A forum for people having problems with their 1000, 1500 and 2068. If you would like to ask a question, send it to:
TS Communique
c/o Time Designs Magazine Co.
29722 Hult Road
Colton, OR 97017
I bought a QL and would like to know how to hook it up with my Zenith Data Systems RGB Monitor. If you can supply any help, I would be very grateful. Thank you.
Larry Anderson
Davenport, IA
Dear Larry,
From the pin-out you sent for the Zenith monitor, the following connections should work. Be careful in soldering so that there arn’t any frayed wires or solder bridges causeing shorts between pins.
QL Signal Zenith Monitor 2 Ground 16 & 19 3 composite video 20 4 composite sync 1 5 vertical sync 14 6 Green 5 7 Red 7 8 Blue 6
If this does not lock the picture into sync, try connecting pin 4 of the QL to pin 1 & 14 and eliminating the pin 5 connection of the QL. Also, I showed the connection of composite video so you can display either RGB or monochrome video which may help with certain video modes. -Joe
I am using a Timex 2068 computer, driving a brand-new Magnavox monochrome monitor (Model BM 7622), working mainly with MSCRIPT word processing software. I continually notice the following symptoms:
1. Usually, the malfunction first appears as a flickering of the screen display. After about ten minutes, the video signal is lost and the screen shows only a normal raster (blank lit screen). Sometimes the signal is not entirely lost; very dim words and letters of the text are visible on the screen.
2. Manipulating the brightness and contrast controls of the monitor does not restore the video signal to normal. Turning the monitor power off then on again does not restore the display.
3. Turning the 2068 off then on generally restores the signal to normal, but then of course everything in memory is lost.
4. The remedy that seems to work most of the time is to pull out the plug from the 2068 monitor jack and then plug it in again, whereupon the video signal usually returns to normal strength.
5. The symptons described above are the same whether I am using a three-year-old 2068 or a two-month-old 2068, a fact which seems to indicate that the Magnavox monitor is at fault. However, there still could be something about the 2068 monitor output circuit which is causing the problem.
6. The output from the RF jack of the 2068, which feeds an ordinary television set, remains constant and strong without any of the symptons described above.
Seymour Miller
Forest Hills, NY
Dear Seymour,
Because you have the problem with both computers, It would be most reasonable to think that there is a problem with the monitor or the monitor cable. Try jiggling the cable at both ends to see if the symptons come and go or replace the cable. To see if the problem lies in the computer, try another monitor. If there is a problem with the computer, there are several places to check. Video is processed in the SCLD and comes out on pin 33 and on the RGB lines (pins 48, 47, & 46). You would need an oscilloscope to check for activity on these pins.
The video then goes through the sync & white level control, VR1 (try adjusting it to see if this clears up the problem) and feeds the base of Q5. the signal comes out on the emitter and feeds the emitter of Q4 and out the collector of Q4. From here, the video feeds both the RF modulator and the video output circuit consisting of Q3 and Q4 which have been known to cause problems. The video signal feeds the base of Q3, out from the collector, feeds the base of Q2 and out on the emitter through C58 to the video out put jack. Determining where the video is found and then lost can tell you where the fault is quite easily (one of the easier circuits to follow). I have seen alot of video problems traced to the SCLD (unfortunately) and Q2 & Q3.
As I stated before, your problem sounds like it is in the monitor or cable. Look there first! -Joe
I read the letter from Mel Routt in the first TS Communique. I seem to have the exact same problem with MSCRIPT. I have an Aerco parallel printer interface connected to a Blue Chip M120/10 printer. I get the random printout glitches on both tape and disk versions of MSCRIPT. Tasword II and anything typed from Aerco RP/M work fine. I am also looking for a CP/M word Processor.
For some reason the print from my Alphacom 32 is smaller than usual. The letters vary in size during the printout. This happens on both the 2068 and the 1500 so the problem is in the printer. Is there a solution for this?
I have an Aerco FD-68 Disk interface connected to a Zenith ZVM-131 RGB monitor. I can see faint lines moving on my video. In RP/M, the letters appear to shimmer. This appears to be some sort of interference. The cable from the FD-68 to the monitor is shielded so the interference does no come from there. Someone told me that it may be coming from the 2068 power supply. Is a better power supply available?
Dave Bennett
Lemoyne, PA
Dear Dave,
Mel Routt wrote us back and said that since he received Version 5.2 of MSCRIPT, the problem has disappeared. So try trading up for the new version. The Alphacom 32 problem sounds like a damaged pin heater. Your best bet is to replace the whole unit. The interference problem sounds like a buss loading problem or poor sync. If the problem is there with only the disk interface connected, more than likely it is from poor sync being stripped from the video. Try adjusting the sync and White level adjustment inside the computer just to the top upper left of the speaker designated as VR1. If this doesn’t help, you may need to check the actual sync stripping circuit on the disk interface. If you have an oscilloscope, look at the sync line. You should have clean, steady negative peaks with no tearing where the peak starts or ends. -Joe
In your Banner program for the 2040 printer (TS 1000) in SUM Magazine, May 1986, I can’t get past the line:
30 LET LEN=LEN M$It comes up with a syntax error. I have tried several things such as “” etc. to no avail.
A. L. Francis
Yucaipa, CA
Dear Mr. Francis,
LET and the 2nd LEN are both key words and need to be entered as a single keystroke. The first LEN is a variable and is just typed in L-E-N. -Joe