[fa.info-cpm] OSBORNE tricks

C70:info-cpm (05/28/82)

>From W8SDZ@Mit-Mc Fri May 28 01:19:02 1982
The following is forwarded from my RCPM system....

   OSTRICKS.DOC  OSBORNE 1 UNDOCUMENTED TRICKS
   taken from 6/82 Microcomputing letter p. 24.
   OZYTRX10.DOC  version 1.0
***************************************************
*                                                 *
*      original file modified by Bob Schultz      *
*                       of                        *
*                                                 *
*                  OZYMANDIAS II                  *
*                                                 *
*                       the                       *
*                                                 *
*         Information Interchange Service         *
*                       for                       *
*            Osborne I Computer Owners            *
*                                                 *
*                     Box 65                      *
*                   Station  G                    *
*                Toronto, Ontario                 *
*                     M4M 3E8                     *
*                                                 *
***************************************************


   BAUD RATE:
   The rs-232c baud rate can be set using the
   following:
RESET   =       057H    ;6850 reset
B03     =       056H    ;300/600  baud
B12     =       055H    ;1200/2400 baud
B96     =       054H    ;9600/19200 baud
BASE    =       0E500H  ;BIOS JUMP TABLE ON MODIFIED
                        ;UNITS, (VER 1.3) ELSE
                        ;0EA00H ON UNMODIFIED.
                        ;(VER 1.2)
        MVI     C,B96   ;..for 9600
        CALL    BASE+03CH   ;set the new rate

   These rates can also be doubled by changing
the jumper J1 in the OS-1.  To get to this jumper,
remove the two knobs with an allen key and remove
the screws holding the front panel in place.  The
jumper is located behind the RS-232 port about half
way back on the board, just to the left of the 6850.
When the jumper is installed, you get the lower of 
each pair of baud rates.  When it is removed, you
get the higher.

The bits for the 6850 control register are the
following:

CR1 CR0  Counter Divide Select Bits
 0   0   divide by 1
 0   1   divide by 16
 1   0   divide by 64

CR4 CR3 CR2  Word Select Bits
 0   0   0   7 bits + even parity + 2 stop bits
 0   0   1   7 bits +  odd parity + 2 stop bits
 0   1   0   7 bits + even parity + 1 stop bit
 0   1   1   7 bits +  odd parity + 1 stop bit
 1   0   0   8 bits +   no parity + 2 stop bits
 1   0   1   8 bits +   no parity + 1 stop bit
 1   1   0   8 bits + even parity + 1 stop bit
 1   1   1   8 bits +  odd parity + 1 stop bit

CR6 CR5  Transmitter Control Bits
 0   0   *RTS = low,  xmit interrupt disabled
 0   1   *RTS = low,  xmit interrupt enabled
 1   0   *RTS = high, xmit interrupt disabled
 1   1   *RTS = low,  xmit interrupt disabled
       xmits a break level on the xmit data output.

note: *RTS is a ground true signal. It goes out
      without any buffering (ugh!!!) on pin 8 of
      the modem connector.  Be very careful if you
      use this connector.  *RTS from the 6850 does
      not go to the RS-232 port at all, but does
      seem to turn off the data coming out of pin 3
      of the RS-232 connector.
 
CR7  Receive Interrupt Enable Bit
     The following interrupts are enabled by this
     bit: Reveive Data Register Full, Overrun,
     or a low to high transition on the *DCD signal
     line (Data Carrier Detect).
note: *DCD has an inverting buffer to pin 4 of both
      the RS-232 connector and the modem connector.  

   BOOTING RIGHT-SIDE DISK DRIVE:
   On reset, when you get the prompt for a
carriage return to boot normally, reply with
a double-quote mark  "
   The right side drive is then A:, and the
left side drive is B:.
   This is useful if your left side drive is
temporarily not operating properly (or at all).

   PRINTER TOGGLE:
   CP/M Control-P is the normal toggle. If addr
0DA0DH is non-zero, the printer will receive an
echo of the console output.

   PROGRAM FUNCTION KEYS:
   Set them up as in the manual. They are then
invoked with a control 0-9, which is not clear
in the manual.

   WORDSTAR BACKSPACE:
   After the modification is applied to your
computer, the back-arrow key (which used to be
the delete char key), is now the cursor-left key.
   Delete is Control - (minus) (undocumented).

   MODIFICATION GOOD NEWS:
   1. The capital lock now works for all char.
   2. All programs can handle auto-scroll.

   MODIFICATION BAD NEWS:
   1. In Wordstar, when you auto-scroll, the
display does an annoying left/right dance when
doing a rapid vertical scroll.
   2. The upgrade BIOS uses registers X and Y.
CP/M was written in 8080 code where these do
not exist. CP/M programs which use X and Y, and
worked fine previously, may have to be altered
to save X and Y on the stack prior to CP/M calls.

   SETUP DUMBNESS:
   After running SETUP, you must do a COLD boot
(i.e. hit the reset button) in order to get the
changes into memory.  It would be so nice to be
able to get the changes into memory for testing
without writing to the disk, but that's the way
the software bytes.

   ---------------------------------------------

May 24, 1982  There were some serious pieces of mis-
information in the original file.....57h is a reset
for the 6850.  The correct number has been entered
and some information added. I will try to keep this
file up to date and posted on MISSISSAUGA RCP/M
(416)-826-5394. Leave any comments, suggestions,
programs, etc. there or write to me at the address
at the top of the file.  Diskettes of programs con-
figured for the Osborne, general purpose utilities,
software tools, tips, problems, some humor and
games, and anything else that I think that people
will like, will be distributed at a cost of $10 per
diskette.  Send me any information, programs, etc.
that you like to see entered into the public domain.
ozymandias (the modified Osborne I computer) is up
and down so often with disk problems (Bdos error--
bad sector) that I must have the world's most ex-
pensive yo-yo.
happy yo-yoing {Bob Schultz}

C70:info-cpm (05/29/82)

>From BANDY@Mit-Ai Fri May 28 21:14:49 1982
BANDY@MIT-AI 05/28/82 08:55:51 Re: OSBORNE tricks
To: W8SDZ at MIT-MC
CC: INFO-CPM at MIT-AI

If someone would TRY it (or do the math), they would see that in normal mode 
you have the choice of 300, 1200, and 19.2kbaud (the 6850 divides by
1, 16, or 64) ... tell me, what is 64x300? It is 19.2k!!!!!! In 600, 2400,
etc mode, you get 38.4kbaud!!!

In v1.3 setup, you get your new softkeys (at least) when you warm-boot.

To delete the character to the left of the curso, you hit DEL (^? on the O1).
THIS is documented. It just happens to be a quirk of WS2.26 that ^_ 
(^- on the O1) is interpreted to be a DEL.

Yes, setting RTS to low turns off the serial port (brain damaged, but that's
the way the dude designed the hardware).
                                        - Andy
                                        - andrew.univax at brl-bmd

C70:info-cpm (05/29/82)

>From DULCEY@Mit-Ai Fri May 28 21:40:45 1982
Well, you COULD set up your Osborne to work at 19.2KBaud.  However, it wouldn't
work very well.  X1 mode of the 6850 is really only intended for use in basically
synchronous, non-noisy systems.  Relatively small timing errors or noise bursts
will mess it up.  (Read the spec sheet for more enlightment).