SPGJAF@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU (Joseph A. Faracchio {415} 642-7638 {w}) (06/11/91)
I 'killed' some time over the weekend trying out the Sharp Wizard 8000 as
a terminal (from home). Here's what I found:
There's no attempt on the Wizard's part to tell you what's wrong.
I was lucky to have a data line monitor between the Wizard and
the modem so that I could see all that was happening.
I had to force DTR on for the modem I was using by redoing the dip switch
setting for DTR. I may have been using a bad null modem. I was using
a CE-131T cable ( the older one with ac/dc power adapter,sigh.) The Wiz-
ard wouldn't work with a Traveling Software Wizard cable which only has
Send, Receive and signal ground hooked up. Wizard must be looking for
DSR or CD. I might get around this with a 'better' null modem setup.
The Wizard sends : ATZ, ATQ0, ATV1, AT\N0 -or- \N3, ATX4, ATM1 -or- M0,
ATS0=3, ATDT+phonenumber.
Sharp insists that the modem by Hayes-compatible but my modem isn't 100%.
My modem sent OK with cr/lf for all except \N3, caused ERROR with cr/lf.
The Wizard must only be looking for cr/lf because it didn't act on ERROR.
I used some of the "S","R" & "W" script programming but if you get it
wrong it just sits there forever. Having a no-phone number entry gets
you connected without going through all the setup stuff.
This may be a part of the WAKEUP option that I might have had set on
by mistake but: if you send the 'normal' escape sequences that the
Sharp Link Organizer uses (x'04'+D or E or O) it will react to them
as if you were in PC LINK mode rather than Terminal mode. This creates
the possibility of having the Wizard hooked up to the desk PC all the time.
and the turning on/off controlled by the PC software.
No VT100 capabilities i.e. screen formatting. If someone offered this
bundled with the Basic/scientific card I'd buy it!!
I could not find this documented anywhere but: the EXP/COL key is a
sticky CTLR- key like the way the SHIFT key works. So to send CTRL-Z, you
hit EXP/COL and the letter "Z".
Like the SMBL menu a little CONTROL box pops up until you hit the letter
But it only works for A-Z and doesn't allow 1-9 and the few others. (sigh
Also poorly documented is the TERMINAL MENU which is not reachable unless
you are in TERMINAL mode. It lists UP/DOWN LOAD, send Break, 40/80 cols
and CONFIGURATION (change) as choices. UPLOADS and DOWNLOAD are to the
MEMO are a only. And if you have a RAM card "in effect" when you enter
terminal mode, uploads will come & go from there at selection time.
Technical support tells me that the Wiz uses a 8K buffer for the screen.
I noticed I was able to scroll back a few pages but didn't know it was
that much.
Amazingly after 3 hours of poking around (but not continuously on and
hooked to the cable) the batteries didn't die. Sharp says that you must
get out of terminal/pc link mode and turn off or disconnect the cable
if you don't want the batteries to drain. Does anyone know if turning it
off is enough or do you really have to disconnect it from the cable?
hope this helps! ... cheers ... joe.f.