_ The magazine for Sinclair users and TIMEX /Sinclair users

_ September/October 1983 — $2.95 -Volume 3, Number 5

BUYER'S GUIDE PART 3: SYNC AT THE LIBRARY MACHINE LANGUAGE: Quick Draw • PROGRAMMING: Logical : Operators ° Extensions to Basic ° Memory Scrunching > HARDWARE: Questions & y Answers ° REVIEWS: Byte-Back Modem ° BOOKS > GAMES

RE DATS ASE TTE EN

*

BRING YOUR COMPUTER TO LIFE

WORD PROCESSING AND REAL PRINTING TIMEX/SINCLAIR TS1000, TS1500, OR ZX81

PROFESSIONAL WORD PROCESSING AND PRINTING FOR LESS THAN THE COST OF A TYPEWRITER

$79.95 X-WORD ZX-101 e WORD-PROCESSING ——— =<

16K ROM Software

Full RS232 Interface Word Star like commands On-line edit to 14K with 16K RAM pack:

Total cursor control, move, delete, etc.

Upper or lower case ASC Il character

Automatic paragraph reformating

$250.00 PRINTER

GORILLA/BANANA 10" Carriage 5 X 7 Dot Matrix 50 Characters per sec 5 or 10 Characters per in Tractor Feed

Now for a limited time Data-Assette offers three choices to obtain these powerful solutions:

OPTION #1 = $299 OPTION #2 = $399 OPTION #3 = $499 Ready to run package Option #1 plus Option #1 plus

e Printer e TS1000 (2K) new e TS1000 (2K) new e X-Word System e Overlay Keyboard e Fullsize Keyboard e Paper Supply e 16K of Ram Pack e 32K of RAM pack e All cables Real Cost $480.00 Real Cost $595.00 Real Cost $370.00 Your Savings $81 Your Savings $96

Your Savings $71

ORDER TODAY BY PHONE FROM OUR SPECIAL 800 NUMBER OR MAIL IN YOUR CHOICE. WE ACCEPT VISA OR MASTERCARD.

DATA-ASSETTE

All orders are subject to a $4.95 handling/shipping charge

Mail Order Department (800) 523-2909 56 South 3rd Street (215) 932-4807 in PA Oxford, PA 19363

If you already own a printer then X-word is available for $79.95. If you only need the printer then its cost is $250.00. Send $2.50 for our full catalogue and receive $2.50 credit on first purchase.

CIRCLE 21 ON READER SERVICE CARD

The Direct Connection is Here...

_.. foryour Timex-Sinclair computer. Memotech can now connect you to CompuServe with our new modem package. With this introductory offer you get a 300 Baud J-Cat Modem by Novation. .. RS232 serial interface with built-in communications software and all connecting cables. PLUS, you get a CompuServe Demopak, password, I.D. and log on/off procedures for a free two hour demonstration of the CompuServe Information Service.

Memotech, the leader in add-on Timex products, introduces the modem package for only $199.95 + $6.95 shipping/handling. (Suggested value $290.00).

Simply plug in our direct connect add-on products to the back of your Timex computer. The Memopak 16K sells for $49.95 *. .. 32K Memopak is $99.95 * and our best seller 64K Memopak is $149.95 *.

The Memotech keyboard is priced at $99.95 *. The Centronics parallel interface sells for $74.95 * including software, and the RS232 interfaces are $99.95 *. Printer packages are also low, low priced.

Order at no risk (10 day money-back guarantee); Call 1-800-662-0949 (Colorado 1-303-986-1516). Or send your name, address, phone number and a check/money order/Visa or MasterCard number with expiration date to:

Memotech Direct Sales Division 7550 W. Yale Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80227

* Shipping/Handling $4.95; Colorado Residents add applicable sales tax.

FOR FASTER & EASIER DATA ENTRY WITH YOUR E-Z KEYBOARD...

Here at last, is a large 60 key “TACTILE FEEL” keyboard that plugs into the same connectors as the existing keyboard on your ZX81, TIMEX/SINCLAIR 1000 or 1500.

HERE THE CLICK ... FEEL THE SNAP! for every key pressed (tactile feedback)

IT’S THE ONLY KEYBOARD WITH ALL OF THESE FEATURES:

60 moving keys: solid (not rubber)

Molded legends on keytops (no stickers) 8 automatic shift keys (no shifting required) for edit, delete,

single & double quotes, colon, semi-colon, function and stop

2 shift keys

Numeric keypad

5” space bar

No wiring required (Just plug in) Cables and instructions are included

>

mT

Legends in three colors on the base (color coded by key function)

SWITCH SPECIFICATIONS:

NOT JUST A KEYBOARD REPLACEMENT BUT AN ENHANCEMENT THAT GIVES KEYBOARD FEATURES FOUND ONLY ON MORE EXPENSIVE COMPUTERS.

A custom designed aluminum enclosure (shown above) is available for your E-Z Key keyboard.

Measurements: Price: EC-11 (11” X9” X3.5”) 24.95 EC-14 (14” X 9” X 3.5”) 29.95 JOYSTICK: 29.95

A joystick kit that requires no wiring and functions like the arrow keys and 0 on your computer. Plugs into E-Z Key 60 keyboard.

> $84.95

90 day warranty

Take advantage of this introductory offer...

Mounting Bezel

Keytop Button Hinged Plunger

Hinge Rod Rod Standoff

—~ Film Seal b 9

— Stainiess Dome

PITS CE y, Fy ppb Ly O

f

4

a

i Dome Cage

PWB Substrate

N

USE THIS ORDER FORM: OCheck/MO OVisa OMasterCard

Card #

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Keytops measure 0.4” by 0.3” spaced at %” intervals between keys. Life equals 10 million operations (typical). Force equals three ounces. Domeswitch, button type with arm to give extended travel.

$10 OFF THE PURCHASE OF A JOYSTICK WHEN YOU BUY THE KEYBOARD & ENCLOSURE

(Prior purchasers will be honored for Joystick discount)

Try it, you'll like it—10 day return privilege on keyboard enclosures and keyboard in stock.

; S&H oe ee Unit Cost item Total Unit Cost S & H Total

N

l \ | : i

ae a a E T SER ye E e NORD E BOTT E ELENEI E A SEA a E AEE E OME ENE e Ae E S ES a aye EAA E SE SS A A A

CIRCLE 30 ON READER SERVICE CARD

The magazine for Sinclair users and TIMEX /Sinclair users

September/October 1983

DEPARTMENTS Wer RN R AE E E ET ta Sgn ee ae a cs Vee Road THB FS. on a a a i ee ce G SYNC NOIRE o oa isa ees. Grosjean 42 Glitchoidz Report...............0. 0... c ccc eee ee eee Pong Cg” SG ele Sea a a RE E Allen, Ton, Chandler O suebtior Fun 265 eke eee neal Chaiet, Farrell Hall, Hill, Midura, Schultz 14 Perceptions................ 0c cece cece eee eee Ornstein The TS2000: An overview 20 Hardware Tips......................ccec eee eee Hartung Hardware questions and answers 29 In and Out of SYNC...... MERE eae At tC heh va hoya Making Borders and a Bouncing Ball......... Grosjean HG Fanasonic IR=200 5 eaa i. ee ew ae Ahl 38 Letter from England........................005- Adams Software, hardware, and Sinclair developments WE PROM A oe een os oR E 112 Index to Advertisers..... 0.00.00... 0. ccc ccc eee e eee SYNC AT THE LIBRARY 50 Directory of Publishers........................0.eeeeee 52 TS1000/ZX81 Books... .. 0.0.0... cece cece neces 60 TS2000/Spectrum Books......................0.000s 62 General Books...... 00.0.0... c ccc cece cece eee 64 The Bookshelf Goes Supernova............... Deeson

Survey of Spectrum books in the U.K.

Staff Founder Editora OME kN. E ee acd ne eis David Ahl Mannarino oon. Pe Ge, vs ahd kel ha bud aa Paul Grosjean eee eC o ai Fh oa i eee ie os A Oe David Ornstein i O ETT e AE Te S A oS seins oe nL ee er on ee oe Diana Negri Rudio El eS honk a a Oo cE Ate cto Karen Brown Operations Manager............................. Patricia Kennelly PUTO oF Oe Gok cee he BEA eh abana ote oes Nes Frances Miskovich Seat CARL AL A LEAL E aig eT aR SEE, Ore eaa, a ee tent a o Aa SA Carol Vita Advertising Sales Manneer ek es. ww So Karen Musmeci Adversa Coordimator. Pio. eS Claudia Reinhardt

The Consumer Computer and Electronics Division

Ziff-Davis Publishing Company.

NIE A aa a a ARV Ch aM tare cP ge © ORR SY A Larry Sporn Vice President, Marketing..........0.....5.. . J. Scott Briggs Vice President, General Manager........ . Eileen G. Markowitz IE Aa p ak we Od A S Peter J. Blank

Cover by Bob Aiese

September/October 1983 © SYNC

l

Volume 3, Number 5

70 Learning Timex Sinclair Basic......... ere SOT ee Aker Book review

71 Mastering Machine Code on Your ZX81........ Garrick Book review

72 ZX81/TS1000 Statistics.......................00. Kelly Book review

73 The ZX81 Companion........................ Grosjean Book review

74 Byteing Deeper into Your TS1000................ Aker

Book review PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUES

76 The Logical Operators.........................005 Aker Using AND, OR, and NOT 80 Memory Scrunching......................... Grosjean Over 30 tips on ZX/TS memory saving 86 Extensions to Basic............................ Coffey Add new commands to your computer 90 Quick-draw!.................. ccc cece a eee ee Doakes Introduction to machine code, part 4 GAMES 96 The ZX Stock Exchange........................ Burgio Beat Wall Street 110 Brick Buster.................... ccc cece cece, Thomson Try your hand at demolition REVIEWS 100 The Byte-back Modem........................ Keeney Extended hardware review 108 3D Monster Maze and Mothership............ Grosjean

Two game reviews

Volume 3, Number 5

SYNC (USPS: 585-490; ISSN: 0279-5701) is published bi-monthly by Ahl Computing, Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. David Ahl, President; Elizabeth B. Staples, Vice-President; Selwyn Taub- man, Treasurer; Bertram A. Abrams, Secretary. 39 E. Hanover Ave., Morris Plains, NJ 07950. Second class postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and at additional mailing offices.

Permissions: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to Bette Amado, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, One Park Ave., New York, NY 10016.

Subscription rates: USA: One year (6 issues), $16; two years (12 issues), $30; three years (18 issues), $42. Canada: $3 per year additional. Other foreign: $5 per year additional.

For SYNC advertising information, contact Karen Musmeci, SYNC Advertising Sales Manager, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, One Park Ave., New York, NY 10016 (phone: 212/725-4216).

All other correspondence should be addressed to: SYNC, 39 E. Hanover Ave., Morris Plains, NJ 07950. In U.K. to: SYNC, 10 Bishops Way, Sutton Coldfield, W. Midlands B74 4XU.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: SYNC, PO Box 789-M, Morris- town, NJ 07960.

letters

Payroll

Dear Editor:

I would again like to compliment both SYNC and Alan Pattison for an ex- cellent program “Small Business Pay- roll” (SYNC 3:2). However, I found that I could not copy any of the screen dis- plays on my printer because any key- board input routes you to another section of the program.

Some of the menu items I wanted to copy are: 2, 4, 5, 6, 8. By adding the following lines I am now able to copy any screen display I want:

442 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN COPY 443 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN

GOTO 440

976 IF M$=‘‘’’ THEN

GOTO 975 (was 978)

O77 FMSS 22 FREN. COPY 978 IF M$=‘‘’’. THEN

GOTO 975

1993 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN COPY 1994 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN

GOTO 1990 3917 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN COPY 3918 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN

GOTO 3910 4142 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN COPY 4143 IF M$=‘‘Z’’ THEN

GOTO 4140

To make room for these changes and to stabilize the program (I was getting a lot of Report Codes due to memory saturation), I reduced the number of em- ployee records from 35 to 30.

I appreciate your publishing these valuable programs and look forward to similar programs in future issues. Robert Keneely 125-10 Queens Blvd.

Kew Gardens, NY 11415

PCB Differences

Dear Editor: Timex Sinclair users should be aware that Timex has used several different

4

printed circuit board etch patterns in producing the ZX81 and the TS1000. As a result, the experiementer may be con- fused by differences in the patterns which the conductor strips make on the solder side of the board. Practically speaking, this means that readers attempting to follow Figure 7 in my arti- cle “Keyboard System Conversion” (SYNC 2:3, p. 30) may find that the etch pattern of their CPU board is different.

The key is to remember that, no mat- ter what version of the PCB one has, the pin assignments on all ICs must be the same, all components have the same rel- ative position, the signals of the key- board connector must be in the same order, and the wiring of the keyboard conversion cable puts lines AB-A15 and KBO-KB4 in the same order.

Readers should note that this dif- ference in etch patterns may apply to other products and modifications which require that a certain signal line be jumped or a particular trace be cut. Experimenters should refer to a ZX81 schematic for assistance in identifying different traces using a “variant” PCB etch pattern or one which does not re- semble exactly an illustration in a hard- ware article.

Robert B. Trelease, Ph.D. 2313 Sth St. Santa Monica, CA 90405

Keyboard Bumps

Dear Editor:

After playing a few games that re- quired fingers on several keys, I found that I could not consistently keep my fingers in place. After trying several ways of creating a bump I could feel on the keys. I settled on 5 minute epoxy. It sticks well to the keyboard surface and can be easily removed without damage by a fingernail. I used a toothpick to ap- ply a small (very small) drop in the cen- ter of each key. After an hour, the epoxy

was fully cured, and I have a tactile key- board that cost next to nothing.

Ted Rodgers

1157 W. Peachtree St., N.W.

Atlanta, GA 30309

Stringing along

Dear Editor:

I enjoyed Paul Wentink’s “Stringing along with the ZX81” (SYNC 3:4). However, it does have some limitations. It does not allow for freely formatted data. For instance, it allows for only numbers of the same length, e.g., 30, 40, 50, and not for 1.325,-.82, 100.367.

I am an economist, and in trying to use the data storage capabilities of the ZX81 to the maximum I devised a way to store numerical data in a flexible way. The lines below give a DATA-READ simulation which allows for variable number lengths and variable size arrays. The method is flexible since you can have the ZX81 recognize any data sepa- rator, e.g., a Space, merely by changing the contents of the strings in lines 60, 70, and 80.

TO LET ASS "+ 107 F285)

ao es sy aes Brn

20 DIM A(4)

30 LET Q=0

40 LET P=1

50 FOR l=1 TO LEN A$

60 IF: A$(l)=**,.-.. THEN

LET Q=Q+1

70-AP ASEAN =O LET A(Q)=

VAL A$(P TO 1I-1) 80 IFAS tt Je" 322 LET P=I+1

90 NEXT |

100 FOR l=1 TO 4

110 PRINT A(1)

120 NEXT Barry Crozier 291 Windermere Rd., Apt. 252 London, Ont.

Canada N6G 2J9 ="

September/October 1983 © SYNC

THEN

Your computer can prob- ably do more for you than you originally thought. And learning to expand its Capabilities is as easy as reading a good book. SYBEX is the pioneer of computer book pub- lishing, offering over 60 titles developed for begin- : ners through advanced. They are SO well written and easy to understand that virtually anyone can learn to operate a computer in a matter of hours. Your Timex/ Sinclair 1000™ and ZX81 by Douglas Hergert ($6.95) Learn the ins and outs of your Timex/Sinclair 1000™ You can learn how to connect the computer to your television set, program it, perform math, make bar graphs and play games.

"HE

MEX, TSINCLAIR

T DO BASIC HANDBOOK

YOUR = SINCLAIR THVIEX 200 ANDY MEST

“What

more can Ido?”

by Douglas Hardart ($7. 95) This. is- She. indispensable computerside companion for...

programming your Timex/Sinclair 1000” You. :

will find clear descriptions, proper syntax

and examples of every keyword and function in the Timex/Sinclair 1000™ BASIC vocabulary. Timex/Sinclair 1000" BASIC Programs in Minutes by Stanley R. Trost ($7.95) Get the advantages of programming your Timex/ Sinclair 1000™ without having to learn how to program. This collection of BASIC pro- grams allows you to: calculate home finan- ces, analyze business and personal invest- ments, investigate real estate — options and much more. More Uses for Your Timex/ Sinclair 1000:" Astronomy on Your Computer by Eric Burgess ($8.95) Study the stars and planets in your own home. The ready-to- run programs allow you to observe constellations,

CIRCLE 68 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Stars, planets, meteor showers and. all that is celestial—on your television screen.

SYBEX books are available at bookstores and computer stores everywhere. For a free catalog, mail the coupon or call TOLL-FREE 800/227-2346. Prices subject to change without notice.

me: O A free catalog -099 Your T/S 1000™ and ZX81 $6.95 13 The T/S 1000™ BASIC Handbook $7.95 19 T/S 1000™ BASIC Programs in Minutes $7.95 12 More Uses for Your T/S 1000:™ Astronomy on Your Computer $8.95

- |

|

| Add: O $2.00/Book UPS O 6%% Sales Tax CA Res. | O $12.00/Book Overseas Mail

| Charge my:

E

SYBEX COMPUTER BOOKS

—| S| gg | motes Paul Grosjean

Sir Clive

As we all know, the ZX80, the ZX81, and the Spectrum computers—the computers which have enabled hundreds of thousands to enter the computer age—were invented by Clive Sinclair in Great Britain. On June 11, 1983, he became Sir Clive when Birthday Honors were bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II. Sinclair, whose company Sinclair Research is a market leader in volume production of personal computers, said that the event came as a complete surprise. “More than ever I feel committed to achieving success both in and for Britain,” said Sir Clive.

SYNC at the Library

Our theme section this issue is “SYNC at the Library.” This is a Book Buyer’s Guide. We have gathered together as many titles and brief descriptions of printed resources as we could find, but we know the list is not definitive. The book list for the ZX81 and TS1000 is a long one. Since Eric Deeson has given us an overview of books from the U.K., the Spectrum section includes those that are currently avail- able from U.S. publishers. The general category could be much more comprehensive, but where could we stop? We — — ~ have just suggested a few titles. Sir Clive Local public libraries can give you access to ZX/TS arti-

16K 64K

Memory Memory Extension Extension for only for only

$25.50 $76.00

Fully compatible with all Sinclair add-ons and peripherals, and specially screened to stop radio interference.

* No soldering x Easy to fit

x Simply plugs in the back

* Guaranteed for 12 months (64K for 3 months)

* Specially designed to prevent loss of memory / through wobble or white out

* Electronics housed in elegantly designed, hardwearing case

x All units fully tested before leaving our factory

OMPUTER#?

664 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1010, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 if. Y

.

N es

CIRCLE 15 ON READER SERVICE CARD 6 September/October 1983 © SYNC

cles in other publications through various readers guides and indexes. Indexing services and data banks covering only computer publications are now available.

We have not covered any works of fiction since at this time we have not heard of any in which the ZX/TS com- puter plays a role. As we would expect, computers do play a substantial role in science fiction stories, especially some of the more recent works. We find three main themes that seem the most popular.

First, the computer is a tool in the hands of the forces of Good. In such stories, it is strictly subordinate to the human users. It is “user friendly.” E.E. “Doc” Smith fans will recall the “cubic mile” Brain in the Skylark series and The Brain in the final story in the Lensman series.

Second, the computer as a tool in the hands of Evil for the domination, repression, or social control of humanity. The conflict is between human beings, but victory for Good re- quires besting not only Evil, but also the computer. This theme is illustrated by E. Hoffman Price’s Operation Misfit and Roger Zelazny’s My Name is Legion (an allusion to the unclean spirits cast out in the biblical story in Mark 5).

But perhaps the most fascinating theme is the computer as Man’s ultimate enemy. How does Man defeat the Com- puter when it has assumed virtually the power of divinity? We immediately think of the famous (or infamous) “Hal” of 2001 and his most recent rival “The Ultimate Computer” designed by Gus in Superman III. The Funco File by Burt Cole is based on The Machine which must deal the problem of deviation in its ordering of the world.

Such works are provocative and entertaining ways of exploring the issues that must be faced as the computer age develops. Many more issues need to be explored, however. What is your favorite computer related story? Drop a card

to SYNC with the title, author, and a brief statement of the computer’s role in the story. Be sure to include your name and address. Now, did anyone read the one about the night the ZX81 (with only a 2K RAM upgrade and a few addi- tional chips mounted on an expansion board bought from a SYNC advertiser) took over a large midwestern city, and. ...

Next Issue

The theme section for our next issue will be “SYNC at the Concert,” and will gather articles, programs, and products having to do with music and sound on the ZX/TS comput- ers. We will also take a look at expansion keyboards.

Upcoming themes include another look at the home and business office (including word processing packages) and at work related computer uses.

In and Out of SYNC

The ZX80 was introduced as the first personal home com- puter under $200. The proliferation of computers in that price range inevitably invites comparisons with the ZX/TS computer. In this issue we are beginning a new department called “In and Out of Sync.”

We are planning to have a two pronged thrust to this department. First, we will take a close look at one of the other computers in this lower price range. Then we will take some programming techniques on the ZX/TS computers and see how these are done on the machine being reviewed and at least one other computer, or we will take a technique from another computer and see how the same thing can be done on the ZX/TS computers. We will begin with a look at the Panasonic JR-200 and compare programming on the TS1000, the JR-200, and the Vic-20. a"

*

You won't believe the SPEED

“TIMEBLASTERS

The ULTRA-FAST machine language arcade game for professional gamesters. Lasar blasts. collisions. violent explosions. real-time acceleration. aliens that fire back. and much more. all at a frenzied. machine code pace. 16K $14.95

* TEACHER’S GRADEBOOK — Grade records, Statistical analysis, and more. 16K $12.95

* NFL ***** USFL STATISTICAL SUMMARY Complete statistics for every team in the league. 3 versions, USFL ’83, NFL ’81 -’83, NFL 82 -84. NFL covers two seasons. You update weekly. 16K $14.95

* EPHEMERIS V — ASTRONOMERS!! 16K Deluxe planet finder and much more. $14.95

T TES EAT ERIN RS A A EN OT LARS TE RE SITET SEN BETTI CS

* Z-WRYTER — WORD PROCESSING

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* CHECKSTUB — Register and Budget. $12.95

robotec, inc. State Perrysburg, Ohio 43551 = : ipping & Handling Ea: NEXT DAY EXPRESS MAIL FAST DELIVERY Tora eee Siratit DELIVERY $10.00 PHONE ORDERS WELCOME

Inventory Records

LX PRO- FILE Personnel Files

16K $16.95 Mailing Lists etc.

The just released, machine code updated version of ZX DATA FINDER (below).

einstant searches e Printer compatible eMulti-word searches è Numeric ordering

$12.95

* PROFIT PLAN — Analyze 5 proposals, 30 variables each. A MUST for entrepreneurs.

16K * $12.95

* EZ-HEX — Write, edit, test, and save machine code hex programs. 16K $12.95

* ZX DATA FINDER — Data handling fully explained. 28 page tutorial manual. 16K

“The most useful and economical program dedicated to the task of data handling that | have found yet”. SYNC, Jan. - Feb., 1983 $1 4.95 l

graphic pattern with machine code cursor control. 16K $14.95

* GRAPH | & II — Equation Grapher $14.95

CIRCLE 55 ON READER SERVICE CARD

September/October 1983 © SYNC

iust For Fun

you have some

, , great. If you have some it you I you that yo 11

them to: : Just f fo r Pun, SYNC, 7 E Hanover Ave., Morris ian

Survive Robert J. Midura

8K ROM; 16K RAM

The object of “Survive” is to survive long enough to obtain score points before the computer zeroes in on your location and blasts you. You manuever ona 21 x 31

grid of periods using the arrow keys on 5, 6, 7, 8. Each time you land on a period, you get 2 points. Landing on a location that has been hit (marked with an inverse X) results in losing 1 point. Landing on a clear location (a space) does not affect your score.

As you move, the computer will blast locations according to your location and direction. You should not stay in one location or head in one direction for too long or you will be hit.

The game ends when you are hit or you move into screen column 31. Ending the game by moving into column 31 will net you a bonus of 100 points.

Type in the program as shown, put the computer in SLOW mode, and type GOTO 1000. To play again, type CONT and ENTER. You may adjust the difficulty

Robert J. Midura, 19 Merrifield St., MA 01605.

8

Worcester,

by changing the values in line 60. Use large integers for easier games and smaller integers for harder games.

Graphics notes:

80: T,Y,T,Y, inverse X.

110: Inverse space, inverse SCORE, inverse space.

1030: Space, 31 periods.

Listing S LET Ls (INKEY $=" ‘6" AND X<213 — i INKEYS= RND M3122 28 L C=tINKEY $=" "3° AND ¥+323 - tTINKEY $=" ‘S° RAND yi?

15 PRINT AT X,Y; 20 LET X=XəL

AT X,Y; u” 35 IF Y23@ THEN GoTo 118 4@ LET S=S+Nix,Y}+2

sð IF NOT F THEN GOTQ an SS IF F2@ THEN GOTO S eca LEF T=INT (RNDO#3492 S&S LEF H=xeT Sb

67 IF H>21 THEN LET H=21 63 apo te FHEN LEF H=2

75 Gora S aT HoT: ke bi AT 4,5 s 19@ LET MiX, Y) =-3

73 IF 3331 THEN LET I=31

80 PRINT AT HATE a LAT H,I; "GAT H,

1@S IF HX OR Tioy THEN GOTO S 210 PRINT AT @,23;° ae”: s+

1235 NEXT @2eeeeee#e#ee#ed 1348 GOTeG

mrs

The ZX Pumpkin

Mark L. Hall

8K ROM; 2K RAM; 1K RAM

This year you will not have to buy a pumpkin for Halloween, and yet you will be ready for the trick-or-treaters with your

ZX/TS pumpkin. To set up your ZX/TS Jack-O-Lantern, type in the listing in Fig- ure 1, put your computer in SLOW mode, and press ENTER.

The first six lines of the program draw a rough oval and paint it black. This, of course, is your ZX/TS pumpkin. The next four lines and the sub-routine at line 120 draw the lines of the pumpkin segments. Lines 50 and 53 draw the stem. The next two lines draw the eyes and nose. Lines 65-110 flash the message and teeth of the pumpkin in its mouth. The subroutine at line 100 is a half second pause so that your trick-or-treaters can read the mes- sage. Use BREAK to get out of the program.

The program was originally written on the ZX81 and expanded when I got my 16K RAM pack.

Mark L. Hall, Anacortes, WA

98221. September/October 1983 © SYNC

1705 11th St.,

VOICE SYNTHESIZER

eNow you can purchase the Zebra-Talker unlimited s

vocabulary voice synthesizer for only *59.95. eThe Zebra-Talker is TS1000 and ZX-81 compatible. eThe Zebra-Talker voice software (requires 16K) will help you create whatever you want to Say. eThe Zebra-Talker uses the famous VOTRAX SC01 phoneme synthesizer with programable pitch levels. It produces all the phonemes required for English and Spanish speech. eThe Zebra-Talker is very memory efficient: one single line in BASIC will produce a full sentence. elt is so simple to use you can add voice to any pro- Zebra-Talker gram in just minutes. FOR THE TS1000 & ZX-81 eThere are hundreds of applications in education, ORDER C141...... $59.95 robotics, speech therapy, monitoring, games, aids for the handicapped, security, prompting, and more. eExpansion connector for “Piggy Back” expandability. eYou can plug the Zebra-Talker’s output into any audio system, or order our #C145 Amplifier/Speaker module with volume control for just $12.50. eilncludes assembled & tested Zebra-Talker, instruc- tion manual, and software on cassette. e15-Day Money Back Guarantee.

SPEAKER / AMPLIFIER ORDER C145... . $12.50

GREEN SCREEN | KEYBOARD BE

Now Timex Sinclair users can enjoy many of the benefits IBM and all the biggies are getting with Green Phosphour monitors ... and at a fraction of the cost.

e The Green Screen is a specially molded plastic optical filter which relieves eye strain by enhancing character contrast and by elim- inating the components of white light which cause eye fatigue.

e The Green Screen fits right onto the picture tube like a skin because it is molded to match the curvature of your TV. We also in- clude some invisible reusable tape for secure fastening.

e The filter material that we use is just right,

1—Superior Quality: Same key mechanism as used by IBM, Texas Instruments, Hewlet Packard, and others. Full travel, gold inlaid contacts for over 10 million operations.

Experience for yourself how much the Key- board Beeper improves the use of your TIMEX keyboard. Simply plug it into your computer’s expansion connector and hear a beep whenever a character is accepted by the computer’s keyboard input routine. No software is required. Features expansion connector for RAM etc.

2—Professional Full Size Layout: 40 keys corres- ponding one to one with your computer’s, plus space bar in case you do word processing.

3—Looks Good & Feels Good: Attractive custom molded enclosure matches your system. Sharp

not too dark nor too light. The result is a really eye pleasing display.

e The Green Screen will fit any 12” TV or monitor and can easily be trimmed with a pair

BONUS 1 - You can trigger the beep from Basic. Great for program prompts, timers,

TS1000 legends in two colors are easy to read and will never wear off.

4—Easy Installation: No soldering or technical knowledge required. Done in minutes with simple

BONUS 2 - A beep every 9 minutes will remind you that your computer is on.

ORDER #C133.........--..-------- $19.95

instructions. ORDER C142....... NEW LOW PRICE $69.95

of scissors to fit any smaller size. OrderC140 a ek oie ft a $12.95

SUGGESTED RETAIL

$99.95

ONLY

$84.95

Timex Sinclair 2040 Printer

the Timex Sinclair Printer fo, your Timex Sinclair 1000 or Sinclair ZX81 prints 32 colums wide, two lines per second, with full graphics and text capability. The TS2040 prints silently in two modes: 1) full-screen printing with single-key copy command, and 2) program- controlled printing allowing for custom control of the printing format. The TS2040 connects easily to your computer, has simple ON/OFF controls, comes with one roll of paper, easy to understand instructions and a 90-day

limited warranty. Order Zebra Cat. #0144 $84.95

THERMAL PAPER FOR THE TS2040 Printer Paper Six oii pack #0143 ....... $11.90

*Canadian Orders Add $7.00 Per Printer Plus $3.50 Per Paper 6-Pack For Shipping mu Tech Info & NY State call

(212) 296-2385 9-5 EST T 800-221 -091 6 Ord

ZEBRA SYSTEMS, IN

= 78.06 Jamaica Ave. Dept. B, Woodhaven, N.Y. 11421

FOR ZX81 & TS1000

ADD $3.00 PER ORDER

FOR SHIPPING.

WE ACCEPT VISA, MASTERCARD, CHECKS, M.O.

C.O.D. ADD $3.00 EXTRA.

N.Y. RESIDENTS ADD SALES TAX. OVERSEAS, FPO, APO, ADD 10%. DEALER DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE.

To run in 1K enter the program in not have the same features as the 2K Figure 2. 1K Version. Figure 2, put the computer in SLOW version does, but it shows some good

i@ FOR Db=5 To od mode, and hit ENTER. This version does memory saving techniques. __45 LET X=sUAL “S3@-2845IN (D-4@4 PII” 20 FOR X= TO 53-3 Figure 1. 2K Version. i ie een ae — ES 9 Pa ee | om = SS PRINT AT = e= AT UAL “Ss is ME. SG PRINT AT a pe ee 55 PRINT AT 45 : epee = "R m a FI wurm NE Sö =e SQ PRINT AT D,;13 Boo Ss no ge So RAND EXP RAND == (24: i o-oo, = = S35 GOTO Val “ses =E a ol. 7 Graphics notes: Tg A ee ae a Graphics notes: oe ae = = z = LET aac eee Se ot : z0 G pore. Bir rae 50: INVERSE 5 2 DUAL TRACE ‘SCOPE’ wero

&Cursor.

155,000 samples per second. High Resolution Printer Plotter. Works with ZX81/TS1000, 16K RAM, ZX or TS2040 printer & our Analog Interface Board. Cassette tape & manual... $35.

SD ok (omputer{ ontinuum FREQUENCY ANALYSIS— ‘FFT.

Fast Fourier Transform on EPROM. 301 Sixteenth Avenue

4K of Z80 code. 256 points of magnitude & ph dat e calculated in one second. This can be used as a PERE San Francisco, CA 941 1 8 (41 5) 152-6294 with the ‘SCOPE’ to display frequencies up to 75Khz. Two

LV AAS SAI DINE 2 POF OOS ara he's vk ose cues a $75.

ANALOG INTERFACE BOARD

8 channels A/D- 8 channels D/A. High Speed 1.6 micro- seconds A/D convert time. Easy to program. Many Jumper & switch selectable options. Has features which allow easy interfacing to other micros such as TS2000, TRS-80, Apple, CBM 64, Jupiter Ace, others. Manual w/software. You must see spec sheets to appreciate this board.............. $195.

EPROM BOARD containing ‘SCOPE’ & ‘FFT’ at 8K to 16K. The Basic part of the program is transferred up to RAM ` cS 4 : | i

for use. Consists of four 2716's on the ‘Hunter’ board with = : os eee co eS a e S e ee A PISGVORCI COM MaRS! ie he adr bat E ws cos A Sa EPROMS alone-inquire. $100.

ANALOG INTERFACE with EPROM Board attached and piggyback mounting.............. $275.

Box and ribbon cable mount for Analog Board......... $30. HIGH RESOLUTION PRINTER

Graphics, data acquisition, averaging, & scaling routines. Graticule optional. Can be used with or without Analog Board. The graphs on the right are of heartbeats captured with this program, an electrocardiograph, and the hardware pictured.

Cassette tape & manual. Terrific value............... $35.

When Our Analog Board and new software are coupled with the Timex computer & printer we realize instrumentation & control capability which is unmatched by anything else in its price range. The software we now offer demonstrates only a few of the high quality applications which are now possible.

BUFFERED BUSS- | CONNECTORS “reves? DEVELOPEMENT BOARD Gold plated ribbon cable connectors for RAM or

KIT..... $65. BareBoard..... $35. peripherals. Assembly w/8”" cable ....... $18. Application Book..... $10. We can add more connectors to the assembly or À bu

< eos i : H i R y : > 1 3 i H t = 2 H H z n i 1 xi : t H Hi H 3 i ay ' t i H ; H i$} i ‘ $ $ H e: [i H t ' H £ z H H $ ' uv ' i i : a: t 1 i ' 1 2: ' H H : H i : ' f ł i : H ‘ s H r : i ' H i : i : i p :

UHF MODULATOR $15.

Switch to ch 33 to remove TV interference. Solder on computers circuit board in place of the VHF unit.

BUSINESS/FILE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

An electronic file cabinet w/sorting. editing & printerformat commands. Poweful & easy to use.

Ideal of mailing lists.

still

only $10.

but, as with all of our products, worth much more.

Explaining our products and

FREE CATALOG es

Write or call (415) 752-6294.

please add a minimum of $3 on ANY order. California residents T E R M S please add 612% fax. To order send check or money order or call for COD.

CIRCLE 17 ON READER SERVICE CARD

10 September/October 1983 © SYNC

ZEBRA JOYSTICK ADAPTOR

Allows you to connect any Atari compatible joystick to your ZX81 or 151000. | n

cones: (OY Die CONNECTORFOR 6JOYSTICK GAMES $9.95

PRINTER ETC. ATARI JOYSTICK $6.50

ADAPTOR $19.95 SIMPLY

PLUG IT The ZEBRA Joystick Adaptor comes jag assembled and tested with simple

instructions to make joystick versions of most action games. Use your own Atari compatible joystick or add $6.50 for a genuine Atari Joystick.

15 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

ONLY

$1 9.95 EXPANSION

WITHOUT SPEAKER CONNECTOR

$24.95

WITH SPEAKER

e Add amazing sound effects to your games. f ZEBRA LIG HT PEN

e Easy to program in BASIC. 4 o e Wide frequency range. : A Poa e Fun to experiment in BASIC

e Assembled and tested, with Demo software. |, A D 7 e Complete package includes:

AMAZING L EA NI E E -Light Pen

-Computer Interface Module

SOUND EFFECTS y SPEAKER -Demo Program Listings

MODULE h e Assembled & Tested ORDER C109 $24.95

Hii

C aI NEBEST BOOKS | EXPERIMENTING?

i PUTER SPEECH GENERATION by John 3 D Cater. 230 pages. Very enjoyable reading. i Useful & up-to-date ..................... $14.95 0411 MONSTER - LEARNING TIMEX SINCLAIR BASIC by a i David Lein. 350 pages. Great for beginners $14.95 7 UNIVERSAL M AZE - NOT JUST 30 PROGRAMS FOR THE ZX81. oe TAPE. Interesting programs with explanations . $ 9.95 Ete C113 THE COMPLETE SINCLAIR ZX81 & Lo TS1000 BASIC COURSE. 255 pages in- Le $14.95 ~ cludes 2 cassettes ..................... $24.95 e C112 | BYTING DEEPER INTO YOUR TS1000. LD PIGGY BACK | Excellent presentation with 37 tutorial y RAM OR OTHER programs 3.2. a e hos a eae See PERIPHERALS UNDERSTANDING YOUR ZX81 ROM by lan Logan. Good study of ZX81 & C110 assembly language..................... $14.95 , : | ALL SIGNALS THE COMPLETE TS1000/ZX81 ROM DIS- ; LABELED ASSEMBLY by lan Logan. A must for n pavers AdVANCEd USCIS Conic acts o denn ss G19.95 BL owas, MACHINE LANGUAGE MADE SIMPLE _ o FOR YOUR SINCLAIR & TIMES TS1000. $14.95 C110 Keyed & Labeled ZX Connector $5.95 THE INS & OUTS OF THE TS1000 & ZX81. C111 Universal Prototyping Board . . $9.95

Excellent hardware manual............. $12.95 C112 Expansion Connector ....... $2.50

IMPORTANT! All ZEBRA products can be piggybacked in any order. Ue AEE OR BEL. Tech Info & NY State call Order Toll Free

inothelastone, | ZEBRAHARDWARE. | (212) 296-2385 9-5 EST 800-221-0916

ADD $3.00 PER ORDER FOR SHIPPING. ZEBRA SYSTEMS, INC, === 5 bed CHECKS, M.O.

C.O.D. ADD $3.00 EXTRA. NY RESIDENTS ADD SALES TAX.

=E 78.06 Jamaica Avenue, Dept. B Woodhaven, New York 11421 OVERSEAS, FPO, APO, ADD 10%. BENESET DEALER DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE.

GY

ETTES

<5 NEW! LOWER PRICES LONGER LENGTHS

DATA TRAC | C-06, C-12, C-24

From the leading supplier of Computer Grade Cassettes, new, longer length C- 12's (6 minutes per side) provide the extra few feet needed for some 16K programs.

Premium 5-screw shell with leader — BASF tape

Se: Internationally acclaimed. ' Thousands of repeat users.

Error Free e Money back Guarantee

| C-24 | HARD BOX

6-06 | C-12_ | C-24 | | 7.00 | 7.50 | 9.00] 2.50 (13.00 | 14.00 | 17.00 | 4.

1 Dozen 2 Dozen} 1

eC cial 500 C-12’s 38¢ each

spe Shipping $17.00/500 w/labels add 4¢ w/boxes add 15¢

TRACTOR FEED e DIE-CUT BLANK CASSETTE LABELS

CASSETTE STORAGE CADDY

Holds 12 cassettes w/o boxes Includes edge labels

and Index card $295

BASF QUALIMETRIC

BASF FLEXI-DISC [=

5⁄4” SSDD, Soft Sect. | ©, A A Lifetime warranty! A $26.95/10 $120.00/50 $215.00/100

MICRO CASSETTES in convenient cata lengths

oe a BG Bene ee 1 Doz. = o%

2 Doz.

» Same superior tape in a > premium shell with

leaders. Includes box.

and Sharp

SHIPPING/HANDLING $3.50 Any quantity (except 500 special)

NOTE: Outside 48 Contin. States shipping $3.50 PLUS $1 per caddy; per dozen cas-

settes or dozen boxes; per 10 discs

WRITE FOR FREE BROCHURE ASK FOR QUANTITY DISCOUNTS

for IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT EE on Credit Card Orders

Call 213/710-1430 YORK 10 ‘Computerware

# S., Canoga Park, CA 91307

“ty

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24573 Kittridge St.,

CIRCLE 78 ON READER SERVICE CARD

ORRIO

Obtuse Triangle Michael W. Schultz

This program will draw an obtuse tri- angle, which is any triangle with an inner angle greater than 90 degrees. This is done by drawing line BC (lines 10-40) and then two oblique lines starting at each end of line BC and have them converge on point A (lines 50-100). The resulting drawing will be the obtuse triangle ABC.

Enter the program in Listing 1. Hit RUN and ENTER in either the SLOW or FAST mode. Notice the uneven spacing caused by the approximated PLOTting of X and Y in the long side AC. This can be rem- edied by inserting the lines in Listing 2.

Michael W. Schultz, 3650 Mossvale Dr. 20-D,

Mobile, AL 36608.

Listing 1. s REM “OBTUSE TRIANGLE" 3 E YW=29 co

GA Ti Co De x. it w & ~f a

LEE Senra EX

[Tee OnO AY PRINT ag a he See “B"

‘eS PRINT AT id, ‘To: “OBTUSE TRI ABC™

mg Kors

IA bo fe fed fo fe

TF CON pa EAA 0 e ALR fae LA A pe MOGAO O GRDI Z

VESTUSE FRIANGLE RBC

Listing 2.

So. iF ¥ =30 THEN GOTO 126 92 PLOT 3SxxX-193 oe a34 PLOT 32X- ié.

Message Destruct Joe Chaiet

Type in the program, and then SAVE it. After SAVEing, put the computer in SLOW mode and type RUN and ENTER. Try to incorporate this technique into your own programs.

Joesph Chaiet, 25 Cherry Hill Rd., New Paltz, NY 12561.

mere PRINT “THIS DOCUMENT IS SEG verte “ZT WILLE SELFDESTRUCT ARRE nett. AT =. “HEMSRIZE THIS 22 PRINT AT 3.5: “STATION 7 IS READY“ 3 INT 1,27; "UNITS" 4ð FOR X=18 TO O- STEP -1 S83 PRINT AT 2,24: X:

Train Revisited John C. Hill

8K ROM; 2K RAM

SYNC 3:2 is the first issue I have seen, and I enjoyed the “Just for Fun” column. It is amusing and instructive—more fun than reading instructions.

However, the pixel that wanders off into the air above Joe Chaiet’s train did not seem to go far enough. The train needs more “smoke.” The program below is my doodling to that end. Type in the lines. Be sure you are in SLOW mode, and press RUN and ENTER. Watch the smoke!

John C. Hill, 4777 — 119th Ave., S.E., Bellevue, WA 98006.

5 PRINT AT 4,4; “FIRE UP THE T

RAIN”

18 LET A=2ğ

28 FOR B=1 To 22

25 PRINT AT 21.0,” ee eee

30 PRINT AT A,B; ”

4@ PRINT AT 4-1,.8;°

S@ PRINT AT 4-2.8;°

SG PRINT AT 4-3,8;°

70 PRINT AT A-5,B-1i;" ="

SQ PRINT AT A-7.B-2;" — #

32 PRINT AT_A-9,B8-3;" Be

92 IF B<=5 THEN GOSUS 130

24 IF &=5 THEN PRINT AT 6,18

S5 IF &=S THEN PRINT AT 7,7; "L ET SER Ga.

$6 IF &=6 THEN PRINT AT A-4,5+4

97 IF &=6 THEN PRINT AT A-5,5+

tl

nag

Cty ee ee em

52 IF B=6 THEN PRINT AT A-7,B+ z $3

i@@ IF B=7 THEN PRINT AT A-4,5+ 4;

i822 IF B=7 THEN PRINT AT -5,54 å 3 83 :

103 IF &=F THEN PRINT AT -7,B+ å ; $: :

LOS. NEXT. B

LILAC BS

7 3 es ee oe a | =

ee tht ts pam}

130 FOR I=1 Tū 18-345

14a NEXT I

158 RETURN

Strange Listing David Farrell

Type in the following program. With the computer in either FAST or SLOW mode press RUN and ENTER. Observe the results.

David Farrell, PEAK Software, PO Box 8005, Suite 231, Boulder, CO 80306. Reprinted with permis- sion from PEAK Software.

12 LIST 22 Sasue gaca STOP 82 aaa LET AMEM=SPEEK 16396+2562PE=5 pi a7

zc 5

S313 LET INCA=se2

5220 LET ANEN -AMEN> È

33390 IF Poan aE AEAEE E, 26461 THEN RE

33428 LET PRACEEER ‘AMEN

Zaca IF PEEK ANEMN=118 THEN GOUT? by

Sga IF PKA<¢125 THEN POKE AMEN, ¢ BH R+ISs)

5370 IF PKA? =125S THEN POKE AMEN, ZPRA-1283

S253 GOTO INCA

a” September/October 1983 © SYNC

New Product Reports...

MKIV Keyboard

Just released this Spring is the MKIV Keyboard from E. Arthur Brown Company. Designed to upgrade the TIME X-Sinclair 1000/Z X81 computer, this key- board has some remarkable features. For one thing, it’s made with very high quality keyswitches. The resulting action of the keys is just like that found on computers costing thousands more. Keys spring back up promptly after pressing... they never stick and always make the electrical contact needed for data input.

Another feature of the MKIV is the keytops them- selves. The legends are installed with a sophisticated sublimation process: Rather than being painted, molded, or simply stuck on, they’re actually impreg- nated into the plastic. This results in smooth faced keytops with legends that are virtually impossible to wear out. Each key is light gray colored with red and black legends.

There are 41 keys on the MKIV Keyboard. That’s the standard 40 Timex-Sinclair keys plus a full length space bar. In the future, there will also be a 19 key numeric keypad accessory that will simply plug onto a jack in the side of the keyboard. (Note: Photo shows 12 key prototype keypad.) At present, the Numeric key- pad is not yet available.

The MKIV Keyboard Shown With Accessory Numeric Keypad.

The price of the MKIV Keyboard is $89.95 plus $4.95 for shipping and handling. It carries a 90 day warranty and a 10 day, money back free trial. Contact E. Arthur Brown Company, 1702-SYN Oak Knoll Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308 to order. For those interested, the company also offers a free catalog of other TS1000/ZX81 Accessories.

High Speed Word Processing/Typing

Memo-Text is a new TS1000/ZX81 word pro- cessor from E. Arthur Brown Company that features a unique high speed character entry routine. You can type at full speed without having to wait for the com-

puter to catch up. This speed is maintained until the screen fills and then your text just scrolls upward for more character entry.

Another feature of the Memo-Text program is the ability to handle text and data files and to LOAD/ SAVE them separately or all at once. Automatic print- ing of form letters, invoices, or other personalized mass correspondence is entirely within the scope of the sys- tem. Text formatting capabilities include fast scroll scanning of files, finding, exchanging, and moving blocks of text, amending, renaming, deleting text files, double sized letters, centering, pagination, headers, indentation, and several other features. All keys have full repeat capabilities with Memo-Text. Typing is just like using a typewriter. That is, all text is read by the printer as lower case unless shifted.

One very important consideration for potential Memo-Text buyers is the necessity of using it with a Memotech Centronics interface and full size printer. The program is designed to interact with the lower case capabilities of this interface and won’t give a printout without it.

Memotext handles 16-64K of RAM and sells for $48.95 plus $3.95 for shipping and handling. Order from E. Arthur Brown Company, 1702-SYN Oak Knoll Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308. Those of you in need of a full size printer to use with Memo-Text might consider the Seikosha Printer package. It consists of an 80 character dot matrix printer, the Memotech Cen- tronics interface, a hookup cable, and paper. To order, send an additional $339.95 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling.

Business Programs That Read Data Tapes

Mega software is a new series of integrated software for the TS1000/Z X81 from E. Arthur Brown Com- pany. It consists of programs that can actually read data tapes produced by other programs within the series. The data read is then used by the present pro- gram to update its own data files. For example, the invoicing program can be used to send bills to cus- tomers and then its data tape can be read by the accounts receivable program to update receivable files. You don’t have to manually re-enter the billing information.

There are two integration groups in the Mega series. The Mega Master group consists of a desk top or- ganizer, a spreadsheet, a word processor, a data base, a statistical analyzer, and a graph plotter. The Mega Wealth group is a small business set up. It consists of an invoicing program, accounts receivable, accounts payable, an inventory program, and a net earnings pro- gram which produces profit/loss statements and

balance sheets. Each program works for 16-64K of RAM and sells for $20-$25. For more information write to E. Arthur Brown Company, 1702-SYN Oak Knoll Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308.

New Catalog Addresses Compatibility

A new peripheral and software catalog which addresses the problems of peripheral and software compatibility has just been announced by the E. Arthur Brown Company. According to their president, Eben Brown, peripheral compatibility is the future of TS1000/ZX81 computing. This new catalog tells you what works with what... saving you time and money by avoiding bad purchases. The catalog contains over 130 new products with in-depth descriptions and photos. For your free copy, write: E. Arthur Brown Company, 1702-SYN Oak Knoll Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308.

1702-SYN Oak Knoll Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308 612/762-8847, 612/762-1631

CIRCLE 8 ON READER SERVICE CARD

New Catalog

I We. acinar croun cone Mow Catalog |

Over 130 . ZX81/TS1000 products: Memory į expansion, keyboards, mass stor- * age, printers, etc. Software includes personal, business, technical ap- plications and arcade games. Order your free catalog today!

exciting new

A, Order Blank

|

Shipping not to exceed $6.95 in U.S.A. Foreign customers call or write for shipping charges.

Payment Method

OCheck OMoney Order LIVisa [Mastercard Card # Exp. Name Address City State Zip Send Your Order To:

E. Arthur Brown Company 1702-SYN Oak Knoll Drive Alexandria, MN 56308 612/762-8847, 612/762-1631

perceptions David Ornstein

The TS2000 Series

Overview

The TS2000 series of computers claims an extensive group of featuresi—oth hardware and software. The machines feature 24K ROM. The TS2048 has 16K RAM at its disposal while the TS2068 wields a well-utilized 48K RAM.

CPU and Operating System

The TS2000 uses a Z80A microproces- sor running at 3.5MHz. It contains a few buffers, either 2 or 6 RAM chips, 2 ROMs, and the piece de resistance: a 64 pin custom chip designed by a few wizards at Timex.

The TS2000 features a full-sized 24K operating system (OS) which provides the

Basic interpreter, full-channeled I/O fa- cilities, and a function dispatcher that the

user can call to have both simple and

complex functions performed for him by the system, thus utilizing the system’s facilities, and not duplicating them.

The TS2000’s native language is Basic. It packs all the standard Basic statements including PRINT, INPUT, IF...THEN, FOR...NEXT, READ...DATA, etc. A full list of commands is given in Table 1. The functions are listed in Table 2.

The Display

The TS2000 supports several different display options. These include 32 column display, 64 column display, Hires screen of 256 x 192 pixels, Hires screen of 512 x 192 pixels, page switching, and an en-

Table 1. List of Commands.

hanced color-resolution mode. The ma- chine provides connections for a B& W or color TV, an RGB monitor and composite video.

The Keyboard

The keyboard is a 42 hard-key key- board, including a full-sized space bar and shift keys on both sides. The key- board is full-sized and provides real tactile feedback (i.e., the button actually pushes down). The operating system provides for single key entry of all keywords.

Interface and Connectors

The cassette interface on the TS2000 is a step above the one on the TS1000, although the one provided with the TS1000 is sufficient for the type of jobs it

Beep x,y

Border x

BRIGHT x

CAT “m’’,“volspec”’

CIRCLE, x,y,z CLEAR

CLEAR x

14

Sounds a note through the loud- speaker whose duration is x seconds, and is y semitones above middle C (or below if y is negative).

Sets the border color to color x. Colors: 0 Black 1 Blue

4 Green

5 Cyan

2 Red 6 Yellow

3 Magenta 7 White

Sets brightness level for subsequently printed characters. If x=0 then nor- mal brightness; x= 1 for bright; x=8 for transparent.

Lists all files on the specified volume on the screen.

Draws an arc of a circle whose cen- ter is at (x,y), and whose radius is z. Deletes all variables, freeing the space that they occupied. Does RE- STORE and CLS, resets the PLOT position to the bottom lefthand cor- ner, and clears all pending GOSUBs. Like CLEAR, but, if possible, the RAMTOP pointer will be set to x, leaving all memory beyond location

x out of the reach of BASIC.

CLOSE #c Closes the specified stream, after flusing the appropriate buffers where necessary.

CLS Clears the main screen.

CONTINUE Continues executing the currently in- memory program where execution left off.

COPY Sends a copy of the screen to the

printer. Part of the data list. Must be in a rogram. DEF FNv(v},v2 . . . V,)=e User-defined function definition; must be in a program. Each of the v, vı to v, must be either a single letter or a single letter fol- lowed by a dollar sign “$” for numeric and string arguments, respectively. Deletes lines from the program whose line numbers range from x to y. If the x is omitted, then deletion starts at the beginning of the program. If the y is omitted, then deletion continues to the end of the program.

September/October 1983 © SYNC

DATA e€1,€2, . . . €n

DELETE x,y

DIM v(x1,X2, . . - Xn)

DIM v$(x1,x2, - - - Xp)

DRAW x,y DRAW x,y,z

ERASE “m’’,“‘filespec”’ FLASH x

FOR v=x TO y FOR v=x TO y STEP Z

FORMAT “m’’,“‘volspec”’ GOSUB x GOTO x

IF x THEN s

INK x INPUT...

INVERSE x

LET v=e

LIST LIST x

Table 1. Continued.

Creates an array with the name v and sets it up as an array of characters of n dimension, which are: X1,X2,... Xm Creates an array with the name v$ and sets it up as an array of characters of n dimension, which are: X1,X9,...X,- This may be considered as an array of strings of fixed length x, with n-1 dimensions X;... X,_1. Equivalent to DRAW x,y,0. Draws a line from the current plot position moving x hori- zontally and y vertically relative to it, while turning it through an angle of z radians. Removes specified file from the specified volume. Defines whether subsequently rinted characters will be flash- ing or steady. x=O for steady, x=1 for flash, x=8 for no change. Equivalent to FOR v=x TO y STEP 1. Deletes any simple variable v and sets up a control variable with the value x, limit y, step z, and looping address referring to the statement after the FOR statement. Formats the media on the speci- fied volume, and assigns to it the specified volume name. Calls the subroutine at line x. Note that x may be an expression like 200*z + 1000. Jumps to line x, or, if there is no line x, to the first line following. If x is true, (i.e., non-zero), then s is executed. Note that s in- cludes all the statements to the end of the line. Sets the ink (foreground) color of subsequently printed characters. The “...” is a sequence of IN- PUT items, separated by com- mas, semicolons, or apostrophes. An INPUT item can be: (1) Any print item not beginning with a letter. 2) A variable name. (3) LINE, followed by a string- type variable name. The PRINT items and sepa- rators in (1) are treated exactly the same as in a PRINT state- ment except that everything is printed at the bottom of the screen. Controls inversion of sub- sequently printed characters. If x=0, then no inversion is se- lected and all characters are printed as ink color on paper color. If x=1, then inversion is selected and all subsequently printed characters are printed as paper color on ink color. Assigns the value e to the vari- able v. LIST 0 Lists the program starting at line x, making x the current line.

September/October 1983 © SYNC

LLIST LLIST x

LOAD f

LOAD f DATA () LOAD f DATA $0 LOAD f CODE m,n

LOAD f CODE m LOAD f SCREEN$

LPRINT MERGE f

MOVE ‘‘m’’,‘‘old filespec’’,

new filespec”’ NEW

NEXT v ON ERR CONTINUE

ON ERR GOTO x

ON ERR RESET OPEN #c,“m’’,“‘filespec”’

OUT x,y OVER x PAPER x PAUSE x

PLOT x,y POKE x,y PRINT...

LLIST 0

Like LIST, but listing comes out on the printer instead of the screen.

Loads program and variables Loads a numerical array.

Loads a string array.

Loads at most n bytes, starting at address m.

Loads bytes starting at address

m. Loads a screen picture.

NOTE: For any of the above forms of the LOAD command, and also for the SAVE, MERGE, and VERIFY com- mands, if an* is inserted after the command (e.g., LOAD*f), then the operation will take place on a disk-like device, and not on the tape.

Like PRINT, but uses printer in- stead of screen.

Like LOAD, but merges instead of deleting memory first. All forms as per LOAD.

Renames the old file to the name new filespec.

Clears memory including pro- gram, variables, etc., up to RAMTOP.

Marks the end of a loop. Continues execution of program where the last trapped error occurred.

Sets up the system so that the computer will jump to line x if an error occurs. The pro- grammer may then handle the trapped error as he desires. Turns off error eden

Opens a stream identified by c and ties it to the device specified or file on the device specified. Outputs byte y to port x. Controls overprinting of sub- phage! printed characters. Like INK, but controls paper (background) color.

Stops operations for x sixtieths of a second, (i.e., PAUSE 120 waits for 2 seconds) or until a key is pressed. PAUSE 0 waits forever until a key is pressed.

Plots an ink spot at pixel (x,y); moves plot position.

Places the value y in memory

location x.

The "Sn? 48 2a “sequence “of PRINT items, separated by com- mas, semicolons, or apostrophes.

A semicolon between two items has no effect; it is used only to separate the two items. A comma outputs the comma con- trol character, saben the print position to either column O or column 15. An apostrophe out- puts an ENTER character.

At the end of a. PRINT state- ment, if it does not end with a semicolon, a comma, or an apos- trophe, then an ENTER charac- ter is output.

15

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A Reliable Fast Loading System

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e Operates with any memory and on any program length

@ Works equally well with AUTORUN programs, BASIC or MACHINE CODE

@ This is what you get:

1. A cassette interface to improve the signal quality. To make loading most reliable an AUTOMATIC LEVEL CONTROL, an OVERLOAD WARNING LIGHT, a SAVE/LOAD SWITCH, an ON/OFF SWITCH are also built into this unit.

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Give your BASIC program the speed

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BASIC programs can be compiled and

“Stacked” above each other in memory

#PL4001 $18.95

Write machine code quickly and easily Two pass assembler, ZILOG mnemonics, 8 pseudo-OPS

Debugger includes examine/modifying, breakpoint with register display

Occupies 7K, comprehensive multi-

page manual #PT4003 $18.95

Enables you to break through any machine code software, list it on the screen, save it on another tape, or print it out Very simple to use, load STOPPER into your TS1000 and follow the simple instructions on the screen

#PT4002 $18.95

(Decoding Tool) On Solid State Cartridge

@ Disassemble any assembly language

code on memory

@ Assembly language games and other

programs #PT4004

Needs Flexible Ribbon Connector or Softbox

All products are compatible with TS 1000 and TS1500 Computers

$34.95

No More System Crashes

@ Prevents usual system crashes caused by the computer or the RAM movement

@ 7 inches long flat ribbon cable

#PL7016 $17.95

DEALERS/DISTRIBUTORS PACKAGE AVAILABLE.

Phone orders: (617) 738-5310 7 days a week. Call or write to us for FREE brochure and information on our full line of

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Shipping and Handling for MEMOTECH and QSAVE

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LABORATORY

Table 1. Continued.

A PRINT item can be: (1) Empty (i.e., nothing). (2)A numerical expression. (3) A string expression.

Four fully programmable outlets. Expandable to 16 with SOFTBOX.tm

TO ORDER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FREE BROCHURE CALL OR WRITE TO:

IG INTERCOMPUTER INC.

ciated with the specified stream is reinitialized. The RESET * command does the equivalent of turning the machine off and then

(4) AT x,y: sets the print position on again. at line x, column y. RESTORE RESTORE 0 (5) TAB x: Outputs spaces until RESTORE x Restores the data pointer to the column x is reached. first DATA statement in a line (6) A color item which takes the with a number at least n: the form of a PAPER,INK, next READ will start reading FLASH, BRIGHT, INVERSE there. or OVER statement. ; RETURN Return from subroutine. (T) A stream specifier (e.g., #6). RUN RUN 0 RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE 0 RUN x CLEAR, then GOTO, x. RANDOMIZE x Sets the seed for the random SAVE f Saves the program and variables

READ vj,v2,...V

number generator to x. If x=0, then the seed is given the value q, where q is the number of seconds times 60 that the computer has been on.

Read values for the specified

SAVE f LINE x

SAVE f DATA Q SAVE f DATA $0

with their values.

Saves the program and variables so that, if they are loaded, there is an automatic jump to line x. Saves a numerical array.

Saves a character array.

variables from the DATA list. SAVE f CODE m,n Saves n bytes starting at address REM... No effect. REMark or RE- m.

Minder. The “...” can be any SAVE f SCREEN$ Saves a screen picture.

sequence of characters except SOUND «x,y;a,b,c,d... Sets register(s) to specified val-

ENTER. This includes “:’’ so no ue(s) in sound generator.

statements are possible after the STOP Stop the program.

REM on the same line. VERIFY Like LOAD except that the in-

RESET (#c) (*)

The arguments in parentheses are optional. If no arguments are given, then the RESET com- mand initializes any new devices it finds. If a stream number is given, then the channel asso-

September/October 1983 © SYNC

coming data is not loaded into memory, but compared against what is already there. An error is given if any comparison shows a difference. All forms as per LOAD.

tZ

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DEFINABLE PRINTER FUNCTIONS & AUTO SEARCH. Works with both 16K & 64K memory. FREE 59 page BOOK. This book alone is worth the purchase price. ZX PRO/FILE’s machine language concepts & methods are fully explained. It includes a complete PROGRAM LISING & e By using a single POKE command you can change and latch the status of each of the 8 relays.

e RS-232 Printer Port provided. eNo extra memory Required, But with 64-K | Memory You Can Store Up To 60 Full Screens ‘es

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Table 2. List of Functions. _-

ABS x Absolute magnitude. PEEK x ACS x Arccosine in radians. x AND y x if y< >0: 0if y=0 PI x$ AND y x$ if y< >: “" if y=0 POINT (x,y) ASN x Arcsine in radians ATTR (x,y) Attributes for character on screen at RND osition x,y

BIN x ields the decimal of the binary SCREENS$ (x,y)

number x. (i.e., PRINT BIN

10101010 prints 170). SGN x CHR$ x The character whose code is x. CODE x$ The code of the first character in x$ SIN x COS x Cosine in radians SQR x EXP x ex STICK (x,y) FN FN followed by a single letter calls

up a user-defined function. STR$ x FREE Returns the number of bytes of

memory available to the user. TAN x IN x Reads the byte at I/O port x. USR x INKEY$ The character currently being

ressed key. USR$

INT x nteger (in characters) of x$. LN x Natural logarithm (to base e). NOT x 0 if x< >0; 1 if x=0 VAL x$ x OR y 1 if b< >0; x if b=0

The byte stored in memory location

X:

3.14159265...

1 if the pixel at x,y is ink color; 0 if it is paper color.

A random number x, such that 0<x<l

The character that appen at character location x,y on the screen. Signum: the sign -1 for negative, 0 for zero or +1 for positive) of x. Sine x. | Square root.

Reads stick number y. Reads button or joystick position according to y. The string of characters that would be displayed if x were printed. Tangent.

Calls the machine language routine at address x.

The address of the first of eight bytes describing the bit pattern for a user defined character. Evaluates x$ expression.

as a numerical

performs. The TS2000, however, is de- signed to be able to handle some larger and more involved tasks. Its cassette inter- face scheme has been designed to meet, functionally, with the needs of the system and its user. The cassette runs at about 1500 bps (bits per second). This means that the user can save 16K in approxi- mately 87 secondsi — bout five times fast- er than the speed of the interface on the TS1000.

Because of the difference in the actual hardware interface between the two ma- chines, TS1000 cassettes cannot be read into a TS2000 and TS2000 cassettes can- not be read into a TS1000. The interface is very reliable. I have been using the machine for about 10 months by now, 8- 15 hours a day, and I have had perhaps a half dozen errors while trying to LOAD a program into the TS2000.

The TS2000 has two connectors avail- able for adding joysticks (one or two) to the system. The industry standard 8-

(Ws i

position joysticks connect to the system via a 9-pin D-type connector. These are the same joysticks used by Atari and many other manufacturers.

Bank Switching

The most innovative feature of the TS2000 is bank switching. This is a means of expanding the computer’s address space. Through the flexible scheme that Timex has designed, the TS2000 has the ability to access up to 256 * 64K, or 16 million bytes of memory. Is anyone other than me waiting to see who develops the “16 megabyte RAM pack” first?

Conclusion

All in all, the TS2000 is a very powerful system. With the above described and below detailed features, plus a few extras, the system packs quite a load at a sug- gested retail price of $199.95 for the TS2068 and $149.95 for the TS2048.

In the next “Perceptions” I will discuss

O

a

==>

STEIN

“Miss Hendricks, Im ready to ingest, process and generate information and knowledge.”

September/October 1983 © SYNC

in detail the graphics capabilities and the memory-expanding bank switching tech- nique used by Timex to enhance the functionality of the machine.

19

NSC OWS CIOS pober p. Hartung

Ed.—A WORD OF CAUTION: Any hardware project must be approached with extreme caution. SYNC cannot be responsible for any problem that may arise from attempting hardware projects. Obviously, any damage to your computer can be costly in time and money. If you do encounter a problem, write a clear description of the problem either to SYNC or to the author and include an SASE. We will make every effort to find a solution.

For our “Hardware Tips” department this time we have asked Robert Hartung to comment on some letters from our readers. Since he had only the infor- mation given in the letters to work with, he cannot guarantee his answers. Rather his responses should be regarded as sug- gestions to help look for the answers. In most cases more details would be required in order to give a fuller answer. We welcome comments from readers on these problems also.

ROM and RAM Problems

No Cursor I added the 8K ROM and 16K RAM - pack to my ZX80. With the 4K ROM/16K RAM pack, the cursor appears; however, with the 8K ROM/16K RAM pack, the cursor does not appear. James Kinsella 2846 St. Paul Blvd. Rochester, NY 14611 Comment: 1) Examine the 8K ROM carefully with a magnifying glass to make sure none of the pins are loose, broken, buckled, or

Robert D. Hartung, PO Box 125, Palmyra, NY 14522.

20

bent under or to the side, and that all are entering properly into their respective positions in the IC socket, with the notch- ed end of the ROM to the notched end of the socket as was the old ROM.

2) Guard against static damage to the ROM chips. If you do not have a ground- ing clip for ICs, it is good practice that the conductive foam wrapper be laid out next to the IC socket on the PC board before removing the old ROM from the socket and the new ROM from the foam. After gently lifting the old ROM with a very small screwdriver under each end, but with all the pins still touching the socket, place your little finger on the modulator shield, your middle finger on the foam, and lift the old IC out with your thumb and forefinger at each end of the IC, not touching any pins. Place it on the foam and pick up the new ROM the same way. It may be necessary to apply consid- erable pressure sideways, carefully and evenly, against all the pins at one side of the IC in order to line up all the pins on the other side for proper insertion.

A large (2” or larger) jaw-type paper clip, such as those made by Esterbrook and sold for about $1 in larger stationery stores, makes a good substitute for a regular IC clip. Connect a grounding jumper between the clip and modulator shield and put the clip jaws over the IC module and on the pins on both sides before removing the IC from the conduc- tive foam or prying the old ROM up from its socket. If properly positioned on the pins, the clip jaws will compress pin-rows toward each other for entry into the socket.

3) Herb Hornung’s suggestion in SYNC 2:4, p. 76, may apply.

4) If the computer still does not work and if the ROM has not been subjected to static damage in handling after removing

it from the conductive foam, it is possible that you have received a defective ROM.

Unconnected Input on the RAM Pack

On the Sinclair RAM pack one of the inputs to IC 2 (7400) pin 10 is not con- nected to +5V or ground. This is an unused gate on the chip and could con- tribute to some RAM pack difficulties.

Rois R. Harder

895 Shakespeare Ave.

North Vancouver, B.C.,

Canada V7K 1E7 Comment:

Sinclair’s 1981 schematic for the 16K RAM shows pin 8 of the 74LS00 going to pin 1 of IC 3 and IC 4, and pins 9 and 10 of IC 2 both going to RFSH port of the edge connector.

RAM Pack Connections

The ZX81 performance with the Sin- clair 16K RAM pack was so erratic that it was almost impossible to obtain any con- sistant results. Repeated cleaning of the contacts resulted in only temporary im- provement. I have, however, improved performance immeasureably by a simple procedure. I inserted a short piece of copper wire about 1/4” long under each of the 44 contact fingers on the RAM. The wire was from two or three one watt carbon resistors.

P. W. Andrew

4824 E. Grant

Fresno, CA 93727 Comment:

Some later versions of the 16K RAM pack have greatly increased contact- finger pressure on the edgeboard con- nector compared to the earlier models. This is to accomplish what you seem to have achieved by wedging them more tightly to the edgeboard connecting strips.

September/October 1983 © SYNC

AARDVARK — THE ADVENTURE PLACE

TRS-80 COLOR

WE CARRY MORE THAN ADVENTURES!!

MAXI-PROS WORD PROCESSING yen’

The easiest to use word processor that | know of. Has all the features of a major word processor (right and left margin justification, page numbering, global and line editing, single, double, triple spacing, text centering, etc.) at a very cheap price because we wrote it in BASIC. Includes 40 page manual and learning guide. Easily modified to handle almost any printer combination. Available on disk or tape for VIC20, COMMODORE64, and TRS-80 COLOR computer. Requires 13k RAM an Vic, 16k EXTENDED on TRS-80 COLOR. $24.95 on tape $29.95 on disk.

SA N p}// YS Sg

é Sit S aN LABYRINTH — 16K EXTENDED COLOR BASIC — With amazing 3D graphics, you fight your way through a maze facing real time monsters. The graphics are real enough to cause claustrophobia. Similar game for Timex/Sinclair 16k - hunting treasure instead of monsters $19.95.

ADVENTURE WRITING/DEATHSHIP by Rodger Olsen — This is a data sheet showing how we do it. It is about 14 pages of detailed instructions how to write your own adven- tures. It contains the entire text of Deathship. Data sheet - $3.95. NOTE: Owners of TI99, TRS-80, TRS-80 Color, and Vic 20 computers can also get Deathship on tape for an addi- tional $5.00.

Dealers—We have the best deal going for you. Good discounts, exchange programs, and fac- tory support. Send for Dealer Information.

Authors— Aardvark pays the highest commis- sions in the industry and gives programs the widest possible advertising coverage. Send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for our Authors Information Package.

COMMODORE 24

VIC-20

ADVENTURES — Adventures are a unique form of computer game. They let you spend 30 to 70 hours exploring and conquering a world you have never seen before. There is little or no luck in Adventuring. The rewards are for creative thinking, Courage, and wise gambling — not fast reflexes.

In Adventuring, the computer speaks and listens to plain English. No prior knowledge of computers, special controls, or games is re- quired so everyone enjoys them —even people who do not like computers.

Except for Quest, itself unique among Ad- venture games, Adventures are non-graphic. Adventures are more like a novel than a comic book or arcade game. It is like reading a par- ticular exciting book where you are the main character.

All of the Adventures in this ad are in Basic. They are full featured, fully plotted adventures that will take a minimum of thirty hours (in several sittings) to play.

Adventuring requires 16k on Sinclair, TRS- 80, and TRS-80 Color. They require 8k on OSI and 13k on VIC-20. Sinclair requires extended BASIC. Now available for TI99.

TREK ADVENTURE by Bob Retelle — This one takes place aboard a familiar starship and is a must for trekkies. The problem is a famil- iar one — The ship is in a “decaying orbit” (the Captain never could learn to park!) and the engines are out (You would think that in all those years, they would have learned to build some that didn’t die once a week). Your options are to start the engine, save the ship, get off the ship, or die. Good Luck.

Authors note to players — | wrote this one with a concordance in hand. It is very accurate — and a lot of fun. It was nice to wander around the ship instead of watching it on T.V.

DERELICT by Rodger Olsen and Bob Ander- son — For Wealth and Glory, you have to ran- sack a thousand year old space ship. You'll have to learn to speak their language and operate the machinery they left behind. The hardest problem of all is to Jive through it. Authors note to players — This adventure is the new winner in the “Toughest Adventure at Aardvark Sweepstakes’’. Our most difficult problem in writing the adventure was to keep it logical and realistic. There are no irrational traps and sudden senseless deaths in Derelict. This ship was designed to be perfectly safe for its’ builders. It just happens to be deadly to

~,alien invaders like you.

Dungeons of Death — Just for the 16k TRS- 80 COLOR, this is the first D&D type game good enough to qualify at Aardvark. This is serious D&D that allows 1 to 6 players to go on a Dragon Hunting, Monster Killing, Dun- geon Exploring Quest. Played on an on-screen map, you get a choice of race and character (Human, Dwarf, Soldier, Wizard, etc.), a chance to grow from game to game, anda 15 Page manual. At the normal price for an Ad- venture ($19.95 tape, $24.95 disk), this is a giveaway.

Please specify system on all orders

SINCLAIR/TIMEX

TI99

PYRAMID by Rodger Olsen — This is one of our toughest Adventures. Average time through the Pyramid is 50 to 70 hours. The old boys who built this Pyramid did not mean. for it to be ransacked by people like you. Authors note to players — This is a very entertaining and very tough adventure. | left clues everywhere but came up with some in- genous problems. This one has captivated people so much that | get calls daily from as far away as New Zealand and France from bleary eyed people who are stuck in the Pyramid and desperate for more clues.

MARS by Rodger Olsen — Your ship crashed. on the Red Planet and you have to get home. You will have to explore a Martian city, repair your ship and deal with possibly hostile aliens to get home again.

Authors note to players — This is highly recommended as a first adventure. It is in no way simple—playing time normally runs from 30 to 50 hours — but it is constructed ina more “open” manner to let you try out ad- venturing and get used to the game before you hit the really tough problems.

é TE A | i Qe ee LT Sd S a

S ><

QUEST by Bob Retelle and Rodger Olsen — THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE OTHER GAMES OF ADVENTURE!!!! It is played on a computer generated map of Alesia. You lead a small band of adventurers on a mission to conquer the Citadel of Moor- lock. You have to build an army and then arm and feed them by combat, bargaining, explora- tion of ruins and temples, and outright ban- ditry. The game takes 2 to 5 hours to play and is different each time. The TRS-80 Color version has nice visual effects and sound. Not available on OSI. This is the most popular game we have ever published.

32K TRS 80 COLOR Version $29.95. Adds a second level with dungeons and more Questing.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY:

All adventures are $19.95 on tape. Disk versions are available on VIC/COMMODORE and TRS-80 Color for $2.00 additional. $2.00 shipping charge on each order.

ALSO FROM AARDVARK — This is only a partial list of what we carry. We have a lot of other games (particularly for the TRS-80 Color and OSI), business programs, blank tapes and disks and hardware. Send $1.00 for our complete catalog.

EN

wA 2352 S. Commerce, Walled Lake, MI 48088 / (313) 669-3110 ¢ o Phone Orders Accepted 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. Mon.-Fri.

TIMEX/SINCLAIR

TRS-80 COLOR

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$2.00 shipping on each order

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COMMODORE 64

NTE RGA a arge a

VIC-20

RAM Pack Crashes Until recently I have had no problem

with my ZX81 with the RAM pack at- tached. Now the computer crashes while I am typing in a problem. The screen goes blank and the program is erased. After unplugging and plugging it in again, it works fine for 10-15 minutes. I have taped the RAM pack securely in place so it cannot move. I do not think the prob- lem is overheating because sometimes it will work for an hour or two before crash- ing, but other times it will crach almost immediately after running.

Brent Helms

5411 SW 96 Ave.

Miami, FL 33165

Comment:

Should a Sinclair 16K RAM pack that works well on an ZX80 with the 8K ROM have any problems on a TS1000? Mine operates 5-6 minutes and then the screen fills with garbage and eventually flops over full of curved lines.

Jim Mahoney RD 4, Box 247 S. Salem, NY 10590

Comment: Both of these situations may be caused by a combination of overheating and

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The Organizer

Keyboard Calculator

The Checkbook Manager The Home Asset Manager Vucalc

Inventory Control

States & Capitals

Presidents

Frogger

Gambler And More, _

- +ASSOCIATES (16K) Understanding Sinclair Basic Chemistry Master Math Master 1, 2,3

Basic Assembler Feed Lot Analyzer _Checkbook Balancer Numbers Analyzer

edgeboard connection problems.

The overheating can best be solved with an external voltage regulator (see SYNC 3:2, p. 68). Since the regulator requires nearly 2V offsetting voltage, some ZX/TS power supplies may not provide the 9V output under load re- quired for SAVE mode on some ZX/TS computers.

However, by substituting a DPDT switch for the SPST shown in the SYNC article and connecting the regulator input to lug 1 of the first set of switch-poles and the regulator output to lug 2 (C) of this first set of poles, the external regulator is shunted out of the circuit for full voltage in this switch position which is used in SAVE mode. For the 7V output used for cooler operation in all other modes than SAVE, connect the regulator GND term- inal (3) to lug 2 (C) of the second set of switch poles and connect a 330 resistor in series between lug 3 of this second set of poles and ground (-). The shunt resistor is omitted. Do not use this configuration with power sources greater than 13 WVDC.

The edgeboard connector problems can occur because of oxidation of the soldercoating on the connector strips even when mechanical stability has been secured. Swab both sides of the connector

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strip liberally with TV contact cleaner/ lubricant and slide the RAM pack on and off several times. Insert the pack fully, then back it off just enough that the contact fingers are not pried open by pressure of the pack case against the computer case.

RAM pack wobble may be prevented in various ways: 1) Mount both the com- puter and the RAM pack on a flat mount- ing board (3/4” chipboard is fine) with a bit of picture-mounting tac-dough under each corner of the computer and under the RAM pack legs will ensure they do not move relative to each other. 2) Some have had success also by putting extra- high pads under the computer so that the RAM pack hangs free from the con- nector. 3) Ribbon-cables with connectors on each end also work well. 4) Hard- wiring and placing both the RAM pack and computer inside a grounded metal cabinet as used with some keyboards is the best approach of all.

New Pads

My answer to RAM pack wobble was to get some sticky pads at Radio Shack (1/2” in diameter by 1/8” thick) to replace the standard pads. At the keyboard end I put 2 pads 1/2” closer to the expansion port. At the port end, they are 1/2’ O.C.

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from the edge of the computer. On the other axis they are in line with the originals.

Andreas Rainwater

Rt. 1, Box 57-A

Coyle, OK 73027

Screen Display Problems

RAM Pack Buzzing Sounds

Raymond Fowkes in SYNC 2:4 sug- gested soldering two foil tabs on the underside of the PC board together with a short piece of wire to solve the problem of the buzzing sounds caused by the 16K RAM pack. Is this safe for the computer?

John Torrance

41 Alpine Pl.

Kearny, NJ 07032 Comment by Raymond Fowkes:

I learned that there was more to the story after I wrote to SYNC. My ZX81 was a kit, and it seems that Sinclair left out the instructions for installing the long thin metal grounding strap in the com- puter (not the RAM pack as a few thought). This raised the resistance in the 0 volt trace just enough to cause noise when the extra load from the RAM pack was added.

Therefore, anyone who does not have a long thin silver strip of metal running across the noncomponent side of the ZX81 may solder a wire to the two large pads of bare foil (labeled TB in Figure 2) on the underside of the PCB. One is next to the edge connector where the RAM pack is attached; the other is in the oppo- site corner next to the regulator (the 3- prong IC on the component side with the big metal heatsink). Factory assembled units should be OK in this respect, but those with hardware experience who are very careful could further reduce the noise by connecting wires in parallel with other traces, especially the one carrying 5V to the edge connector though this is not advised because of various risks.

Comment:

I referred the above question to Raymond Fowkes for clarification. I note from letters by owners of factory built ZX8is that some may have defective solder connections on this strip or else it may not be making proper contact with the metalized coating inside the case. The result is increase TVI, which the 16K RAM pack may raise to an even higher interference level. The solution is to make sure that all the solder connections are secure by reheating them and ensure that the strip is making contact with the case by arching it slightly higher above the board in the center. However, this will not cure the noise which originates in the voltage converter in the RAM pack itself. This feeds back transient noise into the

September/October 1983 © SYNC

computer power line as well as radiating RFI if all the grounding strips in the RAM pack are not making proper contact with the metalized coating in the case. Some 16K RAM packs, such as Memotech, do not use this power conversion and so produce less RFI.

The solution involves the adding of suppression around the Zener diodes which originate the most of this noise, but, unless the proper components are identified, the RAM could be disabled. A thin metal box formed to fit over the RAM case and grounded to the TV mod- ulator case (but not touching the edge- board connector) will alleviate the RFI which affects the TV display. Heavy alum- inum foil may be used. (See Bruce Kirk’s letter.)

Dark Bands and Noise

The 16K RAM from Apropos Technol- ogy worked well on my ZX80 except for considerable noise in the TV display. By covering the ZX80 and module with alum- inum foil grounded to the coax to the TV, I reduced the noise. However, when I used the 16K on the TS1000, two darker horizontal “bands” appeared in the TV display, moving slowly and evenly down- ward. The display itself (symbols and spacing) was not affected although these bands overloaded the TV sync and caused

CYBORGWARS

NOT ANOTHER TOY

minor “tearing” of the picture. Bruce P. Kirk RR 4, Box 4033 B La Plata, MD 20646 Comment:

Your “fix” of the noise problem with the foil shows the need for more adequate shielding -in the RAM pack case unless the noise source is corrected by suppres- sion at the internal power converter of the RAM.

The moving horizontal bands in the TV display may be partially from trans- ients going back into the computer along the 9V bus from this power converter noise. Usually such bands indicate inad- equate filtering of the DC power supply. This may easily be corrected by connect- ing a 2200 uF 35WVDC capacitor be- tween the DC power cord leads. However, the loss of TV sync and tearing may indicate a combination of RFI, noise transients on the power bus of the com- puter, and excessive ripple in the power input. You may have to work on these one at a time.

RFI Trash

The RFI trash on my portable TV screen is very annoying. However, on my 17” TV the screen is crystal clear. What does my large TV have that my small one does not? Is there a circuit I can build for

BUT A COMPLEX SIMULATION OF FOUR MILITARY- INDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES LOCKED IN A DEADLY STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL. ONE TO FOUR PLAYERS COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER AND/OR

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CIRCLE 65 ON READER SERVICE CARD

27

my small set to solve the problem? Rick Goulian 1525 N. Euclid, Apt. 121 Tucson, AZ 85719

Comment:

The tuning section and selectivity of the 17” TV may be better or have better shielding. Some TVs are designed for better RF harmonic rejection than others.

1) Be sure that the built-in antenna or rabbit-ears are completely disconnected from the TV input terminals and discon- nect the CATV or other antenna leads. Relocate them and the TV power cord and the computer power cord as far as possible from each other.

2) Sometimes it helps to put 2 or 3 ferrite sleeves on both these power cords, respectively, as near the TV and the com- puter as possible. Wind the cord through the hole several times. (Radio Shack has assorted packages.)

3) The length of the cable between the computer and the TV may be critical with some tuners. The 48” length supplied with the computer is designed to be one- fourth wave-length at the pix frequency of TV channel 3 for maximum signal- transfer to noise ratio. The TV/computer switch box supplied lengthens this enough to provide a match for TV channel 2, in length and in impedance. Clean the switch

contacts by spraying TV contact cleaner/ lubricant liberally inside the box and working the switch back and forth.

4) Some 16K RAM packs emit exces- sive RFI back to the computer and also as radiation. Use the computer only on a non-metallic desk or table, or place it on a sheet of heavy foil grounded to the outer conductor of the TV cable plug or to the TV modulator case. It may help to fold the foil up and around the RAM pack also. (See Bruce Kirk’s letter.)

5) When severe TV interference oc- curs, either from RFI from the computer/ peripherals or from being in a strong sig- nal area on the channel used by the VHF modulator or on an adjacent channel, the only real solution may be to replace the VHF modulator with a UHF modulator (see SYNC 3:1, p. 72). Try adding a short patch cable (4-6”) to the existing TV cable if the UHF signal to the TV seems to be down.

6) Another solution is get a well- shielded cord for connecting the com- puter to the TV.

A ZX81 and an 18 year old Sony

My ZX81 kit works only with my 18- year old Sony portable TV. It works best with the gain control turned down. With other TVs the ZX81 seems to be putting out too much signal and overdrives the

screen resulting in an unusable, cross- hatched pictures. I have tried turning down the AGC on several TVs as well as a different TV/game box to no avail. Ross A. Rainwater 305 Regal Dr. Lawrenceville, GA 30245 Comment:

The cross-hatching would indicate the problem is RFI rather than overdriving, which in effect is superimposing one or more spurious signals to the TV over the top of the desired one. The Sony gain control apparently reduces these other signals enough that only the legitimate one is visible in the display. Some TVs have better front-end shielding and selec- tivity and adjacent-signal-rejection than others, which may account in part for the difference in those you have tried.

Small coupling trim-pad capacitors placed in each side of the TV lead-pair in the T'V/game switch box might help tune out and attenuate the unwanted signals. Drill small holes in the box directly over the trim-pads so they can be adjusted with the box closed, using a non-conduct- ing tool.

A better solution, however, would be to prevent or shield off as much of the interference as possible at the source. See above for suggestions for RFI problems. a

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v ba © v |S a Ve a ' b = æ - =- HH ~ 3” SPH BES! ` a o n SEECESEECETESSESSEERSSEE HAS a o HAREE H © HEH co e o pnn e H ° SS o HHRHH HHH HH o 9 9 s HHRHH E HH © > o PRHA HH Of enesees a HH P Oa HHHH asses H LETE EA c ($) ee 3 H+ HHHH = = HH V4 OO RE HEH TH HHH HE © S a ME i Pepe HH See o HHHH HHHH 1 aes HH a o o HHH HHH HH A e RTE n J sages HH i a ns HH H sa a HH i f ii HI © > RT 5 Hi o we HHHH HHI HHH A o RETETE o FTTH ETH HTH 108 Bon B è +4 4: v o FE A o RH HHH HH Suey SSEESESESESIEESESEGE Ge oe 8 = 8 nal G (0) (D 00 n God o a » 00 > g Fe) © 4 fæ O L A (0) qo Soa oO pear =) (= ~ > |= pS) (0) Q > 4 tw) Ge

mention the thousands of business,

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Making Borders and a Bouncing Ball

David Grosjean

We will begin our series on compar- ative programming with the Panasonic JR-200, the Vic-20, and the TS1000. Our first exercise is to develop step by step the routine for creating a border around the screen and then vary its dimensions. Our second exercise is de- velop a routine for a bouncing balt. Both exercises are useful in certain types of games.

Making Borders

Our first exercise is easy on the JR- 200 and TS1000 because they have the PLOT command, while the Vic-20 does not. First, lets look at the PLOT command.

On the JR-200, the X axis is along the top (from 0 to 63), and the Y axis is down the left (from O to 47). On the TS1000, the X axis is along the bottom of the screen (from 0 to 63), and the Y axis is up the left side (from 0 to 43).

Let’s PLOT a single point at the cen- ter of the screen. Notice that a rather complicated method of cursor move- ment is the simplest method for the Vic, while the JR-200 and TS1000 use the easier PLOT command.

JR-200: TS1000: PLOT 31,23 PLOT 30,21 VIC-20;

5 PRINT ‘ ‘#’’

10 FOR |=1 TO 11

20 PRINT ‘ ‘####’’ ; 30 NEXT |

40 PRINT ‘ ‘###’’

Line notes for the Vic:

5: The control character is a clear screen character.

10: The control characters

September/October 1983 © SYNC

in the

quotation marks are: reverse on, cursor right, cursor down, reverse off.

40: The control characters are: reverse on, one space, reverse off.

To light up this point without any other printing on the screen, use these short programs:

JR-200: TS1000:

10 CLS 10 CLS

20 PLOT 31,23 20 PLOT 30,21 30 GOTO 20 30 GOTO 20

To the Vic version above, add 50 GOTO 50. This does not keep printing the point over and over again, but it does avoid printing on the screen.

Now, how can we expand this one point to a whole line? One way would be to use a series of PLOT statements. For

example: JR-200: TS1000: 10 CLS 10 CLS 20 PLOT 1,293 20 PLOT. T21 30 PLOT 2,23 30 PLOT 2,21 40 PLOT 3,23 40 PLOT 3,21 & a

a a 640 PLOT 63,23 640 PLOT 63,21 Obviously, this is very inefficient and

cumbersome. We could use å FOR-

NEXT statement instead:

JR-200: TS1000:

10 CLS 10 CLS

20 FOR X=0 TO 63 20 FOR X=0 TO 63 30 PLOT X,23 30 PLOT X,21

40 NEXT X 40 NEXT X 50 GOTO 20 50 GOTO 20 Vic-20: 5 PRINT ‘ ‘#’”’

10 FOR |=1 TO 11 20 PRINT ‘ ‘###’? ; 30 NEXT |

70 GOTO 70

Line notes for the Vic:

5: Control character is to clear screen.

20: Control characters are: reverse on, cursor down, reverse off.

50: Control characters are: reverse on, one space, reverse off.

These programs simply draw a hori- zontal line and, when finished, draw it over and over again.

As long as we are varying X from the left to right of the screen, why not draw two horizontal lines at once, one at the top and one at the bottom? Here are the programs to do this:

JR-200: TS1000:

10 CLS 10 CLS

20 FOR X=0 TO 63 20 FOR X=0 TO 63

30 PLOT X,0 30 PLOT X,0

40 PLOT X, 47 40 PLOT X,43

50 NEXT X 50 NEXT X

60 GOTO 20 60 GOTO 20 Vic-20:

On the Vic, drawing one line using cursor movement is fairly easy, but when you get into more than that, it is easier to POKE into the screen memory. From now on, we will only use POKE. In the following program, SM is the start of screen memory, and the control character in line 10 is the clear screen control character.

In lines 40 and 50, the second POKE command POKEs into the color mem- ory. This is to insure that what you POKE into the screen memory is not the same color as the background. Now that we are POKEing, there are no X,Y co- ordinates; each space on the screen is numbered consecutively, so our equa- tions for the correct display must

change. 10 PRINT ‘ ‘#’”’ 20 SM=7680 30 FOR !=0 TO 21 40 POKE SMt+! , 160: POKE 3 8400+11 ,2 50 POKE SM+484tI ,160:PO KE 38884,2 60 NEXT |

But we want to have vertical borders, too. We can use the same loop by adding two more PLOT statements.

29

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The Memopak Assembler, on EPROM, is for those who want to roll up their software sleeves and get down to controlling precisely the power of their computer. It lets you code and edit a source program in the Z80 language, and then assemble it into machine code. You can now write flexible and economical programs, tailor-made in every detail to your own needs, and free from the extravagant use of time and space that goes with the basic high level code.

The editor mode allows you to code directly in the right format, manipulate individual lines and control the exact placing of source and machine code. Routines may be merged or listed (even to a commercial printer with our printer interfaces).

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TS-1000 is a registered trademark of Timex Corp.

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maximum width of 80 characters. The printer uses standard fanfold paper up to Pea oes ae ee) oe eee eae 7 9-1/2 inches wide. The GP 100A is offered as a package including cable and ewe CoP pi os ar hae, interface. Other printer packages are also ! cee wr = available through Memotech. | 32K RAM 99.95 ORDER AT NO RISK. All Memotech | “Raw 149.95 products carry our 10 day money back | ce gee ee guarantee. If you’re not completely | High Resolution Graphics ian satisfied, return it within ten days and we į Centronics Parallel Interface 7495 will give you a full refund. And every ee es eki Memotech product comes with a six me 2 month warranty. Should anything be Shipping and Handling 495 $495

defective with 4 your i Memoiech SOE return it to us and we will repair or replace | tix (Colorado residents only)

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TS-1000 is a registered trademark of Timex Corp.

| Account No. pal AET T S EE E E T |. | RS T Fitiiu : cia i Name Phone number CORPORATION | Adres | City State Zip 7550 West Yale Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80227, 303/986-1516, TWX 910-320-2917 Pea ce a RUE R Seg ETE ie

JR-200:

10 CLS

20 FOR X=0 TO 63 30 PLOT X,0

40 PLOT X, 47

50 PLOT 0,X

60 PLOT 63,X

70 NEXT X

80 GOTO 20

TS1000:

10 CLS

20 FOR X=0 TO 63

30 PLOT X,0

40 PLOT X,43

50 PLOT 0,X

60 PLOT 63,X

70 NEXT X

80 GOTO 20

But a value error occurs in line 50 be- cause X exceeds the maximum Y value that can be plotted. This can be fixed easily be adding a line before 50 to test for a value of X over the maximum.

JR-200: 45 IF X>43 THEN 70

TS1000: 45 IF X>47 THEN GOTO 70

This final program is one of the shortest ways to draw a border. Of course, if you are using this routine in another program, you would not need line 80.

Vic-20:

On the Vic letting the overflow mis- take occur as on the other machines would be too risky to the program in memory because we are POKEing. Therefore we must add the overflow checking line (line 45) before we make a possibly disastrous mistake. Several times while we were developing this rou- tine, we completely lost control of the computer and simply had to turn it off and on again. Needless to say, this re- quired much retyping. (If you are writ- ing your own program, you cannot write the test line first; you must do it through

testing.)

10 PRINT ‘‘#’’

20 SM=7680

30 A=4

40 FOR 1=0 TO 22

45 IF 1>=22 THEN 7

50 POKE SMtI , 160: POKE 3 8400+1,A

60 POKE SM+1+484,160:PO KE 38884+1,A

70 POKE SMt+1*22,160:POKE 38400tT1+*22,A

80 POKE SM+t | =22+21 , 160: POKE 38421+1+*22,A

90 NEXT |

100 GOTO 100

On the JR-200, color can be added caly by adding a line 5. Try these:

5 COLOR 1

5 COLOR 3,5 5 COLOR 2,6,3

To add a variety of color to the Vic, change line 30 to:

30 A=INT(7*RND(0))

In the previous program, instead of having the border print at the edges of the screen, it is possible to let the non X value vary. We will let the distance or increment from the edge of the screen be I. The value of I can be used as the co-

32

ordinate for the top and left side; how- ever, the right side must be defined as 63-I (JR-200 and TS1000) and the bot- tom as 47-I (JR-200) or 43-I (TS1000). This program uses these relationships to draw a series of concentric borders which start at random points in the up- per left quarter of the screen. Note that the test to see if the maximum Y value has been exceeded is changed somewhat. Can you explain why? JR-200: 10 CLS 20 RANDOM! ZE 30 |=INT(23*RND(0) ) 40 COLOR (INT(8*RND(0) ) 50 X2=63-| 60 Y2=47-| 70 FOR X=! ii X2 80 PLOT X, , 90 PLOT X, a 100 IF X2- X<=16 THEN 130 1.0: PLOT 1, X 120 PLOT X2 IR 130 NEXT X 140 GOTO 30

TS1000:

10 CLS

20 RAND

30 LET I=INT cane 22) 50 LET X2=63-

60 LET Y2=43- i

70 FOR X= | ea X2

80 PLOT X,

90 PLOT X, Yo 100 IF X2- X<=20 THEN GOTO 130 110 PLOT | ,X 120 PLOT X2,X 130 NEXT X 140 GOTO 30

Again, since we are not using a co- ordinate system on the Vic, the equa- tions to. figure out the parameters of each border are different from the equa- tions of the TS1000 and JR-200. Can you figure out how the equations work? Tip: lines 100 and 110 draw the hori- zontal lines. CM is the start of color memory; SM is the start of screen mem- ory; B is a random color; I is a random starting point for the borders. Remem- ber also that the Vic screen is 22 by 23 (0

to a and 0 to 22). 10 PRINT ‘ ‘#’’

20 SM=7680

30 CM=38400

40 |I=INT(11*RND(0) ) 50 B=INT (8*RND(0) ) 60 X2=21-|

70 Y2=22-|

80 FOR X=! TO Y2

90 IF Y2-X<=1 THEN 120 100 POKE SM+t | *22+X, 160 : POKE CM+I +22+X,B 110 POKE SMtY2*22+t x, : POKE CMtY2*22+X,B 120 POKE SMtX+=22+1,160: POKE CM+X+22+|,B

130 POKE SMtX*22+t+X2, 160 : POKE CM+X+=22+X2,B

140 NEXT X

150 GOTO 40

160

Making a Bouncing Ball

Our second exercise is a simple one for the JR-200 and TS1000: to produce a ball that bounces off the borders of the screen. At this point, we will deal only

with the JR-200 and TS1000 since the method for doing this on the Vic is vastly different.

Let’s start with just four main state- ments: one to give us a starting point for our plot of a bouncing ball, one to clear the screen, one to plot the ball, and one to repeat the plot.

JR-200 TS1000: 10 X=2:Y=2 10 LET X=2 50 CLS 15 LET Y=2 160 PLOT- X- Y 50GLS

160 PLOT X,Y 190 GOTO 160

This is definitely a long way from bouncing, so let’s get the ball moving by adding the following lines. Remember, use SLOW mode on the TS1000 if you want to see the ball.

190 GOTO 160

JR-200 TS1000 20 |=1: J=1 20 LET |=1 90 X=X+ | 25 LET J=1 100 Y=YtJ 90 LET X=X+ | 190 GOTO 90 100 LET Y=YtJ 190 GOTO 90

As you can see, the same thing hap- pened as with the border program, namely, the values exceeded the dimen- - sions of the screen. To avoid this, we must add four IF statements to test for the screen edges. On the TS1000 version, we combined them into two statements to increase the speed a little. (As you know, SLOW mode really is SLOW!)

JR-200:

110 IF X>=62 THEN |=- | 120 IF X<=1 THEN I=- | 130 IF Y>=46 THEN J=-J 140 IF Y<=1 THEN J=-J

TS1000:

110 IF X>=62 OR X<=1 THEN LET: | ==!

130 IF Y>=42 OR Y<=1 THEN KET Abs

What happens when you RUN the program now? Try it and see. Just for kicks, on the JR-200 version add line

150 to change the color of the ball: 150 COLOR (INT(1+6*RND(0) ) )

While these programs produce in- teresting patterns, it is hardly a bouncing ball because the computer does not erase the previous ball position when it draws a new one. Add these lines to do that:

JR-200: 70 COLOR 5 80 PLOT X,Y 190 GOTO 70

TS1000 80 UNPLOT X,Y 190 GOTO 70

Now the program works at it ought to, but you may wish to add a few more lines that give you the opportunity to choose whether the trail of the ball be erased or not. We also added a beep when the ball hits the edge of the screen on the JR-200. Here is the final program:

JR-200:

10 X=2:Y=2 20 |=1: J=1 30 PRINT ‘“*Leave trail

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CIRCLE 39 ON READER SERVICE CARD

50 COLOR 0,0 60 CLS

70 COLOR 0,0 80: PLOT X,Y

F X>=62 THEN |=-1:BEEP 1 F X<=1 THEN |=-1:BEEP 1

F Y>=46 THEN J=-J:BEEP 1 F Y<=1 THEN J=-J: BEEP 1 OLOR ( INT(1+6*RND(0)))

oO0o0o0000O Q----<

Bie, heels OR A$=‘‘y’’

190 GOTO 70 TS1000:

10 LET X=2

15 LET Y=2

20 LET |=1

25 LET J=1

Serres: fs LEAVE TRAIL?

40 INPUT A$ 50 CLS

70 UNPLOT X,Y

90 LET X=X+ |

00 LET Y=YtJ

10 IF X>=62 OR X<=1 THEN |=- | 30 IF Y>=42 OR Y<=1 THEN J=-J OU PLOT AL.

180 IF A$=‘ ‘Y’’ THEN GOTO 90 190 GOTO 70

When a trail is left, the plot eventually fills in only every other screen location. How could we modify it to fill in every location? There are two or three ways to accomplish this, some of which produce more interesting effects than others. Hint: try doing it with a random variable or tricky rebounds.

Vic-20:

The Vic program for making a bounc- ing ball is altogether different from the TS1000 and JR-200 versions because we had to use POKE to produce the same effect. Let’s start with a few statements to get a ball onto the screen and to make sure that it can be seen against the back- ground. The control character in line 30

is the clear screen control character. 30 PRINT ‘ P 40 X=7680 60 CM=38400

80 B=2

110 POKE X,81:POKE CM,B

That is, of course, a very long way from bouncing, so we can get the ball moving with the following lines. As in the border program, we must add the checking lines before you test the pro- gram, unless you enjoy subjecting your program to a possible crash. Also, be very certain that you type in the check- ing lines accurately; they are extremely important. When you are writing your own programs using POKE, you will find that the computer can and will crash. Then you will have to retype your program, if you did not SAVE it first. For experience, try changing the ad- dresses of some of the POKE commands and see what happens. It is not a pretty

1 1 1 1

100 X=X+ | 34

120 IF X>8163 THEN I=!

-44

130 IF X<7702 THEN I=! +44

140 IF (X-7680)/22=INT ES a THEN |=!

150 IF (X-7679)/22=INT ((X-7679)/22) THEN I=! 2

190 GOTO 80

Now you can modify line 80 to what is below. This new line 80 gives the ball a random color. If the color chosen is white (the starting background of the Vic), a new color will be chosen. This is accomplished by the IF statement at the

end: 80 B=INT = RND(0)): B=1 THEN

Although ‘this program produces pretty patterns, it is still not a true bouncing ball because the trail is not erased. Line 180 erases the trail by POKEing a space into the last position

of the ball. 180 POKE X, 32

Now the program is complete, but you may want more frills. The following program, in addition to bouncing a ball,

gives you the option of erasing the trail or leaving it, and it adds a beep when the ball hits a side. Make sure you type this

in exactly as shown.

5 POKE 36874, 249

10 PRINT ‘ ‘LEAVE TRAIL (Y,N) ee |

20 INPUT A$

30 PRINT ‘ ‘#’’

40 X=7680

50 |=23

60 CM= Sen.

70 A=368

80 BH INT(7* RND(0)): B=1 THEN 80

90 CM=CMt |

160: XXT]

110 POKE X,81:POKE CM,

120 IF X>8163 THEN I=! -44:POKE A, 15

130 IF X<7 702 THEN |=!

+44:POKEA, 15

140 IF (X_ 7680) /22=INT C(A VETON EE E N |=] 2 POKE A15

150 IF (X-7679)/22=INT ((X-7679)/22) THEN I=l| -2 :POKE A, 15

160 POKE A, 0

170 IF A$=‘ ‘Y’’ THEN 80 180 POKE X, 32

190 GOTO 80

88)

The Panasonic JR-200 Personal Computer

David H. Ahl

The Panasonic JR-200 personal com- puter from Matsushita has been several years in the making, and it was worth the wait.

Handsome Styling

Outwardly, the JR-200 has modern, pleasing styling. The plastic case mea- sures 13.5” X 8.0” and slants from a height of 1” in the front to 2” in the rear. Finished in silver and matte black in the keyboard area, the case is rugged and durable.

Connectors and Switches

An 8-pin D.I.N. connector provides for an NTSC composite video or RGB monitor, while an RCA jack gives an RF signal on channel 3 or 4 at a 75-ohm impendence. On most current TV sets with a 75-ohm F-type input the JR-200 produces a crisp, clear image, almost of monitor quality.

Another RCA jack provides 8-ohm audio output to an external speaker. Au- dio power is more than adequate; people in the rear of a 100-seat conference room had no trouble hearing the internal speaker during a demonstration.

A second 8-pin D.I.N. connector is for the tape recorder. A DIP switch se- lects either 600 or 2400 bps. We were pleased to find that the JR-200 per- formed reliably at 2400 BPS on modest quality ($19-$29) recorders over a reasonable range of volume settings on standard tape.

Two other connectors are for a printer and an external bus. Via this bus, the JR-200 has a serial RS-232C port which may be set up for half or full duplex, 7- or 8-bit words, and odd, even, or no par- ity. JR-Basic does not use the standard format for RS-232C communications. Although data may be transmitted by using the OPEN-INPUT#/PRINT#- CLOSE statements a routine is needed to send or receive data on the end of the line.

User-Friendly Keyboard

The keyboard has 63 “Chiclet’’ style rubberized keys in standard typewriter layout, a 5” spacebar, two double-width shift keys, and a double-height return key. The keys are '/." square with stan- dard keyboard spacing.

As on the TS1000, each key can make multiple inputs. The JR-200 has 253 built-in characters: 96 English letters, numbers, and symbols; 5 Greek letters; 63 graphics characters; 79 Katakana (Japanese) symbols; and 10 music and other symbols. All told, this is an excep- tionally rich character set, right down to the inclusion of a happy face and stick figure man. All the symbols are formed within an 8 X 8 matrix as on the TS1000.

Although the keys do not provide any tactile feedback, each keystroke is accompanied by a beep. All keys can re- peat except CONTROL, SHIFT, RE- TURN, and BREAK.

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¢ All text will run on the color tv

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THE SOON TO BE RELEASED GAME MODULE (proto-type stage) WILL OFFER SOUND, ROM CARTRIDGES AND JOY STICK PORTS FOR YOUR TS1000/ZX81.

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¢ ROMCARTRIDGES will have up to 8K of ROM using either 2716, 2732 or 2764 EPROMS. We will have pre-programed cartridges and blank cartridges which you can program. We will be offering a service to burn EPROMS from your cassettes.

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Screen Display

Like the TS1000, the screen display is 32 X 24, and PLOT gives medium resolution of 64 X 48. However, very high resolution images, up to 256 xX 192, are possible with LOCATE (x,y) which can address each of the 768 locations.

PLOT is also used with COLOR to select character color, background color, and display mode. Four display modes are available: normal, user-defined characters, inverse color of previous characters, and alter background color for positions following the cursor. When we got the hang of it, we found the COLOR command very powerful for producing interesting, and occasionally bizarre, effects.

Eight colors are available for fore- ground and background use: blue, red, magenta, green, cyan, yellow, white, and black.

Sound

While the JR-200 is theoretically ca- pable of producing tones from 0 to 65535 Hz, realistically, the usable sound range is about five octaves, an impressive achievement in a computer of this size. The simplest way of producing sound is with BEEP 1 which turns on the beeper (880 Hz or A above the middle octave).

The next step up is SOUND (P,L) in which P is the pitch in Hertz (0 to 65535) and L is the length of the tone in milliseconds (0 to 255). This is very easy to use in a program.

More complicated are the PLAY and TEMPO commands which permit play- ing tunes with up to three parts over a 5- octave range at any imaginable tempo. Notes are stored in memory and may be played either in foreground (pauses pro- gram) or background (program contin- ues) mode.

JR-200 Basic

JR-Basic is not Microsoft Basic, but it is not far away either. Most of the com- mands, statements, and functions are identical or very similar. Let’s look at some of the more interesting and novel features.

JR-Basic has immediate mode and will execute most Basic commands di- rectly from the keyboard singly or in groups (separated with a colon) as long as the maximum line length of 80 characters is not exceeded.

When the JR-200 is fired up, a copy- right notice appears along with the num- ber of free bytes. In all configurations, 2052 bytes are reserved for the Basic work area and the remaining RAM is available to the user. User memory can be expanded to 40K. Basic occupies 16K of ROM while video RAM, I/O, and the built-in character set use another 6K plus.

36

JR-Basic requires that Basic keywords be separated by at least one space or a colon or semi-colon from other charac- ters. This enhances the readability of fin- ished programs.

Numeric values can range from 2.9°° to 1.06°° and are stored and displayed with nine digits of accuracy. Both nu- meric and string variable arrays can have one or two dimensions. Unfortu- nately, variable names are restricted to two letters or a letter and a number.

All the standard operators are avail- able: arithmetic, relational, logical and string concatenation. LET is optional.

RUN performs its usual function but can also be imbedded within a program to run another program or to run the existing program from any specified line number, e.g., RUN 480. When used with a filename (RUN “Border’’), it will load the program from tape and then run it.

The functions HOPS and VPOS re- turn the current horizontal and vertical position of the cursor respectively. PEEK and POKE function as on the TS1000. An unusual function is VARPTR which returns the memory location where a particular variable is stored.

On-Screen Editing

A delightful feature of the JR-200 is full on-screen editing. To correct a mis- take or make a change you simply list the line or group of lines to be changed, and move the cursor with the four direc- tional keys to the character to be changed. Then type in the change or use the insert, delete, or rub out keys. You then move the cursor to the end of the line and type RETURN. Whoosh; the change is made.

FIND searches for a string of charac- ters and then lists the line(s) with that combination of characters. LFIND per- forms the same function but lists the lines on the printer.

Tape Handling and Files

LOADing and SAVEing are done as on the TS1000, but there are some addi- tional commands.

MSAVE and MLOAD permit files or other material to be saved and loaded di- rectly from and to memory.

MERGE enables loading one program at the end of another.

VERIFY checks to see if a program in memory and on tape match.

PRINT # stores files of data (not programs) sequentially on tape, and IN- PUT # reads back the data. While sequential tape files are not nearly as handy as random access disk files, the 2400 bps I/O speed is quite tolerable.

Printed Output The JR-200 has five printer com-

mands: LPRINT and LLIST as on the TS1000; HCOPY which is the same as COPY on the TS1000; TAB which tabs over from the left margin; and SPC which spaces over from the last cursor position.

Joysticks

Two DB-9 sockets accept standard Atari-tyupe joysticks. Values form them can be read into programs by means of the STICK function.

Monitor Commands

The JR-200 allows machine language aficionados to get into the monitor and the assembly language.

The monitor has only three com- mands: D, M, and G. D displays 128 bytes of memory from the location from the address specified and allows you to alter them. G begins execution of an assembly language program from a specified address. Memory locations are all in hexadecimal.

Software and Support Panasonic is sincere in trying to pro- vide support for the JR-200. All the

early machines have been put in the

hands of software developers such as Datamost—a smart move for getting third party software on the market. Also Datamost has produced a version of their book, Kids and the Apple, for the JR-200. Likewise, we are in the process of producing a volume in our ideabook series for the JR-200, The Panasonic JR- 200 Ideabook.

On the other hand, the preliminary JR-Basic manual is tough going, has very few programming examples, and could in no way be considered user- friendly. We are told that the Datamost book will be supplied with the JR-200 as the Basic programming primer.

In Summary

The Panasonic JR-200 is one of the nicest new computers to make the scene in some time. Attractively styled and easy to use, it boasts an excellent, if not standard, Basic language. The graphics are very approachable and, although resolution is not exceptionally high, the character set is excellent and allows the creation of detailed images. The key- board is among the best of its type and the separate cursor movement keys make on-screen editing a joy. The JR- 200 is cassette tape oriented and uses it well for program and data storage.

Peripherals, documentation, software and support are, at this time, question marks although Panasonic appears to be moving in the right direction on all fronts.

At the suggested list price of $350, the JR-200 is an excellent choice. a”

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Dear Readers,

The number of computer shops selling small micros is growing daily as is the number of different computers available. But one advantage none of them except the ZX computers seems to have is SYNTAX checking (that annoying rou- tine that tells you that you have made a mistake and that the computer will not accept the line) on entry. Also most of them have made economies along the way, so that user-friendliness goes out the window, so I still think you have to go a long way to beat a Sinclair!

By the way, did you know that a com- puter magazine which does comparisons between various computers month by month for the business man compared the ZX81 with the brand new, very expen-

sive IBM Personal computer and found that on some arithmetic examples the 1K machine was faster than the 16 bit 128K

IBM machine! and on another 16 bit 128K RAM machine only 1.6K was left for the user to program with after the machine had taken up its demands on the RAM for running the computer. This is about the same as the TS1000!

Software Developments

Software Libraries

A lot of argument has developed re- cently in England about a new set of companies called software libraries. They lend you tapes (after you have paid a small membership fee) of your favorite software for a period of a week or two to see if you want to buy it. If you do, then you get a discount on the purchase price of the tape. If, however, you want to try another tape, then you pay a small fee, varying from £0.50 to £1.50 to exchange the tape.

Software companies are, of course, not in favor of this system as it stops direct sales of tapes to the user. This is because the libraries can use the same tape over and over again. The libraries say that they ban copying by any of their mem- bers. However, it is becoming so easy to copy ZX81 and Spectrum tapes that they cannot guarantee it.

Some software companies have refused to deal with these libraries and have even started court proceedings over the matter. They say the hiring of tapes is prohibited by the copyright law and that the libraries are breaking it by encouraging copying of their tapes by making it so cheap. Since the cost of a blank tape is only £0.50, copying a tape costing over £3.50 for a friend becomes tempting and profitable. The question of whether copyright applies to computer program tapes has never been settled in court.

This, of course, worries not only the

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Assemblers convert machine code written in mnemonics to the numbers the CPU will accept.

ZX software producers but also com- panies like Commodore (Vic-20/64 and Pet) and Atari.

However, the buy °n’ try scheme re- duced its buy back period to one month which suited the software companies and the case never went to court. It would have been nice to see a precedent set as regards software piracy and copying. Both sides would have something to go on. The Law has a very grey area here.

Compilers and Assemblers

Another new market is the increase in software utilities such as Basic compilers for the Spectrum. These allow you to convert a very SLOW Basic program into a super fast machine code version. How- ever, they do suffer from two problems: 1) the compilers cannot handle strings and floating point numbers (only in- tegers), and 2) the final code contains what is called “RUN TIME routines” with- out which the code will not work. These “Run Time Routines” are copyright, the compiler writers claim; and, since they must be included in every machine code written by a compiler, they claim you

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must ask their permission (and pay them a fee) before selling that program. This sounds a bit daft as the compilers them- selves use Sinclair’s ROM routines (which are copyright), but they don’t pay Sinclair a penny!

Another useful utility is an assembler. This converts a machine code written in mnemonics (a bit like Basic) into the numbers the microprocessor will accept. It also allows you to use variables called LABELs which specify a routine or area of memory to be sorted out later.

A very good assembler for the Spectrum is called ZEUS from Crystal Computing and is written in line numbers, just like Basic. It also has a full screen editor which allows you to use the cursor keys to delete or add text in any part of the screen. The text (or source file as it is known) can be printed on to the Sinclair printer or SAVEd and LOADed separ- ately from the assembler. The assembler also allows you to locate the code any- where in memory or to assemble it for running somewhere else (in case the area you want is being used by the assembler). A monitor is also included which allows

SINCLAIR ZX81/TS1000

you to view and alter memory with the same full screen editing. It also includes a hex to decimal and decimal to hex calcu- lator. It makes writing machine code as easy as Basic as it reports any errors found in assembly or elsewhere. A disassembler is also available from Crystal to com- plement the assembler.

Imagine Software

Imagine Software has surprised the news here by paying programmer £35,000 a year to write games for them. Imagine is a breakaway group from Bugbyte who decided to go independent and is now into a multi-million pound turnover busi- ness. Their fame is based on the fact that all of their games are new ideas, not rehashes of arcade games. Arcadia, Schzoids, and Wackey Waiters are some of the best selling machine code games around and must be the craziest! Wacky Waiters, for instance, requires you to deliver food to the guests in the diner, dodging the boss and drunks, and not spilling the drinks on the way. Imagine also promotes the designers of the games by naming them on the software pack-

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39

Joysticks must now be programmable or have a conversion tape to fit the popular games.

aging. And what is so special about their programmer? He has only just left school and at 16 cannot apply for a credit card or a bank account to put his money in! A wide variety of software is now appearing for the Spectrum from astrology to music composition. The music composition pro- gram, for instance, allows you to write the tune on the stave (music bars) which appears on the screen in note form using very good graphics. Tunes can be stored and played back either as BEEPs or using an external 8910 sound chip which gives three notes, envelope, and noise. This program should run quite effectively on the TS2000 as it should have one of these chips built in.

Weekly Computer Magazines

At least one of the weekly (yes, I do mean weekly!) hobby microcomputing magazines has taken a stand. They will not accept any advertising from software libraries that do not have an agreement with software houses whose tapes they are using.

The number of weekly magazines for hobby computing has recently increased

to three with the advent of Home Com- puting Weekly (from the Publishers of Computing Today) and Personal Com- puter News (from the publishers of Per- sonal Computing World). Popular Com- puting Weekly had been launched in April 1982 by Sunshine Publications. Micros and their products are now moving so fast that it only takes a week for the whole situation to change. These are not trade papers as they contain reader let- ters, programs, and advice, all for £0.35 a week!

Hardware Developments

Joysticks

The main features of the hardware side seem to be that joysticks must now be programmable or have a conversion tape available to fit them into the most popular games. Some of the major companies have even been persuaded to write into their games a piece of software to use joysticks made by Kempston Microelec- tronics. AGF is one of the companies whose joystick has now been made pro-

grammable It takes an ordinary Atari type joystick and converts it to operate the same as pressing any key, so there is no conversion required in software for any new game.

Printer Interfaces

Printer interfaces for the Spectrum have also been making their presence felt in large numbers to complement some of the commerial software available. TASWORD, a very fast 61 character per line, stores its text on tape (Sinclair’s microdrives still have not made an ap- pearance). Originally it could print out only on the Sinclair printer, but Hilderbay and others have now produced an inter- face box with a centronics cable which will operate through TASWORD and its own driver software to print out on a full- sized printer. The graphics characters can be reprogrammed to give control char- acters such as underline, proportional text, enlarged and double height char- acters under user control. Also 132 or 80 characters per line make a great dif- ference in formatting a page of text so that it looks a professional job.

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Three Centronics printer interfaces have been produced for the Spectrum. Softest’s interface is designed to work with the four color Tandy (Radio Shack) Pen Printer which can draw diagrams under software control. The other two are designed to allow you to use any parallel printer to LPRINT, LLIST and COPY from inside a Basic program. Both use Sinclair’s own Basic commands to control the output to the printer, so no USR calls are required.

EuroElectronics interface box contains a ROM which changes LPRINT and LLIST commands to print on the cen- tronics printer instead of the Sinclair’s. LLIST, however, lists until it overflows on the printer which gives sloppy listings unlike what appears on the TV screen. It also cannot handle graphics or special characters like the underline symbol. To COPY the screen means LOADing a tape which puts a machine code program above RAMTOP and a modification to the GP100 type printers to remove the automatic carriage return facility. If this is not done, you get a blank line between each character line. The interface costs £53.48 and is so simple to use that all the instructions are written on the bottom of the interface box.

The second interface, from Kempston Electronics, requires a machine code pro-

gram of 650 bytes above RAMTOP. A Basic program modifies the machine code to suit your printer and your program. Once this is done, the Basic program can be dispensed with and only the machine code LOADed when required. The Basic program allows you to select what char- acters will be printed instead of graphics, what type of printer you have (different printers require different codes for double width etc.), and, best of all, printer line length. You can specify a 32 column line length so that it prints out the listing just like on the TV screen. The use of a Basic routine for COPY, however, is a bit disap- pointing as it is so slow. This is the most user-friendly interface I have found so far, cost £49.

Modems

One of the electronics component com- panies has introduced a modem and RS232 interface for the ZX81 (and soon the Spectrum) to work 300 baud over the telephone line. The restrictions on mo- dems over here are rather stricter than in the USA and hence the delay. PRESTEL is still one of the promised facilities avail- able when we get the right modem.

Tape Copiers Tape copiers seem to abound, and it would seem there is no way that a pro-

gram on tape cannot be copied. Most of them work on the fact that the Spectrum allows you to copy any part of the mem- ory to tape. So, if you can write a program which will load any program as machine code and then SAVE it again as an area of machine code, you end up with an exact copy, whatever the software com- panies try to do.

The best copier I have seen is called ZAP 2.0 which is produced by Scimitar Software. Copying is, of course, illegal, but sometimes it is necessary to make a back-up copy of your software in case the tape recorder screws the tape up.

Sinclair Developments

The Spectrum was launched in Europe (very quietly) in April 1983 although some people had been arranging to get some directly imported through friends. Each country though wants programs and devices written in its own language and so the importers must do the conversion as most of the software houses do not change their software from country to country. As long as this keeps up, the European user will be short of both soft- ware and hardware that is not home produced.

RAM upgrades for the Spectrum have been dropping in price, some are now as

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low as £20 for the Model 2 machines. Sinclair has dropped the supply of RAM boards to Model 1 users due to the fact that he cannot compete with independent companies prices (the Model 1 needs a PCB instead of just the ICs as there are no sockets for RAM chips).

Sinclair has also dropped the micro- drive for the moment, but has promised that the first 100,000 purchasers of the Spectrum will be given the first chance to buy them when they are available. He has aiso dropped the modem that was going to interface to the telephone line to pick up PRESTEL, a nation wide database run by Britain’s telephone company.

This has disappointed the producers of a special service called Micro-Net 800 who have had to look elsewhere for mo- dems for the Sinclairs. Other machines can already be connected up via an RS232 interface using an acoustic modem and some specially written software. The idea of Micro-Net was to sell or give away software over the phone lines as well as providing an information service simular to the Source in the USA. The service would cost approximately £100. This in- cluded the price of the modem and soft- ware to run it over the membership period of a year. At least 100 free programs were to be made available for each type of microcomputer and at night access to the

Micro-Net would only be the cost of a local phone call.

Sinclair has reduced prices over here to £39.95 for the ZX81 and £99.95/ £129.95 for the 16K/48K models of the Spectrum.

The companies I have mentioned are all in England and are listed below.

Kempston Microelectronics Ltd., 180A Bedford Rd., Kempston, Bedford MK42 8BL. Tele: 0234 852997.

AGF Hardware, 26 Van Gough Place, Bognor Regis, W. Sussex PO22 9BY. Tele: 0243 823337.

TASWORD, TASMAN software, 17 Hartley Crescent, Leeds LS6 2LL.

Hilderbay Ltd., 8-10 Parkway, Regents Park, London NW1. Tele: 01 485 1059.

Scimitar Software, 3 Palace Gates Road, London N22 4BW. Tele: 01 889 1099

Crystal Computing, 2 Ashton Way, Sun- derland SR3 3RX.

Home Computing Weekly, ASP, 145 Charring Cross Road, London WC2 EE. Tele: 01-437-1002/7

Personal Computer News, Evelyn House, 62 Oxford Street, London W1A 2HG. Tele: 01-439-4242

Popular Computing Weekly, Hobhouse Court, 19 Whitcombe Street, London WC2 7HF. Tele: 01-839-6835.

Softest, 10 Richmond Lane, Romsey, Hants.

EuroElectronics, 29 Clarence Square, Cheltenham, Gloucester. Tele: 0242- 582009.

Imagine Software, Masons Buildings, Exchange Street East, Liverpool L2 ae

Glitchoidz neport

Connecting a Monitor to the TS1000, 3:4.

The schematic should show a line from Gnd to the shielded cable as in the diagram below.

Shielded cable to monitor

To tape

recorder transistor

9V

teru EAs

8K ROM; 1K RAM bad sik in gk following lines:

CO} fr Pd es re T es ae a

Piel RUN and ENTER. Observe the results. Can you figure this one out? Our thanks to:

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8K ROM; any RAM APE) in the ee lines:

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EE e CETL e E T ee

E E E EA o EA E EE E

ae TT

rary Tc |

A N

“Try This” features short prograr S te

| family and friends, and tickle your ir

_ Send your contributions to: Try This -NJ 07950. -

Put the computer in SLOW mode for best results. Press RUN and ENTER. Ob- serve the results. After you have digested the display, try the variation in the fol- lowing lines:

was

TT pep e

Tete |

a E i ae cy

a a) ee

TM ST ry

be be Te eT oo

Tat) > Des es es es ss

SWC EA EE Be hd Pt

sp: ates

z T p

Pres RUN and ENTER. Which vari- ation do you prefer? Our thanks to:

Tuan Ton

6837 Carnegie Dr.

Richmond, VA 23226

Ow off your computer, impress your - hen SYNC arrives at your place. 39 E. Hanover Ave., Morris Plains,

8K ROM; 1K RAM Let’s try Eric Chandler’s “Try This” again (SYNC 3:4):

20 FOR N=1 TO 5

30 PRINT CHR$(38+INT(RND*26+ Aal

40 NEXT N

50 PRINT “###”;

60 GOTO 20

Press RUN and ENTER; press CONT and ENTER for another screen. What happens here?

Line notes:

20: 5 letters

30: A random letter A-Z

50: 3 spaces after each word (8 * 4 = 32 = a full line).

Our thanks for the correction to:

Eric Chandler

1523 Club Terr.

Lynchburg, VA 24503 Fa

“GET ACQUAINTED” OFFER

A handsome, compact work station that consolidates work space and provides remarkably faster, easier operation!

Features:

e Effectively eliminates cluttered e Holds your Software tapes in

cables in your work area. e ON/OFF Switch eliminates plugging and unplugging.

e Accommodates all brands of

16K, 32K, 64K RAM packs. e Allows provision for one Print- + Accommodates a 13” TV er and Tape Deck hook-up.

Cat. No 1101

1201

1202

1203

1204

1205

1207

1301

mbr

THE QUIZ KIT™ Educational learning system. Construct your own quizzes. 16K Req.

5-2 GAMES™ Five challeng- ing and entertaining games. 2K Req.

STAR BATTLE™ Realistic deep space adventure to save Earth. 16K Req.

ROBBERS OF THE LOST TOMB™ Perilous adventure in search of the Sacred Tab- lets. 16K Req.

WALL STREET™ A competi- tive game of financial spec- ulation. 16K Req. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN™ Conduct a nationwide cam- paign to become the next President of the United States. 16K Req.

SCYON’S REVENGE™ Real- istic deep space combat ad- venture. 16K Req.

THE MONEY MANAGER™ Home and business budget and cash flow system. 16K Req.

DISTRIBUTORS

GET TWO TIMEWORKS

neat, specially formed pockets.

e High impact, black molded plastic. 35” high, 20” deep,

1412” wide.

screen.

Cat. No 1302

1303

1304

1306

1307

1308

1401

THE COLLECTOR’S COM- PANION™ Cataloging and inventory recording system for all collectibles. 16K Req.

THE INSURANCE PROPER- TY RECORD™ Home con- tents inventory recording system. 16K Req.

THE ELECTRONIC CHECK- BOOK™ Check recording, sorting and balancing sys- tem. 16K Req.

FORGET-ME-NOT™ A re- cording and retrieval system for important occasions, events and appointments. 16K Req.

DATA MASTER™ A general information storage and re- trieval system—with exclu- sive “X-SEARCH”™ Fea- ture. 16K Req.

5-2K FAMILY PAK™ 5 Household programs for the basic T/S 1000 and Sinclair ZX-81 Computers. 2K Req. PROGRAMMING KIT 1™ A practical “How-To” learning approach to Basic program- ming. 16K Req.

P.O. Box 321, Deerfield, IL 60015 (312) 291-9284

PROGRAMS

FREE

When You Buy

TIME WORKS

“Computer Control Center’™

For Timex-Sinclair 1000 and Sinclair ZX-81 Computers.

Only $2995 FREE

Any Two TIMEWORKS Programs Listed Below with the ‘Computer Control Center” (retail value $16.95 ea.)

$6400 value for $2995 You save $3405

COMPLETE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

If, for any reason, you are not completely satisfied, you may return The Computer Control Center, in good condition (freight prepaid), for a full cash refund. (Software not included).

RUSH This Coupon Today.

MBR Distributors

PO Box 321 Deerfield, IL 60015

Rush me Computer Control Centers @ $29.95/ea Plus postage & handling _______@ $4.70/ea (Illinois residents add 6% sales tax)

ALSO INCLUDE TWO FREE PROGRAMS (Additional Software @ $16.95 ea) Cat. No. Qty. @ no charge

@ no charge

@ $16.95/ea @ $16.95/ea

TOTAL

Name Address City aig ee a State Zip Checkor MOO VISAO MasterChargeO American Express O Card No. Exp. Date Signature Dept. SY-9

CIRCLE 71 ON READER SERVICE CARD

ESOL Ces

Address Change Biocal Software, Inc. 167 Wilson St. Petaluma, CA 94952

(800) 237-8400, x70

Note: Biocal customers who bought tapes prior to April 1983 which would not LOAD can return the tape plus $1 for s&h for an updated tape with documentation.

Services

Repair Service/Maintenance Agreements

Renewable maintenance agree- ment keeps your system running. The only Sinclair Research Ltd. authorized service center in the nation. For further details, write to:

MicroSync Services

Box 2015

162 Marlboro St.

Keene, NH 03431

Programming Aids

Program Name Reader

Reads all names of programs on tape; prints to screen or to printer. Sees names one at a time as they are read from tape. Operates from REMark statement at 16514. Add $1 for customization to another location. 1K MC. Unusual bonus program included. Listing: $1 plus long SASE.

Multiple Programs in Memory. 2K RAM.

Store from 2 to 47 programs depending RAM. Allows programs to be. swapped in a split second. Memory is divided into uniform sections; sO programs must be roughly same size. Customized ver- sion that resides in 8K to 16K

44

block: $1 extra. MC. Listing: $1 plus long SASE.

John Richard Coffey

PO Box 448

Scottsburg, IN 47170

BEST Computer Coach Audio instruction tapes and computer program tape package.

Presents audio-visual show for

teaching the meaning and relation- ship of commonly used computer terms.