Untitled - TRS-80 Color Computer Archive

Doctor A5Cll�����
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by Richard E. Esposito and Ralph E. RamhoJJ
Having technical dijJlcuWes? Consult the Doctor Jor an answer. Due
to the volume oj mail Doctor ASCII receives, we cannot guarantee that
your query will be published. Please send a self-addressed, stamped
envelope with all letters to Doctor ASCII. do HOT CoCo. 80 Pine St ..
Peterborough, NH 03458.
Q
A
Is there any software that will allow !he CoCo to function as a
• DEC VT100 terminal?-Bernadine Esposito. Columbia. MD
HSL Designs (Dept. CS, 1933 East Yale Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283)
• sells VTI0 lNT52 source code (Flex or OS-9; 8,000 lines for $25)
for their 6809E CRT terminal board_ You could modify HSL's code for
a CoCo running Word-Pal< and an RS-232 ACIA module_
Q
How can I attach the newer CoCo keyboards with the transpar­
.ent ribbon cable to my older grey CoCo?-B. P. Samuel. Cincinnati.
OH
A
Contact Spectrum Projects (P.O. Box 21272, 93-15 86th Drive,
• Wood haven. NY 11421, 718-441-2807). Explain that you need
an adapter to connect a new-type keyboard to an older machine. These
adapters are a Tandy product distributed for keyboard upgrades when
the CoCo 2 was introduced.
Q
I use a black-and-white TV set with my CoCo. Will I get sharper
• letters if I switch to a direct-video monitor? How can I extend to
80 or 64 columns for word processihg? Will Telewriter-64 give me the
screen format I want? -Howard D. Clark. EI Paso. TX
A
If you have a late-model TV that is in good shape, a monitor
.alone will not significantly increase display quality_ If you plan
to use your CoCo for extensive word processing, get PBJ's Word-Pal<
and a monochrome monitor with a bandwidth of at least 18 MHz. You
could then use Stylograph III or Dynastar with Flex or OS-9, or the
Word-Pak version of Elite-Word with Disk Extended Color Basic, and
have a true 80-column display. Telewriter-64 gives a legible 51-col­
umn display and a marginal 64-column display.
Q
I purchased OS-9 and Basic-D9. I find the documentation con­
.fusing and frustrating_ Are there any publications that give a
beginner a better chance?-Ronald Mattfeld. M811chester. MD
A
Add these two books to your library: The Official OS-9 Tour Guide
.(Microware Systems Corp., 1866 NW I 14th St., Des Moines, IA
50322,515-520-2535; $18.95) and The Complete Rainbow Guide to
OS-9 (Falsoft Inc., The Falsoft Building, 9529 U.S_ Highway 42. P_O.
Box 385, Prospect, KY 40059, 502-228-4492; $19.95). Dale Puckett
wrote both books_
10 HOT CoCo February 1986
Eds. note-For those oj you who missed our update in last month's
Letters to the Editor. Doctor ASCII incorrectly stated in his October 1985
column (HOT CoCo, p. 13) and again in his Best Bets For Christmas
(HOT CoCo. December 1985. p. 42) piece that SpectroSystem's ADOS
only works with RSDOS version 1_0_ However, ADOS is compatible with
any version oj Disk Basic.
Q
A
Is there a way to read the CoCo 2's serial I/O (inpuUoutput) port
• from either Basic or Assembly?- 10m Bensy. Bakersfield. CA
Yes. Program Listing I, BIT232, is a Basic program that loads in
.a machine-language program to do just that. Since the CoCo
uses software control of the RS-232 port, the timing is critical and
Basic is just too slow for normal baud rates.
You can use BlT232 alone for chatting with a friend via modem, or
you can use the LININ and LINOUT routines from a Basic program to
inpuUoutput a line of up to 256 characters to or from the RS-232 port.
The SET PAR routine lets you set parameters such as the baud rate.
number of bits. and so on. A unique feature of SETPAR is its ability
to change handshaking modes for the LINOUT routine. You can choose
either a modem (CD line) or printer (busy check on the RS-232 IN line)
handshake mode. Run the program for operating instructions.
1� , BIT232.BAS V1.�
2� CLS:PRINT" BIT232 PROGRAM"
3� PRINT" BY
4� PRINT" J.W.JACKSON
5� PRINT" POR
6� PRINT" HOT coco
7� PRINT" 1984
8� GOSUB43�
9� CLS:PRINT" BIT232 INPORMATION
1�� PRINT:PRINT" EXEC BB :
11� PRINT" MACHINE LANGUAGE CON
VERSANT MOOE THAT WILL ENABLE YO
U TO CHAT WITH SOMEONE ELSE PROM
YOUR KEYBOARO VIA THE RS�232. Y
OU MAY EXIT THIS MODE BY PRESSIN
G .
12� PRINT" EXEC BB+3:
13� PRINT" SET PAR ROUTINE - DIS
PLAY/SET THE RS-232 PARAMETERS S
UCH AS BAUD RATE, PARITY,ETC.
14� GOSUB43�:CLS
15� PRINT" EXEC BB+6:
16� PRINT" LININ ROUTINE - GETS
A LINE PROM THE RS-232 INPUT IN
TO RX$. YOU MUST HAVE DEPINED RX
$ IN YOUR BASIC PROGRAM. THE INP
UT IS TERMINATED BY A CARRIAGE R
ETURN OR 256 BYTES RECEIVED.
17� PRINT" EXEC B8+9:
18� PRINT" LINOUT ROUTINE - OUT
PUTS A LINE TO THE RS-232 OUTPUT