simon@ms.uky.edu (George Simon) (07/12/88)
Help!!! I have a z80 cpm box at work that has problems, and I'm looking for ideas to improve it a little. If it were up to me, I'd replace it with a Pc, but for several reasons, we need to continue to use it. The version of cpm that it is running seems to be < 2.2, and the bdos seem to be brain-damaged. (1) There is no escape code to position the cursor, however calling the bios CONOUT routine to print a 0x18 with the row/col in HL does the job. (don't even ask how I found this out!) (2) Bdos function 6 (direct console i/o) does not exist, but the corresponding bios calls work ok. Other bdos calls may be ok, but I trust the bios much more. The bdos also refuses to return the version#. The computer itself is a Videoplan form Kontron Electronics (in Munich & California), has 1 Z80-sio, 1 ctc, 2 pio's (keyboard & printer) and a WD1771-B01 floppy controller (single density). The motherboard is a (4mhz?) KDT rev. IV. If anyone from Kontron is reading this, and has any docs on this board, please send me e-mail. Even its disks are strange - single density, 35 tracks x 2 sides, and 16 sectors/track yielding about 138K per disk. I've been thinking about getting Z-cpr to replace the bdos/ccp, but I'm not sure if it would even install in such a brain damaged system. I have no hardware or software docs on this machine, but I have found all of the port#s for the sio/ctc/pio's, and can probably find the floppy controller and video (Motorola 6845L) if needed. Anyone got any other ideas? I'd love to be able to do double-density, but I don't know if the WD1771 can do this. I have heard that Z-Cpr 3.4 is self-installing, but it may have problems here... I have managed to get kermit running, but I'd like to get turbo pascal or a c-compiler working. Respond via e-mail, or post it if you think others would be interested. Thanks in advance, Simon. <--------------------------------------------------------------------------> <--- Simon Gales@University of Ky (606) 257-3597/254-9387 ---> <--- [ simon@ms.uky.edu ] | [ simon@UKMA.BITNET ] ---> <-------------------------------------------------------------------------->
mwilson@crash.cts.com (Marc Wilson) (07/13/88)
In article <9936@e.ms.uky.edu> simon@ms.uky.edu (Simon Gales) writes: >Help!!! > I have a z80 cpm box at work that has problems, and I'm looking > for ideas to improve it a lit > > The version of cpm that it is running seems to be < 2.2, and > the bdos seem to be brain-damaged. > (1) There is no escape code to position the cursor, however > calling the bios CONOUT routine to print a 0x18 with the > row/col in HL does the job. (don't even ask how I found > this out!) > (2) Bdos function 6 (direct console i/o) does not exist, but > the corresponding bios calls work ok. Other bdos calls > may be ok, but I trust the bios much more. The bdos also > refuses to return the version#. What you are describing sounds very much like CP/M 1.4. It implemented neither the BDOS 6 call, nor the BDOS 12 call ( well, it *did* do BDOS 12, but it used it for something else ). As for trusting the BIOS, watch out. There are differences between the 2.2 BIOS and a 1.4 BIOS. > The computer itself is a Videoplan form Kontron Electronics > (in Munich & California), has 1 Z80-sio, 1 ctc, 2 pio's (keyboard > & printer) and a WD1771-B01 floppy controller (single density). > The motherboard is a (4mhz?) KDT rev. IV. If anyone from Kontron > is reading this, and has any docs on this board, please send me > e-mail. > > I've been thinking about getting Z-cpr to replace the bdos/ccp, > but I'm not sure if it would even install in such a brain damaged > system. I can almost guarantee that you won't be able to install the Z-System on this machine. You need a 2.2 system for that. NZCOM will probably blow up if you try to use it. Save your money. > > Anyone got any other ideas? I'd love to be able to do double-density, > but I don't know if the WD1771 can do this. I know that the 1770 can, but it needs external help. How do I know this? This computer right here ( Ampro LB/Z80 ) uses the 1770. Pick up the data sheets on the chip from Western Digital. They've always been most helpful when I've spoken to them. Good luck! -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marc Wilson ARPA: ...!crash!mwilson@nosc.mil ...!crash!pnet01!pro-sol!mwilson@nosc.mil UUCP: [ cbosgd | hp-sdd!hplabs | sdcsvax | nosc ]!crash!mwilson INET: mwilson@crash.CTS.COM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dg@lakart.UUCP (David Goodenough) (07/27/88)
From article <9936@e.ms.uky.edu>, by simon@ms.uky.edu (George Simon): > Help!!! > The version of cpm that it is running seems to be < 2.2, and > the bdos seem to be brain-damaged. > > (2) Bdos function 6 (direct console i/o) does not exist, but > the corresponding bios calls work ok. Other bdos calls > may be ok, but I trust the bios much more. The bdos also ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > refuses to return the version#. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This may be part of your problem: function 12 (0xc) in V2.0 and higher gives back the version number - V1.X does not: it appears that you have a very early version. To verify this try some tests of the random access routines: if they fail you almost certainly have a pre 2.0 bdos. > Anyone got any other ideas? I'd love to be able to do double-density, > but I don't know if the WD1771 can do this. I have heard that Sadly the 1771 only talks single density, and I don't know if the 1791 / 1793 would be a dropin replacement. -- dg@lakart.UUCP - David Goodenough +---+ | +-+-+ ....... !harvard!cca!lakart!dg +-+-+ | +---+
mlinar@eve.usc.edu (Mitch Mlinar) (07/29/88)
In article <187@lakart.UUCP> dg@lakart.UUCP (David Goodenough) writes:
#From article <9936@e.ms.uky.edu#, by simon@ms.uky.edu (George Simon):
## The version of cpm that it is running seems to be < 2.2, and
## the bdos seem to be brain-damaged.
##
## (2) Bdos function 6 (direct console i/o) does not exist, but
## the corresponding bios calls work ok. Other bdos calls
## may be ok, but I trust the bios much more. The bdos also
## refuses to return the version#.
# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
#
#This may be part of your problem: function 12 (0xc) in V2.0 and higher
#gives back the version number - V1.X does not: it appears that you have
True, but still usable as is. In CP/M 1.3 and 1.4, it was not *intended* to
return the version number, but rather some obscure disk function like "unload
heads" or something like that. The function *is* supposed to return A=00,
which lets you know it is earlier than CP/M 2.x or MP/M.
# ## Anyone got any other ideas? I'd love to be able to do double-density,
# ## but I don't know if the WD1771 can do this. I have heard that
#Sadly the 1771 only talks single density, and Idon't know if the 1791 /
#1793 would be a dropin replacement.
David is correct about the single-density 1771; also, the 1791/1793 is NOT a
drop in replacement. You need a bit of external clock/data separation
circuitry to run double density as well as a higher clock rate to the chip
itself (2 MHz instead of 1 MHz). Potentially some major board work here...
I missed out on the earlier conversation, so don't know what system you have
and if there is some adapter kit sold for your machine.
-Mitch