dseah@wpi.wpi.edu (David I Seah) (05/10/89)
I picked up the original 1979 disk for the Apple Graphics Tablet for $5.00 at AppleFest. I have an old Graphics Tablet, so I was curious to see what this old software would be like. So, I popped the disk in the drive and booted from slot 6. Not a Startup Disk! Couldn't catalog it with ProDOS or DOS 3.3, I had to break out Copy II Plus 5.0 to read this DOS 3.2 disk. Using Copy II Plus, I copied the files over to a DiversiDOS 3.3 disk. Next Problem: I have the Graphics Tablet card in Slot 6. I had to boot from slot 6, so I moved it to slot 7, next to my old gsRAM card. Hooray! The card was recognized and I tried to calibrate the tablet with the software...funny, it's not working. I booted up DeluxePaint II with the Tablet CDA. The pen is registering funny. Apparently, the gsRAM card is interfering massively with the tablet or pen electronics. I moved the card back to slot 6 (other slots are sort of filled or needed for mouse/smartport/etc). I copied the files to a UniDOS 3.3 disk and booted from that. Everything worked dandy at first. The tablet was calibrated (although the software was a little rude :) and I pressed "G" to run the graphics software. However, "ERROR PEEK(222)=53". I pressed reset and typed RESUME to see the real error. It was an out of range error in assigning the value peek(753)*256+peek(752) to an integer variable EP%. 753 translated to an address in the high end of the keyboard buffer ($200-$2FF). Scouting through the rest of the program, I notice that there are many references to locations in this range. Nothing was loaded/poked into here. I vaguely remember that DOS 3.2 partially bootstrapped into this section of memory...but I thought it was closer to $300. Can anybody help me with this problem? Is there something special about the Graphics Tablet Software (680-0007-00) DOS? This disk is so old, it doesn't have a reinforced hub. Dave Seah (dseah@wpi.wpi.edu, dseah@wpi.bitnet);
matthew@sunpix.UUCP ( Sun Visualization Products) (05/14/89)
[a *lot* of text about Apple Graphics Tablet software deleted] >Nothing was loaded/poked into here. I vaguely remember that DOS 3.2 partially >bootstrapped into this section of memory...but I thought it was closer to >$300. Yes, just as ProDOS and DOS 3.3 load the first block of code off the disk into $0800, DOS 3.2 put it at $0300. At the switch from DOS 3.2 to DOS 3.3, Apple changed the code in the boot rom to read sector 0 / track 0 of a 16 sector diskette, vice sector 0 / track 0 of a 13 sector diskette (this is one reason you can't boot the disk on your Apple //gs). When Apple made the change, they also came out with a little program called 'BOOT13', to permit DOS 3.3 users to boot DOS 3.2 disks. This program was distributed on the original DOS 3.3 users disk. If you can get a hold of this program, you should be able to boot Apple Graphics Tablet software disk on your Apple //gs. Another avenue you might want to try, is a program that NIBBLE published several years ago, that reformatted track 0 on a DOS 3.2 disk, placing two Sector 0's on the disk. One of them was the DOS 3.2 readable one, the other was a DOS 3.3 readable block containing an altered copy of the DOS 3.2 boot rom. I'd post the code, but they are both copyrighted works. Hound Apple for the BOOT13 program, and the NIBBLE program can probably still be purchased through their "in the back of the magazine" catalogs. -- Matthew Lee Stier | Sun Microsystems --- RTP, NC 27709-3447 | "Wisconsin Escapee" uucp: { sun, mcnc!rti }!sunpix!matthew | phone: (919) 469-8300 fax: (919) 460-8355 |
matthew@sunpix.UUCP ( Sun Visualization Products) (05/19/89)
[comments/complaints about the Apple Graphics Tablet deleted]
It come to my attention that a local BBS has a driver for this device
to let it substitue for a mouse on the Apple //gs. I'll obtain it and
post it to comp.binaries.apple2 if I get a single request.
I've made my offer, no its up to you.
--
Matthew Lee Stier |
Sun Microsystems --- RTP, NC 27709-3447 | "Wisconsin Escapee"
uucp: { sun, mcnc!rti }!sunpix!matthew |
phone: (919) 469-8300 fax: (919) 460-8355 |