::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||| ST*ZMAGAZINE #38 September 15, 1989 ||||||| |||||||---------------------------------------------------------||||||| ||||||| Volume 1, Number 38 Ron Kovacs, Editor ||||||| |||||||---------------------------------------------------------||||||| |||||||(c) 1989, Rovac Ind., PO Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846-0059||||||| |||||||=========================================================||||||| ||||||| News Headlines.... ||||||| ||||||| ~ Atari Announces Release of the Portfolio ||||||| ||||||| ~ SPA Announces Toll Free Pirate Buster Hotline ||||||| ||||||| ~ Migraph to Release Easy Draw update ||||||| ||||||| ~ Practical Solutions Cordless Mouse to be Shipping ||||||| |||||||=========================================================||||||| |||||||CompuServe: 71777,2140 GEnie: ZMAGAZINE||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: <*> The Editors Desk..................Ron Kovacs <*> ZNet Newswire............................... <*> Atari Product Update: TT Info............... <*> Public Domain Shelf..............Alice Amore <*> Somewhere Behind The Rainbows.....C. Freeman <*> Color Support..................Barry Orlando <*> Monochrome Users Update...........Mark Quinn <*> Artura Reviewed....................Jim Brady <*> Practical Solutions Update.................. <*> 1040ST Upgrade.................Barry Orlando THE EDITORS DESK ---------------- by Ron Kovacs Last week's edition was re-issued incase you didn't notice. We published an article which was reprinted from the Great Lakes Atari Digest (GLAD), which raised a few eyebrows on a few people in the Atari community. After carefully weighing everyone's comments, I decided to pull the article and re-issue the edition. Since the column was a local affair it was poor judgement on my part to reprint it here. I am sorry for the confusion. If you are the holder of the first release, please delete it and download the replacement on the services. Incase you missed last week's edition, we covered Bob Brodie's appearance at the September JACG meeting, a review of FunctionZ, details on the 1040STE along with our regular weekly features. Thanks for reading!! ZNET NEWSWIRE ------------- ~ Atari announced the immediate release of the pocket computer the Portfolio. The unit will retail for $399.95 and include 5 software packages reteivable via function keys on the keyboard, and 128K RAM. Two AA batteries are required. Here is a list of the features: * MSDOS Compatible Commands * Lotus 1-2-3 File Compatible Spreadsheet * Lotus 1-2-3 Word Processing Software * Calculator * Personal Appointment Book * Address Book/Phone Directory * 128K RAM * 63 Key PC Compatible Keyboard * LCD Display, 40 Column by 8 Line Character Mode * 240 x 64 Graphics OPTIONAL PERIPHERALS * Card Drive and Credit-Card Size Solid State RAM Cards * Card Drive accepts PROM and ROM Program Cards ~ Beyond Tomorrow, the Fox Broadcasting Science and Technology program will be premiering the portable Voice computer this Saturday evening at 9:30pm EDT. The Voice with Nativeguide translation voiceware will allow the user to construct sentences and spek them in English in the users own dialect. The computer will instantly speak the French or Spanish equivalent. Look for the product later this fall from Advanced Products and Technologies for $2,500.00. Check your local listings for the time and channel. ~ A new BBS system called the Whistle Blower BBS allows users to anonymously report crimes which would regularly go unreported. Calls taken are forward to the proper agencies in the area. If you want to see it for yourself, call (714) 873-9547. ~ The Software Publishers Association (SPA) has set up a toll free number to help people report software piracy. This new avenue for reporting should assist users who would normally have to search out the SPA to report incidents of piracy. To date the SPA has filed more than 20 suits against dealers, mail order operations, technical colleges and corporations. To report a pirate call: (800) 388-PIRS. ~ Migraph will be releasing an updated version of Easy Draw next month. Features unavailable in previous releases will be included. Stay tuned for details! ~ Practical Solutions has announced the release date of their new cordless mouse. See the press release information included in this edition. ATARI PRODUCT UPDATE -------------------- (Editors Note: The following text file was captured from GEnie) The Power of a Workstation The New Atari TT Computer Premiering at the Dusseldorf Atari Fair, the TT, with the Motorola MC68030 processor, moves the ST family into the 32 bit realm, achieving a significant increase in computing power with full TOS compatibility. Our goal for the TT was to design an expandable computer that would combine ST compatibility with superior resolution, more computing power, and improved sound generating abilities. THE 68030 CPU At the heart of the TT is a 16 MHz MC68030 processor, which allows a high degree of 68000 compatibility, while operating at a higher clock speed and providing streamlined internal operations which make it even faster. The 68030 has built in 256 byte instruction and data caches, and an internal Memory Management Unit. Next to it on the board is a socket for an optional math coprocessor (MC68881/MC68882). Memory in the TT is a full thirty-two bits wide, both the ST RAM which is shared by the video logic, and TT RAM which is not shared. These factors combine to result in a memory bandwidth that is four times greater and program execution speeds up to 17 times faster than on the ST. ST COMPATIBLE In both hardware and software, the TT is compatible with the ST. All hardware registers are in the same locations as they are in the ST. The ST video modes work the same way on both TT and ST, because they are organized in memory the same way on both machines. Most important for ST compatibility is the operating system in the TT: TOS. With TOS as the TT operating system, existing programs can automatically use the improved resolutions of the new video modes, as well as the larger color palette, without any change to the software. All this ST compatibility has the obvious benefit of allowing TT owners to take advantage of the large and growing base of ST software. GRAPHICS In addition to the three ST video modes, the TT has two new color video modes available on its VGA monitor: 640 horizontal by 480 vertical resolution with 16 colors, 320 horizontal by 480 vertical resolution with 256 colors. With a high resolution monochrome monitor, a 1280 by 960 resolution monochrome mode is available. All the color modes use a new, expanded 4096 color palette which is also available in the ST modes. Even ST monochrome (640x400) is actually a two color mode on TT; we call it "duochrome." SOUND The improved sound system uses stereo 8-bit PCM (Pulse Code Modulation). This allows the TT to function as a digital tape player. The hardware also includes an automatic variable low pass filter, a stereo balance control and bass and treble tone controls. This sound is mixed through the internal speaker as well as being output via two RCA phono jacks located on the back of the machine. These features, combined with the high power computing capabilities of the 16 MHz 68030, allow the TT to produce a wide range of high quality sounds. INTERFACES In keeping with the design goal of expandability, the TT has all of the ports familiar from the ST: MIDI, parallel, serial, and the Atari ACSI DMA port (for Atari hard disks, laser printers, or CD-ROM). The TT also includes a 25 pin SCSI port. One of the four TT serial ports can be configured as an industry-standard medium-speed SDLC network port. Of course, the machine also provides an internal speaker, a clock with battery backup, and a Mega ST compatible keyboard with ports for mouse and joystick. EXPANDABLE In addition to the expansion capabilities provided by the TT's external interfaces, the TT is expandable internally as well. The housing can hold an internal hard disk and add-in memory cards. These memory cards allow the standard 2 megabyte TT to be expanded to 8 megabytes, or as much as 26 megabytes when 4Mbit DRAM chips become available. Another example of internal expandability is the slot for a single standard "Eurocard" style VME card. This slot allows use of any of the large number of existing VME expansion cards. Some of the VME expansion options currently available include memory expansion, Ethernet and other network boards, coprocessors, graphics boards, and data acquisition (A/D and D/A converters). Already planned for TT VME expansion are an Ethernet board for networking, I/O port expansion, and graphics extensions. UNIX OPTION The workstation-like capabilities of the TT will be complemented by an optional industry standard operating system. UNIX System V is being ported for the TT. Also available will be X windows as well as an X windows based graphic user interface, giving TT owners all the benefits of UNIX without all of the difficulties usually encountered. TT AT A GLANCE - ST compatible operating system, giving TT an extensive software library - ST compatible hardware, including all the ST interface ports - Three new graphics modes: 1280 x 960 pixels high resolution monochrome 640 x 480 pixels with 16 colors 320 x 480 pixels with 256 colors - All color graphics modes use an expanded 4096 color palette - 16 Mhz Motorola MC68030 processor - Socket for optional MC68881/MC68882 math coprocessor - DMA with built in SCSI and ACSI ports - Two serial ports, expandable to four ports. - Parallel interface - Detachable keyboard - Internal "Eurocard" VME socket (A24/D16) - Internal hard disk option - 8 bit stereo PCM sound - 2 Mbytes RAM, expandable to 8 Mbytes (26 Mbytes with 4 Mb DRAM) - Real time clock with battery backup - Network capable hardware The Atari TT continues the Atari tradition of delivering Power Without The Price! We reserve the right to change technical specifications without notice. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T. August, 1989 Atari Corporation 1196 Borregas Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 PUBLIC DOMAIN SHELF ------------------- by Alice Amore BARNPIX ~~~~~~~ This is an update of the old favorite, BARNYARD, F. Hundley's concentration-type matching game for children. In the original, text was used to identify the animals behind the barn doors. This new version uses pictures along with text, which means that younger computerists will be able to play the game, too. When all the barn doors have been opened, Farmer Joe (or whatever his name is) pops a wheelie on his tractor. Loads of fun. CRYPTO ~~~~~~ If you enjoy solving cryptograms, this program will provide you with an "electronic worksheet" to ease frustration. If you've never tackled a cryptogram before, the worksheet will help you to learn the cryptogram process. The most important feature of this program is the option of letter-switching using only a keyclick. Within the program are several help screens listing the most common 2-letter, 3-letter, and 4-letter words, the most frequent doubled letters, the most common word beginnings and endings, and lots of other word information. Programmed by M. Rainey. DIARY_11 ~~~~~~~~ This latest version of DIARY has been spiffed up. A small word processor in the form of a desk accessory, it automatically assigns 8K to its buffer, meaning that you can hold 8K of text in memory until you reboot. A drop-down menu lets you load and save text. Written in Modula-2, this is shareware from Craig Harvey. FOODBAR ~~~~~~~ FOODBAR is a food database containing not only the caloric contents of various foods, but also their nutritional values. Using the "accumulator" feature, you can compile daily nutritional totals of food intake. If a food isn't in the database, it can be added by the user. A larger food database can be ordered directly from the programmer, Alex Fetesoff. CVTPM ~~~~~ This program will be a boon to those who still use PrintMaster, as opposed to a full-fledged desktop publishing program, for all those "small jobs". CVTPM (CONVERT PM, ver. 1.5) takes any PrintMaster graphic or border file for the IBM PC, and converts it to ST format. PC PrintMaster data files are in plentiful supply on BBSs and online services, and now these files can be added to your existing PM libraries! Runs in mono or color. Programmed by Raymond Roux. MAGICDEM ~~~~~~~~ A demo for "Magic Playground", from Water Fountain Software, this "children's interactive animated story" can be run on both monochrome and color systems. If you're used to more typical children's programs, take a look at this one. It is quite different, and may not appeal to everyone. NORAD ~~~~~ NORAD will track up to 97 satellites on a world map. This program was captured from USENET and contains no documentation, but those who are interested in satellite-tracking will be motivated to figure it out on their own. It runs in either mono or color, and requires GFABASIC 2.0, or GFABASRO.PRG. READSECT ~~~~~~~~ For the adventurous, there's READSECT, which will read one or more sectors from a disk and save them to a file. This program is useful mostly for text files rather than binary files. It was written by Jim Kershner. SOME WHERE INSIDE THE RAINBOWS ------------------------------ by Craig Freeman, S*P*A*C*E* The buzzword has been running all summer long with no relief in sight. It has been talked about in dark circles that defy Ataridom and pushs the envelope of fiction just a bit further with each keystroke. The buzzword? Why Rainbow TOS 1.4! What did you expect, Batman? I've been lucky enough to have had some time alone with the new, YOU HAVE THE APRIL 6, 1989 release of TOS 1.4 Chips (Atari's FINAL version)! And my impressions after a few hours of pushing the envelope? When's the Absolutely Final, Final version going to hit the market..? Am I being unfair? Look, I didn't exactly get these "Rainbows" directly from the corner Atari Computer Store (I wish there were such a store that I could get stuff like this at!). But I can say with confidence that these little gem's are of the highest possible quality and all of the "bugs" are not the fault of the EPROM burner or its programmer. Let me enlighten you on some of the problems that I have been able to force from the new TOS 1.4.. At first you may want to ask yourself, "Is he kidding us?" And I shall answer you... Yes and No. Okay the first "bug" to have bitten me are that these things are fast fast fast! I used to be able to set up a disk copy, go mow the lawn and then have lunch or read a good book. No longer do I have that sort of leasure time on my hands. The darn things don't ask for a track verify on every sector and they don't even care where the data is at. This makes each read or write twice as fast. Just about as fast as you can recite the Battle Hymm of the Republic, these new TOS ROMS are done with their work! Try on this example. Easy Draw has got to be the slowest loading program alive when you have the disk crammed with fonts stacked ten deep and all of the special tools from Migraph installed. We are talking at least three minutes to boot and let you start to work. With the new TOS 1.4 less than a minute passes and we're in! With my hard drive set up with Easy Draw, in less time than it takes me to say it, and we're in! The next "bug" that I have found is really serious, really. I don't quite know who to blame. Atari? Although Atari has been good for a slam or two, maybe I should blame the software programmers? I do loads of Drawing... This can use a lot of paper if you make lots of mistakes. I do! However, using the computer's art programs I don't use the paper. Instead, I have the eraseable screen and a QMI Drawing Tablet. With TOS 1.4 it fails to even boot up unless all other accessories are vanquished from the disk and any other program in the auto folder is removed. It may boot up, but it refuses to run properly if at all. It seems that a lot of my older software does not like the new TOS 1.4. And, in fact they bomb almost every time I try to run the applications involved! The few times the programs looked as if a normal load had taken place, they would not respond fully (if at all) to "special" keystrokes assigned to jobs within the program. I know that the Rainbow TOS 1.4 chips are at fault. A quick exchange for the, sigh, old ROM's brought the programs back to full use again. Re-install the "Rainbows" and I re-install the 'no-operate' features. Using keystroke combinations like CNTRL-SHFT-ALT with the TOS 1.4 installed are a no go. A lot of my programs use these keystrokes to operate! They become unusable under TOS 1.4! As I have yet to test another set of "Rainbows" (hoping for better results), I am not letting go of the possibility that these chips themselves may have an isolated defect. With so few of them around, testing becomes somewhat harder to do. In closing let me say that these new TOS 1.4 Rainbow chips are a very good over-all improvement and if you get the chance to purchase a set of them, DO IT! Even if you have to swap them for the old ones now and then, they are well worth the effort to have. Many features that have been on the .ACC list are now resident within the chips. No more limits on folders. Thirty-two Megabyte hard drive partitions (double from before!), keyboard prompted warm and cold start-ups, and much, much more. I think that I'll blame Atari and the programmers for these "bugs"... But as far as the missing keystrokes bug W/TOS 1.4? I hope those "in power to do something about it" see or hear this and correct these faults with the absolutly final, final release version TOS 2.0 HA! I won't be holding my breath for it. Some where inside the Rainbow is a fix for the missing keystroke commands. I'll keep doing the TOS SWAP until some hardware hacker can come up with a piggy back set up and a switch for me.......... So until next time, TOS willing, Keep on computing........! COLOR SUPPORT FOR THE ST ------------------------ by Barry Orlando This text extracted from file found on CompuServe. 32,768 Color Support for the Atari ST, for Public Domain, dated 9-9-89. Here's a hardware modification for the standard Atari ST that increases the color palette from 512 colors to 32,768 colors (32 shades of gray), while still maintaining compatibility with existing Atari ST software (including SPECTRUM 512). It is software compatible with the JRI's 4096C color board and will also be compatible with the recently announced 4096 color STE (enhanced ST). It does this by adding increased bits of resolution so as to increase the ST's 16 read/write colors palette hardware registers from their standard 9 bits each, to 15 bits each. Each of the standard color palette registers have the following bit arrangement: FEDCBA9876543210 .....RRR.GGG.BBB where, R, G, and B are the red, green, and blue components. The higher the value for any of these grouped bits, the more intense the resulting color component. The above bits marked '.' are ignored. The JRI 4096C color board and the upcoming 4096 color STE add an extra bit of resolution at bit locations 3, 7, and B, however these new bits are least significant bits so as to maintain compatibility with existing software. The 32,768 color modification goes a step further by adding a fifth (and less significant) bit to each color component at locations C, D, and E. The new arrangement is then: FEDCBA9876543210 .RGBRRRRGGGGBBBB As with the JRI 4096C color board, this modification adds an additional Shifter chip. However this modification is slightly more involved in that it uses three additional integrated circuits, and bypasses 9, 5% tolerance resistors used by the Shifter chip, in favor of using 9, 1% tolerance resistors. DISCLAIMER This modification should not be attempted by anyone except by someone with experience repairing or building digital electronic circuits. Performing this modification will be done at your own risk and may void the warranty on your computer. PARTS REQUIRED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (1) Component Perfboard (3" x 2.5") cut from Radio Shack #276-147 ($2.99) (2) 3M Board Mounting Interconnectors (straight single-row male). Digi-Key Part # 929834-08-36 ($2.05 each) Digi-Key Corp. 701 Brooks Ave South P.O Box 677 Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677 Phone 1-800-344-4539 for free catalog. (1) Quad 2 input NAND Gate, High Speed CMOS (74HC00N). Digi- Key Corp. Part # MM74HC00N ($0.28) (1) Quad Tri-State Transceiver, High Speed CMOS (74HC243N). Digi-Key Corp., Part # MM74HC243N ($0.78) (1) Octal Tri-State Transceiver, High Speed CMOS (74HC245N). Digi-Key Corp., Part # MM74HC245N ($0.82) (5) 3.76K, 7.50K, 15.0K, 30.1K, 60.4K ohm metal film resistors, 1%, 1/4 watt. Digi-Key Corp., Part #s 3.76X, 7.50X, 15.0X, 30.1X, 60.4X (each value: 5 for $0.50). <5 each required> (2) 3.0K ohm carbon resistors, 5%, 1/4 watt. Digi-Key Corp., Part # 3.0E (5 for $0.25) (5) 0.1ufd Monolithic Ceramic capacitors, Radial, 50V, 10%, or equivalent substitution, Digi-Key Corp. Part # P4525 ($0.19 each) (2) Shifter Chip, Atari Part # CO25914-38A, one chip is obtained from your ST's motherboard, the other from your local Atari Authorized Service Center ($30.00) INSTALLATION OF THE BOARD Located on the ST's motherboard is mounted a sheet metal box which houses the Shifter Chip. This box has a hinged lid which can be opened. Inside this box you'll find the Shifter Chip mounted in a 40 pin socket. The board simply plugs into this socket so that the board is elevated above the ST's motherboard with sufficient clearance to allow closing the hinged lid. Three wires are installed from the color board to three vias (trace thru holes) located nearby on the motherboard. Additionally, jumpers are installed across each of three 3.6K ohm resistors on the motherboard. These resistors are easily traced from the Shifter socket pins 21, 24, and 27. CIRCUIT SCHEMATIC I was going to get the circuit diagram for this project digitized, but just didn't get around to it (saved you the download). So if you want it, send me a self addressed stamped envelope to the following address: Barry Orlando 1120 Deerfield Dr. Napa, CA 94558 BOARD ASSEMBLY Because the sheet metal box (discussed above) does not allow alot of head clearance, all components are mounted directly to the perfboard. If you use chip sockets, the hinged lid will not fit back on without modification. The diagram below shows the orientation of components. I soldered all the components to the perfboard then soldered all the connections using 30 gauge Kynar wire wrap solid conductor wire (Radio Shack 278-502). There is a slight modification to the circuit if you have any RAM chips installed in your ST which are 150 nanosecond (i.e., slower than 120 nanosecond). Pin 1 (DIR) of the 74HC245N must be tided to ground instead of to the R/W line on Shifter. This will only disable the read capability for bits C, D, and E of each color palette register mentioned above. SOFTWARE Included with this text file is a program to display all gray levels and colors. This is a very crude program but was intended to only prove that the circuit works. I have also included the C source code which provides the engine for converting basic color intensities to board compatible bit patterns. **************************************************************************** * Color Board Layout * * * * |----------- 2 1/2" -------------| * * __ ___________________________________ * * | | ________ ________ | * * | || | | -==- | | || * * | || S | | -==- | | S || * * | || H | | -==- | | H || * * | || I | | -==- | | I || * * | || F | | -==- | | F || * * | || T | | -==- | | T || * * | || E | | -==- | | E || * * | || R | | -==- | | R || * * | || | | -==- | | || * * || 1 | | -==- | | 2 || * * 3 1/2" || | | -==- | | || * * || | | -==- | | || * * | || *| | -==- | | *|| * * | ||________| | -==- | |________|| * * | | <> <> <> | * * | | ____ | * * | | <> |* | <> <------decoupling caps. * * | | ____ | | ____ | * * | | |* | | | |* | | * * | | | | | | | | | * * | | ()| | [] | | [] | | | * * | | ()| | | | ^ | | | * * | | ()| | | | | | |<------- 74HC243N * * | | |____| |____| | |____| | * * _|_ |_____^_________^_____|____________| * * | | |_________ 3.0K ohm resistors * * 74HC00N ______| |_____ 74HC245N * * * ************************************************************************ MONOCHROME USERS UPDATE ----------------------- by Mark Quinn (The following program runs on a color monitor ONLY.) Filename: STOSTR.ARC Program Name: Star Trek Programmed by: Charles E. Cullinan II "...to boldly go where no man has gone before." I freely admit to being an armchair Captain Kirk. Once a week I could sit and watch Kirk command respect from HIS armchair. When other little boys were accompanying their fathers on camping trips, I was with Captain Kirk on Rigel 4. Other kids wanted to order a real Bowie knife through Field and Guts magazine; I wanted a hand phaser. (If I had gotten one that actually performed as depicted on the "Star Trek" series, I'm afraid the class bully and a few innocent bystanders would have mysteriously turned up missing before I sold the thing to our government for an exorbitant price. (Let's say---ummm---$1000.)) Ahh, yes. Now instead of being the first man on Mars, I have to be content with watching the aging Star Trek crew on a VCR. ("D*** it Jim, that's a far cry from a hand phaser.") Personal computers and video arcade and game machines have allowed the masses to buy a piece of the dream for a quarter or more. I once spent about three days typing in a simple Trek clone on my first computer only to find out there were several errors in the magazine listing. Earlier on, my brother bought an 800 and I immediately developed a bad case of "Star Raiders" envy. After seeing that game and others such as "Caverns of Mars" I HAD to get my own computer. This version of Star Trek allows would-be Kirks to save a universe comprised of 64 (8 X 8) quadrants from five Klingon D7 class battle cruisers. But beware: the good ship Enterprise and the Klingon cruisers are almost evenly matched. You are given six photon torpedoes and 10000 units of energy at the inception of the game. There is a star base standing by somewhere Out There that will repair a damaged ship, assuming you can locate and successfully dock with it before your energy runs out. Hopping to an adjacent quadrant at warp one uses 100 units of energy. Limping along at the slowest speed the Enterprise's impulse engines will provide consumes 10 units of energy. This is a nicely done game. There are digitized sounds for the phasers, and the sample for the photon torpedoes is particularly impressive. Uhura even announces that "The Enterprise is clear to dock. Welcome home." while the ship is ready to be repaired. I regret to inform all of you that I failed my mission to rid the galaxy of the dread Klingon menace. Two Klingon ships didn't make it home, but the Enterprise and its toad green Captain just weren't up to snuff. Maybe next time.... ("Star Trek" was programmed in STOS Basic) Filename: BANANA.ARC Program Name: BANANA Programmed by: Dai Le'on and Stewart Lees Hard drive owners rejoice! If you've encountered any delta (with an extension of ".DLT") animations that always give you an "out of memory" message when you attempt to run them, this program will---from your hard drive. But it doesn't stop there, (or anywhere else, for that matter) as it can create its own ".DL1" animations from a series of low resolution "D.E.G.A.S."-format picture files. I tested BANANA with D.E.G.A.S. ".PI1" files I converted from "NEOchrome" format with David Mumper's "Tiny Stuff" utility. (Three formats in one sentence. Oh, well---I tried.) The files were originally part of a demo. I followed the prompts and everything worked flawlessly. BANANA created two files: a ".DL1" animation and a ".PI1" picture file. My animation ran surprisingly fast. It never looked so good. I found through experimentation (this wasn't in the text file which accompanied the program) that F1-F10 controls the speed of the animation, or the speed at which the hard drive is accessed, and the UNDO key exits the animation. BANANA's ".DL1" files can NOT be run with the "ANIMATE" player. I already tried it, so you don't have to, unless you have a healthy (UNhealthy would be a better way of putting things) streak of masochism in you. Now if we could only apply the same principle to the "AVS Player" files. (The following program runs in monochrome ONLY.) Filename: GEMLABEL.ARC Program name: GEMLABEL 3.0 Programmed by: Jeep Watson If you've searched relentlessly for a labeling program for such things as floppy disks, cassette or VCR tapes, mailing labels, children's foreheads (I'm SHOCKED!), then search no more, because GEMLABEL will do the job for you, and do it better than "any other label program on the market", according to Jeep Watson. Jeep will not stand corrected by this reviewer. I found the program a joy to use, from its opening graphic on. About the only feature I would like to see added is the capability of merging clip art with text. That is almost too much to ask, however. This program is snazzy. Some features of GEMLABEL 3.0 which differentiate it from earlier versions are: - Superscript now available in Attributes menu - Elite size print also now available - Now can 'Save' and 'Load' labels from disk - All the common sizes graphically represented - Disk directories can be shown and/or printed - Label size can be changed with the mouse - Size changes shown visually in real time - Sizes from 2 to 6 inches wide supported - Sizes from 3 lines to 24 lines deep supported - Default label sizes now user configurable - Keyboard alternates for most menu options - User interface streamlined for speed - Right mouse button accepts dialog defaults - Program will not let you enter lines too long - Lines may now be edited individually - Accessory program makes drivers for any printer There are six user-configurable default sizes which can be changed via the mouse, as mentioned above. The six sizes are: - Mailing label - Audio cassette - Video cassette - Floppy disk - Index card - Rolodex card The documenation states that you can print a maximum of over two billion copies of the same label. You may find that the cost of paper and print heads is prohibitive for that amount, however. J.W. has produced a fine piece of PD software. You might expect to pay $$$ for a program this sophisticated, so if you use it and like it, don't forget to $upport it with your contributions. ARTURA REVIEWED --------------- by Jim Brady, SPACE You are Artura, the son of the mighty Pendragon of Albion. You have been sent to unite the chieftains of the warring tribes. To do this you need the help of Merdyn, your friend and advisor, who is the only one with knowledge of the exact location of the sacred Lost Treasures of Albion. To make matters worse, Merdyn has vanished, and foul play is suspected. Your only clue to the dark mystery is that Morgause, your evil half sister, has kidnapped Nimue, Merdyn's beautiful apprentice. You must fight your way through Morgause's dun to rescue her. If this is sounding like a gothic daytime soap opera, it isn't. This is the plot to a new release from Arcadia (Electronic Arts Distributor) called Artura, an Action/Adventure game. I have to admit that Action/ Adventure games are not my favorite, but this one does have some rather stunning graphics.. As you move from screen to screen, the sides of the screen come in and out at lightning speed to reveal the next challenge. The background music can be turned off with F1... (Thank You Arcadia). The action covers approximately two-thirds of the screen, with the bottom third showing the status of your character. The game includes a high-score table which is written to disk and a demo mode which was very helpful in getting started. Food and Rune pieces are scattered throughout the game. The food restores your life line completely and the Runes are imperative to completing the game. They are broken into three pieces and when all three parts are located they spin (impressively) to let you know they can be used. The "R" key puts you into "Rune Mode" wherein your cursor becomes a hand to choose a completed Rune to use. This key is also the only way to pause the game, as all action stops. The animation is superb as you constantly battle warriors, ghouls, rats, spiders, wizards (stirring cauldrons and throwing the mixture at you), electrical bolts conjured by ratlike creatures, bats, yes and even a creature I swear is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I'm sure in the other three levels of the dungeon the creatures are as varied and impressive as level one, which is as far as I (and my quick-triggered son) got in our five days of play for this review. The game comes with a map which plots all four dungeons, but with all the doors, traps, and just trying to stay alive, it was very hard (if not impossible) to follow. The last page of the instruction book (only four pages) shows the locations of all food and Rune pieces - This didn't seem to help since the map was hard to navigate. I was interested in reviewing this game because it reminded me a lot of Barbarian by Psynosis, which I have played over and over. But in playing Artura there is so much action that little strategy can be accomplished. One drawback which continually upset me was that there are situations (I found three on level one!) which only the "Esc" key can get you out of, thus re-starting the game. It would also be nice if you could start from where you died or at least have a "save" function. In conclusion the game provides great graphics and a lot of challenge for all of you nimble fingered fast triggers out there... For myself I believe I will search out a more strategy/less finger game. Thanks to Ron of Butler's Computer Service for the opportunity to review this game. PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS UPDATE -------------------------- Press Release THE MOUSE LOSES ITS TAIL! Tucson, AZ. Practical Solutions, Inc announces The Cordless Mouse, a new innovation in input control. Compatible with all Atari ST and Mega computers, The Cordless Mouse utilizes the latest in infra-red signal transmission technology to give all mouse users long-awaited freedom. It can be operated from up to five feet away from its base receiver, eliminating those old cable tangles, while providing faster and smoother mouse movement. According to company president Mark Sloatman, this new mouse will advance the state-of-the-art for all input devices. The Cordless Mouse features a sleek, lightweight, contoured design allowing ease of use for both right- and left-handed operators. Using an 8 bit, 12 MHz CMOS CPU, The Cordless Mouse provides a high resolution of over 200 cpi and a tracking speed of up to 600 mm/sec. This makes it twice as fast as the Atari mouse, taking up less than half the rolling room normally required on your mouse pad. The Cordless Mouse also has an automatic shutoff to extend battery life (two "AAA" batteries required). No special gridplate or mousepad is necessary. The Cordless Mouse has a scheduled release date of October 20, 1989 with a suggested retail of only $129.95. It comes with a one year limited warranty and unlimited technical support. Early response indicates an overwhelming demand, especially for those that use their ST every day. Sloatman says "Once you've used our mouse you'll never want to use any other. It's the fastest, smoothest mouse available today." For futher information please contact: Practical Solutions 1135 N. Jones Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85716 (602) 322-6100 Fax: (602) 322-9271 CompuServe: 76004,2000 Genie: PSINC 1040ST UPGRADE -------------- Copyright 1989 by Barry Orlando INTRODUCTION This shareware text file provides a procedure which details a 2.5 megabyte on board RAM upgrade project. The method described replaces 16 256K dynamic RAM chips with 16 one megabit dynamic RAM chips installed in chip sockets. Reinstallation of the ST's metal shield cover is also not impaired. The beauty of this modification is that pin compatibility is simplified by the use of sockets instead of directly soldering the 1 meg RAM chips (DRAMs) to the motherboard and by the fact that the removed bank of sixteen perfectly reusable 256K DRAMs can be resold by you to persons upgrading 520STfm computers to 1 megabyte. If you use this upgrade method, I recommend that you also utilize the high quality low contact resistance sockets that I've specified below (and not use any other standard sockets). These are of the same type and quality which are used on expansion boards made for the IBM clones. I originally wrote this procedure to aid me in upgrading my own 1040ST's memory to 2.5 megabytes because I didn't trust myself to not make mistakes (and possibly damage any of the electronic components, especially the new DRAMs which I didn't consider cheap). I might note that my 1040ST's pc-board was marked Rev 4. But I don't believe that any other recent board revisions (if they exist) for boards with 32 256K DRAMs installed should affect this procedure. DISCLAIMER I make no claim that this modification will work for you. I can only say that it worked for me. This modification should not be attempted by anyone except by someone with experience repairing or building digital electronic circuits. Performing this modification will be done at your own risk and may void the warranty on your computer. BACKGROUND The 256K dynamic ram chip differs from the 1 meg dynamic ram chip by having one additional connection, namely the address input A9. The following chip diagram illustrates this and shows pin layouts: 256K ------\__/------ A8 1. 16 VSS Din 2 *15 CAS WE 3 14 Dout RAS 4 *13 A6 A0 5* *12 A3 A2 6* *11 A4 A1 7* *10 A5 VCC 8* * 9 A7 ---------------- 1meg ------\__/----- Din 1. **18 VSS WE 2 17 Dout RAS 3 *16 CAS NC 4 15 A9 A0 5 *14 A8 A1 6* *13 A7 A2 7* *12 A6 A3 8* *11 A5 VCC 9* *10 A4 --------------- Truth Table for above chips: A0-A9 Address Inputs CAS Column Address Din Data In Dout Data Out RAS Row-Address Strobe VCC Power (+5V) VSS Ground WE Read/Write Input NC Not Connected * pc-board pin compatible ** pc-board pin compatible on most chips The 2.5 megabyte modification essentially reconnects all pins as previously connected on the lower of two banks of RAM chips plus adds a new line from the previously unused A9 pin on the ST's MMU (pin 64 of U15) to all new 1 meg chip pins A9 via a new 33 ohm resistor. Some of the Address leads are interchanged, but this has no effect on the operation of the computer. TOOLS 1. Desoldering iron (I recommend the spring loaded type that incorporates the heat source.) 2. 15W grounded soldering iron (Radio Shack 64-2051 or similar) 3. Wire wrap clip and stripping tool 4. Exacto knife 5. 3-5 power magnifying glass or jewelers eyepiece PARTS REQUIRED (1) 33 ohm resistor, 1/4 watt, 5% (5) Foot length of 30 gauge wire, Kynar wire wrap solid conductor (Radio Shack 278-502) (16) Double contact low profile dual-in-line I.C. sockets (D.C. Electronics catalog no. T02-18, cost: $0.12 each) (1) Pack of 10 "Socket Wrap ID" (D.C. Electronics catalog no. 16-ID, cost: $2.05). You can get in touch with D.C. Electronics at P.O. Box 3203, Scottsdale, AZ 85257, (800) 423-0070. (16) One megabit dynamic RAM chips, 120ns (I used Hitachi Part no. HM511000-12, and paid $24.00 each plus state tax and $4.00 shipping from Ed at Computronix on Dec 16, 1988). You can get in touch with Ed at Computronix at 2151 A O'Toole Ave., San Jose, CA 95131, (408) 943-0771. WORK AREA Prepare your work area by placing a towel on your flat working surface and cover it with a layer of aluminum wrapping foil. This provides padding for the components and a conductor for static electricity. PRECAUTIONS Since the slightest static discharge could easily damage components on your computers pc-board, always keep one hand on the metal foil bonded along the outer rim of the pc-board before and during touching any part of the pc-board or its components. Avoid working on this project when the humidity is low. PROCEDURE _____ 1. After removing the pc-board from the insides of your computer, desolder and remove the front 16 256K chips (U33 through U45 and U16 through U30). _____ 2. Using the Exacto knife, cut the following traces on the top side of the pc-board: _____ a. Between U30's pin 1 and U61's pin 1. _____ b. Between pin 14's of U33 through U45 and U16 through U30 and other pin 14's of U46 through U61. _____ c. Between the thru-hole (nearest to pin 1 in center of U32) of U32 and U46's pin 1. (Note: This thru-hole traces to U32's pin 1 on the underside of the board.) _____ 3. Using the Exacto knife, cut the following traces on the bottom side of the pc-board: _____ a. Between U30's pin 1 and the 33 ohm resistor R76. _____ b. Between U32's pins 2 and 14. Do the same for U33 through U45 and U16 through U30. _____ c. Between U30's pin 4 and U15's pin 8. (Note: Cut the trace after it goes through the board to the bottom side near resistor R91, but before it reappears on the top of the board via another thru-hole. _____ d. Between U32's pin 14 and the thru-hole located between U32 and U33. _____ 4. Preparing New Sockets and Soldering Them Inplace: _____ a. On all 16 new sockets, remove the internals of pin 4. _____ b. On all 16 new sockets, bend all pins 1 and 17 flat against their bottom then up against their outer side. _____ c. On 14 of the new sockets, bend pin 18's flat against their bottom and pointing straight out to the side. _____ d. On the remaining two, bend both pin 18's flat against their bottom but back and down so it will just reach and fit into the pc-board hole of it's adjacent pin (pin 17). These two sockets will be installed and soldered with the socket's pin 18 going into the old 256K chip's pin 16 hole below the new socket's pin 17. Trial fit these two sockets at this time. _____ e. Using a pair of scissors, cut pieces of "Socket Wrap- ID" plastic markers for sandwiching them between the new sockets and the pc-board during installation. These little plastic markers should be cut so as to electrically isolate the socket's pins 1 and 17 from leads and traces on the pc-board, and from pin 18 of the socket for the two separately prepared sockets above, but also so as not to interfere with seating the socket's four pads flush with the top of the pc- board upon installation. _____ f. Solder the two sockets with the bent back pin 18 and markers into U30 and U33. _____ g. Solder the remaining sockets with markers into U34 through U45 and U16 through U29. Pin 18 of these socket's must be soldered to the top of the board at the nearest thru-hole that the pin 18 just barely reaches. Use plenty of heat as these thru-holes are big heat sinks. _____ 5. Mounting The New 33 Ohm Resistor: _____ a. Install a new 33 ohm resistor on the pc-board by drilling two small holes from the top at points near capacitor C55 and resistor R70. Make sure you don't drill through a trace on the other side by holding the pc-board up to a bright light and marking the spots with a pencil. _____ 6. Wiring: Wire the following connections on the top side of the board: _____ a. Between U32's new socket's pins 1 and 17 and a thru- hole on the pc-board between U32 and U33. This thru hole is the only one that has a trace that runs to another thru-hole between U46 and U47 on the top side of the board. _____ b. Between U16's new socket's pins 1 and 17, and pin 2 of U54. Solder the wire directly to the side of the chips pin 2. _____ c. Between each of the remaining new socket's pin 1 and 17 and a thru-hole in back of each 256K RAM chip (i.e., U47 through U53 and U55 through U61). These thru-holes are the ones that you will find traces back to either pin 2 or pin 14 of U47 through U61 and then trace over toward U22, U23, U26, and U27. Actually, pins 2 and 14 are tied together on the bottom of the board for every 256K RAM chip still installed. So that's 14 more wires altogether (i.e., each new RAM chip's pins 1 and 17 will be connected to the pins 2 and 14 of the 256K chip directly in back of it. Wire the following connections on the bottom side of the board (Note: all pin numbers here refer to the pin numbers on the pc-board, not the pin numbers of the new sockets or new ram chips): _____ d. Between U15's pin 64 and one side of the new 33 ohm resistor. _____ e. Between all pin 14's of U32 through U45 and U16 through U30, and the other side of the new 33 ohm resistor. _____ f. Between all pin 2's of U32 through U45 and U16 through U30, and the thru-hole near R91 which had its trace cut to U30's pin 4. This thru-hole traces back on top of the pc-board under the bank of resistors and over to U15. _____ g. Between U61's pin 1, U30's pin 4, and the cut trace side of resistor R76. _____ h. Between U30's pin 1 and U61's pin 3. _____ 8. Inspect all solder joints with the magnifier for solder shorts and faulty connections. Verify that all connections were made correct. _____ 9. Install the new 1 meg RAM chips into their new sockets. _____ 10. That's it! Clean isn't it? Now sit back and admire your work. _____ 11. Reassemble the computer and reconnect the monitor and power cord and let it whirl! SHAREWARE POLICY I am distributing this documentation as a $15.00 Shareware File. Please feel free to re-post on your favorite Information Service or local BBS. I ask only that you do so in its original unaltered form. If you have followed these instructions and everything worked for you, I'm sure you will appreciate the effort I put into documenting this project and the money it has saved you from buying one of those expansion boards on the market or by the time you could have spent trying to figure such a project out by yourself. Please send your shareware user registration fee to: Barry Orlando 1120 Deerfield Dr. Napa, CA 94558 All registered users will be sent free of charge, a utility disk and color photographic prints of the completed project. The utility disk includes a program to test the new RAM and instructions on how to further modify the computer to a full 4 megabytes. The Utility Disk contains the following support files for the socketed 2.5 meg 1040ST modification: 1. SYSTAT7.PRG - A handy public domain utility which shows some neat things going on inside of your computer. Of special interest is the size of the ram. 2. BANKSTAT.TOS - A program that displays a table of possible memory configurations which are consistent with those published in the hardware specification from Atari Corp. (Developer's Docs). The program also reads into memory and displays your computer's current memory configuration for reference. 3. BANKSTAT.C - The C source code for BANKSTAT.TOS. 4. MEMTESTR.TOS - A program that performs a dynamic test of Bank 0 (the new memory bank of 1 megabit chips installed by 25MGUPGD.DOC) for data integrity and reports any defective DRAMs including the specific IC number. 5. MEMTESTR.C - The C source code for MEMTESTR.TOS. 6. 4MGUPGD.TXT - A text file that provides instructions for upgrading the 2.5 meg 1040ST to 4 megs. The two 8x10 photographic color prints show the completed 2.5 meg modification on my 1040ST (one print for each side of the motherboard). These prints may be helpful since they show how the completed wiring should look. ST*ZMAGAZINE ------------ SPACE articles were reprinted from the Puget Sound Atari News. If you are interesting in subscribing to a top-notch publication call: (206) 566-1703 for subscription information. Commentary provided in this edition are those of the original author an do not reflect those of STZMAG or Rovac Industries. ======================================================================== ST*ZMAGAZINE Issue #38 September 15, 1989 Copyright (c)1989, Rovac Industries Inc. ======================================================================== _____ b. On all 16 new sockets, bend all pins 1 and 17 flat against their bottom