New 8-Bit Computer Boards. New era...super microcomputer board-pair
developed by SemiDisk Systems, Inc., of Beaverton (Portland), OR. Each board
is 5.75" by 8.0". CPU board sports Hitachi HD64180 (what else?) with 512k-
bytes of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), four RS-232 serial channels, and
floppy disk controller (Western Digital WD2793 chip) to handle up to 8 floppy
drives simultaneously, including hi-density Kodak, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba
types, 8", 5.25", and 3.5". Also included are RS-170 video monitor interface
(National NS455) with 80 columns by 25 lines for text and status plus keyboard
parallel interface, SASI channel for high speed devices, Centronics parallel
printer interface, and two spare 28-pin EPROM sockets (one socket can be used
for realtime clock/calender, e.g., Dallas Semiconductor's SmartWatch DS1216,
see Circuit Cellar, BYTE, March 1986; other for monitor personality). Three
serial channels (WD2123 Deuce chip on CPU-independent clock and one 64180
channel) run at up to 38,400 baud with two of these capable of 153,600 and
beyond; fourth to 19,200 (slower 64180 channel).
Inspiration from Douglas Adams's popular book, Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy, main board is called "Deep Thought 42." And DT42 runs at up to
12.288mHz clock rates. Uses four-layer printed circuit board--densest
component layout we have ever seen. Wow!
Best and most radical news of all: second board of board-pair, co-board
named "The SemiDisk", has 8 megabytes of parity-checked DRAM using 32 single-
inline-packages (SIP as opposed to DIP, dual inline) made up of 256k-bit
memory chips. Understand this semiconductor memory as main drive, main
storage! Auto-backup power comes from an off-board battery. Recommended
battery lasts 8 hours or more to keep memory refreshed if 110-volt AC power is
not available, as in weather storm power black-outs, or for transporting from
one location to another. Battery is always on-charge if plug is in wall-
socket. Using just becoming available 1-megabit chips (Toshiba, etc.), up to
32 megabytes are offered onboard. Co-board contains full SCSI parallel
channel for high speed communications to other devices, and optionally, an
onboard 1200 bps modem for data is available. Using improved MOSART module
(Z-News 207) and CODEC chip, companding A/D and D/A in single package, board
additionally provides high-quality voice record/reply telephone answering-
machine service, at 5 minutes per megabyte of DRAM used!
File transfer measures 1.6 megabytes per second, RAM to RAM! That's over
4 times faster than fastest small hard drives, 12 times faster than typical
implementation! From Mr. James Bell, President, "The SemiDisk offers no time
penalty for files which are not stored as sequential blocks, a situation which
slows hard disks to a DT42 Board crawl." What an alternative to 5- to 30-
megabyte hard drives! (See Z-News 309 where we proclaimed 30-megabyte, and
less, hard disk drives soon to be obsolete.)
"PHOTO of DT42 Printed Circuit Board here
in printed editon"
With clock/calendar option and Integrand Model 3820 cabinet, a Kodak
floppy drive for RAM disk file backup--2.7 to 10 megabytes formatted,
depending on model (see Z-News 309 and 404 for more on embedded-servo-track
Kodak drives, 408 for more on RAM-disk based Oneac ON! computer), and with a
Teac 55B floppy drive for software transportability, SemiDisk board-pair is
all we want or need for a long time to come. And Term3 with T3SERVER/T3MASTER
can tie two or more together for distributed processing, for both wide and
local area networking. Wow! New era for desktop computing, with business
�graphics.
Boards connect together either direct piggyback style (plug and socket,
stacked) or with 60-pin connectors and cable, for side-by-side layouts.
Boards are offered with Z-System, have I/O redirection through use of IOPs.
Fully populated DT42 CPU board sells for $599.00 with system software ready to
boot. Prices for expansion board, presently about $200.00 per megabyte of
memory, soon to be $50.00, is determined by DRAM-chip density and population,
voice and other options. Both boards near production status, are scheduled to
be shipped this July. Can you wait! Where there is will there are ways.
Good-bye hard drives with their noise, unreliability, and relative
slowness; hello silicon main storage. We always believed mechanical devices
should be replaced by electronic ones whenever and wherever possible--that's
been history of our industry.
But before we float off on Cloud-9, get too carried away, let's look at
cost picture, now and future. Optical disks, soon to be available, offer
price/storage advantage over hard drives and solid-state ones. But don't
forget 4- and 16-megabit chips are only a few years away, two to four if
history has meaning. They will provide 128- and 512-megabytes on our
expansion board. Presently, wholesale prices for 64k-bit chips are from $0.80
to $1.20 each, and stable; 256k-bit chips, $2 to $3, with 1-megabit going for
over $30.00. If trend continues, and we have every reason to believe it will,
1-megabit chip prices fall to what 256k-bit are now. Then our expansion board
costs about $20.00 a megabyte at chip level, excluding board manufacturing
cost, or about 1/4 present price of $200.00, i.e., $50.00 per megabyte to us
end-users. Certainly hard drives are being sold, as are floppies, at fire-
sale prices because of over-supply, low demand. But, in fact 96tpi floppies
now are $135.00 each, up from $89.00 of a couple of months ago. Market is
simply getting in line with demand and adjusting for rising yen, 165 down from
240 to the dollar.
Please notice trend. Semiconductor RAM chip prices continually go down
as density goes up: price-per-bit is less each year. We believe impact of
recent DRAM dumping penalties on Japanese semiconductor houses is short
lived...value is value, product will get to us no matter what. Winchester
prices seem bottomed-out, unless vertical recording technique becomes
practical. If that happens, hard disks will stay in-the-hunt along with
optical and semiconductor storage. Optical for mass storage, Winchester for
intermediate, "big" floppy or tape for file back-up, RAM for main, fast
memory--no matter what storage configuration--SemiDisk board-pair handles it.
Board-pair is that flexible!
What are your priorities? It comes down to needs, wants, price versus
performance: access speed (time is money!), acoustic noise (who likes to
listen to 3,000-rpm spindle whine all day!), space efficiency (bytes per cubic
inch), and most important of all, long-term reliability (who can stand head
crashes every year or so!).
SemiDisk Systems, company that invented and produced first RAM disk-drive
emulator for microcomputers, produces fastest (see Z-News 409 and 501
benchmarks) and most compact hardware we presently know of for desktop
computers. More information can be obtained by accessing Oregon CBBS/Aloha
RAS at 503/649-8327, password PUEBLO. Look for message directing to DT42
file. Or if you prefer, call SemiDisk directly, 503/626-3104, voice.
High-performance 8-bit microcomputer systems continue to be designed.
(Look for HD64180 replacement board, V-Max, for Epson QX-10 machines.)
Existing ones seem to never die! On desktops, in offices, shops, and labs, in
the fields, they are everywhere. They spread...they, they never die!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Z Tips. VTYPE permits quick file review from your CRT, much faster than
using an editor or wordprocessor for scanning up and down a file. Dennis
�Wright, author of the ZRDOS utility, used sophisticated routines to permit
getting back to top of file or going to bottom of file in less than 2 seconds,
independent of file size! Using WordStar-like commands, you can scroll a line
or screen at a time in either direction. We never use TYPE because it can't
reverse the scan--it's relatively primitive, non-screen oriented.
Built-in help screen can be used while scanning a file. Operations
couldn't be simpler. Use "/" (or "?") to be reminded of options available,
during scan session. As with other Z-System utilities, VTYPE uses ZCPR3
environmental and Z3TCAP data to determine the characteristics of your
terminal. Lines exceeding display length of your terminal are truncated. A
highlighted "+" is displayed at end of line to indicate this condition, as WS
and NW do. The built-in menu:
<<<<< VTYPE, Version 2.0 >>>>>
Command Menu
SCREEN COMMANDS FIND COMMANDS
^R -- Backup one screen ^F -- Find String
^C -- Advance one screen ^N -- Find again
^S -- Backup n screens
^D -- Advance n screens OPTIONS
P -- Printer on/off
LINE COMMANDS R -- Scroll Rate: 0
^W -- Backup one line S -- Status Line on/off
^Z -- Advance one line T -- Tab Size: 8
SP -- Scroll start/stop V -- ZCPR3 Video Mode on/off
W -- WS Mode on/off
FILE COMMANDS / -- Menu/Text
^T -- Go to top of file
^B -- Go to bottom of file X -- Exit
Toggles permit showing WordStar embedded control codes, or alternately, the ^A
and ^B highlighting codes of Z3. Notice auto-scrolling, selective send text--
screen at a time and as you scroll--to printer, and locate (find) text-string
features. Status line, at top of screen, tells file name and what mode you
are in. You exit VTYPE using an "X" command as with VFILER and other Z-System
utilities.
Next subject. VFILER, Version 4.0, produced by Good-Neighbor Helper
Joseph Wright, provides many new features to Richard Conn's file manipulation
creation while retaining object code size of 14k-bytes. 1) Display of five
columns, 18 lines, for total of 90 files per screen, 2) highlighted drama
during group file copy and delete, 3) optional CRC-verify coping for security
or increased speed, no-verify used if disk system is known stable, 4) group
file copy cancellation after commencing, 5) improved prompts and built-in help
screen, 6) group archiving of files, 7) file move, in addition to copy, 8)
continuation, on fresh disk, of file copying if destination disk fills, and 9)
handles "public" directory files. These added features place utility at head-
of-class. VFILER takes not a back-seat to other file and disk manipulation
programs, bar none. Online help file has been updated to reflect changes.
Built-in help menu, obtained by typing "/" (or "?") once inside program, looks
like this:
-- Filer Commands --
T - Tag C - Copy Y - Retag Q - UnsQueeze V - View
U - Untag M - Move J - Jump A - Alpha sort P - Print
W - Wild tag D - Delete R - Rename F - File size?
� G - Group: Copy/Move/Delete/Archive/FSize/UnsQueeze/Tag/Untag
-- Cursor Movement -- -- Miscellaneous Commands --
WS diamond ^R - Top of screen
^C - Bottom of screen X - Exit VFILER
^E ^T - First file L/N - Login DU:/DIR:
^ ^B - Last file S - Disk Status
^S <-+-> ^D + - Next screen Z - ZCPR3 Command
v - - Prev screen H - Help VFILER
^X SP/CR - Forward E - Refresh screen
BS - Backward
-- User Functions --
# - Display Macro Command Menu 0-9 - Execute Macro Command
Command? (/=Files, X=Quit): []
Those who read VFILER's HLP file know "next screen" is obtained by not
only "+", but also with ">" and ".", as well as "<" and "," for "previous
screen." VMENU and MENU style. These little touches abound throughout Z-
System and its utilities.
VFILER characteristics make it leader of modern-world file manipulators.
Screen-oriented features make utility fun, easy, and quick to use. With its
CMD macro command user functions, you gain full control of your computer, to
access other menus on your system, and automatically return to VFILER, as each
task completes.
At the same time, Joe enhanced MENU as Version 4.0. Major new feature is
ability to optionally run an initial command line without overwriting menu
display. Additionally, you can change default drive/user from MENU command
line, and have DU/DIR correctly be shown from that line. Both new versions
are on Z-Nodes. Thanks, Joe!
Z-Node Activity. Marvin Eyre, Robards, KY, Z-Node #37 Sysop, tells us his
new 20-megabyte hard disk handles all the Z-System non-proprietary files for
his callers. His node number, 502/521-7011. Call, see what gives in great
state of Kentucky.
Kevin Dodd, "The Rogue Node," continues working on his node. Soon he
will have it running. If you can help, give him a call in Medford, OR, voice
503/779-0308.
Sysop Byron Smith, Z-Node #71, comes online with his Tulare, CA 93274, S-
100, Z80, 20-megabyte machine. Has US Robotics Courier 2400 for fast modem
transfers. Byron's number is 209/685-0306, central California, and he's ready
for packet radio relay!
Richard Jacobson, Z-Node #15 Sysop, 312/649-1730 and 312/664-1730, two
numbers, offers new full-screen Z-System editor for sale. Uses ZCPR3
environmental descriptor, knows DU and DIR drive/user (directory) forms. LZED
uses WordStar command set and sells for only $19.95, with instruction manual
supplied on disk. Program was written by Paul Pomerleau, no stranger to Z
community. Give it a try...a fast alternative to WordStar or Newword for
quick file editing. Comes with Sigi Kluger's TXTTOWS, Text-to-WordStar,
program converting LZED's straight ASCII for WordStar or Newword reformatting,
i.e., hard carriage returns are converted to soft for subsequent paragraph
wrapping and justification...you can download-purchase directly from Richard's
boards, central point for NAOG (Z-News 408) operations. Give him a call,
place an order.
From Our Mail Box. Many have asked many questions about Release 2 of Term3.
�Modular design consisting of over 20 separate programs, Term3 runs only with
ZCPR3 and Z-System. Versatile T3FILER handles file transfer protocols,
MODEM7, full KERMIT, and XON/XOFF from internal menus, auto-chains to
telephone dial libraries. T3HANGUP, T3INIT, T3DIAL do other obvious chores.
Five built-in editors to create, modify telephone libraries, communications
sets (default conditions), character translation tables, macro tables, and
user database entries. As many libraries and tables may be created as
permitted by available disk storage capacity, all dynamically loadable from
supplied menus. Term3 may be used stand alone for both calling out and as
message handling system, auto-answering phone calls. Special T3KMD handles
caller 128- and 1024-byte file transfers. We supply an example menu to run
complete system, easily modified to your taste and requirements. Unique
T3MASTER/T3SERVER (with up to 4,096-byte block transfers at serial 38,400 bps
,
and beyond) give Term3 both wide and local area network capabilities. We have
used the feature since early December and couldn't be without it. Z-Nodes
soon will have T3SERVER capability as part of Echelon wide area network. A
node becomes an extension of your computer! Term3 is massive, more total code
than ZCPR3. Offered for only $99.00. But if you have further questions about
details of Term3, please purchase 180-page manual for $20.00, applicable if
you later order the program, which by the way comes on six (6) disks. As we
have stated twice before: even if you own other modem programs you will want
to procure Term3, it's that good!
"...I like progress, so ZCPR3 is good. It would be good to realize that
the BIOS interface as we know it, is based on a floppy disk. It's time to
change that to a device independent interface like the SCSI bus." writes H.C.
Fijnvandraat, Enschede, Holland. Yes, we agree. We are moving things in that
general direction with any new BIOS we write. We try to make our software
less hardware specific, a major shortcoming of CP/M.
Potpourri. For you who build computers using Integrand cases and power
supplies, make up cables and connectors, want to learn of hottest chips, a
magazine produced just for you is Computer Smyth, The Hardware Journal, P.O.
Box 176, Peterborough, NH 03458-0176, credit card telephone orders 603/924-
9464. Published by Edward T. Dell every three months, sells for $15.00 per
year, or $25.00 for two years. Katie or Cathy are ready to take your phone
order. "We see the IBM PC phenomenon as a giant magnet or vacuum, dragging
hardware and software talent into a vortex of activity that ignores and
overshadows the line of new CPUs and peripheral hardware enhancements that are
becoming available... our readers are craftsmen who enjoy building, even while
finding the adventure just a little scary... [Journal] not just a consumer
medium for selling advertising." Magazine covers waterfront from Z80 to
Z80,000, 68020 to 32332 microprocessors. No clones here! Appears ideal
complement to Art Carlson's non-trooping The Computer Journal (Z-News 401).
Wyse Technology, maker of famous WY-50 terminal, won't quite. Has
another winner with their Model WY-60. Like WY-30 in styling but with vastly
improved screen and keyboard functionality. Seven pages of memory, high
resolution display, 7 by 12 character in a 10 by 16 matrix field (WY-50+ has
only 10 by 13), hidden attributes, green, amber, or white phosphor, plus WYSE-
WORKS provides built-in clock, calendar, and calculator...soft fonts
downloadable from host. Columns of 80 and 132 by lines of 26 and 44, with now
standard, up to 38,400 baud RS-232 port. And their adjustable arm for height
and pivot is best in industry, makes Wang look silly. Wyse stays ahead by
staying alert to customer needs. List price of WY-60 is, same as 50+, only
$699.00. Wow! Wyse Technology, 3571 North First St., San Jose, CA 95134-
9990, 408/433-1000.
Echelon publishes monthly newsletter, written by ZCPR3 author, Richard
Conn, concerning public domain Ada Language software activities, software
�that's in "Ada Software Repository" on the Defense Data Network (DDN) of
federal government. Charter subscription is only $16.00, twelve issues. See
Richard's article in Dr. Dobb's Journal, February 1986, starting page 60, for
details of Ada Software Repository on SIMTEL20 node (Frank Wancho) of DDN.
Keeping classic machines up to date, Analytical Products (Z-News 309) has
bootable Z-System disk for Heath and Zenith 89s and 90s, with enhanced BIOS.
Here's your chance to get modern Z-System up and running without installation
hassles. If interested, give Peter Shkabara a call, 209/564-3687, or write
Analytical Products, 20663 Avenue 352, Woodlake, CA 93286. Complete package
is only $98.00, plus $3.00 shipping and handling.
====================================================================
Of Cabbages and Kings. Learning is evidence of biological life, of deep
living. The greatest principle of learning is human conscious choice,
thoughts followed by actions. Only through change (of being) comes learning,
but change is not necessarily progress.
What with all our speedy machinery, and it seemly gets faster by the day,
we sometimes forget about substance. Writing and cataloging has never been
faster, but what about content? Every database is loaded with typing errors
of carelessness, editorial materials of from shallow, surface-only thoughts.
Where can depth be found? New desktop publishing craze leads where we're been
before. There seems to be no end to the blindness of short-sighted self-
interest and habit. Face it. That we do not do--face the truth. Yet it
stares at us night and day. We take our pills and use every form of other
crutch to avoid having to see, having to learn. We allude to unwaged work,
but any type of work done consciously does the job, gets to truth, alters
habit patterns.
We are impatient catering to an ever increasing monolith; it used to be
called laziness, now "power-using." We take off our shoes, role up our
sleeves and trouser bottoms, and enter stream of Life. Who joins us? Come
and let's rally for change, increased human understanding. Possibilities are
in our hands, we control! Oops! Knocked over another glass of Zinfandel.
See you down the lines...
Echelon, Inc.
885 N. San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA 94022 USA
Telephone: 415/948-3820
Z-Node Central (RAS): 415/489-9005
Trademarks: SB180, COMM180, TKBBS, Micromint; DT42, Deep Thought 42, The
SemiDisk, SemiDisk Systems; HD64180, Hitachi; CLIPPER, Fairchild; NSC800,
NS455, National; Z80/180/280, Zilog; NCR5380, National Cash Register;
WD2123/2793, Deuce, Western Digital; Z-System, ZCPR3, ZRDOS, Z-Tools, Zas,
Zlink, Z-Msg, Term3, Quick-Task, Lasting-Value Software, Echelon; LZED, Zivio;
WY-30/50/50+/60, Wyse Technology; VAX, DEC, Digital Equipment; QX-10, Epson;
CP/M, Digital Research; IBM, International Business Machines; ON!, Oneac;
MOSART, Xecom; SCSI/Plus, Little Board, Bookshelf, Ampro Computers.
eagle
here *
� Z sets you FREE!
* *
Z-News 502 is Copyright 1986 Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permission
to reprint, wholly or partially, automatically granted if source credit is
given to Echelon.
