• Tag Archives PET

  • Compute! (November 1981)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    compute_issue_018_1981_nov-001

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 18 – November 1981

    Compute! was one of the better multi-format computer magazines of the 1980s (and early 1990s). In 1981, Compute! was focused on computers based on the 6502 CPU. At the time, this included the Commodore PET, Atari 8-bit and Apple II in addition to more obscure entries like the KIM and others. The November 1981 issue includes:

    Table of Contents

    • The Editor’s Notes – Atari educational sales in Minnesota; a preview of the SuperPET coverage in this issue; Recreational Computing merges with Compute!; and more.
    • Computers and Society – Simplifying computer interfaces to make home computers a mass market success.
    • Ask the Reader – Questions asked and answered by readers. Some topics in this issue include interfacing the Vortax Type ‘N Talk speech synthesizer to the Atari 800; graphics modes 9-11 on the Atari 400/800; the Commodore 4010 Voice Synthesizer; sequential file access on the OSI C3; and operating a Commodore 3016 and 3040 floppy drive via a marine 12v battery.
    • Guest Commentary: The Three Laws – Isaac Asimov writes about applying/adapting the Three Laws of Robotics to other things.
    • The Beginner’s Page – An example of creating a database management program in BASIC.
    • Basically Useful BASIC: A Flower Sale Program – A BASIC program written for the PET that keeps track of flower sales for a Cub Scout Den.
    • SuperPET’s Super Software – A look at the University of Waterloo’s design and use of the new Commodore SuperPET, a modification of the existing Commodore PET (8032) that adds a 6809 processor among other enhancements.
    • SuperPET: A Preview – A preview of the new Commodore SuperPET which enhances the original design by adding an additional 64K of RAM, the addition of a 6809 processor, and improvements to the I/O system.
    • Japanese Micros: A First Look – A summary of various computers available in Japan, including the Sharm MZ-80B (Z80A @ 4.7MHz with 64k of RAM), the NEC PC-8000 Series (PD780C-1 CPU @ 4MHz), the Casio FX-9000P (Z80A @ 2.75MHz and up to 32K of RAM), the Fujitsu Micro 8 (dual 6809 processors and 32K of available RAM), the Bubcom 80 (Z80-based with 64K of RAM), and several others.
    • Telecommunications. What is It? – An introduction to how modems work.
    • Bits, Bytes, and Basic Boole – How to use AND, OR, and NOT in BASIC.
    • The Practical Side of Assembly Language Part II: Loops and Arrays – Using loops and arrays in assembly and some of the differences vs. BASIC.
    • Introduction to Binary Numbers, Part 1 – The first part of a guide to binary numbers, including converting from binary to decimal.

    The Apple Gazette

    • An Apple Primer – Using PEEKs, POKEs and CALLs on the Apple II.
    • Page Flipper: Five Hires and Four Lores Pages for the Apple – Storing graphics and text in memory and switching between them.

    The Atari Gazette

    • Atari Data Management/Database System: An Atari Database – A database management system in BASIC to type in for your Atari.
    • A Program for Writing Programs on the Atari 400/800 Computers – This type-in program that will create BASIC statements for you based on a series of questions.
    • INSIGHT: Atari – The first of a multi-part series of interacting with Atari I/O via assembly.
    • Atari Timing Delays – A program for creating a precise timing delay in Atari BASIC.
    • Printing Numbers That Make Cents – A BASIC routine to print consistently formatted numbers, particularly for currency representation.
    • Formatting Input – Two BASIC routines for inputting data via a table.
    • Typing SHOOT – Some hints for typing in programs to reduce the possibility of errors.
    • TextPlot – A type in program for creating graphs that can be labeled.
    • Assembler Update – An update to a type-in program from an earlier issue. This adds SAVE and LOAD commands to Assembler in BASIC.
    • Maypole – A type-in graphics demo using obscure Atari graphics modes.

    The OSI Gazette

    • OSI Relocation Or What’s NEW? – Relocating BASIC programs and using the NEW command on OSI machines.
    • Data Handling – A guide to handling data on the OSI Superboard.
    • Keyboard Conversion Program For The OSI C1P – Dealing with the non-standard keyboard behavior of the OSI C1P and Superboard.

    The PET Gazette

    • COMPUTE! Interview: Kit Spencer, CBM’s New US Marketing Director – Some background on Kit Spencer, differences in marketing between the U.S. and U.K., the future of technology (an LED TV is mentioned) in general and the future of Commodore specifically.
    • COMPUTE! Overview: Power – An overview of POWER which is a ROM chip that plugs into the PET to provide additional BASIC commands.
    • The PET Speaks – A program for the PET that allows it to reproduce speech from audio cassettes.
    • Machine Language: Monitoring Progress – A guide to using the machine language monitor on the PET.
    • Directory For 3.0 – A program for displaying a disk directory from your own program when using BASIC 3.0.
    • Inversion Partitioning – A method of partitioning memory to store more than one BASIC program at a time.
    • A Personal News Service – Converting the PET into a VAX terminal.
    • FOR/NEXT GOSUB/RETURN, And The Stack – A program for examining the stack to help debug issues with loops and GOSUB statements.

    The SBC Gazette

    • Nuts and Volts: Build Your Own Controllers, Part III – Part 3 of an ongoing series about building a controller using a single board computer and using a home computer as a development system.
    • Review: DOS/64 A Disk Operating System (6502 Software) – Using DOS/64 with the KIM.
    • New Products – New products looked at this month include Home Accounting System for the Atari, The Depreciation Planner for the Apple II, an 80 Column adapter for the Commodore PET/CBM, the PEDISK II Floppy Disk System for the Rockwell AIM, Graphics Composer for the Atari 400/800, and more.

    …and more!


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  • Interfacing With Commodore

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Doug Crawford & Chris Fala demonstrated Commodore 8-bit machines performing similar tasks to Arduinos (or any other microcontrollers).  I always like the VCF East exhibits that mix the retro with the modern to provide perspective and a point of reference for the younger generation.

    Starting with a PET 4016, working its way through the VIC-20 and C64, all though the C-128.  Oh, and with an SX-64, C16, C64C, C128D, and Plus/4 thrown in for good measure.  Each machine was interacting with hardware just like an Arduino counterpart – both machines did the same thing.

    For the most part, the demonstration machines were simply running banks of LEDs in unique configurations.  However, the C128D was hooked into a 40 column composite display, an 80 column RGBi display, and a tiny 20 column vacuum florescent display, all operating at the same time.

    Everything was running BASIC, operating on simple peeks and pokes to interact directly with the user ports for I/O.  BASIC does a fantastic job of providing a non-intimidating coding environment for first time programmers.

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/159562580401/commodorez-doug-crawford-chris-fala






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  • Commodore Power/Play (January 1982)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    commodore_power-play_1982_issue_01_v1_n01_premiere_issue-01

    Source: Commodore Power Play – Volume 1, Number 1 – January 1982

    Commodore Power/Play was one of a few different magazines published by Commodore over the years (Commodore Magazine was the last). Commodore Power/Play focused on gaming and other fun or hobby related things you could do with your computer as opposed to business or productivity uses. The January 1982 issue would have been out before the Commodore 64 was released so its focus was on the VIC-20 with some coverage of the more business oriented PET line.

    The January 1982 issue (which was the premiere issue) of Commodore Power/Play includes:

    • Braindrops – An introduction to the brand new Commodore Power/Play magazine.
    • We’re Glad You Asked – Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the VIC-20. Why do I sometimes have problems loading programs from cassette tapes? How is a modem hooked up to the VIC? Answers to these questions and much more…
    • And Now A Word From Our Sponsor – An intro to the magazine by Kit Spencer, Vice President of Marketing for Commodore at the time.

    Fun…

    • Access: Commodore User Groups – Contact information for Commodore user groups around the U.S. and Canada.
    • The VIC Magician – Short little programming tricks for the VIC-20.
    • Play Blackdragon – Blackdragon was an online role playing game available on The Source, one of the online services that were available at the time. This particular game happened to work well with the VIC-20. This article takes you through a session.
    • A Little VIC Music – A type-in program that plays a song on the VIC-20. The song itself is not given so that it will be a surprise.
    • VIC 20 Helps Deliver the News – A story about a kid who wrote a program on his VIC-20 to help with his paper route. It keeps track of customers, money owed, and even includes an animated map.
    • Maryland “VIC-ar” Computerizes Sermons – A story about a minister who keeps track of his sermons using a VIC-20. I think this is the father of the kid in the story above.
    • No More Pencils, No More Books – Educational software that (supposedly) makes learning fun.

    Games…

    • Joystick Control on the VIC – A technical article on reading joystick input with a VIC-20. Program samples are included.
    • Great Cartridge Games for the VIC-20 – An overview of the best cartridge based games available for the VIC-20. Titles mentioned include VIC Avenger, Jupiter Lander, VIC Super Alien, Lord of the Skies, Gorf, Omega Race, Wizard of Wor, Midnight Drive, Radar Rat RAce, Raid on Fort Knox, Super Slot, Draw Poker, Adventureland Adventure, Pirate Cove Adventure, Mission Impossible Adventure, The Count Adventure, Voodoo Castle Adventure, Sargon II Chess, and more.
    • Flip Out with VICFLIP-IV – A type-in program that gives you a game similar to Othello.

    …And Beyond

    • Tele/Scope – The VICMODEM brings mainframe computing home. This article gives an overview of the types of services you can access with your VIC-20 and a modem.
    • JINSAM Gives a Golden Anniversary Party – Using the JINSAM database management system to organize an anniversary.
    • Best Books – A list of some of the best Commodore related books as determined by the editors of Commodore Power/Play. Titles include Hands-on BASIC with a PET, VIC 20 Programmer’s Reference Guide, BASIC from the Ground Up, and more.
    • Book Review – A review of the VIC-20 Programmer’s Reference Guide. I have the Commodore 64 version around somewhere…
    • Program Review – A review of Commodore’s Introduction to BASIC software package written by someone who used it to learn BASIC
    • Get Serious – New products for “serious” computer usage including new hard drives (the D9060 and D9090), a new dual floppy drive (8250), Cobol for the SuperPET, UCSD Pascal, CMAR Multi-Key File Access System, and ATLAS 1200 Equipment Maintenance System.
    • Future File – News about the upcoming Commodore 64 and Commodore MAX. The Commodore 64 would go on to become the best selling home computer in history. The Commodore Max was on the opposite end of that scale.

    …and more!


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