ComputingNow1984 11

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Bxceltronix
Compon(lnt1 & Computing Inc .
A successful rapidly expanding all·

Canadian company commited to
high technology.
Founded in 1979 by Eugen Hutka, the Exceltronix
group has grown to sales of over $8 million a year
with four retail branches, the original (but much
expanded) one at 319 College Street in Toronto,
335 Evans Avenue also in Toronto and with Bran-
ches in Ottawa and Hamilton.
From a retail store specializing in electronic
parts, Exceltronix is now only one of a group of
companies, all controlled by Eugen Hutka.
Activities range from original research and
development (almost $1 million was devoted sole-
ly to this last year), to manufacturing, to retailing
and mail order.
Multiflex Inventions and Technologies Inc.
are major suppliers to Canadian industry the ad-
vanced message display signs in the Toronto Sub-
way system were designed by Multiflex and
manufactured by Versa Digital Inc. and similar
systems are in use with VIA Rail. Multiflex and
associated companies do custom design,
development and manufacture for all types of
customers, including Northern Telecom, CGE and
Bombardier.
Despite its phenomenal growth, Exceltronix
Eugen Hutka stilt takes an active interest in all aspects of the company's has not forgotten what led to this success: per-
business and is seen here inspecting products on the production line. sonal service, and competitive prices. The same
company who are mass producing IBM and Apple
compatible peripheral cards will still sell you a
single resistor if that is what you want.
Exceltronix and its sister organizations are
proud, expanding, all-Canadian companies.
Associated Companies:
Exceltronix Inc.
Multiflex Inventions and
Technologies Inc.
Toronto Computing Centre Inc.
Versa-Digital Technology Inc.
Digi Media Inc.
The display signs used through The Hamilton branch of Ex·

the Toronto subway system are celtronix opened in 1984. There is
Don·t miss our
products developed and produc· also a similar sized stored in Of· 24-page, 4·colour
ed by Multiflex and Versa·Digital. tawa. Fall catalogue In
the centre of
this magazine
If you need additional copies, please write
or call
Exceltronix,
319 College Street,
Toronto, Ont., MST 152
921-8941
Almost all products are flow Almost $1 million was spent last
soldered and ultrasonically year by the group on research
cl.eaned in Multiflex's 5,000 and development of new pro·
square feet production facilities. ducts.
Circle No. 29 on Reader Service Card
Black floppy disks will store your computer
data. But only one disk will file it in a complete and
integrated color-coded system.
New Bytesavers.
Bytesavers are available in your choice of five
distinctive colors, plus 5-color assortment. They're not only
certified Double-Density according to the highest standards in
the industry- they also come in their own sturdy library storage
case, a $4.95 retail value in itself. You can even choose low-
priced white Bytesavers for special back-up copies of programs
and vital data.
And Bytesavers are more than a floppy disk -
they're a complete coded system, including unique lo)\'Ji?R R r:\\V112~
three-tabbed labels in stripes and solids that enable
you to code up to fifty categories with just five basic
L10U U 21JjV L5
~ D
colors. THE TOTALLY-INTEGRATED

As an introductory offer, we're including COLOR-CODED
a special Bytesavers felt pen (retail value: $2.49) with FLOPPY DISK SYSTEM
every box of 10 Bytesaver color disks.
So now that you've entered The Computer ~
Age . . . bring your computer into The Filing Age - with TrFfel associates limited
new Bytesavers. Circle No. 7 on Reader Service Card 1D5 Sparks Avenue, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2H 2S5
Telephone (41 6) 499-5044/ Telex 065-25230
Hayes. Leading the way 1\vo popular protocols. In addition (the first of the Smartmodem series),
to the Hayes Verification protocol. transmits and receives data at up to
with quality telecomputing our new Smartcom II includes the 300 bps. For longer distances ana
systems for the personal XMODEM protocol. for error-free
transmission to a wide range of per-
greater volume. Smartrnodem 1200TM
and Smartrnodem 1200BTM (it plugs into
computers that businesses sonal computers and mainframes at an expansion slot inside an IBM PC or
use most. information services. com_patible) provid~ ~gh-speed. high-
Terminal emulation. Smartcom II performance supenonty.
When it comes to communicating- also allows your computer to "emulate" Visit your computer dealer for a
computer to computer-Hayes says it the DEC* VT100/102 and VT52. open- hands-on demonstration of Smart-
best. Let a Hayes telecomputing ing the door to a vast number of DEC modem and Smartcom II. A complete,
system handle your communications. minicomputers. reliable telecomputing system for your
Instantly. Accurately. Economically. Voice to data communications. With personal computer.
All you need is a Hayes Smart- Smartcom II you can easily switch from
modem (it's like a telephone for your voice to data transmission (and back
computer) and Smartcom nesoftWare. again). all in the same phone call. This
In no time at all you can create. send saves you time and money. since you
and store files. and automatically log don't have to hang up and dial again.
on to information services. The com- Unattended operation. Smartcom II
munication possibilities are endless! makes telecomputing simple. even
Introducing our new Smartcom II. when you're not there. It can take a
More connection capabilities. message when you're out, and leave it
More convenience. on your disk or printer. And you can
tell Smartcom II to "save" the messages
Compatibility. Now Smartcom II is you've created during the day. and
available for more than 21 personal automatically send them at night.
computers (with more to come). That when phone rates are lowest.
means you can communicate. Smart-
com to Smartcom. with an IBM PC. Get your hands on the leadeL
IBM PC AT. AT&T 6300. COMPAQ~ Hayes Smartmodem.
and many others. With an unsurpassed record of reliability. Hayes Microcomputer Products (Canada), Ltd.,
Customer Service Center. 5955 Airport Rd .. Suite 200.
it's a small wonder Smartrnodem is Mississauga. Ont. L4V 1R9. 416/283-2627.
such a smart buy! Smartmodem 300TM
DOC approved for use in Canada. Smartcom II is a registered trademark and Smarttnodem 300. Smarnnodem 1200 and Smartmod.em ll OOB
are trademarks of Hayes Microcomputer Products. lnc. •nademarks oftheirrespective companies. ©1984 Hayes Microcomputer Products. lnc. Circle No. 10 OD Reader Service Card
Cover Note:
This month's cover was made possible with the kind assistance of
Coca Cola Limited, and of Jcerg Ostermann, who kirx:lly arrang-
ed. for us to use one of the prcduction lines at the Overlea.
Boulevard bottling plant as a set. Special thanks also goes to
Roger Allan, who graciously sat around with white paint on his
face for a couple of hours while we got everything together.
Cover photography by Steve Rimmer.
The Legal Computer 10

Replicate in VisiCalc 14
Educational Software 20
Programming in dBase II
The Otrona 2001 Beview
The PC Proto Card
Survey of PC Compatibles 46
A Voice for the PC 55
New Tricks for an Old Dos 63
The Electric Disk Troll 68
Apple WordStar Lightning 76
Two Bits More for the 64 78
The Bilcracker 89
Sectors
Computer Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Books . ..... . ......... . ...... .. . . ..... 82
Next Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Subs and Coffee . . .. . ... .... .. . .. . . .. . 87
PC Now! . .. . . .. ... . . ... ........ . . . .. . 47 Order Form ... ... ........ ... .. . .' ..... 87
Almost Free Software . . .. .. .. . ..... 56. 84 Book of the Month . ... . . . .. .. . ... ... ... 88
Subsc:ribe for Christmas ........... . . .. 67 Binders ... ..... . . . . . .. .. . . . .. .... . .. . 88
Te stimonial .. .. ... .. . . .. . ... .. ... . . .. 73 Product Mart . ... . . . .... ...... . ....... 92
Steve's Wunderisk ........ . . . ..... .. . . 75 List .. . ...... . . ...... ..... .. . .. .. . . . . . 94
Apple Unitron Fix .. .... . ..... .... . . . .. 79 Index to Advertisers . . . ........ . . .. .... 94
Computing Now! November 1984 5

• APPLE™• AJILE™ • ALTOS™ • AMDEK™ • APPLE • AST™ • ATTACHE™
• COMPUPRO™ • CORONA™ • DIABLO™ • DIRECT™ • EPSON™
• LEGACY™ • FRANKLIN™ • HYPERION™ • IBM™~~~hp~~:~:f~~!~!>• KAYPRO™
• MANNESSMAN TALLY™ • MORROW DESIGN™ • NEC™ • OTRONA™
• OKIDATA™ • OLIVETTI™ • OSBORNE™ • PERSYST™ • ROLAND™
• PIED PIPERJSTM PC™ • QUADRAM™ • SWEET·P™ • TALLGRASS™
personal computer Users ...

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vice and three Maintenance Pick-Up/Delivery Services
Contract Options to meet
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Xerox Service Centres
VANCOUVER SASKATOON TORONTO MONTREAL
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Phone (604) 736-8931 Phone (306) 934-7000 Phone (416) 499-9700 Phone (514) 337-0502
VICTORIA B.C.
BURLINGTON
3383 Burns Ave.,
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Phone (204) 632-5340 (416) 632-1741 Phone (418) 687-2759
EDMONTON
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Phone (403) 466-1251
98 Bessemer Court 410 Laurier Avenue W. 24 Simmonds Dr., Dartmouth
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CALGARY
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XEROX
Xerox is registered trademark of Xerox Corporation used by Xerox Canada Inc. as a registered user.
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE , TORONTO
NOVEMBER 29 & 30, DECEMBER 1 & 2 , 1984
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HE WORLD 0
COMMODORE
T he Company that had the
foresight and imagination
to design and build more II
computers for home, business and educa-
tion than any other will be presenting
history. Larger than any other
Commodore show in the World
and this year's show will be
even larger.
the most farsighted and imaginative show World of Commodore II is designed

to date with exhibitors from around specifically to appeal to the interests
the World. and needs of present and potential
Commodore owners.
The 1983 Canadian World of Commodore
Show was the largest and best attended Come and explore the World of
show in Commodore International's Commodore.
Mworldof
wcommodore n
A HUNTER NICHOLS PRESENTATION.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL ( 416) 439-4140
Only one disk guarantees safe passage through the torrid zone of drive heat. Maxell.
A lifetime warranty. And manufac- Maxell's the disk that many drive manu-
turing standards that make it almost facturers trust to put new equipment
unnecessary. through its paces. It's that bug-free.
Consider this: Every time you take So you can drive a bargain. But in
your disk for a little spin, you expose accelerated tests, Maxell floppys lead
it to drive heat that can sidetrack data. the industry in error-free performance
Worse, take it to the point of no return. and durability. Proving that if you can't
Maxell's unique jacket construction stand the heat you don't stand a chance.
defies heat of 140°F. And keeps your
maxelt
information on track.
And Maxell runs clean. A unique
process impregnates lubricants
throughout the oxide layer. Extending
media and head life. How good is Gold? IT'S WORTH IT.

Griffco
Griffco Marketing Inc.
GriffcoMarketing Inc, RO. Box 1218. Station a Mississauga, Ontario L4Y 3W5 (416) 625·6559
COMPUTER PRESS Next Month In
Fat Mac Is
Here NABU Woes Computing
OTTAWA, ONTARIO - John B. Now!
TORONTO, ONTARIO - The soldered to its PC board, it'll be Kelly, Chairman and Chief Ex- Computer Music
long awaited 512K version of the necessary for users to bring their ecutive Officer of the NABU Net- The December issue of Computing
Apple Macintosh - nicknamed computers with them when work Corporation announced on Now! will feature a special focus on
the 'Fat Mac' by eager American upgrading. September 18th that its current computer music. Not that long ago
press - has been introduced to the The 512K Macintosh is retail- funding arrangements would only this area was limited to playing real-
Canadian marketplace fo_ur mon- ing for $4,795. The Canadian retail permit continued operations at ly bad renditions of Bach through a
ths ahead of schedule. price for the 128K version has been their present level for the next two two inch speaker with the slamming
128K Macintosh users wishing reduced to $3,295 . Both computers months. of printer pins for rhythm. It's gotten
to upgrade can do so by visiting still include free copies of Mac- The corporation, which has a lot better ... computer sound can
authorized Apple dealers and ser- Paint and MacDraw. received financial support from rival that of any of a number of
vice centres. As Macintosh RAM is shareholder advances, had been· superb instruments played by ac·
notified that the advances would complished musicians. The new
hardware that has come of age to
Dead no longer be available past
November 13, 1984. Consequent- take computer sound out of the
basement is monumental in its
Computers ly, most of the corporation's staff
has been given formal notice of
scope.
The December issue will feature
waves. The computer lets you employment termination effective a look at the MIDI interface and how
The Grateful Dead has added specify and shape a sound wave, so November 13. it has changed the nature of com-
another instrument to their ensem- theoretically you can create any puter sound. We'll be surveying the
ble - a portable computer. The sound in your imagination. Once available music hardware and soft-
veteran rock and roll band travels we've developed the programs for ware and looking at the possibilities
an average of 200 days a year, it, The Portable will be another infor computer sound even if you don't
spending much of their time on strument in our orchestra." have unlimited amounts of cash.
planes and buses and in hotel
rooms.
One of the many ways the
musicians can use the computer is
New You can still sing even if you
don't get a government grant.
Bassist Phil Lesh and drum-
mer Mickey Hart are currently us-
to control the signal modifying
equipment - such as reverbera-
Dimensions Programming the Mac
tion units, filters and pitch The Macintosh is designed as an end
ing The Portable, Hewlett- user's machine, but programming
Packard's nine-pound computer, transposers - that is now as much COMPUTING NOW!
languages do exist. Unfortunately,
to communicate with their home a part of music-making as the in- Coverage·of Micro Craft Corpora- they're a bit tricky to work with
base, as well as to take notes and struments themselves. tion's Dimension 68000 computer
because the Mac itself is a bit of a
compose lyrics. Hart is writing a The longer they work with in August 1984's Computing Now!
mystical experience within. There
book about the history of percus- computers, the more uses The stirred up a lot of reader interest. are calls to handle things you pro-
sion in conjunction with two other Grateful Dead are finding for Unfortunately, the listed Canadian bably never knew needed handling
researchers and also uses the com- them. "Not only are we learning distributor, Popular Electronic at all, ROM trolls to deal with and
puter to manage the huge·database how to use computers to make bet- Products, seems to be no longer in graphics that don't quit. Next month
they've collected on the topic. ter music," says Lesh, "we're also business. we'll be looking at some applications
''Our ears are better educated, learning how to use them to design Enquiries regarding the for all this power.
so we want to achieve cleaner, better instruments and speakers. Dimension and its emulation
capabilities can be addressed to its Ten Great Ways To Fry A
purer sounds," says Hart. With a little creativity, you can ac-
"Sound, like water, moves in complish a lot with a computer." manufacturer, Micro Craft Cor- Floppy Disk
poration, at 4747 Irving Perhaps the most universally ac-
Boulevard, Suite 241, Dallas, cepted medium since 'the research
Texas 75247 (214) 630-2562. and development project for writing
paper finally bore fruit, the floppy
disk is flexible, powerful and, unless
you're careful, volitile as anything
Kaypro can be without actually disintegra-
ting when you look at it. The
Distributor December issue will feature a host of
great ways to shorten the life of a
floppy . . . or, if you would rather
COMPUTING NOW! - An error have them last a while, ten splendid
crept into a correction in October's disasters waiting to happen and the
Computer Press. information you need to keep 'em
To set the record straight, the that way.
sole distributors (as opposed to
retailers) for Kaypro computers in
A Time For PC's
Canada is Computron, 17507- 107 The IBM PC has, amongst many
Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5S other features, a system clock which
1E5 (403) 489-8400 (Head Office) maintains the time and keeps tb.ings
and in Toronto, 55 Torbay Road, cooking along. It can be very use-
ful ... but it's usually a bit of a cow
Unit 2, Markham, Ontario L3R
to apply. Next month we'll in·
1G7 (416) 477-0828. vestigate the software needed to
Continued on page 85 make use of the clock, and keep the
time from getting the better of you.

The Legai .Compuler
Unless you are a demon w ith a tractually agreed upon by the parties, that
soldering iron, a computer is, pieces of paper signed by· the seller and
which doesn't do what it's sup- the buyer, the SGA implies various warran-
posed to do... or doesn't do ties into sales contracts. That is, the law in-
serts certain warranties by suppliers into
anything at' all... . can often sales contracts, whether or not they agree,
mean a long shouting match or even know of the existence of such war-
with the party that sold it to ranties.
y ou. It needn't be that way, Types of SGA Warranties
though... there are all sorts of First and foremost, if you, the buyer, ex-
complex laws to protect you. pressly or impliedly, clearly communicate
Here's how it goes, in to the seller the particular purpose for which
English. goods are required and show that you rely
on the seller's skills or judgment, then there
is an implied condition that the goods will be
by David H. Latner reasonably fit for the purpose which you
have described. As such, buyers who tell
~~~~~~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~vendors home or educational situation and want a

system orthat they are
product in a specific
necessary business,
to solve cer-
tain problems or defined tasks are providing
themselves with an extra layer of protection.
In effect, many buyers ask for a vendor
recommendation. When this is the case and
[The author of this feature is a lawyer with the the buyer purchases something in reliance
Toronto law firm of Sean, Gutstadt and The Sale of Goods Act upon such recommendation, a court would
Associates, specializing in computer law - ed] The foundation of commercial law dealing likely find the warranty of fitness for purpose
with sales and warranties is the Sale of
T he wide range of microcomputer

hardware and software products
available makes choosing any par-
Goods Act, or SGA. In this article reference
is to the Ontario SGA. However, excepting
Quebec, each province has very similar
applies. If so, the seller is strictly liable for
defects. That is, it will not help the vendor to
prove it did everything reasonably possible
to prevent a defect or even that the defect
ticular component or system difficult. In legislation. was undiscoverable in advance.
deciding, you may do research yourself, Deciding whether the SGA covers your Another important implied warranty
obtaining and relying upon technical and particular acquisition is important in deter- exists. Where goods are sold by descrip-
price data from dealers, advertisements, mining your rights. The Act governs the tion, such as through a catalogue, there is
package descriptions and/or . demonstra- sale of goods. Leases of goods, or sales of an implied warranty that they will be of mer-
tions. The area which most potential pur- services, such as maintenance contracts, are chantable quality. Merchantable quality
chasers find difficult to research, however, not, strictly speaking, within the Act, means the goods must be useful for their
concerns the rights they have if they buy a although it may arguably apply by analogy. normal purpose, or for any special purpose
system, begin using it at home or work and Sales of hardware are clearly governed communicated by the buyer to the seller.
discover it is defective or does not live up to by the SGA. Canadian case law also in- This warranty will be increasingly im-
the supplier's claims. dicates that either packaged or custom soft- portant as more sophisticated users make
The explosive growth in the sale of ware, where purchased with hardware, will their own acquisition decisions in reliance
computers has spawned many lawsuits deal- constitute goods. In these cases the pur- upon catalogue descriptions and adver-
ing with the quality and suitability of com- chaser can obtain the protection of the Act. tisements, and acquire products through the
puter products. Your legal rights, as an ac- No Canadian case has definitively maiL However, it may be difficult to apply in
quiror, depend on the strength of the con- decided that either packaged or custom an pioneer industry. For example, the soft-
tract, and specifically the warranty, you software standing alone is a good. Further- ware industry is very young with fluid stan-
receive from the supplier. The basic p rinci- more, much software is, technically, licens- dards. It is hard to say what a particular pro-
ple involved is that.a vendor will be legally ed, rather than sold. Strong legal and public gram must contain to be deemed merchan-
liable if it fails to supply the system or com- policy arguments can be marshalled in. table. If it contains many bugs and is
ponent promised. favour of extending SGA protection to ac- non- functional the answer is clear. If it
However, various statutes, hundreds of quirors in both instances, but the issue is still largely works but has a few bugs or lacks
cases and the unique · technology and open. some features that you b elieve a profes-
market structure of the computer industry, The sale of hardware and/or software sional designer should have included, prov-
have greatly complicated this principle. This will usually obtain the warranty protection ing non- merchantability will be pro-
article generally surveys an acquiror's rights of the SGA. A warranty is basically a pro- blematic.
when the computer component or system mise or guarantee of a product's integrity The SGA provides two basic remedies
purchased do not work as promised. In and of the maker's or supplier's responsibili- for buyers when sellers breach their warran-
depth analysis is impossible in a brief article. ty for the repair or replacement of defective ty obligations. These are rescission of the
For specific problems, consult a computer units. contract and damages.
lawyer. Apart from any express warranties con- Until the purchased goods have been
10 Computing Now! November 1984

accepted, the buyer can rescind the con- dictate one-sided contractual terms. Of Furthermore, courts may hold that
tract if there is a breach of warranty. After course, they may not strictly enforce their pre--contractual brochures, advertising,
the goods have been accepted, the buyer legal rights. Reputable sellers seek a long bids and sales pitches constitute "collateral"
cannot rescind the contract and return the term relationship with buyers, and will often or parallel, agreements binding the sup-
product in exchange for payments made. go to great lengths to remedy defects to plier. This is particularly so when weak pur-
However, the buyer could sue for damages. satisfy customers. chasers are left remediless by harsh
The award will provide compensation for As consumer knowledge and market disclaimer clauses.
damage but will rarely impose punitive competition increase, retailers are less likely Hardware manufacturers and software
awards against the vendor. to wave a self-serving warranty at a poten- creators commonly produce brochures and
It is clearly vital to ascertain when or tial customer. Even Computerland in advertising with representations as to the
whether goods have been accepted. Canada merely uses a sales invoice rather capabilities of their products. Acquirors
Several Canadian cases indicate that, ab- than a full contract. Therefore the SGA often -purchase these products in reliance on
sent of any contractual clauses to the con- often provides a tool for relief against the such information. In similar circumstances
trary, a buyer of computer technology has a seller, though the manufacturer has shielded involving c omplex machinery , such
"reasonable" length .of lime to test and itself. representations have been considered col-
evaluate the system to determine whether it Even if clear clauses exist in a contract lateral warranties. If the representations turn
complies with his needs as described to the limiting vendor and manufacturer liabilities out to be misrepresentations, the vendor as
vendor. Therefore, some vendors common- and buyer remedies, purchasers may still well as the manufacturer may be liable to
ly include contract clauses deeming buyer obtain relief. If the breach of performance the acquiror.
acceptance at a set date. In these instances by the supplier is fundamental, that is, if the This is important iri Canada, where
the buyer is limited to suing for damages. system or component is a true lemon and many computer products sold are made by
Warranly law tries to balance the fails to fulfill its essential purpose, then the foreign manufacturers who may be difficult
customer's need for protection against acquiror will generally be entitled to rescind to sue. Consider spending five thousand
defective or inappropriate products and the the contract. If a fundamental breach of dollars to to sue a manufacturer in Japan for
vend or's need for protection against contract has occurred, even a well drafted a defective thousand dollar printer.
unlimited damages. An unknown bug in a disclaimer clause will not likely protect the The applicability of collateral warranty
system could result in hundreds of claims for . supplier. reasoning is uncertain. Courts use it mainly
rescission or damages. The sums involved
could be huge if the bug led to large losses
for the users. cornpu-sirrple simon
The SGA permits contracting parties to
vary or exclude its provisions. Therefore, Slashes prices right down
manufacturers and vendors routinely insert to the core!
disclaimer clauses into contracts. These Your IBM & Apple Product Choice
slate that no implied or express warranties RETAIL
SIMPLE
SIMON
apply, except for any set out in the contract. Products For IBM &. Compatibles
Needless to say, any warranties granted in Ashton· Tate dBase Ill S911 $655
these cases are narrow. Ashton· Tate Framework 945 720
dBase II to Ill upgrad e 275 212
A pa raphrase of the standard clause Lotus 1·2·3 649 485
would read as follows. "The manufac- Lotus Symphony 911 680
Multi mate Word Processor 649 450
turer/supplier warrants the product will con- Bank Street Wliter 105 79.99
form to the manual's specifications. We do Flight Simulator 75 57 .99
Orchid Multifunction Board CALL
not warrant that it meets the standards in- PFS: File 184 140
dicated in our advertising or sales pitches, Printers &. Monitor$
or that it is generally merchantable or fit for NEC Spinwriter 2030 1416 1199
Epson RX·80 FfT 100 cps 538 490
any particular purpose." Gemini 10X FfT 120 cps 429 378
Furthermore, the vendor can also limit Legend 1000 FfT 100 cps 429 389
remedies. A rough paraphrase might be: "If TEO Qume Compatible 649 599
Amdek Color Composite 14.. 560 450
the product does not even meet the limited Taxon 41 5 Hi- res RGB 805 590
warranty granted, your sole remedy will be
MANY OTHER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE' CALL OR
to have the supplier repair or replace the WRITE AND DISCOVER WHY OUR SERVICE AND LOW
defective part. If you sue, you can sue for PRICES HAVE MADE US THE CHOICE OF SCHOOLS
no more than the price of the component or BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS ACROSS CANADA
Most business programmes may be evaluated
system involved." Thus, if your five thou- for 20 days and if not satisfied may be re turned
sand dollar system crashes and you lose a to us for full credit
We sell the latest versions and support what we
hundred thousand dollar client, you can on- sell.
ly sue for five thousand dollars. TERMS: 50S m inimum order. Add $3.50 per soft·
ware item for shipping and handling. Hardware
add $10. All Apple/IBM items shipped Purolate r.
Is There Any Protection? Allow seven days for delivery otter receipt of
Economically and technologically, most o rder. All orders must be prepaid .
computer manufacturers and many sellers COMPU-SIMPLE SIMON, P.O . BOX 583
are stronger and more sophisticated than SNOWDON STATION
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, H3X 3T7
their customers. Therefore, they can often TEL .: (514)488-3419
Computing Now! November 1984 Circle No. 35 on Reader Service Card. 11

The.Legal Computer
when faced with situations of gross injustice only cover acquisitions by individuals, as Your problems are generally with
and unequal bargaining power. With a opposed to those by corporations or part- disreputable dealers, however. If you are
computer acquisition in a competitive nerships, and only if the acquisition is for reading this article with a particular pro-
market by a business person for business, or non-business uses. Their scope is thus blem in mind you will undoubtedly have
mixed, uses, the justification for judicial in- restricted largely to the home, and possibly tried this first, and most reasoBable, ap-
tervention decreases. This is particularly so educational, computer markets. proach.
if the buyer has independent computer ad- If you cannot resolve your problem
vice, or is a second time acquiror. Taking Action alone, consider enlisting public pressure.
Consider that you have acquired a system Many newspapers have consumer oriented
Consumer Protection and discover it has a bug which can't be columns. These probe complaints and often
The protection of consumers' interests is cured, or that it does not meet your needs as persuade vendors to treat customers more
becoming stronger. In addition to the you described them to the vendor. You may fairly.
generally available legal protection wonder what can be done. , More specifically, the Canadian Com-
available for computer acquirors, special To begin with, take the product back to puter Dealer Association may provide some
protection exists for consumer acquirors. the dealer. Computer industry competition he lp. This commendable non- profit
Most provinces have statutes similar to On- is fierce. Most manufacturers and retailers organization has various worthwhile goals.
tario's Business Practices Act, or BPA and are aware of the need to provide fair return One is the development and implementation
Consumer Protection Act, CPA, which and service policies to customers. of a code of ethics among its members. Pur-
govern consumer transactions. Reputable dealers often will accept a return chasing your computer from a dealer with
The BPA deems to be unfair false, or exchange in order to build up goodwill CCDA or Better Business Bureau member-
misleading or deceptive consumer and a long term relationship with satisfied ship indicates that a certain level of ethics
representations and unconscionable con~ customers. will exist, or that pressure can be brought to
sumer representations. This latter includes
transactions so one- sided against the con-
sumer as to be inequitable.. An agreement
entered into by a consumer induced by a
representation that is an unfair practice may
be rescinded and may result in damages be-
ing imposed in order to compensate the
consumer.
Under this statute unconscionable
repre§entations may result in punitive as
well as compensatory damages. Both the
actual maker of the statement and the sup-
plier corporation will be liable for damages.
Thus the vendor could not escape liability
merely because the particular salesperson is
no longer with the company. This is impor-
tant due to the high turnover of sales staff in
a microcomputer environment.
The Consumer Protection Act requires
written contracts for acquisitions involving
more than fifty dollars where delivery
and/or payment will be completed after the
contract is entered. This encompasses most
computer system acquisitions. The Act re-
quires that if no warranties are granted, the
contract must specifically state this.
This being the case, the vendor pro-
bably could not merely issue a bill of sale
and deliver a system and rely on a sign on
the cash register excluding the implied Sal~
of Goods Act warranties.
Both the BPA and CPA apply to ac-
quisitions of goods and services by in-
dividuals for non- business uses. Neither can
be waived or excluded. As such, their
scope is much broader in two respects than
that of the SGA. Services are covered as
well as goods and the statutory protection
involved cannot be disclaimed or excluded,
as can SGA warranties. However, the Acts
are narrower than the SGA insofar as they

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TELEX: 532268
7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. MST
All prices in U.S. $. MasterCharge, Visa
and P.O. at additional charge. Prices sub-
ject to change. $100 min. purchase.
bear the dealer should it turn out not to. licenses, as opposed to sales, of hardware Returns subject to restocking charge.
Even if the particular dealer is not a CCDA and software. Shipping & duty extra.
or BBB member, these respected wat- As such, acquirors must closely analyze Service to: Vancouver, Edmonton, Cal-
chdogs are influential and may persuade the contractual warranties. Fortunately, as gary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and
vendor to act more fairly. market competitiveness and acquiror surrounding areas.
If all else fails, you can exercise your sophistication increase, some manufacturers DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME!
legal rights under the SGA and other con- are offering more easily understood and SEE HOW SIMPLE IT IS
sumer protection statutes which provide broader warranties. The Hayes 1200 B Smartmodem
Your Cost Oty. 1 Qty. 2 Qty. 3
warranties and help battle misleading Furthermore, today's competition Per Modem- C$
advertising and other unfair trade practices. means you have scope to negotiate. Unless (3rd Day Air) $719.72 $675.74 $661.05
Hayes 12008-US$ 429.00 858.00 1287.00
If the product is inexpensive or the you are a large corporation you probably Exchanged at C$
damage light, you may believe it will not be will have no luck with the manufacturer, but 1.3158/US$ = C$ 564.48 1128.96 1693.43
Shipping &
worth the time, cost and aggravation involv- you can squeeze the vendor for a fairer Taxes = C$ 155.24 222.98 290.71
ed to sue. However, in these situations the deal. Expand your sales invoice into a true TotaiCost-C$ 719.72 1351.49 1983.14
Call or telex for ordering and information. We have many other
existence of small claims courts provide contract, including effective warranties and products other than those listed. You prepay or charge the cost
ideal opportunities to obtain justice. The remedies. Specify your needs and state that and freight in US$ in advance, import taxes will be levied on
delivery when applicable.
proceedings involved are relatively infor- you are relying on the vendor's representa-
mal. Lawyers need not be involved; you tions, which should be appended to the con- MODEMS
can limit their input to providing you with tract. Novation-Access 1-2-3 w/Crosstalk XVI ...... 429
Smart Cat 300/1200 . . ................ 439
the legal arguments in advance, so you can Warranties are your insurance. Don't Hayes Smart Modem 300/1200 .............. 219/479
go into court yourself and, hopefully, win. trade them away in order to obtain a slightly 1200B . . ....... .. ............ 429
Anchor Volksmodem . .. .. Call
The cost of such and undertaking is thus cheaper deal. Signalman Mark VII /XII ........................ 119/299
fairly small. Aim for a lucid, comprehensive con- Microcom Era-2 Internal Model w/Software .... 370
Furthermore, small claims court judges tract defining the transaction's scope and
tend to decide cases based on the justice of terms, and each party's rights and duties.
ACCESSORIES
Ribbons (doz.) .............................................. Call
a particular situation, rather than upon The contract signifies that the parties have GSI Surge Protector ......................................... 59
strict, literal interpretation of the law. reached a binding agreement, with ap- Mechanical Sheetfeeders . .. ..................... 495
Elec. Dual Bin Sheetfeeders ................... Call
If your claim involves the Business propriate remedies for breaches. Chips & Microprocessors .......................... Call
Practices Act you may, in certain cir- To reduce the possibility of misconcep-
cumstances, you can register a complaint tions and disappointments, ensure that the
with the appropriate government consumer contract crystallizes the mutual understan-
protection agency. Your case may merely ding of the parties. Detailed specifications
be one of many filed against a generally and pre-acceptance testing are very
abusive or deceptive practice by the ven- helpful. They protect each side against the
dor. In such situations, the government unreasonable expectations of the other, and
agency may be able and willing to bring a provide a clear test of performance.
quasi-criminal action on behalf of the public Buyers have lost law suits for allegedly
interest to bar the offending practices, and defective computer systems because the
possibly fine the perpetrator. specifications promised were met, or were
If large sums are involved a higher too vague for a court to ascertain what per-
court case, including lawyers, may be formance level was promised. A well drawn
necessary. However, potential litigants can contract, clearly allocating risks and respon-
derive solace from the fact that most cases sibilities, will reduce the likelihood of litiga-
are settled before trial. In these cases the tion and increase your chances of victory
mere threat of a trial, with its attendant costs should litigation occur. CN!
C. ltoh Okidata
and bad publicity, is a bargaining chip 1550 AP ........... 499 All Models ...... Call
which usually obtains results for truly vic- 1550 BCD ........ 549
timized acquirors. Don't throw the leverage 8510 AP ........... 319
Panasonic
8510 BC2 ......... 419
away by deciding in advance to suffer in 8510 BPI .......... 389 All Models ....... Call
silence rather than sue. A10-20 ............. 449
F10-40 . 899 Qume
F10-55 ........ 1199 Letter Pro ......... 629
Daisywriter 11 /40 WIBM IF .. 1369
2000. .. ........ 985
Diablo 11 /55 WIBM IF .. 1569
An Ounce of Prevention 620 API ............ 739
630 API ......... 1699 Star Microtronics
While the Sale of Goods Act clearly applies 630 ECS ...... 1999 All Models ....... Call
to the purchase of most computer products, Epson
experience indicates that, where possible, FX 80 ............... 439 Tally
Others ............. Call
SGA implied warranties are usually Juki 160L w!Tractor .. 559
disclaimed by manufaqturers and some 6100 ...... 439 180L w!Tractor. .779
NEC
retailers in written contracts. Furthermore, 2050 ...... 779 Toshiba
the SGA may not provide protection in for 3510 . . ····· 1219 1340 ................. 749
the sale of services, such as maintenance, 3550 ............... 1499
7710 ............... 1649 1351 .... 1359
training, and so forth, or for leases or
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Computing Now! November 1984 Circle No. 15 on Reader Service Card
Just getting into the dripping catacombs of VisiCalc. are you...
some of the nuances of the artform may still be escaping you.
Here's a look at one which. aside from being clever. will also
save you a lot of typing.
by Kevin Fraser

A modern alternative CHIRPEE'M Is a " user
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to· Pencil. and Paper recognition module
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modore 64 Computer. The Flexidraw package enables 64
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• Pattern fills and shading with 284 pattern choices available. • Print drawings In two Even more impressive, Chirpee can be trained to respond to
sizes. • Two separate work ·screens • Image can be easily moved, overlayed and
replicated using PUT/GET commands • Full use of upper and lower case text and all any language from English to Swahili. Chirpee has a 250
commodore 64 graphic keys • Full disk access from program allows you to: List direc- word memory capacity.
tory, Format new disks, Save, load and delete screen Images • Preprogrammed 1---------------------------1
templates aid in producing: Electronic schematics, Architectural floorplans, Music
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I f you've ever gone out and bought one
or more of those spreadsheet books that
have vast assortments of really useful
>E11: / F$@SUM<E4 ... E9 )
>D11: / F$@SUM<D4 .. . 09)
>C11: / F$@SUMCC4 . . . C9>
Remember you are just copying stuff from
one area on the spreadsheet to another
area.
spreadsheet templates in them, you may, The source range is just the cell or cells
upon opening the book have remarked to >E10: / -- = you wish to clone. Since we only want to
yourself, "Gee, this looks a lot like Martian >D10 : /-·= copy one cell right now, just press enter.
hieroglyphics." >C10: / -·= This will give us a source range that starts
Or words to that effect. >E9:/FS1.1*E8 and ends with the same cell.
_ This article will outhne a few techniques The system will now want to know what
for deahng with the construction of spread- >D9: / F$1. 1·11-DB the target range is. This just means it wants
sheets that are much closer to the way the >C9:/F$1.1*C8 to know where to put the copy of the source
human mind hkes to work. With a little >A9:1+A8 range stuff we just defined for it. All you
understanding of the few principles govern- >E8:/F$1.1*E7 have to do is move the cursor to show it
ing the operation of the replicate command where you want the copies to go. Since
in VisiCalc, you can be slapping together >DB:/F$1.1*07
we're making a line across the sheet, we
those turkeys in the spreadsheet books a lot >C8:/FS1.1*C7 want to clone cell A3 into each of the cells
faster and understanding more clearly how >A8:1+A7 from B3 to F3. Move the cursor to cell B3.
they work to boot. >E7:/F$1.1*E6 Look at the edit line near the top of the
Speaking of boot... >07:/F$1.1*06 screen, and move the cursor about a little.
See how it keeps track of which cell you're
Getting Started >C7:/F$1.1*C6 on. Now put it back on B3 and press the
To begin with, fire up VisiCalc, prop up the >A7:1+A6 period key.
magazine near the screen, crack your >E6:/F$1.1*E5 Notice how it gives you three periods and
knuckles and look at figures one and two. >06: /F!I;1. 1*05 chucks the cursor back to A3, from whence
These are each representations of the all this started.
exact same spreadsheet. If you're anything
>C6:/F$1.1*C5
Just move the cursor along to F3 and
like me, you'd rather deal with figure two >A6: 1+A5 press enter. The screen will think for a se-
any day of the week. Figure one is obvious- >E5:/FS1.1*E4 condor so, then you'll have a hne of dashes.
ly the work of the aforementioned Martian >05:/F$1.1*04 from A3 to F3.
scribe. >C5:/F$1.1*C4 After you've done this replication
In this article we're going to do a httle business a few times and have started to get
spreadsheet construction. The replicate
>A5 : 1+A4
the hang of it, you will sense how powerful
command, when properly applied, can go a >E4:/F$67.5 and time saving this command is. If you've
long way toward making the whole process >04:/F$384 never used this feature before, it's a revela-
seem hke a kind of construction. >C4:/F$1 2 0 tion.
Even if you've never touched VisiCalc >A4: 1
before, you'll be able to do the things in this
>F3:/-- Can't Get No Replication
article just by following the directions. To What you've just replicated is a label. The
begin with, let's have a quick scan of the >E3:/ - - hne of dashes you created with the - com-
replicate command itself. >D3:/-- mand could just as easily have been a word,
A cell is any unit of information that you >c:::::: ;-- a number, a formula or a whole row or col-
can put the cursor on. The cursor, of umn. Consider the possibilities.
course, is the mobile inverse bit on the
>B3 :/ - -
You should have a hne across your
screen. Move the cursor to cell A3 . The :;A3: /-- sheet from A3 to F3 .
screen should say A3 in the upper left cor- >E2:1+D2 We're now going to proceed to construct
ner. This upper left hand corner always >D2:1+C2 the spreadsheet in figure two. Put the cursor
shows the coordinate of the cell you're on. >C2:1 on cell A2 and type the word MONTH.
' We'll start with something simple. Type Then press enter and type !FR. This will hne
>A2:/FR"MONTH the word up on the right edge of the cell.
>E1:/FR"F'RODUCT Move the cursor to Al and type SALES
/-- >D1: /FR"f='RODLJCT FOR, then move to B l and type CAST and
>C1: /FF:"PFWDUCT press enter. Now move over to C l and type
and hit ENTER. This should fill the cell with the word PRODUCT and press enter. Type
dashes. >B1:"CAS T
/FR as with the word MONTH in cell A2 .
The replicate command in VisiCalc is >A1: "Sf.)LES FOF;: Replicate it into D l and E l using the techni-
called up by typing IR. Do so. Whenever /VJ1 que you used to create that hne across row
you call up the replicate command; think of
it as plugging in a copying machine. Pan-
IGOR 3. I'll wait.
/ t3F;:A Notice how when you replicate a cell, it
dora's box opens for business, and it's time
/GC'.? replicates everything about that cell, in-
to get more specific. cluding the format the data is displayed in.
At this point, VisiCalc wants to know I X>A 1: >C4: Both the cells you replicated will right justify
the source range. Don't be put off by these the word "product" ev:en though you only
terms if you don't understand them at first. typed IFR once, on the source cell.

B4 c bottom of your column, C9 and enter).
23 Type a IF$ to give it that professional
finishing touch and go to D4 .
• • • • • A •••••••• B •••••••• C •••••••• D •••••••• E •••••••• F ••••
Just for the heck of it, type in some
1.SALES FORCAST PRODUCT PRODUCT PRODUCT numbers in D4 and E4 to represent sales of
2. MONTH 1 2 3
3"--·----------------------------------------------------
products two and three during month one.
While you're there, type IF$ into D4 and E4
4. 1
as well.
5. 2
:3
Now we're going on a serious power
6.
7. 4
trip.
8. 5 Put the cursor on C5. Type IR to spark
9. 6 up the replicate machinery. Hit a .period
10. and move the cursor all the way down to
11. C ll and smack the ENTER key. You've just
1 ';.> indicated a source range of· C5 ... Cll. Now
it's time for the target range.
Put the cursor on D5 and hit a period.
Move to C2 and type a 1. Move to D2 B, side of fried rice. Put the cursor on E5 and hit ENTER.
and type 1 +. Now move to C2 and press Your sheet should now look something · Answer the relativeness query with an R.
enter. A 4 appears in D2. With the cursor like figure three. Let's get interesting. Put Answer it with an R again. And again and
on D2, fype IR and press enter. Move the the cursor on C5 and do a IF$. Hereinafter, again .. :
cursor to E2 and press enter. You want the all data in cell C5 will be displayed in the As you answer this mindless question,
formula adjusted for the new cell, so type R dollars format, the favourite of money grub- watch in mystical awe as rows of accurately
for relative when it asks. If all goes well you bers the world· over. calculated sales figures, increasing by a fac-
get a '3' in cell E2. tor of ten percent each month... remember
To illustrate what this formula does, Type 1. 1* . Now move the cursor lip that 1.1 * a while ago ... careen down the :
move the cursor to C2, type a number and one cell to C4 and press ENTER. You'll get columns of your monitor.
hit ENTER. You will note the numbers in D2 0.00 in cell C5. Now replicate C5 into C6 Naturally, this has been a very
and E2 are always sequential and increment through C9 exactly the way you just did simplified example. One of the problems
by one. Store that somewhere in your mind. with column A. with software designed to handle massive
When you're satisfied how this works, put a You should be starting to feel like an old amounts of data is that test models for them
one in C2 and hit enter. hand at this. must either be trivial or take meaningful
When this is done column C will be full parts of a normal human lifespan to enter.
One from Column A · of 0. 00. Put the cursor on C4 and enter a
Now we are going to get rather clever. However, if you've used a spreadsheet at all
number to represent sales of product one you will probably appreciate the power of
Move the cursor to A4. Type a 1 and move during month one. You probably see a pic-
to A5. Now type 1 + and move the cursor the replicate function. It saves time, and,
ture emerging here. more to the point, assures that, .given an ac-
to A4. Hit enter. You should get a 2 in A5.
should get a 2 in A5. curate model to start with all your subse-
The Bottom Lines quent entries will also be accurate.
Move down to C lO and type 1- = and hit That is, after all, one of the catGhes of
TIDy erron doa't produce ENTER to give you a nice double line for the spreadsheet models. Tiny errors don't pro-
error they -
IDIIIBge&. • • • bOttom line. Move down one more to C ll, duce error messages... they produce
and type @SUM(. Move the cursor to the · answers. It may be quite some time before
produce aaswen. ,. top . of your column of numbers,. C4, and you notice that the answers happen to be
press a period. Now move the cursor to the wrong. CN!
Call up the replicate command by typ-
ing IR. It's only fitting you should -be .on a
first initial basis by now. '~ C4 /F$ (V) 120 R
Since you're already there, press enter -
to . indicate that A5 is the cell to be
replicated. Now, .just slide the cursor down · ••••• A •••••••• B •••••••• C •••••••• D •••••••• E •••••••• F ••••
to A6; the first cell in the target range. Enter !.SALES FORCAST PRODUCT PRODUCT PRODUCT
a period. · 2. MONTH 1 2 3
Move the cursor down to A9 and press · 3 ~ -----------------------------------------------------
ENTER. 4.·· 120.00 384.00 67.50
Note that the cursor automatically flies 5. 2 132.00 422.40 74. 2.5
back to the oell -it was on when you fired·up 6. 3 145.20 464". 64 81.68
the replicate command. Store that 7. 4 159.72 511. 10 89.84
somewhere in your mind, too. 8. 5 175.69 562.21 98~83
Now answer R to the not 9. 6 19::":. 26 . 618.44 108.71
relative/relative :question .. If you did this 10.
right, you now have the numbers one 11. 925.87 2962.79 520.80
through six in column A. None from column · 1 ':>

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Your computer can teach the when these programs are used to the exclu- learn to add, subtract, multiply and
kids more than just programm- sion of all others. Through graphics, colour, divide ... cakes.
animation, sound effects and a bit of creativi- It is predicted that widespread use of
ing. Software is available to ty on the part of the programmer, traditional computers in society will prompt a radical
make learning fun ... sort of like styled software can offer more than a ques- change in our concept of intelligence.
a video game without the aliens. tion and answer, or fill in the blanks approach Presently, intelligence tends to be measured
to learning. in terms of what we know, that is, the data we
by Marianne Paul Consider, for example, Math Blaster! by can retrieve from our memories. Much of the
Davidson and Associates (6069 Groveoak educational process emphasizes memory
E
Place, #12, Rancho Palos. Verdes, CA work, from preschool through to university.
clucational computer programs tend 90274). Math Blaster! builds and reviews For example, in most situations, students
to teach traditional subjects in tradi- basic math skills through a arcade-styled write tests without use of reference book.
tional manners. Recently this approach game, suitable for students in grades one Educational software is considered most
has come under fire . Critics claim that educa- through six. Arithmetic problems are still effective when it encourages creativity,
tional software seldom takes advantage of the flashed across the screen but the challenge analysis, and problem solving. Rocky's
unique capabilities of the computer. Conven- and fun of the game adds excitement to a Boots, from The Learning Company (545
tional teaching and learning methodologies task that might otherwise be boring. Middlefield Rd., Suite 170, Menlo Park, CA
are being applied to the new technology. Another imaginative example is A Piece 94025) is a renowned example of such a
Computers are often used as a kind of of Cake, by Counterpoint Software, Incor- program. Developed to teach introductory
electronic flashcard, a "drill and practice" porated, (4545 West 65th Street, Suite 2 18, logic and circuit design, it is billed as "the
machine. In such cases, programs are Minneapolis, Minnesota). Instead of ·simply content of a college course in logic, with the
designed to review facts. There is a place for practising arithmetic, children "visit a attraction of an arcade game." The suggested
this type of software, but the problem arises bakery ... a magical bakery," where they age is seven years and up.

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Adventure fantasy computer games are
a popular breed of software that, mistakenly,
are often considered purely entertainment.
Many educators, however, value these
games for their educational worth, using
them in the classroom to promote information
processing, analytic reasoning, strategic
planning, problem solving and abstract
thought. Skills such as spelling and reading
comprehension often improve as well. Best
sellers in the adventure fantasy field include
software such as Zork I, II, and III by Infocom
(Infocom Inc., 55 Wheeler St., Cambridge,
MA 021380) and Temple of Asphai by Epxy
(1043 Kiel Court, Sunnyvale, CA 94086).
Many of the adventure fantasy programs
are complex, require experience in adven-
turing and computing and appeal mainly to
teenagers and adults. The Snooper Troopers,
however, by Spinnaker (Spinnaker Software
Corp., 215 First St., Cambridge, MA
02142) are appropriate for beginners in this
field, and are written particularly for
children. The suggested age range is ten Educational Software will hold a child's interest much more so than educational
years to adult. The player attempts to unravel texbooks,
a mystery. In case one, the challenge is to Many experts think that computer your style. De you want to acquaint your
discover who is trying to scare the Kim family literacy also involves a working knowledge of preschooler with your new computer? A sim-
out of their home. In case two it's to discover ple game, with the emphasis on fun, and ease
such areas as word processing and computer
who stole Lily the Dolphin from the Tabasco of operation, should suffice. Do you want to
programming. Often, these skills are taught
Aquarium. According to Spinnaker the stimulate your child's creativity? The electronic
in depth at the secondary, or college level.
games "help children learn to take notes, flashcard isn't going to do that; you might bet-
There is software, however, specially design-
draw maps, classify and organize informa- ter consider a program that offers more flex-
ed to teach such skills to young users. Turtle
tion" and "develop vocabulary and reason- Graphics is a feature of Logo, a computer ibility, that invites the operator's input. How
ing skills." about Spinnaker's Story Machine? The user
language written for children as a simple in-
troduction to programming. The operator writes his own story, and watches it "come
Unrealities controls a simulated "turtle," using it as a type alive" on the monitor.
Computer simulations are employed more of pen to create geometric shapes. Or perhaps you would like to introduce
and more as teaching aids. This type of soft- A highly-respected word processing your child to the basic concepts of computer
ware attempts to re-create situations that, for package for children is Bank Street Writer. programming and procedural thinking. You
a variety of reasons, are impractical or im- The home version is manufactured by might try Delta Drawing by Spinnaker,
possible to carry out in real life. Broderdund Software (1938 Fourth St., San designed to teach the operator to program the
There are many imaginative programs Rafael, CA 9490 l) and the school version by computer to draw and colour pictures. May
appearing on the market. For example, Scholastic Incorporated (730 Broadway, be your child is a budding music buff. Yes,
Rendevous (Eduware Services, Inc. Box New York, NY 10003). you can even find a computer program to
22222, Agoura, CA) simulates operation of Word processing releases the young learn and practise the scales. Check out Early
the Space Shuttle. Community Search, by author from mundane tasks. Poor penman- Games Music For Children by Counterpoint
McGraw-Hill (1221 Ave. of the Americas, ship, spelling mistakes or an omitted sentence Software.
New York, NY 10020), re-creates the forma- no longer needs to result in the boring job of There are now sufficient software authors
tion of civilization, presenting typical pro- re-copying entire pages. Concentration is and manufacturers to allow a parent to set
blems faced by the human race throughout rightfully focused on the creative process. high standards in choosing the best program
time. for his or her child. It may take research; a trip
Another type of educational software is Evaluation to the local computer store will not necessarily
that which promotes computer literacy. The first step in evaluating educational soft- provide the information needed to make an
Computer literacy still remains largely ware, is deciding whether a program fits your appropriate selection. Software titles are con-
undefined; there is general agreement, needs. What do you want the software to do, stantly changing. Store lists may be outdated,
however, that it involves ease and familiarity and how do you want it done? For example, is or deal solely with one software manufacturer.
with computers. Many childrens' games ac- the purpose of the program to help your eight It is beneficial to keep an eye on computer
complish this goal as a byproduct, acting as a year old memorize his multiplication tables, or magazines, reading the reviews and searching
gentle and fun introduction to computer some other facts? If so, drill and practice soft- through the advertisements. It is also wor-
operation. Alphabet programs, for example, ware will do the trick. thwhile to write manufacturers directly. They
not only teach letter recognition but key- Do you want to teach yourself typing? are usually more than pleased to send
boarding skills as well. Perhaps a self paced tutorial would best suit brochures outlining their latest products.

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Buyer's Checklist returns to the program over and over again, promotes creativity, decision-making and
because it is enjoyable. logic.
The most effective way to evaluate whether Games captivate the imagination of the Think about these important considera-
software meets your needs and standards is to young user and take a variety of forms via tions in evaluating the effectiveness of a
run the program. Ideally, prospective shop- computer. The creative programmer magical- specific piece of software as a teaching tool.
p:lrs can test software in the store before mak- ly transforms the dullest exercise into an ex- Does it encourage the child's participation or
ing a purchase. There are a number of factors citing, action-packed activity. With the right does the program simply happ3n, unfolding
to consider. software, a child will beg to turn off the televi- like a movie, or television, without the user's in-
First, is the program easy to op3rate? sion set, in order to practise ... arithmetic. p..~t? Does the program offer choices? Can the
This is extremely important if the intended Software should be visually, and audi- op3rator influence the direction of his learn-
user is young or a novice to computing. Soft- torialy, pleasing. Things should happen. ing?
ware has little educational value if the op3rator Graphics are more fun to look at than a screen Rewards are an important part of learn-
cannot use it; in spite of the worthiness of its filled with print. Animation is more app3aling ing. They give the child feedback on his pro-
lessons. The child should be able to easily than a stationary object. Bright colours are gress and encouragement to continue.
maneuver back and forth throughout the pro- more stimulating than black and white and Rewards in educational software take a variety
gram with little or no assistance. If he can't, the sound effects are more enjoyed by kids than of forms for example, they may consist of
software may have been written for an older silence. sound, graphics, animation, comments flashed
user. Check the age range suggested in the The unique advantage of the computer as on the screen, progression to the next level of
documentation, or on the software package. an instrument of learning is that it is interactive. difficulty, a high score, a game accessed with
Difficulties, however, may be an indication that Unlike other media, such as a textbook or the completion of the lesson, and so on.
the programmer has been sloppy, not taking television set, the computer demands par- The programmer may discourage learn-
care to design the software to suit the 3p3cial ticipation. A chain reaction is induced: the ing, rather than encourage it, through poorly
needs of his prospective audience. op3rator enters data and the computer concieved feedback. Be wary of educational
Young children, for example, have responds, promting the op3rator to answer the programs that chastise users for providing in-
limited reading skills. Important considerations computer and the computer to answer back. correct answers. Statements such as "Next
for this group are whether the operation is Interactively, the machine and user progress time, try harder!" ... the child may already
dep3ndent upon the written word. Whether is further and further into the intricacies of the be trying his hardest ... or "Wrong! Wrong!
it necessary to typ3 entire word, whether program and in the case of educational soft- Wrong!" do not help the learning process. In-
op3ration requires a series of key stokes. Pro- ware, into the learning lesson. stead, they hinder it by frustrating the young
grams beginning with questions such as "Do In the most effective educational software, op3ratorand chipping away at his self-esteem.
you want colour?", "How many players?" the computer's response is tailored to meet the Many good educational programs, after a few
"What is your name". This will frustrate the specific needs of the student. A number of unsuccessful attempts at a question, provide
young op3rator before he reaches the actual avenues are possible, the direction of the pro- the answer. Even more effective, some pro-
lesson. Imaginative programmers have sur- gram is dep3ndent upon the user's input. A grams help the child arrive at the answer.
mounted such problems; one effective ap- different child, entering different data, would A good teacher challenges his students.
proach has been to construct menus of pic- proceed along a different path. Choices and Similarly, well-designed educational software
tures instead of vocabulary. selections are an integral part of software that provides challenges to the users. Many pro-
The young op3rator should never be grams employ a tiered learning system;
"abandoned." At every stage his or her op- children progress through various levels of dif-
tions should be available on the screen. ficulty. An advantage to this approach is that it
Similarly, the program should be so well allows the op3rators to work at their own level
designed that the child can successfully run it and at their own rate. When they become
without reading the documentation first. Like more skilled they move up the ladder. This
many adults, the young user is excited about may mean more difficult questions, less time to
the prospect of a brand new piece of software. solve problems, more variables, and so on.
he loads it plays with it and then, p3rhaps, has
a look at the manual. Soft Thoughts
As a final consideration, is the program The most effective software is produced as a
"child-procf?" combined effort between education exp3rts
You should make mistakes while testing and programmers. Its documentation should
software. Press the spacebar when the instruc- reveal a bit about the authors their qualifica-
tions call for Return, or Escap3. Push two keys tions, eXp:lrience and so on. Interestingly,
at once, or even three. After all, the inquisitive many of the best programs available were in-
child may p..~sh five, or six ... just to see what itially written by parents for their children.
happ3ns. Does the program die? If so, Educational programs are often field
apologize to the store owner and buy another tested in schools before being offered for sale
piece of software. The original would never to the public. This doesn't ensure the merits of
survive normal use by a normal child. the software but it at least demonstrates that
the manufacturers have enough faith in their
Child Appeal product to allow it scrutiny by the toughest
Children love to play. Effective educational reviewers of all, kids! If it doesn't pass their in-
software uses play as a learning device. It in- spection, it's not likely to be very effective as
corporates fun into the lesson. The child an educational tool. CNI

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Progralllllling In Dbase
0 ne of the things that is inherent in all software is that it
must be, by definition, finite. That is, it does what it says it
will do on the box ... hopefully ... but that's all she wrote.
This is all you can really ask for in most application~. In some
however, it will lead you into oblivion with the fullness of time.
It's trne to say that many large business applications one
doesn't always know what is going to be required in using soft-
ware. One must look into the future, .a fairly misty and amorphous
place, and try to predict what will be required in a few months or
a few years. This is tricky, and very easy to get badly wrong. Un·
fortunately, with many software packages, one discovers that one
has popped for the wrong software only after one has the
package crammed full of a year's worth of data.
One of the many attractive features of dBase Il ... aside from
its having really slick ads ... is that it can be programmable. This
doesn't mean you have to use this facility to any great depth ... in
most applications for it you'll be able to leave this area largely
alone. However, if you do run over the ragged edge of the cliff,
being able to talk dBase into doing something special for you may
be the thing to pull you back onto solid ground again.
·Second Base
First of all, dBase II is a program that is basically a language. It is
PASCAL-like in its structure ... please don't panic; it's un-
dignified. However, it is specifically designed to work with·data
base files .
As languages go, dBase is pretty basic. Writing programs for
it is extremely simple and essentially accomplishes stringing
together the various commands available in dBase. dBase II pro-
grams are stored in text files using a word processor or the text
editor that is already in dBase and are executed through the
dBase interpreter.
Although this may sound complicated right now, it is one of
the major advantages of dBase. A program written for dBase on
the IBM PC works equally well on a Xerox or any other CP/M
based machine. In fact , that program will work on any computer
that runs dBase ... even an Apple with a soft card.
Unfortunately, most people who are comfortable with the
idea of data base managers.. and have enough data to make
managing it worth while ... don't much like the idea of writing pro·
grams. The dBase language isn't nearly as nasty as BASIC or
PASCAL. .. it can be mastered in almost no time. In the next cou·
pie· of pages we're going to look at the structure of a simple pro-
gram.
The program we'll be using as our road map through dBase
is one which I designed in only a few hours. It is called the
Magazine Article Tracking System ... it's a variation on something
I use to keep track of all the literature I read. If you have ever
gone through forty or fifty magazines looking for a specific pro-
gram listing or article you saw six months ago you'll know why I
use this.
To use the program you must first type in the three program
The dBase II data base manager.can be one of files I've shown here. These are
the most powerful of business packages..; MATMENU.CMD ..
ahem. if you can get into using it to its fullest MATLIST.FRM
MATINIT.CMD
capacity. Here's a shot at some of the gritty
details. Use a word processor or the editor in dBase to create the
files ... I use WordStar in theN mode. When the three files have
by Chris Vandersluis been entered, enter dBase, set the default drive to where ever
you have the files and type DO MATMENU. The screen should
clear and present you with the main menu.

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Pl'ogrBIIIIIIiag Ia Dbase
Listing DO WHILE option <> "Q"
ERASE
MAGAZINE ARTICLE TRACKING - MATMENU.CMD @ 1,0 SAY "TITLE GET t i t l e
@ 2, 0 SAY "MAGAZINE
*•*************. ************** **********• @ 3,0 SAY " I SSUE
GET magazine
GET issue
MAGAZINE ARTICLE TRACKING SYSTEM MAG11ZINE ARTICLE TRACKING - MATMENU. CMD
MATMENU. CMD
<C l CHR IS VANDERS LUI S •! 4, 0 SAY "SUBJECT " GET subject

@ 5, 0 SAY "REMARKS " GET r-emarks
?
? "<El DIT <Dl ELETE <R> ECALL (Q) UIT"
ACCEPT TO c o t i on
**** ***** 1: **·********* ****** ******* ***** t THIS CONVERTS OPTION TO UPPER CASE
STORE ~ <Ootion) TO action
t SET Tf-lE PARAMETERS OF THE PROGF:AM
SET TALK OFF DO CASE
SET FORMA,_T TO SCREEN CASE action = "E"
S ET INTENS ITY ON t EXECUTE THE @ GETS AND GET NEW INFORMATION OR ACCEPT DEFAULT INFORMATION
SET CONSOLE ON READ
S ET PRINT OFF
CASE option = "D"
t L OOK FOR THE MATDATA FILE ON THE D ISK t STORE A DELET! ON MARK IN THE RECORD
II=" . NOT . FI L E <' MATDATA . DBF') DELE TE
DO MATIN I T ? " RECORD DELETED! "
END IF
CASE a ct i on = "R"
USE MATDATA t REMOVE THE DELET I ON MARK I= ROM
THE RECORD
RECALL
t LOOK FOR THE INDEX FILE ON THE DISK ? "RECORD RECALLED~"
IF .NOT. FILE ( 'TITLE.NDX ' >
? "ONE MOMENT PLEASE. • " CASE action = "Q"
INDEX ON TITLE TO TITLE
END IF t IF NONE OF THE CASES ARE PICK ED •• •
OTHERW I SE
USE MATOATA INDEX TITLE ? CHRC7) + CHR( 7 ) + CHR C7)
? "INVALID ENTRY !"
t DO FOREVER E NOCASE
DO WHI LE T
ENDDO
GOTO TOP
END IF
ERASE
? "MAGAZINE ARTICLE TRACKING" END DO
CASE chotce :: " 3 "

.., " ( 1 J ADD RECORDS " STORE TO cont1nue
? "C2J DI S PLAY RECORDS " STORE " " TO spec
? "( 3 ] L IST BY F I ELD" STORE '' " TO oot1on
? "[4] F ILE MAINTE NANCE "
? "[ 5 1 REPORT ON PRINTER " DO WHILE c o ntinue <> "N"
? "[6 ] QUIT PROGRAM " ERASE
? ? "MAGAZINE ARTI CLE TRACKI NG LI S T RECORDS"
STORE " " T O c h o i c e ? " = = = ==::= = :=== = ==
ACCEF"T " ENTER YOUR CHO ICE <1 - 6) ==> " TO choi c e
MAGA Z INE AR TICLE TR ACK I NG - MATMENU.CMD ? " L I S T B Y WHI CH FIELD? "
? "[11 TITLE"
SET UP A SERIES OF POSSIBLE CASES DEPENDING ON THE VALUE OF • CHOICE ? "[2] MAGAZINE"
? "[ 3J ISSUE"
DO CASE ? " [4] SUBJECT"
? "( 5 ] REMARK S"
CASE c h o i c e = "1" MAGAZ INE ARTICLE TRACKING - MATMENU.CMD
S TORE " " TO continue
t SE T UF' A L OOP S O YOU CAN CONT INUE OR QUIT ? "[6J DE L E T ED RECORDS"

DO WHILE con t inue <> "Q" ?
ACCE P T " ENTER YOUR CHOI CE ( 1- 6 ) => " TO o p t ion

t AF'F'END A BL A NK F ORM TO T HE DATA F ILE
APPEND BLANK ?
ERASE ACCEPT "ENTER SEARCH STRING= > "TO spec
t PRINT THE PROMPTS AND GET THE DATA DO CASE

•! 1, 0 SAY " TITLE GET t l t l e CASE opti o n = "1 "
•! 2 ,0 S AY "MAGA ZI NE GE T magaz ine E RASE
@ 3 , 0 S AY "I SSUE GET i ssu e ? "LI S T BY TI T LE"
@ 4 , 0 S A Y " SUBJECT GET sub_;~ct t LOCATE S IMPL Y F I NOS THE RE CORD
@ 5 , 0 SAY " REMARKS GET r-ema r-k s LOCATE F OR t i t l e = s pec
~~ 8.0 SAY "PRESS .. Q~ TO QU IT OR RETURN F OR MORE" CASE a cti on = " 2 "
GET c ent i nue ERASE
? "LIST BY MAGAZI NE "
READ LOCAT~ F OR ma g a z ine
CA SE o pt ion = " 3 "
END DO ERASE
REL E ASE cont i nue ? "L I ST B Y I SSUE "
LOCATE F OR issue = spec
CASE c ho t c e "" "2 " CASE o pti on : "4"
S TORE " " TO conti nue ERASE
STORE " " TO s p ec ? " LIST B Y SUBJ ECT"
DO WHILE c o n t i n ue <> "N" L OCA T E F OR s ub _1 e ct =
CASE act i on = " 5 "
* CLEAR T HE MEMORY OF UNNECESSARY GARBAGE ERASE
CLEAR GETS ? "LIST B Y REMARKS "
ERASE LOCATE F OR r emark s =
? "MAGAZ INE - AR T I CL E-TRACK I NG DI SPAY RECORD" CASE opt i on = " 6 "
? " ======== ==:::==== = ======:: =::==== ====== " ERASE
? " L IST DEL ETED F I L ES "
ACCEP T " EN TE R T ITLE TO DI SPLAY " TO <:>pee LOCATE F OR *
ENDCASE
F I ND & s o ec
S TORE " TO s earch
t TH I S MEANS NOT FOUND
IF # 0 t CRE A TE A L OOP T O SEARCH T HROUGH THE F I L E SEQUENTI ALL Y
? CHR ( 7} DO WHILE .NOT. E OF . AND • • NOT. ~(search ) "N"
? CHR <7 l ERASE
? " T HA T RECORD I S NOT ON FI L E ." @ 1.0 SAY " T I TL E GET t i tl e
ACCEPT " DO YOU WI SH TO CDN T INUE(Y / Nl ? " T O c onbnue @ 2 . 0 SAY "MAGA Z INE GET magazi n e
EL SE @ 3 ,0 SAY "ISSUE GET i ssue
S TORE " " T O c ot ion @ 4 . 0 SAY " S UBJECT GET s u b jec t
28 Computing Now! November 198•

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Progrillllllliag ID. Dbase
@ 5. 0 SAY "REMARKS " GET remarks
ACCEPT "CONTINUE SEARCHING(Y/N)? " TO search
t: CONTINUE WITH THE LOCATE COMMAND
CONTINUE
END DO
? "THAT'S ALL. . . "
ACCEPT "DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE(Y / N )? " TO continLie
END DO
MAGB Z INE AR TI CLE TRACKING - MATMENU.CMD
CASE c h otc e = "4"

SET T ALK ON
* RE MOVE AL L R E COR DS MARKE D FOR DELE T ION
P ACt::"
SET TALK OFF
CASE choice = " 5 "

ERASE
S TORE " " TO o pt ion
? "MAGAZ INE ART ICL E TRACK ING F:EPORTS "
?
? " SORT BY WHICH F I ELD?"
? "[lJ TIT LE"

? " [2] MAGAZ INE "
? "[3J SUBJECT"
ACCEPT " ENTER YOUR CHOICE {1-3 ) =>" TO ootlon
DO CASE
OASE oot1on= "1"

USE MAT DATA INDEX TITLE
REPORT FORM MATLIST TO PRINT
CASE option= '' 2 "

? " INDEXI NG ON MAGAZI NE . . . "
SET TALK ON
INDEX ON MAGAZI NE TO MAGAZINE
USE MATDAT A IN DEX MAGAZ INE
REF'ORT F ORf1 MATL I ST TO P R I NT
S ET TALK OF F
USE MAT DAT A I NDEX TITLE
CASE ootion= " 3 "

? "INDE XI NG ON S UBJ ECT ••. "
S ET TALK ON
INDEX ON S UB JEC T TO S UB JECT
US E MATD AT A INDEX S UBJECT
REF'ORT FORM MA TL I ST TO F'RINT
S E T T ALK OFF
* GO BACK TO THE OR I G INA L I NDEX FI LE
USE MAT DATA INDEX TITLE
EN DCASE
S TORE " " TO c h oic e
CASE c h oice "" "6 "

S ET T AL K ON
* EX I TS DBASE AL TOGET HER . CHANGE T HJ:S TO CANCEL TO S T AY I N DBASE .

QUIT
ENDCASE the program to display all the records with a subject of education.
E ND D O
The program would then display these records one at a time and
MAGAZINE ARTICLE TRACKING ask if you wanted to continue the search or return to the menu.
Th fourth option allows you to maintain your file, invoking the
(1) ADD RECORDS dBase record packing facility.
(2) DISPLAY RECORDS
(3) LIST BY FIELD The fifth option lets you choose one of three reports available
(4) FILE MAINTENANCE and have it printed on the printer. The reports are all in the same
(5) REPORT ON PRINTER format but are sorted ... actually indexed ... differently. The pro-
(6) QUIT PROGRAM gram will report by title, by the magazine name and by subject.
ENTER YOUR CHOICE (1-6) Finally, the sixth option return you to the operating system.
Let's go through the options one at a time. Start Typing

The first option allows you to add a new record to the file. If you want to jump right in and enter the program, go ahead.
You will be able to input the article title, the magazine name, the You will find the listing well documented with remarks. If all of this
issue number or date, the subject matter and a brief description of still sounds like Greek to you, don't despair. We will go through
the entry. The program will give you the choice of continuing to the program step by step and learn about programming in dBase
enter data or returning to the menu. at the same time.
The second option has several functions. To begin with, it When entering a listing, it may be helpful to bear in mind that
allows you to locate and display a particular record. You may a couple of conventions are used which, while not strictly speak-
then edit the entry, mark it for deletion or remove a previous ing required, do make reading and debugging the program
mark for deletion. much easier.
Marking a record for deletion doesn't remove it. .. it simply First, all variables are entered in lower case. In this way,
tags it as being expendable so that dBase can remove it when you you'll be able to pick them out at a glance. Variable names are
next pack the records. one of the largest sources of errors in programs.
The third option allows you to display a series of records that Second, all loops are indented. I can't stress how important
match a specification that you define. For example, you might ask this is. When you have eight nested loops the possibility of not

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closing one increases exponentially. ? ''***************************************
"* **
Finally, I remark each section of the program with a note tell- '?
ing me what it does so that I can return to it quickly if need be. A ..,. "t: MAG?'l Z I i'JE {\Rr I CU.': TF:ACI • I N0; SY~'3TEM
remark is entered by having a'*' as the first character in its line. ~·

•'.) II* "t M{iTlNIT. CMD *
Let's consider these listings. What you may notice first is that *
there are three separate programs. The first is called
-.) II*
<CJ CHRIS VANDERSLUIS
*
MATMENU.CMD. The second is MATINIT.CMD and finally
II* *
there is MATLIST.FRM. dBase II uses several different file exten-
r~o
II* *
sions. CMD files are command files containing program instruc-
''.':J
*
tions, while FRM files are report formats containing the instruc-
tions to dBase for how to print out a particular columnar report.
-: .
,·.:.
"*
"* **
MEM files are files in which variable names and values are stored.
In this way you could save variables that would be transfer-
"7' "***** ** ********* **** ***** ** ***** ** *****
red from program to program.
-:- "TH I-::: t1CJDI ...!LE l•J ILL. HELF' \(!JU TD CREP,TE THE'
Files with FMT as their extensions are screen format files .
They tell the program that you would like to put and get data to -,. '' D(.~T· r~iBf:iUE: !"'I L_E:: f"UF? THE:: ! •1r:~c,~1 Z I t'-IE {-if;:T I CLE ''
the screen in a particular fashion. DBF files are database files in -::. "Tf': (<CI< I NC:• ~3Y~::TFt·1. "
which your data is stored. Finally, NDX files contain indexes of a
particular field for a particular database. ":· "\'CH.J l•l IL.. L.. BE ~3HCH•JN I.~H!4T TU ENTER. "
.,. "EJ.ITir: IT r:~x~\CTLY' (.Yc:> ' .31 ..·10\•JN."
In the program we'll be using, there are two CMD files and
one FRM file. The database and its indexes are created by the
V.J(\ IT
program during execution.
If you've stuck with me this far, you must be ready to get into E•F:f',UE
-:• "ENTER RECC)RD ~:::;rF:I..JCTtJPE {-1':3 FOL.LDl~~=~: "
the meat of the program. The first section adjusts dBase to best
... , " F" I El.. D NAME, T\T'E, DEC I 1'1~\L PLACE~3"
suit the program . Let's look at these parameters one at a time.
TITLE, C, 2''5"
SET TALK OFF tells dBase not to add its own comments during
'"::• IF 0(:.:·:.:: 1"1(-~(3(-\ZINE, C, lO"
the program, as it usually does. SET FORMAT TO SCREEN in- 00~~~
-::• II
I ~=:~::uE" c" :-j ''
structs dBase to be sure it is using the regular screen layout for
00,1 ::>!..JD,JECT , C, 1 0"
editing and adding information. SET INTENSITY ON is for those
005 f;:Et1PtF::f<~3, C, ::o"
screens with inverse or variable intensity video and highlights
certain portions of the screen. SET CONSOLE ON allows output
<r::[TI..JI~:N >
to the regular video terminal. This is the default setting but we'll
make sure anyway. Finally, SET PRINT OFF ensures that the
CF:[r1TF Mi~TDi~Tf:i
printer has been turned off.
U~:J[ r·le~TDr:1Tf.1
There are several other parameters that can be adjusted.
INDEX ON TITLE T O TITLE
One of the most used is changing the default drive. This is done
with the command SET DEFAULT TO B. Now we come to a DO WHILE loop. This type of loop usually
When writing and debugging your programs check to see uses a variable to determine the validity of a condition and ex-
how you would like dBase to act then set your parameters accor- ecutes all instructions it finds before it encounters the matching
dingly. You can change almost all the features of the program. A 'ENDDO' command. When it sees ENDDO, it loops back to the
complete list of the parameters along with their default values is in beginning of the loop and re- evaluates he condition to see if it is
the manual. met.
The next few lines of the program handle the existence of the If the condition is not met, the program jumps to the instruc-
data files required to run 1;he program .. . or lack thereof. The IF tion immediately following the loop.
THEN structure is a conditional statement. If the condition is met In this particular example, we want to set up a loop that will
in the first line, the program wH! execute all the subsequent in- continue until the program is exited so we use DO WHILE T. T
structions until it sees the matching ENDIF command. dBase II stands for true and is a condition that is always met. By nestling
also recognizes the ELSE command within the statement to han- these loops, one within the other, we will be able to handle very
dle instructions and commands if the condition is not met in the complex situations.
first line. Examples of this occur later on in the program. Let's go on. Next we will set the data pointer to the very
The first of these statements looks for the file beginning of our data file, GOTO TOP, erase the screen and
MATDATA.DBF. If it isn't found, the program calls a second pro- print the main menu using the standard dBase print command,
gram called MATINIT, the third listing, which will prompt the the question mark. Unlike as in BASIC, this is not a short hand
user through the creation of MATDATA.DBF. The user will then method of entering PRINT. This is the simplest and most
be returned to the proper place in the MATMENU program. straightforward method of printing to the screen.
dBase allows you to call such subprograms from one The user is prompted to enter a choice which we will store in
another. This is a very powerful aspect of the software. By doing the variable choice. Depending on the selection of the user, we
this you can make extremely complex systems using many dif- will want to perform different functions. We could do this with
ferent modules that will work together. conditional IF ENDIF statements but here we have used the DO
The second conditional statement looks for the index file and, CASE END CASE structure that is specifically designed for this
if it is not found, re-indexes the MATDATA file on the TITLE function .
field. The result of all this is that the program is set up to use the DO CASE starts a string of conditional statements each star-
MATDATA file indexed by title. ting with CASE and a condition. Here the first one is

CASE choice = T M==O. L... ::::':!B ~ L!J==t30
y
The program will examine the variable choice and if its value
is equal to one will execute all the subsequent commands to the
Magazine A~ticle T~acking Repo~t
point where there is the next CASE command or an ENDCASE. N
Unlike the DO WHILE ENDDO loop, this structure will not N
automatically loop back on itself. If none of the cases are found to 2':.'5, TITLE
be true, then none of the commands will be executed. In this
situation, the program will continue until it finds the end of the DO · Ti tl F2
WHILE loop that we set up and will start over again with the 1 0, MAC::,(-1 Z I t···IE
menu. 1'"1.":~ q .::.. ;::: i r-, i!:?
If you are feeling somewhat overwhelmed, don't worry. Go ~.i, I ~::St..IE
get a coffee and take a five minute break. I'll still be here.
I ·:::.·:51...1.E~
Down To Cases lO, bUB.JE:c·r
Let's continue with the subsections. You may have noticed that Elu.b ..i (:·?c t
there were six choices on the menu. Understandably there are six :;::o, F:Et•!{-iF:K':::
CASES, or subsections.
CASE choice = "l" is for adding records to the data file. At <F:F:?ITI<:':l.r·· k s
the beginning of each section we will do declare the variables that
we will be working with. Next, if appropriate, we will begin a loop within which we
dBase II requires that you define variables before you work can do the function until the user decides to return to the main
with them for many of its functions. We do this by giving the ' menu.
variables a default value. For example, we say In this section, we add records by first using the APPEND
BLANK command. Next we will want to prompt the user to enter
continue=· • the data and place that data into the record. We do that by using
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the @ SAY and @ GET commands to format our data input record. LOCATE is similar to FIND in that it will not automatically
screen. The command SAY is another way of printing to the display the record, just locate it.
screen: It puts the requested information in a specific x,y co-or- The only new thing in the options is option six, which will list
dinate. An implementation might go 1,0 SAY "Title". deleted files, that is, those with asterisks in them. This is the dele-
The GET command allows data input at a particular place on tion mark we discussed earlier. Now we need to set up a
the screen. It will place a blank field the length of the defined subroutine that will display the records. We will use our by now
variable to be input and a cursor at the beginning of the line at a familiar format. The CONTINUE command that follows the for-
specific x,y co-ordinate on the screen. One might say @ 15,0 mat simply tells the computer to continue searching. The section
GET title. ends with a prompt to the user asking if he wants to continue and
The SAY and GET commands are format instructions to assigning a value to continue before looping back.
dBase. They must be invoked by using the READ command, as Choice four handles file maintenance by executing the dBase
you see. By combining these two commands, we will have our PACK instruction. We SET TALK ON and then SET TALK OFF
prompt line and data input on one line. so that dBase will let the user know what is going on during the
What I have done here is to use the actual field name instead process.
of a variable name for data entry. This gives us two advantages. The fifth case is the report section. Here we allow the user to
First, we will not have to declare all those variables at the beginn- choose the field by which he or she would like the report sorted
ing of the section and second, by doing this we place data direct- and then we set up three cases to handle them. This is a
ly into the record and eliminate the need for a subroutine to do remarkablysimple task. Option one is the easiest as it uses our
this. regular title index and for options two and three we need simply
This sector ends with ENDDO which allows the program to tell dBase to create an index file for that field and then USE the
complete its loop and check the continue variable. Finally the data file indexed with that index file. To print the report we use
variable is RELEASED from memory because dBase can keep the command REPORT FORM MATLIST TO PRINT. If you
track of only sixty-four variables at one time. remember, MATLIST is the FRM file we entered as listing two.
The next section is choice = "2", which is the display and Finally we come to choice six. The QUIT command closes all
edit function. What we want to accomplish here is to be able to files and exits dBase regardless of what loops we may have
call up a record and then edit or delete it as we wish. created. This will return the user to the operating system. If you
Once again we declare our variables and set up a conditional want to modify this so that you leave the program but not dBase,
loop within which to work. We prompt the user for the title of the then change QUIT to CANCEL. This will return the user to the
article that he is looking for and we store that value in the variable command level of dBase.
spec. We then use the FIND command to search for the record ...
remember that we are using the file MATDATA and are indexed QUIT
by title. - Well that's about it. We've barely scratched the surface of this
If dBase cannot find a record, the data pointer will equal versatile language but we have created a program that is both
zero. You can always find where the pointer is by accessing the useful and powerful. At the very least, it should serve as a model
system variable'-'. We have, therefore, put in a conditional state- for your own dBase programs. Each of the routines we used here
ment to tell the user if the record is not found. Otherwise ... can be applied to other analogous situations.
ELSE ... display the record and proceed. Try writing some dBase code .. . you'll be surprised at how
To display the record we use the format found in the add easy it is once you try it. .. and how powerful you can make dBase
records section. This will display the prompts and the current for your applications. CN!
values of the fields. Now you have a choice of what to do.
Once again we set up a series of CASES. Because we are us-
ing letters here instead of numbers, we want to be sure that dBase
recognizes the upper case regardless of which is typed in. We do
this with the '!' command. STORE ! option TO option will convert
the value of option to upper case.
The first choice, E, invoked the READ command and will
allow the GETS to be executed so that you can enter data. The
default current values will be kept if RETURN is pressed at each
field. If the D option is selected, the DELETE command marks the
record for deletion. Similarly the R option, RECALL, removes the
deletion mark.
If Q is selected a simple PRINT '?' command allows the loop ·
to end. At the end of the cases is the OTHERWISE command.
This is similar to the IF ELSE condition and lets us execute three
beeps if none of the cases are met.
We'll now move on to the list records option, number three.
Here we print a small menu that lets· the user choose the field by
which he wishes to search. We set up another series of cases to
use the LOCATE command.
LOCATE allows you to find a record by searching sequen-
tially through the data file instead of by the index. You do not,
therefore need to have indexed that particular field to locate the

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Otrona Review
No. it's not a new artificial sweetener. The Otrona 2001 is an IBM PC compatible
portable computer. and a very interesting one indeed. Over the next few pages
we'll pop it's top and take it for a spin.
by Steve Rimmer
P ortable computers have aways had a

number of things in common. They
almost all resemble world war two ar-
clever innovative thought put to it to make it
both more portable and more useful. I
wouldn't swap it even for my large, per-
viewing position when the monitor is look-
ing at the sky is pretty acceptable.
The monitor itself comes in a number of
my field radios, both in their general de- manently installed, immobile PC look alike permutations. We gpt a monochrome ver-
meanor and in their mobility. The sumo clone, but in many applications it manages sion with an amber screen, but there also
wrestler to carry your system is an optional to perform the functions of a full sized box exists a colour Otrona. The monitor, while
extra. They are also traditionally limited in with remarkable dexterity. not as sharp as some I've checked out, isn't
one respect or another in comparison to a On top of this, it looks extremely in- half bad. Ours bloomed a bit in the corners
desk top system with the same specifica- teresting. and a had a number of other eccentricities.
tions. At the very least, one can expect to However, the party that sells Otronas told
find one's self peering at a screen that's one Pop Top us that what we got was actually a
size too small set at the perfect angle for a The most obvious aspect of the Otrona is pre- production box, and that the real live
munchkin. that of its tube. The monitor is actually in a ones will come with sharper and more
It would be untrue to say that all of this separate box... it associates itself with the uniform displays.
bad karma vanishes the moment you lay computer proper through a massive plastic In its closed position, the monitor is pro-
your plastic down for an Otrona 200 l. hinge and a cable. When it's sleeping the tected by the keyboard, which snaps onto
However, unlike virtually all of the other monitor merges with the rest of the machine the front of the whole affair . The arrange-
portable systems which have emerged since to form a chunky square case. However, it ment for this is a bit funky, but it looks like it
the rise and subsequent fall of the Osborne can flip up into any of four elevated viewing will hold together. Another wire bale, this
empire, this machine actually has had some positions, held in place by a wire bale. The one to prop up the keyboard, likes to get in

the way when you try to close the whole The keyboard layout is actually a bit the meanings of the function keys under
works up for tooling about, as does the cur- less strange than that of a true IBM ... this, various applications. This helps.. . if you
ly cable that connects the keyboard to the however, is as subjective as the question of make yourself a card for each of your ap-
rest of the beast. However, these are minor the keyboard's feel. The function keys, for plications.
hassles if you keep your head into looking example, are in a row along the top of the It's also worth noting that many
out for them. keyboard instead living in two columns to packages come with plastic templates
The O trona keyboard itself is an in- the side of the alphabetic pad, as is usually designed to fit over the PC keyboard and
teresting variation on the usual IBM style the case. make finding the functions as easy as possi-
endeavour ... made necessary, to some ex- Having the keys so placed doesn't real- ble. This is especially helpful for really com-
tent, by the compact nature of the system. It ly affect their usefulness per se, but it can plex little monsters under which most of the
consists of a collection of off white and sort make some applications a bit less conve- keyboard can often find itself redefined.
of grey brown keycaps which do all the nient. Quite a number of programs make Obviously, the Otrona would be at
functions of the PC keyboard. Like the PC use of the function keys and, in many cases, something of a disadvantage when con-
keyboard, it has an extremely light touch, the physical position of the keys is impor- fronted with one of these.
with a particularly strange feel to it. It's fairly tant. I played with the Microsoft Flight There are a number of very positive
easy to work with after you get used to it, Simulator on the Otrona as part of features to the Otrona's keyboard too. The
and one can develop a reasonable amount evaluating the machine... not surprisingly, best of th~se, I think, is the existence of easi-
of speed at it. The keybOCjfd we had was a the positions of several of the virtual ly visible status LEDs for the caps lock key.
bit unreliable on a few of its keys ... most like- airplane's control settings corresponded to What's more , the two states of this often of-
ly as a result of having been bounced the physical positions of the function keys on fending instrument are indicated by two dif-
around through several reviewers previous- a real PC ... but were fairly meaningless on ferent coloured lights, making it easy to spot
ly. the Otrona. what it's about to lay on you.
As with all PC style keyboards, it The function keys are immediately
seems, the tactile feedback of the Otrona's below a slot designed to hold a plastic or
plank is about nil. cardboard strip that would normally bear
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Circle No. 37 on Reader Service CareL Circle No. 2 on Reader Service Card 39
Kraft Dinner It is fair to say, however, that not The Otrona is, first of all, a completely
It may be a personal thing, but the unusual everything that ran on the Otrona did so as unexpandable system. It consists of a three
colour of the amber monitor which came quickly as it did on other systems. The dif- slot motherboard of sorts, of which two of
with our Otrona kept making me think of ferences varied. WordStar seemed to be the slots are filled and one isn't even
Kraft dinner. Now, I can relate to the occa- about up to steam. Microsoft BASIC, socketed... it's largely unusable due to
sional commercial for the stuff.. . I've even however, was notably slower, especially if it space constraints. There are no electronic
eaten it occasionally when there were no had to handle a lot of graphics. The one components on the motherboard ... it just
lizards or old shoes or other more palatable armed bandit program, from the June edi- holds the sockets.
substances quickly at hand ... but staring at tion of Computing Now!, is a reasonably The two boards which plug into the
the stuff or hours on end can do your head swift thing under most other systems but, slots are about as dense as these things get,
in. What's more, it seemed to form itself into being graphics intensive, is a turtle on the having several piggyback boards popped
words ... Otrona. on top of their existing circuitry to get still
The Otrona boots extremely quickly, Certainly if one is considering buying more chips in the available space. The
giving you a silly logo to look at while it's an O trona for business applications... it is whole circuitry area of the Otrona's case is
clicking and popping. It checks itself out, expensive to use as an arcade game .. . slow about the size of a large paperback novel.
printing up several status messages ... such graphics will not be a serious problem. The Otrona comes with a serial port, a
as whether the keyboard is working proper- However, this was a bit strange. parallel port and an external video connec-
ly ... and bops into MS-DOS. Amber tor running out of the side of its case. The
flickers everywhere. video connector uses a nonstandard ar-
The Otrona DOS ... an implementation rangement through an RS-232 styleD con-
of MS-DOS 2.0... is really pretty boring. nector. This is all the I/0 the machine has,
Having reviewed what seems like a medium and, because ·it lacks useable peripheral
sized in ground swimming pool filled to the slots, all it ever will have. Now, this is
brim with PC clones I was sort of half hop- enough for most of the usual applications for
ing for some colourful innovations attached PC's. However, for example, if you wanted
to the DOS. I mean, if it had crashed and fill- to have a mouse and a modem plugged into
ed the screen full of odd characters it would your system you would encounter
have been something new to write about. something of a port shortage.
DOS on the Otrona behaves entirely Some of the internal design aspects of
predictably. In fact, we gave the system the case arrangement are disturbing. The
considerably more of a jog 'round the block pins of the sockets on the motherboard are
than we usually do for evaluation machines. pressed right up against the steel back of the
I used it to write several bits of software, in- case. They've been covered with strips of
cluding the Celestial Mechanic in the Oc- cloth tape to keep them from shorting, but
tober edition of Computing Now!. We later this does not look profoundly secure,
troddled it out to the recent Software Faire especially inasmuch as the motherboard
trade show for four days of prodding by the does vibrate around a bit, being supported
tourists. DOS continued to be boring by the cards plugged into it instead of the
throughout, never once hanging or even Using a wide range of software on the other way around.
emitting an audible burp. Otrona turned up no peculiarities in its The most worrying question concern-
This is actually a pretty decent record ... operation. Some of the stuff that we ran on it ing the Otrona's construction, however, is
most systems do crash occasionally, both was extremely decent with the amber the long term stability of its circuitry. It gets
because of minor software hassles and due tube ... the characters which have their at- extremely hot in there. The box does
to power line glitches. Trade shows, with tributes set are still quite readable, which is feature a cooling fan, but it's sequestered
their instant electrical wiring, are notably not the case with many systems. away in the cavity which holds the power
bad for this sort of thing. While not one bit supply, with little air making it into the com-
as interesting as a thunderous explosion Below The Salt pcnent section.
from one of the drives might have been, this . One of the things that we get to do to In fairness, the system didn't show any
quiet perseverance is reasonably im- evaluation systems... and most casual users signs of heat relate glitches while we were
pressive. don't, at least not before they buy them ... is using it, but the temperature inside the case
It is also a credit to the box that we were to void their warranties and rip the covers is probably enough to measurably shorten
unable to find any software which wouldn't off them. Some of the nicest looking com- the life of some of the parts in the system.
run on it... except for the time somebody puters are real jungles inside. Also in fairness, I haven't seen a por-
put a Commodore 64 disk into the thing by The Otrona is extremely small and, as table system yet that didn't toast a bit. .. the
mistake. Even the house teddies, like the one would suspect, pretty tight inside. There Otrona doesn't get any hotter than most. It
flight simulator and a few home grown ben- are a number of things about the construc- also seems to be made of better than
chmarks designed to hang up on anything tion of the thing which would give one cause average electronic parts, which will over-
even a bit weird sailed through the drives to shake a bit. While it's mechanically fairly come this problem to some extent. I
like an oil slick headed for a crowded solid... there are some really nicely wouldn't think that the mean time between
beach. I'm told that a lot of effort went into engineered aspects to the works ... there are failures of an Otrona would be anywhere
the compatibility of the Otrona. also a few decided weak points to it. near as good as that of a real IBM, or of

most full sized desktop systems, but it would which is different from the guts of a three
be hard to estimate what the difference thousand dollar desk: top system. The slight-
would be. ly more elaborate case and the amber tube
The distributor wasn't interested in loan- can't be said to account for two grand.
ing us the system for five years so we could However, what one is prepared to pay for a
check up on this further. system will largely be determine by what
one is going to do with it.
Truckin' H you need a portable, and can afford
The Otrona 200 l is a decent little box, con-
sidering both its features and its minor glit-
ches. It is certainly among the best portable
Specs an Otrona, there are few choices which will
leave you with a better computer. There are
none which will avail you of a better conver-
PC compatible systems I've tried ... it's un- sation starter.
questionably the most innovatively design- System: Oboaa2001 The system also traps mice if you can
ed. It's comfortable in use and its software Processor: 8088 lure them under the monitor and release the
compatibility is admirable. Memory: 2561[ wire bale before they can escape. CN!
Graphics: MO X 200 pixels
I think that, being portable, it would Display: MODOChrome amber
have been a marginally better trip had its mODitor
power supply been able to accept an assort- Disks: 2 3401: DDSD Teac DriYes
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thousand dollars when all the dust settles... is Price: U495 (Yaries with optiODS)
Operating
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a bit steep as there is nothing in the system
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T here's something wonderful about

creating a custom circuit for a com-
puter ... a feeling of triumph, a flush of
Physically, the board is eight and a haH
inches wide by almost foor inches high, ex-
clusive of the mounting pins. The prototyp-
creativity. Most of all, one experiences a ing area is divided into two areas, the
feeling of relief that the nasty thing is finally largest having thirteen hundred and twenty
finished. holes on tenth of an inch centres and occu-
Hardware design has its glorious pying about haH the area of the board.
moments, but there is an awful lot of dull in- The second, smaller area has a hundred
terlace circuitry which precedes any great and seventy holes. It would normally wind
application. Inherent in the notion of con- up located on the side that is closest to the
necting a device to a computer is the essen- rear panel of the PCs chassis, making it
Designing and building com- tial glue that makes it communicate with the useful for mounting externally accessible
puter hardware can be like try- system buss. connectors and such.
ing to solve an equation with The IBM PC is among the worst of The holes are plated through donut
twelve variables on your systems to design hardware for in this light, pads suitable for soldering or wirewrapp-
fingers. Here·s a look at an in- as its buss interlacing is, not surprisingly, ing.
fairly involved. It's not all that difficult or The signals available from the on board
telligent prototype card for the complex but the sorting out of the required circuitry include foor output strobes, four in-
IBM PC which eliminates a lot signals and the timing considerations one put strobes, an eight bit data bus and the
of the drudgery and much of encounters are quite the handfuL power supply voltages. The signals are ac-
the guessing. Furthermore, you have to build up the cessed from three wire wrap terminal strips.
interlace every time you want to do The address decoding circuitry includes
something different. It's dull, it's tedious, and switches that allow the user to select one of
by Brian Greiner it interferes with the creative process. What foor unique address ranges.
is needed is a prototype card with the inter- The board is well designed. All the
faces already on it, all designed, built up chips languish in sockets, making them easy
and working, ready to interlace to the cir- to replace if one should snuff it.. not an
cuitry of your imagination. unlikely eventuality considering the use to
Actually, what is needed is a PDIOO which the board will probably be put. The
from Real Tune Devices, a little slab of buss connector strip is gold flashed ... again,
fiberglass which is just that. a necessary feature if the card is going to
find itseH in and out of the machine frequent-
Board of the Rings ly. The output connectors for the signals are
The PD l 00 consists of the address decoder clearly labeled, as are the pins for each
and data buffer circuitry required for a cir- signal
cuit to interlace with the PCs buss... plus a The board is useful by itseH, but to a
large prototyping area. limited number of people. What really
Computing Bowl :November 1984

The PC Proto Card
fiE theory behind the PDlOO's circuitry, the
mechanics of prototype construction, dif-
ferent types of input and output transducers,
analog interlacing techniques and four ex-
periments.
It also has several appendixes detailing
fiE Pes memory and I/0 address maps, fiE
PC's buss signals and complete details of the
PDlOO.
The book concludes with a twen-
ty-eight article bibliography of magazine
articles that deal with interlacing techniques
and projects.
Although the treahnent of the topics in
fiE manual tends to be brief, this book is the
best introduction to interfacing with the PC
that I've seen. It does assume a passing
familiarity with digital electronics, but not
too much. The authors are to be con-
gratulated on a fine job... without too much
work, it oould probably be expanded into a
full sized book.
makes it interesting is fiE documentation page affair that details the PDl 00 and The only gripe one could level against
that comes with it. Yes, amazing as it may serves as an excellent tutorial text on the the book is the quality of its printing. The
sound, this prototype board comes with a subject of interlacing. text has obviously been printed out on a dot
moderately rotund little manual Called "In- The book is excellent, covering basic matrix printer, and is faded in spots.
terface Projects for fiE IBM PC' fiE book is buss interlacing concepts, fiE IBM PC's
a spiral bound, one hundred and sixteen hardware as it relates to the use of the card,
PC-SLIDE MAKES YOUR

PRESENTATION A MASTERPIECEI
Introducing The Revolutionary Way
To Faster And More Economical
Presentation Slides.
Specs
~vice: PDIOO prototype develop-
ment board
Systeni: IBM PC
Size: 8.5 X 3.8125 inches
Manufacturer: Real Time Devices. 1930
Park For.t ATenue, P.O.
Box 906, State College. PA
1680t
Distributor: Real Tune Devices
Price: $99.00 plus $2.50 shippiDg
Now anyone in your Check your (US)
organization can design hard COPf and
artistic presentation slides with innOIIa- make last minute changes
tive new PC-Siide. a cost-effective before transmitting your order to one of Solder Suckers
software package from Management our service centres for processing.
Graphics. Master the art of fast and Within 48 hours we deliver your high The PD l 00 is a well thought out, well built
creative 35mm slides and colour resolution 35mm slides. and exceedingly well documented device.
transparencies with the personal If you don't have a ~rsonal Com- It will be of interest to those who wish tocon-
computer you now use. puter ask about our Dial-A-Slide service struct their own interlaces for the IBM PC.
PC-Siide lets you design your own MGI also markets a complete slide Its thorough manual will allow even relative
special effects. shaded areas. pat- system for in-house production of 35mm
terns. maps. slides. neophytes to get working hardware going
graphs and text Phone or write for your free guide to in a few hours, while, at the same time.
charts.in up to 64 Making Your Slide Presentation A minimizing the danger of doing something
different colours Masterpiece today. uncool and frying one's computer.
in minutes. You
PCSide~ ~.
·----r
can also have The price of the card is also definitely
plotted hard- right... converted to Canadian dollars it
CO!=¥ output im- 2064 Avenue Road. 1673 Carling Ave.. Suite 110. works out to about twice what a bare IBM
Toronto. On!. MSM 4A6 OHawa. On!. K2A 1C4 style prototyping board would cost. CH!
mediately. (416) 485-2855 (613) 725·2968
C'ucle No. 18 on Reader Service Card ComputiDg lfowllfOYember 19M

The truly incredible
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buy your Kaypro Business Pak, you screen), a Kaypro letter quality printer plus 11 name-brand
are eligible for this special offer on software programs.
our own Accounting Package. For The Business Pak will project profits, balance your checkbook,
just $249.00 (a saving of up to do inventory, estimate jobs, maintain your client lists, plus
$100.00) you can add accounts provide the smartest "typewriter" you've ever owned.
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*Based on retail price of $349 .00 Kaypro is distributed in Canada by
Col11Putron
.
"'
Survey of PC Compatibles
Despite critics bemoaning the ancient ar- ty-four per cent of all listed systems. April 1984's survey of one
chitecture of the IBM PC and its increasing hundred and fifty-five micros had fifty-three MS-DOS systems,
or a percentile of thirty-four. MS-DOS compatibles numbered
supply of operating systems and software, it sixty-eight out of September 1984's survey of one hundred and
seems there are a lot of manufacturers out sixty-six, constituting a bit less than forty-one per cent.
there trying to get in on its phenominal suc- There are eighty-six systems listed below, a significant rise
cess... from the fifty-seven in our June 1984 CN! coverage of MS-DOS
compatibles.
Back in Computing Now!'s first issue, April 1983, we compiled a What all these figures mean is perhaps unclear, but if the trend
survey of fifty systems, of which seven were MS- DOS compati- to MS-DOS compatibility continues, within a couple of years
ble. This worked out to fourteen per cent. September 1983's there won't be anything else out there. Trends tend to usurped by
survey of one hundred (actually ninety-seven) systems had twen- other trends, though... the new combination UNIX and
ty-three MS-DOS compatibles, weighing in at about !wen- dishwashing computers from Maytag look good...
Name Processor(s) RAM Printer 1/0 Disk Drives Inc. Graphics Colour Software Inc. Manufacturer Available From Suggested Retail Other
Auoclate ZBOA or optional 128K 3 serial, one IEEE, Two DSDD 5V." flop- 32 graphics charac- Optional Microplan, Spell- Asscciate Datacalc Technology $4495.00 114 function keys
8088 optional parallel py or optional I 0 mb ters, 256 user de- binder, ace pak Ind. Corp
hard drive finable
B.E.S.T 8088 64K Sera\ or parallel One DD DS floppy 640 x 325 pixels Yes N/A Multillex Exceltronix $1,995.00 IBM PC compatible
The Big Blue 8088 (opt 8087) 128K; ex- Optional card One sbmline 5Y4" 640 x 200 pixels Yes DOS BIOS in Robin Hood Robin Hood Elect- $2495.00 inc. monitor & IBM compatible
Board pandable to floppy EPROM Electronics tronics keyboard
256K
Canon AS-100 8088 128K Opt. se!ial or parallel Optional 5114" or 8" 640 x 400 pixels Optional 2 BASICs Canon Office Equipment $3525.00 Avail. w. colour ink jet
floppy or 5" hard printer
Columbia NPC 8088 !28K 2 serial, l Parallel Dual 5W floppy 320/640x200 pixels Yes 2 operating systems Columbia Data Peripherals Plus $3399.00 IBM compatible; 10 mb
1600-1 Perfect software hard d~k model $5999.
Copam PC-301 8088 256K l parallel, 2 serial 2 floppy 640x200 pixels Yes MS-DOS, CPIM-86 Copam Canada Universal Camp. Sys., $3495.00 IBM compatible
Corona PC 8088 256K Serial & parallel 2 DSDD floppy 640x325 pixels Optional Multimate 3.26, MS- Corona ScarSdale Computers $3990.00; hard d~k Can mix text & graphics
DOS 2.0 version $5995.00
DEC Rainbow 100 zso & 8088 128K Serial I drive accommodat- 800x240 pixels Palette of Choice of CP/M -86 Digital Equipment Local Dealers $4600.00
ing 2-5Y4" disks 1.024 orMS-DOS
colours
DEC Rainbow 100+ zso & 8088 128K Serial l dual-diskette drive Optional; 800x240 Opt., palette CPIM-86 or MS- Digital Equipment Local dealers $7,500.00
1-10Mb hard pixels of 4,096
colours
(') HP 150 8088 256K 2 serial, I IEEE-488 Opt floppy or hard 512x390 pixels No MS-DOS, P.A.M. Hewlett-Packard NSN Options $5200.00
0 Touchacreen drives
B
'0 Heath H-100 8088 & 8085 192K 2 serial & I parallel I DSDD 5 Y." floppy 640x225 pixels Optional CP/M or ZOOS Heathkit Heathlot $3,300; $3500 w. inte- Kit version of Zenith
c: grated monitor Z-100
-s·
IQ
Heath ET-100 8088 16K I serial, l program- Casrette based; d~k 33 graphic chars. Optional CP/M asrembler, eel- Heathkit Heathkit $2,000.00 Available in kit or
:z: mable parallel upgrade available upgrade iter
& debugger assembled form
0
!
:z:
0
<
CD
B
tr
CD
.
CD
00
-..
0
0 NEC Advanced 8086 128K Serial & paraUel I or 2 8" floppy 640x4 75 pixels dis- Optional CP/M & MS-DOS NEC Mi(!r ocomputers of $4195- 1 drive;. $5195- $6395 with colour
..,B Personal Computer play window Canada, Inc. 2 drives
s. Pronto 16/10 80186 128K I serial, I paraUel, 2 5\-\" floppy Optional 640x480 No BASIC, word pro- Pronto Computers, Pronto Computers, $2,995.00
~· 4 exJid.nsion ports• pixels cessor , spreadsheet, U.S.A.
more
Tl Prolesolonal 8088 128K Serial, 5 expansion _I-5W' floppy 'J20x300 pixels Optional Var~ble Texas Instruments Authorized dealers $3,445.00 Voice management
i Computer poris system available
-
~ -Televideo -- lbiUa
·.n; ---- ---- Serial 2-5 V." floppy
8088 128K Optional No CP/M -86 and MMM Televideo Datamex $4,420.00 Extensive softwar e
Ost available
B
=
i' IBM PC 8088 256K Expansion slots One 360K drive 640x200 pixels Optional Software in RO M International Business Local dealers $3069.00 Optional auxiliar y storage
..
.... Machines with e>epamion u nit
:
"' IBMXT 808~ 256K Async Comm. 1-5 Y4' floppy, 640x200 pixels Optional Software in ROM International Business Local Dealers $6,760.00
1-1 0 Mb hard drive Machines
TRS-80 80186 128K Ser~l; 4 expansion 2 shmline 5 v." floppy 640x400 pixels Yes MS-DOS Tandy Radio Shack $4 150.00-2 floppy Processor operates at
Model2000 slots drives; $6399 w_ I flop~ 8 MHz
drive & I hard drive
Toohlba T-300 8088 192K; ex- I serial, I paraUel 1-5\-\" DD floppy 640x500 pixels Yes MS-DOS and Toshiba Irwin Electronics, $3,500.00 Programmable function
pandable to TBASIC Infinite Canada Inc. keys
512K
Xerox 16/8 8086 & Z80A 128K Serial & paraUel Optional 2 floppy or Optional No BASIC Xerox Xerox Stores $5595.00 SS drives; $8995.00 w . rigid disk
Prol-lonal or I hard, I floppy $6,795.00 DS drives
Computer
Zenith Z-100 8088 & 8085 128K 2 serial & I parallel I DS DD 5v." floppy 640x225 pixels Optional CP/M or ZOOS Zenith Local dealers $4395.00 (no monitor); $5450.00 w. 2 drives &
$5295.00 (2 drives) monitor
Ajllell 8088 256K Serial & paraUel 2-5Y4' DS DD 640x250 pixels No ln:Scribe, Multi- Bytec-Comterm Anderson Jacol::son $3,190.00 Single drive version;
floppy plan $2,730.00
Hyperion 8088 256K Serial & paraUel 2-5Y4' DS DD 640x250 pixels No ln:Scribe, Multi- Bytec-Comterm Computerland $4,950.00
p lan
ColumbiaVP 8088 128K Serial, ParaUel & 7 2 hall-height 5\-\" DS 640x200 pixels No Perfect series, Fast Columbia Data Peripherals Plus $2,999.00
expansion slots DD Graphics Systems
DOT Portable 8088 128K 2 serial 2-3'12'' SS DD I 056x254 pixels No MS-DOS Computer Devices Datamex NIA Integrated printer
Corona Portable 8088 256K Serial & paraUel; 4 2 DD DD floppy 640x325 pixels No MS-DO S 20, Corona Scarsdale $3,990.00 $5,995.00 for hard disk
expansiori. slots Multimate 3.26 version
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co Name Processor(&) RAM Printer l/0 Disk Drives Inc. Graphics Colour Software Inc. Manufacturer Available From Suggested Retail Other
Kaypro 4 Plus 88 ZBOA, 8088 320K NIA N/A Optional No Same as Kaypro II Kaypro Computron $3,695.00
Ollvett!M-18 8088 256K Serial & parallel I hall-height 5V." 640x325 pixels No GW BASIC, Multi- Corona Olivetti branches & $3596.00; $3695.00 Shock mounted disk drive
Portable DS DD Mate, PC Tutor, MS- dealers desktop model; beth
•a.
DOS models $6295 w _ 10 Mb
IIIII
hard disk
Olivetti M24 8086 256K Serial & parallel I hall-height 5Y." 640x400 pixels Yes MS-DOS, GW Olivetti Olivetti branches & $4445.00 IBM compatible; opt. 2nd ~
floppy BASIC dealers floppy or 10 Mb hard
disk
•
Ollvett!M21 8086 256K Serial & parallel I hall-height 5Y." 640x400 pixels No MS-DOS, GW Olivetti Olivetti branches & NIA IBM compatible; optional
0
Portable floppy BASIC dealers second 5 V." floppy
....
Nelma Persona 16 8088 Expandable 1 sezial, I parallel & 2-5Y." DD disk Colour 600x200 Optional MS-DOS Nelrna Data Corp. Nelma Data Corp. $3,995.00 Clock w. rechargeable
to 512K optional 2nd serial drtves pixels, monochrome battery backup. IBM soft-
720x350 pixels ware & hardware com- ~
patible
The Pr.. ldent 8088 128K l serial and 2 snmline 5 v.'' floppy 640x320 pixels Yes NIA President Computer President Computer $3,195.00 High resolution
•
1 parallel Corp. Corp. monochrome monitor in- ~
eluded
Sharp PC 5000 8088 & C-MOS 128K Serial Opt 128K bubble 640x80 pixels No N/A Sharp Electronics Total Office Systems $2695.00, not including
cartridge printer & drive
Texas hmtrument. 8088 128K Serial & parallel 1 hall-height 5Y." 720x300 pixels Optional MS-DOS Texas Instruments Texas Instrumen~ $3475.00
Portable floppy
i!
North Star ZBOA; opt. 8088 64K Serial & parallel 2 floppy or I floppy, 640x240 pixels No CP/M or DOS North Star TRW Data Systems $3695.00 for 2 floppies Systems with hard drives ....
Advantage 1 hard start at $7,495.00
cr
....
Olympia People 8086 128K Serial & parallel 2 floppy drives 600x485 pixels Optional WordStar, Super- Olympia Inter- Olympia Business $4,950.00
Calc, dBASE II national Machines Can. Ltd.
SanyoMBC
550/555
8088 128K Opt sezial 1-160K 5" floppy
(550) or 2 (555)
640x200 pixels Yes BASIC, MS-DOS Sanyo Astris Science Inc. $1495.00 (550);
$1995.00 (555)
W. 360K drives, the 550-
2 & 555-2 are $1795.00
I
& $2495.00 respectively
Sperry Per1onal 8088 128K Serial 1 or 2 5Y." floppy 320x200, 320x400, Yes MS-DOS Sperry Inc. Sperry Inc. $3,970.00 Five configurations
Computer or 10Mb hard 640x200 or available
640x400 pixels
JLS XT 8088 64K 8 slots NIA NIA NIA NIA JLS Electronics JLS Electronics $1,499.00 IBM compatible. 130 watt
power supply
IBM PCJr 8088 64K; 128K Serial Opt. DS 5V." floppy N/A Yes Software in ROM Interna.tional Business Local dealers $998.00 entry level; Compatible with over 30
enhanced J-320K floppy (en- Machiines $1569.00 enhanced IBM PC programs
hanced model)
IBM Portable 8088 256K 5 expansion slots 2-5Y4' DSDD floppy 650x200 pixels No Software in ROM Interna.tional Business Local dealers $4,649.00
Machines
0
Pre~ldent Sr. 8088 256K I sezial & 2 parallel 1-10Mb hard disk 720x348 pixels No NIA President Computer President Computer $5495.00 Real· time clock/calendar
~
'tl & 2-5Y." floppy; 1 Corp. Corp.
a DSDD& 1 DSQD
~· Pre~!dent Ex. 8088 256K 2 serial & 2 parallel 1-20 Mb hard, 1 720x348 Yes NIA President Computer President Computer $7,945.00 256K extra RAM on
1.6 Mb 5Y." floppy Corp. Corp. muJti.function card.
:z:
0 J-360K 5V4' floppy
!. 64K 1 sezial, 1· parallel 1 hall-height 5Y." 640x320 pixels Optional Ogivar Inc. Ogivar Inc., local $4,700.00 'Mouse' included
:z: PanamaXT 8088 BIOS in ROM
floppy; opt. hard dealers
~ dii.ve
CD .
TAVA PC 8088 64K 2 serial, 1 parallel 1-5 Y4' floppy 640x320 pixels Yes N/A TA VA Corporation Nielsen Computers $2,995.00 Monitor included
CD
..e.
,_. Eagle PC +I/ 8088 128K 2 serial, one parallel l-5Y4" floppy; PC2+ Opt. card .. 640x200 Opt. card MS-DOS, BASICA Eagle Computers DataTech Systems $2740.00(PC + 1), Monitor optional
~PC +II II has 2 pixels Ltd., Leading Source $3330.00 (PC + ll)
.
l<
A successful, rapidly
expanding all-canadian
company commlted to high
technology.
Founded in 1979 by Eugen Hutka,
the Exceltronix group has grown to
sales of over $8 million a year with
four retail branches, the original (but
much expanded) one at 319 College
Street in Toronto, 335 Evans Avenue
also in Toronto and with Branches in
Ottawa and Hamilton.
From a retail store specializing
in electronic parts, Exceltronix is
now only one of a group of compan-
ies, all controlled by Eugen Hutka.
Activities range from original
research and development (almost
$1 million was devoted solely to this
last year), to manufacturing, to re-
tailing and mail order.
Multiflex Inventions and Technol-
ogies Inc. are major suppliers to
Canadian industry: the advanced
message display signs in the Toron- Eugen Hutka still takes an active interest in all aspects of the company's
to Subway system were designed by business and is seen here inspecting product$ on the production line.
Multiflex and manufactured by
Versa-Digital Inc. and similar
systems are in use with VIA Rail.
Multiflex and associated companies
do custom design, development and
manufacture for all types of
customers , i ncl ud i ng Northern
Telecom, CGE and Bombardier.
Despite its phenomenal growth,
Exceltronix has not forgotten what
led to this success: personal ser-
vice, and competitive prices. The The display signs used through The Hamilton branch of Ex·
same company who are mass pro- the Toronto subway system are celtronix opened in 1984. There is
ducing IBM and Apple compatible products developed and produc· also a similar sized stored in Ot·
peripheral cards will still sell you a ed by Multiflex and Versa-Digital. tawa.
single resistor if that is what you
want.
Exceltronix and its sister
organizations are proud , expanding,
all-Canadian companies.
Associated Companies:
Exceltronix Inc.
Multiflex Inventions and
Technologies Inc.
Toronto Computing Centre Inc.
Versa-Digital Technology Inc. Almost all products are flow Almost $1 million was spent last
soldered and ultrasonically year by the group on research
Digi media Inc. cleaned in Multiflex's 5,000 and development of new pro·
2- Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984 square feet production facilities. ducts.
Order Form
Bxceltronix Mail Orders to Exceltronix,
Component/ & Computing Inc. 319 College St., Toronto, Ont.,
MST 1S2
We also accept phone orders: (416) 252-5285. If busy (416) 921-8941
Check Electronics Today or Computing Now! Magazines for phone numbers.
r-----------------------~
All non-certified cheques will be held for 10
working days for clearance before orders
are shipped . Ontario residents must add
Name
PST unless proper exemption certificates
are supplied with order. All prices and
Address specifications subject to change without
notice. No returns accepted without prior
written consent of Shipping Dept. manager.
A 15% restocking charge will be applied to
all returned items. Returns will be refused
City Prov
unless prior written RMA# (approval) is ob-
tained from the mail order manager. RMA#
Date must appear on package.
QTY Description Price Each Total Price
Total for goods (Minimum $10.00)

Shipping (Minimum $5 - see below)*
Ontario Residents add 7% PST
Adjustments
Total
*Shipping: Minimum $5 which includes handling and insurance. Items are shipped UPS or other suitable carrier. Shippmg
costs are dependent on weight and destination, if you are unsure contact our Mail Order Department.
Payment: D Cheque D Money Order D Credit Card. Do NOT send cash .
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diner's Club Credit Cards
( ) Visa ( ) Mastercard ( ) American Express ( ) Diner's Club
Card No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Expiry Date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signature .. . ... . . . ... . ... . . . . .. .
All prices are in Canadian funds, FST included Please feel free to photocopy this order form
Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984 - 3

Apple Products
Features:
Apple Macintosh •
•
ROM 64K, RAM 128K
Microprocessor. The 32-bil Motorola
• Display. Nine inch, high-resolution
(512 x 342 pixel) bit mapped display.
MC68000 microprocessor. Green screen.
computer only $28&0 • Disk Drive. Bui lt-in 3'12' disk drive,
which can store 400K per disk.
•
•
Polyphonic sound port.
Optional 3" drives will be available
• Mouse. Features: one button, a from Multiflex Tech. Inc. at unbeatably
rotating ball and optical sensors to low prices.
translate movements of the mouse to • Keyboard and Mouse.
Macintosh's screen pointer with pin-
point accuracy.
Printer 110: Serial
MacPackage =
Screen Format: Variable Mac as described
Sound Yes above plus:
Colour: No
.Keyboard: Detachable • Macwrite
Software Included: Graphics and word - • Macpaint
processing • System Disk
Weight: 17 lbs. • Manuals
Primary Market: Home, business
education. With lmagewriter $3,795.00
Mac Accessories Mac Packages
Mac Numeric Keypad .... $235.00 128K Macintosh printer/external
Mac Disk Drive ... $655.00 drive. . $4299.00
Mac Carry'n'case . .... $170.00
Mac Surge Suppressor . . . . . $130.00 512K Mac System .... _... . . .$5,599.00
Mac Disks . ... $62.00 Macintosh 128Konly . ... $2860.00
Mac Star interface for
Star Micronics . . . .. $CALL Printer . - ........ $849.00
Software for Mac

The Main Street Filer: Mailing list - job Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . ... $149.00
costing - inventory control - sales MacWrite/MacPaint. . ... $221.00
reports- all in one .... $365.00 Pis Fi le & Pis Report .... $214.00
Basic . .. . _....... __ ... . . . $149.00 Think Tank ........... _... .. .. .. $150.00
Multiplan ........ ..... _......... $189.00 Habadex ............. . .. .. .. ... $212.00
Apple//e $1,229.00
Operating System: BASIC e 64K of RAM
Processor(s): 6502A • compatible to Apple//+, PLUS many
. RAM: 64K more improvements .. . ... . . $1,229.00
Printer 1/0: Optional serial or
parallel Apple Mouse & Software . .... $146.00
Disk Drives Inc: Optional Apple Numeri c Keypad .$235.00
Screen Formats: 40 x 24; optional 80 Apple 128K extended card . ... $208.00
X 24 Hayes Joystick . . .. .. .. . .... $64.00
Apple//c Graphics:
Sound:
2801560 x 192 pixels
Yes
80 Column ... ....... ... . . .. $149.00
Multiflex IPI ........... . ..... $69.00
Colour: Yes Multiflex disk drive ... $245.00
$1,569.00 Keyboard:
Software Included:
Integrated Apple Disk Drives ........... $439.00
BASIC
Check page 6 for gigantic selection of
Features: Apple peripherals.
• upgraded version of Apple If
Check page 13 for printers.
Standard Package Includes:
• full upper and lower case keyboard Check page 14 for monitors.
• high resolution graphics
• wid e software and hardware support Service Policy - ask us for our one
• built-in self tes ts · year extended warranty pla ns.
Operating System:
Processors:
RAM:
Printer UO Serial
Disk Drives Inc: One SSSD 5%"
floppy
Screen Format: 40/80 X 24
••
Graphics: 280/560 x 192 pixels Built-in disk drive .
Sound: Yes; volume control 80 Column
and headphone jack : Fu ll size, full featured keyboard.
Six program computer course
Colour: Yes
Keyboard: Integrated • Learning manuals (mo nitor is not in·
eluded) ......... $1,569.00
Software Included: Four disk introduc-
tion system utilities
Weight: 3.4 kilograms Apple Disk Drive. . ... $479.00
Other: No slots. Ports for Apple Mouse & Software. . .. $165.00
printer, second Apple Mini monitor . . . . . . . . . . . $324.00
drive, modem, RGB
monitor or televi-
Apple monitor st and
Apple Carry'n'case
.... $60.00
.. $60.00
Apple //e Package Deal $1,659.00
sia n, composite Hayes Joystick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $64.00 • Apple 1/e • Multi! lex Z80 Card (CP/M software not
monitor, mouse or Granny Smith (printer interface) for • Multi! lex Disk Drive & Controller inc luded)
joystic k/ paddles. Epson & Gemini style printers ... $180.00 • 80 Colu mn Card
4- Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984
compatible Products
Exceltronix Super &502 EXCEL & Package .. $995.00
System: EXCEL2 . . . $599.00
We strongly believe that our 6502 system will efficiently serve

all of your needs; all of the options are on one board. Excel2 far
surpasses many of the other 6502 systems.
Features:
• attractive case Features include:
• heavy duty power supply • our super 6502 system (same board, with same features, as used and described in
• superior high quality professional keyboard with upper and the EXCEL2 package, BUT:
• comes with new attractive case (as seen In picture)
lower case, and numeric key pad • IBM compatible extra high quality serial keyboard
• 80 x 24 video, with soft switch on board • Multiflex serial to parallel programmable ASCII converter card
• 64K of RAM on board • Extra heavy duty power supply, with RFI filter and power light indicator built into
the power switch.
• 2 Drive Floppy controller on board • Special silent 3" Fan is buill In, to keep your system cool.
• Five additional expansion slots • one Apple compatible built-In disk drive, which leaves enough space for an op-
• Fu!ly assembled and tested, 90 day limited warranty tional hard disk drive or another floppy drive.
• Blank EPROMS Included, but does not Include any proprietary Boot software or
• (System comes with .blank EPROMS on board; does not in·
Basic.
elude any propritary boot software or Basic) • Monitor not Included In price.
• Systems are professionally assembled and tested (boards are
wave/flow soldered and ultrasonically cleaned.).
EXCEL & Package
EXCEL 2 Package .. $889.00 WITH TWO APPLE COMPATIBLE
Includes: FLOPPY DISK DRIVES . . . . . $1,199.00
• 6502 system as described above
• Multiflex Apple TM Compatible Disk Drive
• ZBO Board (CP/M software not included) EXCEL & Ultra Loaded
Apple and Applesoft are trade marks of Apple Computer Canada Package . . . . . . . S 1, 799.00
DON'T MISS THIS OFFER!
APPLE COMPATIBLE DISK • EXCEL 6 system
DRIVES •
•
2 built-in drives (Apple compatible)
complete Z60 Card (CP/M software not included)
FAMOUS MULTIPLEX • Multiflex Parallel Printer Card and Cable
• Star Gemini 10X Printer
DISK DRIVE • Zenith or Amdek 12'; greE'n screen or amber monitor, with video cable
$239.00
one
Year MULTIFLEX APPLE
warranty
Features:
COMPATIBLE MODEM
• Apple compatible • Attractively packaged • Professionally built and tested
• Canadian Made • 1 year warranty • We be lieve that Multiflex put out more drives
in the last year than all other Canadian manufacturers combined.
PACKAGE DEAL # 1 Includes:

Multiflex disk drive (as described) and multifles floppy disk controller $28 9.00
PACKAGE DEAL #21ncludes:
Two multiflex disk drives and multiflex
floppy disk controller .......................... • ... . . ......... $520.00 300 Baud direct connect, autodial, autoanswer modem, which plugs right Into your Ap·
pie or compatible computer and work like a charm.
SLIMLINE DISK DRIVE $229.00
Attractively packaged, Apple compatible, ultra reliable (120 day warranty). $169.00 SUPER SPECIAL
Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984- 5
.------
Apple compatible Peripherals
MULTIFLEX NEW SUPER MULTIFLEX PARALLEL SUPER SPECIAL
80 X 24 VIDEO CARD PRINTER INTERFACE MULTIFLEX FLOPPY
WITH SOFTSWITCH $85.00 CARD WITH CABLE CONTROLLER .... $59.00
This new Multiflex card features: • superb 80 columns This card plugs into any of the Apple II+, lie, or work- Features:
by 24 lines display, with upper and lower case, reverse alike computers, and provides the user with a parallel in- • plugs right into slot #6 in your Apple computer
video • includes built-in soft switch, allowing you to terface capable of handling graphics and characters. • capable of handling up to two Apple compatible
switch between the Apple 's 40 column and the video Ideal for use with the S(ar Gemini and Epson Printers. drives.
cards 80 column from the keyboard. • superb com-
patibility. BESTSELLER $65.00
MULTIFLEX 'I&K RAM MICROTEK SERIAL CARD
WIZARD IPI INTERFACE FOR THE APPLE .. $139.00
CARD . . . . . . . . . -$57.95 $85.00 Similar functions to MULTI FLEX super serial card.
Expand your 48K Apple II+ to 64K. The Multiflex 16K
Ram Card allows other languages to be loaded into your
Apple from disk or tape.
MICROTEK APPLE DUMPL- MULTIFLEX EPROM PRo-
ING PARALLEL CARD GRAMMER . . . . . . $69.00
WIZARD 'I&K RAM
............. $135.00 Features:
CARD . . . . . . . . . $89.00 Similar functions as Multiflex Parallel Printer Interface • Eprom programmer for Apple computers • Programs
Same functions as Multiflex 16K Ram Card Card with Cable. 2716, 2732, 2732A, 2764 • ZIF socket for the EPROM
• Complete with software • Comes with a built-in pro-
gramming voltage supply.
MULTIFLEX '128K WIZARD BUFFERED Included with the card is a disk full of software, which
using menus al lows the user to program or verify
MEMORY CARD .. $185.00 PARALLEL INTERFACE EPROMS, check if they are blank, set pointers anywhere
in memory, and save or load memory ranges to/from the
(with 128K of RAM on board) CARD disk drive, making this unit a very versatile piece of hard-
ware for the hardware developer or hobbyist.
With 64K of RAM on board $129.00 BPO 16 . . . . . . . . . . $189.00
(software not included) • o :s2 . . . . . . . . . S2:59.oo
128K Card can be used to function as RAM disk with
your Apple. MULTIFLEX
MULTIFLEX SUPER APPLE COMPATIBLE
MULTIFLEX UPGRADED SERIAL CARD .... $77.00
ZBO CARD .. .... $57.00 This card allows you to: • select desired baud rak
MODEM (ilj J 3;13 J =t3 f·!!
• connect to a serial RS-232 modem, term inal , or a
This card allows the user to run Z80/8080 programs on serial printer port • for example, connect two Apple
his Apple II+ or lie computer. Specifically, it allows him computers (using this card) to communicate with each
to run the CP/M operating system with all its attendant -other, through the RS-232 link over hundreds of feet.
software such as word processors, accounting
packages, etc. (CP/M software not included).
MULTIFLEX FLOPPY
MULTIFLEX Z8G-64K CARD CONTROLLER FOR 8''
This spectacular card provides you with the functions of DRIVES . . . . . . . . $99.00 300 Baud direct connect, autodial, autoanswer modem,
a Z80 card along with giving you extra 64K of self con- which plugs right into your apple or compatible computer
This card plugs into the Apple computer and allow you
tained memory, on top of the existing memory in your to use 8" DS DD Disk Drives. (Software not included). and work like a charm.
Apple computer. (Software not included)
Cable . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00 S169.oo • •·l ;;x•n !'l =t

_,
I . - . - - -
11m
' !<
.
T:
. .
•"" ,"
Ulllllllllllllllltltlllt ~
Parallel Printer Card Z80/64K Card
' ····..::··.· -- ~.-·. · - .. . ~ \ -;:-€~ ' .

·... -
.
~ 111!1_ . _- : . -~ . '-=-- ·-- . "

.
"
~,...
"
.. --:.... .r-- • • .. -
" - " . . " .

l• ' " " ' " ' " " "
-- ~ ~ ~-~"::'"'·~ lll\li"iTfilu wi!H~l~;~ ""'
Serial Card EPROM Programmer ZBO Card
. . ' '
All of our peripheral boards
-, ' . -: .....
'
~ <~~~-: ---
. '. are professionally built,
' ....
cleaned and tested, with a
' . lllllllllllll llilllllli il '.
' 8 Floppy Card Disk Controller 90 Day Limited warranty.
6- Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984
IBM Software Education
Koala Touch Tablet .. . .. $172.00 Books
We believe we have the Business Graphics . ..... $CALL Top Apple Books
best prices, check our Mastertype .. . ... .. . .... $59.00
Apple II User's Guide ..... $22.95
Game Show . . ... . . . . .. . $44.00
monthly ads for super Wizard of Words .. .. . . . . $44.00 Apple II Circuit Description$31.50
specials! Face Maker ...... . . .. .. $40.00 Creative Apple .. . . . ..... $19.95
Basic Apple BASIC ... .. . $17.95
Training Apple Almanac . .. ..... . $23.95
Features ATI Using 6502 Assembly Language
.. .. ... ... ... .. ... . . . $23.95
Lotus 1·2·3 ... . $429.00 How to use Lotus 1·2·3 (volume
Apple Logo . ... . . . ... . . . $22.95
1 & 2) . .. . . .. .. .. . . ... $78.00
WordStar How to use Wordstar (volume 1 & DOS Manuals . .. . ... . . .. $24.00
Professional .. $539.00 2) ..... . .. .. .. . ..... . $78.00 Apple Software '84 ... ... $23.95
Blue Book . ... . .. ..... .. $29.00
dBase Ill ..... $645.00 How to use MultiMate (volume
Beneath Apple DOS .... .. $25.95
1 & 2) . ...... . . . .. ... . $78.00
Multi Mate .... $449.00 How to use Microsoft Word$78.00 Apple II Programmers Handbook
.. ... ... . ... .. . . . . ... $22.95
Symphony .... $650.00 Visicalc Book- Apple ed. $18.95
Digital Research
CP/M-86 ........... . ... $60.00 Apple Fortran .. ... . . ... . $28.00
Accounting PU1-86 ... ...... . . . . .. $759.00 6502 Assembly Language
BPI Accounting .... .. .. . $CALL PC DOS ...... .. . . ...... $84.00 Programming . ... ..... $24.95
Electric Desk . ........ . $459.00 What's Where In the Apple $32.95
Lotus Development Apple Connection ....... $18.95
Data Base Systems tot us 1-2-3 (Version 1A) .. $429.00 Kid's and the Apple .. . .. . $26.00
dBase II. .......... . .. . $599.00 Symphony ... . . . ... . . . $650.00 P. Source . ....... . .. ... $32.50
dBase Ill .. .. .. . .... .. . $645.00 Symphony Upgrade .... . $345.00 Nibble Express Ill . .... . . $23.95
dBase Plus .. . .... . . ... $175.00 Games Apple's Play . .... $19.95
l nfostar .. .. . . .. . . . . . .. $486.00 Elementary Apple ....... $19.95
PFS File/PFS report .... $129. ea. Mlcropro Apple //e Programmers
Wordstar w/tutorial on disk Reference Guide .. .... $CALL
Home I Personal Finance (version 3.3) . . ...... . $539.00 Introducing the Apple //c . $CALL
Home Accountant Plus . . $149.00 Wordstar/MaiiMerge/CorrectStar/ Microsoft Word Made easy
Stari ndex (ProPack) ... $649.00 -Maced ... .. . . .. ... $CALL
Utilities lnfostar Plus (version 1.6) 6502 Programming ...... $19.95
Copy II PC . .. . . . ... .. . . . $47.00 Includes Star Burst .. . $680.00 Advanced 6502 Programming$19.95
Desk organizer ... ... ... $CALL Bank St. Writer . . . . ...... $80.00 6502 Applications . .. .... $19.95
Turbo Pascal . .. . .. • ... . $CALL Apple Logo . . ... .. .. . . .. $24.95
Smartkey II . . ... .. . .. ... $81.95 Microsoft Discovering Apple Logo , . $20.95
C-Compiler . ........ . .. $520.00 Top IBM Books
Graphics Flight Simu Iator . .. . .. . .. $59.00
BPS bus iness graphics . . $269.00 Multiplan (new version) . . $199.00 The IBM PC-DOS Handbook$23.95
dGraph . . ......... ... . $269.00 Multitool Word .. .... . . . $CALL Your IBM Personal Computer$24.50
PFS Graph . . ..... ... . . $129;00 Multitool word w/mouse . . $CALL IBM PC & XT Owner's Manual
Pascal Compiler ........ $CALL ...... ... .. .. . . ... ... $19.95
Vlslcorp Vision (requires XT with MicrosoftWord(ver. 1.1) .$369.00 Learning IBM BASIC . .. . . $22.95
512K): . Microsoft Word w/mouse (ver.1 .1) IBM Programs for Business$26.95
Visigraph .. . ... . . . . .. . $279.00 ... .. ........ .. ..... $519.00 Assembler for the IBM & XT$23.95
VisiMouse .... ... . .. . . $399.00 Microstuf PC DOS User's Manual ... $18.95
VisiWord . . ......•..... $409.00 Crosstalk XVI (for Hayes Smart- IBM BASIC ... .. . ...... . $22.95
VisiCalc . ........ . . .. . $279.00 Modem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $186.00 IBM PC Assembly Language$26.00
Visitrend/plot .... .•. . . . $339.00 Visicalc Book -IBM ed .. $22.95
Visischedule . ... .. . . . . $339.00 1.2.3. Go .. .. .. ....... .. $19.95
Mult lmate International
Using 1.2.3 . . . .. . . ... ... $22.95
Multimatew/80Kword speller- An
Sorcim All About 1.2.3.. .. . . ..... $13.95
advanced word processor with all
Supercalc 3 . ... .. . .... .. $379. Accounts Basic Programs for the
the features of a dedicated stand-
IBM PC .............. $19.95
alone system. Softword Systems
Entertainment MultiMate (ver. 3.22 w/spell checker
Interfacing to the IBM .. .. $22.95
Adventure/Arcade/Skill & tutoria l) ... .. .. . .. . .. $449.00
8087- Applications & Program-
Ultima Ill (AD) ... . ... . . . $74.00 ming for the IBM . ... .. $26.00
Lode Runner (ARC) .... .. $36.00 Assembly Language Programming
Donkey Kong (ARC) . . . ... $36.00 Software Publishing .. .. .. . ............. $CALL
Sargon Il l (SK) . . . . .... . . $52.00 PFS/File . . . . . .. .. ..... $129.00 Best Book of Lotus 1-2-3 .. $19.95
Frogger (ARC) .. . .. ..... $39.00 PFS/Graph . . ..... . .... $129.00 IBM (CP/M-86 Users Guide)$29.95
Zork I (ADV) . ... .. . . ... .. $43.00 PFS/Wrlte ... .. ...... .. $129.00 Essential PC-DOS . ...... $CALL
Zork II (ADV) . ........ ... $43.00 PFS/Report . . . ......... $129.00 Complete Guide to Multimate$CALL
Zork Ill (ADV) .. .. .. . .. .. $43.00 PFS/Access- The first of a series Mastering Appleworks .. . $CALL
Millionaire/Tycoon (SK) .. $CALL of PFS telecommunications pro- Introduction to I nfostar .. $CALL
PacMan(ARC) . .. . . . .... $41.00 ducts. Works with the following MSDOSUsersGuide .. .. $21.95
Deadline (ADV) . . .... ... . $51.00 modems: Hayes Smartmodem 300, PC DOS Users Guide . . ... $23.95
Apple Panic (ARC) . . . . ... $36.00 1200, 1200B; Novation 103 and 1-2-3 For Business ... . ... $22.95
Serpentine (ARC) ...... . .$39.00 103/212 Smart-Cat; Transerid PC IBM Software 1984 .. . . ... $26.95
Genesis (SK) .. ... . .... . . $36.00 Modem Card; US Robotics
Temple of Apshai (ADV) .. $39.00 Password; Ven-Tel PC MOdem Plus
Witness . . .. . .. . ..... .. $51.00 &others . .. .... . . . ..... $115.00 See Spectacular
Suspended .. . .... ... . .. $51.00 Business Software
Flight Simulator .... . ... . $59.00 SSI Package on Page 12
Ultima II ... ..... .. ... .. $62.00 Word Perfect with Spl'JIIer . $CALL
All prices subject to change

IBM computers
FOr quantity or package deals, contact Ex:celtronlx: For unbeatable pricing.
IBM PC - $2,995.00 BEST EXPANSION SYSTEM

The BEST expansion system consists of two boards, the
.extender card and the receiver/host card. The receiver/host
card is mounted in a new chassis with a 150W power supply
and room for 4 slimline 10M harddisks.
The extender card resides in your host IBM machine.
The purpose of this card is to buffer the system bus for
transmission along a 62 wire cable to the host card. The host
card then receives the signals and regenerates the bus. The
extender card also has onboard diagnostic hardware which is
activated on each power up to ensure integrity of the expan-
sion system.
' II
t U1\\llUllJIIIII
WilJ
Includes
• 256K RAM • Operati ng system 2.10,
• 40KB - ROM, self test UCSD P-System & CP/M 86.
• One 369 KB diskette drive • Floppy controller
• High Speed 16 bit • Keyboard
microprocessor, (8088). • Five expansion slots
IBM XT ;;::-des $6,195.00 The host/receiver card resides in a new chassis ex-
(1) IBM 10 Meg Hard Drive • 40KB ROM ternal to your IBM machine. This board receives signals sent
(1) IBM 360 KB Disk Drive • • 8 expansion slots by the extender card and regenerates the standard IBM bus.
• Async adapter & Keyboard • IBM DOS 2.10 The host board provides another 8 slots on the bus for greater
• 128KB RAM expansion than a single IBM machine could give. The host
IBM Personal computer board is powered by a powerful 150W power supply indepen-
dent of your host machine, thus providing enough power for
AT System additional disk drives or expansion bpards.
$5,895.00
· Base model
$8,595.00
Enhanced model
l NOTE: The housing of this expansion system consists of the
same attractive case as used on the BEST computer system,
and it may be operated up to several feet away from the main
Microprocessor 16/24-bit 16/24-bit
Intel 80286 Intel 80286
system.
Permanent
memory (ROM) 64KB 64KB Complete w ith power supply, boards and cables S499.o0
User memory 256KB s tandard; 512KB standard; Dealer pricing available
(RAM) ex pandable t o 3MB expandable to 3MB
Auxiliary storage 1.2MB standard 21 .2MB standard
(one 1.2MB (o ne 1.2MB
diskette dr ive); dis kett e d rive,
expandable t o
41 .2MB
o ne 20MB f ixed
disk drive);
see page 12 for the BEST 300/1200
expandable to 41.2MB auto dial/auto answer modem . S399
System expansion 8 expansion slots; 8 expansion slots;
1 occupied by 2 occupied by standard
st andard Fixed Fixed Disk Drive/
Drive/Diskett e Diskette Drive Adapter
Drive Adapter and Serial/Parallel
Adapter Exceltronlx can oHer you a complete
Operat ing
system
IBM Disk
Operatin g Syst em
IBM Disk Operating
System (DOS) 3.00
turnkey package service to suit your
(DOS) 3.00 needs with excellent background In
both software and hardware and
IBM Monitor . . . . . . . . . . $429.00 with the best service contracts
IBM Mono card ... $389.00 available.
8 - Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984
The "BEST..
Compatible Microcomputer $1795
Not a kit - a complete system
see the Review

In March ,984
computing Now!
This prices includes:

e 64K of RAM with
presocketed provl·
slon for 25&K
• one disk drive.
SA455. Double Sid·
ed. Double Density
• Colour VIdeo Board
• Floppy controller
capable of handl·
lng up to four DSDD
51.4" disk drives and
socketed for OP·
tlonal serial port
and real time clock
• Monitor not lnclud·
ed.
• 64K RAM upgrade
kits for extra
memory .... $&9.00
Full 120 day
warranty
OR 10 Meg Hard Disk Version

OR The Loaded "BEST" Everything in our $1795 system plus:
Everything in our $1795 System plus:
• 10 Meg Hard Disk Drive &
• Two DS. DD sv.-· Disk Drives
• on-board 25&K of RAM controller
• on-board 25&K of RAM
• R5232 Port
$2395 • RS232 Port $3895
The BEST is a compatible microcomputer featuring the following: 8088 processor running at 4.77 MHz for fast service. (Room for the op-
tional new co-processors, the most popular being the 8087 "number crunching" processor)
• 64K RAM expandable up to 256K in blocks of 64K and with the new high density RAMs, there is enough room onboard to hold 1 Megabyte of
data in blocks of 256K. ·
• 5 expansion slots each being identical, so the user can upgrade his machine with IBM compatible hardware.
• D.M.A. controller. Three of the DMA channels are available to the user.
• A timer/counter. This is used by the system for time of day clock; tone generation of the speaker; and a time base.
• An 8 level interrupt controller, 6 of which are bussed to the expansion slots for feature cards. The other two are used for the time of day clock,
and the keyboard circuits. (There is also a NMI which is not user accessable since it is used for parity checks)
• Three ROM sockets are available to the user, one generally holds the system BIOS, and the other two can hold any firmware the user wishes
to implement.
• A speaker with V2 W of driving power is available to user software which can also control the frequency of oscillation. In fact 3 methods exist
to modulate the speakers output: 1) direct control or the output bit stream. 2) output from the programmable timer. 3) the timer clock can be
modulated with a program controlled 1/0 register bit.
• A keyboard interface which is compatible with all IBM compatible keyboards through a 5 pin DIN connector.
OPTIONAL FEATURES FOR THE BEST

Because the standard BEST system comes with a 5'14' floppy OS, DD, disk drive it was felt that need for the cassette interface would dwindle,
thus, to keep ·costs down the cassette has been designated as an option.
The cassette option requires that the user supply his own good quality cassette recorder and the system board communicates through
either the microphone or auxiliary input. The data rate is between 1000 and 2000 bits per second depending on the bit stream sent to the recorder.
· IBM is a registered trade mark of IBM Canada Ltd. Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984 - 9
IBM compatible BOards
COLOUR GRAPHICS VIDEO REAL TIME CLOCK: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39.
This option is based on the MM58274 CMOS chip, thus
BOARD.-------------- $199.00 better backup is easily implemented, this allows continuous
time keeping even when the machine is powered down. (In-
cludes real time software).
FLOPPY BOARD including both options
above (real time software included) . $199.
(No cables included)
This board was designed to be compatible with a wide variety of display systems. EPROM PROGRAMMER
Two types of output connectors are provided: 1) composite baseband video 2) direct
RGB drive (9 pin O-shell Connector). In addition a light pen port is provided. It must be
stressed that this card can be used in black and white with comparable resolution to
that of the black and white board. Thus a low cost black and white monitor could be
used in place of the more expensive colour monitor without loss of performance (of
course colour cannot be achieved on a black and white monitor).
There are 4 modes of supported operation (more are available but the user must
write his own software): low resolution graphics, high resolution graphics, low resolu-
tion alphanumerics, and high resolution alphanumerics. In the low resolution modes
colour is available i~ a variety of foreground/ background/overscan colours. In high
res. there is only black and white available, this is due to the video memory limitation.
GRAPHICS
LOW RESOLUTION:
In low res. graphics the screen is memory mapped into 320 PELS by 200 rows. Extemai .Card.
Each PEL may have one of tour colours. The background colour may be one of 16
possible colours the other three may be one of two selectable palettes, namely This card can program any one of the following eproms: 2716, 2732,
green/red/brown or cyan/magenta/white. 2732a, 2764, and the new 27128s. Two sockets are available on the adaptor
HIGH RESOLUTION:
In this mode all of the memory is mapped to the screen , thus only black and white
board, one for the 28 pin eproms the other for the 24 pins eproms. These
is available. In high res. there are 640 PELS by 200 rows, twice that of low res. sockets are standard sockets, however as an option ZIF sockets will be in-
ALPHANUMERICS serted. 0f'/e recommend ZIF sockets if large number of eproms will be pro-
In both low and high res. alphanumeric mode the characters are generated via an grammed). Also as an option an extension board is available, this board at-
eprom, thus special characters are easily implemented. In addition, it is possible for taches to the adaptor via a ribbon cable and extends out the back panel.
the user to specify the location of his own eprom external to the video board and be This is to allow eproms to be programmed without removing the cabinet
able to utilize both eproms tor character generation. cover every time programming is to be performed. Also as a standard
LOW RESOLUTION: feature, the source software is supplied to allow users to modify the pro-
Low res. is characterized by 40 columns by 25 rows of characters. Each character gramme to suit their needs.
is composed of an 8x8 dot matrix. The characters are enclosed in a 7x7 matrix within As an option a serial port can be included on the card; this serial port
this box, with 1 line tor descenders. Sixteen foreground colours are supported and 8
has the same features as the port described with the floppy disk controller
background colours are available. In addition, blinking of individual characters is also
available. (see the floppy disk description for documentation of the serial port).
HIGH RESOLUTION: MAIN EPROM PROGRAMMER CARD (WITH
High res. supports the standard 80x25 character matrix tor high bandwidth
monitors. Because all of the memory is used to display characters, colour is not SOFTWARE)
availab.le, however high res. supports the following on a per character basis: reverse With 2 standard EPROM sockets . . . . . . . . . . $99.00
video, blinking and highlighting.
EPROM PROGRAMMER WITH ZIF SOCKETS
FLOPPY CONTROLLER BOARD (WITH SOFTWARE)
AND OPTIONS With one 24-pin SIF socket and one 28-pin ZIF socket with
provision tor serial port. .................. $139.00
EXTERNAL CARD
Ready to plug into the main EPROM Card (includes one
24-pin and one 28-pin ZIF socket and cable). Saves you
from opening the computer each time you want to pro-
This board actually contains three separate units, one being standard and the
other two being options. The standard unit is the floppy controller card. The options
gram your E~ROMS .......... . .. . .......... $69.00
being the asynchronous serial interface and the other being a real time clock with bat-
tery backup.
SERIAL OPTION
For your main EPROM programmer. Provides you with a
FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER: . . . . . . $1S9. second RS232 serial port ....... . .... .. ... ... .. . $49
This controller can control four 5 '!.'' floppy disks. Two disks are controlled by an
internal daisychained ribbon cable, the other two are connected externally through ihe
back pannel via a connector. The controller is based on the NEG Upd 765 or lntel8272
chip and can control double density/double sided floppy disks, thus giving a formatted
PARALLEL/
capacity of about 320K bytes per drive. The card uses the main boards interrupt and
DMA capabilities to improve performance. The board also features write precompen-
GAMES PORT
sation and digital phase lock loops tor "solid" reliability. $79.00
(cables extra)
ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS
This low cost board allows any IBM corupatible printer to be connected
OPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ·. $39. to the system. The printer signals are through a 0825 connector and can be
Communication is achieved through one of two means: standard RS232 protocol
or though a 20mA current loop.
connected to many parallel Ideal Printers - Gemini, Epson, TTX printers.
The transmission speed is programmable from 50 to 9800 baud, with 5,6,7, or 8 This card is not only for printers, but can be used where parallel data must
bits per character and 1,1 %, or 2 stop bits, any combination is supported. The system be transmitted from the system. It has 12 TTL output lines which can be writ-
is based on the INS8250 chip which also provides the following features in addition to ten and read under program control. Usually 8 are used tor data and the
those above: others are used for handshaking with the external device. There is also an in-
• full double buffering , eliminating expensive, precise synchronization. terrupt line, which the external hardware can- 'tickle' for prompt immediate
• full modem control functions: CTS, RTS, DSR, DTR, and AI. service. (Such applications as real time data acquisition).
• false start bit detection .
• line break generation and detection.
The game port allows 4 paddles or two joysticks to be connected to the
system. In fact any variable resistive element could be connected and the
This card interfaces easily to any one of the popular modems as well software would still give a value proportional to the resistance. This allows
as being able to fully exploit the capabilities of the 'smart' modems. industrial applications to be realized easily with existing hardware.
IBM Peripheral cards
The Best 256K P&NTARAM M:!f)(33!!3;1 The Best Ouanta Board $189.00
~ t • I • ••
=~-~-:-~=- -
~ I
i1l - - - - -.::._ I - . ._ rr-- .......
· ~ mum
. ,- ;-. . \1: . -
--- -~
:::-
~
- __ _'!. .:_
< -!!' ~-~ ~
-.-
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- ' .~ l ~ ~ '
Memory: Capable of adding up to 256K of memory to your existing system. This card
:
. '·.~ - ·~-~· i:r~ .-
allows 4 boundary selection by means of a dip switch (the boundary locations are 256K,
384K, 512K and 640K). For special applications, other boundaries can be prepro- This BEST peripheral board contains four separate functions:
grammed at the factory. ·
Features:
serial Port: Serial port can be configured on MS DOS standard COM1 or COM2. (For
more details, read about the assynchronous communication option on floppy disk con- 1) two RS-232 serial ports: COM1 and COM2
troller board on page 2) a printer/parallel port
Parallel Port: Supports one of two standard MS DOS printer ports LPT 2 or LPT 3 3) a game port adaptor
which are dip switch selectable. (For more' information see the description of the 4) a real time clock
parallel game/port card on page
Game Port: The game port allows 4 paddles or two joysticks to be connected to the
system. In fact any variable resistive element could be connected and the software Without real·tlme clock $159.00
would still give a value proportional to the resistance. This allows industrial applica-
tions to be realized easily with existing hardware.
Clock/Calendar Real Time Clock: This option is based on the MM58274 CMOS
I. SERIAL PORT
chip, thus battery backup is easily implemented, this allows continuous time keeping This board contains two RS232-C serial communications ports. Each is individually
even when the machine is powered down. (Battery back-up and real time software are in· selectable or de-selectable by a set of jumpers, this allows the user to configure his
eluded). machine without contention, In case he already has a serial port. The ports are located
such that DOS recognizes them as COM1 and COM2: the primary and secondary serial
25&K PENTARAM package wlt:h all the options cost only $499.00 ports respectively.
Each port is RS232 compatible with DTR, DSR, RTS, CTS, CD, and AI fully sup-
12BK PENTARAM package With all the options . . . . . . . . . . . !59.00 ported. In addition each port supports the IBM PC rnA current loop. The controller is
based on the 8250 chip and can support speeds up to 9600 baud.
64K PENTARAM pock age with an the options . . . . . . . . . . $299.00
This Is a high quality professlonai"Best"' card at aHordable prices 2. PRINTER/PARALLEL PORT

- a hard to beat dean This port allows any IBM compatible (parallel interface) printer to be connected to
the system. The printer signals go through a DB25 connector and can be connected to
NOTE: this product comes with a 6 month warranty. However, warranty is void if many parallel printers. This card is not only for printers, but can be used where parallel
anytampering is done with the board. data must be transmitted from the system. It has 12 TTL output lines which can be writ·
ten and read under program control. Usually 8 are used for data and the others are used
for handshaking with the external device. There is also an interrupt line which the exter-
BUBBLE MEMORY BOARD $2,295.00 nal hardware can 'tickle' for prornp immediate service. (For such applications as real
time data acquisition).
:S. GAME PORT

The game port allows four paddles or two joysticks to be connected to the system.
In fact any variable resistive element could be connected and the software would still
give a value proportional to the resistance. This allows industrial applications to be
realized easily with existing hardware.
These bubble memory boards emulate hard and floppy disks. Each board comes
512Kb of memory and can be assigned as disk A,B,C,D,E, or F. Also the bubble memory 4. REAL TIME CLOCK/CALENDER
can be configured so that the system can boot from the bubble once it has been format- This option is based on the MM58274 chip. It is a CMOS chip, thus battery backup
ted. Each board of 512Kb is emulated as 2 floppies with 256Kb each or 1 512Kb hard is easily implemented, and allows continuous time keeping even when the machine is
drive. The software that comes with the package allows the user to configure the powered down. Also included is the software drive and installation manual which incor·
system as he requires. porates the hardware into DOS.
There is also a special mode which allows the user to use the bubble memory as a
block access memory peripheral. ·
BEST 512K RAM BOARD
ANALOG TO DIGITAL AND DIGITAL TO
ANALOG CONVERSION BOARD
The board contains two separate functions:
1) an analog to digital conversion unit $CALL llillld Hit
2) a digital to analog conversion unit.
The following perts to both functions: both have 12 bit resolution, both have a maximum
sampling frequency of 100,000 Hz and both have a hardware queue of 32 samples, i.e.,
64 bytes. . .
The AID section has 8 inputs which are enabled by the initializing software sup-
plied.lf there areS inputs being used, then the output stream has 8 interleaved samples.
The software suppplied will open a file and put the samples in this file. Note however, The board provides the user with an impressive half megabyte expansion RAM to
that it is not possible to write that file to disk since the access time for a floppy disk is be used in conjunction with the RAM already on his main system board. The board has 8
too great. . banks ·Of nine 64K RAM chips, 8 bits of data, 1 bit for parity. Each bank is individually
The D/A section has 8 outputs which are again enabled by initializing software. If selected: this implies that the user need not have continuous memory space but can
more than 1 output is used, then the output data must be interleaved (similar to the in- have a gap of at least 64K. This is important for RAM-DISK users who want to protect
put). The supplied software will allow the user to specify a file for outputting and the their RAM-DISK from reset RAM checks of the bios. In addition the RAM board can start
software will take care of the rest. on the following boundries: 64K, 128K, 192K, and 256K. Thus, if you own an older IBM
Note that only the A/D section or the D/A sec t ion can be working at the same time. system with only 64K onboard, you are not excluded from using this board. Also there is
a hardware switch which can enable or disable the onboard parity checking generator.
OEM designers please note: the above boundary and bank selection is not fixed
BEST PROTOTYPING BOARD $28.95 since the selection mechanism is in proprietary firmware, and can be easily modified to
This full length board is a very simple card which allows anyone to design pro- suit individual needs.
prietary hardware for his IBM machine. The board is virtually all holes in which to place
wirewrap sockets or soldertail sockets. The circuitry provided just decodes the ad- 512 Memory Board with 64K of RAM ....... . . .. . ..... • . • ....•..... . ..... $181l.OO
dresses properly so that the board fits into the defined IBM prototyping space. This 512Memorywith128K . . ... .......... .............................. .. $250.00
does not mean that the user is confined to this area alone, since full access is given to 512 Memory with 256K . . .. . ........ .... ........... . ............ . ..... $!1H.OO
the IBM expansion bus. 512 Loaded Memory with 512K ................................... . .... $849.00
IBM Peripheral cards
EPROM Emulator BEST MODEM $399.00
The BEST modem is a smart 1200/300 direct connect modem. It can
either be a stand-alone unit in which case it requires a small wall adap·
tor, or it plugs in one of the IBM slots. When used as a stand-alone unit,
the modem looks like a Hayes 1200 Smart Modem, that is, it emulates
the same instruction set. When it is used in the IBM, it looks like an in·
telligent serial communications port which also support s a super-set of
the Hayes instruction set.
The modem supports auto-dial , auto-answer, and auto-speed select
directly from software control. The modem also has a speaker so that
aural monitoring of the call is possible. There are also LED monitors so
that the state of the modem can always be known. These LEOs are:
Modem Ready, Auto-Answer enab led, Carrier Detected, Transmitting,
This stand alone product emulates the following EPROMS: Receiving , Data Set ready.
2716, 2732, 2764, 27128. It may be used with any computer Software packages such as Crosstalk, PC-tal k, and Hayes' Smart·
which has an RS232 interface. comll also will run with this modem.
This product is a must for any hardware development A version with 300 Baud only is available, call for best pri ce.
since it allows the user to test and modify EPROM data
roughly 20 x faster than with conventional methods.
The unit has its own power supply and can be uploaded or
downloaded over the RS232 communications link at 300, 1200,
4800 or 9600.
In addition host software comes with it for the IBM PC
and documentation concerning the serial data structure is
also supplied.
$CALL
Hard Disk Drive

Seagate (industry favoured)
10 MEG. slimline ............ . ..... . $989.00
Read BEST Syst em descriptio n on page 9. Board does not include IBM (Microsoft)
BASIC BIOS ·or any other propriet ary software. Inc ludes one blank 2764 EPROM.
With '64K . . .. . . . . . ... . ... . . ... ... . . ... ... . . . . .$439.00
8087 Processor optional .. .. . . .... . ...... .. . . . . .$289.00
10 MEG Seagate, slimline drive and hard disk con- 64K Upgrade Kits . .. . . . . .. . . .. ... .. . .. . . . .. ... . .$69.00
troller. This controller can handle up to two 10
MEG had drives.
Award Winning
Lowest Price Of . . . . . . . . . . . $1,299.00 canadian Accounting software
from
IBM compatible Keyboards lnformatic systems
(for picture and details, see page 15)
• Canadian designed and developed • One of BEST Software
Cherry . .. ... . ... .. . . . ...... . . ... . .. . ... . $159.00 for single (MS DOS) & multi users (OASIS) • Fully integrat ed
Maxiswitch .. . . ..... . .. .. .. . . . ........ . . . $159.00 and interactive • No limits on number of records • BCS
Canadian Payroll - best payroll on micro • BCS Manufactur·
cases fo·r your 8088 system ing - Inventory control and bill of materials, job costing: In·
tegr_ated on-line with invoicing and AP, allows for fractions of
For details see page 22 prices & quantities, exact COGS calculation for LIFO/FIFO •
Standard Sliding top .... . . . ............. . . .. $65.00 BSC Accounting - GL, AR, AP, Order Entry and Sales
Hinged top .. .. . . ... . .. . . . . . ... . . ... . . . .. . . $74.95 Analysis: one of the ·best GLand Sales Analysis programs •
Most Competitive pricing available
Power supplies - see page 20 . . . . .. .. .. . ...... ... . . .... . . .. . . ........ . ..... $CALL
Dot Matrix Printers
Printers
Epson star·Micronics - Power
Exceltronlx Is now an Type daisywheel printer
authorised star Mlcronlcs Will :J 3:1'/·1!ll $639.00
dealer and repair
centre
star Micronics
1 year warranty
CSA Approved
Gemini 10X • 120 c.p.s., 100% du· 1 year warranty, CSA approved
ty cycle • 816 characters print buffer, op· RX80 • 100 c.p.s. • standard,
tion 4K or BK • standard parallel , op- Centronics-style 8 bit parallel optional
tional RS232C • tractor & friction feed • IEEE 488, RS-232C, etc. • 10" tractor •
. $379.00 RX80 . . . . ... .. ... ... .. .. ...... $495.00
RX80 FIT (all features as above +
1:1 fi lfB B ;J friction feed ....... .. .. .... . . . . $615.00 Features:
Printer: Static Font impact system
FX80 • 160 c.p.s. • standard Centronics· Print Wheel: 96 petal wheel
style 8 bit parallel • 10" carriage, tractor Print Speed: 18 c.p.s. bi-directional, logic seek·
and friction • ing
Paper Slew Speed: 12 l.p.s. @1/6" spacing
$749.00
Print Buffer: One line
Print Size: 10,12, 15 c.p.i and proportional spac·
FX100 • 160 c .p .s. • standard, ing
Centronics-style 8 bit parallel • 15" car- Number of Columns: 110,132, 165
riage, tractor & friction Character Sets: over 100 Type fonts available.
$1,069.00 Special Features: proportional spacing ; dual in·
terface; standard printer mode and word pro·
Gemini 15X • same as Gemini 10X cessing mode; 32 easy access format switches
• 15.5" carriage • RX100 • 100 c :p .s. • standard
reverse paper feed; short form tear-off; cassette
Centronics-style 8 bit parallel • 15" car·
$599.00 riage, tractor & friction
ribbon; tractor optional ; skip over perforation; 7
or 8 bit selectable interface; self-test
$1,189.00 Line Spacing: 3,4,6,8 lines/inch; switch and soft·
Gemini 10X - Package ware selectable
Deal - Multlflex IPI Udeal Epson Paper Handling: single sheet: 5.5" to 8.5" wide;
sprocket 4" to 13" wide; copies 3 carbonless
for Apple-type com- LQ1500 • 200 c.p .s. • NLQ (near letter quality)
sheets
puters) and Gemini 10X • optional : parallel , IEEE-488, RS·232C/current
Ribbon standard cassette
loop • 15", friction, optional tractor ($79.00) •
$435.00 $1,895.00
Interface standard parallel (Centronics compati·
ble) and serial RS232C·20mA current loop
Dimensions 19.6"w x 14.3"d x 5.5" h
Delta Panasonic Weight 22 pounds
10 (1 0") &, 15 (15") carriage • 160 c. p.s ., 100 %
duty cycle • 8K pri nt buffer • serial & parallel KX·P1090 • 90 c.p.s. • 9x9 matri x • 10", trac-
standard • 240 x 144 ult ra high resolu t ion •
tractor & frict ion feed •
tor & friction • parallel •
$379.00
oume
LP20 • 20 c.p.s. • 13" friction, opt. tractor •
Delta 10 .. . .... . .. . . . .......... ... . $689.00
$1,080.00
Delta 15 . ..... .. . .. . ....... ... .... . $969.00
Okidata 1140 • 40 c.p.s. • 15" friction, opt. tractor •
RadiX TOP VALUE $2,580.00
10" & 15" • 200 cps , 100% duty cycle • 16k
buffer • serial & parallel standard • propor· Microline: 1155 • 55 c.p.s. • friction , optional tractor •
t ional & downloadable characters • 240 x 144 83A 120 cps . ...... .. .. ... . .... .. .. $CALL $2,880.00
Ultra High Res. • tractor & fiction .. . 92- 160 cps ... . .... . ....... . .. .. . $CALL
Radi x 10 ........ .. ................ $ 989.00 82A- 120 cps ... ... . ... .... .... . .. $CALL
Radi x 15 .... . ...... . ... . .... ... . .. $1,139.00 84-200 cps ..... . . .. .... . .. .. . ... $CALL Smith corona
93- 160 cps ... . . . .... . ...... . .... $CALL (one year warranty)
STX·BO L1000 • 12 cps • 10·12·15 c .p.i. • serial and
• 60 c.p.s. • 80 columns • thermal dot matrix Letter Quality parallel • friction feed, tractor optional • 13"
• parallel (centroni cs compatible) • paper width • $589.00
STX-80 .. . ... .. . . . . .... . ... . . . . .. .. . $299.00 D·100 ... ... ....•.... . .. . .. . .. . ..... $489.00
D-200 ... . . . . .. ... . . .. .. . .. . ..... . .. $689.00
D-300 .. .. ...... ........ .. . ......... $889.00
star Printer Accessories L-1 000 ........ .. . .. ...... . .. ... .... $589.00
Ultrasonic Ill Messenger ...... . . . . .. . . $829.00
Printhead . . . . . .... . . .. . .. .. .. . . $80.00
Pri ntwheel .... ... . .. ........ .. . $18.00 Most competitive prices and best service
Ribbons . . . .... .... . . ..... .... .. $6.50 anywhere. Please contact us for quantiy
'Paper (500 sheets) (8'12x11) ... .... . $9.95 discounts and package deal pricing.
Paper (2,000 sheets) (8 1hx11) . . .. .. $32.00 TeletexTTX
Dustcovers . . ......... . . . . " ... .. $8.50 • Daisywheel • 12 c.p.s. • parallel &
Printer Stand (plastic) ... .... ... . . $48.00 serial interface • 10·12·15 c.p.i • friction For paper see page 14
Printer Stand (metal) . . .. . . . .. . ... $56.00 feed with tractor gu ide • $549.00
Monitors and Disk Drives IBM Diskettes, Joysticks
IBM Monitor . .. . . . . ......... . . . ... . . $429.00 and other supplies
zenith
Data Amdek Maxell
systems 310A- Amber, 18 MHz .... . .... . .. . .. $249.00 MD1 ... .. .. $34.00 FD1 . . ... .... $59.00
Colour II Plus RGB- 12 MHz ....... ... $799.00 MD2 .. ... . . $48.00 FD2 .. . ..... . $69.00
Colour Ill Plus RGB for IBM (13")
80 x 25 character display .. . . . .. .. . . . $399.00
Colour Ill Plus + 1/e RGB card
verbatim
VE1 SS/DD .. $!11.95 8" SS/DD ... $55.00
DVM80E, 260(h) x 300(v) line res . . . . . . $495.00
VE2 DS/DD .. $43.95 8" SS/DD ... $65.00
NEW at spectacular prices
Amdek 300 composite . . .... . . ... . . .. $CALL BASF
Amdek 400 RGB ...................... $CALL
BA 1 SS/DD . ... . ........... . . . . . . .. $26.00
Amdek 500 RGB + composite .. . . ...... $CALL BA2 DS/DD .. .... . . ... . . . . . . . . . .... $36.00
Amdek 600 RGB . . . ........ .. . . . ... .. . $CALL MAC Disks . .. .. . ..... . . ... . . . . . .. . $60.00
Amdek 700 Ultra high ;es .. . . .. .... . . .. . $CALL
I:! fi fi4 3! !'LJZVM 122A • 12"
Optional tilt swivel for above available.
CDC
diagona~creen • non-glare amber display • Roland (14") CDC-1 SS/DD . . ... ... . . ... . . .. .. .. . $24.00
composite input • 25 lines x 40/80 characters CC141 (RGB) . . ........ . . .. . .. .. . . .. . $CALL
$139.00 CB141 (Composite) ............. . ... . $469.00 Accutrak
l:)fi(3iJ!!@;)ZVM 123A_ • 12" Princeton Graphics AC-1 SS/DD W/plastic case .... ..... . $26.00
di agonal screen • non-glare green dtsplay • HX-12 RGB hi res. colour ......... . . . .. $749.00
composite input • 25 lines x 40/80 characters Max-121BM monochrome in amber . . .. . $359.00 5entlnel Multicolour (1 colour 1 Box)
$129.00 SR·12 hi res. colour ..... . ... . . . .. .. . $1 ,285.00 SS/DD . . ... . $34.00 DS/DD .. . .. . $48.00
(needs Scan Doubler . . . ... ... .. . . . . . $369.00)
CV-2560 • 25" diagonal screen • RGB/com-
Drives Opus
posite input • 25 lines x 80 characters • sound 10 Disk + Disk Bank . . . . . . . ..... .. .. $28.00
capability • green screen only switch • video seagate - Best Seller
"loop thru" feature $1,049.00 10 MByte slimline w/controller . ...... $1,299.00
10M Byte hard disk only . . . .. .... .... . $989.00
Printer Ribbons
Gemini .......... .. .. . . . . . . . .. .... S 4.50
ZVM 124 • 12" diagonal screen • non-glare See picture on page 12.
Panasonic ... . ............ . .. . ..... $11.95
amber display • PC monochrome input (TTL) • Sysgen EpsonFX80 . . .. . . .. .. . ... . . . . .. . . . $11.95
25 lines x 80 characters • 720 x 350 pixels • 11-10 .... .. ... . .. . .. . .... .. .. . .... . $4,500.00 Epson FX 100 .......... . .. .. . . . . . . . $18.95
IBM PC & compatibles $229.00 11-20 .... . ...... ... ....... . . . . . . . .. $5,600.00 Qume . .. ........... . .. . . . ... . .. . . $10.95
10 & 20 MByte hard disk with cassette backup.
ZVM 131 • 13" diagonal sc reen • RGB/com-
posite inputs • 25 lines x 40 characters • 320 x
Tallgrass (call for best pricing) Accessories
TG-301212 MB disk tape ..... .... . . . . $4895.00 Anti Glare Screen . ... .. . . . . . . .. .... $29.95
240 pi xels • sound capability • green screen TG-3020 20MB disk tape ... . ... . .. . .. $5685.00
only switch • video "loop thru" feature 3M Anti Glare Screen ............... $45.00
TG-3/35 35 M B disk tape ... . ......... $7985.00 Disk Drive Cleaner . . ..... . .. ........ $19.95
$479.00 TG-3170 70MB disk tape .. . . .... .. ... $9985.00 Printwheels from . . .. . . .. . . . . . . .... . $18.00
ZVM 133 • 13" diagonal screen • RGB input • TG-091BM hardfile int. .... . .. . . . . . . . . $ 189.00
25 lines x 80 characters • 640 x 240 pixels TG-300 DC-300 XL cartridge tape . .. . .. $ 53.00
TG-120 tape head cleaner .. ...... . . . . $ 16.00
Joysticks
green screen only switch • 16 colours including Econo .. . . . ... .... . ..... ..... . . ... $19.95
PC brown $799.00 IBM
Computer Joystick . . .... .... .... .. . $39.95
IBM disk drives ..... . .. .. ... . . .. .. . . . $419.00
ZVM 135 • 13" diagonal screen • RGB/com- Shugart Hayes - available for II+ , lie, IBM
posite inputs • 25 lines x 80 characters • 640 x SA455 slirhline DSDD ... ... . . .. . . .. . . $239.00 Mach II ... . . .. . .. . ... . ....... . . ... $52.95
240 pi xel s • sound capability • green screen Tandon Mach Ill ........ . .... ......... . .. . $62.95
only switch • video "loop thru" feature Drive ...... .. ... . . . . .. .... . .. .. .. . . $320.00
$839.00
Disk Drives: 1:1 f3l3 3! q ;J Kraft - available for Apple, IBM
Deluxe . . .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . . . ... . . . ... $61.95
ZVM 136 • 13" diagonal screen • RGB input • SA455 . . . . . . . . . . $239.00
25 lines x 80 characters • 640 x 480 pixels •
long persistence phosphors for interlaced ap-
• Shugart 5'1•" slimline double sided double density
disk drive 360K storage capacity. IDEAL FOR IBM COM·
TG
pli cations PUTERS. Deluxe .... . ... . .. . ... . .. ... . ... .. $64.95
FOR BEST PRICE . . ... .. .... ..... ... . $CALL
WiCO - for Commodore Joystick
Red Ball ... ........... . .. . . . ...... $44.95
Klmtron
Econo for commodore
. ... .. . . . . .... ... . . . . . .. .. . . . .... . $19.95
CH Products
Mach II .. .. . . . .. . . . .. . . ... . . . . .. .. $52.95
Mach Ill .. . . ........ . ..... . ... . . . . $62.95
Paddles
Kraft ....... $58.00 TG . . .... . ... $49.00
Paper
500sheets(B'hx11") ........... $ 9.95
SA390 $179.00 2000 sheets (8'hx11 ") .... . . .. . . $:52.00
• disk drive mechanism (does not include analog
Model: SCC (RGB .31 mm) prec ision boardl• 5 '1• " single sided disk drive• ideal for use with
graphics - 80 column ... .. . . . . . ... $849.00 the APPLE if you make vour own analog board. Disk Banks
: SCB (RGB .39mm) - 80 col. ...... . . . . $789.00 Shugart !tf2" Disk Drive, 50 . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . ..... . .. . $24.95
: SCA (Composite) . . .. . .. . . .. ... . .. . . $399.00 400K storage . ... $299.00 100 .... .... . . .... .. . . . . . .. .. . $CALL
IBM and Apple Accessories
i'IIM Accessories Keytronics
5150 (slm. to IBM style kybd) ... . . ... . . $285.00
Cfor PC & XT) 5151 extended keyboard/ horizontally placed
function keys/ separate cursor pad/ separate
AST Research number pad .. . .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . .. $420.00
Six Pak plus 64K, upgradeable to 384K, with
clock calendar, serial and parallel ports . $479.00 Audo Pilot complete voice Interface system for
use with the IBM PC & XT and compatibles. Your
Mega Plus II 64K, upgradeable to 256K (or more IBM can repsond to voice commands and works
with MegaPak) wi th c lock calendar and serial with Lotua 1·2·3, VlsiCalc, Multiplan, Multlmate
port. . . . . . . . . . ..... . . • .. . . . . .. . ..... $479.00 ... . . . . .. . . . . •.•.... . . .. • . .. . . . . . $759.00
Combo plus (64K), upgradeable to 256K, serial IBMTM Is a registered tredemark of IBM. Prices subject
an~ -~~r_a_l~~~-~~t~. ~-~~~-c·k· ~~~~~~~~ . ... $479.00 r-:to=cha

=nga
=·=======::::====~=~ Printer Interfaces for
Apple, commodore,
Orchid Technology Modems and TRS·BO and Atarl
Blossom w/64K to 384K . .. .• ..• • • .•. ..•. $549.
PC Net Blossom 64K . ... . . ... . . . .. .... $1165.
communication Products Star Micronics
Hayes INTERFACE APPLICATION APPLICABLE PRICE
Other local area networks available from 3 Com Smart modem 300 .................... $356.00 PRINTERS
Smartmodem 1200.......... . .. $799.00 Grafstar II Apple II, II+ lie Star Standard
Titan Multi·Function Board for PC Smart modem 1200B w/Smartcomll .. . .. $695.00 and Apple compali- Printers·
ble computers $126.00
2 serial ports, parallel port, hard disk interface, Micromodem lie ..................... $399.00
IEEE488X Commodore CBM Gemini-10X115X
clock, memory 64K to 576K bytes computers, Hewlett
w/software. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . .. . . ... $CALL Anchor Packard $130.00
Mark VII (AA/AD) .... . .. . .. . ... .. . .... $189.00 Gemini-10X/15X Serial Output Gemini-10X/15X
Apstek Mark XII (1200 Bd) .. ... .... ..... ..... $469.00 Serial Device $ 90.00
4010X Serial Output Device Gemini-10X/15X
Handi I Plus • Multifunction Board 4K Serial (Usable with Modem) $190.00
parallel & serial ports, 384K, c lock/calendar Networker
300 baud , direct connect , Universai/Atari Atari 400, 800 and All Star Printers
w. software . .... . . . .. . .. . .. . .... . .. . $369.00 Parallel XL Series $135 .00
manual w. software .................. $179.00
Universal/Com- Commodore 64 Series Al l Star Printers
Vista modore Parallel and VIC-20 $ 99.00
Multiflex 300B autodial , autoanswer, Apple com· STX-80/ Commo- Commodore 64 Series STX-80
Max icard 64K·512K . ... . ... . .. .. .. ... $399.00
patible (see page ) .. ......... $CALL dore Soft Cable $ 97 .00
STX-80/Com- Commodore 64 Series STX-80 •
AHachmate modore Parallel and VIC-20 $ 71 .00
3270 coaxi al interface ... ... . ..... .. . $2595.00 EMP STX-80/Serial to Serial Output Device STX-80
Auto 1200A . . . . .. .. ... $489.00 Parallel $139.00
Hercules 1200 bd. Full auto. compatible , IBM & most PC's. BUFFERS
Monochrome card . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $650.00 MM101 . . . . . . ............. $79.00
Gemini-10Xl15X Increases internal Gemini-10X/15X
Colour card . .. . .•... . ... . .... , • . •.• ... . $365.00 300 bd. direct connect. 4K Buffer buffer to 4K $1 67.00
Graphics card w. par. port . . . . ..• • . . . . $589.00 Gemini-10X/15X Increases 4K buffer Gemini-10X/15X
4K Buffer
Multiflex 300/1200 Baud, IBM compatible , Upgrade SCa li
Tee mar autodial, autoanswer, intelligent modem. For
Graphics Master ... . ... . . .. . $769.00 details see page 12 .................. $399.00
Wizard
Intelligent printer int ; optional buffer.
Amdek
IPI ................................. $89.00
Mal Video Card
BP016K ....................... .. ... $229.00
BP032K ....... .. .. . ................ $279.00
Persyst
Video card w. par. port .. .. .. .. . .... . . . $489.00
Microtek
Apple Dumpling.. . . ... ........ $119.00
Quad ram
Commodore ....... . . ..... ... ... .... $119.00
Quadcolou r I . . . . . . . . " . . . . . ..... . .. . $339.00
•Ouadcolour II .. . ........ .. . . . . . ... . . $689.00
Oranage Micro
Printer Cards:
'I BM
Buffered grappler. . . . ..... .. ..... $307.00
,IBM Colour card . . . . ., . . . ..... . .. .. . . . $359.00
\ - il BM mono card . .. . . . . . . ... . .. . . .. ... $359.00
Grappler+ printer interface ....... .. .. $160.00
Parallel interface ..................... $85.00
Bufferboard/Apple ....... . .......... . $199.00
Plantronics
Bufferboard/Epson ......... ......... $199.00
Coiourplus (par. port) ... . .. . . .. . . .. . . . $539.0.0
Graphic parallel interface
Commodore .. ..... : . . .. . .... . . ..... $187.00
Bufferboard grappler.. ...... . .. $160.00
Mr CHIPS multifunction card .......... $567.00
ouse Syst ems CHIPMUNK parallel interface .. $171 .00
ouse w/pop-up menus (requ ires
Grappler for IDS.... . .. . .......... $160.00
RS-232) ... . ... .. . . . ... . . ... . ..... $269.00
Cardco
-IBM for Commodore
Card co (text only) ......... ............ $65.00
Cardco + G (graphics) .. ....... ... . ... $120.00
Botek
for TRS-80 . ................. .... . .... $85.00
Granny Smith
Parallel Int. tol/c .... .. .. . . ... ... . . .. $180.00
No·Name
32K buffer parallel Int. & cable ...... ... $164.95
Multiflex ZBOA ''System··
Do you need a good, fast and reliable S-100 MULTIPLEX
ZBOA CP/M system? RAM Disk Software
One you can afford? . . Here it is .. $1 ,499.00, This software package implements a virtual disk drive
on a RAM Board such as t he MULTI FLEX S100 256K
TOP VALUE RAM Board. It will greatly improve the speed of all pro-
grams which are limited by d isk access time. Thi s
package includes a thorough memory test routine t o en·
The LOaded sure rel iable operation of your syst em as well as the new
(G) version of the MULTI FLEX. This Package is included
"SMART' Package free w ith a purchase of our 256K populated board. (See
page 24)
Features:
$1,499
• Z80A CPU with 64K Memory
• one RS-232 Serial Port (second RS-232
port optional)
• parallel printer port
• 6 slot S-100 Back Plane
• Floppy controller board capable of handl-
ing up to four DS DD, 5'14 ' or four 8" disk
drives.
• video board 80 x 24 with buffer memory
MULTIPLEX CPM BIOS
and keyboard interface <G) version
• IBM compatible professional (serial out- Optional: This new version of the Bios improve the perf ormance of
put) keyboard 256K memory board . See page 24 for all our ZBO based CP/M systems, in addit io n it fully sup·
descri ption and price. ports the MU LTIFLEX RAM Disk Softyvare ment ioned
• two SA 455 disk drives above permitting the user up t o f our (DS/DD) d isk drives
• powerful power supply, with silent fan • CP/M 2.2 .. ... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . $159.00 in his system one of which may be a RAM Disk.
and power to spare for more 5'14' drives, • 12" Green or Amber Monitor . . ... $139.00 Note: This package is included with all
if needed. (with cable, ready to plug into our video new orders of Smart Systems-
• CP/M software package optional board) (CPIM 2.2 software is opt ional extra)
Multiflex Low-cost Logic state Analyzer MULTIFLEX

You've just complet ed a microprocessor syst em, valuabl e, especially in ded icat ed systems. If you STANDALONE EPROM
and it does n't wo rk. What next ? You can use an des ign a mi croprocessor system for a specifi c
oscill oscope to c heck f or c lock signal s and the function, a nd you have no monitor, assembl er o r PROGRAMMER/
like, but if everything ap pears t o be in o rder you other suc h softw are, the best and often onl y way
can't go much fu rther without sophi sticated t o d ebug the system i s t o use a l og ic analyzer. It EMULATOR
equi pment. In these si tuations, professionals w ill let you look closely at ihe dat a fl ow as a pro-
This unit comes in two versions: a basic
turn t o their log ic state analyzers, each of which gram is executing, or monitor the address lines
cost thousands of dollars. MULTI FLEX has t he t o make sure that the instruc ti ons are being ex- unit capable of programming a single
answer for a ll t hose people w ho don't want to ecuted in the proper seq uence. The various con- EPROM , and a production unit which can
take a mortgage on t heir ho use just t o get a com· tro l li nes such as memory read and write, DM A, program 8 EPROMS simultaneously. Both
puter working. The MULTIFLEX Logic Stat e int errupts, or enabl e and d isable signals can are capable of the EPROM emulator func-
Analyzer has all the essential features of those also be examined. You can, of course, monitor tion, which allows in-circuit testing of
more expensive un it s at a fracti on of t he cost. any combi nation of these signal s, such as t he code before it is used to program an
Thi s is a high-qu ality piece o f t est equipment, data bus a nd ha lf of t he address bu s, or half of EPROM. Code to be programmed into a
suit able f or ind ustrial or scientific use, but its each plus 4 control lines. The combinations are
price is we ll w ithi n the price range of a- hobbyi st.
device may be downloaded via RS232, or
endless.
Easy to understand and operate, the Logic A special feat ure of t he MULTIFLEX Log ic read from a previously programmed
St ate Ana lyzer a ll ows you to moni tor 16 points in State Ana lyzer is that any number of units can device. A small keyboard is used ,to enter,
a d ig ital system (ie. dat a and/or address bus, or be intercon nected for deali ng w ith larger input inspect, or modify data. Each EPROM to
control lines) w hi ch carry cont inually changing words. Wit h two Analyzers, you can monit or the be programmed is individually buffered to
signals. You can select a bit pattern you expect add ress and dat a bus of an 8-bit processor at t he prevent a defective device from affecting
w ill appear at t hese points. Once the pattern ap- same time and have 8 soare signals to mon itor the programming of good devices, or
pears the Analyzer w ill ' trigger and record t he contro l lines, 1/0 sig nals or signals from ex- damaging them or the programmer itself.
(" freeze") t he next 1023 bit patt erns so that they t erna l devi ces. Anyone w ho wi ll be doing any
can be examined step by step even tho ugh data
The unit contains a standard 16Kx8
systems debugg ing should take a close look at
is no longer available in t he unit being exami n- t his unit, since its feat ures a nd low price t ag of RAM, which may be upgraded to 64Kx8.
ed . For software development t he Analyzer i s in- make it an asset. Its serial interface is also capable of pro-
gramming the interwoven data of 16 bit j
formats into their respective EPROMs. !
Ideal Educat ional Tool and a The programmer is capable of reading,
MUST for the Hobbyist . emulating, and programming the 2716,
2732,2732A,P2732A, 2764,27128, 27128A,
27256, 27512, 2532, 2564, 2758, 2724 and
68764 devices. It also supports the fast
programming mode and identifier for the
larger devices. There are no personality
A&T modules as all connections are software
switched.
$295
From . . . .... . ... .. $399.00
Integrated Circuits
Microt~rocessor COM8116 Dual Baud Rate Generator
(5V supply only) .................. -16.75
4521
4522
24 state frequency divider. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BCD divide by N counter . . . . . . . . . . .
3.99
1.85
6500 Series
ChillS KR3600
MSM5832
Keyboard Encoder ................. 16.50
Real-time Clock ............. .. ... -18.10
4526
4527
4 bit binary divide by N counter
BCD rate multiplier
1.60
1.25
MSM58321 Real-time Clock 4528 Dual retriggerable/resettable monos table 1.10
6502 8-bit CPU (1 MHz) 6.69 SND5037 CRT Video Timer Controller ......... 32.25 4529 Dual 4 channel mux . 2.30
6502A 8-bit CPU (2 MHz) 8.50 WD2143 4-phase Clock Generator for Floppy Disks 4530 DualS input majority logic gate . 1.65
6522 VIA Versatile Interface Adaptor . 8.99 FDC1771 Single Density Disk Controller : ...... 19.00 4531 12 bit parity generator/checker 1.50
6532 RIOT (128x8 RAM, 1/0, Timer) ........... 9.75 FDC1793 Double Density Disk Controller ...... 47.00 4532 8 bit priority encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. 1.10
6545 CRT Controller ...................... 16.50 FDC1795 Double Density/Sided Disk Controller. 84.75 4534 Real time q decade counter 7.99
6511 ACIA A sync. Comm. Interface Adaptor .. 18.00 FDC2793 Dbl. Density Disk Controller 4536 Programmable timer . 5.55
c/w precomp. . ....... 55.00 4538 Dual precision monos table multivibrator .... 2.87
FDC2795 ODDS Disk Controller c/w precomp ... 59.95 4539 Dual4 channel digital multiplexer . ......... 1.75
6800 Series FDC9216 4541
Floppy Disk Data Separator ......... 18.65 Quad 2 input analog mux .............. 2.10
6800 8-bit CPU (1 MHz) ... 6.50 4543 BCD to 7 segment latch/decoder/driver ...... 1.69
6802 OnChip128x81MHzCPU. .. ... 7.60 4553 3 digit BCD counter ...................... 5.05
68BOO
6809
8-bit CPU (2 MHz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 7.39
8/16-bit CPU (1 MHz) ... 16.50 CMOS 4555
4556
Dual binary 1 of 4 decoder.
Dual binary 1 of 4 decoder.
. ............ 1.49
. ........ 1.49
68B09 8/16-bit CPU (2 MHz) .................. 26.75 4557 1-6 bit shift register .......... . ........... 5.87
6810 128x8 static RAM . 4000 Dual3 input NOR gate.
. 3.70 .49 4558 BCD to 7 segment decoder . . ........ . 3.55
6821 PIA PeriphriallnterfaceAdaptor .3.594001 Quad 2 input NOR gate .49 4560 NBCD adder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.69
6840 ProgramableTimer .8.104002 Dulll4 input NOR gate. .49 4561 9's complimenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.69
6844 DMA Controller. . ......... 14.00 4006 18 static shift register ................... 1.24 4562 128 bit static shift register 8.99
6845 CRT controller .......... . .. 10.954007 Dual complementary pairs/inverters . .51 4556 Industrial time base generator. 3.15
68A45 CRT controller ...................... 14.95 4008 4bitfulladders. . ................. 1.25 4568 Phase comparator/programmable counter ... 6.45
6847 Video Display Generator .............. 16.00 4009 Hex buffer/converter (inverting) . 1.20 4572 Hex gate ............................... 1.25
6850 A CIA. 4010 Hex buffer/converter.
3.95 . .. 1.05 4573 Quad programmable op amp .............. 3.43
6852 Syncronous Serial Data Adapter ........ 5.80 4011 Quad 2 input NAND gate.. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .49 4575 Quad programmable comparator. . .. 4.25
6860 0-600 Baud Modem ................... 15.90 4012 Dual4 input NAND gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 4580 4 x 4 multipart register....... . . . . . . . . .. 6.49
4013 Dual D Edge triggered flip flop .79 4581 4 bit A/U. . ...................... .. ... . 3.99
68000 Series 4014 8 bit static shift register . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 1.25 4582 Carry look ahead generator ....•.. .. . . ... . 1. 75
68000L8 16-bit CPU (8 MHz) ................... 69.00 4015 Dua14 bit static shift register. . .. 1.25 4583 Dual Schmitt trigger .... 2.18
68000L 10 16-bit CPU (10 MHz) .......... ... ..... 79.00 4016 Quad bilateral switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 4584 Hex Schmitt trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.29
68008 16-bit CPU (8 bit data path) .... 52.00 4017 Decade counter/divider .................. 1.29 4585 4 bit magnitude comparator . . . 1.25
68230 Parallel Interface Adapter ............. 21.95 4018 Presettable divide by N counter. . .. 1.25 4702 Programmable bit rate generator. . ... 11.99
68450 6MHz 16-bit DMAController .......... 250.00 4019 Quad and/or select gate .75
68451 Memory Management Controller 189.00 4020 14 stage binary/ripple counter ... 1.29
68561 M PCC (68000 Compatible). . 96.00 4021 8 bit static shift register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.29
4022 Divide by 8 counter/divider ............... 1.27
Linear
8080 Series 4023 Triple 3 input NAND gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 109 1A + 5V regulator 8.38
8080 8-bit CPU 4024 7 stage binary counter............. . .. 1.20 124 Quad op amp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
.. 9.80
8085 8-bit CPU . 4025 Triple 3 input NOR gate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 139 Quad comparator . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95
. ..... 13.50
8212 8-bit 1/0 Port 4026 Decade counter/divider. . . 1.99 148 Quad op amp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.50
.. 3.50
8214 Priority Interrupt Controller. 4027 Dual JK flip flop . .78 300
.. 4.99 General purpose op amp . . . . . . . . • . . 4.10
8216 4-bit Bidirectional Bus Driver 4028 BCD to decimal decoder ................. 1.19 301 General purpose op amp .75
.. 2.99
8224 Clock generator for 8080/8085 4029 Presettable up/down binary/decade counter 1.29 305 Voltage regulator. ............. . 1.15
.. 9.50 4030 Quad XOR gate. · .50
8226 Inverting Bus Driver . .. 9.80 306 Improved voltage comparator 2.05
8228 System controller for 8080/8085 . 4033 7 segment decaded counter .............. 1.76 307 Op amp......................... . . 1.25
. .9.95 4034 8 stage universal bus register. . .. 2.57
8251 A Programmable Communications 308 Super beta op amp .......... 2.50
Interface . 4035 4 stage PI SO shift register ....... . . ...... 1.15 309 + 5V regulator 2.27
.10.50 4038 Triple serial register. . ......... 2.25
8253A-5 Programmable Internal Timer. .18.00 310 Voltage follower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.38
8253 4040 12 stage binary/ripple counter ............ 1.25 311 Voltage compatator .................... 1.5G
Programmable Interval Timer. .. 8.90
8255 4041 Quad true complement buffer .......... 1.17 317 3 terminal adjustable regulator ........... . 3.71
Programmable Interface Adapter. .. 8.25
8255A-5 4042 Qu3d clock D latch ................ 1.12 318 Precision high speed op amp. 1.89
Programmable Interface Adaptor. .17.85
8257-5 4043 Quad tristate NOR R/S latch .. •. 1.15 319 High speed dual comparator . . . . . . . . . . . 2.55
Programmable DMA Controller 9.95
8259 4044 Quad tristate NAND R/A latch ............ 1.15 323 3A + 5V regulator 7.95
Programmable Interrupt Controller . . 11.95
8272 4046 Micropower phase locked loop ........... 1.24 324 Quad op amp .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1.33
Programmable Floppy Disk Controller ... 45.75
8275 4047 Low power monos table/astable multivibratort.19 337 3 terminal negative regulator . . .... 2.23
Programmable CRT Controller. .40.00 4049 Inverting hex buffer . .79 339 Quad comparator ................. 1.25
4050 Hex buffer. .79 348 Quad low-power741 .99
8279-5PC Programmable Keyboard Display lnterfac . . 9.90 4051 Single 8 channel multiplexer/demultiplexer. 1.27
8282PC Octal latch, non inverting 15.95 350 3A 3 term. positive adjust. regulator ...... 7.25
4052 Dual4 channel multiplexer ............... 1.27 355 FET input op amp .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1.61
8283PC Octal latch, inverting. .6.59 4053 Triple 2 channel multiplexer/demultiplexer . 1.27
8284 Clock gen and driver ............. . 12.95 356 Monolithic J-FET input op amp 2.44
4054 4 segment display driver ................. 1.75 357 Monolithic J-FET input op amp
E286 8-Bit Bus trans. Non-Inverting. .8.75 4055 BCD to 7 segment recorder/LCD driver ..... 1.75
8287PC 8-Bit Bus trans. Inverting. .8.69 (uncompensated). . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 3.12
4056 BCD to 7 segment recorder/LCD driver ..... 1.75 358 Dual version of 324 . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... 1.69
8741ADC Univ. Programmable Interface ......... .34.95 4060 14 stage binary counter/oscillator ......... 1.29
8748DC CPU, 4K EPROM, 1/0 ... : . ............ .35.95 380 2W audio amp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . ....... 1.20
4066 Quad bilateral switch .79 393 Dual version of 339 . . . . . . . . . . • . .91
8749DC CPU, EPROM, RAM, 1/0 . . ........ .39.95 4068 8 input NAND gate.................... .47
8755ADC 2048 x 8 EPROM, 1/0 ............ . ..... .37.95 398 Sample and hold amplifier .... 5.94
4069 Hex inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 555 Timer...................... . . ... . . .. .58
8086 Series 4070 Quad 2 input XOR gate . . . . . . . . . . . .47
8086 16-bit CPU .................... . .... 25.00 556 Dual timer .................. .. ... .. ..... 1.02
4071 Quad 2 input OR gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 558
8068 16-bit CPU c/w 8-bit data bus. . ...... 29.00 Quad timer ......... 2.95
4072 Dual4 input OR gate . .47 567
8087 Math Processor ........ 289.00 Tone decoder. . ....... 1.69
4073 Triple 3 input gate .47 709
8089 1/0 Processor Op amp ................................ 1.39
4075 Triple 3 input OR gate .47 710 Differential comparator .................. 1.32
8282 Octal Latch .......................... 14.00 4076 4 bit D register ............. . ........... 1.17
8283 Inverting Octal Latch. .6.69 711 Dual channel differential comparator ....... 1.30
4078 8 input NOR gate . .47 714 Precision op amp ........................ 5.16
8284 ClockGeneratorfor8086/8088 ....... : .. 12.00 4081 Quad 2 input AND gate . .47
8268 Bus Controller ....................... 18.95 715 High speed op amp ...................... 5.25
4082 Dual4 input AND gate. .58 723 Voltage regulator. . .............. 1.39
8289 Bus Arbiter 46.95 4086 Expandable 4 by 2 AND/OR invert gate . .67 725 Instrumentation op amp ................. . 3.69
8237 A5 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 28.95 4093 Quad 2 input NAND Schmitt trigger. .75 726 Temperature controlled differential pair ... 65.25
8272 .................. 25.40 4094 8 stage shift/store register ............... 2.50 727 Temp. controlled differential preamplifier .. 72.95
4097 Diff 8 channel analog mux/demux ......... 2.30 733 Differential video amp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.95
ZSO Series 4099 8 bit addressable latch .................. 1.65 739 Dual high performance op amp ............ 2.25
Z80A-CPU 8-bit CPU (4 MHz) 5.50 4501 Industrial control unit ................... 4.80 741 Operational amplifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25
Z80B-CPU 8-bit CPU (6 MHz) 14.85 4502 Strobex Hex inverter/buffer 1.25 747 Dual op amp . .. . 1.02
Z80A-PIO Parallell/0 5.95 4503 Hex tristate buffer ............ ... .. . .... 1.69 748 Opamp ............. . 1.14
Z80A-CTC Counter Timer. . 5.95 4504 Hex level shifter ............. . .. ........ 4.00 749 Dual audio preamplifier .................. 3.38
Z80A-DART Dual Asyncronous Receiver Transmitter .. 12.95 4506 Dual Expandable AOI gate ......... 2.50 - 759 Power op amp ......................... . 3.99
Z80A-DMA Direct Memory Access ................. 18.95 4508 Dua14 bit latch tri-state. . ............. 2.85 760 High speed differential comparator ....... 11.95
Z80A-SIO-O Serial I/O ver. 0 ......... 18.95 4510 BCD up/down counter. 1.19 776 Multi-purpose programmable op amp. . ... 1.95
4511 BCD to 7 segment latch/decoder/driver. 1.50 796 Modulator/demodulator .................. 3.25
Misc. Microprocessors and Perlphrial Chips 4512 8channel data separator 1.10 1372 RF modulator ........................... 4.30
AY3-1015 UART ..... (Single 5V Supply) 8.25 4514 1 of 16 decoder/demultiplexer 2.85 1436 High voltage op amp ............... . . .... 4.49
AYS-1013 UART 6.89 4515 1 of 16decoder/demultiplexer 2.85 1458 Dual op amp..................... . ... 1.70
S1602 UART.............. 4.75 4516 Binary up/down counter 1.10 1489 Quad RS2321ine receiver ........... .. .... ·1.09
TMS9918 Sprite Graphics Generator .... .46.45 4518 Dual BCD up counter........... ..... .. 1.19 1495 Multiplier . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... -5.25
TMS99532 FSK Modem ... 47.99 4519 4 bit AND/OR select gate 1.45 1496 Modulator/demodulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10
COM5016 Dual Baud Rate Generator ... ,18.10 4520 Dual binary up counter . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.15 1524 Pulse width mod. reg. . .... -15.35
Please Note: At the time of going to press, prices are fluctuating In both direcltons wildly. Prices here subject to change Exceltronix Fall Catalogue 1984- 17
without notice. Whatever the prices are, ours should be the best. Check with use for quantity pricing, or group pricing.
74Lsaa series nL
1558 Dual op amp .......................... 2.99 74LSOO Quad 2 input NAND gate .59 84LS166 8 bit PI SO shift register ....... 2.75
1595 Four quad multiplier ... 7.78 74LS01 Quad 2 input NAND gate 0/C. .59 74LS168 Up/down decade counter . . ... 2.69
1596 Modulator/demodu lator ....... 5.49 74LS02 Quad 2 input NOR gate. .59 74LS169 4 bit sync. binary counter . . .. 2.59
1800 Demodulator ........... 0. 0. 00. 0.... 6.25 74LS03 Quad 2 input NOR gate 0/C.. . .59 74LS170 4 x 4 register file . . . . . . 2.70
1889 Video modulator ......... 00. 000000.... 6.25 74LS04 Hex inverter . . ..... 69 ' 74LS173 4 bit tri sl ate register ................. 1.38
3900 Quad op amp . . .... 000. 0..... 0.95 74LS05 Hex inverterO/C . . .. . . .. . . . . . .. . . ... 59 74LS174 Hex D flip flop with clear .. 1.29
26LS29 Quad RS423 1ine driver .. 5.49 74LS08 Quad 2 input AND gate ............. 0. . .59 74LS175 QuadDflipflopwithclear. ···········1.29
26LS30 Quad RS422/4321ine driver. . .......... 3.95 74LS09 Quad 2 input AND gateO/C .... 59 74LS181 4 bit ALU. . . 3.50
26LS31 Quad differential line driver RS422 ....... 2.70 74LS10 Triple 3 input NAND gate . .59 74LS182 Look ahead carry. . .. 2.75
26LS32 Quad differential line driver RS422 . 2.70 74LS11 Triple 3 input NAND gate 0/C .... 59 74LS183 Dual carry/save full adder .... 6.00
26LS33 Quad differential line driver RS422 ....... 3o95 74LS12 NAND gate inverter. . ......... 0. .59 74LS189 64 bit RAM ................... . o. . 6.00
3470 Floppy disk read amplifier .............. 5.99 74LS13 Dual Schmidt trigger. .89 74LS190 Sync. up/down counter BCD ... 1.69
3486 Quad RS422/4231ine receiver ............ 3.35 74LS14 Hex Schmidt trigger inverter . .89 74LS191 Sync. up/down counter binary ......... 1.65
3487 Quad line driver RS422 .. 3.35 74LS15 Triple 3 input NAND gate . .99 74LS192 Binary up/down counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.65
76477 Analog complex souod generator ........ 5.00 74LS20 Dual4 input NAND gate . . ... 69 74LS193 Binary up/down counter .............. 1.65
76478 Analog complex sound generator c/w amp 6.90 74LS21 Dua14 input NAND gate . . ... 67 74LS194 4 bit bi-directional shift
76489 Microprocessor cont. complex sound 74LS22 Dual 4 input NAND gate . . ..... 0. 0. .99 register .......... :'. ...... . . ... .. -1.19
generator ............................ 8.30 74LS24 Quad 2 input NAND Schmidt 74LS195 4 bit shift register .... 1.39
8T26 Quad tri-state bus transceiver . . ..... 1.70 trigger. ..1.39 74LS196 Decade counter ............. 0. . ... 1.99
8T28 Quad tri-state bus transceiver ... 2.59 74LS26 Quad 2 input positive NAND gate . . ... 82 74LS197 Preset table binary counter ........... 1.99
TL070 Low noise bifet op amp.......... . .. . .79 74LS27 Triple 3 input NOR gate .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .79 74LS219 64 bit RAM . . 5.99
TL071 Low noise bifet op amp .......... 0. 0. .69 74LS28 Quad 2 input NOR buffer . .85 74LS221 Dual monos table multivibrator ........ 1.89
TL072 Low noise bifet op amp. . ... 1.09 74LS30 8 input NAND gate .... 89 74LS240 Octal inverting bus driver ............. 1.69
TL074 Low noise bifet op amp .......... 0. . .. 2.10 74LS32 Quad 2 input NOR gate ...................79 74LS241 Octal bus driver. -1.99
TL075 Low noise bifet op amp. . .. 3.10 74LS33 Quad 2 input NOR gate 0/C ...... 0. 0. ..... 65 74LS242 Quad inverting transceiver. . . .. 1.99
TL080 General purpose bifet op amp .60 74LS37 Quad 2 input NAND gate .75 74LS243 Quad transceiver. . .... 1.99
TL081 General purpose bifet op amp .53 74LS38 Quad 2 input NAND gateO/C. . ....... 79 74LS244 Tristate octal driver . . ......... 1.89
TL082 General purpose bifet op amp . . . . . . . . . . . .99 74LS245 Octal bus transciever ................ 2.60
74LS42 BCD to decimal decoder ........ 95
TL083 General purpose bifet op amp ........... 1.66 BCD to 7 segment decoder/ 74LS227 BCD to 7 segment decoder driver . . 2.53
74LS47
TL084 General purpose bifet op amp ......... 4.00 74LS248 BCD to 7 segment decoder driver ...... 2.53
driver. . . .......... . . 0. 0... .1.49
TL497 Switching voltage regulator ............. 2.75 74LS249 BCD to 7 segment decoder driver . . 2.53
74LS48 BCD to 7 segment decoder/
ULN2002 7 segment transistqr array .............. 1.35
driver . . ..................... . .. 1.89 74LS251 Tristate data selector
ULN2003 7 s.egment transistor array . 1.35
74LS49 BCD to 7 segment decoder/ multiplexer. .99
ULN2004 7 segment transistor array . 1.75
driver .................................1.60 74LS253 Dual4 bit multiplexer . . .. 1.20
XR200 Mu ltifunction I. C.. ........... . . 67.75
74LS51 And/or invert gate . .75 74LS257 Quad 2 input multiplexer .99
XR205 Monolithic waveform generator. 8.10
XR210 FSK modulator/demodulator 5.95 74LS54 4 wide and/or invert gate ................. 79 74LS258 Quad 2-1 multiplexer ......... . 0. 0. .99
74LS55 2 wide 4 input and/or invert gate . .75 74LS259 8 bit addressabe latch . 1.89
XR215 Phase lock loop ................. 0. 5.95
XR240 PCM repeater . . ... 11.95 74LS63 Hex current sensing switch . . .1.95 74LS260 DualS input NOR gate ............... 1.19
XR320 Monolithic timing circuit 1.64 74LS73 Dual J K flip flop with clear . .89 74LS266 Quad 2 input XNOR 0/C ......... 1.05
XR1310 Stereo demodulator ............. 0. 1.25 74LS74 Dual D flip flop ..........................79 74LS273 Octal D flip flop ..................... 1.99
XR2206 Monolithic function generator. 4.95 74LS75 4 bit bistable latch ........ 0. .79 74LS275 7 bit slice Wallace tree ............... 5.55
XR2207 Voltage controlled oxci llator 3.45 74LS76 Dual JK master/slave flip flop .99 74LS279 Quad S-R latches ................... 1.10
XR2208 Operation multiplier . . .. . 3.45 74LS77 4 but bistab le latch . . . 1.45 74LS280 9 bit odd/even parity checker/
XR2209 Precision osc illator . . ............. . 3.45 74LS78 Dual J K flip flop preset, generator . . ....................... 3.65
XR2211 FSK demodulator/tone decoder .......... 3.90 common clear . .99 74LS283 4 bit binary full adder .. 1.29
XR2212 Precision phase locked loop ............ 5.45 74LS83 4 bit binary full adder .................. 1.32 74LS289 64 bit RAM .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. 6.25
XR2213 PLUtone decoder . 5.45 74LS85 4 bit magnitude comparator ... 1.65 74LS290 Decade counter ............. 0. . ... 1.69
XR2240 Programmable timer counter . . ..... 1.99 74LS86 Quad input XOR gate ......... 0. 0. . .95 74LS293 4 bit binary counter .......... 0. . ... 1.89
XR2242 Long range timer . . ........... 0.... 2.25 74LS90 Decade counter .............. 0. 0. 0.... 1.20 74LS295 4 bit shift register ........... 0. 0..... 1.99
XR2567 Dual monolithic tone decoder .... 2.40 74LS91 8 bit shift register ......... 1.20 74LS298 Quad 2 input multiplexer . . 1.89
XR4739 Dual low noise op amp ................. 1.55 74LS92 Divide by 12 counter ......... 0. . ..... 1.20 74LS299 8 bit storage register ........ . . . . . .... 3.65
XR14412 FSK modem system ............. . ..... 9.39 74LS93 4 bit binary counter .................... 1.20 74LS320 Crystal oscillator. . 5.65
74LS95 4 bit right/left shift register ............. 1.69 74LS321 Crystal oscillator .................... 5.65
74LS96 5 bit shift register async. preset ......... 1.70 74LS322 8 bit shift register ................... 7.75
Memories 74LS107 Dual JK flip flop with clear.

74LS109 Dual JK pas. edge triggered flip flop.
74LS112
74LS113
Dual J Kedge triggered flip flop.
Dual JK edge triggered flip flop.
.95
. ...99
.99
.99
74LS323
74LS348
74LS352
74LS353
8 bit bidirectional ,u niversal
shift
8 to 3 priority encoder . .
. 7.65
. .... 1.99
Dual4 bit multiplexer ....... 0.. . . .... 3.25
Dua14 bit multiplexer ....... .. . . ..... 1.99
TOP VALUE 74LS114 Dual JK edge triggered flip flop. .99 74LS354 Data selector multiplexer ............. 1.99
74LS122 Retriggerable monos table 74LS355 Data selector multiplexer. . .. 5.95
multivibrator .1.19 74LS356 Data selector multiplexer. . ... 5.95
Untouchable Prices! 74LS123 Dual retriggerable monos table 74LS357 Data selector multiplexer. . .. 5.95
multivibrator ......................... 1.55 74LS365 Hex bus driver tristate . .99
74LS125 Tristate quad bus buffer ...... 1.20 74LS366 Hex bus driver
Guaranteed Prime Stock 74LS126
74LS132
Quad 3 state buffer ................ 0.
Quadruple 2 input NAND Gate .......... 1.28
.99
74LS367
(inverted output) .
Hex bus driver
.99
.99
74LS133 13 input NAND gate .99 74LS368 Hex bus driver
Dynamic RAMs 74LS136 Quad XOR gate . . ..... 95 (inverted output) ............. o. .99
4116 1x16k 150ns ............. $ 1o85 74LS137 3 of 8 decoder/demultiplexer. .99 74LS373 Octal transparent latch . . . 2.19
74LS138 3 to8 decoder/multiplexer . .99 74LS374 Octal dual flip flop ... 2.19
4116 1x16k200ns ........... $ 1o65
2118 1x 16k200ns ................ .. .... $ 3o95 74LS139 Dual1 of 4 decoder/demultiplexer .99 74LS375 4 bit bistable latch ... 1.15
(single + 5V supply) 74LS145 BCD to decimal decoder/driver .......... 1.65 74LS377 Octal D register. . ....... 2.19
4164 1x64k 150ns . 74LS147 10/4 priority encoder . . 2.99 84LS378 Hex D register ...................... 2.19
.. .. $ 7o89
4164 1x64k 200ns .... $ 7o19 74LS148 8 to 3 line priority encoder .... 2.99 74LS379 4 bit register. 2.19
41256 1x256k 150ns . . ............. $CALL 74LS151 8 channe l digital multiplexer. . .....99 74LS380 Multi function octal generator ........ 10.48
74LS153 Dual4/1 multip lexer .99 74LS381 4 bit ALU. 5.43
Static RAM
74LS154 4 to 16 decoder mu ltiplexer ............. 2.99 74LS384 8 bit multiplier . 9.88
2114L 4x 1k 200ns . . ..... $2o25
74LS155 Decoder/demultiplexer. .1.69 74LS386 Quad 2 input XOR gate. .99
6514 4x 1kCMOS450ns ............... $4o99
74LS156 Decoder/demultiplexer ......... 0. 0..... 1.69 74LS390 Dual decade counter. 1.25
6116 8x2k 150ns . . ............... $8o99 74LS393
74LS157 Quad selector/multiplexer. . .. 1.19 Dual 4 bit binary counter 1.99
(CMOS low power consumption)
74LS158 Quad 2 input multiplexer 74LS395 Tristate shift register . . .... 1.25
2016 8x2k 150ns . . ..... . .. 0...... $8o25
(inverting) ..................... 0...... 1.90 74LS396 Octal storage register ................ 3.99
6164 8x8k 150ns . . .... $CALL
74LS160 Decade counter with async. 74LS398 Quad D flip flop .................... .3.99
EPROMS clear . 1.50 74LS399 Quad 2 input multiplexer with
2716 450ns8x2k. . ...... $ 6o19 74LS161 Sync. 4 bit counter ........... 0 ..... f60 storage. . ................... 2.95
2716 300ns 8x2k ....... $ 7o45 74LS162 Sync. 4 bit counter ........... 0 01.69 74LS629 Voltage controlled oscillator ......... .3.60
2732 450ns 8x4k . . ........ $ 6o99 74LS163 Sync. 4 bit counter ........ ... 0. 0. ..... 1.60 74LS670 ... . 1.49
2732 300ns 8x4k ............. 0.......... $ 7o99 74LS164 8 bit serail shift register .... 0. . 0........ 1.60
2764 300ns 8x8k ........................ $11 o85 74LS165 Parallel load 8 bit shift
27128 350ns 8x16k . . ........ $CALL register .............................. 1.89

74500 Trim Pats IC sackets
~
1S 18 20 22 24 28 40
series.1TL
P.C. MOUNT MULTITURN TRIM POTS
SOC~ElS
RESISTANCE SOlOEI'I TA•L 16¢ 28¢ 32¢ 36¢ 40¢ 44¢ 48¢ 56¢ 80¢
10 500 10K 200K SOCKETS
20 1K 500K W IPE W RAP 65¢ 89¢ 1.17 1.49 1.69 1.75 1.89 1.98
20K
LOW PI'IOFIL E
50 2K
74SOO
74S02
74S03
Quad 2 input NAND gate .
Quad 2 input NOR gate
Quad 2 input NOR gateO/C.
. .. . $ .79
. .. 79
. . . .79
100
200
5K
50K
100K
1M
2M $1.65 ea. MACH IN E CONT ACT
CO M PO N ENTS
PLA TFOR M
1.69 2.50
1.99
2.75
2.50
3.50 3.89 4.00 4.75
3.39
4.75 5.95
5.85
2.:35 2.7S 350 5.60

74S04 Hex inverter ... . ... ... .. ...... . .. ... 79
.
74SOS Hex inverterO/C. . . .. 79 TRIM POTS
RESISTANCE
74S08
74S09
Quad 2 input AND gate ... . .... . ..... 79
Quad 2 input AND gate 0 /C . . .79
100 1000 10K 100K 1M D·Shell connectors
250 2500 25K 250K 2.5M -----
'
74S10 Triple 3 input NAND gate . . . .. 19 500 5000 50K 500K 5M
74S11 Triple 3 input NAND gate 0 /C .. . .79 '" ~
74S1S Triple 3 input AND gate 0/C . . . . . .... . .79
- .
OPEN CASE 35e RACK/PAN EL
CON N ECTOAS
INSULATIO N
OIS P LAC~ M E N T
74S20
74S22
Dual4 input NAND gate. .
Dua14 input NAND gateO/C .
.79
.79
ENCLOSED CASE sse SUFF IX
PINS
! XXZI
PART •
9 DE9 -XX Z
74S30 8 input NAND gate . .79 ' 15 DE 15 - XX-~
74S32 Quad 2 input NOR buffer . . .8S

25
37
DE25-XX-Z
DE37-XX -Z
'"
""
50 DE50-XX Z
74S37
74S38
Quad 2 input NAND buffer.
Quad 2 input NAND buffer 0 /C .... . . 2.49
. . . 2.49
Tantalum capacitors 1
~r== ;1 ~~~;~~B~~lDEATAi l
74S40 Dual4 input NAND buffer .99 PC • PA INTEOC II'ICU IT MOUNT II'IIGHT ANGlE I SH 9·X 375
DIPPED TAN TALUM CAPACITORS P • PlUG SH-1 ~ - X 20~
74S74 Dual D f lip flop . ... . 1.20 uF WORKING VOLTAGE (V} uF WORKING VOLTAGE (V) S : SOC~ET SH 25X 205
3 6.3 10 16 25 35
74S8S 4 bit magnitude comparator . . ...... 2.9S 3 6.3 10 16 25 35
3.3 - .27 .30 .37 .41
1 .27
74S86
74S109
Qu ad 2 input XOR gate .
Dual J K positive edge triggered
. .... 1.6S 15
22
33
27
.27
.27
4.7
6.8
10
.27
30
.27 .34
30
37
.40
.37
.40
.51
41
51
.64
54
60
.78
Bridge Rectifiers
OUTPUT
flip flop. . .. . ...... 2.69 47 27 15 34 40 .48 52 1.10 1.73
CURRENT 1.OA 2.0A 3.0A 6.0A 10.0A 25.0A
68 .27 22 37 48 52 71 1.50 2.17
74S112 Dual JK flip flop . ..... .. .. .. .. ... . 1.29 1.0 .27 27 33.40 .53 .71 1.19 2.22 3.34
CASE
74S113 Dual J K negative edge triggered 1.5 .27 .34 47 48 .53 1.10 1.91 3.33 4.50 STYLE D-43
flipflo p . .1.4S 2.2 27 30 37 68 56 .75 1.91 2.20 4.82 ,045~6
74S114 Dual J K negative dge triggered
flip flop . . . . . .. .. 1.4S VOLTAGE
74S124
74S132
Du al VCO .
Quad 2 input Scm itt trigger
NAND.
. . . A.SO
. . .. . . . . . ... .2.40
connectors 50
100 1DMB10
$0.60
2KBPOOS DBPC100S KBPC600S
$0.95 $1.46 $2.18
100JB05L
$3.2S
lOOJBtL
$3.2S
2SOJ B06L
$3.2S
2SOJ B1 L
$3.3S
200 1DMB20 2KBP02 KBPC102 KBPC602 100JB2L 250J82L
74S128 3-8 decoder/multiplexer .. ..... . . . . . 1.99 $0.65 $1.25 $1.55 $2.35 $3.38 $3.4S
PINS SOLDER TAI L M ALE WIRE WRAP MALE RIBBON CABLE 400 10MB40 2KBP04 KBPC104 KBPC604 100JB4L 2SOJ BdL
74S139 Dual 2-4 decoder/multiplexer 1.99 STRAIGHT RIGHT ANGLE STRAIGHT RIGHT ANGLE FEM A LE $0.69 $1 .50 $1.70 $2.53 $3.51 $3.S8
Quad line driver . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . 1.60 20 2.09 2.09 2.97 2.97 2.70
74S140 26 2.69 2.,69 3.65 3.65 3.42
2KBP06 KBPC106 KBPC606 100JB6L 2SOJ B6 L
$1.65 $1.87 $2.85 $d.SS $dlS
74S1S1 8 channel digital multiplexer . . . . .. . .1.99 34 3.50 3.50 4.29 4.29 4.44
4::0 3.97 3.97 4.83 4.83 5.22
74S1S3 Dual4-1 multiplexer . . .. .... 1.99 50 4.76 4.76 5.63 5.63 6 .50
74S1S7
74S1S8
Quad 2 input multiplexer . ..... . .... 1.99
Quad 2 input multiplexer . . .. ... . ... 1.99
60 5.75 5.75 6.78 6.78 8.16
SCR'S, DIAC'S, & TRIAC'S
74S160 Decade counter wit h async. SCR'a
c lear . . ....... .S.89 2N5061 800mA 60 T0-92 S7 DIACS
2N5062 800mA 100 T0 -92 .75 D3202Y
74S161
74S1 62
74S163
Sync. 4 bit counter ..... ... .. . .. .. .S.99
Sync . 4 bit counter
Sy nc. 4 bit counter
......... 6.99
.S.OO
Opta 2N5063
2N5064
2N6333
2NS334
BOOm A
800mA
2A
2A
150
200
50
100
T0-92
T0-92
T0-39
T0-39
.79 0 3202U
85
1.97
2.05 TRIACS
2A
2A
PIV CASE
2N6335 2A 200 T0-39 2.31 PART. 1m
74S168 4 bit up/dow n sync . counter. 7.44 TRANSISTOR OUTPUT TRI AC DRI VER OU TPUT JUMBO LED
2N6336 2A 300 T0-39 2.51 TIC206B 3A 200 T0-220 1.38
2N6337 2A 400 T0-39 2.73 TIC206D 3A 400 T0-220 1.47
74S169 4 bit sy nc. c ounter 7.S9 MCT26 .96 MOC301 1 1.81 RED .25 TIC106B 5A 200 T0-220 0.79 TIC21SB SA 200 T0-220 1.S9
Hex D flip f lop with c lear .. . ... ... .2.SO 4N 28 .85 MOC3020 1.37 TIC106D 400 T0-220 0.85 TIC21SD SA 400 T0-220 1.75
74S174 4N 26 .85 MOC3030 2.04 TIC11SB
5A
SA 200 T0-220 1.59 T1 C22SB 8A 200 T0·220 1.64
74S17S Quad D flip flop with clear. 2.SO MCT2 1.02 MOC303 1 2.68 GREEN 30 TIC11SO SA 400 T0-220 1.65 T1C2260 SA 400 T0-220 1.69
4N 38 1.16 YEL LOW .35 TIC11SM SA 800 T0-220 3.66 TIC236B 12A 200 T0-220 us
74S1 81 ALU. S.99 4N 37 1.16 ORANGE .35 Tl C12SB 12A 200 T0-220 1.75 TIC236D 12A 400 T0-220 1.82
Look ahead carry generat or. 3.7S 400 T0 -220 2.25 TI C263B 25A 200 3.04
74S182 4N 25 85 SCR OUT PUT TIC12SD
T1C12SM
12A
12A 600 T0-220 3.68 TI C263D 25A 400 3.96
4N 27 85 MOC3002 1.81
74S189 16 x 4R AM . S.SO 4N35 1.16 MOC3003 2.60
74S19S 4 bit parallel ac cess shift 4N36 1.1 6 7 SEGMENT DISf.'LAYS
SIP (s ingle In-line package)
regist er . 2.99 DARLI NGTON OU TPUT Ol1416 34.7 1
FND500 2.04
74S196 Presettable decade counter 4.9S 4N 31 1.16
Tl'/o FND507 2.04 PART II PINS COMMON
4N29 1.13 PIN II
74S197 Presettable binary counter ..... .4.9S 4N30 1.13 RECTANGULAR FND501 2.04
6-1-XXX 6 1 0.79
4N 32 1.1 6 ROUNDED FN0508 2.04
74S201 2S6 bit RAM . . ... .. .. .... 8.9S 4N 33 1.1 6 RECTANGULAR 45 TIL313 1.85 8-1-XXX 81 0.90 XXX=Value
10·1-XXX 101 0.95
74S240 Oct al line driver .. .. .. ....... . ..... 3.99
74S241
74S244
Oc tal line driver . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Octal line driver . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .3.99
. .. . 4.7S
send fOr our flyer on active and passive components.
74S2S1 Tri- state data selector
multiplexer ...... 2.6S We have a large selection of small signal and JFET tran·
74S260 DualS input NOR gat e . . . . ... 1.7S Transistors sistors in stock.
74S283 4 bit binary full adder ...... . .... .. .4.99 DEVICE PRICE POL ev::oo lcm all 1101 P(Jiss hie CASE DEVICE PRICE POL. BVceo lc max II Of Pdn;s hie CASE
74S289 16 x 4 RAM ... .. ........ .. ...... .. S.20 TIP47 .91 NPN sl 250V 1A 40W 2S
min T0-220 TIP142 3.15 NPN sl 100V 10A 125W 500 min CP·3
74S299 8 bit universal shift TIP48 .97 NPN sl 300V 1A 40W 25
min T0-220 TIP1 48 PNP sl BOV 10A 125W 500 min CP-3
TIP49 1.02 NPN sl 350V 1A 40W 25
min T0·220 TIP2955 1.26 PNP sl BOV 15A 90W 500 min CP-3
storage register .9.99 TIP50 1.02 NPN sl 350V 1A 40W 2S
min T0·220 TIP3055 1.15 NPN sl BOV 15A 90W 15mln CP·3
TIP110 .89 NPN sl BOV 2A SOW 500 min T0-220 TIS<3 UJT sl 30V 50m• - - - T0-92
74S373 Oc tal D latch . ... . .... . .. . . . . ... 3.99 TIP111 .89 NPN 81 BOV 2A SOW 500 min T0-220 TIS58 N·JFET sl 25V 10ma - - - T0-92
74S374 Octal D latch . ... 3.99 TIP115
TIP120
TIP121
....
.78 PNP
NPN
NPN
sl
sl
sl
BOV
BOV
BOV
2A
SA
SA
SOW
65W
65W
500 min
1000 min
1000 min
T0-220
T0-220
T0-220
TIS59
TIS82
TIS73
N·JFET
NPN
N·JFET
sl
sl
sl
25V
12V
30V
lOrna
30ma
50m•
500 MHz
- - - T0--92
30 min T0-92
- - - T0-92
We apologize for the high pricing. This is
due to the severe parts shortages and our
TIP122
TIP125
TIP127
..
1.01
1.14
NPN
PNP
PNP
81
sl
sl
100V
BOV
100V
SA
SA
SA
65W
65W
65W
1000 min
1000 min
1000 min
T0·220
T0-220
T0 -220
~:g;
TIS84
N·JFET
N-JFET
NPN
sl
sl
sl
30V
30V
30V
50m•
50ma
SOma 100 MHz
- - - T0-92
- - - T0-92
45 typ T0-92
TIP140 2.75 NPN 81 BOV 10A 125W 500 min CP-3 Tl$86 NPN sl 30V soma 500 MHz 200 max T0-92
TIP141 2.99 NPN sl BOV 10A 125W 500 min CP·3 TIS87 NPN sl 45V SOma 5QO MHz 150 max T0-92
costs have in most cases doubled. Unfor·
tunately this shortage is expected to last
unti11985. voltage Regulators
We do however have an enormous inven· POSITIVE
tory of hundreds of thousands of parts and 780S + SV 1A .99 78HGASC Adjust SA . . . ... . ....... .. ..... 11.47
78LOS + SV .1A .7S 78S40 Switching regulator . . . . .. • .•.•. .. . . .. . . . . 3.84
we can supply industry at bulk rate pricing. 78HOS + SV SA 9.44
Despite the rise in prices, we are sure you 78POS + SV 1OA . . .. .. . ... . . . .... . . . . •.• . .14.97 NEGATIVE:
7806 + 6V 1A .99 790S .SV 1A .99
will find our pricing most competitive and 78L06 + 6V .1A .7S 79LOSSV. 1A .. .7S
our stock position excellent. 7812 + 12V 1A . - . .. - .. . . .. - .99 7906 -6V 1A .8S
78L 12 + 12V .1A .7S N12~2V1A .... .. ... . .8S
For current pricing, cons-ult our monthly 78H12+12VSA . . . . . . 10.9S 79L 12-12V. 1A ... .. .... . .. .. 99
specials. 781S + 1SV1A .. ... ... .. . .99 791S-1SV 1A .. .. . . ... .... .. .. 99
7824 + 24V 1A .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . .99 79GUIC Adjust. 1A .. .... . . . . 1.6S
78GUIC Adjust. 1A 1.80 79HGASC Adjust 5A . . . . . 17.99
Prices subJect tD change
without notices. We carry a full selection of 0.25W Large selection of capacitors of
contact us for OEM pricing. resistors 3e each. all types.
POWER SUPPLIES and TEST GEAR
This is the deal of the century
KEPCO POWER SUPPLIES
Rated at 9DW Max.!
RFI filter and fuse on board, 11 5/23DV
Open Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $49.00
cased with no fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... S 99.00
cased with powerful, 3" silent fan $109.00
cased Dual unit, 175W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $149.00
ouantitv discounts available. Dealer enquiries Invited.
Hydro approved, Cased version is designed so that the fan draws the air from inside of the system,
through the power supply box and out. Beautifully quiet, switching power supply.
After evaluating a dozen power supply manufacturers, we found a supply, which truly exceded our ex·
pectations. This KEPCO power supply is a high quality switching power supply, which meets industrial
needs and will superceed hobbyists requirement. We highly recommend it. This supply is made in
JAPAN, not TAIWAN. This power supply module would normally cost approximately $100.00 wholesale
price, in thousand lots. Due to the fact that we purchased over 5 thousand of these units, which tJe also
use in production, we would like to pass along the savings... Take advantage of this opportunity.
Ratings: Dual 12 Volts,
12 V at 2.8A 12 V at 2 A ·12V at .SA
• 5 Vat 5.0A We tested the + 5V, it works beautifully beyond 6 A. We also tested these power supplies
at much heavier loads and they worked perfectly. You can get considerably better performances from
these supplies, when they are fan cooled. Documentation and schematics are provided with each KEP·
CO power supply.
Ideal for 8088 and other IBM compatible system. Will handle up to 4x5'1•" disk drives with power to
spare.
Boschert Power supply ....... $199.00

+ SV @ &A, + ISV @ :S.7A, ·ISV @3.7A with power cord, RFI filter, cased, fuse
and switch. + 15V easily changed to + 12V by adding 78H12 regulator.
3200·Digital Hi·Tester ~x 3211 Pencil Hi·Tester oscilloscopes

• Full Autorange Func tion • Measures Volts, OHMS and is a audible (call for quantity pricing)
c ontinuity tester
(except c urrent) Hameg scopes
• Display Hold Function handy for t aking
• LO Power OHMS permits TWo year warranty
reading after test er has been taken out of a
In-Circuit measurement s. (CSA approved)
hard-to-reach location.
• Display Ho lder Feature
• Full Autoranging
• Aud ible Continuity Test HM'I03 - $550.00
• The "Touc-To-Circuit" concept mak es the 3211 a 10 MHz single trace, built-in components tester, inter-
• Lamp Reports overvo ltage valuable t ool for use in troubleshooting nal graticule (6x7 em) triggers up to 30 MHz.
in OHMS and range and maintenance
• Curre nt measurement up • comes w ith CASE HM203·4 - $835.00
t o 10A is possible.
Price - $94.95 -STSELLER
20 MHz, dual trace, built-in component tester, internal
graticule (8x10 em), triggering - DC to 30 MHz.
HM204 - $'1'120.00
20 MHz, dual trace, built-in component tester, internal
Price- $'179.95 graticule (8x10 em), triggering DC to 40 MHz, sweep
Accuracy ± 0.5% to delay function 100nS to 1 sec with variable fine con-
trol.
3212 Digital Multimeter
is a " No Frill s" DMM designed to g i•e maximum per-
f ormance at a pr ice you can afford.
• Full Autoranging Hitachi Portable
(except c urrent) osciloscopes
• High current (call for quantity pricing)
measurement capability
• LO OHMS for In-Circuit
V·353F - $CALL
35 MHz dual delayed sweep, 5.5 inch screen includes
measurement delaying feature.
• Over voltage protection
t o AC 250V in both V·203F - $CALL
current (except 10A) and 20 MHz dual trace, delayed sweep, 5.5 inch square
Accuracy ±0.7% to ± 1.0% CRT.
OHMS range.
we also carry
Beckman Digital
Multlmeters at
Logic probes from discount prices
Price - $'104.95
$29.95
Accuracy ± .7% to ± 1.0%
Hobbyist Delights
DISK DRIVES
l=lfil33!!3;1
The real thing! SA455 Shugart 5 114" SLIMLINE DS,DD
40 tracks per side disk drive.
(Two drives fit into space of one full height drive)
265 DAY WARRANTY!
ONLYS2:S9
SA390 Drive mechanism . . . .... . . • . . .. . $179
Hard Disk
Seagate (industry favoured)
10 MEG. slimline ........... . ...... $ 9 8 9
10 MEG Seagate, slimline drive and hard disk controller.
This controller can handle up to two 10 MEG hard drives
LOWEST PRICE OF .. $1299

For details see p. 12
Instead of Struggling and building your
SUPER VALUE own elusively cheaper peripherals, buy
This attractive case made out of metal and aluminum,
with a superb paint job looks like the real thing. It is our high quality guaranteed fully tested
made so that 8088 peripheral boards can be mounted and professionally built flow-soldered and
securely to the case, rather than hanging loose in the ultrasonically cleaned products at
motherboard. This case is ideal for use with the 8088
board or 6502 boards. Customers have remarked that
unbelievable prices.
they have not seen any other case which looked as well
designed as this one. We highly recommend it. MULTIFLEX SERIAL
We can now offer you a choice of two types of high
quality cases for your IBM compatible or 6502 boards!
KEYBOARD ENCODER
(as per picture) $& 5 OO • changes the serial code into parallel ASCII output
Standard sliding top • with programmable characters.
With 90W Max power supply & fan .... $169.00 • Ideal for your Apple, or·any 6502 system with ASCII
or our new super two point hinged top tor$ · input.
fast & easy access . . .. .. . .. . .. . . . . .. . 74.95 You will love it and to the best of our knowledge, only we
carry such a deluxe feature board.
With 90W Max power supply & fan . . . . $178.95
SUPERB 6502 CASE and keyboard with numeric
$&9.00
keypad and great power supply .............. . $199.00
(Limited time only)
CHECK THIS OUT!
Electrohome NEW 5" green
MEMORY Untouchable Prices! screen
monitors
Guaranteed Prime Stock $59.00
Dynamic RAMs
4116 1x16k 150ns ... $ 1.85
4116 1x16k200ns ................. $ 1.65
2118 1x16k200ns .... $ 3.95
(single + 5V supply)
4164 1x64k 150ns . . .$ 7.89
crystals great stock in all 4164
41256
1x64k 200ns
1x256k 150ns.
.... $ 7.19
.. .............. $CALL
locations Static RAM
1.000 MHz ...... . . . • . .... $ 6.50 2114L 4x1k200ns............ .. ......... $2.25
1.8432 MHZ .. . ......... . . ...... $ 4.50 6514 4x1kCMOS450ns ........ .. . . ...... $4.99
4.000 MHz. ..... $ 3.95 6116 8x2k 150ns .............. .. . ....... $8.99
3.579545 . . ..... . .. . ..... $ 2.95 (CMOS low power consumption)
4.032 MHZ. .... $ 4.50 2016 8x2k 150ns . .. .................. $8.25
6.000 MHz .. ... $ 3.95 6164 8x8k 150ns . . .. $CALL
8.000 MHz. ..... $ 3.75 EPROMS
10.000 MHz. .$ 3.65 2716 450ns 8x2k .......... • . ... $ 6.19
14.318 MHz. .. . . $ 2.90 2716 300ns 8x2k .......... • . ...... $ 7.45
16.000 MHz ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. • . . . . $ 3.95 2732 450ns 8x4k . .... $ 6.99
2732 300ns 8x4k • brand new open frame monitor, requires 12V power
17.430 MHZ. .... $ 3.95 .... $ 7.99
supply Sync separator board, (if needed)
18.000 MHZ. .... $ 4.50 2764 300ns 8x8k .......... . . ........ $11.85
18.432 MHZ. ...... $ 4.50 27128 350ns 8x16k. '-'-'-'-'-''-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'' .... $CALL (only 300 in stock. Hurry!) $1 :S.OO
Multiflex ZBDA
s,oo starter System
complete,
assembled
and tested
TOP VALUE
$299
Options:
&4K Dynamic RAM & Multi·
plexers . . . . . . . . . . $88.00
Big Piggyback Board with
RS2:52 and Real 'lime Clock
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $179.00
RS2:52 OSition fOr MOther-
board . . . . . . . . . . . $:58.00
DC to DC converter Option
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.00
Extra 5·100 connectors
leach) . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.95
MULTIFLEX's Z80 computer is a versatile and expan- to one of the S-100 slots on the motherboard and is IEEE amine 1/0 ports, load and save from cassette calculate
dable stand-alone computer system designed and built 696/S-100 compatible with the full24-bit address path to relative branch offsets, set breakpoints single step pro-
right here in Canada. It uses the newest technology to allow up to 16 megabytes of memory to be addressed. grams, execute programs, and program EPROMs. Each
provide the user with the most capabilities for the The processor used is the Z80 (running up to 6 MHz) and of these process is invoked by a single keypress. Also
smallest price-tag. Its adaptability to any situation and there is provision on-board for 64K of dynamic memory available to the use are 2 spare keys definable for
extremely low cost allow it to be used in many applica- (using 4164 chips) which will operate without walt special functions a required by specific applications
tions ranging from a trainer to a complete CP/M-based states. Provided for as well is a 2K to 32K (selectable in and applicator programs.
computer comparable to the best on the market, at a 2K blocks) common resident area in memory for use Available as an option, there is a piggyback board
fraction of the price. with multiple memory banks. There are also 4 sockets which attaches to the CPU board and give the user a
The actual layout of the system is a two board on board which will handle 2732 (4Kx8) or 2764 (8Kx8) real-time/time-of-day clock with battery back-up,
design. One board (the "motherboard") contains a EPROMs or the new 6116/2016 (2Kx8) static RAMs (all of memory management for up-to 16M of memory in 4K
24-line parallel 1/0 chip for interfacing to the external which can be software deselected if desired) to allow blocks, 2 RS232C ports which have independent soft-
world, an RS232C serial port with baud rates selectable the user complete versatility in setting up the board to ware selectable baud rates, vectored interrupts for the
from 110 to 9600 baud, a hex address and data display , a meet his own specifications. Also on board is 1 parallel onboard 1/0 and clock devices, and a general interrupt
hex keypad, 14 monitor function keys, 2 user definable port with 24 lines of 1/0 and 3 16-bit counter/timers for controller designed to handle multiple intterupts for up
keys, a 40-chip wire wrap area with full access to all the applications which require the unit to keep track of real to 7 other boards.
bus signals, on-board provision for regulators so that time. Another feature of the CPU board is that it was All these features make this a very impressive
the board can b., supplied with standard S-100 voltages, designed by our engineers to run the CP/M 2.2 disk stand-alone unit and, when combined with the S-100
an EPROM ·programmer whic h will hand le 2708 (1 Kx8), operating system so that if a floppy disk controller boards either from the MULTIFLEX line r from most
2716 (2Kx8), 2732.(4Kx8) 2532 (4Kx8), 2764 (8Kx8) and the board is added to the system a fully configured CP/M other manufactures, give the user the potential for a
brand new 27128 (16Kx8) EPROMs, a DC-to-DC converter machine can be set up for a very low cost as described very powerful microcomputer system.
to supply the programming voltage to the EPROM pro- on page 13. The standard kit includes the CPU board with a
grammer and four (4) slots for IEEE S-100 compatible The monitor software that comes with the kit is a ZSOA (4HMz) processor, 2K of RAM (a 6116), and 4K of
boards for further expansion. This is an extremely useful well-written extensive package which allows the user to EMPROM (a 2732) as well as the motherboard with all
and inportant feature as it allows expansion of the have complete versatility in machine langUage program- the features mentioned above except the RS232C port
system with all boards using this industry-standard bus ming and execution as well as control of all the features and the DC-toDC converter. Also supplied are sockets
structure, which are available from MULTI FLEX, as well on the board. The monitor functions include: ex- for all IC's and 1 S-100 connector.
as from hundreds of manufacturers worldwide. cimine/modify memory locations, memory block moves,
The other board is the CPU card. This card plugs in- compare 2 blocks of memqry, examine CPU register, ex-
Multiflex 5·100 Multiflex 5·100 MULTIFLEX

Video BOard Floppy Disk 256k RAM CARD
This board is an intelligent, 1/0 mapped, 80 x 24 Video • Provides user with upto 256k of Dynamic RAM.
Display Board. Based on the 8275 programmable CRT controller • Uses 4164 150ns. • Refresh of RAM can be handled
externally (if Z80 processor is available or internally if no
controller, the 8257 programmable DMA controller, and
refresh signal is available. • Waitstates can be jumper
a Z80 processor. Provided on board is 8K of static RAM The MULTI FLEX floppy disk controller is a state-of-the-
which gives the user 3V. screens of text. With simple selected. • Compatible with CP/M and MPIM operating
art IEEE 696/S-100 compatible board. It allows the user systems. • Bank select feature. • Write protect option.
commands, the user can easily scroll around in this buf- to interface,• simultaneously, up to four (4) 8 inch or 5'1•
fer, clear the present page and home, home on the pre-
sent page and go to the beginning of the buffer. There
inch disk drives in any combination to his system with
the flexibility of single/double sided and single/double Complete RAM CARD
are also 4 field attributes (blink, reverse video, underline,
and highlight) which can be turned on and off by soft-
density operation. If desired, all operations with the op-
tional on-board controller or under processor control.
with &4k Of RAM- $249
ware. Other software commands include a carriage Latest technology has been used in this design. The 128k - $519 256k - $459
return , line feed, clear to end of l~ne; transmit cursor board is designed around the FD2793 controller chip for
location; transmit character at cursor location; position
cursor; disable control functions; reset control register;
easy use under any operating system. However, this
board is especially designed for easy use with the CP/M
MULTIFLEX 5100 64K
as well as all the standard functions such as tab return,
line feed, and backspace. Also included in the software
or MP/M operating system (available as an option) and STATIC RAM CARD
the MULTIFLEX Z80 computer kit. With all these fea- • Uses 2k x 8 static RAM chips. • Static RAM
is a debug/setup program which completely tests the tures and its reasonable cost, this board is one of the eliminates problems with refresh. • Optional provision
board and allows the user to set up various parameters best buys in a floppy disk controller board on the market for battery back up provides you with ideal way to store
on it. The output from the board is in either composite today. data even when the power is turned off.
video or a video signal with separate horizontal and ver-
tical sync signals (either normal or inverted).
$269.00 complete board with
4k RAM - $99 S2k RAM - $250
$269.00 DMA Option ...... StOO.OO 16k RAM - $170 64k RAM - $599
versadigital Signs
Every business needs attention. In today's com- The sign that also talks
petitive marketplace you need to get the
customers' attention and you need to get your
message across - as boldly and as dynamically
as possible.
Two versions are available, single and dou-
ble row. Each row holds up to 21 standard
characters and can be expanded to up to 42
characters. The LED (Light Emitting Diode)
display is available in red (standard or extra
bright). green and yellow. Standard, wide (2",
upper and lower case) and bold tall (4", upper
case) come with the display. All can be
displayed normally or in .inverse (black
characters on a lit background) image format.
You can even program your own characters and
graphic symbols. As well as the standard LED
display, larger, brigtJ'ter incandescent light bulb
displays can be bwit to your spec1f1cat1ons. All
programming features are retained, and the
standard LED display is included for ease of
programming.
A wide variety of features allow you to
catch the public's attention - choose from
Versadigital signs are in use
Wipe-On and Wipe-Off. Spell-On. Flash and throughout the Toronto subway
Blink, Shift left and right, Scroll up and Down system. Send for reprint of article in
- in any order and at individually selectable Computing Now!, July 1984.
speeds.
Up to six different events can be displayed
simultaneously within dynamically selectable
boundaries. Up to 1281abelled messages can be A revolution in
stored within the units memory for display at
any preselected time and date and in any order.
12,288 character memory is standard on the
Versadigital Display. This can be expanded to
36,864 with optional external read only memory
E Toecc.ptupto128 externalswllehes
1 cor 2) memory modules.
C.ote llnll; to other displays.

sign technology
face allows up to 128 switches to be connected
to the Display, enabling customers to select
specific messages without having to wait for
Speech Synthe sizer output to the sign to cycle through its repertoire.
modules. speaker or PA amplifier.
The optional External Accessory Interface
Text can be entered through the Display's
allows you to write messages that actually
own keyboard, from an ordinary cassette
point to the product being discussed. At
recorder, from optional external meniory
selected points within . your message you can
modules, or optionally over telephone lines,
program the Display to turn on an external light
radio or infra-red link or over AC wiring. A com-
or a bell. Thus your message might be saying
prehensive set of commands allow complete
"You won't find these shoes anywhere else
control over the display's facilities. A powerful ." and the Display will then activate a lamp
; : Optional
word processor type editor lets you easily write, ~ : PROGRAMMER high-lighting the product. Up to 128 external
edit, run, save (on cassette) and transmit Optlonel devices can be controlled in this fashion. This
messages.
Use It Alone ...
Alphlinumerk
KEYBOARD
CASSETTE
RS232
INTERFACE
Optlonel
TEMPERATURE
u
lii,OOO chllracter
MEMORY MODUlE
feature alone makes the Versadigital Display
the most effective sales tool you can have.
RECORDER SENSOR
Using the Display' s own keyboard, you can The Versadigital Modular Display System The Sign That Protects Your
enter messages, or modify old ones, any time
you wish. You can create messages weeks in ad-
Message
Optional Programmable External Memory
' vance and store them · on cassette for subse- In the event of a power failure, the Versadigital
Modules expand the Display's internal memory
quent use. and allow preprogramming weeks in advance. Display's memory back-up keeps the Display's
You can program, say, a set of store Unlike audio cassettes, these require no special memory intact for six hours. The Display will
specials to appear at selected times throughout reader, but can be plugged directly into the also keep proper time. With this feature, you
the day and then just leave it alone. The Display. One module can be added without can unplug your sign to move it without losirrg
Display's internal clock does the rest. You can modification, two more plus an options board any messages.
even program it to turn itself off at night and expand the Versadigital's memory to a whopp- We believe that the Versadigital Display is
back on in the morning. The Versadigital ing 36.864 characters. Modules can be read the most advanced digital sign available today.
Display's optional voice capability ensures that directly by the Display, or programmed via an
your messages will be noticed as they come up. It has all the features and capabilities you'll
optional programmer module. Modules can be
programmed weeks in advance and then mailed ever need in an electronic sign, and if it doesn't,
... Or Use a Lot Simultaneously tell us, and we can build to your specifications.
out to branches for displaying.
An optional link enables additional displays to The modules are completely re-usable and
echo a single central display, at distances of up are erased by a half hour's exposure to Versadigital Technology in conjunc·
to 4,000 feet. You can disperse displays around ultraviolet light. tion with Multiflex Inc. also manufac·
a bus terminal, shopping plaza or throughout a
The Sign That's Portable tures Time and Temperature displays
train and update them all by simply updating and can build dynamic plaza maps to
one. The Versadigital Display can be optionally run
from any 12 volt automobile supply. Take it on your specifications. Our extensive
Unprecedented Programming Flex· engineering experience enables us to
the road! To outdoor rallies, fairs and other
ibility events. Anywhere you can go, you can take the design to a wide variety of situations.
Versadigital offers a variety of methods for pro- Versadigital Display with vou. Whether it is modifying a current pro·
gramming your Display Aside from standard
keyboard and cassette interface, the Display The Sign That Can Sell Your Pro- duct, or designing new equipment,
can be programmed (by means of an RS-232 duct tell us what you need, we can deliver!
port) via telephone lines, infra-red or radio link Research has shown that digital displays can in- Distributed by Digi·media Inc.
or over AC wiring. Ideal for multibranch use as crease sales by up to 30%. The Versadigital
335 Evans Ave., Toronto, Ont. MSZ 1K2
it allows updating across the city, or across the Display virtually assures that figure by increas-
country. ing the readers' involvement. An optional inter- J416) 252·9341
Multlflex Economy
VIdeo Display
Terminal
Now available from MULTIFLEX is an
economy video display terminal. Original-
ly designed as a low cost access unit for
our mail-ordering and bulletin board
system, this terminal is a semi-intelligent
system which is controlled by a Z80A
microprocessor and a 6845 CRT controller
chip. The keyboard is fully ASCII encoded
and the character generator contains the
full 128-character set as well as a
128-character alternate set both of which
are in the 5x7 dot matrix format. The
screen display is 80 characters by 24 lines
if the unit is hooked to an external
monitor. (Monitor not included). There are
3 software selectable attributes (dim,
reverse video, and alternate character set)
which can be chosen one at a time for the
whole screen. The attribute can then be
switched on and off for each individual
character. A 2K buffer is provided for nor-
mal operation. However when the optional
6K memory upgrade is purchased, 4
Multiflex Terminal
screen paQes can be loaded from the host
machine, edited, locally, and then communicate with either a modem or a
downloaded back to the host again saving UOfT printer. Also on-board are 2 6522 VIA
on connect time and phone line bills. Also chips. These provide 2 parallel ports per
included are 2 RS232 ports: one for a &809 Single Board chip along with 2 16-bit timer/counters.
modem and one so that a printer can be
attached to the terminal. The baud rates computer One of the parallel ports and -one of the
timers are use by the monitor software to
on these ports are software program- The 6809 Single Board Computer, design- provide a cassette interface ·(which
mable and can range from 110 to 9600 ed at the University of Toronto and operates at 300 baud). The second parallel
baud. With all these features, you would ex- distributed exclusively by EXCELTRONIX, port on that chip is wired into a connector
pect to pay a lot for this system, but all this is a compact hardware unit which was which is ideal for interfacing a p.arallel
is available to you, complete with an attrac- designed originally as a lab board for printer or keyboard. The 2nd VIA is not us-
tive case, for an extremely low price. teaching students about microprocessor ed at all and is completely free for the
systems. Its many features, however, user. For further expansion of the system,
A&T board with keyboard make it an ideal unit for stand-alone con- a fully buffered version of the CPU signals
<as picture top right) with trol applications or software development (data, address, control lines and a signal
one RS2!2 and 2K buHer systems as well. indicating whether or not the current ad-
$169.00 The system is designed around the dress is located on the board) is available
Motorola MC6809 microprocessor. This is at a cable connector.
an 8-bit processor with full 16-bit internal The software provided with the
architecture, 2 index registers, 2 stack system is in a 2532 EPROM and allows the
poinJers, 2 8-bit or 116-bit accumulators, a user to: test the memory; dump blocks of
direct page register and a wide range of memory; examine and modify single
addressing modes, including a program- memory locations; read or write from the
counter-relative mode. This mode allows cassette port; set and examine break-
the user to write completely position in- points; single step and/or execute
dependent software, important in machine language programs and set and
systems software development. examine the processor registers. All this
There is provision for up to 48K bytes is accomplished through a 9600-baud ter-
of dynamic RAM on-board. The refreshing minal interface (one of the serial ports)
of this RAM is controlled by an 8202 Included is a full screen editor/assembler
Dynamic RAM Controller. This chip allows which allows the user to work in 6809
for completely transparant refreshing of assembly language rather than machine
the RAM (ie. no wait states to slow the language. All this makes this board an
system down). There is also provision for ideal trainer, control unit or software
Terminal complete: Tested and up to 12K of EPROM using 2532 chips. development unit for just about anyone.
90 days warranty with 2 RS2:S2
ports, 2K buHer case and power There are 4 complete 1/0 circuits built
onto the board. 2 of them are serial Includes U ofT course documentation
supply (Hydro approved)
(RS232); one is used for a terminal (which
i~ required for use of the board with the A&Twlth48K
$519.00 supplied monitor software), and the other
one is user defineable, but it is set up to $389
Special Pricing is available when both items on this page are purchased together
0 Eagle PC +XL- Same as the Eagle Plus, but with 10 megabytes of integrated hard storage. $5,980.00
0
..,B Eagle Spirit II 8088 128K 2 sezial, l parallel 2-5W' floppy 640x200 pixels Yes MS-DOS 2.1, Eagle Computers DataTech Systems $4,065.00 Integrated 9" monitor
s. BASICA Ltd., Leading Source
:;·
IQ Eagle Spirit XL - Same as the Eagle Spirit, but includes integrated lO megabyte hard drive. $5,980.00
:z:
0
Eagle Turbo XL 8088 (8 MHz-4.77 256K 1 Parallel l-5 W floppy, 1 Opt. card ..640x200 Opt. card BAS!CA, MS-DOS Eagle Computer Datatech Systems Ltd $7,450.00 8slots
! MHz switchable) 10 Mb hard pixels Leading Source
~ Durango Poppy 80186 & 80286 384K 1 sezial, 1 parallel l-819K floppy, 1-10 No No XENIX Durango Systems Norango Cof!lputer $5,700.00 14" monitor and' station
c:
G)
Mb drive (optional Inc. Systems Inc. included
20Mb or 40Mb
B hard dzive)
i"
...
Chameleon 280 & 8088 128K Serial & parallel 1:os DD 5 v." floppy 320/640x200 pixels Yes WordStar, Super- Seequa York Computers $1,995.00 9" monitor
CD
Calc, Perfect
....."' Writer/Calc, Ms-
DOS, GWBASIC,
Term
Chameleon Plus 280 & 8088 256K Serial & parallel 2 DS DD 5 Y.'' floppy 320/640x200 pixels Yes Same as Chameleon Seequa York Computers $2,695.00 9" monitor
but with Condor I &
Perfect Speller
w
i'
:z:
?
...
g
[
~
r
-~G)
...fl
1:1.
.."'
0"' Name Processor(s) RAM Printer 1/0 Disk Drives Inc. Graphics Colour Software Inc. Manufacturer Available From Suggested Retail Other fiJ
Seequa PC 8088 & 280 128K Sera! & parallel I DS DD 5 V<' floppy 320/640x200 pixels Yes Same as Chameleon Seequa Computer Local Dealers $ 1,995.00 9" monitor
Corporation
Seequa XT 280 & 8088 256K Sera! & parallel; I DS DD 5 1!." floppy 320/640x200 pixels Yes Same as Chameleon Seequa York Computers $5,500.00 9" monitor
4 expansion slots ] . ] 0 Mb hard drive Plus
.a-=
CD
BEE PC 8088 & 280 128K I parallel & 2 sera! 1·5V." DS DD floppy 640x320 pixels Yes N/A Bee Micrcsystems Local dealers $2,795.00 I 0 programmab le func·
bon keys
~
Phlllp8 PC 8088 128K Parallel & serial 2·5W' floppy 640x325 pixels Optional Multi·Mate, GW Corona Philip; Information $3,665.00; 256K version 4 expansion slots.
BASIC, PC Tutor, Systems running MS·DCS 2.0 is Moni tor included
0
MS·DCS $3,990.00 ....
HAL 0088 128K I serial & I parallel 2 hall·height 320K 640x320 pixels Yes N!A HAL Computer Co. HAL Computer Co. $2, 119.00 Full IBM PC compatibility
DS DD 5V4' floppy with PROM purchase
STM Personal 80 !86 (8 MHz) 256K l parallel, 2 serial

Integrated printer
2 720K (formatted)
DS DD 5W drives
640x200 pixels
colour, 720x348 pix·
els monochrome
Yes MS·DOS, telephone/
mOOem support
Semi-Tech M icro-
electronics Corpor-
ation
Local dealern $3,699.00 Integ. auto-d.iaVanswer
modem , RGB/compa;ite
output
•n
Otrona 2001 8088: opt. Z80B 128K I serial & I parallel 2 DS DD 5 Y4' floppy 640x200 pixels Yes Operating system Otrona Advanced Scarndale 500 $4,495.00 7" fla t screen, portable
and 8087 Systems Corp.
Solution 5000 PC 8088 128K; 256 I serial, I parallel 2 360K DS DD 5W 640x200 pixels Yes MS·DOS, Electric Ace Micro- Ace M icro- Prices start at $2, 495.00 One year w arranty
K for pert 5 slots Pencil, K.I.S. Ac· Electronics Corp. Electronics
able model counting, future Corporation
packages free of
charge
"
IU
I...
The Portable 8086 272K I serial, I HP·IL RAM disk; opt. 71 OK 480x 128 pixels No Lotus 1·2·3, Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard $4,598.00 ••
3W floppy MS·DOS, P A M , cr
WP, terminal
Zenith Z-160 8088 128K 2 serial, I parallel I or 2-5 Y<' DS DD Yes Optional MS·DOS, diagnostics Heath/Zenith Heathkit·Zenith N/A
floppy I
HS-151 8088 128K 2 serial, I parallel
IBM compatible slots
I or 2·5V." DS DD
floppy
640x200 pixels Yes MS·DOS, diagnostic
software
Heath/Zenith Heathkit Electroniics
Centre
Kits: $2799.00 (! drive)
$3199.00 (2 drives)
Assembled: $3999.0\) (l
drive), $4659.00 (2
drives)
-
HS-161 - Similar to the HS·l51, but includes a 9" amber monitor. No list price available
TS 1605 Personal 8088 128K 1 pa rallel, 1 seria.l 2 slimline DS DD 640x200 pixels Yes TeleDOS, TeleBASIC Televidec N orango Computer $2,995.00 base
Computer '!.!"floppy Systems Inc.
Panasonic Sr. 8088 128K 1 parallel, 1 seria.l I DS DD 5V." floppy Yes Optional WordStar, VisiCalc, Panasonic Panasonic N/A Built-in printer, dis k drive
Pmtner pfs: and exparnion space
File/ReporVGraph,
GW BASIC
Advanced Person- NEC 8086 (8MHz) 128K 1 parallel, l seria.l I or 2·5Y<' floppy, 640x400 pixels; col· Yes MS-DOS, GW NEC Micro Computers of $2,995.00 for I d rive M oni tor included
al Computer Ill or hard drive with our & monochrome BASIC Canada $5,995.00; hard drive
5W floppy vers1on
(') .
0 North Star 80186 256K I parallel, 2 seria.l 1·360K floppy; hard N!A N/A N/A North Star TRW Data Systems $10,995.00 Up to 12 usern
a Dimension 13 slots drives available Computers, Inc.
'tl
§: QCAL 8000 8088 128K 5 expansion slots I DS DD 5 '!.'' floppy N/A Yes N/A QCAL International Pacific Rim $2,295.00
tl Elecb'onic lmporls
CQ
~ IBMPCAT 80286 256K;512K 8 expansion slots; I 1.2 Mb floppy 640x200 pucels Optional Software m ROM International Business Local IBM dealers $6, 149 .00; $8,9 15.00
enhanced SeraVParallel Enhanced has same Machines Corp. enhanced
!. vers1on enhanced plus 20 Mb hard
:z: drive
0
<
CD Compaq Portable 8088 256K l parallel, 3 expan- 2·5Y<' 320K DS 640x200 pixels RGB& MS-DOS, Micrcsoft Compaq Computer M icro-Lewis $4,495.00 Built-in 9" monochrome
a sionslots floppy composite BASIC Corporation monitor
tr interfaces.
CD
.. Requires
<D colour
monitor
-
......
~ Compaq PlWI 8088 256K I parallel, 2 expan- l-5W 320K DSDD 640x200 pixels RGB & MS-DOS 2.0, Compaq Computer Micro-Lew~ $7,495.00 Built-in 9" monochrome
a sion slots floppy, I I 0 Mb composite BASIC 2.0 Corporation monitor
'l:l hard interfaces.
S, Require>
i ~
(Q monitor.
z
~ Compaq Deskpro 8086 128K Parallel, 6 expansion l -360K 5Y4' drive 640x200 pixels Yes, w. MS-OOS Compaq Computer Micro-Lew~ $3,360.00 Monitor included RGB,
- Model 1 slots sep. colour C orporation composite and RF inter-
:Z: monitor or faces
0 ~
Compaq Deskpro 8086 256K I parallel, 6 expan- 2-360K 5Y4' drives 640x200 pixels Yes, w. MS-DOS Compaq Computer Micro-Le~ $4, I 10.00
:a
i" Model 2 sian slots sep. colour Corporation
,.. monitor or
~ ~
co
,.. Compaq Daskpro 8086 256K I parallel, I asynch- I-360K 5V." floppy, 640x200 pixels Yes, with MS-DOS Compaq Computer Micro-Lew~ $7.I 10.00
Model 3 ronous communica- 1 10 Mb hard sep. colour Corporation
tions monitor or
T.V
Compaq Deokpro 8086 640K I parallel, I asynch- l -360K 5W floppy, 640x200 pixels MS-DOS Compaq Computer Micro-Lew~ $I 0,4 10.00
Model 4 ronous communica- 1 10 Mb hard, l-1 0 Corporation
tions Mb backup
VIsual Commuter 8088 128K I parallel, I serial l -360K 5\1•" floppy N/A Yes, colour MS-DOS 2.1 , GW V~ual Computer Nelma Data $2,695.00
monitor BASIC Incorporated Corporation
needed.
Has RGB,
RF & com-
posite out-
put
Aftek PC/PC+ 8088 128K I parallel, 8 slots I DS DD 5V." floppy Opt. card Opt. card Oparating system Aftek Business Ma- Local dealers $2200.00 PC + retails Monitor optional
PC + has 2 chines, Inc. , for $2600.00
Willowdale
Altek XL/DL 8088 256K I parallel, I serial I DSDD 5Y4' floppy, Opt. card Opt. card Operating system Aftek Business Local dealers $4,800.00; DL retails
slots 1-10Mb hard. DL Machines, Inc., Wil- for $6,900.00
has tape backup lowdale
Apricot PC 8086; VO through 256K I parallel, I serial I-3 15K 3Y,", 2-315K 800x400 pixeb Opt. card/ MS-DOS 2.1,CP/M- Applied Computer Western Cash $3,350.00 (!drive); 800x400 pixels requires
an 8089 3Vi' or 2-720K 3\1," monitor req 86, Concurrent Techniques, Britain Reg~ter $3,650 (2-315K drives) monitor purchase
floppy drives CP/M, Personal $4,150.00 (2-720K
BASIC , MBASIC, drives
communications,
Super-
Writer/Calc/Planner
Apricot XI 8086; l/0 through 256K I parallel, I serial I-3 15K 3W floppy 800x400 pixels Opt. card/ MS-DOS 2.1, CP/M- Applied Computer Western Cash $5,700.00 for 5Mb
an 8089 & 1-5 Mb hard drive monitor req 86, Concurrent Techniques, Britain Reg~ter model, $6.400 for ] 0 Mb
or I-720K 3W flop- CP/M, Personal model
py & 1-10Mb hard BASIC, MBASIC ,
communications,
Super-
Writer/Calc/Planner
Apricot Fl/Fle 8086 128K (F i e) I serial, I parallel I 3 15K 3W floppy 640x256 pixels Yes, with Operating systems, Applied Computer Western Cash $1,985.00 (Fie); Optical link to keyboard
256K (Fl ) (F ie), or l-720K either TV Personal BASIC, Techniques, Britain Register $2.445.00 (Fl)
3W floppy (Fl) or RGB Doctor, Logo, tutor-
monitor ial
hookup
Apricot Portable 8086 (at 5 MHz) 256K I serial, I parallel l-720K 3W floppy 640x200 pixels Yes, with Oparating system, Applied Computer Western Cash $4,125.00
sep. RGB voice recognition Techniques, Britain Register
monitor software, more
Me ga-Board 8088 64K 8 slots I DSDD 5W floppy Opt. card Yes, with Mega-BIOS D~play Telecommun- Parts Galore, Inc. $ 1,995.00 (minimum
colour ications Corporation system)
monitor
-"'
Toll Free Orders Only GIIIIEA'I'
316 College St.
lflfjiiNc. 1·800..387·1385
Order Checking (416)925-8291
IIIlEAl.
Toronto, Ontario MST 1S3 Technical Data (416)925-1105
BARE PCB FOR APPLE• Our proven 6502 motherboard plus a numeric case plus
SOLID Real Time Clock $14.95
RANA, 4 drive •• $14.95
WILD II ........ $14.95
SAM TALKS . • .. $12.95
a black beauty powersupply plus a numeric keyboard
plus any 4 bare pcb for $275.00.
CASE Buffer printer ... $14.95

Graphic printer .$14.95
9Voicemusic .• $14.95 RS232prlnter •. $12.95
RS232 modem
Com .•...... $12.95
1-------------~----1
NUMERIC cableD or E(say) $24.95 RS232 asynch .. $14.95
SO column ..... $14.95 Sprite graphics .$17.95
S59.95 SO column w.SS.$14.95
Disc controller . $ 9.95 Buy any 5 cards and
Disc controller deduct 10% • Buy any
13/16 sector 10 cards and deduct
autoselect ... $14.95 20% • Buy any 25
....- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - l s s M Modem ... $24.95 cards and deduct 25% 2 grounded 3 wire sw~ched sockets, pilot light, surge
.......... $14.95 • Buy any 50 cards protector and on-off switch to turn off your system and
Multifunction two plugged in items' ............. . .... . ..... $45.00
and deduct 35% •
MNTN ....... $14.95
Buy any 100 cards and 1----------------~--1
128K Saturn .... $19.95 deduct 45% eAny
EPROM . . ..... $14.95 combination of the PIIWIIEII
PIA ........... $14.95 above cards
I!IUPPI.l'
FIRM WARE ETC FOR PCB HARD TO GET PARTS
Real time cloc~ MPSA13 transistor 754
disc . ... ... . . $8.00 2N3904transis. • . . Our Famous "BLACK BEAUTY" power supply, now
9 voice music, 2N3906 transis.... 30c reduced In price but not in quality. Our ratings are
... ... .
2 dl· scs
Graphic printer
$15 00
EPROM . ...• $10.00

.. . t------------------1
MPSU51 transis $1 00
2N4258 transis. . .. 754
1K,9 pin SIP ..•.. $1.00
5V·5A; 12V·2.5A; 5A·V•A;·12V·Y.A for real . .. ... $79.95
Apple® Compatible Cards

80 column 11<,8 pin SIP ...•. $1.1)() Wired and Tested
3 EPROMS ... $24.00 101<,10 pin SIP ... $1.00 (A) 161<. A copy of the CPM• 16K card so you know It Is
SSM EPROM ... $10.00 4 POS dip switch .$1.00 100o/o compatible, has 3 LED's . • .. . .. .. ....... $55.00
Multifunction 8 POS dip switch . ~50 (B) DISC controller, an exact copy of the real thing,
1------------------1
EPROM ..•..• $8.00 Disc male headers$2.00 100°/o'compatlble, runs PRO-DOS .. .. ... •. . ...• $49.95
128K3disks ... $20.00 Disc fern flat (C) Z-BOA card, the. famous CPM• card, exact copy
100% compatible . .• . ....... .. . .. ......... .. $55.00
Disc drive PROMS, cable . . ...... $2.00 (D) 80 Column, an exact copy of the famous VIDEX•
Set .•. . .. . .• $18.00 6 pin power inline $1.00
ASCII KIIEVBIIAIIIII!I EPROM program 6 pin power
card; upper, lower case, Inverse ............... $89.95
(E) 80 Column, with softswltch, a nice enhancement for
EPROM . . ... $ 8.00 square ....... $1.00 the 80 column card ..................... . ... . $75.00
;f. I !U ~ "
Wild card EPROM $8.00 RCA jack, PC (F) 13116 SECTOR DISK CONTROLLER, like the famous
01!11 ®ill W 111 ® ®111 W®II!W l!!~lliiJII!>
---£'-
B®®M®W m ~m@%00- •••• Wild card disc ... $6.00 mount •.......• 754 SHAMROCK• card. Picks out 13 or 16 sector DOS
•Bwwwwm • •••••w maw• SAM disc . ...... $6.00 50 Pf trimcap .. . . $1.00 automatically, very convenient .. .. . . .... . .. . . . $59.95
®il®®• ;m *•®®W®Wlf -~~!!If Sprite disc ...•.. $8.00 220 Ohm trim pot • . 75c (G) 128K Saturn exact copy, 100o/o compatlble at a very ~
!il ''> RS232 68A45for80col.$16.00 good price. Buy It as you like It:
1. Built board, no IC's at all . . .... .. . .... . .... $34.95
Now, we have a new keyboard, micro Proms set ...... $18.00 MC3242 for
2. Built board, aiiiC's no memory ... .•.. . .... $54.95
controlled with 3 levels of pre-coded 3. Built board, aiiiC's 64K . ...... . ........ . . $105.00
functions for Basic, CPM etc. and at the 4. Built board, aiiiC's 126K . .... ... . .. . . . .. . $175.00
(H) Graphic printer card 100% grapier compatible, does
same old price as before nice bit Image graphics, with cable . . .......... . $64.95
Function Keyboard, Numeric ...•...•• $89.95 (I) MODEM CARD, a -Y nice modem with holding coli
and CPM" compatibility . ..... • .... . ... .... . $189.95
Function Keyboard, Standard •••..... $79.95
(J) APPLACARD, Z-80 With 64K on board, does a very
quick job as..It has It's ?wn memory on board ...$149.95
MAIL ORDERS NOTE All the above cards have a full 30 day warranty.
We accept personal cheques, postal money orders, cer· We do not want to sell non-working boards and charge
lified cheques, traveller's cheques, VISA, American Ex· you to fix them.
press, Mastercard, bank drafts. We ship C.O.D. only by
CANPAR and truck. We do not use Canada Post C.O.D.
W..jllllll send your goods via CANPAR or canada Post
unless you say otherwise. You will be charged a min.
$3.00 for delivery and handling or more If your goOds are
heavier than the $3.00 weight or If you specify another
delivery service that charges more. All Ont. res add 7%
sales tax. We sell wholesale to any retail store or other
reseller with a sales tax exemption so long as a realistic
quantity Is bought. We ship within a week If In stock,
and we will canacel any backorders over 4 weeks unless
otherwise Instructed. 20% Restocking charge. All prices ·
subject to change without notice. C.O.D. charge $4.00
extra.
$449.00 Specify IBM®
or Apple Host Adaptor
The VEP 46 Is a totally new concept In EPROM programmers that
Software supplied allows access to the entire memory array of the computer so that sections of ROM can be ex·
amlned, moved, edited, and copied to up to 4 EPROMS at one time. Novel BIOS programs can be composed and
tested easily and rapidly, the bullt·ln UV lamp·allows erasure of up to 10 EPROMS at one time In 20 minutes. Any 5 V
EPROM,.wlth few exceptions can be programmed. Currently host adaptors are available for the Apple and IBM
mechlnes with Commodore to be ready soon. The VEP 46 comea with an extensive manual with step by step Instruc-
tions showing how to do everything simply and easily. Some features are:
• lii.6A approved power supply • Takes no power from host • Programs up to 4 at once
• Compares up to 4 EPROMS • 2716, 2732, 2732A, 2764, and • Uses ZIF sockets
Make your Applelm or 6502 machine look like an IBM to reference EPROM, lists 27128 EPROMS programmed • Bleaches 10 EPROMS at once
petm. This attractive metal case with ABS front bezel all errors • Bullt~n UV erasing lamp • Disc driven
looks just like you-know-who, but Is punched Internally • Verifies up to 4 blank • Edits • Examines all Host memory
to take all the 6502 Mother bosrda, power supplies etc EPROMS • Apple• version now ready data
that are now sold... . ... . . . . . ...... .. ... ... . .. $69.95 •IBM• version now ready • Commodore'" version soon ready • Priced at a very low price

Survey of PC Compatibles
Addresses: Ace Micro- Electronics Corporation, 624-0334 • Norango Computer Systems Inc.,
l 06- 11511 Bridgeport Road, Richmond, British 2025 Sheppard Avenue East, Willowdale, Ontario
Columbia V6X lT4 (604) 276-8214 e AFTEK M2J lV7 (416) 498-5332 • NSN Options Limited,
Business Machines Incorporated, 762 Gordon Baker 250 Wyecroft Road, Unit ll, Oakville, Ontario L6K
Road, Willowdale, Ontario M2H 3B4 (416) 3T7 (416) 842- 6530 • Office Equipment, 525
497-0531 • Anderson- Jacobson Canada Limited, Denison, Markham, Ontario (416) 491-9330 •
32 Don Mills Road, Markham, Ontario L3R l C2 Ogivar Inc., 958 Montee de Liesse, Ville St. Laurent,
(416) 475-5510 • Astris Science Inc., 318 Quebec H4T INS (514) 334-3642 e Olivetti
Pinehurst Drive, Oakville, Ontario L6J 4X5 (416) Canada Limited, 1390 Don Mills Road, Don Mills,
844-4522 • Bee Microsystems, Suite 211, 277 Ontario M3B 2X3 (416) 447-3351 e Olympia
Lakeshore Road East, Oakville, Ontario L6J lH9 Business Machines Canada Limited, 58 Prince An-
(416) 845-3609 • Computer Parts Galore Inc., 316 drew Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 3A2 (416)
College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T lS3 (416) 445-4212 • Pacific Rim Electronic Imports, Inc.,
925-8291 • ComputerLand, 3761 Victoria Park 13439-lll Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5E 4Z7
Avenue, #5, Scarborough, Ontario MlW 2S6 (416) (403) 475- 0555 • Panasonic Office Automation,
497-5722 • Datacalc Technology Industries Cor- 5770 Ambler Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2T3
poration, 224 Slater Road, Cranbrook, British Col- (416) 624-5010 • Peripherals Plus, 350 des
umbia (604) 489-5343 • Datamex, 14 Leswin Erables, Lachine, Quebec HBS 2P9 (514) 364- 5554
Road, Toronto, Ontario M6A lK2 (416) 781 - 9135 • Philips Information Systems, 1200 Sheppard
• DataTech Systems Limited, 135-5665 Kingsway, Avenue East, Willowdale, Ontario M2K 2S5 (416)
Burnaby, British Columbia V5H 2G4 (604) 494-8111 • President Computer Corporation, 540
437-3751 • Digital Equipment Company, 165 Att- Gordon Baker Road, Willowdale, Ontario M2H 3B4
well Drive, Rexdale, Ontario M9W 595 (416) (416) 492-1455 • Radio Shack, 279 Bayview
675- 2580 • DY -4 Systems .Inc., 888 Lady Ellen Drive, Barrie, Ontario L4M 4W5 • Robin Hood
Place, Ottawa, Ontario KlZ 5Ml (613) 728- 3711 • Electronics, 20 Strathearn Avenue, Brampton, On-
Exceltronix Inc., 319 College Street, Toronto, On- tario L6T 4P7 (416) 791-0025 • Sanyo Canada
tario M5T lS2 (416) 921-8941 • HAL Computer Inc., Business Systems Division, 50 Beth Nealson
Company, 296 Brunswick Avenue, Suite 201, Drive, Toronto, Ontario M4H lM6 • Scarsdale 500,
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2M7 (416) 453-2001 • 2 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario (416)
Heathkit-Zenith, 1020 Islington Avenue, Toronto, 923- 5000 • Scarsdale Technologies, Incorporated,
Ontario MBZ 5X5 (416) 231 - 4171 e 23 Prince Andrew Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3C
Hewlett-Packard, 6877 Goreway Drive, 2H2 (416) 441 - 1900 • Semi- Tech Microelec-
Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1MB (416) 678- 9340 e tronics Corporation, 390 Steelcase Road East, Units
HiTECH Computer Systems, 4648-99th Street, Ed- 7 and 8, Markham, Ontario L3R lG2 (416)
monton, Alberta T6E 5H5 (403) 437-0196 • IBM 475-2670 • Sharp Electronics of Canada Limited,
Canada Limited, 3500 Steeles Avenue East, 116 Galaxy Boulevard, Rexdale, Ontrario M9W
Markham, Ontario L3R 2Zl (416) 474-2053 e Ir- 4Y6 (416) 675-7244 • Sony of Canada Limited,
win Electronics, 165 North Queen Street, Etobicoke, Communications Products Division, 411 Gordon
Ontario M9C lA7 (416) 626-6600 e Infinite Baker Road, Willowdale, Ontario M2H 2S6 (416)
Canada, Inc ., 785 Plymouth, Suite 123, 499- 1414 • Sperry Inc. Computer Systems, 55 Ci-
Mont-Royal, Quebec H4P lB3 (514) 342- 6454 e ty Centre Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5B lM4
JLS Electronics, 151 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor, Toron- (416) 270- 3030 • Texas Instruments, Inc., 280
to, Ontario M5C lW4 (416) 362-7985 • Lanpar, Centre Street East, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C lBl
85 Torbay Road, Markham, Ontario L3R lG7 (416) (416) 884-9181 • Total Office Systems Limited,
475-9123 • Leading Source (Division of Lanpar)- 1050 McNicoll Avenue: Unit 14, Scarborough, On-
See Lanpar • Micro Computers of Canada Inc., tario MlW 2L8 (416) 493-3575 • TRW Data
3410 Midland Avenue, Unit #4, Scarborough, On- Systems, 270 Yorkland Boulevard, Willowdale, On-
tario MlV 2Nl (416) 293-3885 • tario M2J IRS (416) 491-9606 • Western Cash
Micro- Lewis/Compaq Corporation, 895 Don Mills Register, Incorporated, 338 West Sixth Avenue,
Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3C lW3 (416) Vancouver, British Columbia V5Y lK9 (604)
449-8741 • Neilsen Computers, Inc., 275 Lan- 879- 4185 • Xerox Store, 703 Don Mills Road, Don
caster Street West, Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4V2 Mills, Ontario M3C l S2 • Yark Computers, 98
(519) 743-1830 • Nelma Data Corporation, Waverly Road, Suite l, Toronto, Ontario M4L 3T3
5170- A Timberlea, Cooksville, Ontario (416) (416) 364- 2564

Talk. talk. it's only talk... bab-
ble. burble. banter... However.
when it comes from within the
fiberglass heart of your IBM it
takes on a whole new scope.
Build this simple speech card
and give your blue box a voice.
by Brian Greiner
J ust about every movie and television show these days has a
robot or computer that talks. In their cool, logical voice they
announce the end of life as we know it, nuclear war, tax audits
and other catastrophic events. My PC has been on my back for
costs in the order of fifty dollars US and is available only in the US
when it's available at all
At The Shack ·
months for the capability of doing the same thing. After all, fair's My quixotic search for babbling silicon came to an end in the
fair ... I've screamed at it often enough, so it should at least be able middle pages of a Radio Shack catalog, deep in the very tiny
to audibly sneer at me when it goes berserk. print, wherein it was noted that virtually any Radio Shack store in_
After considerable argument over this... I lost, probably a creation will happily cough up a complete voice synthesis chip
testament to the sophistication of contemporary operating set. Living under the alias of catalog number 276 1783, it costs a
systems... I started looking around for suitable peripheral boxes mere eighteen bucks.
and found, not surprisingly, that they started at a not insubstantial Now, this thing isn't exactly Knowlton Nash with pins. It's
fraction of my entire net worth. .. and more for ones that actually meant primarily for talking clock applications. However, it's affor-
worked. dable and available and, while not as sophisticated as it might be
I decided that the only recourse was to build a speech card. it's easy to implement.
1bis wasn't a lot more fruitful at first... speech chips are anything Picking up my trusty pencil, I consulted my ouija board and
but cheap. One of the more popular ones, the Votrax SC 0 I, drew up the circuit in figure one. Note that the bulk of the cir-
CompuliDg Mow! ltOYember 1984 55

Publications AImost Free SoftW'are
Moorsllead
Almost Free Almost Free Almost Free Almost Free
Software #1 Software #2 Software #3 PC Software #1
Almost Free Software 11, 12 and 13 are for CP/M and are available in a variety of formats: Apple II + CP/M, 8 inch
For IBM PC"s and genuine com-
SSSD", Access Matrix, Morrow Micro Decision, Superbrain, Xerox/Cromemco•, Epson QX-10VD, Sanyo MBC 1000,
Nelma Persona, Kaypro II, Osborne Single" and double densities, Systei/Oiympia, 3R Avatar, AHache, Televideo, patibles. Awailable in Double-
Lobo Max-80", DEC VT-180, Casio FP-1000, Micromate, Zorba. Sided or two Single-Sided
• single ~ily lonnats requint two disks. Tbe ..-.ve
cost lor these lonnats is $19-'15
Disks.•
lloclem7. Allows you to communicate BISHOW. Th ultimate file typer, BISHOW OIL This is an interesting simulation of PCWRITE. While not quite Wordstar for
with any CP/M based system and version 3.1 will type squeezed or un- the workings of the oil industry. It can be nothing, this package comes extremely
download files. Complete details were in squeezed files and allow you to type files approached as either a game or a fairly close to equalling the power of commer-
Computing Now! November 19113. which are in libraries (see LU, below). sophisticated model. cial word processors costing five or six
However, it also pages in both directions, bills. H has full screen editing, cursor
so if you miss something, you can back movement with the cursor mover keypad,
PACMAN. You can actually play PAC- up and see it again. help screens and all the features of the
MAN without graphics, and it works pret- CHESS. This program really does play a
mean game of chess. It has an on-screen expensive trolls.
ty fast.
LU. Every CP/M file takes up unnecessary display of the board, a choice of colours
overhead. If you want to store lots of data and selectable levels of look ahead. SOLFE. This is a small BASIC program
FORTH. A complete up-t<><late version of in a small space, you'll want LU, the that plays baroque music. It's also a
AG FORTH, complete with its own inter- tibrary utility. It permits any number of in- fabulous tutorial on how to use BASICA's
nat DOS. dividual files to be stored in one big file sound statements.
and cracked apart again. DEBUG. The DDT debugger is good but
this offers heaps of facilities that DDT PC-TALK. A Telecommunicatons
DUU. The ultimate disk utility allowing RACQUEL Everyone should have one can't and does symbolic debugging... it's package for the IBM PC which does lite
you to recover accidentally erased disk almost like being able to step, trace and transfers in both ASCII dump and
printer picture in their disk collection.
files, fix gorched files, rebuild and modify disassemble through your source listing. MODEM7/X-MODEM protocols and
your system. A real gem. MORTGAGE. This is a very fancy mort- comes with... get this... 119424 bytes of
gage amortization program which will documentation_
produce a variety of amortization tables.
0087. The older DUU program does have
D. A sorted directory program that tells SD. This sorted directory program pro-
some limitations. This version overcomes
you how big your files are and how much NSBASIC. Large disk BASIC packages, duces displays which are a lot more
them all and adds some valuable
space is left on the disk. such as MBASIC, are great... and very ex- readable than those spewed ouf by typing
capacities. It will adapt itself to any
pensive_This one, however, is free__ and DIR.
system. You can search; map and dump
every bit as powerful as many commer- disk sectors Or files. It's invaluable in
USQISQ_ Lets you compress and uncom- cial programs. It's compatible with North FORTH. This is a small FORTH in
recovering damaged files, too.
press files. You can pack about 40% Star BASIC, so you'll have no problem fin- Microsoft BASIC. You can build on the
more stuff on a disk with this system. ding a manual for it: primitives intregral with the language.
ZIIOASII. This is a complete assembler ELIZA. This classic program is a micro UFE. An implementation of the classic
Anance. A fairly sophisticated financial package which uses true Zilog ZllO computer head shrinke<-. It runs under ecology game wriHen in 8088 assembler.
package written in easily understand- MBASIC, and, with very little imagination,
mnemonics. It has a rich vocabulary of
able, modifiable Microsoft BASIC. you will be able to believe that you are MAGDALEN This is another BASIC music
pseudo-ops and will allow you to use the
full power of your ZllO based machine... conversing with a real psychiatrist. program.
much of which can' t be handled by ASM
BADUII. Ever had to throw out a disk
or MAC. CASHACC. This is a fairly sophisticated
with a single bad sector? This isolates
bad sectors into an invisible ·file, making LADDER. This is... this program is weird. cash acquisition and limited accounting
the rest of the disk useable. VALE Easily the ultimate disk utility, package written in BASIC. It isn't exactly
It's Donkey Kong in ASCII. It's fast,
VFILE shows you a full screen presenta- BPI, bul it's a lot tess expensive.
bizarre and good for hours of eye strain.
tion of what's on your disk and allows you
DISK. Allows you to move whole masses to mass move and delete files using a
of files from disk to disk without having to tw<><limensional cursor. It has heaps of DATAALE. This is a simple data base
do every one by hand, you can alse view features, a built-in help file and works ex- QUIKKEY. Programmable function keys manager written in ... yes, trusty Microsoft
and erase files with little typing. tremely fast. allow you to hit one key to issue a multi- BASIC.
character command. This tiny utility
ROMAN. This is a s illy little program allows you to define as many functions UNWS. Wordstar has this unusual pro-
QUEST. A "Dungeons and Dragons" type as you want using infrequently used con-
game. which figures out Roman numerals for pensity for setting the high order bits on
you. However, silly programs are so much trot codes and to change them at any some of the characters in the files it
fun •.. time... even from within another program. creates. Here's a utility to strip the bits
STOCKS. This is a complete stock and "unWordstar" the test. The
management program in BASIC. CATCHUII. If you like the fast pace and assembler source for this one is provided.
incredible realism of Pacman, you'll go RESOURCE. While a debugger will allow
quietly insane over Catchum... which you to disassemble small bits of code
SEE. Also known as TYPE17, will TYPE plays basically the same game using easily enough, only a true text based HOST2.. This is a package including the
any file, squeezed "or not allowing you to ASCII characters. Watch little "C's" gob- disassembler can take a COM file and BASIC source and a DOC file to allow
keep documents in compressed form ble periods while you try to avoid the make source out of it again. This is one of users with Smart-Modems to access their
while still being able to read them. deadly "A's " ... It's a scream. the best ones available. PC"s remotely. It's a hacker's delight_
Order as AFPCS #1
Order as AFS #1 Order as AFS #2 Order as AFS #3 Specify Double-Sided or
and specify system and specify system and specify system, 2x Single-Sided.*
All of this software has been obtained from public ac-

cess sources and is believed to be in the public domain.
The prices of the disks defer the cost of reproducing
$16.95each
them and mailing them, plus the cost of the medium.
Except for 8" disks and those with
Software Services
The software itself is offered without charge. A few
items include messages imbedded in the code asking two disks which are marked with an Moorshead Publications
for voluntary donations on behalf of the authors. asterisk (*) above which are: 25 Overlea Boulevard,
Moorshead Publications warrants that the software
is readable and if there are defects in the medium, we Suite 601,
will replace it free of charge. While considerable effort $19.95 Toronto, Ontario M4H 181
has been made to ensure that programs are thoroughly Ontario Residents add 7% P.S.T.
debugged, we are unable to assist in adapting them for
your own applications.
58 ComputiDg Bowl Bowember 19M

VOLTAGE SURGE
PROTECTORS
A Voice for the PC
cuitry is for interfacing to the PC's buss and for decoding the I/0
signals. For those lazy souls among us who don't want to wire up
all that messy interface circuitry, I recommend the use of the Real
Time Devices' PD 100 prototype board, as encountered
elsewhere in this issue. It has all the interface circuitry as well as
lots of prototyping area.
The voice chip is actually a General Instruments SP0256 Contact us for
AL2, with a library ROM SPRO 16. We'll speak more about these
chips a bit later. The chip requires a clock signal of 3.12
megahertz, typically supplied by a crystal of that frequency. It be-
Quantity Discount
Protection you cannot afford to be without -~
~ -----'
• Don't expose your valuable Electronic Equipment to the ravages of

ing Sunday by the time I noticed this ... of course I hadn't bought dirty power.
the stupid crystal... I decided to use the clock outputs on the PC's • Protect your Computer.. . your Stereo. .. your Microwave
buss. There is a 4.77 megahertz signal on buss pin 820, which Oven ...
when divided by two through a flip flop gives 2.3S megahertz. The Voltage Surge Protector is simple to use. Just plug it into a 15
AMP-125V AC Receptacle, then plug your Electronic Equipment into
This produces a rather bassy, slow drawl sort of speech, and, the Voltage Surge Protector.
unless you like barrel chested Texans on Valium it's a bit laconic ... Protection you cannot afford to be without.
to be of any practical use. Do Not Send Cash
There is, however, a lesser known 14.31S1S megahertz Include 1.00/ea. for postage and handling. Ontario
signal on buss pin 830, which when divided by four through two residents must add 7% Sales Tax. Visa or Master Card also
flip flops leaves one with 3.5S megahertz. This gives the chip, US accepted.
in figure .one, a voice that is a bit high and fast, but good enough Send your Signature, Card Number and Expiry Date and Bank Name.
for most purposes.
Chip U7 is the divider circuit. It's a D type flip flop set up as
two divide by two counters.
I Canadian .
General Electric
189 Dufferin St.,
The Small Bits Toronto, Ont. M6K-1Y9
The LRQ, load request, output of the SP0256 is a status signal Tel: 416-530-2918
that goes low when the chip is ready to accept data. The ALD, ad-
dress load, signal is a negative pulse that loads data into the chip. Circle No. 14 on Reader Service Card
Strictly speaking, I should have used a tri-state buffer on each of
US and U 10 to make sure the signals were isolated from each Quality
other. However, the thing works without them, saving several
packages.
In my prototype, I hooked up US to the OUTO select line,
and UlO to the INPO select line, with both S1 and S2 open. Thus,
Graphics
the port address for both outputting data and reading the status with the HP 7475Graphics Plotter
bit is 536 decimal.
The output of the speech chip is pulse width modulated. That
is, it is a square wave whose width varies according to the intensi-
ty of the signal, as is illustrated in figure two. This means that the
Amplitude
: P.7
6 Salpling
Analog
3
2
Signal - -···
HP's 7475 6-pen graphics plotter gives you quality
graphics on paper for reports or on overhead
transparencies for visual presentations. Multicolor,
professional graphics are ready in minutes! Team up with
HP's 7475 with your computer today, and get the
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Sale priced at
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MG200 High Quality
Plotting Paper $30.00 per 500
Paper 0/H Transp. Pens $9.45 per pkg. 4
Delivery from stock. Circle No. 19 on
PCM Minimum order $25.00. Reader Service Card
Signal
The speech waveform produced by the card.
~Management Graphics
2064 Avenue Road
Computing Nowl November 1984 Toronto, Ontario M5M 4A6 (416) 485-2855
A Voic:e for the PC
signal must be sent through a low pass filter with a pass frequency the SP0256 is unable to accept new data. You may remember
of five kilohertz or so. The filter removes the high frequency car- what I said about buffering the signals. If the circuit were proper-
rier, the square wave. leaving the modulatinq waveform, the ly buffered, the comparison word would have been two fifty five,
analog information we want. I took the easy way out, sending the that is, all bits of the byte set high. As it is, some of the bits are held
signal into my stereo system, and played with the bass and treble low by U8. I got the actual comparison number by simply asking
controls until I got a sound I liked. BASIC,
Most voice synthesizer cards have LM386 type drivers pum- PRINT INP(536)
ping into dime sized speakers, which renders their quasi-human
sounds as something resembling the last gasps of a house cat with This gave me the data word when LRQ is LOW, so I simply
a half a bottle of gin in it. You can include one of these things in added one to get the proper number for the test number.
the circuit if you must. .. Radio Shack sells several suitable chips, The vocabulary of the speech synthesizer is fairly limited, as
with the appropriate circuits attached. However, as this is suppos- is outlined in table one. The vocabulary is determined by the
ed to be a speech synthesizer rather than a squawk synthesizer, I ROM chip. The SP0256 was designed for mass production items
heartily recommend the stereo approach. and I've only seen it sold through Radio Shack. From what I can
gather, the speech chip is capable of stand alone operations, hav-
Hit It, Blue Eyes ing sixty-four allophones preprogrammed into it. However, us-
Using the synthesizer is very simple ... largely because, as tower- ing it without its ROM requires that one write software which
ing intellects go, the synthesizer itself is very simple. Output a selects each allophone in every word the nasty thing is supposed
number into its port between zero and thirty-five and it talks. A to say. General Instrument apparently has a special manual to
simple program that goes through all the entire vocabulary is as assist one in doing this, but it's been hard to track it down.
follows: Having had so little trouble locating the chip I don't mind a
continuing quest for the book.
=
10 FOR I 0 TO 35 'say each word one by one While not the most versatile speech synthesizer available, this
20 OUT 536.1 'say a word
30 A = INP(536) 'check the status bit little card is simple to put together and a lot of fun. In addition, the
40 1F A = 233 THEN GOTO 30 'if the bit is hi. loop parts are very easy to come by, not a trivial matter when most
50 NEXT I 'if the bit is lo. go on things more specialized than a transistor · want an order of ten
60 STOP 'all done thousand units and a ninety day wait.
Note that in line forty I check the status line, LRQ, the least I would like to figure out how to make a new ROM for it,
significant bit of the byte. As long as the status bit, LRQ, is high, though.There is so much else it should be able to say. How
58 Computing Nowl November 1984

$$$ COMPUTER CLEARANCE $$$
Sale ends November 30, 1984
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Apple Is a registered trade mark of Apple Computers Inc.
IBM GOODIES
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(Max.384K) $429.00 • ACA-PC Asynchronous communications adapter $169.00 • WDC-PC Winchester hard
disk drive controller card with software $499.00 • WOO-PC Winchester hard disk drive 10 Meg. $799.00 • 64K
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DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED.
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Computer sales and service centre reasonable service charges.
475-3885 MCE MICRO

COMPUTECH
ELECTRONICS l TO. 475-3886
560 Denison St., Unit 2
Markham, Ontario
L3R 188
Computing Now! November 1984 Clrcle No. 51 on Reader Service Card. 59

~ Bus Bus
Pin Signal IC Description +SV GND Decoder Address Range in Decimal
U1 75LS30 14 7 51 52 OUT INP
U2 74LS02 14 7 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3
B29
+SV.,. +I I . +S U3 74LS245 20 10 OPEN OPEN 536 537 538 539 536 537 538 539
U4 74LS04 14 7 OPEN CLOSED 792 793 794 795 792 793 794 795
10uf I I .1uf U5 74LS155 16 8 CLOSED OPEN 600 601 602 603 600 601 602 603
U6 74LS86 14 7 CLOSED CLOSED 856 857 858 859 856 857 858 659
B1 GNO IJI .. GNO
U7 74LS74 14 7
us SP0256 7,23 1
U9 SPR-16 11 1
U10 74LS32 14 7
rs
A31 AO 13 A 2YO 9 r-----~1~_"_ _ _ _ _ __
OUTO - _
A30 A1 3B 2Y110 20,ALD SE PWM OUT ,24
OUT1 - - ::::::::::I 0 IF~ TO AMP
2Y2 11 OUT2 -_-_-_-_-;::;.
A28 A3 2Y3 12 ~ +S
mm
A27 A4 100K
U5
A22 A9 .,.____ 1YO 7
IN PO dRST
1S 2C 1Y1 6 ~SBYRST
---- f
A26 14 2G 1Y2 s
AS rs
11C 1Y3 4 .1 u f i _ _ __ _221 TEST
INP3 '' ''
: : =:=~~'·r 1
1G CS1
A23 A8
2
- SEA OUT 12 14 SEA IN
-=- ~s 9 LRQ SEA IN 21 10 SEA OUT
~------, us ROMEN 3 9 ENABLE
_!!! A1 ROMCLK 26 4 CLK
10
~"-- 17 A2 C1 4 1S C1 U9
A2S A6
~-=- 16 A3 C2 S 1SC2
~+S I . 1S A4 C3 S 2 C3
,....., 14 AS
S1~ 13 AS CS2
A7 S - 11 A7
ar--
A24 I I~
4
A11 AEN :.:==B - 10 A8 -=-
,-- 271 OSC IN

B13 lOW
I I .--
B14 lOR IJI
OIR AO 2
A9 DO ~ 18 BO SP0256/IBM Speech Box
~
fs. A8 01 ~ 17~ A1~
i A7 02 ~ 1S B2 A2f'4'--------~ Sept. 3, 1984
:z: A6 03 ~ 1SB3 A3 s I Brian C. Greiner
U3
! AS 04 ~ 14 B4 A4~S'----------~
:z: A4 OS ~ 13 BS AS 7
06 ~ 12 BS AS 8
A3 ~
= A2 07 .._ 11 B7 A7 9
3.58 MHz
t
:- B30 .If
14.318 MHz
~
_
A Voice for the PC
Table One
I
Data Word 64K DYNAMIC
'·
I
0
2
I
oh
one
two
18
19
20
eighteen
nineteen
twenty
RAM MEMORIES
NEC UPD4164C (150 NS)
3 three 21 thirty
I
4 four 22 forty
5
6
7
five
six
seven
23
24
25
fifty
!tis
a.m. ~ 7.~~A •
(-····················~
8 eight 26 p.m.
Call for Quantity Discounts - ~

9 nine 27 hours
10 ten 28 minutes
II eleven 29 hundred hours
12 twelve 30 good morning
~ .................... ~
13 thirreen 31 attention please
14 fourteen 32 please hurry
15 fifteen 33 Big Ben chimes
16 sixteen 34 Dixie (opening notes)
17 seventeen 35 Dixie (closing noiEs)
Mail orders only please - No COD's
The vocabulary of the ROM
about. .. "imminent disk error" or "gimme more RAM or your pro-
Do not send Cash ...
gram crashes" or "hello ... there is no one home right now so this
human will talk to you." The possibilities are frightening. CNI
Minimum Order $10.00 + 1.50 for handling and
postage. Ontario residents must add 7% Sales
Tax. Visa and Master Card also accepted -
send your Signature, Card Number and Expiry
Date and Bank Name.
I Canadian
General Electric
189 Dufferin St., ·
Toronto Ontario M6K 1Y9
Tel: 416-530-2918

M New Tricks for an Old DOS
You can limp through MS- DOS improved speed or slicker control codes ... it ability to handle what are called sub-direc-
leans pretty heavily on the _ original tories. The usefulness of this may escape
2.0 with ·the feeble supply of MS-DOS for these things, maintaining pret- you initially, especially if you have never ex-
commands you garnered under ty fair compatibility with its ancestors. No, perienced anything larger than a floppy
the older DOS one, but, with the real happening is in a wholly new direc- disk as a form of mass storage.
very little mental gasket strain tory structure and a forty gallon drum full of On the other paw, subdirectories are
you can actually have com- new commands and keywords. like a cattle prod in a crowded elevator for
Now, the result of all this, for most users who own hard drives. They allow you
plete mastery over this power- users, is that all their disks boot and say to manage huge numbers of files without
ful operating system. DOS 2.0. Few users of the PC's pet getting crushed into a singularity by the
operating system ever make much use of sheer numbers of file names.
by Steve Rimmer the enhanced features of this new software. If you create a disk and put some pro-
This is a understandable to an extent, grams on it, it is usually fair to say that each
because the facilities provided for them program will have its own collection of files
seem a bit obscure, especially if you've got- and utilities about it which don't really have
A while back there was quite a lot of

talk about MS-DOS version two be-
ing released." Users who had been
ten used to the fairly linear approach to
peripheral taken by C P/M style structures.
However, the new toys are manifestly
much to do with any of the other programs
and files.
Under version one of DOS, all these
impressed with the facilities of MS-DOS useful once you get into them. We're going files would show up on the disk when one
version one over the traditional eight . bit to have a look at some of the bits in this typed DIR, and if there were fifty or sixty of
operating systems... for which one would feature. Assuming that you already unders- them the screen would scroll on for several
normally read CP/M... figured that an tand the original MS- DOS, this should help pages. Under one of the hard drive versions
enhancement that was worth a whole you to better apply the version two stuff, of DOS, even a wide listing would create
number change had to be something to and to impress the cat. visual wallpaper for several minutes. This
dance about. much data, blasting across your orbs as you
In fact, MS-DOS 2:0 is a considerable Undetected Enemy Subs look for the text file of the letter you wrote
party. However, its enhancements lie not in The most important feature of DOS 2.0 is its last week, is largely meaningless.
Computing Now! November. 1984 63

New Tricks for an Old DOS
Consider that your disk contains the tory, the list you see when you type DIR. the limb upon which one is crazy glued. As
following stuff. To begin with, you have a You can imagine the subdirectories such, you can't RMDIR the root directory,
word procesior, which in tum has a couple radiating out from this, rather like the bran- cutting yourself off .from creation.
of overlay files and five or six text files. You ches of a tree. In fact, the word TREE is If you chanced to check out the Oc-
also have a data base manager with a few quite important to MS-DOS. We'll get to tober edition of Software Now!, you may
overlays Of its own and some data files. that in a while. have noticed that this structure ... and some
Finally, we'll hypothesize a C compiler, with To move into a subdirectory, you must of its commands... bears a striking
its inherent passes, an assembler, a few move along a branch. This requires a com- resemblance to the UNIX operating system.
hbrary files and the resulting programs. mand path too. To move into the There's a very good reason for this. CP/M,
None of these groups has the least bit of . LIFEFORM directory, we would say which is what the original MS-DOS was
use for any of the others. As such, MS-DOS largely derived from, is a microcomputer
version two allows you to separate them. All CD\LIFEFORM oriented operating system designed to han-
your nimble fingers need do is to create dle a few files, finite I/0 and relatively little
yourself some new directories, one each for Once in the LIFEFORM directory one storage. However, the PC is a very power-
each of these applications. There's even a could type DIR and, like the special effects ful micro. An expanded one compares
command for this. It's called from 1957 B horror movies, all the files in favourably to what used to be regarded as a
the root directory would appear to be gone. mainframe system. The UNIX operating
MKDIR However, there would be a few new ones. system was designed to make sense of a
To begin with, there are two housekeeping computer of larger dimensions. It seems like
The MKDIR command is a built in func- files in every subdirectory, called by their a reasonable step to scoff some of its bits for
tion of DOS. In fact, we'll find that this ver- friends dot and two dots, as that's how they the operating system of the PC.
sion of DOS has rather a large number of show 'up on the tube. These hold the infor-
built in life forms. If you say mation needed to keep track of what's in the Other Toys
directory. If we copy any files into the direc- In addition to its facility for making order
MKDIR\ LIFEFORM tory these will show up too. from chaos with directories, the version two
If you're into structures and an ordered of MS-DOS allows for a plethora of other
DOS will open up a new directory called cosmos you are probably wondering how
LIFEFORM. It will crop up on the file listing many levels of sub-directories MS-DOS
as a file name with DIR after it. allows for. IQe answer is "approximately a
You can put files in a directory. The lot". While in the LIFEFORM directory we
easiest way is to use COPY. The following could issue the command
one act play will copy all the .COM files on
the disk into the directory LIFEFORM ... MKDIR\ALIENS
assuming you've created ol' LIFEFORM as
a directory first. and the subdirectory LIFEFORM would
contain a sub-subdirectory called ALIENS.
COPY • .COM LIFEFORM The ALIENS directory can be accessed
from LIFEFORM in the same way that
Having put some files into the new · LIFEFORM would be accessed from the
sub-directory, you may want to actually do root directory. However, it can also be ac-
something with them. Hey, we all get these cessed from the root itself by the issuance of
ideas from time to time. There are, in fact, a more involved path. If the file HERMIT ex-
two ways to do this. isted in ALIENS we could sit smugly in the
You can access files from outside a root directory and say
sub-directory along its command path. In
the process of playing around before I TYPE\ LIFEFORM\ ALIENS\HERMIT
wrote this article I created a short text file
called HERMIT, into which I typed "There which would reach down through the sub-
once was a hermit named Dave ... " Decorum directories and grab the HERMIT file.
prevents me from continuing. I placed this Finally, with all this facility for filling up
in a sub-directory called CAVE. In order to your disks with directories you may find
TYPE the file I could issue the command and some solace in knowing that there is a way
path of snuffing off unwanted directories. The
command
TYPE CAVE\HERMIT
RMDIR\ LIFEFORM
It's also possible to log yourself into a
sub-directory. The proper command is would remove the directory LIFEFORM.
CHDIR, for change directory, but CD also However, in order to do this, we would
works, requiring three fewer bashes upon have to have emptied it of all its files and us-
the keyboard. ed the RMDIR command to behead the
It's important to note that when you first ALIENS sub-subdirectory it contained. Fur-
boot MS-DOS, you get logged onto drive thermore, RMDIR cannot be used if you are
A: and you also get bopped into what is call- in the directory you are trying to kill, thus
ed the root directory. This is the main direc- keeping one from conceptually cutting off

1 DE~LERS
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New Tricks for an·Old DOS
hard drive. In fact, there is nothing electrical and fill it full of the following lines
that says that the drive which you call drive MKDIR/DWARF
A has to be regarded by the system as drive COPY BANDIT.BAS DWARF
A. ASSIGN allows it to be regarded as DIR/DWARF
something else. you will have given birth to a brand new
Typing
command called WAX. If you type WAX at
ASSIGN B= A the command prorript all of the things that
are contained in the file will come to pass.
You can hit control break while a batch file
is executing and the system will ask you
whether you want to stop batching and get
on with other things .
If you name your batch file AUTOEX-
EC.BAT the computer will execute it every
time you boot DOS, prior to going on to
other things. As such, you can use this facili-
ty to make turnkey disks by simply creating
a file with the name of the program whose
key you want to turn.
Batch files actually have their own ·little
languages to make batch processing more
flexible . While not exactly BASIC in a box,
you can include within your batch files
pseudo-instructions which allow you to
control the order and iteration of the real
commands you've slipped in there.
In the normal course of affairs batch
files cause the commands being executed to
be printed on the screen after a string of
command prompts as if you were typing
them in by hand. You may not want this to
happen, in which case you can insert the
command ECHO OFF. The command
ECHO MY BRAIN HURTS will print the
message MY BRAIN HURTS even if the
echo mode is off.
You can have the equivalent of FOR
and DO command loops in a batch file, and
unconditional branches about the file in the
form of GOTO's. There's also IF, for
deciding if you actually want to do part of a
file based on. other parameters, and, finally,
PAUSE, which will stop the batch file and
, prompt you for a key.
The Long List

The COPY -command, as we've seen, is us-
ed for copying files as it has been since time
immemorial. It now supports subdirectory
path names. However, it has a few tricks
hidden away in it as-well. In some respects,
it acts .a bit like the CP/M PIP transient.
c0mmands sure to be described on a large will cause the operating system access drive
The handiest feature of COPY under
illustrated poster sooner or later. It's hard to A even ·if you tell it you want something DOS is that it allows one to use the system's
know where to start to look at these but, from drive B. logical devices as files. This is most easily il-
since the manual is arranged alphabetically, One of the really unused aspects of lustrated by COPYing from the console. If
I think we'll commence with ASSIGN. MS-DOS is its capacity for batch file pro- you have to create a small text file and don't
It is often the case that one will have a cessing. Batch files are a lot like shopping
feel up for booting the word processor, you
program which will insist on using one drive lists, except that you don't have to stand can
when you know full well that you'd be a lot around figuring out which brand of
happier if it were using another. This moustache wax costs less per gram when it's COPY CON: UGLYDOG
becomes more common if you have lots of bought and sold in ounces. This will create the file UGLYDOG. From
physical disks, such as two floppies and a If you create a file called WAX.BAT this point on, anything you type will go into
66 Computing Now ! November 1984

The Christmas Gift
that keeps on
giving ...
As a reader you know the value of the
magazine you hold. Regular monthly
features on computer and electronics, ar-
ticles and news on the rapidly changing
UGLYDOG. You can enter a few lines of The RECOVER utility will ungorch a file technology of computers, and more.
text for a simple batch file with no wailing on which has been zapped by a disk error. You are kept informed and even a step
Naturally, it can't pull data out of a bad sec- ahead to help your buying decisions and in-
WordStar. When you're done, hit a control crease your general knowledge.
Z and return. The file will be written to the tor, but it will lock out the uncool bits and When considering a Christmas gift for a
disk and, thereafter, behave as any normal allow you to access everything else. This is friend or associate this year perhaps the
text file. only of use on text files, and RECOVER answer is in your hands. It is a gift that will
The MODE command controls the tends to add . some garbage to the files it keep on giving for twelve months and is a
monthly reminder of you the giver. It is a
screen display. It's especially useful if you've pulls from their watery graves. They'll want special and throughtful gift indeed .
got a partially funky video card or your editing.
monitor used to be a TV set from K Mart. It The aforementioned TREE command PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING CHRISTMAS
allows one to switch the screen from forty to allows you to see what's happening in all the GIFTS. I HAVE INDICATED THE MAGAZINE OF MY
CHOICE.
eighty columns, to switch screen modes and subdirectories of a disk without actually
to swing the whole display right or left a bit. threading your way down each path. If you From:
If you need it repeatedly it can be placed in type TREE each of the directories and its Name --------------------------
an AUTOEXEC file along with the ap- subdirectories will be examined and bared Address -----------------------
propriate parameters so it executes every to the world. Appending /F to it will show City _________ Province
time you boot the system. you the files in the directories too. Postal Code ______________________
MODE wants three parameters. The Publication
first is the number of columns you fancy. Quit and Terminate
Any number will do, provided its either for- The flexibility of version two MS-DOS is Christmas Gift Rates
ty or eighty. This can be preceded by either something which you can really only get
BW, for black and white, or CO, for colour. your head around it you've used it for a Computing Now! 121ssues ... ... .. . $22.95
while. It's equally suitable for a program- Electronics Today 121ssues .. .. .... $19.95
As yet another option, you can replace the Software Now! ....... ..... ..... .. $19.95
number with MONO, for the monochrome mer's environment, a custom system for un- Computers in Education ..... ...... $25.00
display adapter, festering relic that it may trained operators, a turnkey application and
0 My cheque is enclosed.
be. a general place to keep files. Its huge varie-
ty of utilities make it extremely easy to work 0 Charge my 0 Visa 0 Mastercard
The second parameter is either R or L,
0 American Expense account.
for right and left. Finally, if you include T as in ... you can tool around in even a large,
Account Number ___________________
the third parameter you'll be given a test hard disk based system with gallons of files
Expiry Date
pattern to help you figure out if you're see-
ing the whole image area.
be
A typical invocation of MODE would
and not gel lost.
While MS-DOS is not the sort of super
user friendly space of the Macintosh, it's an
order of magnitude more functional. If it
-,
The MODE command
controls the screen
seems to gripe at you from lime to time, try
to experience one of the UNIX en-
vironments for the PC, the seed from which
a lot of it has sprouted. DOS is a pretty good
balance between these two extremes.
'
display. It's especially As IBM has announced a DOS 3.0,
primarily in conjunction with its PC AT,
useful U you've got a there will be those who will fear that even all
partially funky video this splendor may tarnish with the pallor or
antiquated bytes. Yes, well, this may be ·
card or your monitor true. I'm not sure I want to see yet another
used to be a TV set from new ·DOS just yet, though. I mean, one
wonders what other commands are likely to
K MART. be included.
To:
Perhaps something a bit more cor- Name --------------------------
porate will turn up. I was thinking of FRUIT. Address -----------------------
MODE 40. R. T If you type City ________ Province
which is telling it to set up for a forty column FRUIT /E Postal Code ----------------------
screen, shift it right and display the test pat- Publication
tern. Any of the parameters which you don't all the Apples in a twelve block area will ex-
To:
feel like dealing with can be left out. plode. CN!
Name --------------------------
The newest MS-DOS also comes with a
printing spooler, notably called PRINT. Address -----------------------
PRINT will accept up to ten text file names City _________ Provi nee
in its print queue, which it will proceed to Postal Code ----------------------
send out to the printer. Having invoked Publication
PRINT you can go on to bigger things ... it send to:
will sputter away unattended behind your Moorshead Publications
25 Overlea Blvd., Suite 601, Toronto, Ontario
other applications. M4H 181 (416)423-3262

Disks are pretty scary things... much more so These disk trolls are, in short, freaked out over mylar. .. they
than simple disk files or other higher level always have been. However, as it turns out, there is this all pur-
pose disk troll spell which can be used to harness their amazing
things. The CP/M operating system, however, energy and allow its use for more constructive evil. It's presented
offe rs a number of ways to manipulate disks at here.
the lowest level. Here's a program which In this feature we'll be looking at the utilization of disk troll
makes use of some of these mystic secrets. magic to produce a powerful CP/M disk sector editor. While not
so flexible as the popular DU series of programs, it's much more
convenient to use and, more to the pcint, the source code is of a
manageable hugeness.
by Steve Rimmer
Another Mac and Fries
The Electric Disk Troll program is what is properly known as a
sector editor. When you save a file to the disk of your system you
D
save it as a block of text but the disk operating system converts it
own in the dark, damp places beneath the oldest, most to a series of sectors. A sector is a pcrtion of one circular track on
gnarled trees they dwell, speaking in muttered whispers the disk's surface.
amongst themselves, plotting, scheming .. . They have There is no immediately obvious way to correlate a file with
been the stuff of myth and folklore since the dawn of time. As far ~here its sectors wind up on the disk. It does, of course, make
back as there have been human beings tp suspect their presence, sense to the operating system. However, it is very often the case
patches of dark in the deepest gloom, they have lurked just that one wants to edit the contents of a disk not at the file level. ..
beyond the corner of one's eye. They are, of course, disk trolls. which could be handled by WordStar or the like ... but, rather,
Disk trolls are these little weird dudes that come in the night sector by sector on the disk itself.
and fool around with your disks so that they crash when you boot There are several advantages to this ... the most notable being
'em. They run the copy protection routines ... often so well that that, at least for small patches, this approach is often faster than
you can't even use legitimate copies of software. They also cause dealing with the data as a file. This assumes, of course, that you
your disks to pucker at the seams, collect staples in their plastic can figure out where on the disk in question the information you
fluff and appear unbearably attractive to cats, dogs, gazelles and want to mess with resides.
other family pets. The other application for sector editing, and one which can't
68 Computing Now! Nov.ember 1984

PRINT 'N Next sector P Previous sector
be handled as a file ... at least, not easily ... is in editing the system PRINT 'I In one track 0 Out one track'
tracks of a disk. This includes the BIOS, the BDOS and the direc- GOTOXY HENUPOS ,MENULN+l
tory, which live in the first few tracks. These can't ordinary be PRINT ' E Ed it Q Quit
PRINT 'S Select T and S D Drive'
taken from the disk as files, and, as such, are most easily worked GOTOXY MENUPOS , MENULN+2
with one sector at a time. Furthermore, these things tend to PRINT <'W Write A' ,RTKEY+40H,' Edit Right ')
PRINT <'A' ,LFKEY+40H,' Edit Left C/R Edit Quit'>

behave much more predictably in the ways in which they land on JMP DRVSEL ;GO GET THE LOGGED IN DRIVE
the disk surface. As such, finding things in the system tracks of a
disk is usually pretty easy. GETIT GOTOXY COMPOS,COMLN ;GET SPECIFIED SECTOR
PRINT <'Track to start with: 1 ,BS,BS,BS,BS , BS >
The large disk editors, like DU .. we've offered several as GETLIN BUFFER.,5 ;GET THE ANSWER
almost free software ... allow you to manipulate data at the disk SWITCH 0, NEXTRD ; IF RETURN, RETURN
level with amazing flexibility. However, they are, in many cases, DECIN BUFFER+ 2 ;CONVERT TO BINARY
SHLD TRCK ; SAVE IT
tedious to use and quite complicated. For this reason, there has MOV A,L ! CPI TRKMAX JP GETIT ;BAD CHOICE?
come to exist the Electric Disk Troll. GETITl GOTOXY COMPOS,COMLN+l .
PRINT <'Sector to start with: ',BS,BS,BS,BS,BS>
The Disk Troll is a specialized editor to make doing things to GETLIN BUFFER,5 ;GET THE ANSWER
the strings imbedded in disk sectors extremely easy. This is ac- SWITCH O,NEXTRD ;IF RETURN, QUIT
tually a neat place to start in meddling with disk data .. . you can DECIN BUFFER+2 ; CONVERT IT
SHLD SECT ; STASH IT, MANFRED
do things like change the BDOS error messages. Most of the MOV A,L ! CPI SECMAX JP GETITl ;LOUSY CHOICE?
CP/M around here says things like FOULUP ON B: and YOU CPI 1 JM GETITl
TURKEY! instead of the usual cryptic utterances. GET SEC EMPTY l,STATLN-l,SCRW,STATLN+3 ;CLEAN UP
The Troll is, to begin with, screen oriented. It has a cursor GOTOXY 10, STATLN ; PLACE CURSOR
you can move around. It does a heavy slick display and is pretty PRINT 'Track ' ; SHOW THE CURRENT
DECOUT TRCK ; STATUS
user friendly. It's also greatly expandable, should you want to GOTOXY 2 0, STATLN ; FOR THE TRACK AND
make something more of it. PRINT 'Sector ' ;SECTOR
While the source code for the Troll, shown in figure one, is DECOUT SECT
SETDMA DMA ;SET UP DMA BUFFER
fairly short, observant heads will note that it contains, amidst the
traditional 8080 op codes, unusual keywords. This is, in fact, LHLD TRCK MOV B, H MOV C,L CALL TRACK
LHLD SECT MOV B,H HOV C,L CALL SCTOR
another program for the MAC CP/M macro assembler. CALL READ ;READ THE SECTOR IN
In order to assemble this you will need MAC and the current SWITCH 1 , ERROR ; HANDLE READ ERROR
BIGMAC.LIB, begun in the July 1984 edition of Computing
GOTOXY lO,ASCLN ; POSITION CURSOR
Now! and added to in August. It will want adding to again... the MVI B,80H ! LXI H,DMA-1 ; POINT TO DMA BUFFER
new code is in listing two.
LOOP! INX H ! MOV A,M ;GET A CHARACTER
CPI ' ' JM BADCHR ;LESS THAN SPACE?
CPI I z I ! JP BADCHR ;MORE THAN z?
Three Eyed Electric Disk Troll Version 1.0 SEECHR TYPE ; SHOW THE CHARACTER·
Copyright 1984 (c) Steve Rimmer MOV A,B
Dices, slices, grinds, powders and SWITCH 41H,NEWLINE ;SEE IF NEW LINE NEEDED
places satel[i tea in low orbits LOOP LOOP! ;OTHERWISE LOOP
MVI H,HEXLN ! MVI L,HEXPS ! LXI D,DMA ! MVI B,8

HEXHN GOTOXY ;POSITION FOR HEX DISPLAY
MACLIB BIGMAC ;INHALE MACRO LIBRARY PUSH B ! MVI B,HEXLEN
DEFINES ;SET UP COMMON DEFINES HEXLP LDAX D ;GET BYTE (HL IS BUSY)
SAVER ; SAVE REGS
ASCLN EQU ;HOME OF ASCII DISPLAY HEX BYTE ;SHOW THE BYTE IN HEX
AS CPOS EQU 10 ;WHERE ASCII DISPLAY STARTS HVI A,' ' ;PRI NT A SPACE
HEXLN EQU 8 ;HOME OF HEX DISPLAY TYPE
HEXPS EQU 16 ;WHERE HEX DISPLAY STARTS RESTR ;GETEN ZE REGS BACKENZ
HEXLEN EQU 16 ;NUMBER OF HEX DIGITS / LINE INX D ! INR L ! INR L INR L ; BUMP COUNTERS
HENULN EQU 16 ; HOME OF MENU LOOP HEXLP ;LOOP
HENUPOS EQU 3 ;WHERE MENU STARTS MVI L,HEXPS ! INR H ! POP B
COMLN EQU 20 ;HOME OF COMMANDS LOOP HEXHN ;OUTER LOOP
COMPOS EQU 23 ; WHERE COMMANDS START JMP DRVSEL ;SHOW DRIVE AGAIN
STATLN EQU ;HOME OF STATUS LINE
RTKEY EQU I D' -40H ;KEY TO MOVE CURSOR RIGHT BADCHR MVI A, ' ;NON-ASCII CHARACTERS
LFKEY EQU 'S'-40H ; KEY TO MOVE CURSOR LEFT JMP SEECHR ; BECOME DOTS
TRKMAX EQU 76 ;NUMBER OF TRACKS ON A DISK
SECMAX EQU 26 ; NUMBER OF SECTORS ON A DISK NEWLINE GOTOXY ASCPOS,ASCLN+l ;START NEW LINE
ORG OlOOH ; COLLECT $200 DCR B JMP LOOP). ; ••• AND CONTINUE
INTRO ; FUDGE STACK
VECTOR ; CREATE LOCAL BIOS TABLE ERROR EMPTY l,STATLN-l,SCRW,STATLN+l ;BLANK STATUS LINE
GOTOXY lO,STATLN ;POSITION CURSOR
CLRSCRN ; CLEAR TUBE PRINT 'Tilt ••• ' ;SAY IT
BOX l,l,SCRW,SCRD-1 ;PRINT A FRAME
GOTOXY COMPOS ,10 ; HOVE CURSOR NEXTRD GOTOXY COMPOS, COHLN-1 ; GET THE NEXT COMMAND
PRINT 'Electric Disk Troll Version 1.0' . PRINT <'Command: ' ,BS>
GOTOXY COMPOS, 11 CONIN ;WAIT FOR IT
PRINT 'Copyright 1984 Steve Rimmer' SWITCH 'N' ,NSECT ; ••• NEXT SECTOR
SWITCH 'P' ,LSECT ; ••• PREVIOUS SECTOR
GOTOXY COMPOS, COMLN SWITCH 'I',ITRCK ; ••• IN ONE TRACK
PRINT ' Stab a key to start the world' SWITCH 'O' ,OTRCK ; • •• OUT ONE TRACK
CONIN ; GET THY KEY, TO WIT SWITCH 'E' ,EDIT ; ••• GO TO EDIT MODE
EMPTY l,l,SCRW, SCRD-1 ;EMPTY THE FRAME SWITCH ' Q' ,QUIT ; ••• QUIT TROLL
SWITCH Is I ,GETIT ; •• • SELECT NEW SECTOR
MENU GOTOXY MENUPOS, MENULN ; SHOW DE MENU, MAX SWITCH 'D' , LOGDRV ; ••• LOG IN NEW DRIYE

SIIITCH 'W' ,PUTIT ; ••• IIRITE SECTOR TO DISK LCUR LHLD CURPOS I MOV A,L I CPI ASCPOS I JNZ DECUR
JMP NEXTRD ; LOOP ON BAD OPTION MOV A,H I CPI ASCLN+1 I JNZ EDLOOP
MVI ii,ASCLN I MVI L,ASCPOS+63 ! SHLD CURPOS I JMP DECPOS
LOGDRV GOTOXY COMPOS , COMLN+ 2 ;ASK FOR DRIVE DECUR OCR L ! SHLD CURPOS
PRINT <'Drive: I ,BS> ;SPEC DECPOS LHLD PNTPOSI DCX H I SHLD PNTPOS I JMP EDLOOP
CON IN ;GETIT
SBI 'A' I CPI 15 I JP NEXTRD ;SET DRIVE \liTH QUIT CLRSCRN ; CLEAR SCREEN AND
MVI C,14 I MOV E,A I CALL BOOS ;BOOS CALL EXTRO 60 ;GO HOME
DRVSEL GOTOXY 50, STATLN ; SET UP FOR STATUS LINE
PRINT 'Drive: ' ;SAY \/HAT'S UP, DOC BUFFERS, POLISHERS AND HIGH GLOSS 1/AX
MVI C,25 I CALL BOOS I ADI 'A' ;GET DRIVE
TYPE ;SHOll IT TRCK OS 2 ; HOME OF TRACK NUMBER
JMP NEXTRD ;RETURN TO COMMAND LINE SECT OS 2 ; HOME OF SECTOR NUMBER
CURPOS OS 2 ; CURSOR POSITION
PUTIT LHLD TRCK I MOV B,H MOV C,L CALL TRACK HEXPOS DS 2 ;HEX CURSOR POSITION
LHLD SECT ! MOV B,H MOV C,L CALL SCTOR PNTPOS OS 2 ; POINTER INTO DMA BUFFER
CALL \/RITE ;\/RITE SECTOR TO DISK BUFFER OS 1 ;GENERAL CONVERSION BUFFER
SIIITCH 1, ERROR ;HANDLE \/RITE ERROR END
JMP NEXTRD ;NEXT OPTION
NSECT LHLD SECT I INX H ! SHLD SECT ; INCREMENT SECTOR COUNT

The Small Screen
MOV A, L ! CPI SECMAX+l I JM GET SEC There are two interesting things happening in the workings of the
LXI H,1 I SHLD SECT I JMP OTRCK Disk Troll. The first, and perhaps the more enlightening of the
LSECT LHLD SECT I DCX H I SHLD SECT ; DECREMENT SECTOR COUNT
two, is the use of a number of new macros which handle screen
MOV A,L I CPI 1 I JP GETSEC addressing.
LX~ H, SECMAX ! SHLD SECT ! JMP ITRCK In most CP/M based utilities the screen is treated like a
ITRCK LHLD TRCK ! DCX H ! SHLD TRCK ; DECREMENT TRACK COUNT
teletype ... that is, stuff just scrolls around on the tube. However,
MOV A,L I CPI 0 I JP GETSEC this is not how it has to be, and more complex utilities will general-
LXI H, 0 ! SHLD TRCK ! JMP GET SEC ly allow you to use the whole screen. Word processors are a
OTRCK LHLD TRCK I INX H I SHLD TRCK. ;INCREMENT TRACK COUNT good example of this.
MOV A,L ! CPI TRKMAX+l I JM GETSEC In some systems, such as the IBM PC, there are system calls
LXI H, TRKMAX I SHLD TRCK ! JMP GET SEC which will position the cursor anywhere you fancy seeing it. The
EDIT MVI H,ASCLN I MVI L,ASCPOS I SHLD CURPOS
MVI H,HEXLN I MVI L,HEXPS ! SHLD HEXPOS CP/M BIOS does not provide for this and, while most computers
LXI H,DMA I SHLD PNTPOS have some provision for this sort of thing, it's anything but stan-
GOTOXY 32,STATLN
PRINT 'Character: 1
dard.
There is one fairly common approach to moving the flashing
EDLOOP GOTOXY 43 ,STATLN ; POSITION CURSOR box, this being the one which we've used here. Character thirty is
PRINT <' I ,BS,BS,BS> ; • • • TO SHOll THE
LHLD PNTPOS I LXI D,-127 DAD D usually interpreted by most tubes as being the home cursor com-
DECOUT ;POINTER mand. Character ten, a line feed, generally moves it down and
LHLD HEXPOS ; GET HEX CURSOR character twelve moves it right. This being the case it's possible to
GOTOXY ; SET UP TO PRINT
PRINT .<BS, I [I ,CRT,CRT, I]'> ; SHOll THE CURSOR position the cursor anywhere on the screen by printing a home
LHLD CURPOS ;GET ASCII CURSOR character followed by a string of line feeds and a string of cursor
GOTOXY ; SET UP TO FLASH
CON IN ;1/AIT FOR LIFE
right characters.
PUSH PSI/ I LHLD HEXPOS ; GET HEX POSIT! ON This is crude, and relatively slow when compared with those
GOTOXY ;LOCATE ZE DOT terminals that have direct cursor addressing, but it is
POP PSI/ PUSH PSI/ ; GET CHR BACK
CPI ' I JM EDLOOP1 ; BYPASS CONTROLS quasi-universal to most machines.
HEXBYTE ; SHOll CHARACTER The cursor movement routines for this program live in
POP PSI/ PUSH PSI/ LHLD PNTPOS I MOV M,A
macros in BIGMAC.LIB. The primary one is GOTOXY, which
EDLOOP1 LHLD HEXPOS ; GET POSITION AGAIN ••• takes two parameters as cartesian co-ordinates. Now, this pro-
GOTOXY ; ••• KILL THE HEX vides one with a fair bit of flexibility. If you are using a system
PRINT <BS,' ',CRT,CRT,' '> ; ••• CURSOR
POP PSI/ ; GET CHARACTER which has some manner of slick cursor positioning, through
SI/ITCH CR, NEXTRD ;IF CR, BE GONE escape sequences or whatever, you will be able to replace the
SIIITCH RTKEY,MOVRT ;OR MOVE RIGHT
SWITCH LFKEY, MOVLF ; OR MOVE LEFT
GOTOXY code with a simple PRINT macro call. Otherwise, you
CPI ' ' I JM EDLOOP ;IGNORE OTHER CTRLS can leave things as they are. Even on the relatively slow screen of
an Apple this arrangement isn't too tedious.
MOVRT LHLD HEXPOS I MOV A,L CPI HEXPS+43 I JM INHHEX
MVI L,HEXPS I MOV A,H CPI HEXLN+7 I JM INVHEX
Having screen addressing which allows for the relatively effi-
MVI L,HEXPS+45 I MVI H,HEXLN+7 I JMP STRHEX cient positioning of the cursor makes doing the Disk Troll as a full
INHHEX INR L I INR L I INR L I JMP STRHEX screen editor fairly practical. In fact, . it's unusually powerful
INVHEX INR H
STRHEX SHLD HEXPOS because of this.
RCUR LHLD CURPOS I MOV A,L ! CPI ASCPOS+63 ! JNZ INCUR
MOV A, H I CPI ASCLN I JNZ EDLOOP
MVI H,ASCLN+1 I MVI L,ASCPOS I SHLD CURPOS I JMP INCPOS Under The Old Tree
INCUR INR L I SHLD CURPOS The heart of the disk troll is in yet another macro, called VEC-
IN CPOS LHLD PNTPOS I INX H ! SHLD PNTPOS !JMP EDLOOP
TOR. This thing is not a proper macro, in that it can only be call-
MOVLF LHLD HEXPOS I MOV A,L I CPI HEXPS+3 ! JP DEHHEX ed once in a program. However, it's convenient to leave it in the
MVI L,HEXPS+45 I MOV A,H I CPI HEXLN+1 I JP DEVHEX macro library, as it has various uses.
MVI L, HEXPS _! MVI H, HEXLN I JMP STLHEX
DEHHEX OCR L I OCR L I OCR L I JMP STLHEX As we've noted in other articles concerning the hacking of
DEVHEX OCR H CP/M .. . see BIOS Chemistry in the October 1983 edition of
STLHEX SHLD HEXPOS
Computing Now!. the operating system maintains a table of

;ADD TO DEFINES MACRO ENDM
CRT EQU 1 L 1 -40H
;
HME EQU 30 SQUARE MACRO CHR, XS, YS, XE, YE
BX EQU 160 ;PRINT SOLID SQUARE OF CHR ON TUBE
SCRW EQU 80 ; SCREEN WIDTH LOCAL SQUA1, SQUA2
SCRD EQU 24 ;SCREEN DEPTH SAVER
; MVI B,(YE-YS)-1
PRINT MACRO STRING SQUA2 SAVER
;REPLACE EXISTING PRINT MACRO MVI A,YS ! ADD B DCR A
SAVER MOV H,A ! MVI L,XS
LOCAL ENDPR, MSSG GOTOXY
MVI C,9 ! LXI D,MSSG CALL 5 MVI B,(XE-XS)-3
JMP ENDPR SQUA1 MVI A,CHR
IF NUL STRING TYPE
MSSG DB 13,10 LOOP SQUA1
END IF RESTR
IF NOT NUL STRING LOOP SQUA2
MSSG DB STRING RESTR
END IF ENDM
DB I$ I
ENDPR RESTR GOTOXY MACRO XARG,YARG
ENDM ;POSITIONS THE CURSOR AT XARG, YARG OR L,H
LOCAL XLOOP, YLOOP
EMPTY MACRO XS, YS, XE, YE SAVER
;CLEAR A FRAME PRINT HME
SQUARE I 1 ,XS+1,YS+1,XE-1,YE- 1 IF NUL YARG
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Computing Nowl November 1984 71

RESTR JMP DLOOP
SAVER OVERSUB:
MOV B,H DEC IN MACRO ?ADDR
END IF IF NOT NUL ?ADDR
IF NOT NUL YARG LXI H, ?ADDR
MVI B,YARG END IF
END IF CALL XDECIN
YLOOP PRINT LF MOV A,L
LOOP YLOOP ENDM
IF NUL XARG DEC IN ADDR
RESTR ENDM
SAVER ;
MOV B,L VECTOR MACRO ADDR
END IF ;COPIES BIOS VECTORS TO ADDR OR TABLE
IF NOT NUL XARG ;RETURN WITH H POINTING TO LOCAL TABLE
MVI B,XARG LOCAL VLOOP,ENDIT
END IF LHLD 0001
XLOOP PRINT CRT IF NUL ADDR
LOOP XLOOP LXI D,WBOOT
RESTR END IF
ENDM IF NOT lWL ADDR
LXI D,ADDR
BOX MACRO XS, YS, XE, YE END IF
;PRINT A BOX ON THE SCREEN MVI B,48
LOCAL BOX1, BOX2, BOX3, BOX4 VLOOP MOV A,M ! INX H ! STAX D INX D
SAVER DCR B ! JNZ VLOOP
GOTOXY XS,YS IF NUL ADDR
MVI B,(XE-XS)-1 LXI H,WBOOT ! JMP ENDIT
BOX1 MVI A,BX WBOOT DS 3
TYPE CNST DS 3
LOOP BOX1 CNIN DS 3
MVI B,(YE-YS)-1 CNOUT DS 3
BOX2 SAVER LIST DS 3
MVI L,XS ! MVI A,YS ADD B MOV H,A PUN DS 3
GOTOXY RDR DS 3
MVI A,BX HOME DS 3
TYPE SELECT DS 3
MVI B,(XE-XS)-3 TRACK DS 3
BOX3 MVI A,CRT SCTOR DS 3
TYPE STDKA DS 3
LOOP BOX3 READ DS 3
MVI A,BX WRITE DS 3
TYPE LSTSTAT DS 3
RESTR SECTRN DS 3
LOOP BOX2 END IF
GOTOXY XS,YE ENDIT ENDM
MVI B,(XE-XS)-1
BOX4 MVI A,BX LOOP MACRO ADDR
TYPE ;DECREMENTS B AND LOOPS TO ADDRESS
LOOP BOX4 DCR B ! JNZ ADDR
RESTR ENDM
ENDM jumps, or vectors into its hardware interlace code, the BIOS. This
allows the CCP to access the lowest level I/0 of the system,
DECIN MACRO ADDR translating things ·Jike disk ac~ess commands into sequences of
;ACCEPTS DECIMAL VALUE, RETURN BINARY track and sector reads and writes.
LOCAL DLOOP,OVERSUB The BIOS jump table consists of sixteen vectors... you can
JMP OVERSUB find them in the VECTOR macro. Since the table can be located
XDECIN LXI D,O ! XCHG programmatically and, thereafter, used by software other than
DLOOP: LDAX D ! SUI 'O' ! ANA A RM the CCP it's possible for lowly mortals such as ourselves to
CPI 10 ! CMC ! RC manipulate the system at this level too.
INX D ! DAD H ! PUSH H There are a number of ways to get this together, but the
DAD H ! DAD H ! POP B ! DAD B simplest is to copy the BIOS table into bit of local RAM with some
MOV C,A ! MVI B,O ! DAD B labels attached to it, so as to be able to call the jump vectors like
72 Computing Ncnirl November 1984

computing Now! helped
Michael Alkalay build his business.
Michael Alkalay, President of Computron, one of the country's fastest growing computer
distributors, believes that product selection, service, and communication are the keys to
any successful business. Under the heading of communication Mr. Alkalay has chosen
Computing Now! to spearhead his advertising marketing plan.
"Computing Now!" has proven itself consistently effective in reaching both con-
sumers and computer retailers from coast to coast", says Mr. Alkalay, "and it is after all,
results that are the measure. Computing Now! does deliver."
Approaching its third anniversary, Computron now has distribution centres in both
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Office based in Edmonton. "Without question, Computing Now! has been a welcome con-
tributor to this dramatic growth."
Computing Now! has indeed helped Mr. Alkalay build his business and it can do the
same for you. Let our Advertising Director show you how in this key Christmas buying
period. Next month is the month to make your move to Computing Now!.
can help build your business as well.
For Advertising Information Call Rick May (416) 423-3262. In Quebec Call (514) 735-5191.
subroutines. This,. not surprisingly, is the existential purpose of tors on a disk ... as far as the program is concerned ... is given in
VECTOR. equates at the top of the file. If these are set correctly they will
Looking at the code for the Disk Troll it will be noted that, in allow yoi.t to step through the sectors and wrap around to the next
fact, the VECTOR macro is essentially the first thing that happens. track if you try to step into something nonexistent. If you make
Note that the labels for the vectors created by VECTOR are the SECMAX equate too large you will generate a BIOS error.
global, so they can be called by the rest of the program even This is actually not as serious as it sounds... most intelligently
though it exists outside the macro. MAC proVides for this by hav- designed BIOS's don't consider a bad read to be a fatal error,
ing one simply forget to declare them as local. and will return to the offending caller with an error flag set. The
If you think of a disk as a series of concentric rings ... the program will interpret this as a good excuse to print TILT!!! at the·
tracks ... with each ring divided up into bits ... the sectors ... the top of the screen, something it doesn't get much of a chance to do
whole works starts looking like a polar grid co-ordinate affair. As otherwise. For the most part, BIOS errors are simply inconve-
such, moving around the disk is fairly easy... you'll need com- nient when encountered by the Troll.
mands for going in and out in one track increments and two more Secondly, if you wish to enhance this code and make it do
for moving along the track sector by sector. more stuff.. . there's lots of opportunity to hack with the Troll.. .
In fact, the editor also provides for selecting a track and sec- you'll probably want to move the stuff around on the screen. As
tor combination numerically. there's a lot of screen oriented activity happening this could get a
The BIOS allows for both these things with relatively little fan- bit weird, as the cursors may not show up where they're suppos-
fare. There are four calls involved, which I've named TRACK, ed to.
SCTOR, READ and WRITE. In the case of the former two, one To this end, all the location parameters for the various
simply loads the number of the desired track and sector into the C elements of the display are situated in the rolling fields of the initjal
register and slings the call. The others are still more straight up ... equates. If you change these everything else will assemble ·
the one sector moves through the DMA buffer each time you yell relative to them and, as such, keep on working.
for one.
Editing a sector entails its being selected and read into the Fun In The Low Sectors
: DMA buffer. This can be anywhere ... you get to set it. .. but SOH There are a lot of things that want Trolling in CP/M. In testing
to l OOH is traditional, and as this space is provided by CP/M it things like this I confess that I usually attack the cold boot
seems rude to ignore it. The contents of the DMA buffer can message first. Steel grey corporate non-sentences like
thence be displayed.
There are lots of ways of presenting a string of bytes. This CP/M2 on TRS-80 Model II
program uses two. Selecting the sector of your dreams will cause • 64K Version 2.25-C
,. Copyright (c) 1980. Lifeboat Associates
it to be displayed at the top of the screen in ASCII and in the mid-
dle as a hexadecimal representation. Each ASCII character has a translate so nicely into
corresponding hex digit.
Now, not all the characters which can be represented by Help! I am an inch high
bytes display well. Some would make quite a mess of the screen and I am being
and, as such, it's desirable to filter out the unprintable codes. This held against my will in disk drive A:
is handled by the filter at LOOP 1 and the bit at BADCHR.
or
Having seen what a sector looks like, it can be edited, using
the E command. This will position the terminal cursor over the LS/D 25 on Ugly Grey Box
first character of the ASC II display and a second cursor. .. a pair Made in Bohemia
of,square brackets ... around the first hex digit. Moving the ASCII Copyright 1903 (c). Mother Martha & Son
cursor will move the hex cursor, so it's possible to read the hex
value of the byte under the cursor at any time. There are also the aforementioned error messages, the pro-
The codes for moving the cursor are in keeping with those mpts and, when you get tired of these there are the literals in pro-
. used by WordStar ... control D goes right and controlS goes left. grams ... you can usually find these with a bit of looking. Keep in
You can change these if you feel like it... they're stashed in mind that, once Trolled, a program or an operating system image
equates at the top of the source file. A carriage return slips gently will copy true to your mutations.
out of the edit mode ... any printable characters you hit will show Most of the disks around here have beenTmlled to an almost
, up in the sector display, overwriting whatever the cursor is over unrecognizable degree. The messages they produce are ... well,
at the time. "colourful" is a polite description. New employees often find them
Once a sector has been edited it must be replaced on the disk confusing. You'll notice them out in the parking lot flagging down
from whence tt came To get this together you'd hit RETURN to UFO's from time to time, having been told to d o so by what
.get out of the edit mode and W to write the sector. Now, some should have been a DISK FULL message .
BIOS's do not perform a write when told to ao so but, rather, set a There are serious ethical problems in a program like this. If it
flag to indicate that upon the next disk access a write is supposed should fall into the wrong hands ... computers could start com'
to happen before anything else comes down. As such, you may municating in English .. . ack! · CN!
find that you have to hit the sequence WI 0, which sets the write
flag and then steps the disk head in and out once, causing the sec- This program is included in the Wunderdisk collection of CP/M
tor data to actually be written to the disk. Software. See page 79.
This should result in the screen's displaying the sector as
you've edited it.
The re are a few other things you ma y want to check out
regarding this code. To begin with, the number of tracks and sec-

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Steve's CP/M Wunderdisk!

Until No"" Volume the First
In the course of doing the last year or so of Computing Nowl we've
You've Been generated a lot of code. Many of the programs, such as the CP/M utilities
we've been presenting, are quite innovative and decidedly useful to the
maintenance of civilization, conscious thought and computer karma.
Paying Too Much We've collected all the programs we've written ... some of which have never
been published in any of our magazines ... and put 'em all on one disk. In-
for Softvware, cluded are things like STAR, the Gemini 10 printer setup, the Last Worclstar
Unhook, CPMAP and the CP/M HOST program, complete with several
unreleased support programs.
Harclvware and The disk also includes all the required library files ... plus a few others that
are just handy to have ... and a couple of pet utilities.
Accessories The Wunderdisk is the best collection of tricky CP/M routines on the planet,
ideal for anyone who wants to get inside this powerful operating system and
The Software Shop introduces the first edition of sing. It's also the best documented ... the programs, fm the most part, are
The Discount Catalogue of the 'Most Wanted' written up in issues of Computing Now!
Computer Products. It's all here - 200 pages The Wunderdisk is available for
packed full of the latest, most asked for software, A mere
computers, accessories, books and gadgets. $19.95
Formats: We can provide the Wunderdisk for Apple CP/M, Access Matrix, Kaypro II,
Act now! Take advantage of our introductory offer Lobo Max-so·, Morrow Micro Decision, Osborne single· and double densities, DEC
and save 50% off the cover price of $9.95. For only VT-180, Nelma Personna, Su-perbrain, Casio FP-1 000, Xerox/Cromemco •,
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$4.95 you can have Canada's largest selection of tache, Televideo and eight inch SSSD"
computer products at your fingertips (refundable with
· These formats are $24.95
your first order over $25).
Fine Print: This software is the property of the authcx. It is distributed fcx the
Call Toll Free use of individual purchasers. Routines may be freely used from this code in
1-800-268-6687
9 am to 9 pm EST Mon.- Fri. , 9:30am to 5:30pm Sat.
other programs. but commercial distribution of any "'f these programs as
they stand requires the written permission from ·t he author.
Moorshead Publications
25 Over1ea Blvd•• Suite 601
Toronto. Ontario M4H 1B1
Apple WordStar Lightning
There have been a number of patches which However, be warned. This thing is not for the faint of heart.
dealt with the the profound lack of speed en- More to the point, you'll also want have had a lot of experience
patching code to get it working.
countered by users of WordStar on Apple com- This patch will function with most Apple compatible systems
patible systems. Most of them work by pat- using the Videx eighty column card.
ching the WAIT flag to read GO TO LUNCH.
This one's a bit different... it makes the whole Patchwork Solution
works happen in the blink of an eye. The patches described herein can best be described as strange.
They're based on the fact that WordStar keeps a copy of what it
wants to have on the screen tor its own reference. The routines
by Anthony DeBoer here copy this into the Videx card's screen memory as required.
This is a massively faster way of updating the Videx's data than
"printing" the information through the official channels.
W
In order to keep screen flicker to a minimum, the screen is
ord processors are wonderful things. Words magically divided into eight two hundred and fifty-six byte blocks, or
appear before your eyes, forming into phrases, ·pages, and only the pages that need to be copied get copied.
sentences, paragraphs, and whole masterpieces, all at The assembler code for these patches probably looks even
the tap of a few fingers ... or of all ten, if you know how to type. more like Greek than assembler code usually does. This is partly
What would once have taken years to write with a feather and a because some of the code is stashed into small free areas in Word-
pot of ink or months with the trusty old Underwood can now be Star, and partly because some Z- 80 instructions are used, which
done in the course of a lazy afternoon with one's electronic scribe. the normal ASM assembler doesn't support unless you cheat on it
This is true of almost any word processor ... ahem, except, in a bit.
many cases, of WordStar, one of the most powerful packages, Users of Unitron clones with the funny keyboards that
running on an Apple compatible system, one of the most com- generate weird symbols in the place of the capital letters K
mon computers. Apple clones don't like WordStar, and the feel- through P when the caps lock is off should note that this will be a
ing is mutual. The Apple CP/M BIOS, when coupled with the problem with these patches. Since CP/M's normal character
unusual machinations required to drive the system's hardware, is translation table is bypassed and there is no room for a new table
tediously slow. these symbols will appear. '
In this article we'll look at one of most interesting ... if highly The only workable fix for Unitrons is to blow a new character
experimental. .. approaches to making WordStar run at the red EPROM.
line on a fruit. In fact, the speeds attainable with this approach far Another problem that can occur, especially with cheaper
exceed anything that can be done through a normal CP/M BIOS. varieties of eighty column cards, is screen flicker. Since this code
WordStar will be able to update its screen virtually instantaneous- puts two hundred and fifty six character blocks of text on the
ly. screen instead of individual letters, more flicker will occur. This

may or may not bother you, being a matter of individual taste. It and then patch it over a copy of WordStar using the DDT utility,
is, of course, no problem if you touch type with your eyes closed. as follows.
One final catch is that when you use the opening menu's R
ASM WSPAT
command to run a program, the screen will look like a dog's CP/M ASSEMBLER VER 2.0
breakfast. This is because of some disagreements between 035C
CP/M's BIOS and the WordStar patches concerning the settings 002H USE FACTOR
of the Videx card. It isn't harmful, shocking though it may seem END OF ASSEMBLY
the first time it happens. DDTWS.COM
The wait factor in the CONOUT routine can be adjusted to DDT VERS 2.2
personal preference. This is how long a delay will occur after NEXT PC
WordStar outputs text before it gets updated to the screen. If it's 4000 0100
-IWSPAT.HEX
too small, the screen will get updated in fragments, while if it is too -R
big, messages like NEW FILE and the changes in global search NEXT PC
and replace that appear momentarily on the screen will be lost. 4000 0000
Values in the range of about sixteen to twenty-four, after a bit of -GO
SAVE 63 XWS.COM
experimentation, seem about right.
Don't delete your original copy of WordStar, at least until the
Making it Work patched version ... it'll be XWS.COM here ... proves to work and
These patches work as an overlay to an existing copy of Word- you decide whether you like it. Better still, make sure you do all
Star 3.0. Different revisions use different addresses for the stuff these patches on a backup file, and keep an unpatched copy of
that needs to be patched, so these patches as presented won't WordStar somewhere, as this thing has been known to crop up
work on other versions. Once you have the file on your system in with a few latent bugs on some systems after quite a lot of seem-
one piece, feed it to the ASM assembler that you got with CP/M ingly decent service.
Patche s for iJordstar 3 . 0 running o n an DCX
Apple][+ with a Videx card in slot lf3
LXI B,OEOBOH-2 ;set up for copy
XRA LXI D, OECOOH
STC UPLOOP LOA OE300H ;enable videx c ard
Copyright (c) 1984 Anthony DeBoer TRHUNI ORG 029BH INR c
NOP INR
BS EQU 08H ; backspace CONO! ADC ; g et appropriate bit PUSH
LF EQU OAH ; linefeed
DCR OB OCBH, 89H ' ;RES 1, C
ESC EQU lBH ;e scape JP CONO! LDAX B ;activate screen page
DEL EQU 7F'H ;delete
ORA ; a dd it to FLAG POP B
MOV M, A DB OCBH,8AH ;RES l,D
IDTEX ORG 018FH
RET ORA A
DB ' Appl e ] I+ w/Videx card
LOA FLAG ; see i f this page goes
DB ' in slot 3 ' ,OFil,O I NISUB ORG 02A4H RAR
NOP STA FLAG
HlTE ORG 0248H ; screen height NOP JC UPYES
DB 24 RET ORA A
LDA OEFFFH ; disable card if no copy
ORG 0249H ;and width UNISUB ORG 02A7H RZ ; return if no more to copy
OB BO JMP UNSET INR ; skip this page
INR
CLEADl ORG 024AH
USELST ORG 02AAH JMP UPLOOP
DB 0 DB 255 ;can use last char on screen UPYES PUSH B ;copy 256 bytes to card
UNSTR DB ESC, ' *',ESC,'=7 ', LF, '$'
LXI B,O!OOH
DELCUS ORG 02AEH DB OEDH,OBOH ;LDIR
CLEAD2 ORG 0253H
DB 0 POP B
DB 0
JMP UPLOOP
CRPOS XCHG ;store cursor position DELHI$ ORG 02AFH SETREG S HOV H,E ;s et Videx registers
SHLD UPOATE+l DB 0 SHLD OEOBOH
OCR L
CTRAIL ORG 0 258H
MEHAPV ORG 02BOH MDV H,D
NOP
DB 0 SHLD OEOBOH
RET
RET
FLAG DB 255 HIBIV ORG 02B3H SONST LXI H,FLAGl ;do screen update?
FLAGl DB
DB 0 DCR M
DB
cz UPDATE
HIBCUR ORG 02B4H LDA OEOOOH ;check keyboard
UCRPOS ORG 0264H DB
JMP CRPO$
RAL
SBB
UCNSTA ORG 02BAH RET
ERAEOL ORG 026mt JMP CONST CONIN CALL UPDATE
DB l,LF ;force full update
MOV C,E ;BC is now EOOO
OS 5 UCONI ORG 02BDH CONIN! LDAX B
JMP CON IN XRI SOH
LlNOEL ORG 02 74H
JM CONINl ; wait for a key
DB l,LF ;fu ll update UCONO ORG 02COH STA OEO!OH ;cl ear strobe
DS 5
CPI BS ; left arrow becomes DEL
JMP CONOUT
RNZ
LININ$ ORG 027BH
MVI A,DEL
DB l,LF,O ;full update DEL! ORG 02CFH
RET
CONOUT LXI H ,FLAG! DB 3 ,3,19H, 7,9
UNSET HVI C,9 ;return screen control to BIOS
MV I M,2 4 ;wa it factor (may be altered
LXI D,UNSTR ;clear screen and scroll
DCX H ; point to FLAG APLFLG ORG 02D7H
JMP 0005H ;call to BOOS function
!VON ORG 0284H DB 0
NOP
PBGHEH ORG 035CH ; cod e must not come past here
CPI LF HORPAT ORG 02EOH
JNZ NOTLF ;jump i f not linefeed UPDATE LXI D,$- $ ;modified by c u rsor position
END
NOP HVI L , OFH ; set c ursor position
IVOFF ORG 028BH CALL SETREGS
NOP LXI D,OOOO ;set screen origin
MVI H,OFFH ; who l e screen gets updated OCR L
RET CALL SETREGS
TRMINI ORG 0292H LOA OEFFFH ;disable ROMs
DB 0 LHLD 0006 ;get addr of virtual screen
NOTLF INX D ; n ext is c u rsor position LXI D,-786H ;offset below BOOS
ow 53EDH UPDATE+! ·LD (UPDATE+l),DE DAD D

Two Bits More for. the 64
It's not that hard to enhance the BASIC of the We looked at several programs to add useful functions to the
Commodore 64 by adding new things to it. This silicon neandertal in the October edition of Computing Now! and,
because it still seems like a reasonably good idea, we're going to
month we'll look at a pair of new commands have a peek at a few more. Actually, a POKE would probably be
for the eight bit plastic doorstop. more appropriate.
adapted from an article Sneakers

The June edition of Computing Now! featured an article called
by Tony Cross Rescue Your 64 in which we saw what the inside of a BASIC pro-
gram looks like on the 64. While you enter normal BASIC into the
machine and it is thereupon displayed as what you entered, there
is a lot of translation going on between your screen and the 64's
T
memory.
he prospect of adding new keywords to the BASIC of the In fact, the text of a BASIC program must be tokenized, or
Commodore 64 is one which understandably interests compressed into symbolic notation, and linked, or outfitted with
users of this system. The 64, while a powerful system for address pointers for each line, prior to its being of much use to
things like playing video games and building television commer- the 64. The machine takes care of all of this through yet another
cials around, is a bit of a sloth's bedwarmer when approached in clump of the aforementioned ROM routines. Once packed up for
a programmer's environment. The BASIC, while not altogether shipping, the text will behave in a very specific manner, one
nude, is a bit threadbare. which the 64 finds easily predictable. The Rescue article got
Each of the keywords. in the 64's BASIC is, in most rudimen- more deeply into this.
tary sense, simply a collection of small machine language When you do things like running and editing a BASIC pro-
routines. In fact, you would probably be surprised at just how lit- gram, the 64 must be able to check out and optionally manipulate
tle it takes to implement even a fairly powerful keyword. Part of the program it has rumbling around in its belly. There are, in fact,
the thing that makes the 64 such an interesting machine to hack two ROM routines that allow it to handle this. The first, and pro-
on at this level is the existence of a really huge set of ROM bably the most useful as far as the writing of utilities and keywords
routines built into the little ankle biter. goes, is called FNDLIN. Its entry point lives at $A613. It can scan
It's probably lair to say that the 64's BASIC contains all of the through a whole burbling quagmire of BASIC and locate the line
essential words already built in. The sneaky parts are the luxury with a specific line number.
features that just aren't in attendance. However, it can also be To use FNDLIN one would take the number of the line one
said that these words are not really unique functions unto wanted to catch up with and reduce it to a sixteen bit word. The
themselves. The y tend, either in use or, at least, in operation, to high byte goes in location $15, and the low one in $14. Next, one
be ancillary to existing ROM code. would call FNDLIN. If the carry flag is set high on return from this
As such, adding new words to the 64 is very often a matter of routine the requested line exists and location $5F will contain a
simply setting up a few parameters, figuring out what needs to be sixteen bit word which is the address of the first byte of the line in
done and then calling the appropriate points in the ROM. You memory.
gots ta know where these points be, of course, but this is one of Keep in mind that this will be the first byte of a tokenized line,
the reasons that magazines like this one exist. so, if you PEEK out the ensuing bytes you will get readable

Unitron Keyboard
EPROM
quotated text but, other than that, you'll be able to see quite a
number of highly bizarre graphics characters.
Actually, as we saw in R8Scue, the first two bytes of each line
are taken up by the hst link. This is the pointer which points down
to the start of the next line. The two bytes after that are the line
number, so the program text starts a total of four bytes after the
number returned by FNDLIN.
If you call FNDLIN and ask it to troll for a nonexistent line it
will return with the carry flag reset and the address of the next
higher existing line in location $5F.
The other useful ROM routine which is involved with all this
text stuff is LNKPTR, which starts at $A533. It restructures the
linked list that keeps track of where all the program lines begin.
It's actually a component part of the program editor, but you can
call it any time you go butchering around in your program text
and want to re-link it so as not to freak the 64.
The noble Unitron apple compatible system . .
funky little beast that it is . .. has a number of
Something OLD, Something NEW peculiar quirks to it. Its keyboard is among the
The two keywords we're going to look at in this feature both most notable of these.
operate on the program text in the machine at the moment. You
might have figured that, havi.ng just sloughed through several The many Unitron keyboards suffer from
steaming paragraphs of discourse on the subject. having a number of misprogrammed keys,
The first word we'll be looking at, the code of which occupies predominately in their lower case modes. One .
listing one, is OLD. The OLD keyword is strangely. absent from generally finds that the letters 0, P, K, L, N, and
almost all implementations of Microsoft BASIC , which is a M do very strange things under some cir-
moderately serious omission in an imperfect universe such as this
one. OLD allows you to undo the otherwise permanent effects of cumstances.
an ill thought out NEW. The cause of all this is a couple of bad bytes
When you do a NEW the Commodore 64 assumes that you in the 2732 EPROM which decodes. the
are well and truly displeased with the text that's in your compute r
and want to eradicate its very memory from all time and space. A keyboard. If you change these the system
NEW command is, as far as it's concerned, irrevocable. becomes quite workable for word processing,
The mechanism of NEW is to reset BASIC's memory pointers fancy programming and other traditional com-
so as to indicate that all of its memory space is empty. It also gar- puter activities.
bages up the first part of the linked list which holds the BASIC
program lines. Until now, one needed an EPROM blaster to
handle this fix, an expensive acquisition for one
blast. However, we have developed replace-
Listing 1. The OLD keyword. ment Unitron compatible keyboard ROMs for
our internal uses, which we are now pleased to
10 03:'.::C ! M:M: M:U M:## M:# ttlttf iUHtiUI##tt# M: tt# tltt# M## IUI
21::,1
31Zt
1338C
033C
!#
!# OLD f<E','L·JORD
•
#
offer to our readers. These chips will correct for
40
Stt
033C
0 33C:
I#
! M: VERSI Ot-1 1. 0 -- 10 / 0 2/84
ft
tt
most of the hassles with these keyboards, making
60 0 33C I# tt
70 033C ! # COPYR IGHT <C:· H. L . CROSS 1984 tt them as flexible as those of any of the most ex-
80 033C !tl 11
90 0 33C ! #M:tt4tUtttttiM#M:tt#U#II#ItM:ttM:#M:#tUUUI#tl # pensive Apple compatible systems.
100 033C '
110 033C '
12 €1 C5C3
130 C5C3
:f_=J:C~·C3
'
Before ordering, please be sure that you can
140 C5C3 '! ',.'AR I ABLES
150 C5C3
160 C5C3
H~l [t EC!UHT£:3 make use of these EPROMs, and that you select
17(1 C5C3
tso esc:;:
LNKPTF:
n mL IH
: =
=
:J:A':·3~:
f f1f.13
the right one . The grey EPROM is for grey
PF:TSTG = :f·AE:l E
190 C5C:3
2flO cse:::: - ' CHECk ~. T ATHlHI T FLA(;
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26 0 C5CD 9 12 E: STA • .J2 B.> .. 'T t i)\·'ERI·JP I TE NULL :E:'T'TE
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Two Bits More for the 64
extrapolating a new link table from the old one, it can relink a
Listing 2. The DELETE keyword. prCX.Jram in which the existing table has been partially gorched.
10 033C
28 033C
38 033C
,
!I
!I
.................................
DELETE KE'T'WORD
I
I
Having reconstructed the prCX.Jram text, all that's required is
to have the pointers put back into 64 the right way up, so as to
40 033C 'I I get them to point to the top of the prCX.Jram again. The sneaky bit
50 033(; 'v'ERSJOH 1.0 -- 10/02 /84
60 033C
!I
!I '
I
I is in finding where the top of the program is. However, if you've
70 033C ! I COP'T'RJGHT \C) A. L. CROSS 1984 I
80 033C !• I been following this circus closely you'll already know the solution
99 033C
100 033C
illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.
to this thorny problem.
110 033C
120 CSFl '
iti=SC5F1 We can't know what the last number in the program is, but if
130 CSFI
140 CSFl
'
'\VARIABLES
we call FNDLIN and have it look for the largest possible number,
150 CSFI Ft~W EQUATES
160 CSFI 65535, it will return with a pointer in $5F which looks at the end
170 CSFl
1$0 CSFt
LI~KPTR
FHDLIH
=
=
:$/1533
SA613
of the prCX.Jram in RAM. Well, in fact, it will point to the end shy
190
200
CSFl
CSFI
UIJMH:P
POSJNT
=
=
$AD8A
SB7F7
two bytes, so it must be incremented twice. It can thereupon be
210
220
CSFl
CSFl
TSTCOM
PRTSTG
=
=
f:AEFD
SABlE
stuck in the pointer register for the top of the prCX.Jram, and the
230 C5Fl
240 CSFI
PRTERR = f:A465 deed will be done.
250 CSF 1 Eeril€1 DELETE CPX ISO ! CHECK STATEMHIT FLAG
260 CSF3 F003 BEQ DODEL .
270
280
CSFS
CSFB
4C'JBAF
298AAD DODEL
JMP
.JSR
SAFOB
NUf1EXP ! GET START LINE
Mass Destruction
290 C5FB
30~3 C5FE
20F7B:7
20 13A6
.JSR
JSR
PQSINT
FUDLHl ! GET LIHE ADDRESS
BASIC provides you with essentially two ways to remove offen·
310 C601
320 C603
9066
R560
BCC
LDA
L I tlEF~R
$60 ! STACK ADDRESS
ding or otherwise uncoollines from your program. The first is to
330 C605 48
340 C606 ASSF
PHA
LDA SSF
type NEW, which, as we've seen, is partially impractical as it only
3513 C608 48
360 C609 20FDAE
PHH
JSR TSTCOI-1
removes the offending lines successfully if all of the lines offend
370
380
C60C
C60F
208AAD
20F7E:7
JSR
JSR
NIJ11E ~~: P
POSliH
!GET EI-ID LINE you. The other is to delete them one at a time ... a bit more selec·
390 C612
400 C61 5 9052
2013A6 .JSR Fl·lDLIU
BCC Lll--lERR
!CHECK THAT Lit--lE EXISn tive, this, but tedious.
410
420
C617
C619
E614
D002
HlC $14
E~lE GETEHD
! I ~IC L I HE HUI'IBEF: The upper class BASICs include a DELETE keyword, which
430
440
C61B
C61 D
E615
20 13A6 GETHlD
HIC Sl5
JSR FNDLHI
is neat in that it can remove a whole swath of lines at a time. It is,
!GET EHII LIHE+l
450 C620 68
460 C621 8514
PLA
STA f14
! F:ECOVER START ADDRESS of course, possible to add this useful keyword to a Commodore
470 C623 68
480 C624 8'51 5
PLA
f.TA fl5
64, as well ... or we wouldn't have brought the whole thing up.
490 C626 38
see C627 £560
SEC
SE:C f60
The code for DELETE is fairly straight up. To begin with, it
! CHECK THAT START
501
510
C629
C62B
F004
9009
BEQ CHI<LOW
ECC ADRSOK
! ADDRESS IS LESS calls FNDLIN to figure out where the text to be deleted starts, and
! THA~l HID ADDRE S:=:
520
530
C62D
C62F
B03A
fiS 14 CHKLOI-J
E:CS LII--lERR
LDA fl4
where it ends. If either number turns out not to be real, it throws
540
550
C631
C632
38
ESSF
SEC
SBC :J:5F
an error message and returns to command mode. Otherwise,
560 C634 B033
570 C636 A000 AI•RSOk
BCS LJUERF~
LD'r' Ul!l
assuming a set carry flag upon returning from the call, it pushes
580
590
C€38
C63A
A52E
C560
LOOP LDA f2E
CI·IP :J:60 ! END OF F"ROGRAI-r::·
the address on the stack for safekeeping and carries on.
600
610
C63C
C63E
110'36
Ft52:D
B~lE 1-lOIE:JW
LDFt :J:2D
In extracting. the address of the end line, the last line to be
620
630
C64ft
C642
CSSF
F012
UIP
BEQ
:l5F
PRGOID
deleted, we have a slightly trickier problem than is the case with
640
650
C644 E15F
C64tS 9114
HOTHW LDA
STA
<:J:SF), 't'
O:ll4)..'r'
! t10VE OI·IE B','TE
! !10\·JN
getting the address of the start line, inasmuch as the pointer
66ft
67'0
C648
C64A
E65F
11002
IHC J5F
EnE DODEST
returned by FNDLIN will point not to the end of that line, but to
660
690
C64C
C64E
E66fl
E614 DODEST
INC
HlC
S60
:l14
the beginning, which would mean that the line would be left in the
700
71e
C65'3
C652
D0E6
E615
EHE
HlC
LOOP
f15
prCX.Jram. As such, we must increment the line number of the end
72'3
730
C6~A
C656
D0E2
Fl514 PR.C•Et·ID
Bl·lE
LDA
U.JOP
Jl4
line by one so that FNDLIN overshoots, and points to the start of
! SET ~~E~·l PROG Et·ID
740
7513
C658-
CE-5A
B52D
852F
STA
STA
J2D
J:2F
the next line.
760
77ft
C65C
C65E
8531
A515
STA
LDA
l31
f15
Knowing the limits of the text to be removed it becomes a
780
790
C660
C662
B52E
8530
STA
STA
J~E
s::::e
fairly simple matter to delete what's in the. middle. The code simp·
Bee
810 C666
C664 B532
4C3~:w:.
STA
Jt·1F"
J:32
LI·IKPTR
ly copies the block of text starting above the end line and running
820 C669 1197.3
830 C66E A0C6
LHIEF.:F.: LDA
LD'r'
• ( ERF.:t·ISG
• >ERF:I·1$G
to the end of the prCX.Jram over the deleted text. It then adjusts the
840 C66D 201EHI:
8513 C670 4C65A4
.JSF:
..lt·IP
F"RTS Tr:;
PRTEF:R
pointer so that the top of BASIC pointer indicates the reduced ad·
8€-il C673 ODI3A4C EF.:F:I"i'SG
t:70 C67A 4E5~o4D
B'r'T
B','T
J0:D ,f·&A.· L· L"H, "£...120
tL -· u, ·' 11 .. B, ·· E.. ·F:,SO(l
dress. New BASIC will overwrite the old data, which is no longer
considered valid.
Undoing a NEW is a two part process. The first bit involves Patches and Hacks
relinking the list of lines. As it happens, part of the garbaging These simple routines should serve not only to add some pro·
wrought upon BASIC text by the thunderbolt of NEW is to lay a gramming power to the 64's BASIC... they will also illustrate
few nulls on the first few bytes of BASIC memory. Nulls are what some of the techniques involved in getting the system's built in
the 64 uses as the end of prCX.Jram marker. Unfortunately, the programs ... the ROM routines ... to work for you.
relinking routine will relink until it encounters a null, thinking it There are, of course, overflowing handfuls of other routines
has linked its way to the end of the prCX.Jram. Hard luck, this, if the in the 64 ... we'll be looking at some of these another time.
null is the first thing it encounters. However, if you really want to you can start to find them yourself.
As such, the first thing to be done is to place some other Simply begin to disassemble the ROM. It's not too hard to figure
value in the locations which have been nulled out. In this case, out where one call ends and the next begins ... there's an RTS at
we'll use #$0 l, but any value will do. the end of most routines ... and, given the page zero memory map
Having done this, we can safely perform a call to LNKPTR, and the other machine language information in the prCX.Jrammer's
which, as noted a while back, will relink the BASIC lines. Because reference guide quite a lot of stuff can be unpacked from the core
this routine works with the contents of the program rather than ofthe64. ~

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THE BASIC CONVERSIONS HANDBOOK FOR APPLE,
I
DESIGNING MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS
TRS-80, AND PET USERS BRAIN BANK
HB17 $14.50
Convert a BASIC program for t he TRS-80. Apple II. or PET to
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This book provides both hobbyists and el ectronic eng ineers

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Thi s is a complete guide to converting Apple II and PET microc omputer system s. It discusses the hardware aspects
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TRS-80 and Apple II programs to PET. Equivalent com- expl ain sequences of operation in detail. Then, the book
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HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT AND REPAIR MICROCOM-
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Th is book is b ased o n the author's own experi ence in l earn-
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4 M. JAMES and S.M . GEE

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II motherboard, incl uding the k eyboard and power supply .

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BEGINNERS SB21877: MICROPROCESSOR CIRCUITS, VOLUME 1:
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AN INTRODUCTION TO MICROPROCESSORS
A CONSUMER'S GUIDE TO PERSONAL COMPUTING AND
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D/A PH180: 1983 CANADIAN BUSINESS GUIDE TO MICRO-
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO COMPUTER PROGRAMMING TAB No.1271 $15.95 COMPUTERS
TABNo.574 $15.95 A useful handbook for computer ists interested in using their K. DORRICOTT $11.95
Computer programming is an increasingly attractive field to machines in linear applications. Topics discussed include Written by the managing director of Deloitte. Haskins &
the individu al, however many people seem to overlook it as a voltage references, op-amps for data convers ion, analogue Sells, a Canadian partnership of public accountants and
career. The material in this book has been developed in a switching and multiplexing and more other professional advisors to managem ent, this book is o ne
logical sequence, from the basic steps to machine language. of the most complete comprehensive guides to microcom-
puters avai lable. Sta rting with a general overview of
HB131: THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO BUYING A PERSONAL
COMPUTER $5.95
Written for the potentially interested compu ter ouyer, 1n
BASIC microcomputers and their business applications, the author
helps you assess your computer needs, compares and
BASIC COMPUTER PROGRAMS IN SCIENCE AND evaluates computer systems and applicat ion packages. and
non-technical language, this affordable book explains the
ENGINEERING gives you tips on " doing it right''. A must for anyone thinking
terminology of personal computers, the problems and
GILDER of purchasing a microcomputer for business.
variables to be discussed and discovered while making t hat
initial buying decis ion. The book does not make recommen- HB08 $19.95
dations. but does present a great deal of information about Save time and money with this collection of 114 ready-to-run
the range of hardware avia lable from the largest personal BAS IC programs for the hobbyi st and engineer. There are HOW TO PROFIT FROM YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER:
compu t ing manufacturers. Readers discover the meaning programs to do such statistical operations as means, sta n- PROFESSIONAL, BUSINESS, AND HOME APPLICATIONS
and impact of screen displays, tape cassette storage and disk dard deviation averages , curve-fitting, and interpolation LEWIS
storage, graphics and resolution, and much more. Com- There are programs that design antennas, filters. attenuators, HB01 $18.95
parison charts clearly define standard and optional features matchin~ networks, plotting, and histogram programs Describes the uses of personal computers in com mon
of all the cu rrent mass market personal computers. business applications, such as accounting, managing, inven-
SB22047: 2& BASIC PROGRAMS FOR YOUR tory, sorting mailing li sts, and many others. The discussion in-
MICRO $16.95 cludes terms, notations, and techniques commonly used by
Features 26 previously unpublishe.d, simple~to-complex programmers. A full glossary of terms.
MICRO- games you can run on almost any brand of microcomputer as
long as you have enough RAM on board. Most take between
.500 and 5000 bytes, with the highest taking 13K. Conversion PH181: THE DATA BASE GUIDE
PROCESSORS u k e'( them into your Radio Shack, TRS~80,
c harts that_let yo_
App_le II, T1mex/Stncla1r 1000 (ZX81), Spectrum, Atari, or PET
CBENTON $2&.00
Complete step·by·step book detailing the necessary elements
are mc luded. Also features notes on program techniques and for sel ecting organizing and implementi ng database systems
A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO COMPUTERS AND structures for microcomputers. Presents m aterial at a beginner's level
MICROPROCESSORS - WITH PROJECTS. yet thorough enough to aid the professional data process ing
TAB No.1015 $13.95
H ere's a p lain English introdu ction to the world of microcom-
:~~r~~'o~~~~Hs'!'~~~ROGRAM $ 19_25 person .
puters - it's capabilities, parts and functions and how Generate computer art including mathematically defined art
and animated graphics; draw still pictures - real istic and
you can use one. Numerous projects demonstrate operating
principles and lead to the construction of an actual working·
computer capable of perform in g many useful functions.
abstract; create an interactive space shuttle simulation; plot
architectural and landscape drawings with both high and low
BUSINESS
resolution graphics; constru c t a 3~d imens ional model of a
function; plot 2-dimensional graphics, statistica l relations, PH203: THE POWER OF MULTIPLAN™
BP&&: BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MICROPROCESSORS maps and diagrams. All these are written in Microsoft BASIC MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SOURCE $19.95
AND COMPUTING $7.50 that is adaptable to just aboul any BASIC micro system. Covers Accounts receivable, invoicing, cost recovery produc-
E.F. SCOTT, M.Sc., C.Eng. tion scheduling estimating, chec kbook, and engineering pro-
As indi cated by the title, this book is intended as an introduc- THE MOST POPULAR SUBROUTINES IN BASIC blem solving accounts payable, payroll , monthly sales
tion to the basic theory and concepts of binary arithmetic, TAB No.1050 $10.95 report, inventory and financial forecast.
microprocessor operation and machine langu age programm- An understandable guide to BASIC subroutines wh ich
ing enables t he reader to avo id tedium, economise on computer
There are occasion s in the text where some background PH20&: dBASE II USER'S GUIDE
time and makes programs run f aster. I t is a practical rather
information might be helpful and a Glossary is included at than a theoretical manual.
A. GREEN $38.00
t he end of the book. This instru ctional handbook for novices and experienced
COMPUTER PROGRAMS IN BASIC users alike presents a simple, highly effective approach to
AB001 $14.95 learning how to use t his powerful software program avia lable
BP72: A MICROPROCESSOR PRIMER $7.70 for microcomputers.
A catalogue of over 1,600 fully indexed BASIC computer pro-
E.A. PARR, B.Sc., C.Eng., M.I.E.E.
grams with applications in Business. M at h, Games and more
A newcomer to electronics tends to b e overwhelmed when
This book list s available software, what it does. where to get BASIC COMPUTER PROGRAMS FOR BUSINESS:
first confronted with articles o r books on microprocessors. In
it, and how to adapt it to your machine.
an attempt to give a painless approach to computing, this ~:~3NBERG (Vol. 1) 521 .50
small book will start by design in g a simple computer and THE BASIC COOKBOOK.
because of its simpli city and logica l structu re, the l anguage TAB No.1055 $9;95 A must for small businesses utiliz ing micros as well as for en-
is hopef ully easy to learn and understand. In this way, such BASIC is a surprisingly powerful langu age if you trepreneurs. vq lume provides a wealth of practical business
ideas as Rel at ive Addressing, Index Registers etc. wi l l be understand it comp let ely. This book, picks up where most applications. Each program is documented with a description
developed and it is hoped that these will be seen as logica l manufacturers' documentation gives up. With it. any com- of its functions and operation, a list ing in BASIC, a symbol
progressions rather than arbitrary thin gs to be accepted but puter owner can develop programs to make the most out of table, samp le data, and o ne or more samples.
not understood . his or her machine.
HANDBOOK OF MICROPROCESSOR APPLICA liONS BASIC FROM THE GROUND UP

TAB No.1203 $15.95
Highly recommended reading for those who are interested in
SIMON
HB15 $19.95 GENERAL
microprocessors as a means of a accomplishing a spec ific Here's a BASI C text for high school students and hobbyists
task. The author discu sses two individual microprocessors, that explores computers and the BASIC language in a sim ple 5-100 BUS HANDBOOK
the 1802 and the 6800. and how they can be put to u se in rea l direct way, without re lying on a heavy mathematica l HB19: $25.50
'M:Irld applications backbround on the reader's part. A ll the features of BAS IC BURSKY
are included as well as some of the inside workings of a com- Here is a comprehensive book that exclusively discusses
BP102: THE &809 COMPANION $7.60 puter. The book covers one version of each of the BASIC S-100 bus computer systems and how they are organized. The
M.JAMES st at em ents and points out som e o f the va riations, leaving book covers computer fundam entals, basic electron ics, and
The 6809 microprocessor's history, architecture, addressing readers w ell prepared to write programs in any version they the parts of the computer. Individual chapters discuss the
m odes and the instruction set (fully commented) are covered . encounter. A se lection of exerc ises and six worked out pro- CPU , memory, input/output, bulk -m emory devices, and
In add it io n there are c hapters on convert ing programs from blems ro und o ut the reader's experience. A glossary and a spec ialized peripheral controllers. It exp lains all the
t he 6800, programming style, interrupt handling and about summary of BASIC statements are included at the end o f the operating details of commonly available S-100 systems
the 6809 hardware and software avail ab le. book for quick reference. Schematic drawings
See Order Form on page 87

Computing Now! November !'984 83
Afoorsllead
Publications Software Services
Stockboy Inventory Apple
Control .P ackage Wordstar Fixer Apples and Wordstar are not entirely friendly. Apple
When we first advertised this program, we would have been pleased with a fraction of the orders we·received. On compatible systems equipped with Videx type eighty-
reflection we should have appreciated what a bargain it is. Inventory programs are generally pretty expensive and column cards do a number of unpleasant things to this
some of them are inflexible and some even badly engineered. You may find that even small inventories generate popular word processor. While there are simple cures
enrormous files. for this ... they all involve some delicate code hacking.
Stockboy is a good, powerful, flexible bargain-priced package whictl will handle inventory for small The Fixer solves this problem. Place it on the same
businesses. We use Stockboy within Moorshead Publications for our own inventory control and it has stood the disk as your copy of WS.COM, type FIXER and after a
test of time. suitable amount of disk noise, you will have APWS.COM
Stockboy can: on there too. This version oi·Wordstar includes special.
patching and unhooking code which runs each time you
• Maintain an Inventory database with current, maximum and minimum stock reporting when an Item needs boot Wordstar, and. makes your fruit behave as.it should .
re-ordering. It releases the control K's , translates the left arrow key
• Be a point ot sale terminal, adjusting the stock data base on line. to a delete character, and patches Unitron keyboards.
In addition, the fixer allows you to set some of the
• Produce Individual packing lists.
defaults of Wordstar which the MicroPro INSTALL
• Generate a customer list to be used In mass mailings. package doesn't really get to. All of these features are
• Run on any CP/M or MS·OOS based computer, even an Apple II running with a .softcard. menu driven in English for absolute non-technical opera-
Stockboy Is written In Microsoft BASIC, and Is designed to be easily altered to suit your needs. It can be tion.
complied using BASCOM If you desire. It Is designed lor use by non-technical operators. Will run in either 44K or 56K CP/M.
Available for: CP/M and PC formats Available for:
Apple II+ CP/M only. $19.95
$29.95 most systems $34.95 for 8" Ontario Residents add 7% P.S.T.
Ontario residents add 7% PST.
MDM730 DOSDIAL
The Apple Terminal Package
MDM730 is one of the most powerful MODEM? pro- The PDA 232C package includes versions supporting
grams available .. . and the Computing Now! version of both the Smartmodem and a dumb modem with pin There are plenty of terminal programs for the Apple II
MDM730 incorporates features not available in the twenty live line control, such as the Novation AutoCat. and its emulators. Some dial, some download. However,
public domain editions. If you are into telecommunica· Also included with each package are utilities to permit only DOSDIAL is this splendidly cheap.
lions, bulletin boards and downloading software your easy alteration of the phone number library and the DOSDIAL is a hybrid Applesoft and machine code
life will be full and meaningful with this code. For functton key macro strings plus an extensive documen- package for fast operation and easy modification . It
background on MDM730, see July 1984 Computing tation file. features a phone number library and automatic dialing.
Now! . Consider the facilities. It operates on a·ny fruit with a PDA 232C serial card and
The source code-file for this program is over a hundred
and fifty kilobytes long. It cannot be hacked on a stan· an autodial modem. A complete source file of ihe
• Terminal program w hich wor:ks at any baud rate. assembler code is included to allow it to be quickly pat·
• Ten programmable macro function keys. dard Apple. We patched it on a larger machine and
downloaded it. As such, we're pretty sure that MDM730 ched for other serial cards.
• Thirty six number phone library.
• Christensen software transfer protocol. with these features is unavailable elsewhere. Will work on any Apple+ or compatible system with a
• User set table toggles for line feeds, 'o N-XOFF and Available for: Apple II + PDA 232C serial card and an autodial modem.
so on.
CP/M 2.2. systems Available for:
• Extensive help menus.
• Baud rate selection on the fly (or the spider). TRS-80 Model II (complete with Apple II+ $16.95
• ASCII dump and capture.
• Status menu the above applicable features) Ontario residents add 7% PST
• Many more features.
Please specify modem version
In addition to all this splendor, however, we've addea
dialing support for the Apple version. While .the standard
MDM730 cannot dial unless it 's hooked to a Hayes
Smartmodem , we've added patches to it to allow it to do
from above list.
$29.95 A Teacher for
Ontario residents add 7% PST.
pin twenty five pulse dialling and to dial through the
Hayes Micromodem II and the SSM card. The Com·
puling Now! MDM730 will also
Fine Print:
The original MDM730 code is in the public domain. We
the Apple
are ollering this part of the program without cost. The Specifically developed for the educational market, this
• Select a number from the library and di~l it charges for this package are lor the patches created by 5-114" disk introduces both teachers and students to the
• Accept a hand entered number and dial it Computing Now! and to defer the cost of handling and Apple+ , lie and compatible systems.
• Wait for carrier postage. It is designed to show you how to make the com-
• Log you onto the remote system if it's free
This software is guaranteed to work correctly if properly puter work for you.
• Optionally autodial if the remote board is busy.
applied. The serial cards on Apple and compatible After introducing you to the computer, it goes on to
• Count the number of attempts at dialling the
systems must be installed in slot two with at least 48K explain the BASIC programming language and step-by-
remote BBS.
of RAM running Microsoft CP/M 2.2. The PDA 232C ver· step instructions show you the ins-and-outs of program-
The Computing Now! MDM730 package is available for sion will require the availability of either a Hayes Smart- ming this system and using its many features including
Modem or a modem with pin twenty live line control to disk operating systems and high resolution graphics.
• The Hayes Micromodem II. dial. Users of the SSM .card version may experience This program is designed for the total novice and it
• The SSM 300 Baud modem card. some difficulty in detecting extremely faint carriers on is designed to work accordingly. All you do is turn the
• The PDA 232C serial card with external modem. older versions of this card. computer on, slide in the disk and it takes over!
Requires Applesoft BASIC, 48K RAM ·a nd one disk drive.
Where CP/M is shown , the following formats are

Formats MDM730 for the Apple II+ CP/M requires two disks and
Available for:
AppleDOS only $35.00
available: is at the higher price. Ontario residents add 7% PST.
Apple II+ CP/M (see below) PC
Access Matrix, Morrow Micro Decision, Superbrain, Available for the IBM PC and genuine compatibles.
Xerox/Cromenco•, Epson·OX-10VD, Sanyo MBC1000,
Nelma Persona, Kaypro II , Osborne Single Density•,
AppleDOS
For Apple II+ and genuine compatible systems.
Software Services,
Osborne Double Density, Systei/Oiympia, 3R Avatar,
TRS-80 Model II CP/M Moorshead Publications
Attache, Televideo, Lobo Max.so·, DEC VT-180, Casio
FP-1000, Micromate, Zorba, 8 inch SSSD• Will operate under either Lifeboat or Pickles and Trout 25 Overlea Boulevard, Suite 601
CP/M.
•software marked with an asterisk is the higher price Toronto, Ont. M4H 181
quoted.
84 Computing Nowl November 1984

COMPUTER Modell6B xenix®
PRESS
ParityPlus Inc. is distributing
Mountain Computer's DOS 3.0
compatible AT Filesafe Tape
multi-user
system ...
Back- Ups for the IBM PC AT.
Two models are offered, one with
27 megabYtes formatted tape
backup, the other model with a
capacity of 60 megabytes .. .
Pop- Ups don't spring from your

toaster, but rather from Bellsoft
Incorporated. Handy utilities that
reside in IBM PC RAM to be ac-
cessed while other applications are
running, some titles include a
calendar, an interrupt-driven
DOS, a notepad and a calculator.
A Pop-Up Alarm Clock utility ac-
companies each module . ..
Commodore 64 users with a light

pen and a perchant for animation
may be interested in
Tech-Sketch, Inc. 's Lite- Sprite.
Using magnification, sprites can be Model16 multi-user
manipulated and stored in se- Xenix system.
quences of up to 128 frames' ... 512K Modei16B
with built-in 15-mega-
The Persyst BoB Super Display byte hard disk , two
DT-1 data terminals ,
Adapter is being distributed in DMP-21 00 dot-matrix
Canada by J.B. Marketing of line printer and cable.
Canada, Limited. Coupled with a It's yours for only
suitably high resolution monitor
and an IBM PC, the adapter pro- $14,719.95.
vides high resolution alphanumeric
text, sharp high and medium
resolution graphics, and program-
mable character sets ...
Enhancement Technology Cor-

poration has begun shipping PD-
QBASIC + , an Applesoft BASIC
compatible compiler to comple-
ment their PDQ Super-32 System
co-processor. Written for the Ap-
ple I [ series of computers, the com-
your#1choice
More businesses use Model problem-solvers available off-
piler can operate under either DOS 168 than other Unix-based the-shelf, designed to save
3.3 or Pro DOS .. . multi-user systems. It's easy you time and money .
to use . Up to six people But we have much more!
A Hayes-compatible modem, the can share the same files Our exclusive Express Order
Info- Mate 1200, is available from
Cermetek Microelectronics. and accessories - with- Software service means the
Capable of operating at out the added expense of most popular names in soft-
110/300/ 1200 bits per second, the multiple computers . ware can be ordered for your
modem supports auto - dial, Modei16B is your total Modei16B from your local
autoanswer and auto-speed select business solution. We offer Radio Shack Computer Centre.
from either keyboard or software, you more ready-to-run busi- Ask for a complete multi-
and it has an inherent adjustable ness software than any other user demonstration today at
speaker. .. microcomputer manufacturer. one of our Computer Centres
Sunol Systems' Sun*Mac interface Choose from a variety of - where you get sales, ser-
for the Macintosh computer im- professional multi-user vice and total support.
plements Apple Computer's Ap-
pleBus networking protocol.
Distributed by McKenzie Brown
Limited, the interface will allow up TANDY/ftad1e lhaek
to 32 Macs to communicate. When
connected to a Sun*Disk, the net-
work can share from eight to 92
megabytes storage per disk ...
Computing Now! November 1984

COMPUTER PRESS
I I c Bundling The SX-68 cross assembler is a The Amdek Color 500 monitor Taking note of the Apple I /c's
software package that allows alter- provides both RGB video and 128K memory, Arrays, Inc. is of-
native software development for NTSC composite outputs, as well fering The Home Accountant Ex-
MARKHAM, ONTARIO- An- the MC68000 microprocessor. as an auxiliary mode to display in- panded for the I / c and the 128K
ticipating the fall and holiday Produced by Allen Systems, the puts from a video recorder. The I le computers. 80 column
seasons, Apple Canada has editor and two-pass assembler is high resolution monitor can capability, optional mouse usage
lowered the retail price of the Ap- available for 64K Apple ][ com- display crisp 80 x 25 text in RGB and ProDOS format are some of
ple //c to $1,795 from $1,895 and puters ... mode, and has a built-in speaker.. . the advantages of this release .. .
has announced a specially priced Addresses: Allen Systems, 2151 Fairfax Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221
hardware bundle to accompany the (614) 488-7122 • Evron Computer Systems Corporation, 5 Denison
I /c. An intelligent printer interface for
the Commodore 64, the Grappler Street, Markham, Ontario L3R 1B5 (416) 477- 0444 • Peripherals
The bundle, which includes Plus Inc., 350 des Erables, Lachine, Quebec H8S 2P9 (514) 364-5554
the I lc, the Monitor I /c and the CD is being distributed in Canada • Penguin Software, 830 4th Avenue, P.O. Box 311, Geneva, Illinois
Monitor I /c stand is retailing for by Peripherals Plus Inc. The inter- 60134 (312) 232-1984 • Hewlett-Packard, 6877 Goreway Drive,
$1,995, a savings of more than face has a Commodore 1525 Mississauga, Ontario L4V IM8 (416) 678-9340 • Alternative Deci-
$250 when all items are purchased emulation mode, its own serial and sion Software, Incorporated, 11 Robinwood Court, Lancaster, New
separately. expansion ports, and provides a York 14086 (716) 683-4603 • Technical Logistics Support Limited,
wide variety of high resolution and 345 Nugget Avenue, Unit 18, Scarborough, Ontario MIS 4J4 (416)
block graphics printing options ... 293-9481 • Arrays, Inc./Continental Software, 11223 South Hindry
Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90045 (213) 410-3977 • ParityPlus
IBM users with more storage needs Incorporated, 1495 Bonhill Road, Unit 12, Mississauga, ·Ontario L5T
than average may take interest in Penguin Software has released Cat 1M2 (416) 673- 3321 • Bellsoft, Incorporated, 2820 Northup Way,
Graphics for the Apple )[ com- Bellevue, Washington 98004 (206) 828- 7282 e Tech- Sketch, Incor-
the Evron mM PC Mass Storage porated, 26 Just Road, Fairfield, New Jersey 07006 (201) 227-7724 •
System. Drive capacity can be puters. The program makes 108 J .B. Marketing of Canada Limited, P .0. Box 422, Cornwall, Ontario
anywhere from 50 to 1350 colours available in standard high K6H 5T2 (613) 938-3333 • Enhancement Technology Corporation,
megabytes, or more with combina- resolution, and 256 in double P.O. ·Box 1267, 17 Keeler Street, Pittsfield, MA 01202 (413) 445- 4219
tions of either fixed and/or hires. PEEKs, POKEs and CALLs • Cermetek Microelectronics, Incorporated, 1308 Borregas Avenue,
removable media. The systems are for graphics and sound have been P.O. Box 3565, Sunnyvale, California 94088- 3565 (408) 734- 8150 •
available from Evron Computer' done away with, and a variety of McKenzie Brown Limited, 267 Richmond Street West, Toronto, On-
Systems Corporation ... drawing commands are inherent. .. tario M5V I W9 (416) 593-6880 • Amdek Corporation, 2201 Lively
Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007 (312) 595- 6890
DANA'S COMPUTER DISCOUNT Now

Now
Available In Canada * Highest Quality · Lowest Prices
Apple TM is a registered Trademark of Apple Computers Inc.
* Available In canada
IBMTM is a registered Trademark of International Business Machines.
IBM Compatible PC IBM PC Peripherals

• 128K RAM Disk Drive controller . . . . .. $269.95
• Laser slimline 5'/." FD55B disk drive Colour Video Card ....... $279.95
• Attractive sturdy metal case Multicard- 64K. . ... $499.95
• Heavy duty power supply with built-in Clock 110 serial & parallel .$219.95
fan Keyboard . . . . . $179.95
• Detachable low profile keyboard TEAC 55F (Quad) . . . .. $299.95
• Colour video board with video inter· Joystick.. .. ........... .... $ 39.95
Super 5 CP-80 Printer: 80 cps, 640 face and direct RGB Case. . . . . .. . $ 89.95
dots/line/sec; feed time approx. 200 msec @ • 12 expansion slots
4.23 mm; up to 142 col. (compre ssed print) $36995 • Includes disk drive and controller card Apple Peripherals
and much, much more. Only $1,79995 One year warranty on disk drive and 90 EPROM Writer. . . $84.95
Parallel 1/F, w/cable $51.00 with purchase of days on other products. Integer. .. ... .. . . .$54.95
printer. 90 day warranty. Disk Drive controller . . . . . . . . $49.95
Parallel printer w/cable . .. .. . .. .. $54.95
SO-Column (Auto) . . . . . $79.95
Serial (Comm.) .. $79.95
Z-80 . . .. . ................... . . $49.95
16K RAM . . . . . .... ..•.. . . .. $54.95
Diskettes (1 0/package) ... . .. .. . . $24.95
Joystick (II & E) . . . . . . . . . ... $29.95
MICROSCIENCE WINCHESTER DRIVE: Power . . ............ .. .. $16.95
PM120A by SYNCO: 1/p sig. 1.0 · 2.0 Vp-p IBM and IBM compatible; 10 MByte inter-
camp. video; Scanning frequ: Hor. 15625 Hz $12995 nal type drive, including 1/F card, fully Shugart SA-390 for App le and App le com-
-15750 Hz, Vert. 50 Hz, 60Hz; Power Camp: 28 documented. One year warranty. $139995 patibles. 40 Tracks 163 KBytes
WAC. 90 day warranty. (Amber $139")· Access time 14 msec.
TEAC FD55B Controller $46.00 with purchase of TEAC
WHILE STOCK LASTS TEAC FD55A Slimline, 40 Trac
Half Height Apple II capability, DSDD. One FOSSA or Shugart SA-390. Only
One Year Warranty
compatible, Slim- Year Warranty.
Line , 40 Trac
, SS, 163K $24995
capac ity access
time 6 msec. One ~-------i--,:--,-_,.::;;:;;=;;:_::.:_:=-::;~~~
year warranty.
COMPUTER: 64K RAM; 8 expansion slots;

Only $25495 TEAC FD55F (QUAD)
6502 micro processor; Apple II compatible, $29995

numerical keyboard. 90 day warranty. DANA'S COMPUTER DISCOUNT
P.O. Box 6295, Station 'C'
For our U.S. Readers: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada TSB 4K6 TO ORDER CALL: 403·429·4718
P.O. Box 15485, Santa Ana, Calif. 92705 *
Group Discounts Available * Prices may change without notice.
Call: 1·714·953·91 05 Add $5.00 for shipping charges. We accept VISA, Mastercard, money orders and certified che- Al l Sales Final
See our ad in BYTE for U.S. Prices que. Cheques require bank clearance. All subject t o availabil ity, acceptance and verification. Orders shipped within 48 hours.
86 Circle No. 6 on Reader Service Card Computing Now! November 1984

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It's spring again, and time to change the oil and find out what is
causing that annoying rattle when the engine's idling. We know what a
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ground and the oil pan, so we are offering our incredible new
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POSTALCODE - -- -- - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- microcomputers that assumes no previous knowledge on the
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Signature - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - -
Historical Footing
You may never have actually been to the
ballet. You probably don't know what
you're missing ... imagine a whole stage full
of gorgeous women leaping around in
cloths that you only normally get to see in
those magazines one reads sideways... in
private. What's more, it's actually
reasonably refined.
"We saw Clint Eastwood shoot a hun-
dred and twelve people last night. What's
you do?"
"Oh, we were at the ballet."
This alone is an experience few would
want to forsake.
If you have in fact experienced the joys
terpsichorean you may have found occa-
sion to wonder just how these marvellous
movements have been handed down over
the centuries. To anyone familiar with
musical notation, it seems obvious that there
must exist... hidden away by some secret
society of dancers... a similar
choreographer's shorthand.
Various systems of choreographic nota-
tion have been in use since the sixteenth
century or thereabouts. Unfortunately, ap-
As with most of the performing plication of these early systems was
show, the Science Centre hired the services
haphazard. Numerous mutually incompati-
arts, ballet has a language ... of a number of dancers ... including Robyn
ble systems came and went. .. think of it as
both oral and written... all its Ryman ... and of Doug Moen, a computer
renaissance software. Frequently, no nota-
science student at Waterloo University.
own. The written form, a com- Doug was given the use of two machines ... a
tion was made at all . By and large, dance
plex notation of steps, has steps had to be handed down by word of
lisa and a Macintosh. .. purely for the pur-
re cently found itself waking up mouth ... or word of foot.
pose of developing the first true "word pro-
Of course, this simple method persists
inside a computer. Join us now cessor" for choreographers.
today. Nothing can replace the personal
in the dance of the Macintosh. Doug has managed to make a sizable
touch of the master.
dent in this task. What he achieved ... and
Since the start of the twentieth century
how he did it. .. are quite revealing of the
by Frank Lenk potentials of microcomputers to apply
there has been a proliferation of
choreographic notation systems . O ne of the
themselves to the arts.
earliest systems to gain international
Y ou've probably never wondered

how ballet choreographers manage
to record their brilliant dance steps
=rl
§U
( Get Frame )
Robyn
for posterity. It isn't the question burning
like a live ember on the lips of the common
man, I know. However, needless to say, it's
( Put Frame )
important to choreographers ... and , as it
turns out, quite interesting for the rest of us,
( Clear )
cultureless heathens that we be.
1 In fact, until recently, ballet was record-
( Undo ) ~
ed on paper using a labourious notation to
represent an art with, virtually, as many
variations as can be executed with a human
(Time Signature )
- -
body. However, even in this discipline, ( Rhythm ) I
perhaps as far removed from technology as
-
one can imagine, microcomputers are turn-
ing up. The problems of dancing feels and
binary feats have become somewhat en-
tangled with one another, partially through
(
(
Direction
TeHt
)
) . .....
the efforts of the Ontario Science Centre. ( Bar Line )
As part of its Artist as a Young Machine B~nesh t·1ovement Not.otion © R•Jdolf B~nesh London, 1955 .

popularity was the Laban notation, In May, Doug Moen started working on the screen graphics to display a mannequin
developed in the twenties and still practised a program that would allow the Benesh like model of the dancer's body. Wielding
by many freelance notators. Dozens of other "choreologist" ... or even a mere dancer ... to the inevitable mouse, the user selects a part
systems have arisen since Laban, with quickly and easily code a series of dance of this body model, thereby exposing a se-
Eshkoll!Wachmann being one of the latest. movements. cond level pull down menu showing the
Our tale actually concerns a system As it turned out, the Apple Macintosh choice of the normal, hidd.en or bent sym-
originated in 1947, by one Rudolf Benesh. was about as ideal for this as he could have bols. Once chosen, the symbol will appear
The canned description of it goes "This nota- hoped for. The whole problem with Benesh on a narrow enlarged section of a staff right
tion was developed through concepts notation... from the computing point of next to the mannequin figure.
drawn from music notation, perspective view ... is that it is pictographic. Several sim- Next to the working staff display is the
drawing and scientific disciplines including ple symbols are used to represent major main frame menu. Assuming that the sym-
ergonomics, information theory, parts of the body. Each of the dancers' bols are correctly positioned, this menu is
cybernetics and linguistics." Partly through poses is coded separately, just as each in- used to put frame into the growing se-
the intervention of Dame Margot Fonteyn, strument in an orchestral score is given its quence on the main staff page. This page ...
the Benesh Movement Notation was own staff. the actual document being processed ... can
adopted in 1955 for the recording of \ In musical notation, each position on be seen underneath the frame display by
England's Royal Ballet Company repertoire. the five staff lines represents a different note. manipulating the usual window size controls
The system is now promoted by the Institute In Benesh, each line of the staff is used to with the mouse. Other frame menu options
of Choreology in London. · code a different position above the stage. allow the user to undo an operation, to clear
Thus, a black dot on the second line from the document page, or to add a time
the bottom would represent a foot, signature, rhythm, or text notations to the
Computer Cotillion somewhat raised off the stage. document.
Most writers are already pretty well clued in Normally a line represents a hand or So far there is no facility for adding
to the wonders of word processing. Musi- foot. Using a dot means that this appendage phrasing marks ... as in music, arc lines
cians too are beginning to discover the is actually hidden behind another part of the drawn above or below the staff. Also, the
power of composing on micro. It probably dancer's body. Plus signs show bent elbows Benesh language is kind of open ended;
hasn't occurred to you to ask what's being or knees, while X corresponds to the dot, there is no complete dictionary, so it's
done for choreographers. meaning a bent joint hidden from the au- almost impossible to include every possible
Obviously, the world is not exactly dience's view. The accompanying illustra- symbol in the computer program.
overpopulated with choreographers. This tions should sort of clarify this. However, the beauty of the Mac system is
makes them a low priority market on most The catch is that drawing all these little that the basic Benesh document can easily
software developers' lists. Fortunately, the noughts and crosses can be a tad tedious ... passed over to the stock MacDraw program
Ontario Science Centre chose to host a it can take up to six hours to notate all the for further embellishment.
computer art show .. . the aforementioned parts for a single minute of a complex
Artist as a Young Machine ... for its 1984 dance. Pascal Polka
summer season. In the course of assembling The Mac, being heavily graphics In operation, the whole program looks so
_every sort of electronic artist imaginable, oriented, is ideal for representing these sorts wonderfully simple. Virtually anything runn-
the Centre did not forget to include of doodles. ing on the Mac looks this way. This makes
representation from the world of the dance. Doug, working with the dancers, used for an interesting contrast... between runn-
ing software on the Mac, and creating soft-
ware for it.
The distinction between these two
Boy's Sol o prepositions is one indication of this con-
trast. Programs that can be run on the Mac
Choreography: Petipa Music: Minkus. are nOt necessarily best created on that
same machine. Mostly this is a matter of
memory ... a well documented deficiency of
the present Mac configuration. Realize, for
starters, that one graphic screen gobbles up
twenty two K of RAM. With only a hundred
and twenty eight K to fool around in, a se-
cond machine ... preferably a Lisa ... is prac-
tically essential for Mac programming.
Being somewhat new to the market and
somewhat esoteric to software developers,
the Mac is not overendowed with program-
F
- ,
4
ming tools. For the Benesh project, Apple
Pascal was a forced choice. By any stan-
dards Lisa Pascal is a bit of a trial to the pa-
tience.
Development of programs for both Lisa
and Mac is performed by something called
Part of a choreographical score, as do.n e by .the Mac. the Worksh op. Booting W orksh op is-like a .

hit of deja vu to anyone who has ever used around this by designing his own ceiling learn, he says, the results are that much
Pascal on the Apple II. Gone are all the detection schemes. more worthwhile.
icons, windows, mice and any other warm, In spite of all this, the would be mouse It's hard to disagree, having seen a
furry creatures. lnstead one is greated cold- wielder should not be dismayed. Doug ballerina with absolutely no computer
ly by the spartan Pascal screen... essentially Moen, who has as much reason to be knowledge gracefully swinging the mouse
a blank, save for a row of menu options frustrated with the Mac as anyone, says that hither and yon, swiftly churning out dance
across the top of the display. he would still prefer the machine over the notations that might have taken even an ex-
You may have caught the television ad PC. Although the Mac is more trouble to pert many hours to do manually. CN!
wherein the complete library of congress ...----- - -- - -- -- - -- -- -- -- - -- -- - - - - -- ----1
thuds to earth next to an IBM PC, compared
with the thin brochure that wafts down next
to the Macintosh. That document may show
the new user how to plug the machine in, or
which end of the mouse to grab. It doesn't Roland
begin to talk about how to program the
thing.
All those powerful screen functions .. .
windows, icons, pull down menus ... reside
Impact
in a RO M known as the toe] kit. Using the
capabilities of this package while insulated
by a higher level program can be quite ex-
hila rating. However, implementing the tool
Dot Matrix Printer
kit functions from a low level, and harness-
ing them to do your bidding, is anything but
trivial.
The key to the mysteries actually
resides in two three inch thick eight and a
half by eleven binders. According to Doug
Moen , at least, you can expect to commit a
large proportion of the contents of these
binders to memory before you actually get
a professional application program off the
ground.
Most of the toolkit magic is invoked by
means of resource files. For instance, win-
dows are typically defined using four
number codes specifying the size and loca-
tion of the desired portal. That would seem
to be fairly comprehensible, except that the
numbers refer to pixel co ordinates... which
you have to work out for yourself, on graph
paper. For the Benesh program, Doug
generated several pages of resource prin-
touts, all virtually hand coded in this man-
ner. There is talk of a resource editor being
on the way, which would be a major im- Model PR 1111 Model PR 1010
provement in the whole programming pro-
cess. Special $449.00 Special $369.00
The RO M routines, according to Doug,
are very tightly written, and for the most Fully Epson compatible • Works with Apple,
part do their ·-job exceedingly well. - Friction & Tractor Feed Commodore Radio
However, the old question of memory once
more comes up to haunt the Mac. About 1 Year limited warranty Shack, I.B.M., T J., etc.
half the ROM routines use dynamic memory
allocation, handled in turn by another ROM •
routine.. the memory manager routine.
This thing apparently does not issue a trap-
pable error message when the memory runs
out. This means that while an application is
§UpER I RONIX
running with seemingly ample elbow room, 279 College Street, Toronto, Ontario Canada
it can unexpectedly crash as a result of in-
voking a memory hungry routine from the M5T 1S2 Telephone (416) 927-1921
ROM. It is up to the programmer to get Circle No. 27 on Reader Service Card

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A second Chance at Those Amazing 500/a·BOO/a
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Computing Now! November 1984

yours at an 80% savings at $14.95'
·--------------------------·93
Please use thi s coupon or a photocopy to plac e your ord er .
Compounded Monthly 2:30 -' --l~ui!s ti o n s
by Takis Zourntos 240 PRINT CR$ LF$ CR$ LF$

250 LINE INPUT 11 Enhr· th ~ n'imi! of your corr.oany : n;CONAM$
260 INPUT 11 Enter· the amount of money yo u'· re inves ting( $) : 11 ,t10NEY
Written for the Texas Instruments PC, this short program will
270 INPUT "Enter th e interest rate, pe r· ye ar· II. I : ", INRATE
take an inputted investment sum and tell you how much you
280 INPUT "Ent er t he n•JRob er of • on ths the mo ney stays in bank :",MONTHS
stand to gain.
290 RETURN
300 ~ -- F ir.al ou t put
310 CLS 2
10 .---- - - ----- -----------··
320 PRINT CR$ LF$ CONAM$ : FOR NUM=l TO LENICONAM$1:f'RINT "- ";:NEXT
20 •· PROGRAM TO CALCULATE ·•
:330 PRINT CR$ LF$ CR$ LF$ GS$ "Value of Investment Cooopounded Monthly" CR$ LF$ G
30 COMPOUNDED MONTHLY '
S$ LS$"---- - - ------- - - "CR$ LF$ CR$ LF$ "Or-iginal amo unt : ";MONEY LS$ "Int er-est
40 by Tak is Zour·ntos /84'
r at e : ";INRATE: "'l."
50 i 1):::/17/1'?84
340 f'RINT CR$ LF$ CR$ LF$ , " Months" , " Bit lance" CR$ LF$
60 Cooyr·1ght lei 1984 '
70 .__ __________ __________!' 350 FOR TIME = l TO MONTHS
360 MONEY = MONEY < I NRATE I 1200 + MONEY
80 CLS: KEY OFF
370 f'RINT ,TIME,MONEY
'10 LINE 10,01-1719,3001,4,8
380 NEXT
100 ·" --Defines
390 RETURN
llO CR$=CHR$1 131: LF$=CHR$1 101
120 LS$=SPACH191 :GS$=LS$+LS$
1:30 -' --Br-.u n
lAO GOSUB 200 - · Inir·o • ••
150 GOSUB 230 "i)uestions •• •
160 GOSUB 300 'Outout.
170 LOCATE 25, 15:PRINT LS$ "---Press <RETURN)- --"
180 BEEP:BEEF·:A$=lNPUHI 11: IF Al=CR$ THEN 19(1 ELSE 180
190 CLS : Ll ST: END
200 -' -- Ir.troductior.
210 PRINT GS$ LS$ "COMPOU~DED MONTHLY" CR$ LF$ GS$ LS$''-------- ----------"
220 RETURN
THE A.P .I:M CARD Computing Now!

PARALLEL PRJNTER INTERFACE FOR THE APPLE II AND APPLE lie
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AhaarnandSoped n c. .............. .. ... . ... . .... . ... . ........ . ............ . .. .. ................ 25

Artronk:sCircult&Company lnc. ....................... . ....................•................. . .... 94
B&REnterprlseo Inc. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 17. 27, 29. 54.75
Buclgetron Inc. . .. ..... . . ...... .. . ... ... . .. . . . .. . .... . ... . .. . .. .. ..... .. .. .. ..... ... ... ... ... . .. . 65
CanadlanGeneraJElectric ,, ........ .. .. . ... .. ........... . . . ... . . .. ...... .. .. .................... 61
Compu-Slmple Simon. . . . . . . . . . •. . . . . . . •. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . •. . . . •. . . . . . . . . . . ••. . ... . 11
Computarlunctlon............ .. .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. ...... 23
Computao Mall Order .........•........ . .....................•...•.......•........•...•.......... 19
ComputarPariBGalore. . . . . .. ....... . . ............... . ....... . .......... . .. . ........... 52. 53
Computron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . .. .. .. . .. . . ... ......... .. ........ . ....................... 45
Contro1Da1a . '' ' . ' ' ' ' ' ".' ..... . " " " ....... " . . " ...... ' . . . . . ' . ... ... . . ... ... . .... . . ... .. . 36.37
Dana'sComputa<Discount .... .... . .... . ........ ... ... . . ..... ... .. ........... .. . ................. 86
Dennison Manulacturlng
Canadalnc. , , ,,,,.,,,, .. ,, ... . , .. ,, ... . ... .. .. . .... . •...• . .. .. .. . • . ... .. . . . . ..•. , ... ... .. ..... 95
THE ADVANCE PARALL EL I NTERFACE HAS SOPHISTICATED ON Dldak Manufacturing . . . . . . . .......... .... . . .. .. .. .... . .... .. ... . 43
BOARD FIRMWARE WHICH PROVIDE THESE FEATURES
Electronic Control Systemo . ..... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. . ... .. ........ . .. . . .. . . . .. • ... . .. .. • .. . . . .... . .. . .. 41
Exceltronlx .................. .... ...... ...... .. .. .... . ..... .. ................................... 2
Expotek '. ' ' ' '.' ' ' ' ' ' .. ' .... ' ' . .. . ' . '' . ' . ' ' ' . ... . . ' . . . . ' .. . . . . .. ' .. .. . .... . ... . ... . . . .. . . .. ... . 13
e HIRES SCREEN DUMP OF PAGE 1 OR 2 Gentak Computers Inc. , , , . . . . . . . .. . .. .•. . . . . . ... • . ..•.... .. . 41
e TEXT SCREEN DUMP IN 40 OR 80 COLUMN GrlllcoMCD"ketlnglnc•. ... . ... ..... .. . . ................•....... • .... •. ............................ 8
e LEFT AND RIGHT MARGIN ADJUST Hayeo Microcomputer Proclucts
e ADJUSTABLE LINE LENGTH (Canada) Ltd. ....................... . ....................... . .... .. ... . .. .. .. . . . .. . ..... .. . .... .. 4
e ADJUSTABLE PAGE LENGTH Lenbrook Electronics ... , , . . .. . .. ... . . .. .. .. . .. ... . .......... .. ..... .. .. .. . ................ 31
ManagementGraphk:slnc.. . ... . ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .......... .. ............ .. . .. . . . ... 44. 57
e PRINTER BELL CONTROL
Mangrcwe Computers Ltd. .. . . . .. ... .......... .. ........ 39
e ENABLE I DISABLE 8th BIT MlcroBazzCD".. .. . . .......................... . ..... . .. ... .. 33
e ROTATED GRAPHICS MlcroComputech ................ .. . . . .. . ........ . .... . .. ...... .... . .. . . . ..... .. ............ 59
e DOUBLE SIZE GRAPHICS Nielsen Compulenllnc.. . . . . . . • . . . .. . . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . . 71
e EMPHASIZED GRAPHICS Peripherals Plus Inc. . . . . . .. ... . .. ... ...... . .. .. ...... ... ... .... .. .. . . .. ... . . .. .. . ...... . . . .. ...... 7
e COMPATIBLE WITH PASCAL AND CP/M RadioShack .... . ... . ... . .............. .. .. .. ........ . .. .. . . 85
e COMPLETE WITH CABLE Romaro Enterprises Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . ..•. . .•. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15
Scamdale.. . . . . .. . ... .......... . . . .. . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . ............................... 96
Su pertronlx Inc. . . . . . . .. .. . .. .. .. . .... ......... . . .. 91
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED Surplustronk:s . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . .... 81
Smith Corona . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. 21
TEK Systems Inc. . . .. .. .. . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 75
Circle No. 53 on Reade r Se rvice Card. nie Software Shop .. . .. . . .•. . .. . . . . . . .. 39, 75
Tri-Tell!aloc:iates Ltd. . .. .. .. . .. . . . .. . ... 3
A RTRO N!C S C I RC UIT S CO MPAN Y !NC.
World of Commodore , .. . .. . .. . . .. . . . . . .. 35
P 0 . BOX 1212 , STATION B, WESTON . ONTARIO M9L 2R9
Xerox Canada Inc. . . .... . . ... . ....... . . ... .. . . .......... . . .. ..... .. . .. .. . . .. .. ........... ........ 6
94
;II II Elephant Floppy Disks are the perfect vehicle for storing and pro-
IIIII tecting data. Because Elephant never forgets. You'll get high per1ormance
that's 100% $llaranteed for a lifetime of neavy use. 5o take them for a test
drive. They re available now at your local computer showroom. And
11 111 · there's no waiting for delivery
ELEPHAITTMIEVER FOROETS.
For information call toll-free
Dennison Manufacturing Canada Inc.
200 Base Line Road East 1·800-387·5037
Bowmanville, Ontario L 1C 1A2 BC 112·800-387-5037 Toronto (416) 495-9353
SIMPLE.
SIMPLY POWERFUL.
Basically, we agree with PFS<? If you're looking for report and back, with just a couple keystrokes . PFS
some power from software that's essentially simple, makes you save files, change disks and waste a lot
there are several PFS packages you might look at. of time if you want to do anything like that.
But if what you really want is genuinely power- Plus Electric Desk lets you do something else
ful software, that's also simple to use, you'll do that's never been done before-save money.
better with one new package from Alpha<? Because for $469.00* you get a complete IBM
It's called Electric Desk~M and it's word pro- PC/XT version of Electric Desk with all .ca_p~J?ilities .
cessing, spreadsheet, communications and file included. That's far more computing power than
management with report writing, all in a single PFS delivers in a handful of packages for about
integrated program. What's best, you can run $795.00*.
them all at the same time, because it's all on a So before you decide on software for your busi-
single disk. ness, compare. We think you'll agree. When it comes
So you not only get to do more work ,
with one Electric Desk than with several , --
-
-
------ I ' - - . . ...._
to serious software, it's not how simple
you make it. It's how you make it simple.
---
- --
~-·~
.-..~
PFS's. You also get to do things PFS simply · Electric Desk. It's the new force in
can't. Like jump instantly from a letter to
a budget to a customer list, over to a stock
--
--- -... .--.
-- ~
.. ............ software simplicity.
Also available for the IBM PCjr. for$ 399.00*
ALPI----IX
SOFTWARE CORPORAT~
Scarsdale Technologies, Inc., 23 Prince Andrew Place, Don Mills, Ontario, M6C 2H2,
Tel. 441-1900 or 1-800-387-0110
•sased on manufacturers' suggested retail prices. Electric Desk is a trademark licensed to Alpha Software Corp. by Electric Software, Inc. Alpha Software Corp. is a registered tradema!·k. PFS is a registered trademark of
Software Publishing Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of the International Business Machines Corp.© 1984 Alpha Software Corporation, 30 BSt., Burlington , MA 01803 . 617-229-2924

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P~T V~H nd 1Y3M1NOW

A successful rapidly expanding all·

The display signs used through The Hamilton branch of Ex·

colors. THE TOTALLY-INTEGRATED

The Legal Computer 10

The Otrona 2001 Beview

The PC Proto Card

Computing Now! November 1984 5

personal computer Users ...

CONTR~ II illiQl 1oj .2VALID(ll"t./'l •4 THAU I] 1./'1 ~

the most farsighted and imaginative show World of Commodore II is designed

A HUNTER NICHOLS PRESENTATION.

Circle No. 24 on Reader Service Card

Computing Now! November 1984 9

~~~~~~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~vendors home or educational situation and want a

T he wide range of microcomputer

10 Computing Now! November 1984

Computing Now! November 1984 Circle No. 35 on Reader Service Card. 11

12 Computing Now! November 1984

14 Computing Now! November 1984

Rats and Cats, Escape

MINI CHA~~PER CHAMPJOYSTICKS .UNLIMITED CHAMPSTICK $29.95

With products backed by a professional

Computing Now! November 1984 17

18 Computing Now! November 1984

Circle No.8 on Reader Service Card

20 Computing Now! November 1984

They're fust workers. Put words - feature a Dual Interface to ensure

D Please send me more infor-

Circle No. 31 on Reader Service Card.

22 Computing Now! November 1984

·.$2,395 buys this Complete System!

24 Computing Now! November 1984

Reason 1: Diablo Leads

26 Computing Now! November 1984

FAMILY PAC - Three of the finest home programs available: $64.95

Hours: Tuesday Noon-10:00 P.M. through Saturday

Circle No. 33 on Reader Service Card.

<C l CHR IS VANDERS LUI S •! 4, 0 SAY "SUBJECT " GET subject

CASE chotce :: " 3 "

t SE T UF' A L OOP S O YOU CAN CONT INUE OR QUIT ? "[6J DE L E T ED RECORDS"

ACCE P T " ENTER YOUR CHOI CE ( 1- 6 ) => " TO o p t ion

t PRINT THE PROMPTS AND GET THE DATA DO CASE

28 Computing Now! November 198•

SPI-SPIIB features: GPI features:

Take out line available at finer software stores everywhere.

CASE c h otc e = "4"

CASE choice = " 5 "

? "[lJ TIT LE"

ACCEPT " ENTER YOUR CHOICE {1-3 ) =>" TO ootlon

OASE oot1on= "1"

CASE option= '' 2 "

CASE ootion= " 3 "

S TORE " " TO c h oic e

CASE c h oice "" "6 "

* EX I TS DBASE AL TOGET HER . CHANGE T HJ:S TO CANCEL TO S T AY I N DBASE .

Let's go through the options one at a time. Start Typing

30 Computing Now! November 1984

Indispensable for helping Apple II

!~~~~~~~~~~~vendors home or educational situation and want a

an~ -r_a_l~-~~t~. ~-~-c·k· ~~~~~~ . ... $479.00 r-:to=cha