=================================================================
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NOTE: Articles and reviews of machines, hardware, software, and
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-={ THE TBKUG IS MOVING !! }=-
I will be moving into a new location on November 15 and the new
address will be:
Please note that ALL telephone lines both voice and data will
also be changing and the new numbers will be in effect as of
November 15.
Modem Line 1 (813) 791-1454
Modem Line 2 (813) 791-1455
Voice Line (813) 791-1938
-={ VIDEO FEATURES OF THE NEW KAYPROS }=-
by Steve Sanders
Many, many times I am asked what escape code does what, or how
did I get that program to clear only part of the screen. Well,
it may not be to clear in the Kaypro manuals so I will give you a
complete rundown of the video attributes and screen control codes
used in the new Kaypros.
Applicable to the following Kaypro CP/M models; Kaypro 1, 2X, New
2, 4E, 4'84, 10, or ROBIE (does anyone really own one of these
ROBIEs??)
DEFAULTS ARE: Inverse OFF, reduced intensity OFF, blinking OFF,
Underline OFF, cursor ON, and 25th line OFF
What follows is a sample MBASIC program which demonstrates the
use of the 25th (status) line
Note: Line 70 must be --> PRINT CHR$(27);"=8 ";
The space after the 8 is not a typo
10 REM THIS PROGRAM WILL DEMONSTRATE THE 25'TH LINE
20 REM OF THE NEW KAYPRO
30 REM
40 REM
50 PRINT CHR$(27);"B6" REM SAVE CURSOR POSITION
60 PRINT CHR$(27);"B7" REM ENABLE 25'TH LINE
70 PRINT CHR$(27);"=8 "; REM MOVE CURSOR TO 25'TH LINE
80 PRINT "THIS IS THE 25'TH LINE" : REM SHOW USER WE CAN DO IT!
90 PRINT CHR$(27);"C6" REM RECALL CURSOR POSITION
100 REM
110 REM WHEN YOUR DONE WITH THE 25'TH LINE IT MAY BE DISABLED
120 REM WITH THE FOLLOWING
130 REM
140 PRINT CHR$(27);"C7" REM DISABLE 25'TH LINE
150 PRINT CHR$(26) REM NOW CLEAR ENTIRE SCREEN
160 END
CURSOR POSITIONING
The cursor is positioned by a vertical (v1) value (0-24) and a
horizontal (h1) value (0-80) as follows:
FUNCTION HEX DECIMAL
----------------------------------------------------
CLEAR SCREEN/HOME CURSOR 1AH CHR$(26)
HOME CURSOR (0,0) 1EH CHR$(30)
CLEAR TO END OF LINE (EOL) 18H CHR$(24)
CLEAR TO END OF SCREEN (EOS) 17H CHR$(23)
INSERT LINE (INS) 1BH,45H CHR$(27);"E"
DELETE LINE (DEL) 1BH,52H CHR$(27);"R"
The following will draw a border around the CRT, starting at the
(1) top left to top right,
(2) top right to bottom right,
(3) bottom right to bottom left, and finally
(4) bottom left to top left.
(1) PRINT CHR$(27);"L" +CHR$(33)+CHR$(33)+CHR$(33)+CHR$(190)
(2) PRINT CHR$(27);"L" +CHR$(33)+CHR$(190)+CHR$(130)+CHR$(190)
(3) PRINT CHR$(27);"L" + CHR$(130)+CHR$(190)+CHR$(130)+CHR$(33)
Be sure to complete all other PRINT statements before using this
final routine to draw the line from bottom left to top left. If
you don't, other PRINT statements will cause a break in the line
if starting in column 1.
NOTE: If using the K10ZCPR2, K10ZCPR3, K83ZCPR3, or K484ZPR3
files on your system, you need to toggle the GRAF byte at 04fh
before drawing lines.
You can do this from MBASIC as follows:
POKE &H4F,&H0FF enable line drawing (before first line is drawn)
POKE &H4F,&H00 disable line drawing (after last line drawn)
Same poke command in CBASIC:
POKE 04FH,0FFH <-- do not confuse "0FF" with "OFF"
POKE 04FH,00H
Or in assembly language:
MVI A,0FFH ;enable line drawing
STA 04FH ;toggle GRAF byte "OFF"
MVI A,0 ;disable line drawing
STA 04FH ;toggle GRAF byte "ON"
-={ Modem & HDD Interface for SB180 }=-
{Editor's note: With the addition of this interface board, the
SB180 single-board computer can now handle hard disk drives for
mass storage and you can add the modem without using up one of
the serial outputs - all this and Z80 s/w compatible as well. We
now have a MEX overlay available for the SB180 computer, see the
file MXO-SBS1.AQM in the MODEM section.}
The Micromint COMM180 expansion board may be the only board
you will ever need for your SB180 computer. This 4" x 5" board
adds two major functions to your SB180:
1) Bell 103-212A compatible 300/1200 baud modem
2) SCSI hard disk controller interface
The COMM180 board is available in three versions:
1) Modem, DTMF encode/decode, and voice synthesis alone
2) Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) hard disk
controller interface alone
3) Both of the above
And either the modem version or the SCSI controller version may
be upgraded to the full version at any time.
The COMM180 does not use a serial port on the SB180, but instead
addresses the bus directly. It is fully Bell 103 and Bell 212A
compatible (including FCC registered Data Access Arrangement) for
300 and 1200 baud use, is 8251A software compatible, features
both DTMF and pulse dialing, call progress monitoring, DTMF
reception and decoding, and a unique diagnostic capability which
automatically compensates for common telephone line deficiencies.
In addition the COMM180 has optional voice synthesis capabilities
which allow it to respond verbally to commands entered via the
standard touch tone telephone pad.
The SCSI allows the use of a wide variety of hard disks with the
SB180 for fast, sophisticated mass storage whether you need just
5 megabytes or 50 megabytes. Many manufacturers offer hard disk
drives and controller cards which mate with the SCSI interface.
If you need more file space than floppies allow, the COMM180
board can help meet your storage needs. In addition, many
laboratory instruments support the SCSI standard, thus the
COMM180 can allow the SB180 to be more easily used for data
logging and data reduction.
Software for the COMM180 includes a complete modem communications
system and messaging system designed to run under Z-System DOS
available for the SB180. BIOS modifications are supplied in
source code to allow integration of hard disk drivers into the Z-
System DOS.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Modem:
- Plugs into the Expansion Bus on the SB180
- Only 4" by 5"
- Fully Bell-212A and Bell-103 Compatible
- DTMF or Pulse Dialing
- Jack for External Speaker for Call Progress Monitoring
- DTMF Reception and Decoding
- 8251A Software Compatibility
- Parity Generation/Checking
- Sync Byte Detection/Insertion
- Synchronous 1200 bps, Asynchronous 1200,300,110 bps
- Software Controlled Audio Input and Output Interface (2
Separate Jacks) for Voice Communication or Acoustic Coupling
- Voice Synthesis (LPC coded)
- ASCII Command and Error/Status Codes
- Extensive Built in Diagnostics
- Phone Line Diagnostics
- FCC Registered Direct Connection. Tip and Ring Input
- Operates on +5/+12 Volt Power Supply
SCSI Interface:
- Provides a Device Independent Local I/O Bus
- Operates at DMA Data Rates Up to 1.5 Megabytes Per Second
- Supports Initiator and Target Roles
- Parity Generation with Optional Checking
- Supports Bus Arbitration
- Provides Direct Control of All Bus Signals
- Xebec 1410 compatible
- Adaptec ACB4000 compatible
COMM180 Software
The software which comes with the COMM180 consists of TERM III
and Z-MSG (optional).
TERM III is a sophisticated communications package which offers
all the functions of standard modem programs but goes far beyond
them when used with COMM180's advanced features and Z-System DOS
(required for operation). TERM III was designed to be used as:
1) an originating communications system to allow the user to
dial out, communicate with other computers, and perform file
transfer functions;
2) a remote access system to allow users to dial into the
system, interact with it, and transfer programs into and out of
it; and
3) a configuration system to allow the user to configure the
attributes of the other two types of systems.
TERM III offers multiple file transfer protocols: Christiansen's
MODEM7 (with checksum and with CRC), MODEM7 batch, XMODEM,
KERMIT, CompuServe's CIS, and X-ON/X-OFF. Special attention has
been paid to making the remote access system completely secure
from unauthorized use. You may also call in to TERM III on the
COMM180 and use a standard touch tone pad to give special
instructions, e.g., run a program using the COMM180's speech
synthesis to give a verbal summary of system access.
Z-MSG allows the COMM180, SB180, and TERM III to be custom
configured as a "turnkey" Remote Bulletin Board System - either
as a public system allowing access to anyone or as a private
system restricting access to "members only". Z-MSG allows up to
eight user "types" with varying priveleges associated with each.
Messages may be public or private and may be over 100 lines long.
Extensive editing functions are provided and comprehensive online
help is always available.
For those wishing to use the SCSI as a hard disk controller,
source code is provided which allows many types of hard disk
controllers and sizes of Winchester disks to be used as mass
storage for the SB180. Two popular controllers are supported
directly - the Xybec 1410 controller and the high performance
Adaptec ACB4000. Two disk sizes are supported - the standard 10
MB drive as well as the high capacity 20 MB drive. Provisions to
support other controllers and even higher capacity drives are
included. Of course, the SCSI may also be used to link other
SB180's or SCSI equipment together as well.
For more info, contact Micromint at: 800 635-3355
-={ WHATSNEW in Public Domain }=-
VDO25B.LBR has the latest updated version of the VDO text editor
by James Whorton. It now has all the earlier patches pre-
installed and comes with a 128-byte command buffer. This little
gem is only 8k and uses no overlays, just available memory. It
is very fast and is installable for most any 24x80 CP/M machine
being sold today.
ACMDU11.LBR is a nice utility for ZCPR3 folks using the
ARUNZ04/05 ALIAS.CMD file. ACMDU11 allows you to add or delete
alias commands stored in the ALIAS.CMD file quickly and simply.
DBALL.LBR is a dBaseII system for generating multiple mailing
lists that can be used by Wordstar and Mailmerge to produce form
letters. This is an extensively modified version of Dr. Don
Saba's DBRECALL system for tracking patients.
DBCHECK.LBR is an all-purpose checking account program for use
with dBaseII.
RECOVER.LBR is a menu-driven UNERASE utility for CP/M 2.2 that
will list ERAsed files on the current drive and allow you to
UNERAse them easily.
MXO-SBS1.LBR contains the MEX modem overlay for use with
Micromint's SB180 single board computer.
GRAB.LBR has a program that works similar to FIND, but allows the
user to extract paragraphs from a Wordstar document file.
-={ SOFTWARE REVIEW: The Writer's Guide }=-
by Daniel Patt
The WRITER'S GUIDE (TM), version 1.1, is a replacement menu
for Perfect Writer (TM). It provides two menu screens that
replace all of the menu screens that come with Perfect Writer.
The replacement menu AUTOMATICALLY passes the current working
file's name to Perfect Formatter (TM) and Perfect Printer (TM)
along with "standard" formatting and printing options.
The WRITER's GUIDE provides a single letter command that allows
the formatting and printing of the current working file. Its
directory features selecting files by extent or filename alpha
betically, plus selecting only *.com, etc. (unfortunately one
can not access more than the A or B drives to my knowledge).
In addition, one can list a file from the menu, count the words
in a file from the menu, UNERASE a file and turn off the key
click from the menu and even call The WORD Plus (TM) as one's
spelling program from the menu.
Since most of my work with Perfect Writer requires immediate
formatting and printing of the file I am working on, this
replacement menu is very useful to me. It is well thought out
and receives high marks from me.
A recent letter in the Kugram (Vol. 3 No. 2) told of a new menu
program that replaced the PW menu. The company that offers the
program is Interior Systems, Inc. of Joelton, Tenn. (P.O. Box
188, zip 37080). The company can be contacted through its 800
number (800/531-5255).
The standard Perfect Writer uses a number of menus to edit,
format
and print a file on paper. These menus require one to re-
type the name of the file at the start of each use of the
program. In addition, each time one uses the menus, one must re-
enter the options unless one wants to use the default values.
Some people choose to not use the menus and directly enter the
programs with the appropriate parameters added or use a SUBMIT or
EX file to make their standard choices with fewer steps.
WRITER'S GUIDE offers an alternative to these methods.
Since my new secretary was having trouble with the old set of PW
menus, the Kugram review suggested to me an alternative. I
called the company and ordered a copy of the program for my
Kaypro 10. I received the version for the Kaypro II. When I
tried to use the "change user" option, I discovered that I had
the wrong version. I called the company and promptly received a
call back from the people in charge. The KP II version costs
$35.00 and the KP 10 costs $55.00. I paid the difference and
have been very happy with the program. IT IS VERY NICE TO HAVE A
COMPANY RESPOND TO PROBLEMS!!! Not all companies can or will do
this.
The KP II version does not work well on the KP 10; it is too slow
when it prints the full directory. This is because it also
calculates the remaining space on the B disk. I believe that it
would work quick enough for the KP II because there is not that
much disk space to calculate.
However, after I received the KP 10 version of Writer's Guide, I
was very pleased. The program comes in two versions on the disk
along with a COM file that will change the size of the PW.SWP
file. One file is the "normal" new menu and the other file is
the fast menu. The difference is that the fast menu does not
calculate the remaining disk space and display it every time a
directory read is requested.
The fast menu works at an acceptable speed in my office environ
ment. The menu allows the editing, formatting and printing of PW
produced files by the pushing of one key (a letter) in the menu
mode. It provides for the changing of some, but not all options
for Perfect Formatter and Perfect Printer. It provides for the
changing of user areas from the menu with out leaving the
program.
WRITER'S GUIDE has two menus. You can change between them by
typing the letter "M". The command letters displayed in either
menu can be entered and used no matter which menu is displayed.
The more familiar you are with the commands, the less you have to
look at the menus.
To work on a file from the menu, you need to enter the command
"W" and the name of the file. You need to enter the full name
including the extent. It would have been a nice feature if the
".MSS" extent was added automatically unless one typed a period
(.) and an extent.
Once the "Working on file" has been typed you do not need to
retype it from the menu to format it, print it, list it on the
screen, or to use a speller on it. All you need to do is enter
the single letter command for the desired function. Since most
of my files are accessed and used one at a time, this is a very
convenient feature.
The menus allow you to display either the A or B directory or
just specified types or names of files using the CP/M wild card
features of "?" and "*". This is also a very nice feature to
have. A unique addition which I have not seen before is the
ability to toggle the display of the directory so that the
display is done alphabetically by extent or by file name. Thus,
you can have all .COM files printed alphabetically and then all
".MSS" files printed alphabetically on the same screen.
Use of the Control-Y (^y) key causes the last entered file name
to be repeated at the cursor position. This is a nice feature if
you have chosen any of the copy, rename, kill (erase), or yank
back (unerase) features offered on the menu.
The second menu provides a series of two letter commands to
change the parameters sent to Perfect Formatter (TM) and Perfect
Printer (TM). These allow the selection from the menu of Top
Level of Verbatim, formatting for a different device than the
default device, pausing for insertion of each page, start
printing on a different page than page one, number of copies to
printed, output to the screen, selecting the pf output file name,
selecting the PP out port name (other than the default port),
choice of the spelling program, and display for the directory by
ext or filename. When one selects one of these two letter
options, they remain selected until changed.
Unfortunately, the menu does not allow one to send the -q
parameter to Perfect Printer (TM) which stops the query of the
right choice of device formatted. This would have been a very
nice feature to have had; I have waited many minutes at the
console when I have not answered yes to this question.
The program provides a Control-C feature in the formatting and
printing modes to stop the programs and go the next step. If you
have chosen to print and format in one step and issue the
Control-C in PF, then the program sends to PP ignorant of the
fact that no ".FIN" file exists.
Somehow the program actual adds information to CP/M, because if
you exit the program without using the program's exit mode, then
CP/M will return you to the menu as if you had finished the last
requested operation. This has happened to me a number of times
and at first I didn't understand what was happening.
There is a problem with the text to screen mode. I found that
the order of the format for device and the on screen printing
order to PF made a difference in the on screen page size. Proper
choice of the order would allow the actual size of the printed
page to be displayed in a continuous scroll across the screen.
Improper choice provides a very short page to be scrolled across
the screen. Unfortunately, the program only allows for the short
page scrolling across the screen. The -c before -dev {device}
option gives the result wanted.
A number of additions to this program would be very nice. Some
of them have been commented on previously in this review. Access
to more drives than just A or B, the ability to run the menu and
the files in just one drive, quicker directory display, all these
would be useful modifications.
But, the program, as is, is good and is very useful because it
saves time. I feel that it is well worth the money. Now, if it
could only take up just 1K of file space...
-={ Word Processing Helpers }=-
by Steve Sanders
The TBKUG library has many useful utilities for word processing
support. Most of these utilities are made for Wordstar users and
deal with manipulating the resultant ASCII files. I will give
you a listing of utilities available and a brief description of
what they do and/or how they do it:
UNSOFT.LBR contains two very handy utilities: (1) ENSOFT.COM
which converts ASCII text files to Wordstar document format. It
actually makes educated guesses as to where to put soft or hard
carriage returns as well as soft spaces. (2) UNSOFT.COM which
converts Wordstar document files back to normal ASCII files. It
resets all high bits set by Wordstar back to zero and strips out
all dot commands except .PA which is converted to a FF
(formfeed). It also converts soft (1Fh) hyphens to real hard
(2Dh) hyphens and removes all control characters except TAB, FF,
CR, and LF.
BACKTOWS.LBR has a utility that allows re-formatting document
files to your preferrences. You may re-format a right and
lefthand justified file so that it now has a "ragged" un-
justified right margin. It will also perform much the same
function as ENSOFT by adding high order bits at the beginning and
end of every word ala Wordstar document mode.
FILT.LBR has a variety of ASCII file filters that perform many
different tasks. FILTA will remove all high bits, changes lone
LF to a CR/LF pair and optionally retains FF characters. FILTB
is for filtering MBASIC files, does the same as FILTA but retains
the LF-CR required by some Basic editors. FILTW is for Wordstar
document mode files, handles CR and LF like FILTA, removes dot
commands, converts soft to hard hyphens and non-break (0Fh)
spaces to normal spaces (20h). FILTWC is exactly like FILTW but
retains the CR and LF intact in whatever form they were
originally.
WINDEX20.LBR creates indexes for Wordstar files written in
document mode. It can be used with a manuscript of any length,
including books up to 9,999 pages, with a maximum of 254 keys.
There are three different modes of indexing available and can
become an invaluable W/P aid.
PAIRX13.LBR searches Wordstar document files for un-balanced
pairs of print control characters. Real handy when you forget
that "other" ^PB and end up with a whole document printed in
boldface. Or how about only one ^PS, not bad if you like
everything underlined.
FOOTNOTE.LBR combines a Wordstar document file and a file of
footnotes for it into one single (non-document) file, with
footnotes at the bottom of each page, which may then be printed
out by Wordstar.
WSAVEALL.LBR is a unique concept for restoring text lost in RAM
after a "disk-full" error or a hastily exited (^KQ - Yes) file.
Wordstar always buffers about 15k of edited text in the same
location in memory and this program with the aid of a SUBMIT file
will automatically recover this text and place it in a file to be
further edited. This utility and RESQ13 will both recover text
even AFTER a system reset or cold boot.
RESQ13.LBR operates much the same as WSAVEALL except it is
manually invoked from the prompt when desired rather than
automatically submitting itself for processing after a warm boot.
RESQ will auto-adjust itself for the size of TPA on your machine
so it works well even under small memory configurations (ala
ZCPR3). RESQ will prompt you to enter a string to search for,
then begins looking thru the RAM buffer area for the target
string. If the string is found, RESQ backs up to the start of
the buffer area and then saves the 15k (max) of text to a file
called RES.Q on the currently logged drive.
SYA.LBR (aka Save Your ASSetts) is another RAM rescue program
similar to RESQ13. I like RESQ better and have always had better
results then with SYA (nuff said?)
OUTLINE.LBR is a utility used in conjuction with Wordstar to
produce an outline. There are a maximum of four levels of
outlining available.
WC1.LBR is an update to the WC.COM utility supplied with Wordstar
to count the number of words in an ASCII file. This version will
skip all lines beginning with "dots" to avoid counting dot
commands as words. Very handy for writers who are paid by the
number of words per text or when you only have a limited number
of words allowed for say an advertisement in a magazine or such.
ROFF.LBR contains a file formatting utility that allows you to
format for printing any ASCII text file. You may specify the
amount of indentation required for the entire file and change
this specification at any time with another dot command. There
are many parameters possible including full-line filling and
complete page-style formatting including top margins with
headers, a second top margin, the main body of text, a third
margin, and finally the bottom margin including the footers.
WS3330.DQC is a text file that contains all known labels and
patch locations for Wordstar v3.30. This is especially useful
when patching-in an un-supported printer or for that special mod
you want to make to Wordstar.
WSFAST24.LBR has several different submit files used with the
included EX15 utility to speed-up the operation of Wordstar by
removing unnecessary time delays and filling in the opening
copyright display screens. This is a definite must for owners of
the Kaypro-bundle versions as they are really slow as
distributed. The whole process is automated and takes only a
couple of minutes to perform. The resultant copy of Wordstar
will now sign-on very quickly and allows you to begin editing
much faster then the stock version.
QK-21.LBR aka QWIKKEY is an all-purpose keyboard re-definer that
allows you to assign ASCII strings or commands for simple one-key
entry. QWIKKEY can be defined on-the-fly or it can read in a
file of pre-defined string assignments. Now you know how to get
super function keys on the Kaypro and other computers that lack
real function keys. QWIKKEY takes up very little memory and more
then pays you back with it's abilities.
-={ S-100 System For Sale }=-
MORROW DECISION I, S-100 computer system with 14-slot Wunderbuss
MultI/O motherboard, 3 programmable RS-232C serial ports (0-
19.2kb) and 2 parallel I/O ports. MPZ80 CPU card, MM65K memory
board, DJ/D2B 8-inch floppy controller board, HDC-3A hard disk
controller card.
Disk sub-system: (1) Fujitsu 10mb hard disk in cabinet with power
supply and fan, and (1) Shugart 8-inch floppy drive (reads/writes
standard IBM 3470 format diskettes in 4 densities; 128, 256, 512,
or 1024 bytes per sector). System can be easily set to boot-up
from hard disk or floppy by flipping one dip switch on the CPU
board.
Complete BIOS listings and all driver software for any
configuration of available 5 or 8-inch hard disks. Original
manuals for everything and CP/M 2.2 including all system
utilities and bunches of disks full of goodies. System is 100%
operational and very solid. Heath H-19 smart terminal included
with all the above for $2,000.00 firm (you pay the shipping if
not picked up at my home.)
I will also include a complete multi-user operating system ($600
value MultI/OS by InfoSoft, upward compatible to CP/M 2.2
software) in full source form with documentation and all
utilities on 8-inch diskettes. I can also furnish MEX, BYE, and
XMODEM overlays to let you put this gem online as a super RCP/M
system.
If interested, contact Steve Sanders (813) 937-7249 voice or
leave a message on one of the remote systems. First to flash
cash owns the machine! I've only got just this one and it's a
steal at this price.
-={ Stretch Your Modem Time }=-
Sitting here behind the screens of my remote systems I see a lot
of people wasting time and more importantly, money. Most
everyone I know owns and uses a printer regularly, so why not use
it when you call by modem? The most common mistake new users and
old pros alike make is to NOT dump the DIRectory listings to
their printers. This is especially effective for the callers at
300 baud who spend a lot of time just waiting for a file transfer
to be completed. If you first dump the DIR listing to the
printer then you may then scan it during the file transfer and
save the wasted time used with repetitive DIRs.
You can always be dumping to the printer at the same time you are
saving to a terminal mode file with MEX. The terminal mode
capture file will do you no good as a referrence during a file
transfer because you can't view it while receiving a file. The
hardcopy from your printer can be viewed at anytime. I find it
real handy to just always dump to the printer, of course I have a
fairly high speed (160 cps) OKI 92 printer plus a 128k printer
buffer. This may not work very well if all you have is a slow
daisey-wheel printer capable of only 10-20 cps speed and no
buffer.
Many, many times I see a caller transferring an ENTIRE library
file (usually very large) when he only needs or can use one or
two of the internal files. Please use LUX or LDIR and then TYPE
out the internal .DOC or .INF file first - you'll probably find
out that only one version of the .COM file is for you anyway. At
least find out if the set of programs will even work for your
computer before downloading the whole mess!
HOW-TO Find a File:
1. Use WHEREIS, FINDF, or FILEFIND and search for the file
online first, it may already be there in another file area.
A0:SYSTEM>whereis sd100*.*
2. If the online search is negative, then use CAT to search
for the filename in the master library. Remember most all
utilities are "versioned" and have numbers to indicate their
version update status so always use wildcards like so:
A0:SYSTEM>cat sd1*.*
If the file you seek is listed in the master catalog but is not
online, just leave me a message and I'll make the file available
on your next call.
Remember anytime you have trouble with system commands, just
enter HELP or SYSHELP anywhere while in CP/M. All the help you'd
ever need is always there - you just have to ask for it.
Also very important: When you begin a XMODEM file transfer, be
sure to WAIT until XMODEM shows you it actually found the
requested file and has opened the file! If you hit the <RETURN>
right after entering the XMODEM command and immediately escape
terminal mode to enter your modem receive command you may never
see the any error messages displayed by XMODEM. You also will
not see the size of the file display or the number of records and
will have no idea how long the transfer will take or when you
have reached the end of file until your modem program returns you
to terminal mode. Nuff said???
Take your time, plan your strategy, and stretchhhhh your modem
time and long distance dollars to their fullest...
-={ Review: JUKI 6100 Daisey-Wheel Printer }=-
by Steve Sanders, TBKUG
I just picked up a Kaypro Letter Quality Printer, better known as
a JUKI 6100 daisey wheel printer after realizing my need for real
correspondence quality type. I have been scanning all the
magazines and catalogs and comparing price and features and find
the JUKI to be right in the ballpark. I got this one "slightly"
used, second-hand, and such got a very good deal on it pricewise.
For the new purchaser I have found the price is rather fixed even
by mail order at around $350 for the model 6100 JUKI daisey
wheel with a parallel (Centronics) interface. The tractor feed
is extra at around $130-150 and is absolutely necessary if you
intend to use continuous forms or labels. The JUKI comes with a
friction feed arrangement identical to a standard typewriter for
cut sheet paper. The 6100 prints along at a fairly brisk 18 cps
and has the familiar sound of all plastic or metal daisey wheel
printers.
WHEELS: The 6100 uses Triumph-Adler compatible plastic daisey
wheels which hold up very well if handled properly when not in
the machine. There is a wide variety of wheels available; PICA,
ELITE, COURIER, ORATOR, SCRIPT, and MICRON to name just a few.
These are also measured in the size of pitch as well as style and
the 6100 can use 10, 12, or 15-pitch, and Proportional Spacing
wheels. These wheels are available for $18-25 each and last a
long time when they are put back in their carriers after use.
(P.S. I just ordered 5 different daisey wheels from Protecto
Enterprises in Barrington, IL and got 'em for $18/ea.)
RIBBONS: The 6100 uses a standard IBM Selectric II drop-in ribbon
cartridge loaded either with one-strike film or multi-strike
fabric. I highly recommend the one-strike film for overall
quality and appearance of the printed page. These cartridges are
readily available in any office supply store for around $4.00 a
piece and will usually print about 150,000 characters before
replacement. The JUKI makes efficient use of the ribbon and
actually prints on 3 different parts of it before advancing the
film forward.
SET-UP: Installation was simple with the Kaypro and the bundled
Wordstar v3.30, you just pick the Diablo 630 option from
WINSTALL's printer menu. I then added the patches as specified
in the file JUKI-WS.PAT (available in the WORDPRO area of the
remote systems) for continuous underlining (you definitely want
this one), proportional spacing, and shadow print mode (similar
to bold but different). My printed pages now look as if I slaved
over an IBM typewriter all day, but I'm not going to tell anyone!
OPERATION: Very simple and straight forward, insert paper, roll
past top and align, back it up to top of page, and print. If
using the tractor feed and continuous forms, you need only flip
one easily accessible dip switch to avoid the stop-n-start after
each page. As per norm with all daisey-wheels, the JUKI sounds
like a slightly muffled machine-gun and should be placed
somewhere in the room where some of the noise may be absorbed
rather than reflected. Several vendors have "quiet boxes" which
can be placed over dot matrix or daisey wheel printers and really
puts the squelch on them. After printing several pages your ears
could stand a rest - I suggest leaving the room during printing,
use the old bathroom or coffee excuse!
OVERALL: I would have to give the JUKI high marks in all
categories except speed. Speed-wise the JUKI is in the middle of
the range, the low is 10cps and the high is 40-50cps. But the
high-speed babies cost between $1,500-2500 so the JUKI is a good
buy between $350-425 (average mail order to retail prices.) JUKI
has another model of interest to those who like both a typewriter
and a printer - the model 2200 is both. It has a keyboard which
is nice for addressing one or two labels or envelopes or writing
a letter, but also comes with either a serial or parallel
connector as well. It is slow at 10cps as a printer but can be
had for around $250 and uses all the same wheels as all other
JUKI models. JUKI printers are good value for the money and I'm
sorry to see that Kaypro has dropped them from their Business
Pack systems.
-={ That's All Folks !! }=-
Another month has come and gone (where do they go?) and here I am
finishing up yet another $R/O magazine. I have been working like
crazy to get the new multi-user system online. It is here, it is
working, and it WILL BE ONLINE VERY SOON!!
I have a few minor problems to straighten out such as getting it
to answer the phone properly and set correct input baudrate but
that should only be a matter of patch and test and then test
again. Nothing worse then a 'buggy' system online so I'm trying
to work out all the bugs before going online.
Congrats to David Kay, the new president of Kaypro Corporation.
Andy Kay has stepped down in favor of retirement and the reigns
have been passed to his son David.
And as always, THANK YOU to all the members and others who have
bought TBKUG User Disk volumes and paid membership dues -- we
cannot do it without you...
