel these two, but it would go in the reverse direction. In SWN 2/3 pg. 13, CR25 & 26 are located just left of C56. It may be necessary to mount the diode under the board, because there may be some silicone glue partially covering the diodes.
Dear Editor, Your Spectrum, (8/85) pg. 17, gave a POKE into the Spectrum channels area, which puts the edit line at the top of the screen. For the 2068, POKE 26692, 83. To restore normal operation, POKE 26692, 75.
The first POKE puts the letter “S” (i.e., Screen) in the channel-code byte in the first channel record. This is the part of the channels area that handles streams #0 and #1 (the keyboard IN and the edit line and error messages OUT). The second POKE restores the code for “K.”
P. H. Skipper
Dear Editor, we are trying to figure out how to program the 2050 Modem from Basic. Micro-Systems seems to be stonewalling us on how or where to find this information. Could you put us in touch with someone who might know to set the word length, stop bits, etc? I would also like to announce that the S. Florida ZX User Group has a BBS on line (305-439-5077).
Chris Sloan
[address omitted]
May I suggest another avenue? Why not use a REAL RS232 interface. Aerco has a dual RS232 that is documented and programmable from Basic. It also will run much faster than 300 baud. They supply a terminal emulator with the interface that preconfigures all operating parameters. You may then use any Modem available on the market. You can also drive a printer simultaneously. Aerco is one of the few TS related manufacturers that still offers technical support.
Barry Carter may be able to help you. He has written a book explaining how to use the 2050 and Mterm software. His address is PO Box 614, Warren, MI 48090, 313 537 8559. We’ll look around for more info.
Dear Editor, the challenge to check your figures in SWN 2/5 !Off the Wall column, caught my attention. I came up with a printout of 1.0776E12 miles; certainly a respectable distance. According to my latest information, Pluto’s year is 248.4 of ours. At an orbital velocity of 2.9 miles/sec., the circumference of Pluto’s orbit is 2.2732E10 miles. This means that the printout would only make it 47.4 times! Would our printout make it to Betelgeuse before Radio Shack runs out of paper?
Paul Bingham, Pleasantrees Programming, PO Box 2034,
Mesa, AZ 85204.
COMPUSA owners! A national Compusa user group is being formed to promote the use and understanding of this system. Contact Tony Gomez, [address omitted] for more information.
Dear Editor, I am enclosing my check for renewal with apprehension. It is not a reluctance to waste money, but a suspicion that I will regret having done so by next year.
Some of us really enjoy our 1000’s and don’t want to get a bigger computer… I think what I’m trying to say is that you publishers continue to significantly decrease the number of words that are applicable to the 1000 as you get more sophisticated with the 2068 and QL… Be forewarned that you will have to give up a whole bunch of us that will be left behind as you progress. I’m going to hang on for another year, but I honestly expect that I will be lost by the time my subscription expires. It is worth thinking about.
Paul Edwards
[address omitted]
As I sent you a synopsis of our Vol. 2 contents, I won’t repeat it. We also have Vol. 1. It is all 1000 stuff. Is it that you know all about your machine? You mentioned some “mods” that you have made. Would you like to tell us about them? We can only publish what is written. We are here to serve you. Don’t complain to us: Give us direction. Tell us what it is you would like to see or read about. Many of you know that we often give personal answers, but sometimes we just get swamped too. Some questions do get developed into articles and some are answered in the Forum. I know of someone (peter McMullin) who converted T. Woods “2068 Word Images” for the 1000!
Although I don,t feel that the 1000 is getting a bum steer here, fair is fair. We will not give up on the TS1000.