TS 1000

SINCLAIR/TIMEX USERS MAGAZINE “$950 Volume III MAY 1985 Number 5

SPECIAL ISSUE!

- Inside -

Portuguese Timex Computer & Disk Drive System — A Review! The Rotronics Wafadrive — An Alternative to Cassette Converting Your Color TV to a Color Monitor

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT — For New Readers and Old

For a number of our readers, this is your first issue of SUM Magazine. Others have been with us since we were only a local users newsletter, Timex Users Group here in Gainesville.

SUM Magazine is the result of the efforts of Joe Williamson and me, Richard Cravy, to help support our "orphan" com- puters. AS a result of several small pub- lishers and dozens of small software and hardware businesses across the U.S., not only are the Timex computers being sup- ported, they are thriving. For those who

TS 1000 TS 1500 TS 2068

ght SINCLAIR/TIMEX USERS MAGAZINE 3224 Northwest 30th Avenue Gainesville, Florida 32605 904/378-gooo (evenings /weekends ) EDITOR PUBLISHER

Joe Williamson | Richard Cravy CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Al Mollitor Bill Woodward John Monkus

$12.00/year Published monthly

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These prices do not include artwork or ad layout. If at all possible, advertisers should supply their own.

Classifieds: $2.00 per line (35 characters). FREE personal ads for subscribers (no dealers).

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We pay 7¢ per line for articles published (after editing) and 10¢ per program line (after editing).

CORRESPONDENCE

Use your name and address exactly as it appears on your mailing label in all correspondence, especially if ordering from a sample copy. Please tell our advertisers you saw their ad in SUM.

supporting the

do not already know, there is more hard- ware and software now than there ever was when Timex was in the business! We are glad to be a small part in this success. In SUM Magazine we try to offer a place for entrepreneurs to advertise, and owners to share their discoveries with others. In addition, we try to provide a good mix of

news, hardware construction, software pro-

gramming, and hardware and software reviews. Though we appreciate the help that some companies have given us by advertising or providing review copies, we honestly try to be unbiased in our

evaluations, thinking only of whether we

would consider purchasing and using a product ourselves. Our opinion may not be the same as others, or the same as the manufacturer -- but it is how we honestly

feel,

Joe has brought to this task a just completed degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Florida (Go Gators') and experience with Sinclair dating back to his purchase and construction of a ZX8i kit.

I have now, have access to, or have owned in the past, numerous computers in- cluding IBM PCs, Apple, TRS-80, Sanyo, and Kaypro. My favorite for all around = fun, and sincere respect for its engineering genius is, of course, the Timex/Sinclair line.

Growth of SUM since we formally began an active subscription drive last August has been more than we had hoped for. We add new subscribers daily, currently mail to 650+ Timex users and users groups. Some new (and expensive) advertising we are just beginning will generate many more subscribers, and you may be in that number . .

Plans for the future are these: MORE OF THE SAME, ONLY BETTER! We hope to keep a 10/50 ratio between advertising and edit- Orial content (by page count), but up the amount of editorial material by using smaller type, and eventually switching over to commercial typesetting. As you've noticed, we are a MONTHLY. We think this distinguishes us, for the present, from all other major Timex/Sinclair magazines here in the U.S. Presently we are either the lowest or among the lowest in sub- scription price and advertising. We hope to keep it that way! This is not a slam against other publishers, for we know that

...continued on page 27

Portuguese Timex T-2068 Computer & Timex Disk Drive System: A Hands-On Evaluation

Timex is still in the home computer market--in Europe! When Timex bowed out here in early 1984, their computer manu- facturing facilities in Portugal continued their work, primarily, ta) everyone believed, manufacturing for Sinclair in England. Apparently, this was only partly true. Their research and devel opment department was still at work, perfecting the products only hinted at before Timex bowed out.

This issue of SUM is partly devoted to reviews of these new products. It is our understanding that Timex in Portugal is currently selling the computer in Portu- gal, and has the disk drive system for

3

sale in both England (for the’ Spectrum) and in Portugal. We do not presently have any undisputed indication that they will come to the American market. There is also no connection with the coming QL computer from Sinclair.

Through the courtesy of Timex in Portu- gal and the invaluable help and persis- tence of Bob Dyl of English Micro Connec-

tion in Newport, Rhode Island, SUM has been able to acquire the following compu- ter equipment for evaluation: a Timex

Single disk drive system, a new version of the Timex 2068 computer, and a Timex Emulator Cartridge. None of these products are presently for sale in the U.S. They

PERGONAL OS5.08 COMPUTER

The keyboard looks the same, except for the name in the upper left corner. The real differences lie inside.

are expected in the future. More details will given further on in this article.

= THE HARDWARE

The Timex 2068 computer appears to be a Timex/Sinclair 2068 with only the name in the upper left corner changed. I say, "appears" because, in fact, it is a dif- ferent computer in several ways. First is the fact that the rear edge connector is not TS-2068 compatible; it is a Sinclair Spectrum pin-out. Shipped with the com puter is one of Timex’s small plug-in cartridges (goes under the Timex Command Cartridge door on the right hand side of the computer) which makes the Timex 2068

highly compatible with the Spectrum when it is plugged in. When removed, the T-2068 runs TS-2068 software.

LIFT TO OPEN ~ Tiwex Commann canraince Fo OF 28

Visions of running the Emulator = cart- ridge on my TS-2068 ran through my head as well, but investigation shows that the emulator cartridge has been made tall enough that it won't fit into the slot of the American machine; it’s just as well as it turns out, since the Emulator does not work with American machines.

The case and keyboard are identical other than the taller slot for the Emu- lator cartridge. Opening the Portuguese computer also reveals major differences. The circuit board is much smaller, and is dominated by a few large scale integrated circuits which must incorporate many of the discreet resistors and capacitors and other parts on the American machine. The RF modulator is of a different design, and the output on our monitors and television was much “cleaner" and steady. The one machine we tested did seem to have a slightly weaker output signal on the moni- tor than the 15-2068. The Portuguese computer uses a 9% volt power supply instead of the 15 volt sold in America.

The disk drive system consists of three identical sized boxes approximately 5" wide by 6 1/4" deep by 2 3/4" tall. They contain the power supply, disk controller, and disk drive. In addition, the approp- riate interface is provided which plugs into the rear of the computer. Three ver- sions of the interface are said to exist,

Disk drive controller box and plug-in interface

two of which we tested. Versions for the Spectrum and the Portuguese T-2068 we ran through their paces. We have not seen the interface that adapts the drive system to the American TS-2068. Various cables also protrude from the three boxes connecting the power supply to the controller and drive. Another cable from the rear of the controller box connects to the disk drive. A second coiled cable comes from the front of the controller and plugs into the interface.

Having the drive system spread out over three boxes and an interface is a mixed blessing. The snarl of cables keeps things untidy looking in the back, accentuated if you are also using one or both of the RS- 252 interfaces on the back of the control- ler box. They are also a bother to pick up and move. On the other hand, being small and separate gives you some variety in how you place them, though the cables which run between the boxes won't allow them to be separated by too much. They can be stacked on top of each other or set up on a shelf to leave more room on your desk top.

One real problem is the lack of any access to the rear edge connector when the interface is plugged in. This means, in my case, that I cannot run my printer with the disk drive since my printer has a cen- tronics parallel interface. Unless you purchase a Y-connector, a serial-to-para- llel converter, or a serial printer, you

will have the same problem. (An exception to this is Joe Williamson‘’s Foote Print printer interface which plugs into the cartridge slot of the TS-2068.)

UP AND RUNNING

The disk system connects up easily, but first time users may be a little unsure of themselves since the manual has no diagram or picture to accompany the written in- structions. When powering up, the computer is turned on first. Then the power switch on the back of the disk power supply is flipped on. A prominent red light shows on the disk drive unit indicating its readi- ness. A 3" microfloppy comes with the sys- tem. It contains the disk operating system designated 7.0.5. (Timex Operating System) and is self booting (loading) when slipped into the drive slot.

When the disk is inserted, the red light flickers off and on why the quiet drive loads the TOS. When booting is com- pleted, the light goes off, indicating both that the operation is complete and

How the disk drive system stacks up

that it is now safe to remove the diskette if another one is to be used. The diskette itself is enclosed in a rigid plastic case and has a metal shutter covering all open- ings in to the magnetic surface. This shutter slides out of the way when the disk is inserted in the drive and closes as it is removed.

The disk drive is a Hitachi unit which is a wonder of miniaturization. This same drive was offered for a while in the U.S. but never caught on, losing out to the Sony drives used on the Apple Macintosh, Hewlett-Packard, and other computers. But it does seem to be quite popular in Europe as I see it advertised either available for or actually being used with a number of different computers there. TOS can han- dle up to 4 drives, though cabling is only supplied for two, and an extra power = sup- ply would be necessary. The drive is a Single-sided (SS) model meaning it has one read/write head and operates on one side of the diskette. However, the diskettes can be turned over and the second side used.

Maximum storage capacity of the disk- ettes is 160k per side, or 320k each. When the operating system is saved on a disk, it leaves 140k of useable space on a side.

Access time, saving, and loading are fast. I was able to save everything thing in the memory of the 2068, from address 0 to Ramtop--64k--in 32 seconds. That comes to 2k per second. Saving Tasword II on to disk was simple, practically identical to Saving it onto the A & J Microdrives as detailed in the April issue of SUM. For comparison, loading Tasword II off cas- sette takes about 105 seconds, off A & J Microdrive about 25 seconds (once it finds the beginning of the file), and off the Timex disk drive about 7 seconds!

After the TOS diskette boots up, there is no immediate indication that TOS is in place. However, the CAT*® command will bring the drive briefly to life and a dir- ectory of all files available on the = cur- rent diskette will be displayed on the screen. Saving and loading files is accom plished as with a cassette except the com- mand must be followed by an asterisk (sym- bol-shift B). In fact all instructions to the disk drive must contain the asterisk or they will either look for cassette or send the system off to “never never land". When the computer does "go away", a reset button on the interface allows a "warm boot" of the system--that is, you can

Behind the scenes, the inevitable tangle of cables

break in a reset the system without using the power switch.

SECRETS OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM

The following commands are supported by

TOS, all on the 2068 keyboard: ATTR*, CAT#, CLOSE#*, MOVE*, DIM*, ERASE*, FOR- MAT#, GO SUB*, GO TO*x, INPUT*, LIST,

LOAD*, MERGE*, LET*, OPEN*, PRINT#, DRAW#, and SAVE*. An accompanying article details exactly what each command does.

The TOS is quite adequately explained in the manual accompanying the system. It

consists of a 70 page 5 1/2" by 8" book. There are no photos or drawings in the manual and only one diagram (reproduced

below). The original was produced on a dot matrix printer then offset printed. In spite of this, the text is quite readable. The book is divided into seven sections: 1. Introduction 2. Setting Up 3. TOS, Part I -- basic commands 4. TOS, Part II -- working with direc- tories and Pathnames 3. Random Access and Sequential Files 6. Serial Communication Ports 7. Appendices A. TOS Command Summary B. Error Reports C. Utility Programs D. RSZ32C Link Ups E. Error Trapping F. Machine Code Tips

The main two failings of the manual are the lack of illustrations to make things easier, and the lack of an index which would greatly simplify locating just the information you need.

The manual is easy to read, and goes a good job of explaining several rather com- plex subjects, such as directories and pathnames. Further, it has several simple

“Here is a brief Melber istion oF of the extended BASIC instructions s ed a TOS. Each command is on the”

e Sot seh emt by 2 that: Seah aosyen, PY the > path

"INPUT*” =— UEt. He far owed ny” Sane!

| Reads a record froma file. Record num may be specified eg ded random access” to ie igeto ae : - -—. .

ename already exists" and — oS. = ‘erm ite current —

programs at appropriate places which really should be typed in by the beginner as they illustrate very well the intended point.

In order to understand how to use and get around in TOS, it is necessary to know about DIRECTORIES, PATHNAMES, and “TREES. The opening directory (obtained by CAT) when the operating system is first loaded is called the "Root Directory”. The Root Directory may list both files (whether programs, data files, etc.) and subdirec- tories leading to other files. These dir- ectories in turn may contain other files and/or directories. When the whole filing structure of a diskette is considered it is called a TREE. Describing the path from the Root Directory down to the particular file you wish to access is called the PATH NAME. The accompanying diagram taken from the TOS manual illustrates this concept very well. The diagram is a map of the contents of Side A of the Operating System Disk which comes with the disk system.

*ROOT* [| -rme

= So os

feaenoar] (cane) [creiwr] [oune ] [Roors |

FILING

ADDRESS.EAS ADDRESS.REC

[RSRECETY]

Such a “hierarchic" structure allows § an orderly arranging of files. Note in the diagram that Utilities are all under one directory, Maths under another, and Fun under a third.

When the disk is first booted, a CAT* will yield the following: :DEMO Level 0 Drive A Name Typ Size Alloc S P HELP BAS 11087 11k. P MATHS DIR 3197 4K P FUN DIR 6651 Se P UTIL OIR 3075 7K & FILING DIR 1070 2K e MAX 140K CUR 33K REM 107K 0 OKs O81

Compare this to the diagram. The Directory being viewed is designated first preceeded by a colon, that is “:DEMO". This is at. "Level 0". One Basic program, "HELP.BAS", can be accessed, or four directories.

HELP.BAS may be loaded with VLOAD* but entrance to the directories is possible using the CAT* (pathname) or GO TO* (path- name). An example (using diagram) would be accessing "DICE" by entering GO TO*":DEMO sFUN: GAMES". Calling for CAT# would now show “Level 2" and only two listings in the :GAMES directory. A total of 16 direc- tories can be created and maintained on one side of a diskette. These can be ar- ranged in practically any way including as directories inside other directories. In the diagram, 9 directories exist.

Files within directories are allocated a minimum of ik of disk space. File names

can be up to 8 characters plus a dot and

a 3 character extension. All of the fol- lowing are examples of legal file names:

a

CALENDAR. BAS

CALENDAR. COD

DICE

All file names are automatically con- verted to upper case characters. TOS auto- matically assigns ".DIR" to directory names and ".SCP" to serial communication port files. Looking at the listing above for the directory of :DEMO, there are 2 columns on the right side labelled S and P. If a file is open at the time a direc- tory is called for, an "0" will appear in the S column. Since up to 16 files may be open at once for reading and/or writing from, this column shows which are open and closed at any given time. The FP column shows if a file is protected. Protected files cannot be erased (except by FORMAT) or written to, only read from. Files are protected or unprotected using the ATTR* command. This command also allows files to be created which are invisible to the CAT* command.

Though this overview does not do jus- tice to the TOS, I am convinced that once this system is available to serious soft- ware producers, the Timex/Spectrum commun- ity will see business software far more powerful than anything possible today. By using the power of TOS to automatically open, close, read, write, append, and create up to 16 different files at once, powerful databases and complex management programs similar to those available to IBM PC users is possible. I use an IBM PC with

its PC-DOS and was immediately struck when I read the TOS manual by its similarity to PC-DOS while being easier to use!

An extensive list of 65 error messages is used by the system. Each is clearly explained in an appendix of the manual. They are quite specific and allow a quick diagnosis of mistake was made.

At present, four utility programs exist on the TOS diskette: BACKUP, LOSYS, DUMP, and LPRINT. BACKUP allows the copying of an entire diskette, sector by sector, to another diskette, even if only one drive is available. LOSYS allows updating to new versions of the operating system as they become available without loss of data on current diskettes. Each diskette has a version of TOS written to it when it is formatted. DUMP will dump the chosen file onto the screen, giving the hexadecimal bytes for each address and the ASCII equi- valent. LPRINT activates serial port A on the back of the controller box so that the BASIC commands LPRINT and LLIST will drive a serial printer.

IT had no way to check the functioning or uses of the two serial ports. The TOS manual provides several pages of informa-

tion concerning opening and closing chan- nels, transmitting and receiving data, connecting two Spectrums or T-2068s to-

gether and communicating, etc. It is very fascinating and the manual makes it sound very easy.

Two final appendices in the manual ex- plain the use of error trapping and using TOS in machine code routines. Error trap- ping uses two otherwise unused system var- iables in the Spectrum and Timex: SYSERR and TRAP. The machine code tips detail accessing the TOS ROM without crashing the

system. Those users who understand machine code programming will find these 3 pages of great value.

CONCLUSIONS

The Timex Disk Drive System and TOS may be the vehicle that can carry both the Spectrum in England and the 2068 in the U.S.A. on to their rightful place as stan- dards in the small computer field. I can- not imagine any device, peripheral, or software that Timex or Sinclair could have introduced for these machines that could have a greater impact for good than this system. Once a user has worked with this disk system for 30 minutes, I do not be- lieve he/she will truly be happy with any- thing less!

The system provides for a great deal of

expansion. A notice on the bottom of the

controller box, and mentions in the liter- ature Timex shipped with the system, show that CP/M is already able to run on this setup with the addition of 48k more of RAM in the controller box. CP/M is the most popular operating system for 8 bit busi- ness computers and has thousands of opro- grams written for use with it.

Here at SUM Magazine we have some of everything--Microdrives, Wafadrives, cas- sette, ROM cartridges--and we use them all at one time or another. It is my opinion that, should Timex ever decide to bring this system to market here, and it works as well as our Fortuguese model does, not only will 2068 owners stand in long lines to purchase a system, but previous non- owners will also stand in line to purchase BOTH the computer AND the drive system!

-- Richard Cravy

Additional Notes on the Hardware of the T-2068 & Disk Drive

Disassembling the T-2068 reveals a cir- cuit board smaller than found in the Amer- ican computer. It is a very professionally designed board with no wire jumpers. A stand alone RF modulator replaces the vid- eo/RF modulator circuitry of the TS-2068. There are no trim pots or adjustable com- ponents except for a fine tune in the RF modulator. By comparison, the TS-2068 has five adjustable components.

The integrated chip count is down to 14 from 18 in the TS-2068, and none are soc- keted. Gone are the ICs which buffer the address and control lines; gone is the switching regulator IC, replaced by a 5 volt regulator and a very large heat’ sink as found in the Spectrum+. The speaker has a new chip driving it, the popular LM 386, and the sound is louder. The SCLD chip looks the same but following the circuit

Siren ST x wih a REST ES ES TO DD |

RE SR OerS

Side-by-side comparison of the TS-2068 (left) and Portuguese T-2068 main circuit boards

board traces indicates that it is probably ditferent--bad news for owners who might have wanted to swap theirs for this one.

The rest of the components on the com- puter circuit board are about the same and in the same general location with the ex- ception of the 5 volt regulator and the 2-80 cpu. The ear and mic jacks are like those on the TS-1000 and Spectrum series; they are not as sturdy but work fine. The keyboard has more spring and fewer dead spots than the TS-2068. The circuit board itself is stamped "Timex 2068A"; compare this to my TS-2068 which says "Timex TS 2000". The boards seems to be one model behind the machines they are in!

10

The big question is how ‘compatible is the new T-2068 with the English Spectrum and the American TS-2068. The answer is: VERY! I was able to run M-Script with its 64 column mode as well as Musicola and Cyberzone and the computer ran like a TS-2068. Next I inserted the Spectrum Emulator cartridge that comes with the T-2068 and loaded all the Spectrum soft- ware I had. No problems! The emulator boots up differently than Doug Dewey’s EMU 1. Doug's shows first the 2068 copyright and then switches to the Spectrum copy- right. The 1T-2068 emulator boots directly to the Spectrum copyright notice.

What about hardware compatibility? The

In the middle is the Maxell 3” diskette. Other recording media include 514” diskette, ROM cartridge, Wafadrive cartridge, and regular cassette tape.

T-2068 has a Spectrum edge connector 50 should handle anything made for the Spec- trum by using the emulator cartridge (Ro- tronics Wafadrive, Sinclair Interface I and II). The Timex 2040 printer works fine as does the 2050 modem and Tasman printer interface. The Aerco interface works fine on my printer, but may give problems since it looks for the RESET line, which is not in the same location on the T-2068 and Spectrum edge connectors. Since this line is for resetting your printer to begin printing, the same thing may be accom- plished by simply turning off your printer and then back on before sending to it. The FootePrint interface described in SUM in the January thru March issues does well and so does the Timex 2020 tape recorder.

I believe the A & J Microdrive will work if a "twister board" is designed to make the edge connector look like the T5S- 2068.

In the May-June issue of LIST (Long Is- land Sinclair Timex Newsletter, P. 0. Box 438, Centerport, NY 11721) Nazir Pashtoon also reviews the Portuguese T-2068. He has already figured out the rear edge connec- tor pin-outs, specifically those which ex- tend beyond the Spectrum (the T-2068 has more pins on its edge connector than the Spectrum, just like the TS-2068). EXROM, BE and RGB signals are still present = on this new buss. Missing are ROSCS, SPKR TAPE OUT, SOUND, IQAS, and EAR. Added is a stripped sync signal for an RGB monitor making a direct hook-up to an RGB monitor possible. Connecting the proper pins to my Sears RGB monitor gave beautiful results without having to make any extra circuits. Pashtoon’s unit apparently was ai rough pre-production unit as it had a "rigged"

11

color video circuit, extraneous bypass Capacitors, and all its chips in sockets. Nazir did test the Sinclair microdrives on his model T-2068 and reported that they worked perfectly.

Opening all three of the system boxes

shows clean, professionally designed and produced circuit boards. I only found one jumper wire.

The power supply is double-fused = and

well regulated. Our unit got a little hot- ter than I like, but did not affect its operation. It is necessary to always put it where it can get plenty or air circu- lation to prevent possible overheating. Inside the disk controller I found a very familiar circuit board--the board from the TS-1016 RAM pack for the TS-1000! It still has the Sinclair logo and (fiat ribbon cable. The engineers were resource-

ful! The controller is basically a self- contained computer, having its own Z-80 cpu, memory (16k + 1k), and ik ROM. For

the two RS-232 ports on its backside, a UART (universal asycronous receiver/trans- mitter) is used. A disk controller chip and a "mystery" ULA chip completes the board.

Having the on-board RAM means the con- troller does not take up any computer RAM. This enhances software compatibility and distinguishes it from the Rotronics Wafa- drive, Sinclair Microdrive, and several disk drive systems available in England for the Spectrum. A label on the bottom of the controller refers to CP/M. Since only the ROM was socketed inside, perhaps it will be changed and extra memory added for CF/M compatibility later.

Inside the disk drive box is a Hitachi 3" drive. The disk unit is very sturdy and solid looking; 1 suspect it will be very reliable. A set of jumpers at the back of the drive allows configuring the drive as number 1, 2, 3, or 4 in a system.

The two interfaces supplied with our unit allowed us to run the disk drive sys- tem with both the Spectrum+ and the T-2068. A third interface is promised to allow the TS-2068 to also run the drive system. We were able to accomplish this by using a twister board modified according to Nazir Pashtoon’s instructions in LIST and then plugging into the 17-2068 inter- face. Voila! Disk drives on the American TS-2068 !

-- Joe Williamson

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Hardware/S oftware Review

The Rotronics Wafadrive An inexpensive alternative to cassettes

Those of us with ZX81s and T51000s remember well the long and doubtful load- ing times of our original machines. To us, the 152068 with its "fast" loading time was almost miraculous by comparison. But the new soon wore off, and we all cast our eyes longingly to Uncle Clive and the Sinclair Microdrives. Alas, they never got across the Atlantic before Timex bailed out.

In recent months we have at last begun to see our longings realized as micro- drives, stringy floppies, and even disc drive systems have begun to make their appearance. This month we are going to look at the ROTRONICS WAFADRIVE SYSTEM. This system has been a big hit in England, where it was born, and is now available to 2068 owners with the aid of a Spectrum emulator.

The Wafadrive is to be distinguished in name from the A & J Microdrive and the Sinclair Microdrive. The Wafadrive has been nominated by the British Microcomput-— ing Awards committee for "Peripheral of the Year" and was named "Product of the Year" by the Computer Trades Association

in England. Many reviews I have read place it above the Sinclair Microdrive in per- formance and reliability.

The Rotronics Wafadrive consists of a black plastic box about 9 1/4" wide by 4 3" high.

1/4" deep by It has a short

Front view of Rotronics Wafadrive. A Wafatape is inserted in the left

drive.

interface cable and connector from its front and three edge connectors visible in the rear. Two slots in the front near the top provide access to the wafadrives and three red LEDs between the two slots show power on and which drive is being accessed. The Wafadrive unit uses the same Entrepo stringy floppy tapes used by early A & J Model 2000 Microdrives (later models have a different drive and tape).

The Wafadrive plugs right in to a Spec- trum or Spectrum Plus as it comes from the box. It can be interfaced to a TS 2068 using the Omni/Emu Spectrum Emulator (will not work with Romswitch or Spectrum Rom) and a Spectrum buss converter board. Con- necting the system, at least to a Spectrum Plus, is very simple. Only the one connec- tion to the back of the Spectrum edge connector is made. The Wafadrive draws its power from the Spectrum (or TS 2068) and needs no external power supply.

The back of the Wafadrive provides three outputs: a Spectrum compatible ex- tension of the edge connector, a centron- ics parallel printer port, and an RS-232 serial port. Cables for the non-standard printer port connectors are available at a very reasonable price.

Once the Rotronics Wafadrive is con- nected and the computer is turned on, the regular opening screen shows the Sinclair

protruding

Rear view of Wafadrive showing (I. to r.) edge connector, centronics port, and RS-232 port.

copyright notice. The computer functions like a normal Spectrum computer. To acti- vate the Wafadrive Operating System, you type NEW *. After a very brief flicker of the screen, the screen shows that the operating system is in place. Now the fun begins.

CAT * #A (or B) will give a_ directory of the tape currently in drive A (or 8B) showing name of file, type of file, size of file, storage capacity of the wafatape, and storage space left.

To load a program, type LOAD * "a:file- name" or simply LOAD *"" if the tape is in the default drive and has only one file on it. Saving is SAVE * "“a:filename". The minimum size of a file is ik so only 16

files maximum can be saved on the 16k tapes, and up to a maximum of 32 on the 64k and 128k tapes. Programs are trans-

fered to or from tape at about 2k/second (18k baud) once the program is located by the Wafadrive. Maximum time to find a file is 45 seconds on the 128k wafers and 6.5 seconds on the 16k. The W.0.S. (Wafadrive Operating System) takes care of where to place the files and how many there are. Files do not have to be numbered as with the A & J drives.

New tapes must be formatted for use with the FORMAT * command. This is also useful for erasing a whole tape. Tapes can be protected from erasure by removing the write protect tab.

Other, more advanced work can be done with the file capabilities of the Wafa- drive reminiscent of floppy disk systems. For example, random access data files can be written to and read off the wafatapes, and commands such as MERGE, MOVE, COPY, and VERIFY can be used.

The printer interfaces have their own software on built-in ROM so need no other software to work in Basic except the OPEN# command. They both support PRINT and LIST. The RS-232 can both send and receive at baud rates between 300 and 19,200. Pin- outs and sample programming applications are included in the manual.

The manual consists of a 68 page wire- ring-bound book about 3" by 5 1/2" in Size. It has both a Table of Contents and Index, and is very well written and easily understood. Though not everything you might ever need to know is found in it, I Suspect that enough information is there for you to figure the rest out.

Also included with the Rotronics Wafa- drive System is one blank wafatape and a

5-38 S

SOFTWARE

QUALITY MACHINE CODE SOFTWARE

ESCAPE (TS 2068 Only) Muiti-frame, high adventure dungeon game. Survive challenge and traps !

WORD PROCESSOR(ZX 81 / TS 1000)

16K RAM required. High speed, Saveable,

programme . printer output, 9K text.

HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS (TS 1000 / ZX 81 Only)

Game creators : OQne minute loading, 192X128 resolution, faster PLOT, test and unplot points.

MACHINE CODE UTILITIES (ZX 81 / TS 1000 Only)

25 Integrated utilities ! Animation, score keeping, DATA, READ, RESTORE, multi-direction scrolling.

ALL PROGRAMS HAVE MUCH MORE !1!

TO ORDER, OR FOR FREE CATALOGUE: INTER-PACIFIC SYSTEMS INC. SOFTWARE DIVISION

3770 Duke Road, R.R.# 1, VICTORIA, B.C.. Canada.

Orders payable in U.S. funds, by certified cheque or international money order to [.S.I.

Convert gs T/S 2068 toa SPECTRUM

eB aww? SPECTRUM EMULATOR

CARTRIDGE

YOURS FREE WHEN YOU PURCHASE ANY FIVE SPECTRUM TAPES FROM OUR LARGE INVENTORY — WRITE OR

CALL NOW FOR CURRENT TITLES

== |

Sunset Electronics

2254 Taraval Street San Francisco, California 94116

(415) 665-8330 —E————————————

ne oo cre RE RARE FE RE SAIS

14

* ONLY y

$99995

How much would you expect to pay . = ——— for a dual 128K fast access storage os — = : ae

system for your Timex 2068 that 2... included Centronics and RS232 . interfaces, Spectrum software and buss emulation, and free word processing software as standard? Chances are it’s a lot more than $229.95. But this is what will buy you the incredible

DAMCO/ROTRONICS Wafadrive unit. (And if you already own an Omni-Emu Chameleon the

price is even less!)

* The Omni/Emu cartridge is required to operate the Wafadrive system. The Wafadrive will not operate by just changing the ROM to the Spectrum ROM or by using the ROM switch.

A fast reliable dual-

drive storage system

Integrated System

The Wafadrive is a complete system which contains the micro interface, two 128K drives, RS232 and Centronics ports, all in one attractively-styled, compact unit. There is a minimum of connecting leads and no extra boxes to clutter the desk top. Like the majority of profes- sional systems, the units are dual drive. This offers the opti- mum balance between system flexibility and cost. Built-in serial and parallel interfaces allow the direct connection of just about any popular printer.

Fast and Reliable

The Wafadrive achieves very fast loading and saving, but not at the expense of reliability. Extensive research and the use of high grade materials ensure that the Wafadrive will give years of dependable operation. Data integrity is on a par with floppy disk. The fully inter-

changeable wafers are avail- able in three sizes-128K, 64K and 16K. Low capacity wafers give faster access. They are therefore most Suitable for program develop- ment applications. The high capacity wafers are suitable for more general data storage. Loading rate is approximately 2K per second-almost twice as fast as similar products.

Software Armed with the com-

[ DAMCO/ROTRONICS WAFADRIVE PRICE LIST | __ DAMCO/ROTRONICS Watadrive Timex 2068

___16K wafer

___64K wafer

____ 128K wafer

___Heathrow/NightflitelI(48K: Hewson)

____ Space Wars/Seiddab Attack/Luna Attack (48K: Hewson)

____ Bear Bovver/Wong’s Loopy Laundry/ World Cup (48K: Artic)

| ___Starbike (48K: Softek)

___ The Artist-graphic utility (48K:Softek)

____ZAP machine code development package (48K:Hewson)

____RS232 cable

____ Centronics (parallel) cable

al tt

15

POSTAGE: $5.00 for Wafadrives__—— $1 per order for software & cables (no postage charge for software

or cables if ordered with drive) MA residents add 5% sales tax

prehensive user manual, blank wafer and word pro- cessor supplied, you can use your Wafadrive right away. There is also a rapidly growing range of software to enable the programmer and games player to exploit the Wafadrive system to the full.

Spectrum Emulation

The Wafadrive includes the Omni/Emu Cartridge. This enables the Timex 2068 to run thousands of Spectrum

$229.95 — $2.99 $3.49 $3.99 aa $19.95 $19.95

owner’s signature.

$14.95

$12.95

$14.95______ | \jame:

_— Address:

* $12.95

ORDERING INFORMATION ; Payment can be made in the form of money order, check, VISA, or i Mastercard. Personal checks take two weeks to clear. VISA and Mastercard orders must include number, expiration date, and

programs. The rear edge connection is compatible with Spectrum Hardware as well as allowing use of the 2040 printer.

Wafadrive for the Timex 2068 and the 16/48K Spectrum are available now. Versions forother popularhomecompu- ters are under development.

Send a2 2cent stamp for a full color brochure and information on software and accessories.

L) | enclose a check/Money Order L] Charge my VISA/MC account no. (} VISA/MC Expiration date

Signature:

CS ———

Mail to: DAMCO ENTERPRISES 67 Bradley Ct.,Fall River, MA 02720 (617) 678-2110

Due to the fluctuation in the international currency, our prices are i subject to change without notice.

word processing program called Spectral Writer. Spectral Writer resembles and functions very much like Tasword Two in many ways. It offers 64 character screen, 352 line text capacity, automatic word- wrap and justification, page numbering and headings, tabs, very fast text entry, "bell" before line ends, programmable printer codes, etc. It comes with its own 39 page manual also well written and or- ganized. Its advantages over Tasword Two are these: it’s "free" with the system, faster keyboard response, tabs, auto page numbering and heading, and ability to change screen colors. Its biggest disad- vantage seems to be that there is no way given to change the 64 column line length. In other words, all lines of text must be 64 columns, no more or less! This makes it

unsuitable (unless someone has the patch or knows an undocumented command) = for producing anything with narrower’ columns

such as this magazine article.

The Wafadrive Operating System comman- deers 2k+ of your computer‘’s memory when it is booted up with the NEW * command. It confiscates this memory just above the System Variables area and below the Basic Programming area. As a result, some pro- grams may not fit when using Wafadrives. Other programs, because they address spe- cific areas of memory also may not’ be compatible with the Wafadrives. We will be able to report more later on which popular software does and does not fit. Rotronics claims to have a list of software that has been converted to the Wafadrives.

The American distributor of the Rotron- ics Wafadrive System is Damco Enterprises, 67 Bradley Ct., Fall River, MA 02720; 617/678-2110. Their retail price for the system for the Spectrum is currently $165.95. Price for the TS 2068 version including Omni/Emu and buss converter is $229.95. Printer cables, either kind, are $12.95 each. Blank wafers are $3-4 each. They also offer a number of games and other software on Wafatapes at very rea- sonable prices.

Are they worth the money? You will have to decide. For a little more money’ than the A& J Microdrive, you can get a two drive system with two printer interfaces and a word processor thrown in for good measure. The price is considerably less than the price of any of the single disk

drive systems being advertised as of this writing. What would I do? I’ve already bought one! -—- Richard Cravy

16

Centronics Printer I/F with S’” printer cable

as above + computer cable.. $89.95

Floppy Drive I/F

+ 3’ 3-1/4" drive cable... #199.95 MENTION YOU SAW IT IN * SUM’

AND RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT

When ordering, specify type of computer Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery

CALL or Write for free catalog to:

Research Service Labs P O Box 19124 OKC, OK 73144 (405) 745-9322

Phone hrs: 2-10PM CST Monday thru Friday

QuarTerS

FOR TIMEX/SINCLAIR ENTHUSIASTS PUBLISHED BY WMJ DATA SYSTEMS

A quarterly publication with an emphasis on the use of the BASIC computer language as it relates to the T/S computers. QTS provides: programming tips and articles, For you... up to date T/S products, dealers, catalogs, publications, reviews on hardware and software...

"QuarTerS was really impressive this spring and I would like to say, "Well done." Keep up the great work."

Gary Preston II, Southern VA Timex Users Network

One year subscription (4 issues) only $8.00. Overseas subscription only $11.00(US$). Sample copy: $3.00. Check

Or money order to:

WMJ DATA SYSTEMS Dept SUM 4 Butterfly Drive - Hauppauge, NY 11/788

JOIN THE QTS FAMILY KEEP THE T/S WORLD ALIVE!

SKIPPER ELECTRONICS

We have the parts you need for all your hardware construction projects.

SKIPPER ELECTRONICS 3708 Newberry Road — Gainesville, FL 32607 904/373-6796

Hardware Project

Convert Your TV into a Computer Monitor

It's not too difficult to convert any B&W or recent color television into a direct-video monitor for your 2068. Being a T.V. technician by trade, I was not satisfied with the hashy-trashy display on my new computer since my old ZX-81 had a UHF RF modulator and put out a very clean picture. I found a 12" B&W transistor junker at the shop that only needed a fresh CRT , put in a tube from another abandoned set and converted it.

The most important fact about aimost ail. .V.'s today. is. that the CHASSIS GROUND IS NOT EARTH GROUND. In order to eliminate the necessity of an expensive power transformer, the chassis ground is A.C. ground and can have up _ to 117 volts A.C. potential to earth

— ground. This means we have to use

Capacitors for both ground and to couple video into the set. I found that 10 mfd was more than enough to eliminate any tearing in the video due to the lack of a real ground. Use 3 or 4 mfd. for the signal Capacitor. I modified my set into a monitor only, but it is’ possible to add a switch to cut off one of the I.F. transistors and make a TV/ monitor.

Tocomputer video out

Stv4 mf 10K (sptiong\)

icc velfts

oH Se EN

Ste both bo@ vebts

Ciessis 3 ,

GON ad $

Make

VidEC DENECTCR DCVE IST vided TRANSISTOR

SPEECH SYNTHESIZERS B1i6.95 tf!

For 1S 2068 1S 1500 15 1000

Digitized words stored on cassette can be loaded in and spoken without any hardware or modifications!!! Sound is heard through internal speaker or MIC jack on TS 2068; through TV or MIC jack on TS 1500/1000. Please specify computer.

Also avilable for TS 2068: TALKING SPACE ZAP GAME $16.95. Use joystick or keys to destroy enemy ships. Verbal messages let you know how you are doing. Figure out how to gain an advantage. Nothing else required to use!! (not even the speech synth above)

ORDER NOW FROM: TAD PAINTER BOX 166055 IRVING, TX 75016

FISH LOCATER

THE PROGRAM THAT TELLS YOU WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO CATCH MORE FISH!

LET YOUR COMPUTER REVEAL THE SECRETS OF THE PROS !

Best Days to go fishing Best Locations on the water’ Best Times Best Depths Best Baits

Best Techniques . Overall Prospects any date

Special sections on: Bass - Walleye - Northern Pike

TS20668 version (cassette w/ instr) $19.95 +82 s/h

BUDGETSOFT - 230N. Main, Rushville, IN 46173 (317) 932-3966 Visa , MC, Checks

SWITCH THESE locating tne hole in the cabinet

pe eee OP TIENAL easy. Mount a terminal strip near

TO CONNECT =

— aes TRIMMEK the jack and run the two capacitors To Ir REQD between it and the jack.- Connect COMPUTER One between chassis ground and the

outside of the RCA jack.. Connect the other capacitor between the center of the jack and the center of the shielded cable. . Run the Shielded cable into the I.F. and solder the center in the hole left after you have pulled up an end of the video detector diode. After you make certain that both parts of the sack-are “i1sclated;— tts ‘timé to Switch your computer's cable from RF to the monitor jack and hook up the set and see clean direct video. Now, if the picture is negative and flipping,the fix is easy. Your set has negative video so just switch the- connections of* -the “coupling Capacitors. If the signal seems to be too strong or there are double images; adding a 10K ohm trim pot Should take care of it. On a color TV you can re-center the tint by using the proper adjusting tool on the burst transformer. If you're adjusting this transformer, then the slightest adjustment makes a

ic huge difference in the tint. If the collar Al en ry aE Ae FW A color is weak,the ACC/Killer trim

[5c LATED . RCA Jacl\

TEQIVONAL STRIP

Start out by using a schematic or other means and find the video detector diode and the first video transistor. The monitor output of your computer is injected after the video detector and before the first video amp. Mount an RCA jack installed ina plastic card next to a place where you can cut a hole in the cabinet . A cardboard template that fits over one of the controls that projects out of the back makes

Each issue brings you 32 pages of usable information, program pot will take care of that. I found listings, product reviews, programming articles, hardware . 4 :

projects, and aiad teatime for your computer. T-S HORIZONS that 12 Ss also good to disconnect features nationally Known authors like Paul ica Reged oa the Speaker and replace + with a Young, and others. The price is ONLY $15.00 for a full year

(12 iene: AND for a limited time only, new subscribers 10 ohm 1 watt dummy load.

will receive our special telecommunications issue (#7, see This conversion works for both B&W

below) #FREE* with their subscription. ; or color sets. I'm using the 12"

set I modified right now to write

IN _T-S HORIZONS #7

TS Heritens Byte Back Modem Review this-articie. The display on -it- is Faced head Fo ater a en, as good aS commercial monitors Telecommumications I've seen being driven by 2068s. for Beginners Se Book & Game Reviews John Monkus

Rotating Globe Routine Articles By G. Young and Paul Hunter Sinclair Info. Network TS-1000 Power Supply PARTS LI St atid Wait SE eS SS ee Oe a ee eo TS-2068 TS- 1000/1500 SS

PROCRAMS © BANK SWITCHING-4 Saneseee RCA jack mounted on a plastic card

EVENS \PowensuPPLT? - Rea | 3 to 4 mfd capacitor @ 100 volts

—— T-S HORIZONS + to-10: mid-capacitor @ 100 wotts Ree Re ee Oh ee Shielded audio cable

lEnclose $15 (US) for 12-issue subscription, plus #FREE® back NAME issue (while supplies last).

$21 Canada, $25 other foreign. ADDRESS , Extra back issue/sample: $2.00

9 or 6 lug terminal strip (optional) 10K trim pot (optional) 10 ohm 1 watt resistor

CITY eo TO: T-S HORIZONS 2002 Summit St STATE , ZIP ! PORTSMOUTH, OH 45662 =

18 ©

o “7 KNIGHTED COMPUTERS + oF 707 Highland 8t. "A at Fulton, N.Y. 13069 €,

HARDWARE AMD G@OFTWARE FOR THE

ak & at 4

Dh al-mal-lalel(er-]e) ol-1¢

#8 Use your 182068 to iaprove your perforaance at the

track! These fine prograas for THOROUGHBREDS, HARNESS HORSES, and GREYHOUNDS combine the power of your 192068 computer with the savvy of a veteran handicapper. Spend

a few ainutes entering data, and The Handicapper will

rank the horses or dogs in each race. All the inforaation is readily available from the Thoroughbred Racing fora, Harness, or Greyhound Track Prograa. We even provide a diagras Showing you where to get the data you need!

Horse racing factors include speed, class, past perfor- mance, post position, stretch gain, beaten favorite, jockey or drivers record, weight (for thoroughbreds) and parked out signs (for trotters). Greyhound factors include speed, past performance, class, favorite box, kennel record, breaking tendencies, and beaten favorite.

Coaplete instructions and wagering guide included.

Here’s an action-packed arcade-style game based on a Second World War scenario. You are the gunner THOROUGHBRED, HARNESS, OR GREYHOUND HANDICAPPED $24.95 EA and bomb aimer whose task is to defend your plane ANY TWO OF THE ABOVE = $ 39.95 ALL THREE FOR $59.95 against eneay attack and destroy the ground targets .

LIP BASIC COMPILER e@@@

in 30 different aissions. The rewards are high for . the expert aarksaan, but beware, the going gets LIP is an ald for experienced BASIC prograsaers. It allows tougher on each new mission. One or two player gaae, one to write a program in BASIC, and then compile that pro- with up to 4 levels of play. High speed graphics. gram into machine code. A compiled BASIC program will run another fine prograa froa Digital Integration - the typically about 100 times faster than a coaplete BASIC folks that brought you FIGHTER PILOT. program. ZIP also checks your BASIC prograa for any BASIC errors before the start of the compilation. After ZIP has coapiled your prograa, it will give you the address where the code 15 located, and the nuaber of bytes used for your pro- graa. You'll then need only to write a short Basic Leader type prograa to load your code and call the routine.

Coaplete instructions and a great Deao Gaae included. ~—~$ :19.%

(JOYSTICK AND KEYBOARD CONTROL) $19.95

ee ee Se Oe ce we ae Oe) ee OS Ee tee Ee ow SD oe Be a OS OD SS awe — > ee Nr Ae oR ee

DEALER INQUIRES INVITED

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19

Software Review/E valuation

Pro/ File 2068 Filing System An Outstanding Value

When Tom Woods released FPRO/FILE 2068 so long ago, it appeared to be quite a file system if you could figure out how to use all of it’s features from the meager instructions included with the program. We were all promised that a comprehensive manual was being compiled and would be shipped to all who ordered P/F as soon as it was available. So we waited, and we waited. Finally, after almost a year had gone by, it came! - it was worth the wait!

The program itself was a sleeping giant waiting for someone to master it’s power and complexities. The manual is an in- depth tutorial on its use, enhancements, and disassembly.

The manual describes the program as being like an "index card" file system with each screen of data (record or file) being a single card. Once the data is put in each record, you can order them alpha- betically or numerically and call up = any record of your choice just by entering the name in that record - as with the card file. F/F goes it one better by being able to pull up aerecord by any piece of information in that record.

For example: Suppose you have a mailing list with names and addresses and you want to bring up a record that had the word "NEW" in it but you can’t remember where the word appeared in the address. You can simply enter the word "NEW" and P/F will go and look for any occurance of the’ word "NEW" and display it on the screen. It may

bring it up as being in the name: I. NEWTON, or in the address: 112 VINEWOOD AVENUE, or in the city/state line such as: NEW YORK, NY 10009. I must note here that it is better to stay in caps mode so that there will be no mistake between "new", "New", and "NEW". P/F sees these all as different words.

The records are pulled up lightning

fast, and once pulled up, you can change them, print them, or call up the next record with the same search command.

Search commands can also be mixed so that you can ask for more than one parameter to be true before a record is displayed by separating each search command by the token "AND". In the previous example, suppose that we want to display all people living on "VINEWOOD" and also living in "NEW YORK". We would enter "VINEWOOD AND

NEW YORK" in response to the SEARCH COMMAND? "C" prompt. The main menu displays several para-

meters such as the number of bytes open (starts with 28000), the file name, the line in which ordering takes place, and the printer format (which lines are sent to the printer and in what order). The bottom of the screen contains the menu: Type "A"to add files, SAVE or LOAD. for

SAVEing and LOADing of files, AUTO for ordering the files and DEFP which allows you to alter the printer format.

Choosing "A" gives a blank screen with a blinking cursor in the top left corner and a sub-menu at the bottom. You can now enter anything you like in the 15 line by 32 column space provided. The arrow keys allow you to start anywhere you like and the sub-menu gives you commands to delete and insert lines and COPY to your printer. Also, you can edit existing files from this menu. You must remember to place the

IS IT TIME FOR A BIGGER COMPUTER?

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for your home or business.

Computerized Applications carries the Sanyo line of personal computers, starting at just $750, including disk drive and software. With all systems we include installation and training, and any problems can be solved by calling our Customer Support Hotline. We also carry Zenith, Xerox, Corona, Zorba, and other lines of microcomputers, as well as a complete line of dot matrix and daisy wheel printers and supplies.

So whether you are interested in a new system for your home or office, or you need help with your existing system, drop by Computerized Applications or give us a call at 904-372-8700.

same type of information on the same line very impressed with the friendliness of

in each record so that the order command the program, its storage capabilities, and can always order the correct data. the way it handles files. Of course there

Once you enter a file, you will notice are always improvements that you would there are spaces between the end of your like to add, and the manual’s explanation data and the end of your line. Most greatly aids you in any such endeavor. databases would see these spaces as data we had considered finding a new program and save it as part of the file along with to handle our SUM mailing list which would the rest of the data in that file. That store more names and addresses. The data wastes a lot of valuable space. In P/F, we had was stored in A$ in a matrix format those extra spaces are ignored. This of (200,25,5) and P/F uses d$(28000). From course allows much more data to be saved the manual, I was able to determine that as compared to say, VU-FILE. each file in P/F was separated by an

The manual goes into great detail on asterisk, and each line was separated by a each function available and numer ous character code 1. With a short little examples are given to help you understand program, I was able to convert my data what is going on. The manual even explains over to d$ and load it into P/F. You must how the program works ina step by step make sure that d¢$ is the first variable to analysis of both the BASIC and machine be dimensioned. I now have all of our list code programming. Also included are

numerous enhancements to make the program more useful.

Enhancements includes Saving a back up copy, adding verification, how to change a

SOFTWARE®

file name, how to clear your files, adding Present =: an audible tick to your keystrokes, saving paper by not LPRINTing blank lines, Powerful Gog Inexseensive ordering by more (or less) than the first SuSsiness So rtwar € - _five characters, disable auto-repeat in —— eee ~ add/edit mode, go directly to LPRINT from Se eee the edit mode without going through the 2S ae Spe main menu, go from edit to next entry Se eee without going to the the main menu, — ee a Autosearch improvement, block delete to PeSriaat’ s88e ces purge specified files, and block sort to Se ee ee rearrange data. SPREADSHEET CALCULA TS Personally, I would have liked to have er eee seen all these improvements included with TYS-CALC 2ag¢ £14_.a5 the original, but I can understand how all 22 -CRLS ; Sc SSE ee eee Ss FS Fee these improvements would take away from mer S&S Geom it Ten the storage capabilities of 28000 bytes ee ee (or characters). A definite must for me ee : = are the "Go from edit to next entry See ES ee a eee without going to the main menu" and the Printout Of Same... se er S12 “Autosearch improvement" enhancements. a Use of a "big" printer requires that ee eet ee you enter the code for your interface. SS SS Included is code for the Aerco, Tasman, DSS TGRLENDAR SS $if-25 and all Byte-Back interfaces. Also Sige ae ese eee eae included is a “TALLY" routine which allows = s€fid 3.8.5.5. For Free. Caigiog you to perform math functions and tab- er Cneek UFr-tioney Order ro: ulation on data stored in files. S.FLE. =OFTUSRE The only drawback that I could find is i585 Pennsyivani = ve the speed at which it orders. As fast as eee ee ae the program finds things, I had hoped that SAS: =31-6454 ee the ordering would be at least as fast. a With about 400 names and addresses in each ote Se Peer eee ot P file, it took about 30 minutes to order by Gesier Inquiries Invited

Zip Code and print out. Otherwise, I was

on F/F and love it! We needed something along these lines to help update our

mailing list and to order by zip code, which is required for bulk mailing.

We needed a few enhancements of our own to make it fit our needs a little closer. The first thing I added was the go from "edit" to next entry without going to the Main menu and the autosearch improvement Given in the manual. I found that it didn’t work just right so I added or changed the following lines:

2015 LET Y#=INKEYS

7016 IF Y=" STOP " OR Y¢=" STEP " THEN ON ERR RESET : GO TO 6

OOO

2020 FLASH 0: PRINT AT 1,c:SCREE

N$ (1,c):BEEP .0003,34: IF CODE

y#<ié THEN GO TO S100+CODE ys

Note the BEEP command in the above line. This works much better than the enhancement given in the manual. Also, remove the FOR-NEXT loop at the end of line 5030. I don’t know why its there, but it slows things down a bit. I also added the go directly to LFRINT enhancement. One of my own enhancements is the go from ADD a file to ADD another file without going to the main menu". Toe do this, add or change the following lines:

1 LET j=0

15 IF j=1 THEN GO TO 5000 JO16 IF Y=" STOF " OR Y#="NOT "

OR Y#=" STEP “" THEN ON ERR RE SET : GO TO 6000 6025 IF Y$="NOT " THEN LET J=1

When you are through adding one file and wish to add another, enter the token: "NOT " and you are immediately given a new file to fill instead of going through the

main menu first. This really saves time when you are.adding a lot of new names to a mailing list.

For our application, we need to have only current subscribers print out on = our mailing labels. To do this, I use the sixth line in the file as the date line which holds the expiration date of each subscription. 8512 means that December of this year is the last issue that will be received. To incorporate this into P/F, we need the current month and year to be entered and compared to the current file to be printed. Also, printer code must be entered to use a large printer. The following lines were added or changed:

1 LET j=0: POKE 26703,187: FO ke 26704,248: INPUT "Enter today ‘Ss date (yymm): "m$

2 POKE 22658,8

— 7206 IF ES(4,1)<>xX$(1) THEN GO

TO 7208 7207 IF E¥(4,1 TO 3)=X# THEN GO TQO:-7210 7208 IF E#(6,1)=" " THEN GO TO 7230 7209 IF VAL E$(4,1 TO 4)<VAL M$ THEN GO TO 7230 When ordering of the zip codes is called, the program now checks to make sure that each name is up to date before it is printed. We now have a very usable program with enough power and storage to handle us no matter how big we get! FRO/FILE 2068 is available from Thomas

Woods, FP. 0. Box 64, Jeffersn, NH 03587; 603/586-7734. Price is $29.95 + shipping. Phone orders are accepted with credit card.

-- Joe Williamson

VIDEO REPAIRS

On all brands of video recorders — Warranty repairs on RCA, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sylvania, GE, JVC, Canon, Sharp, Philco, Magnavox, Zenith, Toshiba & Mitsubishi.

Video Taping of Weddings, Depositions, Recitals, Any Special Event

Complete Video Lab for Tape to Tape and Film to Tape Transfers. Watch your home movies on TV. Video is all we do!”’

VIDEO STUDIO 2727 NW 43 Street Suite 5B/Thornebrook Office Complex/Gainesville, FL 32605 904/373-4007

23

A&J MODEL 2000 STRINGY FLOPPY

A&S dRive’

1050 “IT” EAST DUANE AVENUE, SUNNYVALE, CA 94086

MICRO DRIVE

FEATURES e Lowest cost high speed mass storage system available. e High speed 11K baud data transfer rate. e Loads 28K program in 24 seconds. e Simple, easy to use! e 90 day warranty. e Reliable and portable. e No rewinding or volume controls. e No cassette hassles. e Multiple drive systems.

PART # PRODUCT PRICE 820036 MODEL 2000 STRINGY FLOPPY Il $ 199.50 ———— includes: Interface, Drive, Expansion cardedge oe Owner’s Manual, 5 Micro Wafer Il, Wafer Organizer Add $6.50 Shipping Charges 830017 MODEL 2000 OWNER’S MANUAL 4.95 820040 MODEL 2000 DRIVE 2 124.50 900001 10’ MICRO WAFER II 4.25 900002 20’ MICRO WAFER II 4.25 900003 35’ MICRO WAFER II 4.50 900004 50’ MICRO WAFER II 4.75 900005 62’ MICRO WAFER II 4.75 850001 WAFER ORGANIZER (Folder holds 16 wafers) 5.00 850002 WAFER CADDY (Desk Top Tray Holds 6 wafers) 9.95 850003 WAFER WHEEL (Desk Top Wheel Holds 30 wafers) 18.75 : ORDER FORM STANDARD WARRANTY: QTY ITEM UNIT PRICE PRICE All A&J Micro Drive Sales & Service products (except MICRO * WAFERS) are warranted for 90 days. If your products should ES fail within 90 days, A&J Micro Drive willrepair your productsfor ! no charge, if return postage paid. Additionally, all products i O Send $4.95 for Owners Manual and more information. may be returned postage paid within 30 days for full refund of purchase price. 30 day refund policy may vary with A&J Micro =! CI Check or Money Order Enclosed Drive Hardware suppliers. yD. as ade WAFER WARRANTY: O U-P.S. shipping cost, add $3.00, unless other specified Wafers are guaranteed for a period of 45 days from date of ' O CA residents add 6.5% sales tax : shipment. If the wafer should fail during this period, return the O Charge tomyO VISA O MASTERCARD wafer post paid and replacements will be returned as soon as {| CGard# Exp. date possible at no charge. Se 1 Address | City State Zip

(408) 732-9292

Software Review

Zaxxon, by U.S. Gold

Spectrum Arcade Game

Zaxxon for the 48k Spectrum that is a duplication of the popular arcade game. It comes in a nice plastic package and looks much more "expensive" than aie standard cassette case. On the front is a great picture of the game.

The documentation is pretty good = and explains the game quite well. A person who has never seen Zaxxon before may have some trouble at first. The documentation also shows some of the other games that the same company supplies (they look great!). Also included is an offer to enroll in the “U.S. Gold Ciub".

Tre 3-D graphics in Zaxxon good. The space graphics, I

are very think, are

Tell them you saw it in SUM

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"T was pleased to see that there still was a resource for T/S Users with a big magazine format."

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1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION (6 issues) ONLY $15. Sample copy of most current issue available for $3. Send check or money order for the proper amount to:

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even better than the original game. The only problem I have is telling exactly how high the ship is, and that can be quite difficult when you come upon a wall or force field!

The only bad point about Zaxxon is the speed. It is not smooth at all. In fact, the movement seems to be in "jerks". The movement gets faster when there are less objects on the screen. When dueling with the other jets in space, the movement slows more with each additional jet to fight. This is the only drawback to the game.

Zaxxon can be played with the keyboard or joysticks. The game allows programming any of the keys for movement. Once you find the keys that feel the best, you can really get into the game!

Zaxxon is fun and quite playable, so you arcade buffs will have a very good time with this one, and at $17.95, it’s a steal ! ~~ Doug Gangi

FOOTE <&, SOFTWARE

SPECTRUM ROMs

The SPECTRUM ROM allows your TS2068 to run 99% of all Spectrum 48k software. Just swap out your pres- ent ROM or build the “Spectremulator” described in the August & September issues of SUM Magazine.

Spectrum ROM Software

Fighter Pilot Faster than Flight Simulator/includes air combat!

Jet Set Willy

Manic Miner Fast action arcade maze games! Works on both Spectrum and 2068 (we tell you how!).

TS2068 ROM Software |

Badgammon

U.S.A. (Presidents/States & Capitols) Calorie Counter

Advanced Math (Calculus)

ZX81/TS1000/TS1500 Software

MOM ok Aiki oS ee ee $7.95 Calorie Counter

Advanced Math

Tic-Tac-Toe/Hangman

Add $1.00 on all orders for shipping/handling

FOOTE SOFTWARE P. O. Box 14655 — Gainesville, FL 32604-4655 904/462-1086 6-9 p.m. EST

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SUM Magazine 3224 NW 30 Avenue — Gainesville, Florida 32605

Free Sample Copy on Request

Free Personal Ads for Subscri

User

Hardware Projects © Hardware Reviews

Software Reviews © Product Comparisons Published Monthly © Back Issues Available

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possible publication. We pay for articles published!

monitor to your 2068; and a series on repairing your SUM Magazine invites articles, reviews, and projects for Hardware and software producers are invited to submit their products for review.

horizon. Examples of recent articles include: Building TS1000 and ZX81 computers.

your own Spectrum Emulator; an extensive series of reviews on word processors for the 2068; adding an RGB

want to learn what is available for their computers, how to do things no one else is doing, and what is just over the

SUM Magazine is aimed at Sinclair and Timex users who

Annual Subscription .................

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He IC CUE eee ty CUI ed ed LOI od Ph ae et fw fre EM et ‘ RES WW. deed (Ppecdicbecd decd ied cd cd el WO ed ed ol i SUC ed Sek Seek Sed Sek ae ed ICU ICICI UCU ICU SE ST UCD fh fim foo Pro anes flo fh

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the program for the TS-1000

TS-1000, Part II

is

Here which will generate and store your own

characters into the custom graphics as described in last month's issue:

User Defined Graphics for

Hardware/S oftware Project

paniily i thes saan

The monthly magazine with a natural blending of two popular hobbies — Ham Radio and Computers * Articles on Ham Radio & Most Personal Computers * Hardware & Software Reviews * Various Computer Languages * Construction Articles * Much Much More . .

“received my moneys worth with just one issue...” ‘s —J. Trenbick

“..always stop to read CTM, even though most other magazines | receive (and write for)

only get cursory examination...” —Fred Blechman, K6UGT

ee ge $15.00 for 13 issues Mexico, Canada

(U.S. funds only) Permanent (U.S. Subscription)

Ori corvnr-herelamur-larcler=1e 1704 Sam Drive ‘Siidealialeiarclaameur-ley- lanl: mcley acre Phone 205/854-0271

Name

Call Sign

Address See Zip Phone Date

Signature |

zu:

Vendor Report

Timex-Sinclair "Survivor buttons" are now available from The White Church Cabin, 219 White Church kRd., Brooktondale, NY 14817. The buttons are full sized, 3-color and say: "SURVIVOR - Low cost computing,” and have the Timex-Sinclair logo as well.

A & J Microdrive is now supplying the 1000 type micro drives and wafers on their Model 2000 microdrive. (Early 2000s had a different drive similar to Rotronics.) The Older type drives are just as reliable and the wafers are more readily in supply. They are also shipping the printer cables and driver software for the printer port. 1050 "I" East Duane Ave., Sunnyvale, CA

~—94086 (408) 732-9292

Programming Tip What does the following line do?

10 IF A¢="YES" THEN LET X=1s P RINT "You pressed YES": STOP

At first glance, it would appear that whenever the computer came across this line, it would check to see if A is "YES". If not, it would not make X=1 = and then because it is a multi-line statement, it would print the message and then STOP. NOT SO! Due to the nature of the operating system, the statements following -) conditional check will only be executed when the IF - THEN statement is true. No more “go to a subroutine" is needed when you want to do more than one thing when a condition is true. Just put them after the check in a multi-statement line format!

Help Our Advertisers Out...Tell Them You

Saw Their Ad in SUM MAGAZINE!

~~

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT, continued from p. 2

many of them have higher expenses than we do. We wish them the best, and recommend that users subscribe to as “many as possible. We welcome submissions for publication. We do not guarantee to publish it, but we will look at it, and determine if it fits in with our editorial needs. Also, we are Willing to pay for both articles and pro- grams submitted according to the schedule printed in each issue of SUM. "Willing" is the key word here, as we leave it to the author ’s initiative to tell us if he wants to be reimbursed; if nothing is said, we assume it’s gratis. -~ Richard Cravy

FOR SALE

SUM Magazine has two COLOR composite video moni- tors for sale. They are in near new condition and have been used for testing and reviewing hardware/software in SUM. One is an Amdek Color 300 13” originally sell- ing for $350; the other is a Texas Instruments 12” which

sold for $400. Both are 2068 compatible. Either can

_ be purchased for $180 including shipping. Call Joe Will-

iamson at 904/462-1086 for availability and more infor- mation.

Gainesville TUG Meetings

The Gainesville Timex Users Group has changed its meeting time and place. Meetings are now the third Tuesday of each month in the northeast classroom area of the Crossroads Church building located at 2720 SW Second Avenue in Gainesville. Meeting time is still 7:00 p.m. These facilities are somewhat larger than what we have used in the past and can accommodate a number of computer set-ups. TUG thanks Skipper Electronics for their long time support of Timex computers in Gainesville and for letting us use their store as a meeting place since our beginning in 1983.

Our May meeting was very exciting, with both the Portuguese disk drive system and the Rotronics Wafadrive system available for everyone to look and try out. Anyone needing more information about the next meeting can call Joe Williamson at 904/462-1086 or Richard Cravy at 904/378-9000 for more information.

be en a ee

TS 1000 TS 1500 TS 2068

3224 Northwest 30th Avenue Gainesville, Fiomnia 32605

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