First Time Start Up:
Follow these instructions only when the Z88 has been without any power and must be fully reset and initialized. You should never have to follow these instructions more than once– the first time you put batteries in the Z88. Thereafter, the Z88 provides plenty of backup internal power to let you change batteries without resetting the computer.
- 1. Install the batteries following the Battery Installation instructions below.
- 2. With a paper clip or fingernail file, press the small grey button on the left side of the Z88. It is in a small square hole next to the round hole for the AC adapter plug. The screen on the Z88 will stop fluttering and sparkling once the button has been pressed.
- 3. If the screen goes blank after pressing the button, turn the Z88 on by pressing both “SHIFT” keys at the same time.
- 4. Press the “□” key just to the left of the space bar, then press the “S” key. This brings up the CONTROL PANEL display.
- 5. Use the various arrow keys to move the small blinking cursor (black box) around in the panel until it is sitting on the “E” in the word “European”. Then press the “A” key followed by the “ENTER” key.
- 6. Next, set the date and time by pressing the “□” key followed by the “T” key. To set the date, press the “→” key to move the cursor to the word “SET” and press the “ENTER” key. Type the date, but do not press the “ENTER” key when done. Instead, press the “↓” key to move to the time. Type in the time and press the “ENTER” key.
- 7. Press the “ENTER” key again to exit the Clock function.
AC Adapter Use:
Use a 6 volt adapter with a 300mA or 500mA current rating only. The polarity must be correct. The inside of the plug must be positive and the outside negative. Double check these three characteristics: voltage, current, and polarity, before connecting any AC Adapter to your Z88. This is especially true if you choose to use an adapter that lets you switch voltages or polarity.
Battery Installation:
Make sure you install all four AA batteries in the direction indicated. Insert one battery at each end of the tray. To insert the middle two, form them into a “V” shape with the legs in the tray and press down on the point of the “V” until the batteries seat themselves firmly. Always keep batteries in your Z88. This will protect your data even if you are using an AC adapter.
Using the American Dollar:
The spreadsheet application, PipeDream, assumes the British pound for currency. To change to the American dollar while in PipeDream, press the following keys in order: “◇” (above the left SHIFT key), “O” (oh), “ENTER” (press twelve times), “$”, “→”, “DEL”, “ESC”.
Using CompuServe, America’s Computer Utility:
Make sure that you set the Z88 up with the correct protocol for the baud rate you will be using. To do so, press the “□” key followed by the “S” key to get to the setup panel. In the right column are the communication parameters. Set the first two entries to the correct baud rate, set the third entry, Parity, to “S”pace and the last entry, Xon/Xoff, to “Y”es.
To dial using the terminal application, type the four letters “ATDT” followed by the phone number and press “ENTER”. (If calling from a rotary dial phone, the first four keys to press are “ATDP”.)
While communicating with Compuserve, there is a tendency for the information to scroll off the screen. To prevent this, once you are in the service, keep your left little finger resting on the “◇” key. With the index finger of the left hand, press “S” to Stop the screen from scrolling, and press the “Q” key to resume scrolling.
Until you are familiar with using the Z88 as a terminal, it is recommended that you always use the lowest baud rate your modem is capable of processing.
Using other Communication Services:
Most services are similar to Compuserve. Besides the above instructions, make sure you follow the procedures laid down by the particular provider you are communicating with.
If the Screen is Hard to Read:
On the left edge of your Z88 is a knob for brightening the screen and making the letters darker and more easy to see. Packaging the Z88 tends to rub the knob toward the lightest setting. To brighten the screen, adjust the knob until the letters can be read comfortably. The best setting is just before the entire screen darkens. This provides the best contrast.