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-
- ST REPORT WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE
- Monday, AUGUST. 22, 1988
- Vol II No. 49
- ===========
-
- APEInc., P.O. BOX 74, Middlesex, N.J. 08846-0074
-
- PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR
- Ron Kovacs R.F.Mariano
-
- =======================================================
-
- ST REPORT EDITOR: Thomas Rex Reade
-
- PO Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida. 32236
-
- Headquarters Bulletin Boards
-
- ST Report North ST Report South
- 201-343-1426 904-786-4176
-
- ------------------------------------
- ST Report Central ST Report West
- 216-784-0574 916-962-2566
- CONTENTS
- ========
- > From the Editor's Desk..............> ST REPORT ART CONTEST RULES.......
- > Late Breaking News..................> ArcShell Docs.....................
- > Surgery is a Cure...................> The Twilight Zone.................
- > Build a TrackBall...................> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL............
-
- ==========================================================================
- AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ GENIE ~ DELPHI
- ==========================================================================
-
- From the Editor's Desk:
-
- Many times we are told of change and really feel our hearts grow warm
- with anticipation of fine things in the future. Over and over, through
- the course of history, have we seen many toil, for what seemed to be an
- eternity, only to have a newcomer appear on the scene and try to grace
- himself with the plaudits of being a catalyst in bringing about that
- change. I am so very thankful to have been fortunate enough to know the
- real truth...otherwise I would be inclined to condemn the Atari Bashers
- and "The Gang of Five". Instead, I praise them as I would those who fight
- and scramble to bring out the truth and have things done the right way.
-
- Garry Tramiel runs Federated Stores ..he received them as a wedding
- present...Hopefully he wants to keep them and will make sure the
- injustices being committed that involve Federated Stores will be corrected
- and rectified. Atari cannot afford to loose any dealers especially those
- who are respected and doing a good job.
-
- St Report has in the past brought forward many items that the readers did
- not believe or found too outrageous to believe well ....we certainly do
- not make any of these items up. Case in point: the double sided drives in
- 520STFM units....we first told you about it right after Spring Comdex
- along with the Chinon Drive matter....both have come right up front and
- made their full presence known...We at ST Report make a solemn effort to
- try and make sure each and every item we find out is fact...when we are
- relatively sure, you will read about it.
-
- As an individual, I have owned and enjoyed Atari computer products since
- the early 800 models were released. There is no doubt that I am, what is
- known as, a die hard Atarian and will be for quite some time to come.
- I say this to make sure most folks are not misinformed by our detractors.
- We do support the Atari product line and use our own units every day.
- St Report is produced on a Mega4 ST and we use the editor (buffer) in
- Flash for composition.
-
- Rex........
-
-
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- THE JUDGES LIST
- ===============
- Service Name
- ------- ------------
- CIS Ron Luks
- CIS Dan Rhea
- CIS Mike Schoenbach
- GEnie Darlah Hudson
- GEnie Fred Beckman
- GEnie Sandy Wilson
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ST-Report Official Contest Rules
- ================================
-
- No purchase necessary.
-
- Deadline for consideration in this contest is midnight August 31, 1988.
-
- Winners will be announced in ST-Report on September 12, 1988. We
- guarantee to award all prizes. The prize list will be announced during
- the contest.
-
- All readers are eligible to enter except employees of APEInc.
- Publishing, CompuServe, GEnie, Delphi and their immediate families.
-
- This contest void where prohibited or restricted by law. We are not
- responsible for lost, mis-marked, or delayed art/work.
-
- All submissions must be drawn with any Atari ST drawing program.
-
- All submissions must be drawn by the original artist. Copyrighted art work
- will not be accepted.
-
- All submissions become the property of APEInc.
-
- All submissions must be uploaded to specified BBS systems by the deadline
- date. All systems have time and date stamping capability. Any entry dated
- after 8/31/88 will be void from the contest.
-
- Art Work Requirements
- ---------------------
-
- All art work considered for this contest must be drawn with any Atari ST
- drawing program.
-
- Any person submitting art work must leave an address, telephone number,
- and drawing program used.
-
- Artwork must contain the following:
-
- ST-REPORT
-
- The winning entry will be used at a later date for a newsletter or
- magazine cover.
-
- Where to Send
- -------------
-
- All art work may be uploaded to the following systems.
-
- Bounty ST BBS (904) 786-4176
-
- Entries by mail are also permitted. Be sure to use a 3.5 floppy S/S!
- You may send to:
-
- ST-Report Logo Contest
- Post Office Box 74
- Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0074
-
- (Please include your name, address and telephone number)
-
- Updates
- -------
-
- This contest will update uploading areas every two weeks. Contest rules
- will not be changed, but judges may be added during the run of the
- contest.
-
- Current judge listing will be published next week.
-
- This contest commences May 2, 1988 and will end Midnight August 31, 1988.
-
- If you have any questions, Please leave email on the services at the
- following addresses:
-
- CompuServe: 71777,2140
- GEnie : ST-REPORT
- : R.KOVACS
- DELPHI : RONKOVACS
- The Source: BDG793
-
- Rules and Regulations:
-
- 1). Use any full color program written exclusively for the ST to draw
- your own personal design of an ST-Report logo.
-
- 2). Art work ported over from any other computer is void.
-
- 3). No X-rated art work will be accepted.
-
- 4). Winners will be announced by mail, email, phone call or equivalent
- on or before September 12, 1988.
-
- 5). Judges decisions are final.
-
-
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LATE BREAKING NEWS ITEMS
- ------------------------
-
-
-
- *** HAYES SYSOP SPECIAL (USA) ***
- =========================
-
-
- Sysops talk and Hayes Listens!
- ------------------------------
-
- For a limited period of time, qualified Sysops can purchase up to 4 Hayes
- V-series Smartmodem 9600s for a special Sysops price of US $400 each!
- A 70% reduction from the estimated retail price of US $1,299.00.
-
- Hayes V-series system products provide the features that BBS operators most
- want - high speed (2400 bps and 9600 bps), error control, adaptive data
- compression and automatic feature negotiation. And, now, you can buy them at a
- special discount to use on your bulletin board.
-
- Qualifying for SysOp Special Rates is easy.
-
- You must demonstrate that:
- --------------------------
-
- > The bulletin board and operator are serving a specific user group.
-
- > The bulletin board serves as an information center or center for
- exchange of information between separate users' groups or computer
- associated groups.
-
- > The bulletin board has been in operation for at least six months and
- receives a minimum of 50 calls per week or 200 calls per month.
-
- **** If you want the SYSOP Information Packet, or have any questions,
- give Hayes a call. They are eager to serve you.
-
-
- NOTE: Sysops who have already purchased Hayes V-series Smartmodem 9600s
- through the Hayes Sysop Purchase Plan will be offered an additional price
- reduction of $250, (for each V-series 9600 previously purchased), towards
- the purchase of additional V-series 9600s.
-
- This means, if you have already purchased a Hayes V-series Smartmodem 9600
- through the Sysop Purchase Plan, you can now order another V-series 9600
- for $150. (1 for 1, 2 for 2, etc). Up to a maximum of 4 only.
-
- FOR MORE INFO:
- --------------
-
- Call Hayes Customer Service at (404) 449-8791, 8:00am to 8:00pm Monday
- through Friday. Ask for Mississippi. Lynn Caudwell. Be sure you mention you saw
- this notice in ST REPORT.
-
- Hayes, with this offer to the Sysops, continues to show the leadership
- and responsibility that has and is the fine example to all the other
- companies in the computing industry. Be sure to keep up with the ongoing
- offer from Hayes as we expect updates from time to time.
-
- U.S. Robotics has a similar offer, but they want 100.00 more for their HST
- modem...495.00 with S&H etc...it'll be MORE than 500.00!
-
- St Report will, in the next few weeks have a full tech report on the new
- U.S. Robotics HST 96oo and the Hayes V-series 96oo.
-
- NOTE: Modems from different manufacturers will NOT handshake at 9600bps
- unless they are identical internally..ie, set up with CCITT V.42. They
- will however, work at 24oo.....The power struggle is really over because
- the International Agreement has been signed in Australia. It is now up
- to the modem makers to get their act together.
-
-
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- ST-TALK Professional
- =====================
-
- "Atari ST DeskTop Telecommunications"
- -----------------------------------
-
- (C)1988 QMI
- by John DeMar
-
-
- ST-Talk Pro.... The Most Powerful Terminal Program for the Atari ST!
- ----------------------------------------------------
- Here's a list of some of ST-Talk Pro's features:
- **********************************************
- * Full GEM Operation
- * Easy to learn and use
- * Auto-Dialer Database
- * Save and Load Options
- * AutoPilot Script Language
- * VT-200/VT-100/VT-52
- * ANSI and Vidtex Graphics
- * File Upload and Download
- * Archive and Un-Archive
- * Disk Utilities & Formatter
- * 10-buffer Word Processor
- * Capture while Editing
- * Adjustable Word Wrap
- * Search and Replace
- * Multiple Selected Blocks
- * Paragraph Reformatting
- * Time and Cash Clocks
- * Type ahead with 3 lines
- * Activity Logging
- * Unattended Auto Answer
- * Programmable Functions
- * Built-in Help Menus
- * 128 Page Owners Guide!
- * On-line support through Compuserve and QMI's 24-hour BBS.
- ************************************************************
-
-
- Windows, Icons & Menus
- ======================
-
- With drop-down menus and desktop icons, all of the features that you'll
- need most often are as close as a click of the mouse. Or, let your fingers
- take control through Alternate keystrokes and 40 programmable function
- keys. ST-Talk Professional's fast text display uses custom screen fonts
- for a full 80-columns within a GEM window. You get additional screen modes
- including 140 columns by 48 lines in monochrome!
-
-
- Editor with Multiple Buffers
- ============================
-
- Edit mail messages and browse through information with ST-Talk Pro's
- built-in wordprocessor. With up to ten buffers, you can edit several
- unrelated messages and even capture incoming text all at the same time!
-
- The Editor also helps you write AutoPilot functions to automate your
- telecomm sessions. As you create auto-logon procedures and macros, the
- commands are checked as you type them.
-
- You'll find many powerful Editor features such as: word-wrap, paragraph
- reformatting, search, replace, and block operations on multiple selected
- areas.
-
-
- Sending and Receiving
- =====================
-
- ST-Talk Pro lets you exchange information with many types of computers.
- Choose from several types of file transfer methods including Xmodem, Ymodem
- Batch, Compuserve-B and Kermit. With the Background file transfer accessory
- (available to registered owners only!), you can use other programs while the
- computer is busy transferring the file.
-
- No matter where you call or which modem you own, ST-Talk Pro can save
- whatever comes across your screen. You can edit and print text files and even
- load them into your favorite word processor.
-
-
- Emulation and Graphics
- ======================
-
- To communicate with other computers, you need to talk their language.
- ST-Talk Pro emulates several terminals and lets you select the options you
- need to get connected. VT-200 and VT-100 with ANSI graphics and custom
- character sets lets you access anything from mainframe computers to remote
- bulletin board systems. VT-52 mode is popular with many systems including
- Atari ST BBS's. VIDTEX graphics gives you online pictures through
- Compuserve and QMI's BB/ST bulletin board software.
-
-
- ==========================================================================
-
- Q M I
- ST-Talk Professional $39.95 Quantum Microsystems Inc.
- PO Box 179
- Introductory price: $29.95 !!! Liverpool, NEW YORK 13088
- (Until October. 1, 1988)
- 315-451-7747 *VOICE*
- 315-457-7216 *BBS*
-
- ==========================================================================
-
-
- Next Week! ...a full review of ST TALK PROFESSIONAL....
-
-
-
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- SPECIAL SUPRA MODEM OFFER!!!
- ============================
-
-
- CompuServe's Atari Forums have made very special arrangements with
- Paramount Products Inc. to offer the members of our forums the chance to
- upgrade your system to 2400 baud service at a very special price.
-
- For a limited time, CompuServe subscribers may purchase the
-
- SUPRA CORP. 2400 baud Hayes-compatible modem
- for the very **LOW** price of just $139.95 !!!!!
-
- These are brand new, not reconditioned units, with the full SUPRA CORP.
- warranty. The SUPRA MODEM uses the Hayes Smartmodem 'AT' command set and
- operates at 300-1200-2400 baud. It's an outboard unit (not an internal
- plug-in card) allowing ease of transfer to other computers.
- Connection is thru the standard RS-232 interface. (Just plug it into the
- back of your ATARI ST).
-
- To take advantage of this special offer, Phone the 800 number
- listed below or write to:
-
- Paramount Products Inc.
- 1405 S.E. Pacific Blvd.
- Albany, Oregon 97321
-
- ***** Phone orders: (800)444-4061 *****
-
- Price: $139.95 + shipping
- UPS ground: add $4.00
- UPS Blue label: add $8.00
- C.O.D.: add $2.25
-
- MasterCard or VISA accepted Orders will be shipped the next business day
-
- If you've been accessing CompuServe at 1200 baud, this is a great way
- to lower your total online bill since CIS does *NOT* charge a premium for
- 2400 baud access. (You can get the same amount of information or download
- the same amount of programs in approximately 1/2 the time as 1200 baud
- users!) This modem will PAY FOR ITSELF in just a few sessions.
-
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- ARC Shell Documentation Version 1.97
- ====================================
-
-
-
- By Charles F. Johnson
-
- Last revision: August 14, 1988
-
-
- Part One - Introduction
-
- ARC Shell is a GEM program which is designed to work with the
- popular ST archiving utility ARC.TTP. Essentially, ARC Shell adds a
- GEM interface to the ARC program, letting you point and click to
- select the various options instead of typing a command line. (I
- don't know about you, but one of the main reasons I bought an ST was
- to get away from all that MS-DOS/Unix command line silliness.)
-
- ARC Shell also contains a complete GEM-based disk utilities
- package, that lets you copy files (with wildcards and with query),
- delete and rename files, create and delete folders, show the free
- space on any connected drive, and even run other programs...all
- without exiting to the desktop. ARC Shell's current configuration
- can be saved at any point, so that the options and settings you use
- most often will be selected when you run the program. In addition,
- you can use the ST desktop's "Install Application" feature to set
- things up so that ARC Shell will automatically run when you
- double-click on a file with an extension of ARC.
-
- This documentation will focus primarily on the operation of
- ARC Shell; it's not intended to teach you how to use ARC. However,
- I've included the manual for version 5.20 of ARC in the archive which
- contains this file and the latest version of ARC Shell. Refer to
- this manual if you have any questions about the ARC program itself,
- such as "What's the difference between Updating and Freshening?" or
- "What does Convert Archive do?" The original version of ARC for the
- ST was version 5.12, ported by Harvey Johnson. The most recent
- version is ARC 5.21, ported to the ST by Howard Chu. Version 5.21 is
- available on Compuserve, Delphi, and GEnie, and on many local ST
- BBSes.
-
-
- Part Two - The Usual Shareware Plea
- ------------------------
- Versions 1.95 and above of ARC Shell are "shareware," which
- means that if you like and use my program I'd appreciate a
- contribution of $15.00 ... or more if you happen to be struck by a
- random philanthropic impulse. I've been continually updating and
- improving ARC Shell since it was first written, and I think you'll be
- pleased with the result; letters with checks in them would please me
- equally! If you think ARC Shell is worth at least $15.00, send a
- check to:
-
- Charles F. Johnson (ARC Shell)
- P.O. Box 1250
- Pacific Palisades, CALIFORNIA 90272
-
- And thanks for your support!
-
-
- Part Three - Using ARC Shell
-
- When you run ARC Shell, make sure you have the ARC program
- (ARC.TTP) in the same directory with ARCSH197.PRG. The very first
- thing ARC Shell does is look in the current directory for ARC.TTP.
- If a file with this name cannot be found, ARC Shell will show you a
- file selector asking, "Where is ARC.TTP?" and you will be able to
- locate the ARC program with the file selector. When ARC Shell finds
- the ARC program, it will then display a large dialog box, with
- buttons representing the available options.
-
- What you're looking at.
-
- In the upper left of the main dialog box is a box containing
- buttons labeled "ADD to Archive," "EXTRACT from Arc," etc. The
- buttons in this box are the main ARC commands; you'll notice that the
- default ARC command is "EXTRACT from Arc." Only one of these buttons
- can be selected at a time - if you click on a button to select it,
- the previously selected button will be turned "off." (These are
- known as "radio buttons.")
-
- To the right of the ARC command box is a box containing the
- ARC "flags." The button labeled "Hold Screen" is selected by default
- when you first run ARC Shell. The buttons in this box can be turned
- off and on individually; unlike radio buttons, more than one can be
- selected at a time. The button labeled "Encrypt/Decrypt" is a
- special case; when you turn this button on, the code word entry line
- beneath it becomes active and the edit cursor (the thin vertical
- line) is placed on the entry line, allowing you to type in an
- encryption keyword. The code word can be up to eight characters
- long.
-
- Directly underneath the ARC command box is a box containing
- buttons to let you select the device which will be used for LIST and
- VERBOSE LIST commands, and the drive for ARC and DATA files. The
- drive buttons can be operated in two ways; you can either type in the
- drive letter by hand, using the up and down arrows to move from one
- button to another, or use the mouse to click on the button. If you
- click the button, a box with 16 buttons representing the 16 possible
- logical drives will pop up, allowing you to select the drive with the
- mouse. Only active drives will be selectable in this box, and
- hitting Return will exit without changing the current drive.
-
- Finally, along the bottom of the main box are buttons labeled
- "Info," "ARC," "Disk," "Config," and "Exit." The Info button will
- display a copyright message, and a gentle reminder to send in your
- shareware contribution.
-
- OK, let's do something.
-
- When you've set all the options in the ARC Shell dialog box
- the way you want them, click on the "ARC" button to start things
- going. NOTE: You may also double-click on any of the buttons in the
- ARC command box (Extract, Add, List, etc.) to execute that command
- immediately without the extra step of clicking the "ARC" button.
-
- Depending on which ARC command you've selected, what happens
- next will vary slightly. In all cases however, the first thing ARC
- Shell will do is display a file selector to allow you to choose an
- ARC file. If you're creating a new archive file with the ADD or MOVE
- commands, simply type in a name for the new file on the file
- selector's "Selection" line, and hit Return or click on OK. If
- you're using any of the other commands (which all operate on
- previously-created archive files), click on the name of the ARC file
- you're working with and click OK. The file selector's "Cancel"
- button always returns you to the main ARC Shell dialog box.
-
- The LIST, VERBOSE LIST, or TEST commands only take one
- parameter - the name of an ARC file - so they will be acted upon as
- soon as you exit the file selector. Any of the other commands will
- now require a second parameter, the name of the DATA files on which
- you're operating.
-
- If you're ADDing files to an archive and you leave the
- "Selection" line in the DATA file selector blank, ARC Shell
- interprets this as "all files," and passes a search spec of *.* to
- the ARC program. If you type in a name on the selection line or
- click on a filename, only that filename will be passed to ARC. Also,
- when ADDing files, you will always return to the DATA file selector
- when ARC is finished adding a file or files, so that you can choose
- more files to add without having to select "ADD to Archive" every
- time. You must click on the file selector's "Cancel" button to exit
- back to the main dialog box.
-
- If you leave the "Selection" line blank when you're EXTRACTing
- files from an archive, you'll be faced with the following choices
- about how to extract the files:
-
- ALL - Extracts all files from the archive into the
- specified directory.
-
- To Folder - First creates a folder (a subdirectory)
- with the same name as the archive file (minus the .ARC
- extension) in the specified directory, then extracts all
- files from the archive into the folder. When the
- operation is complete, you'll be given the chance to
- delete the original ARC file.
-
- W/ Query - When you select the "Query" option, ARC Shell
- reads through the entire ARC file and gets the name of
- every file it contains, then displays all the names in a
- large dialog box. There is room in the box for 80
- filenames; if an archive contains more than 80 files a
- page indicator will become visible in the lower left of
- the box and you can page forward and back to see the rest
- of the filenames. (The maximum is 720.) The Query box
- lets you mark individual files or groups of files for
- extraction by clicking on them with the mouse. You can
- click and hold down the button while dragging the mouse to
- select or deselect files, and double-click on any file to
- select it in one step. (Note: if you double-click on a
- file when other files are selected, it begins the
- extraction process for the entire group of selected
- files.) If you want to abort a multiple extraction after
- the process has already started, press and hold down the
- Alternate key. (Another note: the Query box is also
- available for the "Delete from ARC" and "Copy to StdOut"
- commands. Just choose "w/ Query from the alert box that
- appears after selecting either of these commands.)
-
- Cancel - Lets you change your mind and return to the
- main ARC Shell dialog box.
-
- The "COPY to StdOut" command can be used to view text files
- contained within an archive without extracting them first. When this
- command is selected, ARC Shell will display an alert box with the
- choices "ALL" and "w/ Query." The Query option works in the same way
- as with the EXTRACT command; the filenames will be read from the
- archive, and you can choose which file(s) to view using the Query
- dialog box. When you use "COPY to StdOut" to view text files, you
- can pause the scrolling by typing Control-S and resume by typing
- Control-Q. The COPY operation can also be aborted at any time by
- typing Control-C.
-
- The LIST and VERBOSE LIST commands are used to display the
- files contained within an archive. You can direct the output from
- the LIST commands to the screen, to the printer, or to an ASCII disk
- file by clicking on the buttons labeled "List Device" in the main ARC
- Shell dialog box.
-
- There are two buttons in the ARC Shell dialog box which are
- intended to be used only with ARC version 5.21; "Overwrite Existing
- Files" and "Squash." Earlier versions of ARC will report an error if
- either of these two buttons are selected. The buttons labeled
- "Crunch" and "Squash" are used to choose between two different types
- of data compression schemes used by ARC 5.21 -- only the "Crunch"
- option is supported by earlier versions. So bear in mind that if you
- use the "Squash" method, people who don't have ARC 5.21 will be
- unable to extract those files.
-
-
- Part Four - The ARC Shell Disk Utilities
-
- To access the ARC Shell Disk Utilities, click on the button
- labeled "Disk" at the bottom of the main ARC Shell dialog box. The
- Disk Utilities are a complete GEM-based file maintenance system - you
- won't have to exit ARC Shell to copy files, delete files, etc. You
- can even use the ARC Shell Disk Utilities to run other programs.
-
- When you click on the "Copy File(s)" button, a file selector
- appears to let you choose the source file(s) for the copy. You can
- use any combination of wildcards (? and *) on the 'Selection' line of
- the file selector to specify groups of files to be copied. When you
- click the file selector's OK button, another file selector will
- appear to let you choose the destination directory for the copied
- file(s). If the source filename contains no wildcards (in other
- words, you're copying a single file) the file will be copied right
- away. If there are wildcard characters in the source filename,
- you'll be given a choice to copy "ALL" files or copy "w/ Query." The
- Query option will prompt you whether or not to copy each file that
- matches the wildcard specification. You can also delete groups of
- files by using wildcards in the same way.
-
- If the destination filename already exists when a copy
- operation is being performed, a box will appear with the warning
- "Name Conflict During Copy." You can either click OK to write over
- the existing file or type in a new name for the copied file and hit
- Return.
-
- The "Run Program" command lets you execute a program from
- within ARC Shell, and return to ARC Shell when the program
- terminates. If the program you choose to run has the extension .TTP
- (Tos Takes Parameters), a box will appear to let you enter a command
- line to pass to the program.
-
- The operation of the other disk commands should be fairly
- self-explanatory. You can rename files, show the free space
- remaining on a disk, create and delete folders, and format a floppy
- disk. The format command lets you use drive A or B, and formats
- either single or double sided. No fancy format options here - you
- get the straight ahead standard format, 80 tracks, 9 sectors per
- track.
-
- At the bottom left of the Disk Utilities dialog is a box
- titled "Copy/Delete Prompts" containing buttons labeled "On" and
- "Off." When this option is set to "Off," you'll get no warning when
- you delete a file or copy a file to an already existing name.
-
- The Exit button returns you to the main ARC Shell dialog box.
-
-
- Part Five - Configuring ARC Shell
-
- Clicking on the button labeled "Config" at the bottom of the
- ARC Shell dialog box will take you to the configuration screen. This
- screen lets you specify a pathname for both a "default" ARC utility
- and an "alternate" ARC utility, and also set the directory to which
- ARC's numerous temporary files will be written (the latter option is
- only valid when ARC Shell is used with ARC 5.21). You can save these
- options, as well as every other ARC Shell setting, with the button
- labeled "Save Configuration"; after you do this, ARC Shell will
- remember the settings the next time you run it.
-
- The default ARC utility is the one which will be searched for
- when the program first runs. If you haven't specified a default ARC
- utility, ARC Shell looks in the current directory for a file named
- ARC.TTP (see above). However, using the Config option, you can set
- it so that ARC.TTP can be located anywhere when you run ARC Shell.
- Click on the button labeled "Locate Default ARC Program" and use the
- file selector to specify a new file and pathname.
-
- Next, you can select an alternate ARC utility which can be
- enabled by clicking on the button labeled "Use Alternate." To
- specify the pathname for the alternate ARC utility, click on the
- button labeled "Locate Alternate ARC Program" and use the file
- selector. The purpose of the "Alternate" option is to allow you to
- switch easily between two different ARC programs; for example, some
- people prefer to use a shareware program called DCOPY (by Ralph
- Walden) to do their ARC operations because it's quite a bit faster
- than ARC.TTP.
-
- When ARC is adding files to an archive, it creates quite a few
- temporary work files on the disk. With ARC Shell, you can choose to
- have these files written to either the ARC drive or the DATA drive,
- or to another directory altogether. (Hint: directing the temporary
- files to a RAMdisk can really speed up ARC, especially if you have a
- floppy-based system.) When you click on the button labeled "Set
- Directory" a file selector lets you choose the directory for the
- temporary files. (NOTE: this option is only valid when used with ARC
- 5.21.)
-
- There is one small difference in the way the two versions of
- ST ARC handle redirection to the printer. ARC 5.12 uses the device
- name "PRT:" while ARC 5.21 uses "PRN:." If you're going to be
- redirecting the output from the LIST commands to a printer, you
- should choose the appropriate "Printer Device Name" at the lower left
- of the Configuration box.
-
- When you have ARC Shell set up the way you want it (including
- all of the options in the main dialog box), you can click on the
- "Save Configuration" button to make this arrangement your new
- default....in other words, after saving your configuration, ARC Shell
- will always start out with your settings when you run it.
-
- Versions of ARC Shell prior to 1.96 saved their configuration
- data in a separate file called ARCSHELL.CNF. This was changed in
- version 1.96; the configuration is now saved directly into the ARC
- Shell program file, which makes a separate data file unnecessary.
- When you choose to "Save Configuration," ARC Shell will first look in
- the directory from which it ran for a file called ARCSH197.PRG. If a
- file by this name is found, ARC Shell will attempt to write the new
- configuration data to this file. If for some reason, a file by this
- name exists and is NOT the ARC Shell program, you will be warned and
- the configuration save can be retried or aborted. If ARC Shell
- cannot find a file named ARCSH197.PRG (perhaps you changed the
- name?), you'll be given a chance to use a file selector to locate the
- program file no matter which name you've given it.
-
-
- Part Six - Installing ARC Shell as an Application
-
- Using the desktop's "Install Application" feature, you can set
- things up so that whenever you double-click on a file with the
- extension .ARC, ARC Shell will automatically load and run. To do
- this from the desktop, click once on ARCSH197.PRG to select it, then
- move to the "Options" menu and select "Install Application." In the
- box that appears, enter a document type of "ARC," and then click on
- the button labeled "Install." (DON'T hit Return after entering the
- document type....Return will exit without installing!) Now save your
- desktop, so this setting will be remembered the next time you boot
- up.
-
- If you double-click on an ARC file after ARC Shell has been
- "installed" in this way, a dialog box will appear showing the name of
- the ARC file you selected. You can extract files from this archive,
- do a verbose list of its contents, or cancel the operation by
- clicking on one of the three buttons in the box. If you choose to
- extract, you'll be given the same extract options as explained above
- in the section titled "Using ARC Shell." When the extract or list
- operation is complete, you can either enter ARC Shell (to do some
- more archive maintenance) or quit back to the desktop.
-
-
- CHARLES F. JOHNSON is one of the finest programmers we at ST Report have
- seen...his work both in the Shareware and Commercial area is quite
- superb.
-
- Be sure to check out G+Plus by Codehead Software, another fine program!
-
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- SURGERY IS A CURE
- =================
-
- by T."Rex" Reade
-
- I wonder how many folks out there remember the movie "V" that was on
- national television in a three part run recently? For those who do not
- here is a very brief idea about the picture......Aliens from another
- universe come to earth with wonderful things ...cures for disease,
- abundant crops etc....in other words, a promise of wonderful positive
- things with no side effects. The majority of the earth's population get
- completely sucked in by the aliens, the few skeptics soon find out that
- the benign aliens are, in fact, LIZARDS in disguise who are actually
- scouring the Universe in search of food! The humans are the excellent
- food source!
-
- In this reporter's eyes the ALIEN in OUR WORLD right now is FEDERATED
- STORES.......sure, I am on the east coast and do not have to deal with
- them but think of this...if they continue to conduct business in the
- shabby manner that they are and keep eating Atari's lunch....I could be
- on MARS and it will effect me. How? you say?...hah! easy, Atari is put
- outta business by FEDERATED SLEEZE TACTICS!
-
- Having had the opportunity to read the majority of the mail received in
- the past few weeks from dealers the BIG STINK is loud and clear. Dealers
- on the East Coast and in areas where they are not effected by a Federated
- Store are genuinely concerned over the reputation of the product in
- general. They say, If the dealers by Federated Stores start dropping the
- line and it gets publicity, it is sure to place the Atari product line in
- the same category as "when it breaks trash it" or, worse ...serious minded
- computer enthusiasts will have NOTHING to do with it because of it's
- instability.
-
- The dealers have cited a number of sore points:
-
- they are:
- [a] Lackluster support [b] Anemic Warranty
- [c] Favoritism Played [d] Always Backorders
-
- Those are the generalized complaints, to be a bit more specific...
-
- a - The single biggest complaint has been "Where the hell is my factory
- REP???" Oh sure, Atari tells us we have the telemarketing crew (2 people)
- for the entire US! When are they gonna get real out there? To get even
- closer to a BIG problem, in the southwest and west there are the infamous
- Federated Stores who by their actions seem to be hell bent on putting
- Atari into chapter 11! For example:
-
- Federated....
- ---------
- First to be selling the 520 STF with a D/S drive! Atari originally
- denied this and said it was a mistake, that the machines Federated
- received were destined for European sales....{ INCREDIBLE!! }
-
- has inventory of 1040s and Megas that would be the envy of ALL the
- product and service starved Eastern Dealers.....
-
- allows it's SALESPEOPLE to spread false stories about the Atari
- Dealers in the vicinity.....
-
- is STILL SELLING to the public at prices below the average Dealer's
- factory cost....{TERRIFIC BUSINESS PRACTICE} a different price for all!
-
- We at ST Report can understand why Federated would do all these neat
- business and success building things, they have had a terrible growth
- record and have, in fact, caused Atari to loose money this year. It is
- perfectly understandable knowing these facts but, the one thing that is
- nagging at us is ....how can Atari continue to allow this garbage to
- occur?
-
- FEDERATED IS A PROBLEM......
-
- SOLVE IT OR TREAT IT LIKE A CANCER AND CUT IT OUT!
-
-
- Dealers need SERVICE and ATTENTION...stop trying to devote 999% of your
- time to recruiting NEW victims and take care of those you have!
-
- Folks, believe this, Of the dealers who sent us mail about the way they
- are treated by Atari, it would not take very much on the part of Atari to
- get things turned around....a little TLC and a more positive response
- towards the dealer's needs will get the job done. Can you imagine how a
- dealer feels when he is signing a check for $26,000.00 worth of product
- and he still gets large doses of the backorder blues or gets told we do
- not sell the mouse cords separately, YOU HAVE TO BUY THE WHOLE MOUSE!
- That is, in this reporter's opinion a perfect example of the "subtle
- gouge". Who ultimately gets it in the neck?....THE USER!
-
- Atari HAS, by it's performance, shown this country's userbase that it has
- no idea how to run a National Organization, I hate to say this, but
- perhaps those in SUNNYVALE should pay closer attention to the folks up
- North. They have the respect of their dealers, users and third party
- entities. WHY?....Sure, you can say the size difference is one factor
- but I say it's the lack of expertise on the part of certain US execs who
- continue to interfere and muck up the US operation. Many of the practices
- of Atari US are backward and self defeating.
-
- The bright side is that in the last few weeks Atari has been ultra
- receptive and quite open to suggestions....let's see if, in fact, they
- place any value on the grassroots attitudes towards the future.
-
-
-
-
- **************************************************************************
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-
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- **************************************************************************
-
-
-
- A TIDBIT FROM THE "MADMODIFIER"
- -------------------------------
- :-) humor.
- :-( sad.
- :_) tongue in cheek
- :-! foot in mouth
- <:-) for dumb questions.
- (:-) for messages dealing with bicycle helmets.
- (8-) for messages dealing with owls.
- d:-) for messages dealing with baseball.
- d :-o hats off to your great idea
- q:-) for those who wear their caps backwards.
- @= for messages dealing with nuclear war.
- o>-<|= for messages of interest only to women.
- ~= a candle, to annotate flaming messages.
- oo for somebody's head-lights are on messages.
- ;-) say no more, nudge nudge.
- :-$ put your money where your mouth is
- >:-> leer
- ;-} leer? (terminal dependent)
- |-<> kissy face
- :-| man playing an harmonica
- O:-) for those innocent souls
- [:|] from a robot (or other appropriate AI project)
- :>) from someone with a big nose
- :<| from someone who attends an Ivy League school
- :%)% from someone with acne
- =:-) from a hosehead
- :-(*) from someone who is about to vomit
- :-)8 from someone who is well dressed
- 8:-) from a little girl
- :-)-{8 from a big girl
- #-) from someone who partied all night
- %-\ from someone hungover
- :-* from someone who just ate a sour pickle
- -:-) from someone who sports a mohawk and admires Mr. T
- :-'| from someone who has a cold
- :-)' from somone who tends to drool
- ':-) from someone who accidentally shaved off one of his eyebrows
- 8:] from a gorilla
- (:)-) from someone wearing scuba mask
- P-) from someone getting fresh
- |-) from someone who is falling asleep
- .-) from someone with one eye
- :=) from someone with two noses
- :-D from someone who talks too much
-
- Miscellaneous:
- --------------
- (-:|:-) Siamese twins
- :~/ Really mixed up
- the invisible man
- {:\/ sounds like a duck
- .\/ duck variation
- ___
- / \
- | RIP |
- |_____| from someone who is dead
- -------
-
- Normally, The Madmodifier is quite stable...I guess after what has
- happened lately to his dealer we can forgive his moment of frivolity ;-)
-
-
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- A LOOK INTO THE TWILIGHT ZONE
- =============================
-
- by Richard Kushner - JACG
-
-
- EDITOR: I can't publish this article. It is much too outlandish for
- anyone to believe.
-
- AUTHOR: Well, how about if I make it sound like a fairy tale ?
-
- EDITOR: We could try that. But, really, it's so far beyond belief,
- that even as a fable it strains all credibility.
-
- AUTHOR: Yeah, I know. Too bad it's all true.
-
-
- This is a fantasy... Pure Fantasy!
- ----------------------------------
-
- Once upon a time there was a widget maker named Nelson Brindell.
- He loved to tinker and, from time to time, managed to invent
- something that someone was interested in selling (and buying).
- One day he invented a widget that hooked to the Video Box, so
- that people could play games on the Box. And people liked it
- very much, and made Nelson a wealthy man. So successful was Nel-
- son that, as it often happens, a large company (in this case, the
- Wilson Sisters company) offered him lots of money to buy his com-
- pany. And he sold it and went off to invent more widgets (even-
- tually producing ones that walked, talked, and even made pizza).
-
- Now the Wilson Sisters had an idea that they could capitalize on
- Nelson's work to make his widget into a product to compete with
- the Avocado, a well known character manipulation device invented
- by those famous brothers Stephen, Woz, and their other brother
- Darrel. And they named their device Katanga, a Sanskrit word
- having no English equivalent. And many grew to love and support
- the Katanga and heap abuse upon the Avocado and its ilk. And
- people liked the Katanga very much and all was well.
-
- For a while, at least. For on the other side of town the Admiral
- Tool and Die Company, headed by John Trample, thought it could
- use its cunning methods for cutting corners to make an Admiral
- device that would do everything the Katanga and Avocado could do,
- but at half the price. And they proceeded to do just that, and
- mayhem descended upon the world of widgets, with prices dropping
- faster than... well, faster than just about anything you could
- imagine. And many grew to love the Admiral and heap abuse upon
- the Katanga (not to mention the Avocado).
-
- Now pay attention, because the story gets very confusing at this
- point. So confusing, that if this were a soap opera, the next
- paragraph would take at least six months to tell. (Diagrams of
- all the moves and counter moves are available upon written re-
- quest and payment of a $5.00 handling fee).
-
- Ray Major, who dreamed up the Katanga, left Wilson Sisters and
- invented a better Katanga, which he called the Freundlich. While
- he was doing this, John Trample left Admiral T&D (claiming that
- the state of Pennsylvania was not big enough for all of his fami-
- ly) and bought the Katanga from the Wilson Sisters... lock, stock
- and barrel (a move applauded by the Wilson Sisters, who wanted to
- get back to their first love, vaudeville). Hiring the designer
- of the Admiral, Hashnish Shirka, (by luring him away from his
- former company), Trample set out to build a better widget, the
- Super Katanga. Not to be outdone, Admiral T&D hired good old Ray
- Major and his Freundlich to do battle from their side of the
- city.
-
- And so you are faced with the totally implausible situation,
- where lovers of the Katanga now support the Super Katanga, which
- actually comes from the Admiral T&D Company, and the lovers of
- the Admiral now gather around the Freundlich, even though it ac-
- tually comes from the Katanga Company (by the way of the Wilson
- Sisters, who, by the way, opened at the Atlantis Casino in early
- March, to rave reviews). If you are still with me, I have a pro-
- position for you, that concerns a certain bridge that is rumored
- to be for sale...
-
-
- EDITOR: I'm really sorry. I've read the article over and it stretches
- logic too far.
-
- AUTHOR: Gee, it is, after all, the August issue and maybe you can pass
- it off as a spoof ?
-
- EDITOR: As an Author, you know there must be an element of truth in
- satire, or it fails.
-
- AUTHOR: But Sir, the story is true, only the names have been changed to
- protect the innocent.
-
- EDITOR: Gimme a break. Do you think I was born yesterday? Why not
- see if MAD Magazine is interested? Just go away and leave me
- alone !
-
-
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- BUILD an ST TRACKBALL
- =====================
-
- by Don Neff
-
-
- The Project
- -----------
- The Trackball, an old familiar peripheral in the Atari 8bit world, has
- suddenly been discovered by ST and IBM users. Trackballs are generally
- considered superior to their small cousin, the mouse, for CAD or fast
- games.
-
- First, the larger size of a trackball seems to permit finer control of the
- cursor during the delicate moves often encountered in CAD. Second, the
- stationary trackball can be used with wild abandon during a fast game,
- without worry of running out of room on the desktop (how many times have
- you slammed your mouse into the side of your computer at a crucial
- moment?).
-
- While the IBM world seems to be filled with suppliers of trackballs, ST
- users must create their own. Most ST users create theirs by modifying an
- 8-bit trackball such as the WICO Command Control or the Atari CX22
- Trackball. This article gives you the information needed to convert
- either of these to ST mouse compatibility. The Atari CX22 conversion is
- easier to do than the WICO conversion. There are major differences in
- the two, so the modification process is covered here in several sections.
-
- The first sections cover things common to both the WICO and Atari
- trackballs. The next sections address the items which are specific to
- each one of them. These modification sections are followed by brief
- testing and trouble shooting sections.
-
- 8bit Compatibility
- ------------------
- The WICO conversion eliminates any possibility of using the WICO on an
- 8bit machine again. The Atari conversion, however, retains the original
- 8bit compatibility while adding ST Mouse compatibility.
-
- Caveat
- ------
- Both of the conversions seem deceptively simple because you will be either
- installing a single IC chip or adding a few new wires. However, every
- component or connection is critical and any error will result in a useless
- trackball (but no damage to your ST). Read and understand this entire
- article before modifying your trackball. If you have doubts about your
- understanding of any part of this article, get help before starting. The
- troubleshooting sections at the end of the article address only the most
- obvious problems. Also, be aware that the wire colors described from my
- trackballs may not match what you find in yours. Or, even worse, the
- colors match, but the wires are connected differently.
-
- I am available at the WAUG and MACE meetings (or you can write to me
- through Michigan Atari Magazine) if you have questions. I do not have
- time to convert a trackball for you; you must do it yourself.
-
- Buying the Trackball
- --------------------
- The Atari CX22 Trackball is still available from some stores who sell
- Atari 2600/5200 game systems. I bought mine for $10 from the Kay Bee
- Hobby and Toy store at 12 Oaks shopping mall in Novi, Michigan. They
- still have dozens more they would like to part with.
-
- Both the WICO and the Atari trackballs are frequently available (new and
- used) at Computer/Ham Radio flea markets. These flea markets are also a
- good source of other Atari parts, peripherals, books and software.
- (I am always amazed at the number of Apple, Commodore and IBM pirates
- openly selling pirated software complete with photo-copied documents at
- these events and wonder why Atarians are blamed for all piracy!)
-
- Preparing the Trackball
- -----------------------
- Cut the cable off near the case and discard it. Turn the case upside
- down and remove the Phillips head screws which fasten the top and bottom
- pieces together. Hold the top and bottom pieces together with your
- fingers and turn the case right side up again. Gently ease the top of
- the case off the bottom piece. The Atari trackball case will require
- some serious prying during the first 1/4 inch of separation.
-
- Remove the cue ball, the two roller axles, the single bearing, all
- springs (if present) and put them in a safe place.
-
- Preparing the New Cable
- -----------------------
- The new cable is made from a Radio Shack joystick extension cable (RS#
- 270-1705). Cut the male end (the DB9 plug with pins instead of holes)
- off of the new cable and throw it away. Trim the outer insulation back
- about six inches on the cut end of the cable to expose the nine individual
- wires inside. Strip and tin about 1/4 inch of the ends of the nine wires.
- Use your ohmmeter to identify which wire connects to each pin in the
- female DB9 plug on the cable. Label each wire with a small numbered tag
- (a friendly electrician can get wire labels for you) indicating the
- appropriate pin number for easy identification in later assembly steps.
- The wire from pin #5 can be cut short since we will not be using it at
- all. Form a strain relief at the cut end of the cable by applying a ring
- of epoxy around it. Atari CX22 owners should now skip to the section
- titled "Atari CX22 Conversion." WICO owners should continue on with the
- next section.
-
- Building the WICO Circuit
- -------------------------
- Remove and discard the main circuit board from the WICO case, leaving the
- two LED opto-interrupter mounting boards in place in the case. The
- circuit described here will replace the original which you have discarded.
-
- Figure 1 shows only one fourth of the necessary conversion circuit. The
- other Three fourths are similar to this, but use different pins on IC1.
- If you don't know how to expand Figure 1 into the full circuit, get help.
- This step is the one most likely to cause serious problems for you.
-
- ***** Figure 1 *****
-
- IC1, an LM339 (RS# 276-1712), is four LM311 comparators in a single case,
- all sharing common power pins (#3 and 12). We will be using one
- comparator each, for left, right, up and down signals. Figure 2 shows
- the pin relationships for the inputs and outputs as we will be using them.
-
- ***** Figure 2 *****
-
- Build the circuit on a small circuit board (RS# 276-148) using a socket
- (RS# 276-1998) for IC1 (RS# 276-1712). C2 (RS# 272-1028) may be located
- any place in the case, but C1 (RS# 272-131) should be as close to IC1 as
- possible. The resistors (RS# 271-1317, 271-1328, 271-1335, 271-1347) may
- be mounted in any convenient location on the circuit board.
-
- After the circuit is built, connect the wire from pin #1 of the DB9 plug
- on the new cable to pin #1 of IC1. Connect the wire from pin #2 of the
- cable to pin #2 of IC1. Connect the wire from pin #3 of the cable to pin
- #13 of IC1. Connect the wire from pin #4 of the cable to pin #14 of IC1.
- Those are the up, down, left, and right signal paths to the mouse port.
-
- Connect the wire from pin #7 of the DB9 plug on the new cable to pin #3
- (V+) of IC1. Connect the wire from pin #8 of the new cable to pin #12
- (ground) of IC1. These are the V+ and ground points for other parts of
- the circuit too, so leave room to connect other wires at these points.
-
- WICO Triggers
- -------------
- The WICO has only one trigger button, SW1, so you must add the second one,
- SW2 (RS# 275-1566). Select a convenient spot on the top of the case where
- the new switch will not interfere with anything inside the case. Drill a
- 3/8 inch hole in the chosen spot. Insert switch SW2 in the hole and
- fasten it in place with the supplied retaining nut. Connect one terminal
- of SW2 to any ground connection and connect the other terminal to the
- wire going to pin #9 of the DB9 plug on the new cable.
-
- Cut the 11-PIN plug off of the wires from the 2 LED opto-interrupter
- circuit boards which remain in the case. Two of the wires (white in mine)
- from this plug are for the original trigger switch, SW1. Connect one of
- these white wires to any ground point, and connect the other to the wire
- from pin #6 of the new cable. Figure 3 shows how the trigger button
- connections relate to the DB9 plug.
-
- ***** Figure 3 *****
-
- Each of the two LED opto-interrupter mounting boards has four wires coming
- from it. Two of these wires (red and black in mine) are the power feeds
- for the LEDs. Connect the two red wires to the V+ source (pin # 7 of the
- new cable) and connect the two black wires to ground (pin #8 of the new
- cable).
-
- The remaining four wires (yellow, blue, violet, and green in mine) carry
- the trigger signals to the four comparators. Connect the yellow wire to
- pin #6 of IC1. Connect the green wire to pin #4 of IC1. Connect the
- blue wire to pin #10 of IC1. Connect the violet wire to pin #8 of IC1.
- Figure 2 shows the color and pin number relationship.
-
- Before you place IC1 in its socket, plug the WICO trackball into your
- mouse port and turn the ST on. Use a voltmeter to insure you have +5
- volts at pin #3 and ground at pin #12 of the IC socket. Next, check both
- of the opto-interrupter boards to insure you have +5 volts on their red
- wires and ground on their black wires. Unplug the WICO trackball from
- the ST and insert IC1 into its socket. Refer now to the section about
- testing your modified trackball.
-
- Atari CX22 Conversion
- ---------------------
- Leave the original circuit board in the case; it already contains the
- circuit which WICO owners must build. We will be adding a new computer
- cable, one switch, and connecting several new wires to the original board.
- Remove the remaining short piece of black insulation from the stub of the
- original connector cable and separate the individual wires. Strip and
- tin about 1/4 inch of the free end of each wire. Six of these wires are
- attached to J1, the circuit board connector strip located in the rear left
- corner of the circuit board. Four of the six wires from J1 will be
- soldered to the new switch as shown in Figure 4. Connect the black wire
- from pin 1 (ground) of J1 to the wire from pin 8 of the DB9 plug on the
- new cable. Connect the orange wire from pin 2 (V+) of J1 to the wire from
- pin 7 of the DB9 plug on the new cable.
-
- ***** Fig. 4 *****
-
- The new switch is a four pole, double throw (4PDT) which is available from
- most Ham Radio or electronics stores (but not Radio Shack). These
- switches are often available for less than a dollar at the Computer/Ham
- Radio flea markets mentioned earlier. Locate a convenient place for the
- switch and drill a mounting hole in the case for it.
-
- Figure 4 shows the wiring scheme of this switch which allows you to change
- from 8-bit to ST compatibility. The ST signals are picked up at the four
- points labeled TP1-4 in the front left corner of the circuit board. TP1
- and TP2 are the left/right connections; TP3 and TP4 are the up/down
- connections. Solder a 9-inch piece of wire to each of these 4 points.
- Connect the wires from pins 3-6 of J1, the wires from pins 1-4 of the DB9
- plug, and wires from TP1-4 to the 4PDT switch as shown in Figure 4. Now
- mount the switch in the hole you drilled earlier, and fasten it in place
- with the mounting nut.
-
- Atari Trigger Buttons
- ---------------------
- The Atari trackball already has two trigger buttons installed, but they
- are connected together with two wires. One wire (black in mine) is
- connected to ground through pin #1 of J1 and should not be cut. The
- other wire (red in mine) should be cut near the terminal on the left
- trigger button. Notice there are two red wires at this terminal; cut
- only the one from the right trigger button. Connect the red wire from
- the right button to the wire from pin #9 of the DB9 plug on the new cable.
- Connect the red wire you left attached to the left trigger button, to the
- wire from pin #6 of the new cable. Figure 3 shows how the trigger button
- connections relate to the DB9 plug.
-
- Plug the Atari trackball into your mouse port and turn the ST on. Use a
- voltmeter to insure you have +5 volts at pin #3 and ground at pin #12 of
- A1, the LM339 chip.
-
- Testing Your Trackball
- ----------------------
- Reinstall the springs, roller axles, single bearing and cue ball. Do not
- put the top on the case yet. Plug the trackball into the mouse port
- again and watch the action of the cursor as you move the cue ball. If
- the cursor moves in the proper direction in relation to your movements on
- the cue ball, you can go to the section titled "Finishing the Trackball."
-
- If the cursor movements do not reflect your test movements of the cue
- ball, write notes about which direction the cursor moves in relation to
- left, right, up and down movements of the cue ball. Unplug the trackball
- and compare your notes to the tips in the appropriate trouble shooting
- section below.
-
- WICO Troubleshooting
- --------------------
- This section is useful only if your finished WICO trackball is working,
- but the cursor is moving in the wrong direction. If your finished
- trackball is completely dead, check all of your wiring connections
- against Figures 1, 2 and 3.
-
- If your notes show the cursor moved left as you moved the cue ball to the
- right, and vice versa, you should reverse the connections of the yellow
- and green wires. Connect the yellow wire to pin #4 of IC1 and the green
- wire to pin #6.
-
- If your notes show the cursor moved up as you moved the cue ball down, and
- vice versa, you should reverse the connections of the blue and violet
- wires. Connect the blue wire to pin #8 of IC1 and the violet wire to
- pin #10.
-
- If your notes show the cursor moved up or down as you moved the cue ball
- left or right, you should reverse the connections of the yellow/green
- pair of wires with the blue/violet pair of wires. Connect the green wire
- to pin #10, connect the blue wire to pin #4, connect the yellow wire to
- pin #8, and connect the violet wire to pin #6 of IC1. Now return to the
- trackball testing section above and perform the tests again. Keep in mind
- that if the left/right movements are reversed, you must now swap the
- connections of the blue and violet wires. Likewise, if the up/down
- movements are reversed, you must now swap the yellow and green wire.
-
- Atari CX22 Troubleshooting
- --------------------------
- This section is useful only if your finished Atari CX22 trackball is
- working, but the cursor is moving in the wrong direction. If your
- finished trackball is completely dead, set the new switch to its other
- position and try again. If the trackball is dead in both switch
- positions, check all of your wiring connections against Figures 3 and 4.
-
- If your notes show the cursor moved left as you moved the cue ball to the
- right, and vice versa, you should reverse the connections of the wires at
- TP1 and TP2.
-
- If your notes show the cursor moved up as you moved the cue ball down, and
- vice versa, you should reverse the connections at TP3 and TP4.
-
-
- If your notes show the cursor moved left or right as you moved the ball up
- or down, you should exchange the pair of wires at TP1 and TP2 with the
- pair of wires at TP3 and TP4. Now return to the trackball testing
- section and perform the tests again.
-
- Finishing the Trackball
- -----------------------
- Unplug the trackball and prepare to install the top piece of the case.
- Place the new cord in the cut-out at the back of the case. Make sure the
- epoxy strain relief on the cable is on the inside of the case wall. Check
- all wiring to make sure no wires can move close to the axles, wheels or
- the cue ball. Loose wires should be secured to the case with a drop of
- rubber adhesive or silicon sealant. When all wires are secured out of
- the way, set the top in place and rotate the cue ball. If the ball
- rotates freely, you can turn the case over and reinstall the screws to
- hold the top and bottom pieces together.
-
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
- ======================
-
-
- ATLANTA USA TODAY, The newspaper, had a gorgeous full 2 page spread
- ------- bought and paid for by Commodore, TELLING ALL THE NON-COMPUTER
- TYPES ALL ABOUT THE 500 AND THE 1000... dated 08-19-88.
- Get the MESSAGE Atari??
-
- SUNNYVALE Atari is not sure about the 16 vs 32mb partition access nor
- --------- are they sure about the 12 partition limit. They are sure
- they will have "hooks" installed to be able to handle the
- removable media drive that will work in conjunction with
- the new software being written. But nothing positive about
- the roms....sheeesh! This is the third quarter guys!!!
-
- DENVER The issue of D/S DRIVES is heating up more and more,
- ------ especially since Atari has made NO official statement or
- taken any official posture..We suggest they assign a ninety
- day grace period during which any units purchased having S/S
- drive be exchanged at no charge...all others wishing to make
- the exchange can do so for a fee of 65.00. Any Takers?
-
- HOUSTON One of the MAIN reasons Atari is here is because of the FREE
- ------- TRADE ZONE, it allows the manufacture of product, duty free,
- for EXPORT ONLY..Duty is paid only on goods destined to be
- sold in the US. "Read between the lines bunky"
-
- HOLLYWOOD Seems a Usergroup President walked into a Federated Store
- --------- with a Video Camera on his shoulder blazing away..the
- management of the store went nuts demanding the tape ..I
- wonder why??? Do you? More to come on this one!
-
- SUNNYVALE Watchword on the Blvd. What is this new and strange creature
- --------- called ST PLUS (laptop) also...what is a STACEY (colors and
- sound) hmmm verry interrresting!
-
- NEW YORK Atari stock is now at 7.00 after trading of roughly 100,000
- -------- shares and they enjoy a position in the top 10.
-
- TITUSVILLE COMPUTER SHOPPER SOLD! Ziff - Davis has acquired the favorite
- ---------- and world's largest computer magazine. Ziff Davis will not be
- as liberal, NO reprints allowed anymore. What a nice bunch of
- folks!
-
-
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- THIS WEEK'S QUOTE:
- ------------------
- "Greed is usually behind ANY strange behavior in the business world!!"
- -------
-
-
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ST-REPORT Issue #49 AUGUST. 22, 1988 (c)'88 APEInc. All Rights Reserved.
- Reprint permission granted except where noted in the article. Any reprint
- must include ST-Report and the author in the credits. Views Presented
- herein are not necessarily those of ST-Report or of the Staff.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-