The Data Expansion

Program for printing J-cards for cassettes.

Methods of transferring files between the two computers.

Larken’s “Extended Basic” cartridge proposed as a standard across multiple disk systems.

Overview of the improvements in v9.

I know that many of you get very tired of seeing the normal character set for the Timex and Sinclair computers. Then you design a different character set to use to make it look more readable or at least more interesting. I found this оnе іn an old ZX COMPUTING and thought that it looked…

First off, Fred Andreucci introduced us to his other two partners and passed out some hand-outs concerning the Amstrad PC 1512. He then began the demonstration by giving us some background on Amstrad and the PC1512. The distributor for Amstrad is in Longview which makes it much easier for service and delivery here in the…

The Brentwood, England, company’s long-awaited PC-1512, available in eight configurations starting at about $614, is based on Intel’s 8086 microprocessor running at 8 MHz and comes with several software packages.

I took a short vacation to Austin. A morning to drive down in. The rest of the day, that night, and the next day were spent in Austin. Spend that night and drive back to Fort Worth the next morning. (I said it was short!) I took my wife and two daughters. (Sо I was…

I’m sorry the Timex stuff appears to be getting low coverage in our catalog. Sales have been petering out for 2 years now and when I’m mailing the catalog to 25,000 ST and PC people and only 5,000 Timex people, it just doesn’t pay to have the Timex stuff take up very much room in…

Copy a block of the screen.

Revised version of a disk catalog program.

Reader questions about MS-DOS commands.

Questions about BASICA and MS-DOS.

The meeting was called to order by our President, Chuck Dawson. Some af the more frequent attending, Gene Pickens and our secretary, Charles Stelding, were unable to attend. It was good to see Frank Bouldin up and around after his surgery from last month. He seems to be back to his “old” self. Also back…

I am very proud to announce that the download Section on the FUKUG MBBS & PSDE for the Timex/Sinclair computers now has 41 programs for downloading via XMODEM protocol.

Reprinted from ZX Computing.

Here is a boot program that I use оп all of mу discs. Loading programs is as simple as touching a few keys. No more typing errors to worry about.

The hardware modification for copying cartridges to disc is now available from AERCO. You can make the mods yourself as shown іп the illustration (hich cannot be done here, but it is very clear), or for $15 AERCO will send you the assembled chip and switch and all you have to do is install it.…

Notes from chairman of the Dallas user group.

Reprinted from Sinclair User, May 1985.

In the first issue of THE FD-68 USER I stated that enabling any of the lower 4 chunks of the Dock bank would result in a crash. This was an obvious error that slipped through undetected until after the newsletter went to press. It should have stated that only the first chuck (chunk 0) of…

Recorded and transcribed from an episode of “The Prairie Home Companion’, broadcast hv American Public Radio.

Discussion about computers other than the Timex/Sinclair.

Ed uploaded TYPETAS.TXT to the BBS.

Musician Royale is a comprehensive TS 2068 program for transcribing, composing, playing, and saving music.

Notes on using the program and program listing.

Introduction to using the tape load/save routine.

Updates on Findex compatibility issues.

Describes the benefits of belonging to the group.

Quarterly joint meetings between two groups begin.

Basicode-transmitted over the air on shortwave! By Raido Netherlands, the independent international short wave station of the Netherlands.

I thought you might like to see just what takes place many times on the FWKUG MBBS & PSDE that affects the Timex/Sinclair users and modem users here in the Fort Worth/Dallas area. Also some of the information and files that get placed on the board for the benefit of all of us. (Our downloadable…

Messages extracted from the Fort Worth BBS.

Compares Pixel Draw II, Artworx, and Tech-Draw.

Some people will try to write anything provided that it is very short. Mel Goodman of Leeds has come up with the very shortest Hex/Dec converter ever.

I now, thanks to the quick reply from Jack Dohany, have the MSCRIPT AERCO disk, version 5.3. This is just like my old MSCRIPT, but improved. There is another version on the way, but you will have to wait for that one-I will explain in a short article in this column. I also, thanks to…

А discussion of interrupts was a bit too advanced a subject to cover in detail in my book ‘Introduction to 2068 Machine Code,” since the beginning student has enough other things to learn, so here is a short discussion of them. Reprinted from SMUG Bytes, August 1986.

I am temporarily “out of business”… my regular business (making wooden toys) is leaving me NO time for computing.

Using JRT Pascal with RP/M on an AERCO FD-68.

Review of the compiler, as run on an AERCO RP/M system.

Converting data from Pro/File 2068 to MScript.

Messages from Timex Sinclair enthusiasts, sent via email on BBS.

Large text demo. Originally published in Your Spectrum, Sept. 1987.

This is a short machine code routine that displays a memory map of the computer. It is 2068 specific, but can easily be altered for the Spectrum with two POKEs.

Programs for uploading binary files available.

Like most projects of this sort, this entire undertaking is as much the product af other minds as it is of my own. Tom Woods documentation effort deserves as much credit as does any other factor. Credit is also due to Frank Holland of the Mile High Chapter of TSUG for his article in their…

Announcement for TS-2068 Update.

I have a fairly obsolete computer system, I guess. A Timex 2068 powering an Epson RX-80. The Epson works well, never gives me any trouble, and has several good features like underline, bold, italic. etc. But lately, I have been a little embarrassed when everyone else’s printer seemed to turn aut copy looking like it…

This is the September issue of THE DАТА EXPANSION, and as you read this, I will have been in the ‘hallowed halls’ of the public learning institution for almost two weeks. Summer was much too short, and the school year, I am sure, will be much too long. The next step to lock forward to…

This has been an interesting past month. I have had а few special phone calls and letters from people concerning thesub-board that we have on the Kaypro BBS. Ed Gray, the SYSOP of the Timex sub-board on the YARBBS, was finally able to get on line calling through Dallas using PC PURSUIT. I do not…

The ARTWORX program from NovelSoft, а graphics-drawing program, has come іп quite handy for figuring out “shop drawings” for the pieces that need to be glued up and cut from solid wood or plywood. This is an essential part of figuring out the best way to produce the most from the least amount of wood.…

I have been reading some interesting articles in other newsletters from the Timex community. One in Particular that impressed me spoke about how good our computers really were. It made me wonder about the Timex people. If they had known how tenacious we ZX80, ZX81/1000, 1500, 2068, SPECTRUM, QL and AMSTRAD users and user groups…

Newsletter merge between Dallas and Fort Worth user groups announced.

Tim Ward, a former member, is trying to get together a Public Domain Software Library from all over the place for the 1000, 1500, and 2068.

Program to help with downloading files from a BBS.

Cautions against interfacing directly to some lines; color pack is PAL only.

Overview of various Star Micronics printers.

The DELTA DEVICE is the first non-volatile memory system (NVMS) developed for the TS 1000 family of computers. It consists of a 32K non-volatile memory board and the Rigter Operating System (ROS). The product was developed by Mr. WILF RIGTER and is marketed exclusively bу WEYMIL CORP.

Notes on configuring a new printer with the AERCO disk system.

As MTerm II is one of the oldest and most widely used terminal programs for the TS 2068, many modifications have been developed by different individuals іп ап effort to add ‘enhanced’ features to the program. This is one of the several that you may find useful.

Have you at one time or another forgotten the name of a particular 1000 program but didn’t want to wait the 10 minutes to see what it was? Help is at hand! This routine will read and print the name the program was saved under, all in a few seconds and without affecting the saved…

Review of Micro Computer Software Design: How to Develop Complex Application Programs by Sally Campbell.

On the other side of the Atlantic, ‘small is better’ seems to be the credo as far as computers is concerned. Starting with Clive Sinclair and the ZX-80, the business of tiny computers has mushroomed. Now Psion — the same folks who created the bundled software for the QL — is marketing their handheld computer…

Using a 1200 baud modem without a Modapter.

Connecting a reconditioned monitor to the Sinclair QL.

Although written for the ZX81, this program should work as printed on the Spectrum/2068. As most dabblers in electronics know, the value of a resistor is given by a set of colors printed on its side. This short program will decode the full four bands almost instantly. А very useful utility to have for building…

Review of the TS-2068 Update newsletter.

Utility routine that enables you to save a SCREENS in one of 30 different ways, combinations cf top pixels, middle pixels, bottom pixels, and attributes.

David Braziel of Stafford gives a very interesting routine for the Alphacom 32 or ZX printer. This will give you some very interesting screen dumps. Reprinted from Your Spectrum, August 1987.

Short programs, originally printed in ZX Computing Monthly.

Assembly language routine to read the keyboard.

Tips for programs with loading screens. Originally appeared in Your Spectrum, October 1987.

Short sprite code program. Originally published in Your Spectrum, December 1987.

Ever looked at the flashy rainbow colored lettering on Hewson games and wished you could do the same. Now you can, thanks to the people at Hewson allowing programmer Dominic Robinson to show you how.

Letter to Jerry Pournelle about the speed of BASIC compilers on the Sinclair QL.

Using a copy of the directory, the program allows for copying microdrive tapes.

Review/overview from new user.

At last! A powerful IBM-compatible personal computer with the popular ‘Mouse’ and software, all at an affordable price.

Editorial about using Timex computers long after their expiration date.

Information about file extensions on CP/M.

Some time ago when first attempting to translate a “SPECTRUM” program for operation in the TS-2068, I was exposed to a BASIC command that I had not see before – “IN”. This aroused my curiosity and I began to work with different values and methods of writing the command as the translated programs would not…

Letter from John Austin describing the tape exchange. Includes listing of several tapes.

I have just received the BIG telecommunications guide from Pete Fischer. (This is the one that has it all on the 11 X 8 1/2′ paper.) The cover page is in black and white, but he included-for me-the identical page in its original COLOR form.

I just got the Zebra Disk Drive and am very pleased with it. I have a program that I have modified to save data on the disk. It is very important data and I would like to be as sure as possible that it is not lost due to a disk error. I notice that…

QUESTION: Can you explain the term RLE graphics? ANSWER: R.L.E. stands for RUN LENGTH ENCODED graphics, which probably does not tell you a lot. The idea is to take а screen full of graphic information (usually 256 dots across by 196 dots high) and turn the information into ASCII characters which сап then be sent…

Here is something that puzzles me. I understand most of the terms in machine code, but what does SET do? When would we use it? Each location in memory can hold a number from 0 to 255. When we PEEK a location, the computer gives us the number stored in that location. What is really…

QUESTION: How many ‘ports’ do we have? What are ports used for? ANSWER: A port is a window to the outside world, just like on a ship. In the Timex-Sinclair line of computers, we have a total of 256 possible serial ports. This is because the machine code instructions used to access ports require a…

The meeting was called to order by our president, Gene Pickens. Even though only 10 members were present at this meeting (a rather small group) and no one had any classes prepared for this meeting (there was too much going on at work to have time to prepare anything), there was a great deal of…

The meeting convined in MEETING ROOM “С” of the Fort Worth Public Library at 300 Taylor Street in downtown Fort Worth. The next meeting is scheduled for October 11, 1986 in MEETING ROOM 24. The meetings are on the second Saturday of each month from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. The meetings are open to…

There have been some tremendous strides for the Timex/Sinclair/Amstrad family of computers. It is difficult to believe that these computers have been gone from the market (1000/1500/2068) for over four years now. It seems as if you can’t keep a good thing down. There have been improvements added in the past few years, not to…

Short program to demonstrate color attributes.

Enhance the performance of vour TS 2063 with the AERCO Disc System. All of the speed and convenience of a full-out floppy disc system. Save, load, and copy programs at the industry standard rate of 250,000 bits/sec. Fully compatible with all Shugart type drives, including those already in use with the AERCO 1000 Disk System.

I recently received a letter from Pete Fischer asking about our sub-board on StarText and the FWKUG MBBS, It seems that he and Steve Ishii are compiling a book slated for publication about mid-September or so. They were pleased by the fact that we should be in a PC Pursuit city making the long distance…

Using the expression evaluator to get around the limitations of BIN.

Tasword II files, unlike Mscript files, DO NOT include carriage returns (CR) or line feeds (LF) at the end of EVERY LINE. There is a LF (but no CR) at the end of each papagraph. Therefore when a file, created with Tasword, is uploaded to a BBS, the remote system does not (cannot) display the…

This program is based on the Sincus Buffer Utility by Dave Shoenwetter as well as the ‘FASTDIAL’ program from Micro-Systems BBS. The first half of this listing looks a little like Schoenwetter’s Aerco Printer I/F utility program. I’ve altered both the BASIC and the machine code.

Overview of the commands.

Reprinted from ZX Appeal, July/August 1986 issue.