No. 50 November-December 1989 $3.95 THE M TECHNICAL J 0 URN A L o COPIA. .
3D Graphics In Depth
This whole issue is a project. Put UNIX on your 386, build a board to grab video images, build another to analyze voices, and then display all your graphics in 3D.
3D-Surface page 8 Generation
The PC Video Frame page 16 Grabber LIMBO, Part Three
Our robot project rolls on. page 22
PostScriptal Two page 32
A very graphic look at a very graphic language.
UNIX For The PC page 40
Which UNIX should you purchase for your new 386? There are some real bargains.
And More • • • On Your Own
An inside look at the lives of silicon valley consultants.
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Introducing ... The PC-LabCard Family Only from HSC Electronic Supply Dig ital 1/0 and Prototype Development IBM PC/XT/AT and it's Counter Card compatible models are moving into Card Industrial/Laboratory applications at • 32 Digital Input Channels • Large breadboard area (3290 holes) - TTL compatible an increasing rate. The reasons for • Independent memory and 1/0 address - Low loading: 0.2 mA at OAV input this include their price/performance decoders built-in • 32 Digital Output Channels ratio and short user learning curve. • Memory and I/O ports are jumper - TTL compatible PC-based data acquisition boards selectable - Driving capacity: Sink 24 mA, are now taking the place of the • All bus signals are buffered, marked, source 15 mA and ready for use • Intel 8253 Timer/Counter traditional data loggers or recorders - 3 channels of timer/counter which cost. several times more. PCL-750 ...... $74.00 - Breadboard area for flexible user configuration "PC-LabCard" is a family of add-on cards to turn your PC into a PCl·720 ...... $160.00 high performance data acquisition/ - ~ t. testing system at an attractive price.
It includes not only the hardware -:-:-~-,--< -; ?;:~,.-;<, I ~ ... ' cards, but also the software, . ,:;:l!::~ ~ '. . ~- ~ .~ /;: ..,., accessories and application support • • ~ ,-{:: ~.'" I packages which come together to make a thoughtful solution to your PC-based automation needs. 14 Bit Super-Lab AID + DI A + DIO +Counter -Analog Input (AID converter) - 16 different channels" - 14 bit, 25K/sec sample~ate ' ...•... ' •• >~naloglnput (t\IDconverter) -:-Input range: +5V to-5V, +1Vto.;1V ,·16single~ended channels, 12 bit -Analog Output (D/Acomierter) -Input range:<+5Vto ~5V,+1Vto ~.1V ~ DIA Channels: r standard/loptional • Analog (:>utput( 01 A converter) -14 bit, +/- 5Vfullrage .' . ~ •• 2channel,12 bit.· Steppi n9 rvlotor • . Digital I/O .. i . . ~O,,:+5Vfullrange -16channels each, TTLc()r11patibl~ ~ •••• Digital I/O • Counter ~16phannelse~:lCh, TTLcompatible Control·Card • Independen,t; simultaneous operation .; 1 channel. of timer/counter • Counter .:.Programmable'pacerfuhdiori· >r6hanneloftimer/counter of up to 3 motors ~.' PrOgrammable pacer function • ProgrammablespeedJrom 3.3 to 3410, ppS • Built~inacceleration control PCL-714 .. ; .... " ... ~·..• ;.;,.~L.·.. •.• .. ;.; .. $495.00 l=>CL~712 .. ~ .. ~; ...... ,.; ...... ;..... $295.00 • OneClock'(pulse,·Direction) or two,clock (OW, CCWPulses) output mode
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Reader Service Number 110 2 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 THE M I C R 0 TECHNICAL J 0 URN A L MICRO CORNUCOPIA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 - ISSUE NO. 50
Gregory K. Landheim 8 3D-Surface Generation 58 C'ing Clearly Take a two dimensional illustration and turn it into a three dimensional image? Sure. But it's not trivial. 65 Culture Corner
Gene Toner 16 The PC Video Frame Grabber 66 86World Want to put your 'favorite' TV personality on your favorite dartboard? Want a stock of real-life images for your paint program? Then this is your project. 70 On Your Own
Bob Nansel 22 LIMBO, Part Three 78 Units and Modules This time we're deeply into the mechanics of this moving project.
Larry Fogg 80 Shareware 32 PostScript Programming, Part II Larry probes further into the graphic mysteries of FORTH, oops, I mean PostScript. 90 Techtips
Bob Morein 40 UNIX Packages For The PC This is the most complete comparison and discussion of 386 UNIX packages I've seen. 82 Tidbits Linda and Karl Lunt 49 Life, Bliss, And Rocky Mountain SOG A View From The SOG 96 Last Page
Bruce Eckel 54 Capturing & Graphing A Voice, Part 1 Bruce tackles another intriguing I/O project. Great information, even if you're not in great voice. Cover Illustration by Rob Sanford.
MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 3 THE MICRO TECHNICAL JOURNAL By David J. Thompson MICRO CORNUCOPIA AROUND THE BEND
Editor and Publisher David J. Thompson Fifty Isn't Old Associate Editors Gary Entsminger Larry Fogg Cary Gatton If You're A
Contributing Writers Anthony Barcellos Magazin~ ... Bruce Eckel Michael S. Hunt Scott Ladd Laine Stump Half A Century Advertising & Distribution As Sandy and I hand-stapled all 500 copies of the Erik Huston first issue of Micro C at our kitchen table, we had no idea that eight years later Micro C would still be around, Accounting and we'd be working on our 50th is~ue. Yep, and in Sandy Thompson those 50 issues there have been so many changes in this Reader Services silly technology that even the changes have changed. Nancy Ellen Locke And innovations? Boy, have we seen innovations. Once we had only software. Now we have freeware, Graphic Design & Production shareware, crippleware, vaporware, underware, and be Carol Steffy ware. We've progressed from public domain programs MICRO CORNUCOPIA asSN 0747-587X) is with bugs to commercial programs with bugs. (Actu published bi-monthly for $18 per year by Micro ally, commercial programs always had bugs, it's just Cornucopia, Inc. 155 NW Hawthorne, Bend, OR 97701. Second-class postage paid at Bend, OR and that the nasty little critters are getting harder to work additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send around.) address changes to MICRO CORNUCOPIA, PO Nowadays we're aiming for a computer on every Box 223, Bend, OR 97709. desk. When we began Micro C, we hoped for one in SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 yr. (6 issues) $18.00 every garage. 2 yr. (12 issues) $34.00 Anyway, with the big 50 upon us, I guess that means 3 yr. (18 issues) $48.00 the honeymoon is over. It's time to get down to serious 1 yr. Canada & Mexico $26.00 1 yr. Other foreign (surface) $36.00 business-nose to the grindstone and ear to the ground. 1 yr. Foreign (airmail) $50.00 We've got to get off the fence and take a stand. «Larry, is there anything we can do about these stupid cliches Make all orders payable in U.s. funds without Dave noticing? -Cary) (Probably not. -Dave» on a U.S. bank, please.
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Copyright 1989 by Micro Cornucopia, Inc. All rights reserved ISSN 0747-587X Salmon BBQ at the Port Alberni SOG The Audit Continued on page 73 6 Bureau 4 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 Lattice Tools & Libraries for DOS and OS/2 We're the company that writes the language and the tools. Our libraries give you hundreds of ready-to-use functions, compatible with our compiler and other products. Compiler Companion $100 Ten proven UNIX-like tools provide a complete programming environment, and reduce file handling tasks, regardless Qf programming language. dBC III & dBC III Plus $250/$500 Networking & non-networking libraries let you write fast C programs to create, access and update files compatible with dBASE III. Communications Library $250 A comprehensive set of high- and low level functions for asynchronous communications programs using XMODEM, YMODEM, KERMIT or ASCII protocols. C-Food Smorgasbord $150 A selection of utility functions including a BCD decimal arithmetic package, I/O functions, IBM PC BIOS interface, a Terminal Independence Page and functions including directory, clock and string. Curses V Library $125 84 C screen management functions and macros that help you port between UNIX System V and the Pc. SSP!PC $350 More than 145 subroutines eliminate tedious and difficult mathematical programming. Includes scientific, engineering and statistical mathematical routines as extensive and accurate as similar packages used on mainframes. PANEL Plus with Source $495 A collection of interactive screen design tools plus more than 150 functions to help you create application screens. HighStyle -Programmer's Publishing Tool $375 HighStyle gives you everything you need to create attractive, highly polished documentation for your programs. Automatically creates tables and charts! Includes: Word Processor, Page Previewer, Snapshot Utility, Style Guides, Spelling Checker, Icon Editor, Bar Code Generator, Font Manager, and more. To order Lattice C 6.0, send $250 in check or money order to: Lattice, Inc., 2500 S. Highland Avenue, Suite 300, Lombard, IL 60148. Or order by credit card at (800) 444-4309. FAX # (312) 916-1190, TELEX 532253.
Reader Service Number 153 Letters
More Metaphysics Reflections On The Radar Equation Reading your recent letters regarding The confusion between the radar Organize, Query, Micro C's excursion into the metaphysi equation and the behavior of reflected & Make Connections cal realm, I thought I should write and light on the part of Bob Nansel and Don Between Files of Information add my vote of support for your edi Sweet is because the radar return con torial experiment. One of the reasons sists of scattered radiation. The usual (there are many) I like Micro C is that target is irregularly shaped and each MICRO EINSTEIN those behind it come through as people, surface element reflects the incident The Expert System Shell and interesting people at that. Your edi radiation in a different direction. torial was part of that. The same applies So the target looks like a new source • Create expert systems to the bits of National Geographic mate whose brightness is proportional to the easily in minutes rial another letter writer referred to. inverse square of its distance from the Anyway, those who complained are radar. The signal returned to the radar • With pulldown menus and entitled to their opinions. But I think an is subject to the same law, so you do windows editor should be able to write whatever indeed multiply the two inverse squares • Automatic rule generator he wants in an editorial. As for those to get the signal strength received per who cancelled their subscriptions, it unit cross-section. • Context-sensitive help seems to me pretty silly to give up 94 The mirror, on the other hand, • Free example expert pages of great technical information just simply changes the direction of the inci systems because you don't like the other two dent light (if we consider it to be a per • Interactive full-screen pages. fect reflector), and it is proper to use the inverse square of the total distance. text editor John Wells In other words, the proper analog to • DOS access from shell 467 Fraser st. ~ the radar is obtained by replacing the • Turbo fast execution Victoria, B.C. plane mirror with a polished ball bear Canada V9A 6H2 ing or a matte surface, which I think is (NOW 5 times faster!) ~ what Nansel assumed for his maze run Editor's note: Thanks John. After the ini ner. The radar equation has nothing to For Diagnosing ... tial flurry of letters (which ran 50% pro and do with mirrors. Monitoring ... 50% con), we've received a steady stream of No doubt you will get a number of Indexing ... letters, BBS messages, and calls, most of responses on this one, but maybe this them starting out discussing something else will help. Organizing .. . but ending with comments like yours. These Classifying .. . are running 99% in favor. Karl Theobald & Discovering links I've noticed some local controversy now 1030 Granite Dr. between files of information. that our hospital is teaching "healing Granite Shoals, TX 78654 touch" therapy to its nurses. It's a healing technique in which (with patient permis Editor's note: From the flood of re Only $100! (Plus $5 StH) sion) the nurses support the patient's sponses to this raging controversy, it ap energy field. (Very similar to the Reiki heal pears that interest in a topic is proportional Reader Service Number 72 ing techniques I've learned.) to the fourth power of that topic's abstrusity Several people wrote angry letters to the (means it's not perfectly clear to everyone local paper and one even picketed the hospi on first glance). Read on for another illumi I.----- C~-_-I =1----' tal. But after that initial outburst, the nating view. nurses have received solid support from both ACQUIRED INTELLIGENCE the local lay community and the medical Letters continued on page 77 P.o. BOX 2091 • DAVIS, CA 95617 • (916) 753-4704 profession.
6 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 Introducing ..• The 1st Family of Low Cost, Powerful Text Editors
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VEDIT and CompuView are registered trademarks of CompuView Products, Inc. BRIEF is a trademark of U nderWare, Inc. Norton Editor is a trademark of Peter Norton Computing Inc. OEdit is a trademark of SemWare. 'Supports IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 and clones withCGA, MGA, EGA, VGA, Wyse 700, Amdek 1280 CompuView and other displays. Also supports Concurrent DOS, DESOview, Microsoft Windows, PC-MOS/386 and most networks. 'Also available for MS-DOS (CRT terminals), TI Professional and others. P.O. Box 1586, Ann Arbor, MI48106 'Free evaluation disk is fully functional and can edit small files. Reader Service Number 7 (313) 996-1299, Fax (313) 996-1308 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 7 3D-Surface Generation An In-Depth Look At Graphics, Part 1
tion to C and asked his permission to use my fingers, and with my left hand for the Rereading the last 35 issues of Micro C, it. He was amused that I bothered to ask, ones, and my right hand for the fives, you're probably thinking that PCX and since Bresenham's is so standard. But if and a beer tucked in my elbow, I just Mandelbrot are all you need to know about you think it's easy to do one that's com couldn't get that high.) I sacrificed my graphics. Wrong, Ruffy. There's something pact, true, and fast, go ahead and write it Christmas and New Year and my entire else, and it's three dimensional. (We go for yourself. tight brain to finish the damned thing depth,) The project turned out to be a bear before my liver failed. (actually, more of a female dog). When I got stuck on one thorn (or claw or tooth, How This Article Happened thought it would be nice if there were to keep the metaphor straight) or Now that I had created it, I had to a public domain utility that did sur another, I amused myself by translating a tum it loose. I sent it to the good folks at Iface plotting, with hidden line re- Pascal high resolution printer graphics Micro C and asked them to distribute it moval. It would let you view the sur module I wrote a few years ago into C. to the public domain for me. Somewhere face from any horizontal angle from 00 The work dragged on, so I translated in the letter (I felt guilty about the inabil through 360 0 and any elevation angle another module for scalable, rotatable, ity of the code comments to tell the full 0 0 from -90 to +90 • I couldn't find one, so justifiable (well, just barely) character story) I offered to write an article. (In my I wrote my own. string plotting that works with the delirium tremins I actually said I would I planned to tum it over to the public printer graphics module. be happy to do so.) They must have domain, so I scrupulously reinvented the Finally the thing became a true night smelled the beer on the printout. They wheel at every step to avoid stepping on mare. I was too far along to quit, and too took me up on my offer. So, here goes. someone else's toes. My Bresenham's line far gone to continue. I locked myself in drawing function turned out to be no my house, along with several pounds of What We Have Here where near as nice as the one Professor high grade Sumatran coffee, a box of If you've been paying attention, you Rasala of Northeastern University wrote cheap cigars, and more cases of beer than have a good idea already: in Pascal. So I translated his implementa- I could count. a use base 5 to count on (1) threed.c-a general purpose mod-
8 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By Gregory K. Landheim 123 Greene St. North Andover, MA 01845
ule for plotting 3-D surfaces with hidden line removal using an axonometric pro +Z jection, viewable from' any horizontal angle from 00 through 360 0 and elevation 0 0 angles from -90 through +90 • (See Fig ure 6.) You can use it, as is, on any plot de-vice that uses left-handed, rectangu lar, integer coordinates with (0,0) in the upper left comer, and for which you can supply a line drawing function. (2) grafprt.c-an IBM Graphics Printer (and compatibles, e.g., Epson FX and LX) high-resolution graphics module. It sup (0,0,0) Ymln ports both Portrait and Landscape mode drawings, and it draws on 8" by 105fs" of a page. (3) grafstr.c-scalable, rotatable, justi fiable (left, right and center) string plot ting module for use with grafprt.c Xmax (4) arrays.c-contains a function to dynamically allocate 2-dimensional ar +X rays of any type and size (not limited by 64K segments) up to the size of the memory available in the heap. It uses pointers to pointers to any type, but we Figure l-Coordinate Geometry and Matrix Correspondences won't quibble. Editor's note: Part 2 of Gregory's article (in issue #51) will cover grafprt.c, grafstr.c, and arrays.c)
Why This Article Is So Long Most graphics articles in technical ma 2 1 gazines give you a brief discussion of the ~ Viewer math and the method. This is especially true of articles on 3-D surface plotting. ~ 9h +x They show you how to do it for a special -x case, then wave their hands and say something like, "Other view angles can be dealt with by appropriate matrix ele ment exchanges and transformations." This is great if you're a mathemati 3 4 cian, but then you wouldn't be reading the article, would you? These authors are -y perfectly justified by the niggardly atti tude of editors who would rather fill their magazines with something useful, . like advertising. Fortunately, Micro C's Figure 2-Quadrants and View Angles
MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 9 golden-hearted editors turn down In all that follows, I assume all the points up is arbitrary. volumes of advertising to give you in coordinate systems except the plot de When you learn Cartesian geometry, depth articles and massive amounts of vice's are right-handed and Cartesian. I you start out with a flat surface, the x-y code. also ignore a lot of fine points, but I'm plane, and spend a lot of time learning My background is in physics, math, just talking about basics. the rules for 2-D. When extending it to and mechanical engineering, and I have A coordinate system can be left- or 3-D, the instructor is used to drawing never formally studied computer science. right-handed. Handedness refers to things on the blackboard, so y becomes Working with C.S. people, I find a circle whether rotation angles are specified as "up" and z becomes "out" (unless of confusion (cold confusion) where they clockwise from a reference axis, or coun they're computer scientists; then z is should be keeping coordinate geometry terclockwise. In right-handed systems, "in"). I liked to cut classes and learned and matrices. So I'll dwell a lot on the the rotations are counterclockwise. Make with my paper flat on my desk, so I basics. a fist with each hand, thumbs pointing at chose to make positive z "up". I'll explain the methods behind the 3- you, and note the direction your fingers Since two lines define a plane, in a 3- D surface plotting module, the printer curl. D system we have an x-y plane, an x-z graphics module, and the associated If the reference axes are orthogonal (at plane, and a y-z plane. With positive z string drawing module. Nonetheless, I right angles to one another), the system is "up," the x-y plane is the reference plane. shall attempt to keep things brief without rectangular. If the scales are the same on This means that surfaces are specified as sacrificing substance. each axis, the rectangular system is called z = f(x,y). Figure 1 shows the coordinate Cartesian. system used by the 3-D surface module. Coordinate Systems-The Basics Points in space are specified by Cartesian geometry acquired its name coordinate pairs (x,y) in two dimensions, Grids And How To Use Them from Rene Descartes (1596-1650), who in and triples (x,y,z) in three dimensions. Surfaces tend to be smooth, but draw vented the system. Mathematicians, The coordinate elements can be either ing a smooth surface takes a lot of com physicists, and other sensible folk like to positive or negative. A coordinate such putational time. So we fake it by comput use right-handed Cartesian systems, as (-4.3,2.7,1.5) means you can locate the ing the surface at grid locations. A rec while computer scientists prefer left point by moving 4.3 units in the negative tangular grid is specified by the number handed systems. x direction, then 2.7 units in the positive of points in the x-direction and the num I suspect that, somewhere in the his y direction, then 1.5 units in the positive ber of points in the y-direction, referred tory of computer science, the math de z direction. to, respectively, as nx and ny. To make partments wouldn't loan their coordinate In a 3-D right-handed system, if you life easy, we make the spacing between transformation routines to the C.S. de point the index finger of your right hand grid points constant in a given direction. partments, so the C.S. people did their along the positive x-axis, the middle fin The domain over which we plot the own and got it backwards. (In fairness, I ger along the positive y-axis, and the surface extends from Xmin to Xmax and admit that most plot devices are intrinsi thumb up; the thumb points along the from Ymin to ymax. Figure 1 shows the re cally left-handed.) positive z-axis. Which axis actually lationship between a grid in the x-y
Figure 3-Axonometric Projection Figure 4-Three Coordinate Systems, CRT Display
[0,0] ox (IXmax, IV max)
OV (Pmax ; Omax) = (Xmaxw; Vmaxw) ~
T Zlj = f(xlj;Ylj) I .p +--- -7=------T------~ +p --~-~
~ ___ I /' ~ +V IV ------1/ i (Pmln; Omln) = (Xmlnw ; Vmlnw)
(0,0) IX (OXmax,OVmax)
10 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 plane and its axial coordinates. The ele where fO is an explicitly known function stead I use the more natural concept of ments in square brackets correspond to that can compute z for any (x,y) in the elevation angle (eel) defined as the angle matrix subscripts. You could, for ex plot domain. surfaceO also requires Zmin above the x-y plane at the location of the ample, store all the coordinates that de and Zmax, so we might as well find them viewer's eye. scribe the surface in arrays declared: when we store the function values at the grid points in z. Axonometric Projection float x[nx] [ny],y[nx] [ny],z[nx] [nY)i The 2-D array Z is not actually an This method of rendering 3-D objects array. It must be declared as a pointer to in two dimensions was invented during This quickly eats up storage space. a pointer (e.g., float **z). This lets us use the dark ages (Le., before computers). It Since we're smart enough to use a Carte array subscript notation for clarity in the was quick and easy then, and it's quick sian system, we can completely specify code, but the compiler automatically ex and easy now. You lose perspective the surface by the values Xm.in, Xmax, ym.in, pands such notation to pointer offsets (especially when you're on your third ymax, nx, ny, and a 2-D array containing with a corresponding increase in speed six-pack and have to close one eye to z. For use in surfaceO, the storage can be over actual array access. Don't pass an read code). But it is quicker than a per accomplished thus: array declared as float z[nxHny] to sur spective transformation (I think, don't faceO. quote me on this), and with surfaces you zmin = 1.7e38; zmax = -1.7e38i rarely need depth cues. If you would like deltax = (xmax - xmin) / (nx-1)i Quadrants And View Angles a nice perspective transformation, see deltay = (ymax - ymin) / (ny-1)i In the x-y plane, the coordinate axes Reference (3). divide the plane into four quadrants. By When I developed the 3-D module, I x = xmini mathematical convention, Figure 2 shows began by defining the math transforma for (i=Oi i
x += deltaxi
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MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 11 p = y*cos(~) - X*cos(~) q = -y*sin (~) - x*sin (~) + z*cos (8e1) 3-D Mandelbrot Set
Traditional (pre-computer) ax- . onometric projections do not consider an elevation angle and do not multiply Z by its cosine. I do it to fake a vertical view point. So where do 'I' and
But
12 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 You asked for a place to put your things ...
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Reader Service Number 147 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-De~, 1989 13 Figure 6-Code for 3D Surface Drawing float xmin,float xmax,float ymin,float ymax, float zmin,float zmax, int xminw,int xmaxw,int yminw,int ymaxw, /* header for threed.c */ int hmax,float **z, int surface ( float horangle,float elangle, float xmin,float xmax, int nx,int ny,int box, float ymin,float ymax, int fillcolor,int edgecolor,int boxedgecol, float zmin,float zmax, void far csetfunc(int color), int xminw,int xmaxw,int yminw,int ymaxw, void far linefunc(int x1,int y1,int x2,int y2» int hmax,float **z, float horangle,float elangle, extern int Maxheight; /* declared in mod grafprt */ int nx,int ny,int box, float temp; intfillcolor,int edgecolor,int boxedgecol, int quadrant,bufsiz,incmode,invert; void far csetfunc(int color), float ymaxp,yminp,zmaxp,zminp; /* max and mins of void far linefunc(int xl,int y1,int x2,int y2»; projected surface */
/* start of threed.c */ if (abs(elangle) > 90.0) return(l); #include
int **Xa; /* storage for */ /* plot the surface as a function of quadrant. int **Ya; /* filltriangle() edge lines */ make certain it draws from back to front: */ switch (quadrant) { float Cosphi,Sinphi,Cospsi,Sinpsi,Cosel; /* constants case 1 : (horangle > PI/4.O) ? (incmode = 0) for axonometric projection */ (incmode = 1); float Yb[5],Zb[5],Yt[5],Zt[5]; /* arrays for box dosurf(xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax,nx,ny, z,0, bottoms and tops in projected real coordinates */ nx-1,1, 0,ny-1,1,incmode,fillcolor, int Pb[5],Qb[5],Pt[5],Qt[5]; /* arrays for box bottoms edgecolor); and tops in transformed integer coordinates */ break; void far (*Linef) (int x1,int y1,int x2,int y2); case 2 (horangle > 3.0*PI/4.0) ? (incmode = 1): /* address of plot device line drawing function */ (incmode = 0); void far (*Csetf) (int color); /* address of plot dosurf(xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax,nx,ny,z,nx-1, device set color func */ 0,-1,0,ny-1,1,incmode,fillcolor, edgecolor); /* surface () - general-purpose surface plotting break; routine to plot a surface described as a matrix of case 3 (horangle > 5.0*PI/4.0) ? (incmode = 0): gridded z-values in the xy domain. (incmode = 1); dosurf(xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax,nx,ny,z,nx-1, int surface ( Continued on page 87
14 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989
------dosurfO simple, but it adds a lot of over rangle, because the other two are saved ing the triangle into two conceptual trian head. So we end up with a function that from the previous quadrangle. The quad gles with an imaginary horizontal line at gives me a headache. rangle is drawn and filled by a call to the mid vertex (Figure 5). The outer loop The painter's algorithm simply draws drawfillrectangleO. (I know, I should controls whether the computations are the projected quadrangles that form the have called it drawfillquadrangleO, but I for the upper or lower triangle. The inner gridded surface from back to front, filling wasn't thinking straight at the time.) loop computes the actual edge lines (or painting) the quadrangle interiors coordinates. with a background color as each is Drawing And Filling A final loop fills the triangle by draw drawn, to cover up the quadrangle edge I don't see any way to fill a quad ing blank horizontal lines from lines behind the current quadrangle. rangle without breaking it up into two (Xa[O][jJ,Ya[O][jD to (Xa[1][jJ,Ya[1][j]). The Quadrant 1 serves as the basis of the triangles. This is what drawfillrectangleO j subscript indicates the th pixel working whole thing. For 8h less than 45°, you does. One vertex of each triangle is the from the top to the bottom of the tri draw each quadrangle in the column one farthest from the viewer, another is angle. Ya[1][j] equals Ya[O][jJ for all j. nearest the y-axis (Figure 1), then move the one closest to the viewer. After the To make threed.c as general as one column out in the direction of the triangles are filled, the quadrangle edge possible, I use the same line drawing positive x-axis and draw that column. lines are drawn. function for horizontal lines as for all the Repeat for all columns. filltriangleO does the dirty work. It other lines. However if you have a high For 8h greater than 45°, you draw first sorts the vertices of the triangle in speed horizontal line drawer, use it. each quadrangle in the row nearest the ascending vertical order (in device x-axis, then move one row out in the coordinates). References direction of the positive y-axis and draw In order to use loops instead of if (1) Advanced C Tips and Techniques, that row. And so on to the end. statements, I pretend the long side of the Paul Anderson and Gail Anderson, Argument "incmode" of dosurfO con triangle consists of two lines, one of Howard W. Sams & Co., 1988. trols whether to increment along the x- or which has zero length. This trades off (2) "High-Resolution Printer y-axis. In either mode, an initial for loop storage space for speed. Graphics," Mark Bridger and Mark over k and I projects, transforms to dev I used a variation of Bresenham's line Goresky, BYrE, Nov 1985, pp. 219-232. ice coordinates, and fills the first quad drawing algorithm to compute the (3) ''The Painter's Algorithm," Richard rangle in each column (or row). After coordinates of the triangle edge lines and Chandler and Gary Faulkner, PC Tech that, we only need to project and trans store them in global arrays Xa and Ya. Journal, November, 1985, pp. 181-187. form two new points for each quad- The computation is performed by divid- • • •
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Reader Service Number 127 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 15 the picture on a copy machine to reduce glare; scan the picture; suck the result into Ventura; and then print it on the laser printer. Sounded like a lot of work. So I proceeded to draw pictures of computers and disk drives for our cata log using a paint program and a mouse, pixel by pixel. That was a lot of work. <'..... /1/ ', •• $ . ''There's gotta be a better way," I I { grumbled. . There is. The obvious solution is to hook a video camera into the computer. We immediately confiscated our little VHS/C camcorder for the project. Sorry, no more baby pictures! Using video added the dimension of being able to take pictures from tape. The situation was improving by the minute.
What Would It Take? The two happiest days in a sailor's life are the day he buys his boat and the day he sells his boat. When it comes to en gineering projects, the two happiest days are the day you design the hardware to do the job and the day you think you've fixed the last bug in the software. Some projects never have the final bug fix, some have it a great many times. This project seems to be of the latter variety. Having decided to build the World's their efforts. I wanted to let our custom Greatest Low Cost Video Digitizer, there Desktop graphics are quite possible. But ers see one of our systems. See it in remained but a single question: How to possible and easy are two different things. print. Credibility. Yeah, that's the ticket. do it? We needed some kind of AID con Here's a video frame grabber that might just How do I get a picture of our com verter. What speed? It was going to have shortcut the process. This is yet another puter into our computer? My associate, to put its data somewhere. PC memory? way to use an AID convertor. Dr. Rao, tripping over one of the many Dedicated memory? extension cords strung out on the floor, suggested we needed a scanner to make The Specification here I was trying to come up with the idea work. He was carrying a box of We wanted to digitize standard RS- a catalog for IDEC's line of PC hard drives. ''They're about a thousand 170 video. Cameras, camcorders, and Tclone computers using one of our dollars," he said. I wondered if he was VCRs output this on their video output AT compatibles, Ventura Publisher, and referring to the scanners or the hard connectors. And, we wanted to do this in our laser printer. The idea was to do as drives. Turned out it was the scanners. real time. nice a job as possible on this document Then I looked at what I had to do: That's a computer buzz word if there so that our customers could see what a take a black and white picture of the sub ever was one. What is real time? Real desktop publishing system could do for ject; develop and print the picture; copy time and beauty must be very much alike
16 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By Gene Toner IDEC, Inc. P.O. Box 69 Fountainville, PA 18923 (215) 249-0673
because they both depend on the be we (and perhaps you) don't have this holder.Real time in the RS-170 video feature on our video gear. world is about V60 of a second. This is the So we want to digitize an entire field time it takes to paint one field of video. ~ f one can digitize in real time. Where do we put it? RAM is The rewards for being able to digitize an attractive place. We could use one of one field of video in real time are de "on the fly," a the system's DMA channels for finitely worth the effort. depositing the result of the AID conver If one can digitize "on the fly," a "snapshot" can be sion directly into memory. "snapshot" can be extracted from any How many pixels? How many shades video source. Without this capability, the extracted from any of grey? Well, the best PC video adapters subject of the picture must remain still, or around these days are VGA. They have a the video source frozen. Some cameras video source. grey scale mode which allows 320 x 200 and VCRs do a credible job of this, but resolution with 64 shades of grey.
Figure l-Grabber Block Diagram
INPUT VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO DC SYNCH SOURCE AMPLIFIER RESTORATION SEPARATOR
ODD/EVEN FRAME I 1 256 STATE 256 STATE 1 I PIXEL COUNTER LINE COUNTER 20 MHZ DIVIDE PIXEL I • ADDRESS ADDRESS GATED BY CLOCK GENERATOR n- GENERATOR OSCILLATOR 4 CONTROL i J
I/O SERVICE FLASH DATA (6 BITS) 64KBYTE PORT -t 6 BIT A/D CAPTURE CONVERTER PC MEMORY I/O + ADDRESS BUS ADDRESS DECODE CARD SELECT BUS 1 COMMAND DATA DATA BUS LATCH BUFFER
J
MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 17 Sounds like a good place to start, especially since a field of RS-170 video has only about 244 lines of vertical reso lution available. (Actually 2621/2 lines, but some of these get consumed by vertical retrace.) Because we work in a digital world, the number 256 is much more ap pealing than 320 or 244. So we went with 256 x 256 x 64 shades of grey. In a standard video signal, every hori zontal line takes roughly 63 Jlseconds. Of that 63 JlSec, video takes up about 53 JlSec, with the remaining time devoted to horizontal synchronizing information. After the dust settles over the calculator, the result requires a sampling rate of 5 MHz to slice that 53 JlSec up into 256 samples. Another result is that with a normal PC-XT (4.77 MHz) computer, you wouldn't have enough bandwidth availa ble to stuff all these samples into com puter memory using the machine's DMA chanilel. You would have to use dedi Real-time Grab. Fast! cated memory. this, we were able to squeeze more per this sample (pixel) clock causes the A/D The Lost AID Converter formance out of the capture card. to take another look at the video signal. It Figure 1 shows the frame grabber (ac then shifts the previous sample to its out tually a field grabber, each frame made The System put. up of an odd and even field) in block di We brought the signal from the agram form. Figure 2 is the schematic of camera into the capture card as standard The Conversion Process the final version of the grabber. The heart R5-l70 video, which has a 1 V peak to The PC bus address decoder (IC17 of the system is the RCA3306 6-bit flash peak (black to white) amplitude. and IC18) decodes a write to the board, A/D converter. The input video amp (ICl) serves two and a command to capture a video frame This, however, was not always the purposes. (See Figure 1.) As a differential loads into the command latch (IC19). case. There are other offerings in the flash amplifier, it not only provides signal gain This command places the capture A/D race, including a very nice 8-bit but also noise reduction. This output memory in a writeable condition and al Samsung part. It, along with the A/D goes to two other modules, the sync sep lows the capture of the next even field. converter, has some very nice signal arator (IC2), and the DC restoration block When the sync separator senses the next clamping circuits. (IC3 and IC4). even field, it allows the gated oscillator to Samsung advertised the part heavily The National LM188l handles sync operate for 256 samples of the pixel clock and, upon our request, sampled us a few separation. Fed a standard video signal, as counted by the pixel counters (IC9 and parts, with the assurance that unlimited it produces composite, vertical, odd/even IClO). quantities would be available when we frame and burst gate/black level timing When it reaches the count of 256, the needed them. So we prototyped a system information. pixel clock shuts off until the next hori using this part. We use the odd/even signal to cap zontal sync pulse shows up. (Line count Then came the worldwide DRAM ture even frames (those with a complete ers, ICll and IC12, also get incremented shortage, and Samsung decided to build line of video on the first line of a frame). here.) These counters generate the DRAMS instead of flash A/D converters. We use the black level signal to sample addresses for the video capture memo Can't imagine why, but they left us with the incoming video for its reference black ries. The falling edge of the pixel clock a very functional video capture board level. The DC restoration block is the LM strobes in the data. and no way to get parts. 398 sample and hold amplifier which The process continues until the carry We then made a mad search to find a holds and filters the video black level for bit of the last line counter resets the com replacement A/D converter, preferably later subtraction from the video signal. mand latch and stops the process. The American, with at least one second source. After subtracting the detected black computer monitors the command latch to What we found was the RCA 3306 6-bit level from the incoming video, we have a determine the completion of the sample. converter chip, second sourced by Micro ground referenced video signal with At the end of the process, video Power Systems. We were in business black at ground and white at roughly 3.3 memories return to a readable condition. once again. volts-perfect for conversion by the RCA The computer resets the pixel counters Not often does a designer have the 3306 flash converter (IC13). and the line counters. Then, once a signal opportunity to go back and rethink all A gated crystal oscillatot operating at from the command latch has replaced the the design tradeoffs he made during the 20 MHz and divided by 4 controls the pixel clock, the computer can access design, but it happened here. Because of conversion process. Each rising edge of video memory.
18 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 When the computer forces this signal standard monitors. The most impressive maintaining grey scale information. line high and then low, the pixel counters is the VGA, presenting the picture in its Quality has been very good. With the and the line counters are incremented. full 64 shades of grey. VGA and its 64 shades of grey, an image This way the computer can read the con We can also reproduce this picture on direct from the camera (tape tends to d,e tents of video memory and transfer those an IBM graphics compatible printer. grade the image slightly) comes very contents into its own memory. Here, we use each printer dot as a cell close to black and white broadcast qual and strike it up to four times to simulate ity. The Software four levels of grey. Editor's note: Idee's Supervision software Once the data resides in main and a sample captured screen are available on memory, the software takes over. The Finally We Get To The Desktop the Micro C BBS and the Issue #50 listings program was written using Microsoft C Recent investigation showed that both disk. 5.1 and the Zortech libraries. We found Ventura Publisher ver. 2.0 and Aldus They've offered Micro C readers a special the Zortech windows libraries not only PageMaker ver. 3.0 support grey scale price for the Grabber Board and software well done, but also a bargain at $50. images in the TIFF file format. Discus ($175 + s/h). Kits are also available. Call Idec Everybody has their favorite C com sions with the technical support group at for details. piler, and ours is Microsoft's. Its wide, Aldus yielded a TIFF developers soft third-party support is one of the reasons, ware kit for the meager price of $30. CodeView another. The intent was to After tearing into the developers kit, • • • produce reasonable pictures on the laser we discovered that the TIFF file format is printer, and we accomplished this using well thought out and easy to use. We a technique called dot dithering. This wrote a file format converter to take our technique forms a macro-pixel made up format QDC) and convert it to TIFF. of several dots and simulates grey scale Once we had conquered TIFF, Ven by the percentage of dots printed. Here, tura 2.0 accepted our image files. We we chose a four dot by four dot cell to now take video photographs and incor simulate 16 grey levels. (This doesn't porate them into desktop publishing. seem to be too grainy.) Thanks to TIFF, we can also print the re We can display the video on all the sulting documents on the printer while
The Complete Diagnostics Solution for Your PC/Xl, PCI AT, or Compatible
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MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 19 Figure 2-Grabber Schematic
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20 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989
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MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 21 LIMBO Part Three Building The Mobility Base
It's time to get out the bailing wire and tin snips. This time Bob builds LIMBO's ac tion fraction. Mazebots maze robot ain't much fun if it can't cruise through the maze get stuck in many Awithout getting stuck. Mazebots get stuck in many ways, usually by run ways, usually ning headlong into something. We can usually blame inadequate sensor cover by running age. Even a single one-inch gap in the bumper perimeter will be catastrophic, headlong into eventually. Of course, there are other ways to get something. stuck, losing traction being a popular one. The concrete surface on which mem bers of the Seattle Robotics Society run maze robots looks flat, but the robots know better. Mazebots with two drive wheels and two castors tend to wobble like four-legged stools in our maze. To mounted. The drive motors mount inside Step 1. Make drive shaft sleeve adap maintain traction, the wheels need to an aluminum box. tor. conform to the irregularities of the run I call the motor box, combined with The IMC motor I chose has 1A" shafts ning surface. That requires some kind of the castors and spring, the undercarriage. on each end, one 0.7" long with flats, the springy suspension. The undercarriage bolts on underneath other 1.55" long, no flats. The motor body Why not make a robot with a rigid the bumper contact skirt. This whole as has a 2.25" square mounting flange with three-point suspension instead of four sembly is known in robotics slang as a one ear cut off and standard 3116" mount point? Small bumps and hollows mobility base, or just base. ing holes in the remaining three. wouldn't bother a three-wheeled robot A superstructure, which carries the The long shaft is just right for mount because, like a three-legged stool, each batteries, sensors, and control electronics, ing the wheel. Unfortunately, it's on the wheel makes contact with the ground. bolts on top of the base. Wires from the opposite end from the mounting flange, However, I find that three-wheelers undercarriage run up to the superstruc so you'll need spacers to mount the are more tipsy than four-wheelers. Also, ture through a central wire access hole. motor inside its box. Also, you need to four-wheelers can have more traction be This time we'll build the LIMBO mobility add a sleeve to the lf4" shaft so it'll fit cause the weight can be placed right over base. into the 3/8" hole on the wheel. the drive wheels, an impossibility with You can accomplish this with nested three-wheel designs. (Perhaps the ideal Preparing The Motors brass tubing, available at any hobby system would be a gyro stabilized two Tools: Hacksaw, drillpress, Vee-blocks, shop. You need four sizes from 91.32" to wheeler, or even a unicycle. Imagine: a clamps, hand reamer, metal files, 200 W 3/8" o.d. with 11.32" wall thickness. It's best robot able to do a high wire act.. . .) soldering gun, 6" machinist metal rule, to take the motor and wheel you plan to LIMBO is round as viewed from flux brush, rubber mallet, drills. use with you to make sure the sizes are above, with a four-point spring suspen Materials: Nesting brass tubing (91.32" right. sion. The drive wheel/motor combina o.d. to ¥8" o.d.), IMC stepper motors, These brass tubes usually come in 12" tions mount rigidly to the chassis, while rosin-core solder, rosin flux pa~te, cotter lengths, more than sufficient for two mo the front and back castors are spring pins. tors. Get brass tubing, not aluminum, be-
22 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989
------By Bob Nansel 816 North lOSth St. Seattle, W A 98133
LIMBO Exploded View
Top Disk Middle Disk " Suspension Spring Motor Box
Bumper Skirt Microswitch Disk
cause aluminum tubes are too soft and a single unit for cutting and drilling. sleeves and wheels to the shafts. I don't are very difficult to solder. From each soldered end, measure trust setscrews for high torque drives First, nest all the tubes together. They 1.5". Use a hacksaw to cut a piece from anyway (they tend to come loose mid should be very nearly all the same each end slightly longer than the marked way through your best run), so I use cot length. If not, sand or file the tube ends length. Sand or file these to 1.5". Remove ter pins for really positive drive. Our (still nested) until they are. Next, tele the burr inside the cut ends with a hand problem now is how to drill cotter pin scope the tubes out on one end so that reamer. Ream away any excess solder on holes precisely through the V4" hardened about %" of each tube shows. Then the other end, too. steel shafts of the steppers and to per brush soldering flux paste on these ex Clean off any flux or brass particles fectly match holes through the sleeve posed ends (but not on the inside of the with a paper towel, then slide the adaptors. smallest tube, nor on the outside of the completed sleeves onto the stepper motor The problem breaks down into how to largest tube). Slide the tubes back to shafts. They should slide on easily. If hold the work-pieces and how to assure gether, repeat this procedure on the other they don't, you will either have to ream proper alignment. Holding the work end and then slide back flush. the ends some more or squeeze the tubes pieces is best done with machinist type Using minimum pressure, clamp the back to round. Vee-blocks and clamps. Alignment will nested tubes in a bench vise with one You can avoid most of the work be perfect if the holes are drilled through end of the tubes perpendicular to the above if you can find tubing with %" Ld. both the sleeves and the shafts simul bench top. Heat up the top end with a and 3/8" o.d. (I couldn't find any). In this taneously (see photo). soldering gun and sweat a small amount case, just cut two pieces to length, file, Mark a line around the sleeve adap of solder into the flush ends. Be careful ream and you're done. tors 7;-32" from the soldered ends, then not to get solder on the inside surface of Step 2. Drill cotter pin hole. slide them onto the long shafts, ends the smallest tube. Allow the tubes to cool, The long shafts of the steppers don't flush with the ends of the shafts. Use two then flip the tubes over to solder the have flats ground in them, so you can't Vee-blocks to support both front and other end. The idea is to make the tubes use setscrews to secure the ada ptor back shafts. Slide scrap tubing left over
MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #SO, Nov-Dec, 1989 23 Motor Box Layout
1-1.--- 4' (reF) ---·-11 ~======~ I I 3 5/8' ----t 2 45/64' ---t : 125/32'i-!---{f}-i+--.- -- I;------It--I ,-- I I PUNCH 1/2' DIA. -ft>'-tt--"- I I DRILL 3/16' x 3 I I I ~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEFT SIDE TOP RIGHT SIDE
from Step 1 onto the front (short) shaft, to drill too far; Vee-blocks are not cheap. corner to corner will .do just fine). so the two Vee-blocks support the motor Does everything look centered? H .not, Measure all locations with respect to the evenly between them. something slipped. center points, and use the trisquare to Clamp the Vee-blocks to the drillpress The setup takes a while to get right. line up holes the same distance from cen table using C -clamps or bar clamps. But once done for the first motor, you'll ter. Don't tighten the clamps completely yet; be able to do the second without any Or, you can tape templates to the leave. them loose enough that you can changes, provided everything is still panels and directly transfer the hole loca adjust the work position by tapping with clamped down tight. You should still tions with a prick punch. Templates can a rubber mallet. Chuck up a 31.32" bit in check alignment before drilling the sec be made by either enlarging the accom the drillpress. Then, with the drill press ond shaft. panying illustrations or ordering the full- still turned off, bring the bit gently down You now have two stepper motors . sized plans (you can find the details in to touch the sleeve adaptor. Adjust the with cotter pin holes drilled perfectly. the parts list table). Vee-blocks until the bit comes down The cotter pins should fit snugly. A little Whatever way you choose, lightly· squarely on the '132" mark. sanding or filing to clean up the drill exit centerpunch all hole locations. Back up An old machinist trick to tell if the bit burrs, and smile: you've just done precise areas being centerpunched with scraps of is perpendicular to the round shaft is to machining by eyeball. wood to prevent deforming the panels. put a 6" metal rule on the shaft, then Step 2. Drill and punch motor box bring the bit down (power still off!) with Constructing The Motor Box holes. enough pressure to hold the rule in Tools: Prick punch, metal scribe, 1%" Drill 1116" pilot holes at every marked place. Adjust the blocks around until the chassis punch, drills, or hand drill, hole location. You can use a hand-held rule is perfectly level and perpendicular machinist trisquare, machinist compass, drill for this if you're careful, but I prefer to the drill bit. pin vise, files, hand reamer. the drill press. Examine the results. Do This will ensure that the hole is drilled Materials: 6"xS"x4" aluminum project any of the pilot holes seem off-center? If through the diameter. Remove the rule box, modified stepper motors from Step so, now's the time to correct this by nib and check to see where the bit touches I, plastic training wheels, aluminum hex bling away metal from the side you want now. H you're lucky, it will still be right standoffs, #10-32 machine screws, wood the· hole to move toward. Do this with on the '132" mark; if not, keep fiddling scraps. the corner of a file or the prick punch. with it. Step 1. Layout Hole Locations. Aluminum is soft, so don't overdo it. When everything is right, tighten the LIMBO uses a two-piece aluminum Once you're satisfied with your pilot clamps, then check to make sure every project box to protect the stepper motors holes, enlarge them with a 3116" bit. The thing is still aligned. Also check to see and undercarriage wiring. With the cover two shaft holes should be drilled with a that none of the clamps will interfere mounted, it also serves as a ,rigid, light 1f,i" bit, then enlarged to 318" with the with the drill chuck. Remember that the weight mount. hand reamer. (Or, you can use a 1;2" chuck will come 318" closer to the work Since the stepper motors are mounted chassis punch.) by the time you've drilled all the way directly to the box, it pays to be exact Punch the wire access hole with a through the shaft and sleeve. Safety tip: when doing the mounting hole layout so 1 3/8" Greenlee chassis punch. The punch use masking tape to hold the wires out of the drive shafts are accurately aligned. should be on the inside of the box, the the way. Begin by locating the vertical center die on the outside. It is much easier to Now drill the hole slowly, backing the line of the side panels and the center of turn the wrench this way, and it will bit out often to clear chips. Take care not the top piece (scribing diagonals from make the inside edge rounded and 24 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 smooth so it won't chafe the wiring. Oil the threads of the chassis punch before you begin punching; less friction will make the job easier and your punch will last longer. If you don't have a chassis punch (they cost about $25), scribe a 13/8" circle on the box before drilling the pilot holes. Use a nibbling tool to cut a circular slot starting from the center and spiralling out to follow the scribed circle line. You'll need to do some filing to smooth the cut. Either way, finish by deburring all the holes with a file or X-acto knife. Step 3. Mounting the motors and wheels. We need standoffs to mount the step per motors. I special ordered the 113116" standoffs to save time. You might wish to find 2" spacers that you can file down to V-block Setup On Drill Press size, though you'll want to get the ends as square as possible. First, loosely mount the standoffs to the stepper motors, then fit the motors inside the motor box one at a time. You'll probably need to slide the standoffs around a little to get them to line up with your mounting holes. Once you've gotten all three outside screws in, you can tighten the inside screws. The shafts may look somewhat askew before you dose the box up, but the box will flex a little with the bottom cover in place so the shafts should then appear to line up with each other. If they don't, loosen the outside screws a bit and slide the motors around until they do, then re tighten. Remove the adaptor sleeves from the motors and slide the plastic wheels onto the sleeves. Mark which sleeve went with Using Machinists' Rule Trick to Line Up Drill which wheel and motor. With the cotter pin holes visible, mark the hub of each wheel adjacent to the holes. Remove the sleeves. The hubs of the wheels don't protrude far enough to allow directly drilling the hole, so you'll have to use the 31.32" bit in a pin vise. The holes will be angled in ward slightly, so you'll need to offset them to compensate (see photo). Once you have the holes drilled, slide the sleeves back on the motors, lining up the holes with a small nail. Without moving the shafts, slide each wheel onto its sleeve. Getting the wheels aligned can be tricky. You may have to drill the holes in the wheel hub to a larger size. Once aligned, force a new cotter pin through each hub/sleeve/shaft hole, then bend the ends of the cotter around the hub. The wheels are now Inserting the Cotter Pin with Needle Nose Pliers MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 25 Castor Suspension Spring Diagram
DRILL 3/16' DIAMETER PUNCH 1 .3/B' DIAMETER
0.040 ALUMINUM
,~ M ru
...... ---- 4 13/16' ----.-...----- 5 lIB' -----oaot----- 4 13/16' ----.... ~------14 3/4' (ref) ------~ solidly mounted, and the motor box is holes and the wire access hole as you did so that the castors contact the ground complete. for the motor box. , before the drive wheels do. This is called Step 2. Bending the suspension spring preload. Making The Castor Suspension and mounting the castors. The function of the preload is to pro Tools: Same tools as Motor Box proce If you have access to a sheet metal vide enough tension in the suspension to dure, plus aviation snips or bench shear, brake, this step will be easy. If not, a few prevent rocking, but not so much that the ball peen hammer, C-clamps, plastic pro S" C-clamps and some blocks of wood drive wheels lose traction. If the preload tractor, bevel gauge. and a hammer are all that you need. seems a bit much now, remember you'll Materials: 6"x14.7S"x 0.040" Alum Clamp the blank between two solid have at least five more pounds of robot. inum (SOSl), swivel castors, scraps of scraps of wood, straight edges lined up Put a bag full of sugar on top (C&H wood, #12-24x1;2" machine screws and right on the scribed fold line. The first granulated works best). Adjust the pre nuts. bends to make are the inner, wide ones. load if it seems either too stiff or too Step 1. Preparing the suspension Set your bevel gauge to about l1So. wobbly. spring blank. Begin the bend by pushing from one The castor suspension spring for both side of the metal blank with a block of The Bumper Contact Skirt front and back castors is a single piece wood. As the bend proceeds, you'll need Tools: Same tools as above, plus nib unit made from a 6"x14.7S" sheet of to use considerable persuasion with the bling tool, 1%" wood boring auger or aluminum. Buy at least a few extra inch hammer to keep the bend crisp. Don't hit spade bit, sabresaw or coping saw. es length when you have the metal shop the metal directly with the hammer, but Materials: 12"x24"xlf4" plywood, #10- cut a piece for you so you can discard the indirectly through a block of hardwood. 32 screws and "Tee" nuts, #4 roundhead bent corners (metal dealers seem to save Check the angle with the bevel gauge wood screws, microswitches, 22 gao their best pieces for bigger customers). often. Take your time, and don't break stranded hookup wire (9 colors), 24 gao Try to get the width as close to 6" as your thumb (you'll need it later). solid buss wire, nylon cable ties, 9-pin possible to save trimming. After you finish the four bends, connector, 14" Superpot tray. Using the trisquare, scribe a square mount the castors in place with #12 Step 1. Making the bumpers. line across the best end, then make all screws. Make sure that the castors can A robot's interactions with its en measurements relative to this line. lay swivel freely over the screw heads. Take vironment can be only as good as its sen out the fold lines first, then the tapered the castor / spring assembly and tem sor data. The bumper contact skirt is the outlines, and finally centerpunch the hole porarily mount it to the motor box with first and most basic of LIMBO's sensor locations. Use either direct measurements #10 screws and nuts. Does it stand up suite. or transfer the locations from the motor straight and proud? Is it level with no For a $2 flower pot tray to function as box completed previously. Cut to the wobbles? No? Bend the spring a little to a super sensitive and reliable bumper outline using either aviation snips or a make it level. contact sensor, you must make a few bench shear, if you're lucky enough to The angles given should put the cast: modifications (Le., don't plan on using have one. Drill and punch the mounting ors slightly lower than the drive wheels this baby to start tomatoes next year). 26 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ~ at tool~ ~cP~ ..tWO gre .~. 4~~f~ ~v.() ''<2 SAYWHAT?! TOPAZ ~0'4.f~ The lightning-fast The breakthrough ~/ screen generator. DBMS toolkit for Pascal Whether you're a novice If you'd like to combine the raw power ~ "\. programmer longing for and speed of Turbo Pascal or Micro- C~ . simplicity, or a seasoned soft's QuickPascal with the simplicityL ~ ~~'lGY\./ pro searching for higher and elegance of dBASE, Topaz is L~~~~ / productivity, you owe it just what you're looking for. ?~~",/11 to yourself to check out That's because Topaz was ,"''' J Saywhat. 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Reader Service Number 129 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 27 First mod is to create four inde pendently moveable bumper segments FRONT by cutting %" slots at the 90 degree points around the perimeter of the tray. Each bumper segment actuates two mi croswitches, each microswitch covering about ~ of the segment with an overlap of 1;3 in the middle. With these three con tact regions per bumper segment, the bumper skirt can detect contacts in twelve different directions. Mark the location of the slots with an indelible marker (if you goof, use rub bing alcohol to make the marks delible). Cut the slots with a nibbling tool so they RIGHT run perpendicular from the rim of the tray all the way to the first raised ring on the underside of the tray. (The underside will be the top of the bumper skirt when finished.) Once you've cut all the slots, you'll notice that the rim of the tray will come in a little, closing up the slots. You'll need to trim a little plastic from each cut edge to maintain a constant lf4" slot width. I found my bench belt sander an excellent tool for this, but an X-acto knife will work, too. Chamfer the rim's corners. REAR Bumper Contact Wiring Diagram You've Seen The bumper segments should move side the line with a bandsaw, sabre saw, Your Computer Run, easily to slight finger pressure, and two or coping saw. Sand the disks to final di adjacent bumpers should not interfere mension. Eight microswitches will be Now Watch It Fly! with each other for simultaneous %" mounted on the large disk, two for each bumper movements. If they interfere, re bumper segment. Microswitch mounting move more plastic. Don't go overboard hole locations are measured from the because you want to keep the gaps as 45° /225° and 135°/315° lines and labeled small as possible. Last, drill a 1i4" hole in as shown. the exact center of the tray. Now drill a. 1;4" hole in the exact cen Step 2. Making the support structure. ter of each disk. The rest of the mounting Use the machinist compass to scribe holes are drilled with all three disks and IBM·PC, Xl, AT, '386 Blue Flame II three circles, 11", 534" and 4'1'8" diame the bumper skirt temporarily bolted to Semi Disk Solid State Disk Emulator ters, onto %" plywood. Scribe two sets of gether. Align the 45°/225° and 135°/315° two perpendicular diameter lines on the lines of the 11" disk with the slots of the Featuring: 11" disk layout and label them 0°, 45°, bumper skirt so the mounting holes will • PC-DOS, MSDOS, and Concurrent DOS 90°, 135°, 180°,225°, 270°, and 315°, pro line up with the slots. Mark the bumper Compatible ceeding counterclockwise. segments inside with the corresponding • Very Fast Access: 6.4 Mbits/sec Further label the 90° position with "F" directions of the II" disk (i.e., front and • High Capacity: Up to 8 MB Per Board (front), the 0° with "L" (left), 1800 with rear, left and right). • Expandable to 32 MB "Rt" (right) and 270° With ''R'' (rear). Drill the mounting holes with a 15/64" • Battery Backup Option Right and left may seem reversed at first, bit (the mounting holes are larger in the • Hardware Parity Checking but the layout will face down. Scribe a plywood than the motor box and suspen • No Mechanical Wear SemiDisk 13/8" circle in the center. sion spring to accommodate tee-nuts). • No Special Align the motor box wire access hole Put a tee-nut through each hole as it is Interfacing Systems, Inc. and mounting holes with the circle and drilled to maintain perfect alignment. • Prices Start 11080 S.w. Allen #400 Under $600. Beaverton. OR 97005 the 45°/225° and 135°/315° lines. Trans When all four holes are drilled, re (503) 626-3104 fer the mounting hole locations to the move the bolt from the center and drill FAX (503) 643-0625 large disk as you did with the suspen the wire access hole out to 114". This is a . sion spring. Cut the disks about li16" out- big hole to drill, so take it easy. The wire Reader Service Number 162 28 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 _.. -.--_._--_._--_ .....__ . ------BORLAND PROGRAMMERS! Front the simplest 1 Violet 2 Gray 3 Brown 4 Red most 5 Orange 6 Yellow Left 7 Green 8 Blue complex 9 Black tools Rear you Color Coded Wiring Schematic access hole is purposely smaller here tester. Disassemble the disks so the 11" win than with the· motor box and suspension disk can sit flat on the bench. spring to prevent wire chafing against Now you can wire up the switches. I metal. (Also, 114" was the largest spade like to color-code wiring harnesses be ever bit I had.) cause I ultimately spend more time re Finally, drill a 3/8" hole 2112" from the building / repairing my robots than in edge of the II" disk on the line marked original construction. It takes an extra use ''R.'' This hole forms one end of the wire minute or two now, but saves hours access slot. The rest of the slot is made by later. two parallel coping saw cuts ending at First wire the common terminals to to create a user-friendly interface between the 114" hole. Wires from the bumper gether with 24 gao bare buss wire, contacts will be routed through this slot starting with the "FL" switch and work your program and the computer operator. over the suspension spring and up ing clockwise. Loop the wire around through the wire access hole. each common terminal, then solder and Thirty functions provide for the design and 3. Mounting and wiring the mi dress square and flat on the board, Step control of menus in either a text or graphic croswitches. making straight runs between terminals. Drill starter holes for all the micro Terminate the wire at the "FR" switch. screen and the number of menus is limited switches with a V16" bit. Drill no deeper The wire should form a "u" shape with than V8" (you may want to put masking the open end pointed forward. At rear only by your computer memory. Menus sup- tape on the drillbit for a depth gauge). center, solder a 20" length of black 22 gao Mount each microswitch as shown with stranded wire directly to the bus wire port only C & Pascal. Create bit-mapped two 5/8" #4 roundhead woodscrews. and dress it to run forward to the wire When they're all mounted, temporarily access slot. screen fonts, icons &graphic mouse cursors. assemble the bumper skirt and disks to Next, cut 30" of 22 gao stranded The keyboard or mouse will control the pro- gether. hookup wire for each switch (use color With the upside-down assembly sup coded from brown to grey). Strip and tin gram flow. CREATIVE INTERFACE TOOLS is ported only in the center so nothing one end of each wire. Each switch gets its touches the bumper skirt plastic any own color wire, starting with brown at yours for only $69.95 where, press each bumper segment in the "FL" switch and working clockwise ward about 14" at several locations on until you get to grey at "FR." Reader Service Number 151 each segment. Note over what arc each Editor's note: Standard color codes are, in microswitch is activated. Ideally, each order: black, brown, red, orange, yellow, switch will be activated over :V3 of its green, blue, violet, grey, white. They stand 1126 s. CEDAR RIDGE, SUITE 115 DUNCANVILLE, TX 75137 bumper segment. You'll probably have to for the numbers a (black) through 9 (white). 1·800-622-8366 214-298-1384 FAX 214-709-7674 bend the actuating levers into shallow S We normally use black for ground so you'll curves in order to get the proper cover start with brown (1) for the switches. All user modules furnished as source code No run-lime system No royalty tees System requirements: PC. XT. AT. CGA. EGA, VGA. DOS 2.1 or age. Now neatly route the wires along the greater, 384K RAM. Output routines provided tor Turbo C 1.5 & 2.0. Turbo If you have trouble telling whether a common wire as shown. Use a nylon Pascal 4.0 & 5.0. Turbo Prolog 2.0 & Turbo Basic 1.1. MAXX DATA and CREATIVE INTERFACE TOOLS are trademarks of Ma •• Data Systems. Inc. switch activates, hook up a continuity cable tie where each wire enters the Other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks 01 their respective holders. Copyright C 1989 by Maxx Data Systems. Inc. MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 29 Plywood Disk Patterns BUMPER CONTACT DISK 4 61164" RADIUS 5 3/8" RADIUS 1 27/64' 1 27/64' NOTE 11 HOoter-IOoI Is 1/4' plywood. NOTE 21 See text on drilling holes. MIDDLE DISK TOP DISK DRILL 15/64' x 8 ---r--r-eJ---J---+ ---r--I----ID+-----t---+ ~ I DRILL 11/4' I DRILL 1 114" ~ I -$' I E& i I ! -+--+-+------ffi- -+--- - .. - --t.....fEI----+- ~ --+- -1- --t-- I I I ~ I I I ii' --'-----'~B_---j--I ~~-T--+-ffi----i--- I I 30 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ------_.------bundle. Wire bundles from the two halves of the board should meet at the black wire, then continue forward as one bundle to lie down in the slot to the wire access hole. To finish the mobility base, assemble the motor box, suspension spring, bumper skirt, and support disks with tee nuts in the top disk and #10-32 machine screws from the motor box. Next time, we'll do the superstructure and (hold on to the cool end of your soldering iron) the stepper drive electron ics. • • • Actuation of Bumper Contact Microswitch LIMBO Parts List Qty. Itlllll. Description Supplier 2 stepper Motors IMC Magnetics 1023-2024-12 CH Sales 2 Bike training wheels 5 1/4" dia. plastic, 3/S" hub bore K-Mart 6 Hex standoffs 3/S" x 1 13/16" aluminum, 10-32 thread Olander Corp. (MF 1 2259) 2 Cotter Pins 3/32" x 1" zinc-plated 4 Nesting brass tubes 1 eat 9/32", 5/16", 11/32", 3/S" od 1/32" walls, 12" lengths 12 Machine screws 10-32 x 3/S" steel binder-head 4 Machine screws 10-32 x 3/4" steel binder-head 6 Plain washers flO, steel 4 Tee-nuts 10-32 thread, steel S Machine screws 12-24 x 1/2" steel round-head 16 Wood screws t4 x 5/S" steel round-head S Lock washers t12 steel, internal tooth 4 Tee-nuts 10-32 thread, steel Hex nuts 12-24 steel Plywood 12" x 24" x 1/4", both sides good Sheet aluminum 6" x 14 3/4" x 0.040", 5051 alloy 1 Project box 2-piece alum. project box 6"x 5"x 4" Digi-Key tL105-NO 1 Flower pot tray 14" SuperPot K-Mart, Ernst Project Parts Kits 2 swivel castors 2" dia. wheel, ball bearing swivels, flange mount Micro-switches Unimax/C'K t2TMT15-4 snap-action, Newark leaf actuated n Connector Waldom female 9-pin, 0.100" centera Digi-Key tWM2007 Kisa.: ODD 9 assorted colors of t 22 gao stranded hookup wires 24 ga. solid buss wire Nylon cable ties crimp terminal for 9-pin connector DO Rosin-core solder Rosin flux paste, such as Kester's Robotic Systems' parts kits are de signed to help you successfully build Suppliers: Bob Nansel's LIMBO Robot Project Digi-Key CH Sales Olander Corp. as described in Micro Cornucopia. 701 Brook Ave. South P.O. Box 5356 14612 HE 91 P.O. Box 677 Pasadena, CA 91117-9988 Redmond, WA 98052 Quality Kits, Great Prices! Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677 Newark Electronics is nation wide. Look in phone book for local rep. Call or write for more information. ••• ROBOTIC SYS1'EMS P. O. Box 725 • Cudahy. WI 53110-0725 (414) 541-8004 Robotic Systems is a registered tradename. Reader Service Number 166 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 31 PostScript Programming, Part II as at any other level. I chose to use the It was a dark and summery night. As I classic square" snowflake for the example. pulled in behind the Micro C international (See Figures 1 and 2.) Take a look at "In offices, I spotted a furtive figure outlined by troduction To Fractals" in Issue #33 for a dimly lit window. It was Larry. Larry more information on the nature of Fogg, ex C programmer, now grappling geometric fractals. with something neither he nor I really un derstood. FORTH. On To The Code What follows, the result of that evening, Let's take a stroll through the sample is true. So true, in fact, that only one name program, GEOFRAC, and pick it apart. has been changed. (Hint: PostScript.) (See Figure 3.) I'll assume you've read Part 1 from last issue and have some fa miliarity with the fundamentals of Post urely stack-oriented programming Script programming. destroys brain cells at a higher Ignore the header comments for the Srate than any other form of mental time being and begin with the variable self-abuse. At least that's my experience section. The first items of interest are the after ipending several late nights trying array definitions. In general: to make sense of the "who's oh first" /ArrayName ArraySize array def game of stack tracking. i Last issue we sidestepped the meat of PostScript programming by focusing on defines an array. PostScript arrays always one simple aspect: binary image creation index from 0 to ArraySize-l. and manipulation. This time around, I'll Xval and Yval together hold an array try to give you a feel for some of Post of 25 points defining an area around a Script's other capabilities. I'll do it by line segment. (See comments in Figure 3.) generating (you guessed it) Yet Another The endpoints of the segment live in lo Fractal. cations 10 and 14. The generator can easily be drawn by choosing the appro Geometric Fractals priate points in Xval and Yval. First, a word about geometric fractals What about str? It's also an array, but for those of you who've yet to subject of the particular type, string. Actually, your computer to this particular form of PostScript looks at dang near everything digital torture. as an array, even procedures (which it A geometric fractal superimposes a thinks of as "executable arrays"). pattern of line segments (called a gener ator) over a larger line segment. Then, for Array Access each segment of the generator, it super Xval and Yval define more points imposes another, smaller, copy of the than necessary for the snowflake gener generator. ator. This allows for use of larger and And for each segment of the smaller more complex generators; you'll only copy ... ad infinitum (ad nauseum?). need to define a new value for the num Take a look at Figure 1 for a graphic ex ber of points in the generator (Gener ample. atorSize) and change the code in Unlike fractals such as the Mandelbrot Figure l-Geometric Fractal LoadGenerator. set and Julia sets, the detail at each level Construction The following line assigns a value to of a geometric fractal is exactly the same an array location: 32 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By Larry Fogg Micro C Stiff three), and pushes all three back onto the stack. The direction of roll can be nega tive as well. An equivalent command would be: 3 -2 roll I find it most helpful to draw pictures of the stack contents at each point in a procedure. Figure 4 shows how LineLength works. Each stack diagram shows the contents after the operation above the diagram. Any time you get into trouble with PostScript, 1'd recom mend this technique to see what your code is really up to. Stack Versus Variables If you wanted, Xl, X2, YI, and Y2 could be declared as variables rather than passed to LineLength on the stack. And you could set up some temporary varia bles within the procedure. This would make the code easier to read, and it would feel more like C or Pascal. But you'd be fooling yourself and probably hurting performance. Remem ber, variables get buried in the current dictionary. The interpreter has to root around until it finds the variable you ref Figure 2-Square Snowflake erence-potentially a much slower process than manipulating the top ele ments on the stack. "When in PostScript, ArrayName Index Value put ArrayName Index get do as PostScriptoids do." The rule of thumb should be: when Unlike arrays in other languages, you and the interpreter will push the value your code gets so confusing that even can stuff any mix of types into a Post onto the stack. you don't have a clear idea of what's Script array; witness the executable ar going on, throw in some variables for rays. We can't index more than one di Procedures clarity. mension, but there's no law against ar The procedure LineLength accepts The bulk of the code in GEOFRAC is rays of arrays. two points and finds the distance be dedicated to finding the point coordi LoadGenerator puts a sequence of in tween them. We'll use it later to limit the nates stored in Xval and Yval. It works tegers into Generator. Using these values smallest size line segment in our fractal. I for line segments in any orientation. I to index into Xval and Yvallets you con thank Pythagoras for the math. haven't shown the code for each point; nect the dots (go from point 10 to point Notice the roll operator. It takes three you should see the pattern after looking 11 to point 6 ... ) and draw the generator. objects off the stack, rolls them one loca at one or two. To read a value from an array: tion up (the top item goes to position dY and dX hold the Y and X displace- MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 33 ment between adjacent points in the 25 point array. It seems odd to use dX to find the y coordinates and dY for the x coordinates, but if you draw it out it'll make sense. Control Structures PostScript supplies a fairly complete group of control structures and I think the first one is really slick. It performs a procedure for each value of an array and looks like this: ArrayName {loop body} forall forall pushes one of the array values onto the stack at the head of each loop. In our Draw procedure, the forallioop uses each value in Generator to find the next point to draw to. A very convenient way to draw the generator. The next procedure, PushSegments, shows a more standard for loop. StartCount Increment EndCount {loop body} for At the top of each loop, for pushes the loop count value onto the stack, making it available for use within the body of the loop. More on PushSegments' reason for existence in a bit. The last procedure, Generate, uses most of the rest of Postscript's control operators plus its conditional statements. Conditionals have these forms: Valuel Value2 lt {body} if Valuel Value2 lt {then clause} {else clause} ifelse It (less than) compares Valuel and Value2 and pushes a boolean value onto the stack accordingly. It works for both numeric and string comparisons. In the first case above, if Valuel is less than Value2, the interpreter executes the body. (The sad thing is, it can do it over and over again.) The second case extends the condition to if-then-else. The full complement of comparison operators includes: gt - greater than lt - less than eq - equal to ne - not equal to ge - greater than or equal to le - less than or equal to 34 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 CP/M, NorthStar, Macintosh, Apple II, MS·DOS, and PS/2 Don't let incompatible diskette formats get you down read them all with your PC! . Megamate by MicroSolutions Teach your PC This is the 31/2" drive package that you've been Special Purchases!! waiting for. Run 720k or 1.44M diskettes in this to speak CP/M attractive external drive. Comes complete with PC·Mastercard its own controller card. Easy to install, just plug by Magnum Computer UniDOS Z80 Coprocessor Board it into your PC or AT and go. This is probably the BEST multi-function card by MicroSolutions Megamate ...... $ 329.95 on the market. 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EMERRLD_ ~~ board ...... $ 185.00 Kaypro four drive floppy (MICROWRR~ Compaticard II by MicroSolutions decoder board...... $ 35.00 Two drive version of the CompatiCard, sorry no QP/M Operating System - 8" or single density. bootable - specify system ...... $ 64.95 CompatiCard II ...... $ 89.95 QP/M without CBIOS CompatiCard II with 1.2M or (installs on any Z80 system) ..... $ 49.95 (503) 641·8088 3112" internal drive ...... $ 199.95 Complete parts and repair services available P.o. Box 1726 • Beaverton, OR 97075 • Reader Service Number 10 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 35 The main loop in Generate is a loop loop. Let me elucidate. This structure: ... statements ... boolean {exit} if ... statements ... loop will execute until boolean becomes true. You can put the exit anywhere you want. Put it at the top of the loop, and you have a do-while structure; put it at the bottom for a do-until; put it in the middle and ... God knows what you have! Roll your-own control structures. Imagine that. The Dave-orithm Let's get back to implementing geometric fractals. Dave wandered in one night while I was pounding away on GEOFRAC and offered a truly elegant al gorithm. Here goes. Push x and y values defining the starting line segment onto the stack. Now superimpose the generator on the line segment and find the length of an in dividual generator segment. If the length is less than some set value (Resolution), draw the generator. If the length is greater, push all segments of the gener ator onto the stack. That's it. Just repeat until the stack is empty. Here's what happens. The stack grows until the segment on top becomes small enough to pass the resolution test. At that point there will be GeneratorSize- 1 segments (that's one complete gener ator) on the stack that will pass the test. After they've all been drawn, the inter preter tests the next segment of the next largest sized generator. It can't get through the resolution test, so the inter preter pushes another set of generator segments onto the stack. They pass the test, so they get drawn. And on, and on.... Implementation Details The first line in Generate's loop body uses the built-in PostScript operator, count, to return the number of items on the stack. When count reaches zero, we exit the loop. The lineto operator draws a line from the current position to the coordinates it receives as parameters. So it's important to draw the fractal continuously, rather than jump from one segment to another disjointedly. PushSegments puts the last segment of the generator on the stack 36 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 first to ensure proper drawing order. Notice that Draw only defines the path; it doesn't stroke it onto the page. This can cause problems. In theory we could wait until the entire snowflake has been defined before calling stroke. But PostScript has a limitation of 1500 points in the current paths; we'll easily exceed that with the snowflake. % point 23 1e initiator, as well as the % point 24 generator, can be changed with wonderful effects. off axis y-vals So every time we Draw a generator, we should stroke it as welL But stroke does an implicit newpath and we lose track of the current drawing point. A call to currentpoint solves this problem. cur rentpoint pushes coordinates onto the stack for move to to use after the stroke call, and we're back where we belong. In main we do four calls to Generate, one for each of the four sides of a square called the initiator. The initiator, as well as the generator, can be changed with wonderful effects. For example, I've made Christmas trees and giant space snails. Editor's note: He promised he'd spend his vacation working on a finely honed image of snail bait. put def % FindYVal ues Recursion .... You'll recognize the stack games we've played in the Dave-orithm; when /Oraw { you write recursive code in a high level language, the compiler generates the Generator same kind of results. We've just done the { dup 1$ copy the generator value recursion at a lower level, without the Xval 8Xehqet %. use it to •• index into x ... coordar.ray benefit and simplicity of a procedure call exch %·put.generato.rvalue.back·ontopof·stack Yval>exchqet llIuse it to get they;..coord ing itself. l:ineto %.d.rawthe line segment I originally wrote the procedure forall %d.Oit •• for each point in the generator Generate with this high level type of re def.··.%Oraw cursion. But I had fits trying to localize the arrays Xval and YvaL They must be %. l'utsendpoirit13o(each .segntent .ofgenerator on stack local so that each call to Generate creates % (noPal:'ams)leavesgensegsinr~ve.rseorder (B-1) GeneratorSize 1 sUb"'1·1 % for count=GenSize-l MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 37 ize the arrays. But I had no debugging facility at that time, and after a day of total confusion Dave's algorithm was a breath of fresh air. I had it running in just a few trillion microseconds. Encapsulated PostScript So far we've talked about standalone PostScript programming. But what if you want your graphic description to be in cluded in a page description generated by another program? For example, I want to feed the snowflake to Ventura. The answer is to encapsulate, or sur round, the snowflake description with in formation that Ventura (or whomever) needs to incorporate the fractal into page 33 of this issue of Micro C. Now Carol can just open a frame in page 33, load GEOFRAC.EPS, et voila: a complete page description. No nasty paste-up. Most of the encapsulation comments speak for themselves. The initial "%!" identifies this file as EPS. GEOFRAC.EPS doesn't actually generate any output; Ventura takes care of the printing chores. So we specify 0 Pages and comment out the showpage at the end of main. To make GEOFRAC a standalone PS file, just uncomment the call to showpage. BoundingBox tells Ventura where the snowflake goes and how big it will be. We specify Xl, Yl, X2, and Y2 in points (72 points per inch). Often a program won't know the values for DocumentFonts, Pages, or BoundingBox until it has finished execu tion. For example, Ventura can't tell how many pages an article will take up until all the text has flowed in. And perhaps the last page of the article will reference an obscure font like Zapf Dingbats. So these three parameters can be deferred to the trailer comments with an entry in the header like: %%Pages: at end Also, BoundingBox makes sense only for files to be included in a single page, like our snowflake. If you have a multi ple page EPS file, omit BoundingBox. And don't try to explain the encapsu lation comments with standard Post Script comments. As soon as Ventura (or whatever) sees a line without "%%," it assumes we're out of the encapsulation comments. After EndComments comes the Pro log. This section includes any commands that will apply to the entire EPS file. Ven- 38 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 tura probably saves its graphics state in a path, etc. That's All Folks (current path, etc.) before loading the It does annoy me that GoScript will Creating graphic images interests me snowflake, but just to ~ake sure, gsave only say, for example, that an error has much more than manipulation of text. saves it again. That's all we need for our shown up "near lineto." I may have used That being the case, I've ignored Post Prolog. the lineto operator 100 times in the pro Script's text capabilities. But PostScript Next comes an individual header for gram. Which one is it? Line numbers for has great power over the printed word. each page and the page's description. In the errors would be much more useful.- Check out Adobe's documentation (cited a multi-page EPS file, you'd see some But I can live with the error messages. last issue) for complete text on text. thing like: If you futz with PostScript, GoScript will Also, look into PostScript's ability to make life much easier. Spendy, but de control access to files, dictionaries, and %%Page vi. a finitely recommended. arrays, do type conversions, and twiddle bits with the best of ' em. Powerful stuff. This might be page vi of an introduc GoScript Plus-$395 I hope that, with what I've shown you tion and the 8th actual page of the EPS LaserGo, Inc. and a bit of experimentation on your file. Given this information, Ventura 9235 Trade Place, Suite A part, you'll be well on your way to Post could be told to either include pages iii San Diego, CA 92126 Script paradise. Enjoy. through ix, or include the 5th through (619) 530-2400 11 th pages. Page makes no sense for the • • • snowflake, so we enter question marks instead of page numbers. Any fonts used by the page get listed here, too. The final section of an EPS file con tains the Trailer. All we care about for the snowflake is restoring the graphics state that we saved in the Prolog. By the way, you won't need the standard Post Script AD EOF mark for an EPS file. At least not for Ventura; it'll accept either AD or AZ. GoScript Picture this debugging session from Hell. You send your PostScript code to the printer. Nothing happens. Make a guess as to what's wrong and fix your code. Send it off to the printer again. Nothing happens. Make another guess. A leader in quality electronics for the Nothing happens .... No interaction here; technically sophisticated customer. the printer can't tell you why it died. So When you need kit or assembled you're flying blind. electronic products for work, home or hobby, you can be sure Heathkit products Enter GoScript, a PostScript interpre are designed to perform reliably and ter. I discovered GoScript while leafing effectively ... year after year. through a back issue of Micro C. (I really See what we have to offer. To get your should read the magazine more often.) FREE Heathkit Catalog, fill out and mail LaserGo, Inc., bills GoScript as a util the coupon below or call toll-free today! ity to print PostScript output on a variety of non-PostScript printers. GoScript 1-800-44-HEATH translates the PostScript code into escape (1-800-444-3284 ) sequences that your printer can under [-;------1 stand. Most folks will probably be inter VES ,Please send me a FREE copy I ' J • of the Heathkit Catalog. I ested in this ability of GoScript: adding a Send To: Heath Company, Dept. 027-814 I PostScript front-end to their printer. I Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022 I was after a PostScript debugging I Name I tool and GoScript provided a good one. I I You can invoke GoScript in interactive I Address Apt. I mode and enter code a line at a time, just like a BASIC interpreter. Or you can feed I City I Skill-Enhancing it an entire file. I did my damedest to Educational I State Zip I make it choke, but GoScript caught every Courses ~b~ry~e~EI~:m~02:at::.. _ ~8~ and Trainers error I threw at it: misspellings, out of L _ range array subscripts, missing "def' at the end of a procedure, too many points Reader Service Number 156 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 39 UNIX Packages For The PC A Close Look At Yet Another Clone Market "ESIX," etc. Finally a source tape of the ers. The last version was 4.3, after which Want to run UNIX? Aren't sure which port is for sale to all, typically for funding was cut. flavor to get? This look at the major players $100,000. Until recently, Berkeley had a techni should give you a very good feel for the cal edge over System V. It still does in market. Development Threads two areas: the file system and the key A workgroup at Intel did the port of board input. But the primary allure is the System V.2 to the 286 under the project wealth of free software. We System V had a problem. I had to choose a name "Microport." When Intel decided folks must do some serious adaptation to UNIX system for the office and I not to sell the product, a group formed use this code (at least until we get V.4). Icouldn't find any hard information under the same name to market the port. Although Berkeley has been cut, we're on what was good and what wasn't. I Interactive Systems did the port of continuing to see a stream of new UNIX started out with a Microport System V System V.3.0. Summit Computer, a joint systems. For instance, Carnegie Mellon for the 286, followed by a SCO XENIX venture of Intel and AT&T, did the Sys built the MACH system, used by both 286. By fall of 1987, I could see that the tem V.3.2 port. the NeXT workstation and the Evans and 286 had no UNIX future, so I upgraded Sun has recently appeared as the pri Sutherland supercomputers. our AT clones with the Intel Inboard mary developer of System V.4, which Many years ago, IBM purchased a li 386. Since then I've become familiar will be a merge of Berkeley and AT&T cense to System V.2 and has inde with the 386 versions of UNIX. UNIX. pendently developed it into AIX (Ad One thing is clear. Rapid evolution as Berkeley represents yet another thread vanced Interactive Executive). This sys sures that you will not get stuck with a of UNIX development. Because the De tem undeniably has many merits. For ex lemon. Plus, the current players are ex partment of Defense originally financed ample, you can selectively swap out the tremely competent. Add in a little cut the project, the source code is available at kernel, or resident portion of the as, to throat competition and you've got a universities and has spawned a national make memory use more efficient. buyer's market. treasure-a generation of brilliant hack- I've deliberately limited the scope of UNIX On Small Machines my evaluations to implementations of Microsoft developed the first small System V for the 386, which can run on system implementation for the PDP-ll. 386 class machines. Thus I've excluded Its name: XENIX. The system was ported the Sun as, for which the only 386 host is to the 68000 and all the Intel processors, the 386i. I've excluded Minix and Venix, including the 8088. which are work-alikes, and Qunix, an in sea, the Santa Cruz Operation, took dependent development with different over much of the responsibility for main architecture. tenance and sales, and they've turned XENIX into a super system. At one point New Releases 70% of the UNIX licenses world wide The process of developing a new re were XENIX. AT&T made accommoda lease of AT&T UNIX begins with an im tion to that fact by merging the capabili plementation on an AT&T 3B minicom ties of XENIX into V.3.2. puter. Then AT&T lets porting contracts Thus, current versions of the AT&T which are partially financed by the man product and XENIX can run application ufacturer of the particular CPU. After programs written for each other. Further completion, the port must pass the SVID more, XENIX has passed the SVID con conformance suite. formance specification, and it is sea's Until recently, AT&T did not permit position that XENIX is therefore System others to use the trademark "UNIX." V. This interchangeability does not ex Thus we have the proliferation of third tend to device drivers or programs de party trademarks, such as "386/ix," seo Software Package pendent on device drivers. 40 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By Bob Morein Automata Design Associates 1570 Arran Way Dresher, PA 19025 (215) 646-4894 Speaking Of UNIX Drivers has more than one user, but multiple DOS has three major components: the users can use it if it's networked. BIOS, the BOOS, and COMMAND. COM. Under OOS you can add BIOS extensions One thing is clear. Two Users/Many Users at boot time to handle nonstandard dev This brings us to the two types of ices. Rapid evolution UNIX licenses. A logon refers to either a Lowly OOS has an advantage this user logged into the machine or a net way. The part of UNIX that resides in assures that you will work connection. The unlimited user li memory is called the kernel. The kernel cense has no limit to the number of log is composed entirely of device drivers not get stuck with a ons. The two-user license is considerably and the "core." Each driver has entry cheaper. points (a jump table) established by lemon. Plus, the Since background communications whoever wrote it. (such as a uucp license) count as a logon, Device drivers are a weak point when current players are a two-user license is really a single user it comes to transporting UNIX applica system. The license agreement states the tions. These drivers are supplied as linka extremely competent. two-user restriction. However, there are ble object code. Every time you add a differences in enforcement. I know of at device driver, you rebuild the kernel. least one system where compliance is After the driver writer has satisfied completely voluntary. the basic requirements, he can add calls mat). AT&T established a universal, I use three basic criteria for selecting a to his new driver. Thus we have a loose though less compact, format entitled system. First is performance. Second, class of programs which may (or may COFF (Common Object File Format) does the system support your hardware? not) work when you switch between which you can use with any processor. Some systems support mainly pro different brands of UNIX. This includes: Both systems can execute programs in prietary hardware, while others try to • Windowing systems; either format. But, software development support everyone's. You must also con • Floppy disk utilities; tools aren't portable because the link and sider the importance of advanced fea • Any program which directly debugging formats are different. tures and add-ons. accesses hard ware. Furthermore, programs which access Timesharing Vs. Workstations Advanced Features kernel data structures, such as some sys You can put together two basic types MUL TISCREENS: All these systems tem utilities, are not interchangeable be of systems. One is a timesharing ma contain Multiscreens, pioneered by SCO tween XENIX and UNIX. chine, to which you connect multiple se XENIX. Each of the 8 to 12 screens is a Drivers are not interchangeable be rial terminals. Office automation uses this virtual terminal which you log onto sepa tween XENIX and the AT&T product be when there's no need for fancy graphics. rately. cause the kernels are not the same code. The principal advantage of UNIX over a FILE SYSTEMS: File System Switch But under System V for the 386, the pro LAN is that you have large amounts of lets different disk types run simul gram "sysadm" frequently installs and program memory for databases. Plus you taneously . If you have a XENIX 386 disk, updates software automatically. There don't have the administration problems it can be mounted by V.3.2. The reverse are two installation formats: AT&T and ofa LAN. isn't true, since XENIX doesn't have FSS. Interactive Systems. Thus when purchas The other class is the workstation. All AT&T implementations offer the 1K ing software installed by "sysadm," be This humble name refers to a system and 2K file systems. At least one vendor sure to purchase the correct format. In with a large screen running a windowing plans to offer the Berkeley fast file sys cidentally, Everex ESIX understands system, probably X. It's a productivity tem. both. tool. With a large screen you can tum out Remote File System (RFS), the AT&T XENIX uses Microsoft C, which pro more code in less time. Plus, you can run authored software, allows mounting duces an object format much like DOS, CAD tools, though there are precious few another file system over a network in a called OMF antel Object Module For- for System V now. A workstation seldom transparent way. The de facto standard MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 41 in this area is NFS (Network File Sys measured overhead of only 25%, about VOICE MASTER KEY ® tern), repackaged for the 386 by Lachman that of Windows 386. Bear in mind that VOICE RECOGNITION Associates and the Wollongong Group. programs can only use expanded SYSTEM WINDOWING: MIT's X Window Sys memory. You can't use extended FOR PC/COMPATIBLES & tem is more important to UNIX than Mi memory because the 386 cannot run vir TANDY 1000 SERIES crosoft Windows is to DOS. Programs for tual 286 machines. So 286 and 386 mode A FULL FEATURED VOICE I/O SYSTEM DOS "know" about most of the displays, programs will not work. and frequently bypass the BIOS. In con VP /IX supplies DOS service to serial GIVE A NEW DIMENSION TO PERSONAL COMPUT trast, the UNIX kernel uses the hard ware tenninal users by emulating the IBM ING ...The amazing Voice Master Key System adds memory mapping and protection of Monochrome Adaptor. This is text-mode voice recognition to just about any program or application. Voice command up to 256 keyboard macros modem CPUs to isolate application pro only, probably unacceptable except for from within CAD, desktop publishing, word process grams from the hardware. the simplest application. ing, spread sheet, or game programs. Fully TSR and occupies less than 64K. Instant response time and high The only way to support advanced SERVER: On the other hand, you recognition accuracy. Voice recognition tool-box utili video hardware easily is via a window might make your UNIX machine a file ties are included. A genuine productivity enhancerl ing system, which provides a device-in server for DOS. SCO and Interactive offer SPEECH RECORDING SOFTWARE ... Digitally record dependent interface. All vendors provide this as an option. Because these servers your own speech, sound, or music to put into your own an X implementation. Be sure that your run in 386 mode, perfonnance should be software programs. Software provides sampling rate variations, graphics-based editing, and data compres video board is supported, however. better than any system except Novelle sion utilities. Create software sound files you can add X (for extensible) can operate over N etware 386. to macros for voice recognition verification response. A networks via TCP /IP transport. But, not If you run a PC, you can toggle be complete, superior speech and sound development tool. all implementations of X support this. tween UNIX and DOS applications. You SOFTWARE CONVERSION CODES ...The Voice DOS ENVIRONMENTS: It's possible can also run UNIX applications from the Master Key System operates a growing list of third party talking software titles using synthesized phone to run DOS under UNIX. AT&T's Simul DOS prompt, in background mode only. tics (text-to-speech) or digitized PCM, ADPCM, and task, Phoenix Technology's VP /IX, and While the 386/ix product provides CVSDM encoded sound files. Voice Master Key System does It alii Locus Dosmerge give you multiple vir only a UNIX server to DOS client con tual DOS machines by running the 386 as nection, SCO XENIX-NET lets you run an 8086 emulator. Simultask and VP /IX multiple servers and mixed serv run on a modified V.3.2.0 kernel. er/clients. It's compatible with IBM-PC Dosmerge runs on V.3.2.2, not yet in Network and MS-NET. common use. You can hotkey between DOS and How UNIX Is Packaged UNIX sessions. The construction of a vir Until recently, the system was split tual machine under UNIX is quite diffi into three parts which could be pur cult and, until recently, the overhead was chased separately. These are the Operat ridiculous. I've measured Norton SI per ing System, the Software Development EVERYTHING INCLUDED. . .Volce Master Key System consists of a plug-in card, durable lightweight fonnance figures of 2 on a 16 MHz 386. System (SDS), and the Documenter's microphone headset, software, and manual. Card fits There has also been a tendency for DOS Workbench. any available slot. External ports consist of mic inputs programs to break the system. I captured the output of the XENIX ana volume controlled output sockets. High quality throughout, easy and fun to use. Under 386/ix version 2.01, I've "custom" utility by using the "tee" util- ONLY $149.95 COMPLETE ONLY $89.95 FOR TANDY 1000 SUTL MODELS SOFTWARE PACKAGE ONLY. Requires Tandy Brand Electret microphone. ORDER HOTLINE: (503) 342-1271 Monday-Friday, 8AM to 5PM Pacific Time Visa/MasterCard, company checks, money orders, COOs (with prior approval) accepted. Personal checks subject to 3 week shipping delay. Specify computer type and disk format (3W' or 5W') when ordering. Add $5 shipping charge for delivery in USA and Canada. Foreign inquiries contact Covox for C & F quotes. 3ODAYMONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED. ONE YEAR WARRANTY ON HARDWARE. CALL OR WRITE FOR FREE PRODUCT CATALOG . COVOX INC. 675-0 Conger SI. @ Eugene, Oregon 97402 U.S.A. TEL' 503-342-1271- FAX 503-342-1283 Reader Service Number 143 42 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ity. Because the XENIX custom utility manages the system software with very REFURBISHED SEAGATE HARD DRIVES fine granularity, it gives you an excellent view of the composition of a UNIX sys ST-125 20 Meg MFM HH 28MS $175.00 tem. (See Figure 1.) ST-125N Meg The SDS, even at the highest prices, 20 SCSI HH 28MS $230.00 ST-138 Meg costs less than a corresponding collection 30 MFM HH 28MS $215.00 ST-138R Meg of OOS tools. It includes a source code 32 RLL HH 40MS $195.00 debugger (SDB), and a wealth (okay, cor ST-138N 32 Meg SCSI HH 40MS $235.00 nucopia) of development tools. (See Fig ST-151 40 Meg MFM HH 40MS $315.00 ure 2.) ST-157N 49 Meg SCSI HH 40MS $270.00 Since the text processing is not WY ST-157R 50 Meg RLL HH 40MS $235.00 sIWYG' it has not been popular lately. ST-225 20 Meg MFM HH 65MS $160.00 AT&T recently increased the royalty fees ST-225N 21 Meg SCSI HH 70MS $195.00 for the package, which seems to be kill ST-225R 21 Meg RLL HH 65MS $150.00 ing it off entirely. (See Figure 3.) ST-238R 30 Meg RLL HH 65MS $160.00 The UNIX documentation is ST-250R 40 Meg RLL HH 70MS $190.00 voluminous. Although the online manual ST-251 40 Meg MFM HH 40MS $240.00 page option is available to all vendors, ST-251-1 40 Meg MFM HH 28MS $260.00 most have chosen not to pay the license ST-251N 40 Meg SCSI HH 40MS $290.00 fee to AT&T. (See Figure 4.) ST-277R 65 Meg RLL HH 65MS $275.00 The face of the UNIX user is chang ST-277N 65 Meg SCSI HH 65MS $325.00 ing, becoming less technical. In recogni ST-277R-1 85 Meg RLL HH 28MS $310.00 tion of that, many new packaging ST-296N 85 Meg SCSI HH 28MS $370.00 schemes are appearing. In particular, ST-4053 40 Meg MFM FH 28MS $310.00 some firms omit the documentation. ST-4096 80 Meg MFM FH 28MS $410.00 Prentice Hall reprints the AT&T ST-4144R 122 Meg RLL FH 28MS $500.00 manual set, which you can order from any bookstore. But you must take into Listed above are refurbished SEAGATE account the $300 price. Should X or net hard drives. Warranty on these units works interest you, you'll need addi is 90 days or the remainder of the tional books. Particularly noteworthy are factory warranty, whichever is greater. the O'Reilly books, Xlib Programming Most drives have six (6) months plus Manual and Xlib Reference Manual. remaining warranty. The Companies-The Santa Cruz THE ABOVE DRIVES SUBJECT TO STOCK Operation XENIX has been around for quite ALL SALES FINAL ON REBURISHED DRIVES some time. It's widely used for office automation, primarily due to the excel Controllers and cables in stock. lent technical support. Please call for current price. It does not offer support for all the ad vanced features of System V.3.2, such as RFS (remote file system) and File System CITIZEN PRINTERS Switch. However, XENIX has the best MODEL 120D 120 CPS 9" $ 155.00 support for DOS. It's also the only sys MODEL 180D 180 CPS 9" $ 175.00 tem that has online manual pages availa MODEL TRIBUTE 124 24 PIN 9" $ 359.00 ble. (I find the manual very useful.) MODEL TRIBUTE 224 24 PIN 15" $ 599.00 Benchmarks show that seo has by far MODEL MSP-45 240 CPS 15" $ 399.00 the fastest console driver. MODEL MSP-50 300 CPS 9" $ 279.00 seo will shortly introduce seo UNIX, an implementation based upon MODEL MSP-55 300 CPS 15" $ 379.00 V.3.2. They've promised that it will sup port OOS applications under X Win CASCADE ELECTRONICS, INC. dows, a feature not currently supported ROUTE 1 BOX 8 by any other PC-based UNIX. Sun has RANDOLPH, MN 55065 accomplished this with the 386i, but un 507-645-7997 fortunately their display is unsatisfac torily slow. Please ADD Shipping on all Orders COD Add $3.00 Credit Cards ADD 5% Interactive Systems MN Add 6% Sales Tax Subject to change Recently acquired by Kodak, this Reader Service Number 15 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 43 company has always been a pivotal player. Interactive executed the port of V.3.0 to the 386 and has acquired a repu tation for hole-in-one performance. No where is this clearer than in their X Win dows port. Version 1.0 appears bugless. The X port also features a new video board device driver interface designed to support smart boards and bit plane VGA and EGA. As a result, it supports more video boards than any other port I have seen. Interactive Software Package Interactive has packaged the product for the end user and the corporate market. Rather than supply the AT&T documentation for system administra tion, they've authored new short form books. These books are very clear, though they are not complete. Their Software Development System, however, includes the AT&T Program mer's Guide, Reference Manual, and the ISDG, which covers device drivers and packages installable by the sysadm util ity. The O'Reilly books, including the new X Windows Users Guide, completely document the X Windows System. Interactive's file system is the fastest I've tested. A standard UNIX file system maintains a set of "inodes" (initial nodes), disk-based pointers to file system blocks. Interactive reads the list into RAM, where bitmap a la Berkeley re places it. This, along with the algorithm to manipulate the bitmap, reduces file system fragmentation while retaining 44 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 8280 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 117 San Diego, California 92111 ERAC co. (619) 569-1864 AT/BABY AT XT/TURBO ELGAR NiCds AA Cells .6ah ...... $1.00 8 Meg CPU Board Motherboard UN INTERRUPTIBLE 12V PackAACells .6ah ...... 6.50 Zero Wait State 5 &8 MHz Switchable POWER SUPPLIES Sub·C Cells 1.5ah ...... 1.50 8 Expansion Slots 8088 - V20 Optional 12V PackSub·C ...... 10.00 400 Watt MODEL IPS400 640K RAM On·Board Optional Co·processor + Double D Cell 2.5V 4ah unused ... 8.00 Math Co· processor Option 8 Expansion Slots $650 C Cells ...... 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Cable: DB9M·DB9F 1 ft. length ..... 2.00 $1299 $949 High Voltage Power Supply EGA ADD $400 EGA ADD $400 * Input: 15·30V DC 40M HD ADD $150 40M HD ADD $150 NEW 24V INTERNAL Output: 100V 400V 16KV ...... 6.50 10 MHz ADD $50 5 & 10 MHz ADD $21 BATTERY $75 KA YPRO EQUIPMENT BARGAINS We Repair CPM Kaypros 9" Green Monitor - 83 ...... $60 Replacement Power Supply ...... $70 IC'S 9" Green Monitor - 84, K16 ...... 60 Drivetek 2.6M FD ...... 75 81·189 Video Pal...... $15.00 9" Amber CRT ... $45 Keyboard ... 50 CPM COMPUTERS 81·194 RAM Pal ...... 15.00 PRO·8 Mod. to your board ...... 149 K4·83 ..... $350 K2·84 ..... $400 81·Series Char. Gen. ROMs ...... 10.00 Host Interface Board ...... 15 K4·84 ...... 425 K4X ...... 425 81·Series Monitor ROMs ...... 10.00 TEST EQUIPMENT CPU & RAM & MISC. SWITCHERS OSCILLOSCOPES 41256·12 .. $6.50 41256·15 .. $5.00 5V/9.5A, 12V/3.8A, ·12V/.8A ...... $39.00 TEK 7403N/7A18N/7B50A 60 MHz .$650 4164·10 .... 2.50 4164·12 .... 2.10 5V/3A, 12V/2A, ·12V/.4A ...... 19.50 TEK 475 Dual Trace 150 MHz ..... 1499 4164·15 .... 2.00 4164·20 .... 1.25 5V 16A, 12V 12A, ·12V 11 A ...... 29.00 Scope Probe x1, x10 100MHz ...... 25 MK48Z02B·20 ...... 10.00 5V/6A, 24V/1 V4A, 12V/.6A, ·12V/.6A ... 29.00 Dallas D1220Y ...... 10.00 5V/10A ...... 19.00 ANALYZERS SIP DRAM 256·12 ...... 7.00 5V/20A ...... 24.00 TEK491 10MHz·40GHz ...... $4000 2716 ...... 3.50 2732 ...... 3.75 5V/30A ...... 39.00 Biomation 805 Waveform Rcrdr .... 195 2764 ...... 4.00 27128 ..... 6.50 5V 100A ...... 100.00 Biomation 8100 2·Channel 27256 ." ,,5.25 27512 ... ,,7.00 5V 120A ...... 110.00 Waveform Recorder ...... 495 MC68000·8 CPU ...... 8.00 HP1600A Logic Analyzer ...... 395 Z80CPU ....75 Z80ACPU .. 1.50 HP1600A/1607A Logic Anlyzr ...... 595 Z80 CTC ...... 1.50 * SPECIAL * Gould K20 24 CH Logic Analyzer ... Call Z80A PIO .. 2.00 Z80A SIO .. 5.00 Versatek 8122F 22" Printer Plotter Gould K40 32 CH Logic Analyzer ... Call 8089·3 ...... 6.50 1" per second $3,999 Gould K101 D 48 CH Logic 80C85A .... 4.50 8088 ...... 6.50 Analyzer x 12 CH Timing ...... Call 8212 ...... 2.00 MISC. 8251 "" '" 1.50 8253·5 ..... 1.50 * SPECIAL * Optronics 550 MHz Freq Cntr ...... $95 8255·2 ..... 3.50 8255·5 ..... 2.50 AT 80286·6 CPU BOARD D8284A ...... 2.50 with reset and mono/color switch D8749 ...... 7.00 Connector for KB, Battery & SPKR HOURS: Mon.· Fri. 9·6 - Sat. 10·4 6845 ...... , .5.00 MINIMUM ORDER - S15.0~ 1793 ...... 6.00 1797 ...... 7.00 Phoenix Bios TERMS: VISA, MasterCard, Certified (tested with Award 3.03) Checks, Money Order, NO COD. Visa 6MHz, can be upgraded to 8 or 10MHz and MasterCard add 3%. Persona~ Used with backplane, add memory checks m~st clear BEFORE we ship .. * SPECIAL * Include shipping charges. California External 3%" Floppy Drive, 720K, Top board, 110 board, etc. residents add 7% Sales Tax. For Loading, 5V Only, wlDocs $55 ONLY more information please call. $99 Reader Service Number 93 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 45 compatibility with the System V file sys Everex ESIX a bad sector, it attempts to recover and tem data structures. A newcomer to this field, Everex has, move the data, then adds the sector to Unfortunately, perfection has a high fortunately, attracted a group with a lot the bad sector map. price. The list price of the complete sys of Berkeley experience. Everex will soon add the FSS (file sys tem (including networking) is over Their marketing scheme is shockingly tem switch) so they can support the $3,000. No doubt corporations will find it simple: charge 1;4 to 112 of what the com Berkeley Fast File System. They say this worth the price. If you can convince In petition charges, even though they in system will be faster than Interactive's. teractive that you are a UNIX developer, clude all the options. They've kept the The FFS uses very large disk blocks, however, they'll knock 75% off the price. packaging simple and are passing the either 4K or 8K, compared to the lK or Interactive takes DOS connectivity se savings on to the consumer. 2K of System V. The end of each track riously. The PC-Interface Server works in Thus, instead of a myriad of different contains an odd length block which con conjunction with the DOS Bridge Module add ons, Everex has one product. It in tains "buffer fragments." to provide a powerful server. It supports cludes RFS, TCP lIP, X Windows, and the The remainder of a file smaller than both Ethernet and R5-232. Software Development System. You get a the block size stores as a fragment, so the slight discount if you don't want the large block size does increase file size. Intel SDS, but think carefully-it's not availa Documentation comes in two parts. Intel has recently acquired Bell Tech ble separately. "Minimal documentation" comes with nologies. Bell built the first PC-based The first release, rev A, was remarka the software. This minimum part ex UNIX workstations (they were later en ble-it worked. I did, however, find bugs plains how to install the system and hanced with extraordinary video hard in the X implementation. (I didn't try the gives you details on the current release. ware). A Bell MPE produced the bench networking.) Rev B added networking to The second part comes from the book mark figures in this article. X, and rev C, of which I have a beta, store (i.e., the Prentice-Hall manual edi VGA and EGA cards for DOS have a doubles the disk throughput. tions, the O'Reilly X books, etc.) character mode and a graphics mode. Be Everex is using a high-speed (Interac Everex is also writing its own version cause these boards do not have an on tive) file system. Should the system find of the second part (probably to avoid board processor, graphics mode requires the CPU to draw each character dot by dot. Character mode, on the other hand, uses a character generator so you can't display graphics. The BLIT Express is an example of the kind of video hardware that DOS users only dream about. The screen has a raster of 1200x1664 and is capable of dis playing 35,000 characters with different fonts in each window. This video system is based on the Intel 82768 blitter chip. Running under X Windows, the BLIT dispenses with the separation of charac ter and graphics modes. If you don't have a BLlT, this port also supports EGA, VGA, and Hercules. Bell's UNIX does not diverge in any way from the AT&T product. Perfonn ance is excellent. The documentation philosophy is old-fashioned, simply re bound editions of the AT&T manuals. Docs for the optional packages in clude everything (even the O'Reilly X books). The NFS and TCP lIP docs con tain "deep throat" info that is a godsend for the developer, for whom it was in tended. While other vendors separate developer and runtime packages for such things as TCPIIP and X Windows, this port provides (almost) everything. You will still have to purchase a few odds and ends, such as a utility to read DOS disks, but this package is so rea sonably priced, you shouldn't mind. 46 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 RABBIT CHICONY McTEK GAS PLASMA PORTABLE LAP-TOP EGA PORTABLE *LCD PORTABLE ALSO AVAILABLE • 80286-16 CPU (0 WAIT STATE) • 80286-12 CPU • NEAT, TURBO PAGE MODE SPEED UP • 286-12 CPU, LANDMARK = 16MHZ • 640K MEMORY, EXPANDABLE TO 4MB TO 21.4 MHZ • 640K DRAM (EXPANDABLE TO 4MB) • DUAL SPEED 6/12 MHZ, 0 WAIT STATE • 1MB ON BOARD, EXPANDABLE TO • 0 WAIT STATE, DUAL SPEED 6/12 MHl • LANDMARK 16 MHZ 5MB (EMS V 4.0) • DUAL FLOPPY AND HARD DISK • 5 SLOTS, EXTERNALSV4" 25 PIN DRIVE PORT • CGAlMDAIEGA, 640x400, 4 GRAY CONTROLLER (1=1 INTERLEAVE) • CGA/MGA/EGA 64Ox400, 4 GRAY SCALE LARGE GAS PLASMA DISPLAY • ONE 1.2MB FLOPPY DRIVE ·101-KEY ENHANCED KEYBOARD • 1.2MB FLOPPY AND 40MB HARD DISK • ONE 20MB HARD DISK (40MB) • GAS PLASMA DISPLAY • "84 + FN" ENHANCED KEYBOARD • TRUE OS/2, XENIX, MS DOS AND • 1 PARALLEL, 1 SERIAL • 1P/2S (0-9 and 0-25), REAL TIME CLOCK NOVELL COMPATIBLE • 200WT AC 110/220 AUTOSWITCHABLE • 1OOW, AC 110/220V SWITCHABLE • 80287 MATH CO-PROCESSOR SOCKET • EGAlMGA MONITOR PORT 9 PIN • 14.8" x 13.4" x 3.7", 15.4 LBS. • ENHANCED 101 KEYBOARD • HARD DISK/FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER • CARRYING BAG w/SHOULDER STRAP wlTACTILE FEELING • 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE AND 20MG • ONE YEAR WARRANTY • 2 SERIAL PORTS, 1 PARALLEL PORT HARD DISK 40MS AND 1 GAME • 9.4S"x16"x8.27" 19.8 LB...... $3400 • LED INDICATORS • CARRYING BAG w/SHOULDER STRAP • 200W UL POWER SUPPLY • ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY • ONE YEAR WARRANTY GAS PLASMA ...... $2199 ...... $2299 LCD PORTABLE ...... $1729 McTEK 286/12MHZ McTEK 386/165X McTEK 386-20MHZ Assembled & Tested IBM® AT Compatible Assembled &Tested IBM® AT Compatible Assembled &Tested IBM® AT Compatible MS-DOS® OS/2® Compatible MS-DOS® OS/2® & UNIX® Compatible MS-DOS® OS/2® & UNIX® Compatible .8028612/6 MHz • 80386 16/8 MHz Norton V4.0 SI 17.6 8038620/8 MHz Norton V4.0 SI 22 • Phoenix BIOS • Phoenix BIOS Phoenix BIOS • 640K of RAM Expandable to 4MB • 1MB expandable to 16MB RAM 1 MB expandable to 16MB RAM • 0 Wait State • 80387 Coprocessor Socket 80387 Coprocessor Socket • 200W Power Supply • 200W Power Supply 220W Power Supply • 1.2MB Floppy Drive • 1.2MB Floppy Drive 1.2MB Floppy Drive • Ports: 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 1 Game • Ports: 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 1 Game Ports: 2 Serial, 1 Parallel, 1 Game • Dual Floppy/Dual H.D. Controller • Dual Floppy/Dual H.D. Controller Dual Floppy/Dual H.D. Controller • Monochrome Graphic Card • Monochrome Graphic Card Monochrome Graphic Card • 101 Key Enhanced Keyboard • 101 Key Enhanced Keyboard 101 Key Enhanced Keyboard • TTL Monitor 12" • TTL Monitor 12" TTL Monitor 12" • 20MB Hard Disk (40MS) • 20MB Hard Disk (40MS) 40MB Hard Disk (28MS) Options:...... Call Options:...... Call Options:...... Call $1,19900 $1,49500 $1,99500 DISK DRIVES I PRINTERS MONITORS PC/XT PC/AT MISC. Fujitsu 360k ...... $69 Citizen CD 120 ...... $149 Samsung amber ...... $79 640k TurboMothrbrd ...... $80 McTek 286-20MHz ...... $359 Kingtech CRT Portable Kits: Fujitsu 1.2MB ...... $89 Citizen CD 180 ...... $189 Samsung EGA color. .... $359 10MHz TurboMothrbrd ... $85 McTek 286-12 ...... $259 XT/AT (powersupply. case Teac ...... $75 HPLASAR SeriaI2 ...... $1699 Samsung RGB color ..... $259 Multi 1/0 w/disk contrir. .. $59 McTek 386-16SX ...... $429 keyboard, monitor) ...... $380/$410 Teac 1.2MB ...... $89 Epson LX-800 ...... $219 NEC Multisync ...... $559 640k RAM card ...... $39 McTek 386-20MHz ...... $699 Eprom burner 4-socket$139 Teac 3'12' 1.4MB ...... $89 Epson LQ-500 ...... $379 Sony Multiscan ...... $619 2MB Expansion card ...... $89 McTek 386-24MHz ...... $899 LCD Portable ...... $799 20MB Hard Disk Kit...... $279 Toshiba 321 XL ...... $519 HGC-compat.mono card. $49 RS232 2-port card ...... $35 Locking slide case ...... $59 Plasma Portable Kits .. $1499 30MB Hard Disk Kit...... $309 NEC P20OO ...... $369 Color graphic card ...... $49 4-serial port card...... $79 200W power supply ...... $65 AC power strips ...... $15 KL320 (40MS) ...... $215 Call for prices of other brands EGA Paradise 480 ...... $149 Game 1/0 card ...... $15 Enhanced keyboard ...... $59 Diskette file box ...... $9 8425 Miniscribe ...... $249 VGA Paradise ...... $279 384k Multifunction card ... $69 WD FD/HDC ...... $129 Printer or serial cable ...... $8 8438 30MB Miniscribe $259 Genoa Super VGA ...... $299 FCC-app. slide XTcase ... $29 DTC FDC/HDC 1:1 ...... $189 MODEMS Archive Tape Backup 3650 40MB Miniscribe $349 150W power supply ...... $49 3MB EMS (tlK) ...... $99 40MB ...... $339 3675 60MB Miniscribe $379 300/1200 ...... $79 MOUSE XT keyboard ...... $42 ST-157 49MB 3'12' ...... $479 2400 external...... $139 Logimouse C7 ...... $69 Clock Card ...... $19 DESKTOP XT 10MHz 640k 2400 internal ...... $99 Logimouse H1 Res ...... $99 Floppy Controller ...... $19 2 Drive System ...... $759 McTek Systems, Inc. • 1521 San Pablo Avenue • Berkeley, CA 94702 • 415-525-5129 Reader Service Number 42 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 47 AT&T royalties). This is an enormous another source if the "sysadm" install Dell Computer Corporation project and will take some time, but format is compatible. ESIX can install P.O. Box 203818 when they finish the documentation software in both the AT&T and Interac Austin, TX 78720-3818 should be quite a bargain. tive formats. Some potential incompati (800) 426-5150 bility persists with X and networking at Dell UNIX the device driver level, so you should Everex Systems This is an enhanced repackaging of check with the vendor. 48431 Milmont Drive the Interactive port. They've included The Intel distribution is compatible Fremont, CA 94538 some nifty XENIX utilities, notably with all AT&T products since Intel's (800) 821-0806 "diskcp," for copying floppy disks. And, done no modification. the Bourne Shell, the equivalent to DOS' Intel Corporation COMMAND.COM, now shows the cur Conclusion I (formerly Bell Technologies) rent path. I hope this information will help you 330 Warren Avenue The packaging is spiffier than 386/ix. select a system. Any of these packages Fremont, CA 94539 The binders, the paper, and the typeset will give you two big advantages over (800) FOR-UNIX ting are beautiful. However, the X Win DOS: multitasking and superior develop dow documentation is not complete since ment tools. Switching from OOS to UNIX Interactive Systems Distribution it doesn't include the O'Reilly books. This is a little like a cool dip in the ocean; it's P.O. Box 906 is a very reasonable package if you pur great once you're in! Hollis, NH 03049 chase it installed on a Dell computer. Per Editor's note: Bob also sent along a very (800) 537-5324 formance is identical with 386/ix. substantial amount of benchmarking informa tion. Though there isn't room to run it with The Santa Cruz Operation The Base Distribution the article, we're putting it on the issue #50 400 Encinal Street The ''base'' refers to the smallest disk. A brief summary appears in Figure 6. P.O. Box 1900 usable package you can purchase. Each Santa Cruz, CA 95061 vendor has included a different mix. (See Suppliers Mentioned (800) 726-8649 Figure 5.) The abbreviation "na" indicates that Automata Design Associates the vendor does not sell the product. 1570 Arran Way ••• However, in most cases except XENIX, Dresher, PA 19025 you can purchase the product from (215) 646-4894 If you thought Borland's popup product was great just wait untir you see PC COMPATIBLE OpalFire's MyFLIN for Pascal. ENGINEERING MyFLIN is a TSR program that captures procedure and function details directly from the screen while you are Annabooks gives you the hlrDll1, saftwll1, 1l1li 0.... 111 information you programming. It saves this information in an indexed database need to design PC-compatible systems faster and better. And you have con trol of your design from the ground up -- our firmware and software pro for instant recall at any time you need it. ducts Include saln:e coRl Plus all the utilities you need. Do hardware design? DtcIlr DulII'S 1M DRAM SuperSpec Is the first of a MyFLIN will save you hours of searching thru pieces of paper series of hardware books you won't want to miss. And a PC Bus timing book looking for parameter details when calling a procedure. Simp is on the wayl Start by getting these books: ly type part or all of the name and press the hotkey. MyFLIN AT BlosKIt: an AT Bios with source code you can modify. With setup will popup over your source code and display the nearest & debug. 380 pages with disk, $199 named description you have stored in your database, complete Xl BlosKlt: Includes a debug. 270 pages with disk, $99 11111 Wllda~ 81".. 11 for XT BiosKit: Includes ASIC setup, turbo with parameters and comments. speeds, 60 pages with disk, $49 1M DRAM 81,..: Design your memory to all mfg's specs at oncel To save a new description, positon the cursor on the procedure Lots of timing diagrams &tables, $79 name, popup MyFLIN and press "A" to add. The details will Pro.KlI: Puts anything in Eprom or SRAM; DOS, your code, data, be captured from the screen and saved with a single keystroke you name It! With source on disk, $179 and you can add a comment line as well. SysKlt: Here's a debug/monitor you can use even with a brand X Bios. Includes source, of course. $69 Xl·AT Hlndlloak: The famous pocket-sized book jam-packed with Price $69.00 + $5.00 P&POSt. hardware & software info. $9.95 ea. or 5 or more for $5 each. Visa / Mastercard / American Express are accepted. Software tools: You need MS C& MASM 5.1 for modifying the Kit products. Mention this ad when you order and get a '111 Xl·AT FREE Hlndllalk IIy CllalsSlr I Foslerl Hurry before we come to our 32~lPo~!£!t~~1~ti:~Afn~057 senses and change our minds. Phone 1-800-336-6644 Annabooks MyFLIN requires PC/XT/AT Computer and MS-/PC - DOS 2/3.xx. 12145 Alta Carmel Ct Suite 250-262 San Diego, California 92128 (61 g) 271·9526 Money-back guarantee Reader Service Number 161 Reader Service Number 160 48 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By Linda Lunt 2133 186th Place SE Life, Bliss, And Rocky Bothell, W A 98012 Mountain SOG town Gunnison is a wonderful place. We I'm not sure whether your best saG is walked in and became part of the family. your first or your last. I'm not even sure While my cohort began an appliqued you can get enough saG (I'll be attending Remember those shirt, I started a pillow quilt. It was an four this year). However, there certainly intriguing new pattern for a quilt that isn't a SaG without people. Here's a look at all-night sessions in folds up on itself, fits into its own pocket, the Rocky Mountain SaG from the eyes of and becomes a pillow. new initiates. college? Add a You have to understand something-I love making quilts. The combination of diversity of detail and precision, fabric color and tex o you want to go to the Rocky ture, and spatial relationships-what an Mountain SOG with me?" "Yeah, experiences and a experience. So I played all day, DI guess so." Karl, my husband, completely missing the fractal presenta had recently begun writing for Micro C wide range of tion by Roger Stevens and the talks and was about to experience his first which followed. SOG. expertise, grounded That night we had the Jolt SIG at the Something had been missing in my Aspinall-Wilson Conference Center. I life for a long time, so we were quitting by a common was finishing my pillow-quilt when Rich our jobs, leaving Phoenix, and moving to ard, one of the participants, wandered Seattle. Sandwiched in was the Gunnison interest in computers. by. "Would you make one of those quilts SOG. I'd go, do a little shopping, check for me?" "Yes, I suppose so." out the local quilt store, while Karl talked As he went to get his checkbook, I computers. Then we'd return home and tried to recover from shock. Someone ac move to Seattle. Finally (maybe) I would tually wanted to buy one of my quilts. figure out what was missing in my life The following morning I was back at the and get on with it. center with fabric samples. The journey started innocently Larry Fogg, in his article on creativity, enough-14 hours on the road. The pine (''Problem Solving and Creativity" in trees of Aagstaff gave way to the stark Micro C, May-June 1989) talks about dis beauty of the Ute Mountain Indian Reser tracting the conscious mind long enough vation. North of Durango, the real moun for the subconscious to get involved. tains started, cool fresh air and greenery Something was happening inside me, everywhere. The awesome ruggedness, only I didn't realize it. I just woke up Sat the exhilaration of 11,000-foot Red Moun urday morning convinced that I could tain pass, and the 10 mph hairpin turns sell a quilt to every attendee. began working on my soul. As I showed off my quilt and began In Gunnison the following morning, I taking orders, I realized something: I'd helped Maria Ladd with registration. found the solution. I'd found what was Great fun. The participants were a happy, missing in my life. I had found my bliss friendly group, each unique. Maria had (David J. Thompson, "Around the Bend" arranged a craft class for the next day. Add a diversity of experiences and a in Micro C, May-June 1989). Good; I would get to know some of the wide range of expertise, grounded by a Now tell me, does this always happen wives and have some fun. common interest in computers. at SOG? I wonder what we'll do next That evening we went to the Cattle The next day dawned. Was it only year? Anyone know how to print a full men Inn for the first SIG. You know, a Friday? So much had happened. After a color fractal on fabric? Special Interest Group meeting. Remem while two of us went to the craft class. ber those all-night sessions in college? The E and P Sewing Emporium in down- • • • MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 49 A View From The SOG The first Rocky Mountain SOG ended free-for-all begins after dinner and con yesterday. Though I sit amidst stacks of tinues until the next to the last person packing boxes (we're preparing for this loses consciousness. Since the conference week's move to Seattle), I have some center lobby wasn't available that eve thing more important to do. I must tell ning, about 20 of us headed for a local you about SOG. restaurant al}d started the late-nighter in RM SOG-I took place July 27-29 at the the lounge. Linda and I left around 10:30, Aspinall-Wilson conference center in two of the first to go. Gunnison, Colorado. Due largely to su perhuman work by Scott and Maria Let The Real SOG Begin Ladd, everyone had a great time. Sometime Friday morning I began to feel the magic. Roger Stevens presented The Raft Trip "Fractals for Fun and Knowledge," a SOG opened on Thursday with a super discussion of C programs for white-water raft trip. Twenty-eight SOG generating Mandelbrot, Julia, Dragon, gers (SOGgies?) and five guides made a and Phoenix curves. He left a PC running five-hour run down a river just outside a slide show of his fractals in the lobby of Gunnison. During the lunch break, those the conference center. The display always who signed up for only half way caught had a crowd around it. a van back to town; the rest (23) climbed I wasn't able to attend Don Jindra'S back into the inflatables. opposing talk on his $25 PC-based Local If you have ever attended a SOG (this Area Network, but others who did told was my first), white-water rafting seems Scott Ladd, RMSOG's Director me it was excellent. Don sold several to be a necessary event. As this was also my first rafting trip, I learned the impor tance of packing a full change of clothes and taking plenty of sun block. Expect cold, wet feet for the duration. Our river guide, John, showed a great sense of humor and lots of patience. Ap parently, he doesn't normally run the river with a boatload of hackers; he didn't contribute much to the arguments over high-level languages and the jokes about FORTH and C went right past him. Editor's note: The uninitiated usually lose the thread quickly. He became irritated only once; the whole group got into a discussion of MAKE files, ignored his instructions, and we hung the boat on some rocks. Although the first official session didn't begin until Friday, custom ap Micheal Hunt's Talk on Pascal parently demanded an immediate Jolt and Modula Two SIG. For the uninitiated, this technical Karl Holds Forth at SOG Break 50 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By Karl Lunt 2133 186th Place SE Bothell, W A 98012 hackers with several cases of high-octane soda. Many times during the Jolt SIGs, I found myself standing outside the crowd, simply watching. These people had traveled hundreds (sometimes thou sands) of miles, at considerable expense, to spend their nights amidst pure Pande monium. One group would be talking about the latest C compiler, overhear another gathering talking about optimizers, and suddenly the two groups would merge. Like a low-resolution Game of Life, the crowds formed and reformed seemingly at random, always seeking new energy and ideas. The People Those who attended RM SOG-I came from two general groups. The old-timers Walter Bright Lectures About knew what the SOG meant, and under Gary Entsminger and Larry Optimizing Compilers stood the energy generated by a three- Fogg at SOG. copies of his program at the SOG, and it day gathering of hard-core hackers. was the center of attention during Satur Others (like myself) came out of curiosity day evening's Jolt SIG. and quickly found that this was some Dave Thompson's talk on starting a thing special. high-tech business drew quite a crowd, I have gone to conferences sponsored as did Jim Nutt's opposing session on Fi by other organizations; most are mind donet technology. I opted for Dave's pre bendingly dull, presided over by a dis sentation, but with some regrets; I also tant god selected by an elite few. I usu wanted to hear Jim's talk. I found out ally learned little and consider most of later it was great. them a waste of time. The whole saG continued the same But a SOG marches to a very different theme; two opposing high-quality pre beat. The interplay, the exchange of infor sentations. Often it was a difficult choice, mation and ideas, occurs constantly and but I seldom heard any complaints. on a very high level. It does so without regard to status or station.. The Jolt SIG I know of at least two Ph.D.s who at Nothing captures the essence of the tended RM SOG-I; without knowing in saG like the late-night sessions. Starting advance who they were, you could not at an hour when "real" conferences have have picked them out. All were equals, broken up, the Jolt SIG isn't even rolling sharing freely. until the caffeine kicks in. You have to be It wasn't until late Friday that I real there to appreciate the decibel level Scott gets marshmallowed! ized something unique about this crowd; generated when you mix 50 hard-core alcohol was not part of the scene. Even at MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 51 the Thursday Jolt SIG, held in a restau enough to go rafting, but that Debee I understand his presentation went well. rant lounge, the interest was more on went every chance she could. I set up Bertha, my 68000 system, at talking than drinking. Apparently, many Then there was the time I saw Debee the Friday Jolt SIG. It wasn't long before felt booze just got in the way of the setting up her talking Toshiba laptop at Debee asked to see how SK*DOS energy; this also was different from other one of the Jolt SIGs. Feeling like I ought worked. We cabled her to Bertha and conferences, where drinking relieved the to help, I started arranging the cords only soon her talking Toshiba started calling boredom. to receive a firm "thank you!" Taking the out SK*DOS commands. When she asked hint, I stepped back and watched her to see (listen to) some 68000 assembly The Individuals quickly put the machine together. language code, I told her how to access Many people stood out from the Unfortunately, I could not attend my files; soon, she was hearing the crowd for one reason or another; they Debee's session on TSRs in C, but I source for my multitasking kernel. added to the flavor of the SOC; through quickly realized that Debee did not fit Joseph Chui and his brother, Kenneth, their unique personality. my stereotype of the blind. Together she showed up at the same SIG, arguing Chief among these was Maria Ladd. I and Christy have run a successful con what the odds were that a computer pro don't know where she got her energy; sulting firm for several years. They've gram could correctly choose the rank of a she seemed to be going constantly. Or based the business on Debee's software randomly-selected playing card. I left ganizing road trips, running registration, talents and Christy's hardware expertise. Joseph with Bertha for a while; soon, he setting up the Jolt SIGs, doing errands, and Kenneth had the program running making posters .. .it exhausted me just to The Sights And Sounds Of The SOG and were close to determining the odds watch her. I know of at least one occa So much of RM SOG-I consisted of (by observation). sion when Maria went all night without details. I remember talking with Michael sleep. Hunt, who writes the Micro C column Conclusion RM SOC-I gave me my first chance to "Units and Modules." He wanted to tell This event changed everyone who at meet the Boys from Bend. I had talked me about a project he and Dave Thomp tended. The old-timers got their annual often with Dave Thompson and Larry son had cooked up. Michael was so ex fix, but the first-timers-we felt the magic Fogg over the phone, but hadn't met cited about the idea that he went an en most of all. We came out of curiosity and them (or Gary Entsminger) until the tire minute without getting both feet on left ready to get on with new projects. SOC. It's hard to write anything serious the ground at the same time. Each of us plan to attend RM SOC-II, about these guys, knowing that at least At the Saturday lunch break, about 15 and to bring something more to con two of them will edit it before it gets of us headed off to the cafeteria. We got tribute to the energy. printed. so caught up in our conversations that For me, the SOC crystallized into one I will only say that the panel presenta we ended up lost in the middle of the special moment. I stood in the lobby of tion they gave on the direction of Micro C campus. the conference center, well into the Satur drastically changed my concept of "mag I also remember standing in the day Jolt SIG. At a group of tables across azine editor." middle of the Saturday Jolt SIG, watch the room, Debee and Don Jindra had set Hey Dave, what's he saying here, ex ing all the activity, and noticed Scott up a couple of PCs and Debee's talking actly?-Larry Hurlbert next to me doing the same Toshiba, forming a three-system LAN. I'm not sure. I suppose we can leave it in thing. Scott arrived from Anchorage, Debee sat on the floor, her arms nearly until we figure it out.-Dave Alaska, for his first SOC; I don't remem over her head to reach the keyboard on Of all the people I met at the SOC, ber ever seeing him without an L.A. the table in front of her. Duchess lay none affected me more than Christy Laker cap or T-shirt. Scott kept staring at curled around her, an island of calm Quinn, Debee Norling, and Debee's the crowd and murmuring, ''This is in within the buzz. seeing-eye dog, Duchess. This triafemi credible, this is just incredible!" When I close my eyes I can still see nate (an old Latin word I made up) The Friday Jolt SIG began without that picture. Somehow, the confusion and brought me face to face with many mis Tadas Osmolskis (from Maryland). Half serenity, the darkness and swirling ac conceptions I had about "handicapped" an hour later, Tadas and several others tion, the concentrated silence and vocal people. arrived, triumphantly carrying Gunni uproar, all came together at that instant. Subconsciously, I had always felt son's entire supply of Jolt cola (three six It has only been two days since SOG, sorry for the blind; I compared them to packs). They dumped these into a tub of but already some of the memories aren't sighted people and felt somehow obliged ice (supplied by Maria Ladd) and the SIG as vivid. I recall meeting someone named to pity them. Let me tell you, three days was official. Carl who wanted to talk with me about with that crew forced some hard second Linda and I sat at the front table of the surplus 68000 systems. I asked him to thoughts. Epicurean restaurant on Saturday morn find me during the Jolt SIG that night, For instance, seeing Debee in the ing, eating a delicious breakfast of home but I don't believe I saw him again. I was white-water rafting group Thursday made sausage and ebelskiver (small drained, exhausted from long days and morning caught me by surprise. I didn't baked pastries topped with apple little sleep. I didn't get his information, expect her to go rafting and I certainly ch4nks). At a table behind us, 'Rick Hol but I appreciated his enthusiasm. didn't expect her to take Duchess. But linbeck quietly prepared notes for an im Scott and Maria announced at the with Debee going, I certainly expected promptu session he had volunteered to final breakfast that RM SOC-II will take her sighted compatriot, Christy, to be in do as a replacement for a flu-stricken place mid-June, 1990. the boat. Wrong, bucko; Christy in Scott Ladd. He and his wife, Marty, run a I can't wait. formed me that she was not crazy software company called Western Wares; ••• 52 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 »xrd: <86817>« » xref : Reader Service Number 142 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 53 Capturing & Graphing A Voice In Real-Time: Part 1 Analog Signal-Conditioning this project. To breadboard the ampli converter doesn't get enough information This isn't just an analog project, but fier I filter circuit and connect it to the about the waveform, so the information here's the analog portion: as complete a dis AID board, I use Real-Time Device's is garbled. cussion of analog filter design as you'll see XB40 prototype board and cable (the Ad The circuit's three op-amps reside on in any magazine. van tech has a similar prototype kit). a single chip, so the parts count is quite low: the chip, a microphone, and some The Circuit resistors, diodes, and capacitors. All the ast issue, I looked at several com It's one thing to understand a circuit; parts are inexpensive and easy to mail mercially available I/O boards for it's something else to design one. My order (details later). Lthe Pc. All those boards included friend Brinkley Barr breathes electronics. Let's walk through each section of the analog-to-digital conversion and usu This circuit took him about five minutes circuit so you understand what's going ally some kind of digital I/O and to design; it would have taken me days. on. counter I timers. One had a D I A con When you're trying to accomplish some verter as well. thing, it makes a lot of sense to go to an The Microphone This issue, I'll use one of the boards expert. You pay for the expert's ex Several different types of microphones (the Real-Time Devices ADI000) and step perience, but you'd pay for the ex are available: condenser, crystal, mag through a complete interfacing project. perience one way or another. netic, ceramic, etc. Brink selected an elec The project will capture a voice and dis Figure 1 shows the voice signal-condi tret microphone because it's simple (it play it on the screen using Turbo C and tioning circuit. It consists of a micro doesn't need a high-voltage bias like con the Borland Graphics Interface (BGI), phone, a two-stage amplifier, and a 3- denser microphones). which works with any common display pole anti-aliasing filter to remove You'll be amazed at how tiny these adapter. frequencies higher than 6 KHz (most of little guys are. They look like spy micro Although I'm using the Real-Time the information in your voice is below 6 phones, but they contain a field-effect Devices AD1000, you can also use the KHz). Aliasing occurs when the transistor (PET) so the signal is already Advantech PCL-BI2 or 7I2E board from frequency of your input hits half the sam boosted by the time it gets to your ampli Rapid Systems or Halted Specialties for pling rate of your AID converter-the fier. +9Yofts Stage 1 6 KHz Butterworth 30 dB Amplifier Stage 2 Low·Pass Filter 30 dB Amplifier 2.2K Mylar Monolithic Output to AID ·5Vto +5Y' Resistors: 5% (Gold tolerance band)- 54 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ----.------By Bruce Eckel Revolution2 308 Meredith St. Kennett Square, P A 19348 BIX: beckel Compuserve: 72072,3256 The Amplifier The amplification stage consists of two identical sections. The input to each G a stage passes through a high-pass filter i consisting of a series 0.47 J..lF capacitor n and a 12K resistor to ground. i Pole at 1O~ hz n ( This serves two purposes-it removes \.. 60 Hz hum and it keeps OC (called an D e K offset) from reaching the inputs of the c I first and second stages. The output of B 20dB/decac e any amplifier contains DC, which, if e \ I \ passed on to the next stage, is magnified along with the signal. Which isn't what \ we want. The amplifier stages are simply op \ amps. The 68K and 2.2K resistors pro 10 100 1K 10K 100K 1M 10M vide a gain of 30 for each stage. The gain Frequency (Hz) for this op-amp configuration is calcu Figure 2- Bode Frequency Plot lated as 1+(68K/2.2K}. The combined gain (calculated by multiplying the in dividual gains) is 900. at 6 KHz. By limiting the gain of each Figure 2 shows an example Bode plot, I've written about op-amps in my first stage to 30, we get a bandwidth of about similar to what you'll see in electronic book, Computer Interfacing with Pascal & C 30 KHz. The amplifiers will pass all the data books when you're looking for (available from Micro Cornucopia). Elec relevant infonnation, and the filter will parts. Where the line is straight, signals tric Circuit Analysis by Johnson, Hilburn, do the work of removing the high of that frequency (shown on the x-axis) and Johnson is also worth checking out. frequency components. pass uniformly. Where the line bends, You may wonder why the amplifier is signals fall off. Figure 2 shows the signals in two stages instead of just one (Le., Filters passing up to 10 KHz, where the bend why not just change the values of the Usually, we describe a filter, or the fil begins. 68K and 2.2K resistors to create a gain of tering properties of any electronic device You can create any wavefonn by com 1000 with a single stage?) Good question. (even if it isn't specifically designed to be bining simple sine waves of different Answer: because op-amps are introduced a filter), with a frequency plot. A amplitudes and frequencies (we call this to novices as "ideal components," and in frequency plot (also called "Bode plot") Fourier analysis). Thus, your voice con many ways they are ideal, but this circuit shows the size (amplitude) of the signal tains components of 20 Hz, 500 Hz, 5 displays one of their limitations. (usually as a ratio of output size to input KHz, etc. size) on the vertical axis and its H your filter has a bend at 2.5 KHz Gain-Bandwidth Product frequency in a logarithmic scale on the and you pass a voice signal through it, If you're carrying a heavy weight, you horizontal axis. all the frequency components of your can't run fast. If you force op-amps to In a Bode plot, the vertical axis is voice above 2.5 KHz will be reduced or provide a lot of gain, their frequency out 20*log(base 1O} of the output amplitude eliminated. There might still be enough put (bandwidth) becomes limited. The re over the input amplitude (i.e., the gain in infonnation in the lower frequencies for lationship between gain and bandwidth deciBels). Although there's an interesting you to hear the words, but they'll sound is called the gain-bandwidth product. history to these numbers, you shouldn't different. If we ask for a gain of 1000 out of a worry too much about why you use The straight-line part of the plot single 4136 stage, we'll limit its output to 20*log(base lO}(output/input} instead of (called the passband) shows which 1 KHz, maximum. But our filter cuts off just (output/input). frequencies pass. After the bend, you MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 55 enter the stopband, because the filter 20 deciBels (dB) per decade (change in supplies brought out from the PC on the doesn't pass the signals anymore. The the frequency by 10 times). A deciBel is XB40 prototype board. To do this, use a sharpness of the bend shows how the unit on the vertical axis of the Bode 9.1 V zener diode on each line along with quickly the filter switches from passing plot equal to 20*log(base 10) of the out an electrolytic capacitor to smooth out signals to stopping them. put/input. If you add a pole at the same the noise caused by the diode. Here the poles of the filter come in cutoff frequency, the Bode plot will The diode will turn on whenever the the poles determine how quickly the fil decrease at 40 dB/decade; a third pole voltage at its cathode exceeds the voltage ter switches from passband to stopband. will cause a decrease of 60 dB/decade at its anode by 9.1 V. Thus, the top diode The more poles at the cutoff frequency (which is what our filter does at 6 KHz). will maintain its cathode at +9.1 volts, (10 KHz in Figure 2), the sharper the cut Zeros of the function (points where and the bottom diode will maintain its off. the numerator goes to zero) have the op anode at -9.1 volts. The quality factor Q, which you'll see posite effect-they make the Bode plot The 150 ohm resistors in Figure 3 are mentioned in the databooks, measures increase by 20 dB/decade. Thus, design essential. Without them, the zener diodes the sharpness of a filter. The ideal filter ing a filter is a matter of figuring out would suck current until they fried would be a perfect step transition be- how to manipulate the poles and zeros of something. These resistors also determine +12 Volts 150 ohms From PC +9 Volts 9.1 V Zener Diode + 100uF 16Voll 11 1N4739A Electrolytic or 1N52398 Texas Instruments AC4136N QuadOp-amp -12 Volts From PC -9 Volts 9.1 V Zener Diode 100uF 16Volt 1N4739A + Electrolytic Or 1N52398 Figure 3-Power Supply tween passband and stopband. If you're the filter function to generate the right the maximum current the circuit will wondering why you can't just add a Bode plot. provide: bunch of poles until this happens, it There are several ways to manipulate turns out to be a multi-way tradeoff. these poles and zeros, and these ways are (12V - 9V)/150 Ohms = 600 milliAmps First, more poles require more com named after their inventors. In this cir ponents, which costs money. If you don't cuit, I used Mr. Butterworth's method ($5 which is more than enough. need a 12-pole filter, don't buy one. Also, says Dave inserts a comment about adding poles can cause other side-effects, syrup here). Buying Parts like "rippling" in the passband (which Editor's note: $10 says I don't. Just I needed to shop at two outlets to get causes distortion). Thus, you won't often proves you can't sweet-talk me into adding the parts. Digi-key has the electret micro see a filter that is more than 4 poles (the editorial comments to your articles. phone and the IN4739A zener diodes. one used in this project has 3). Usually you don't have to think about (Digi-key also has an extensive line of re poles and zeros, since most reference sistors and capacitors. If you do projects Why Call Them Poles? books have the equations worked out for like this a lot, you should look into their To design a filter, you represent it you; all you need to know is the cutoff prepackaged assortments.) You can get mathematically. The mathematical equa and the quality factor you want. their catalog by calling (800) 344-4539. tion for a filter has a numerator and de If you want to know more about fil JDR Microdevices «800) 538-5000) and nominator, which have points passing ters, an excellent reference is An Introduc Jameco «415) 592-8097) both have the through zero. When the denominator tion to Filter Theory,. by David Johnson, RC4136N quad op-amp (four amplifiers goes to zero, the expression becomes in Prentice-Hall,1976. on a chip). finite. If you look at the equation in a three-dimensional space, a pole looks like Power Supply Types Of Capacitors a tent-pole under the plane (the canopy) Figure 3 shows the power supply cir I ordered parts (from Digi-key) before representing the function. cuit. To achieve a voltage swing between I realized I didn't have the right capaci Each pole of the function causes the -5 V and +5 V at the input of the A/D tors in my parts cabinets. JDR (where I Bode plot to bend and start decreasing at converter, we need to reduce the ±12 volt bought the op-amp) didn't have a great 56 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 selection of capacitors. I asked Brink if I couldn't substitute ceramic disk capaci Products Mentioned tors for some of the values I couldn't find in tantalum or monolithic. Prom Kit - $179 Schematics prepared with OrCAD SDT He said that ceramic disk caps are the Annabooks OrCAD Systems Corp. scuzziest type around and should only 12145 Alta Carmel Ct., Suite 250-262 1049 SW Baseline Street, Suite 500 be used as bypass caps. Their values can San Diego, CA 92128 Hillsboro, OR 97123 change by as much as 80%. Once, as an (619) 271-9526 (503) 640-9007 experiment, he hooked one up in a filter circuit connected to an oscilloscope. He AD1000 - $295 Digi-Key could squeeze the capacitor with his fin Real-Time Devices P.O. Box 677 gers and see a radical change! P.O. Box 906 ~ief River Falls, MN 56701 There are many types of capacitors: State College, P A 16804 (800) 344-4539 electrolytic, tantalum, monolithic, silver (814) 234-8087 FAX 234-6864 mica, ceramic disk, polyester, polypropy lene, metalized film, etc. They vary in Advantech PCl-812 or 712E JDR Microdevices production cost and properties. Electro Rapid Systems 2233 Branham lane lytic capacitors, for example, come in Seattle, WA 98103 San Jose, CA 95124 large values and some can handle high (206) 547-8311 (800) 538-5000 voltages (they're also physically large), so or they're ideal for smoothing the ripples in Halted Specialties Jameco Electronics power supplies. But they're polarized; 3500 Ryder Street 1355 Shoreway Road you get the plus lead hooked to the Santa Qara, CA 95051 Belmont, CA 94002 minus side of the supply, and poof! (415) 592-8097 FAX 592-2503 Ceramic disk capacitors are cheap and good for bypassing chips (routing supply line noise to ground). But their capaci tance isn't stable (they drift with time and temperature) so you can't use them in critical applications, such as filters. Silver mica capacitors (they sound ex pensive, don't they) are pricey but they don't drift. JDR didn't have .0027 J.lF or .0039 J.lF in mylar, nor 680 pF in mono lithic, but Brink said silver mica would I work just fine. JDR didn't have the right ones in stock, so I got smaller values and paralleled them to generate approxi Goodbye BASIC, C, COBOL-hello PASCAL! Now, to make RIGHT-COMPLETE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR mately the right values. this most advanced language available to more micro us YOUR MONEY BACK! • Editor's note: Ceramic and electrolytic ers, we've cut our price-to an amazing 529.95! This In addition, if you want to copy the diskette or looseleaf capacitors are relatively cheap. However both astonishing price includes the complete JRT Pascal sys manual-so long as it's not for resale-it's o.k. with us. are unstable, capacitance-wise, and con tem on diskette and the comprehensive new user manual. Pass it on to your friends! This is a Umited-Time-Offer. SO ACT TODAY-DON'T DELAY ENJOYING PASCAl:S sidered lossy. That means that some DC cur Not a subset, it's a complete Pascal. Check the features. ADVANTAGES-AT $29.95, THERE'S NO REASON TO rent leaks through the insulation between the Separate compilation of external procedures • WAIT! plates. Electrolytics also have a fairly high AutD-loading • 14 digit FLOATING POINT r···································r. impedance so they don't pass high frequen arithmetic • True dynamic storage • Verbal To: JRT SYSTEMS cies. error messages • Fast one-step compiler: P.O. Box 187 8m If you need a high capacitance (>1 JlF) no link needed • Graphing procedures • Statistics Enola, PA 17025 polarized capacitor that can pass high procedures • Activity analyzer prints program phone 717/732·1093 frequencies, use a tantalum capacitor. If you use histogram • Operating system interface O.K. You've sold me. Send me JRT Pascal by return mail. need a capacitor for frequency (e.g., filter) ap THIS IS THE SAME SYSTEM WE SOLD FOR 5295! I understand that if I'm not complete~ satisfied, I can retum it within 30 days for a full refund. plications, you can use just about anything So how can we make this offer?-why the unbelievable I need 0 51/4" disk or 0 3'/2" disk. 0 Send me the deal? Very simply, we think all software is overpriced. We other than a ceramic, electrolytic, or tanta JRT Pascal program formatter too, for only $14.95. lum. want to build volume with the booming IBM market, and Name ______our overhead is low, so we're passing the savings on to Address ______you. Next Time City State __ Zip __ Next issue I'll show you the code to AND AT NO RISK! o Check/M.D. 0 COD 0 Company P.O. [add $20) make this all work. We'll display When you receive JRT Pascal, look it over, check it out. PA residents add sales tax. Add $10 for shipping outside graphics in windows, allocate data dy If you're not completely satisfied, return the system within US/Canada. US funds on a US bank only. Needs only namically, and talk to the AID board. 30 days and your money will be refunded in full! THAT'S 192K and 1 floppy drive. L--______...... • • • Reader Service Number 154 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 57 Tuning CRITTERS comments about the column. So this is going to By Scott Robert Ladd Scott recovers from SOG just soon enough to be a potpourri of answers. We'll begin by look 705 West Virginia dash out this issue's column. Stay tuned as he dis ing at some new hardware that wandered in Gunnison, CO 81230 (303) 641-6438 cusses: Bull, CRITTERS, and a graphics character the door. (Fast hardware can be a bane as well generator. as a boon.) Bull t's over-but it isn't. Rocky Mountain SaG. Bull is the name of my latest computer. It's It was a big success. We didn't do it alone; from BFM Computing of Rhinelander, Wiscon II'd like to thank everyone who helped us sin. A 20 MHz 80386 with 4 megabytes of with making RM SaG a success. Special thanks memory, a 64K static RAM cache, 28 millisec go to Jim Nutt and Linda Lunt for their above ond 65 megabyte Mitsubishi hard drive, and the-call-of-dutyassistance. 16-bit VGA, Bull certainly has improved my The raft trip was, as always, an adventure. I computing environment. He benchmarks out at kept losing my paddle; but then again, I've 23.0 on the Norton 51 scale, considerably better never had my oars in the water. One boat lost than my "old" 16 MHz 386 box. its guide; another boat was swamped by high BFM offers an amazing 3-year warrantee on waves. The Taylor River provided one of the the motherboard, and so far, this machine is most exciting raft trips of my life. Fortunately, I impressive. I don't want this to be an advertise remembered to bring dry shoes for the ride ment, but if you'd like to contact the company, home this year. you can reach them at: Will we hold another SaG? You bet! Maria and I can't conceive of a SOGless summer. So, BFM Computing we're scheduled again for 1990: June 14-16, 701 Washington St. here in Gunnison. The theme of Rocky Moun Rhinelander, WI 54501 tain SOG-II will be graphics and animation, (715) 362-4712 with (we hope) a special focus on robotics. If you couldn't come this year, maybe you can try Inefficient Code it next year. There's nothing like cool mountain High-powered hardware is great but those air and friendly people. of us who write programs may find that our In fact, because of Rocky Mountain SaG, super machines are hiding a problem: ineffi I'm going to make a change. From now on, I'm cient code. Even a sloppy program will be fast releasing all program code published in this on a 386. However, put those programs on a column into the public domain. Copyrighting it lowly 8088, V-20, or even 80286, and they is both a waste of time and a nuisance. So go to crawl. Such is the case with the CRITTERS pro it, folks-this code's for you. gram introduced last issue. I'm writing this column during the first days I've rewritten CRITTERS. The self-extracting of August, just a few days after our SaG. file CRITTER4.COM contains everything you While SaG was great fun, it was also a consid need. You can find it on the Micro C BBS, on erable amount of work for Maria and me. the listing disk for this issue ($6 plus $2 S/H to So, things that should have been done for foreign countries) from Micro C, or from me for this column weren't and I'm making a minor a disk and postage. It's just too big to publish course correction. While the fractal landscape in the magazine. If you get a copy, feel free to generator is almost complete, it isn't finished. distribute it via BBSs and users groups. Look for it in issue #51, along with a speedy I had several goals when I rewrote CRIT auto-sensing graphics library. TERS. First, I wanted it to be faster-much Fortunately, I received a lot of questions and faster. Second, I needed to make the program 58 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 High-POWered hardware is great but those of us who write programs may find that our super typedef .. unsigned. char CHAR DEF{S); /*nia..tdxto •.·hold one .. charactf:lr */ typedefCH.A1LOEFc.aAk_SE'.r [256]; l*u;ay of all chf1rsin>a. set *1 machines are hiding CllAR_OEF.grid_char; l*createlilorldngcharacter setvarial:>les CHAR .• SE'.r .. cset: char~setname[641 ;/* a problem: inefficient const char * version = "1.10"i 1* function· prototypes */ code. ",oid>JlIain(intarqc,char *argv:[]); voidshow·screen(void); int\edit:set{void)i . 1*~odifY~urrentcha.rset*1 more generic so people with non-Micro ",oid nOrlllblock (intI, int c); l*.~f)~block to"o~fU .*1 soft compilers could compile it. Third, I void blink block (int1, .intc)r>< ··.J*cursor */ void reverse block (int l,int c);j.""s~t:blockto 1I0nn*/ wanted to add some new features. I void save char (unsigned char) ;I*writ.echartoset*/ broke out my tool kit and got to work. unsigned ~har select_char (void):l~.ch0osechar toedit*/ Profilers are among the least used void main(int argc, char *argv:£l) and most ignored tools for program ( mers. A profiler analyzes your pro FILE *csfile; f* character set file char reply; f* .. user input~/ gram's execution, creating a report inti, 1; 1* loop variables *1 showing how much time it spends in intsave_set; which functions. It can even track varia ble accesses to tell you which data gets printS(··\:;~:i~~~arD!:·.···Gre~i~¥){j%S %s·.···%s\n" ~ used most. l~i~~:~~w~i ~jj ...• l>y .... j~IT~r •...•. ~~.7j.~ ••.. ·.Ttr~.,.\n\Xl .. '.~ ... : I use the MMC AD Systems profiler printf(,'Enter.· a. character.setn.ame: •. "); called PMon. It works very simply. You gets (setname) : .... putcha.r ('.\n'); compile your program to create a .MAP if (!str1en (setnamf))'{ printf ( II \ 7Noset name entered . Exit~\n'~ r: file, which is then fed to a processing exit (1) i program called MapVar. Then, PMon ) works as a shell to run your program; at else regular intervals, PMon checks to see strcpY(tJet:~ame;argv: [11); where your program is using the output if (Npt.L==(csf~le.·.=::Jopen(sf)tnCUllf),tlrb··»). { from MapVar to locate different parts of p\intf (n~:~~a:rr%S~ot .•. fo~llci ..• ~ke .. '••. it ..••• (~IN) 1", your program. while (!kbhit() ).; reply = (char)getche 0; When your program is done, PMon reply:::::toupper (reply) ; putchar C\n f); l.f (reply •• ='. '''.{') outputs a report which tells how many for '•• (l.= 0; i><. 256;<+tl.) times each function in your program for (1 =0; 1<8:++1) cset[l.]{l].:::::O: was "hit." The more hits, the more else '.. { Continued on page 60 often that section was executed. MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 59 printf ("Program. terminated. \n"); exit (2); blink b10ck(1/a} 1 } } - } break; else ca.e SO ; 1* DOWN' *1 fread(aset,sizeof(aset),l,asfile): if (1 < 7) ( felose(asfile); disp_open(); nom block (l,a) ; disp setattr(7); show screen(); ++1;- save-set. edit Bet C); disp moveCO,O); bli~b10ck(l,a); disp-eeop(); disp alose()i - ) disp-move(O,O); - break; if (save set) if {io:t.L - (asfile .. fopen(setname, llrib")}) ) printf("Char set %saannot be written. \ break; Saving as. CHARBET.DAT. \nll); case 'X, : asfile - fopen("CHAIUJET.DU",lw+b"); save_char(aurch); } stop • 1; ret_val .. 1; else break; . fwrite(cset,sizeof(aset),l,csfile); case 'Q' : falose (asfile); stop • II ret_val - 0; } break; cas. 32 void show screen () rever.. block(l,a); ( - break; - int i; case'S' ; save char(aurch); disp_move(O,O); disp eeop(); aurCb - seleat char(); disp_ move (1,1); dispyrintf ("11) ; 1 • 0; a - 0; - disp_move(17,1); dispyrintf(IIII); blink block(l,a): for (i - 2; i < 17; i - i + 2) { break; disp move (i,l); disPYrintf(" "}; } } return ret val; for (i - 3; i < 16; i.- i + 2) } - disp move(i,l); dispyrintf ("11); void no%JD. block (int 1, int a} ) { - disp_move(3,31)i unsigned int val, aI, aa; dispyintf(IIcursor Keys move aursor"); disp move (5,31); al .. (1 * 2) + 2; aa - (a * 3) + 2; dispyrintf(IIX" Exit and Savell); val .. dispyeekw(el,aa); disp move (6,31) ; val - val & Ox7rrr; dispyrintf(IIQ .. Quit (without Saving)II); disp..,J>Okew(el,aa,val); ++aa; disp move(O,3l); val .. dispyeekw(el,aa); disPJ>rintf(IISpaae Bar .. Reverse Current Block"); val - val & Ox7rrr; disp move(10,31); disp..,J>Okew(el,aa,val); dispJ>rintf(IIS .. select Character to Edit"}; J } void blink bloak(int l,int a) int edit set () { - ( - unsigned int val, aI, aa; unsigned char key, £key, aurah; int stop - 0; int 1; a; int ret_val; a1. (1 * 2) + 2; aa .. (a * 3) +.2; val - dispyeekw(el,aa); 1 - 0; a .. 0; val .... val 1 Ox8000; aurch .. seleat char(); disp..,J>Okew(el,aa,val); ++aa; blink block(l,c); val .. disp-p-ekw(el,aa); while- (t stop) ( val .'val I Oz8000; while (tkbhit(» i disp..,J>Okew(el,aa,val); key .. (char)getch(); } switah(toupper(key» aase 0 void reVerse block(int 1, int a) if (kbhit (» { ( - fkey. (ahar)getch(); unsigned char bit; switah (ney) ( int aI, aa; case 72 : I*vp *1 if (1 > 0) .{ a1 .. (1 * 2) + 2; aa .. (a * 3) + 2; no%JD. block (1, a) ; bit- 1 «~(charla; --1;- if (grid_char [1) 'bit) ( blink_b10ak(1,a); grid char[l) ,- ~bit; } dispykew(el,aa,Oz87BO); break; disp..,J>Okew(el,ac+l,Ox07BO); case 75 : 1* LEFT *1 } if (a>O) ( else. ( nO%JD._block(l,a); grid char[l) I- bit; ·"0; dispykew(el,cc,OXS7DB); blink block(l,a); disp..,J>Okew(el,cC+l,OxS7DB); } - } break; case 77.: .. 1* lUGHT *1 if (a< 7) { void saVe char (unsigned char no) no%JD. block (Ii a) ; ( - ++a;- melllcpy(caet[no) ,grid':"char,sizeof(grid_char»; Continued on page 62 60 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 C CODE FOR THE PC source code, of course MS-DOS File Compatibility Package (aeate, read, &. write MS-DOS file systems on non-MS-DOS computers) • • $500 NEW! 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Map (15,701 points of state boundanes) ...... $15 The Austin Code Works Voice: (512) 258-0785 11100 Lea/wood Lane acw!in/[email protected] BBS: (512) 258-8831 Austin, Texas 78750-3409 USA FAX: (512) 258-1342 Free surface shipping for cash in advance For delivery in Texas add 7% MasterCard/VISA Reader Service Number 4 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 61 Figure 2-CS_Disp (Character Set Display Routines) unsigned char se1ect_char(void) ( . unsigned char sel, bit; 1* int 1, e, el, ee; Version: 1.10 11-Aug-1989 Language: Zortech C v1.07. disp move(19,31); Environ: MS-DOS, IBN-PC compatible disPJrintf("Enter a character to be defined: "); Purpose: Load and display character seta disp move(19,64)1 created with CSG. whil;(rkbh1t(» ; Written by: Scott llobert r.add sel • (char)getch(); *1 dispmove(19,31)1 disPJrintf(" I.); 'include "es_disp.h" memcpy(grid_char,caet[se11,sizeof(grid_char»; 'include "zipgraph.h" for (1 - 0; 1 < 8; ++1) 'include "stdio.h" for (c - 0; e < 8; ++c) ( cl - (1 * 2) + 2; ee • (e * 3) + 2; typedef unsigned char CHAR DEI" [8] ; bit - 1 « (char)c1 typedef CHAR_DEF CHAR_SE~[256J; if (grid_char [1) 'bit) { disP-fOkew (el,ec,Ox07DB); disP-fOkew (cl,ec+l,Ox07DB); } int es load(char * cs.t_nam.) else { ( - disP-fOkew (el,ee,Ox07BO); FILE * cset_file; disP-fOkew (cl,ec+l,Ox07BO); } ) return se1; if (cset file - BOLL) ) return 1; fread(cset, sizeof(CHAR_SE~), 1, cset_file); ••• felose(eset_file); return 0; ) void . eSJ>utch(int line, int col, unsigned char ch, unsigned char fcolor, unsigned. char bcolor) { int x, y; unsigneci ehar bit; for (x - 0; x < 8; ++x) ( for (y • 0; y < 8; ++y) { cr P P TurboFlow is serious bit - (unsigned char) (1 « y); flowcharting software at rJ 'aI7Le if (cset[ch] [x] 'bit) a price that won't cost you your plotpixel(col+y,line+x,fcolor); kingdom. It's easy to use and more else ~~;il~=r'r~~ powerful than Merlin's magic. plotpixel (col+y, line+x, bcolor); TurboFlow runs on an IBM PC !l:: ~~lQ:Im~lt9JI~and features a complete set of ANSI /b(Jl'!r~::..::3~~-"""i'i~_~s':1.ym=bo~ls!..,lS~' ~m~e~n~u driven, interfaces with desktop pub lishing . software, void csJ>uts(int line, int col, ehar *str, and supports a va unsigned charfcolor, unsigned char bcolor) riety of printers ( and plotters. char * eh; So stop living in the dark ages. ch -.str; Call 1-800-882- while (ch) 5822 and order { I your copy, or ask csJ>utch (line, col, *ch, fcolor, bcolor); for our free bro ++ch1 '------'-J...... JLL;~~BIIIIIIi.. IiiII!!~~==----l chure. col fa 8; } ••• Reader Service Number 174 62 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 It turned out that CRITTERS spent 80% of its time in Microsoft's graphiCS • SEE HOW PROGRAMS WORK routines! Even worse, the two routines using 60% of the program's time were • EASILY MODIFY PROGRAMS setting and resetting the EGA card! SOURCER'M creates detailed commented source code and listings from memory Yuck! This becomes even more signifi and executable files. Built in data analyzer and simulator resolves data across cant when you realize that Microsoft's multiple segments and provides detailed comments on interrupts and subfunctions, liD ports and much more. Determines necessary assembler directives for reassem graphics library is faster than most of bly. Includes a definition file facility to include your own remarks and descriptive the others (including Borland's). labels, force data types, and more. Complete support for 8088/87 through 80386/387, The obvious solution is to get a faster 80486, and V20N30 instruction sets. We welcome comparisons with any other product, graphics library. While I have severalli because no product comes close to the ease of use and output clarity of SOURCER. braries around the house, I decided to Sourcer is the best disassembler we've ever seen! -PC Magazine, January 17, 1989, page 101 roll my own. So I wrote FasCEGA and Fast_HGC, resetprn.ht ResetPRN vl.02 Sourcer Listing 18-Sep-89 1:41 pm Page I SAMPLE PAGE 60.131 two small assembly language graphics OUTPUT RESETPRN modules for EGA and Hercules Fully Created: 14-Aug-89 Version: 1.01 Graphics cards. These modules do three automatic Passes: 8 Analysis flags on: H things: turn on graphics, turn off Program .386c header graphics, and plot pixels. That's all that • 0008 @prn_port) equ ; (0040:0008·378h) :--______------sega----- CRITTERS needs. The CRITTER4.COM Assembler seg_a seglT'ent para usel6 public - file includes both modules. directives assume cs:seg.a, ds:secLa, ss:stack.seQ.b resetprn proc far 658E:0000 start: Many people purchase commercial 65&:0000 E813 jl11J short lac 1 658E:0001 51 65 73 65 74 50 db ·ResetPRN-vl.01', OOh libraries rather than write their own 658[:0008 51 4E 10 76 31 1E Determines 65&:000E 303100 (usually because the commercial ver 658[:0011 0040 data 1 dw 40h data areas 658E:0013 00 OA 51 65 73 65 data) db COh, OAh. 'Reset Printer? S' 658[:0019 74 10 50 71 69 6E sions are already debugged), but there and type 658[:00IF 74 65 71 3F 10 14 658E:0015 10c_l: are significant advantages to building 658E:00150[ push c50 Detailed 658[:0016 IF pop ds your own. First, your function libraries 65&:0017 .SA 0013 d,.oflset data 3 ; (558[:0013·00h) comments 65&:001A 8409 II'WJY ah,9 - are yours (i.e., you know them from top 658[:001C CO 11 int 21h : DOS Services ah-function09h ; display char Hring at ds:dx 658[:001E 84 01 ""V ah.1 to bottom, and they work exactly the Simulator 658[:0030 CD 11 int 11h : DOS Services ah.functionOlh follows , get keybd char al. with echo way you want them to). Most impor 658[:0031 3C 79 c"" al.79h ; 'y' segment 65&:0034 751A joe short loc3 ;Ju"" If not equal tantly, you can tailor your library, as I 65&:0036 8E IE 0011 ds,data1- ; (658E:00ll.40h) changes 658[:00lA 88 160008 ""V dx,ds:@prn port 1 ; (0040:0008.378h) have done here, to fit the application. 658[:003[ 83 C1 01 add d',1 - 65&:0041 8008 ""V al.8 65&:0043 [[ out dx,al ; po!"t 37Ah, prlnter-2 control Commercial packages are also de ; al.8, Inltlallzeprlnter 80386 and 658[:004466:8900010000 ecx.10000h signed to handle a variety of situations, 80486 658E:004A locloop_1: 658E:004A 67: [1 FD loopd locloop1 : loop,lf ecx)o 0 support 658[:0040 800C ""V al,OCh- so they tend to be large. You end up 658E:004F EE out d.,al : port 37Ah. printer-2 control ; al. OCh, Inlt & strobe off linking-in all sorts of things you don't 658E:0050 658[:0050 84 4C ""V ah,4Ch 'l' need. And, when performance is an 658E:OQ51 CD 11 Int 11h ; DOS Services ah·functlon 4Ch Easy to : terminate with aI-return code read resetprn endp issue, it's best to build your own. seg_a ends Another problem reared its ugly format :-______-- stack.seg.b ---- stack.se9.b segment para use16 stack head when I started to use Hercules 6593:000000CO[H) db 191 dup (OHh) stack_se9_b ends graphics. The CRITTERS dIsplay has a end start short status line at the bottom, indicat ing the number of moves elapsed and (Source code output and inline cross reference can also be selected) the current number of living critters. The IBM-PC ROM BIOS can display BIOS SOURCE • CHANGE AND ADD FEATURES characters on a graphics screen (albeit • CLARIFY INTERFACES slowly>-but the Hercules card doesn't for PS/2, AT, XT, PC, and Clones use the IBM BIOS! The BIOS Pre-Processor'M with SOURCER provides the first means to obtain In order to write characters to the accurate legal source listings for any BIOS! Identifies entry pOints with full expla screen on a Hercules adapter, you have nations. Resolves PS/2's multiple jumps for improved clarity. Provides highly to put the characters there pixel-by descriptive labels such as "video_mode" and much more. Fully automatic. pixel. So I wrote a quick program to SOURCER Commenting disassembler $99.95 UNPACKER ,. Unpack packed EXE files and more $39.95 generate 8x8 bit-mapped character sets SOURCER with BIOS Pre·Processor 139.95 ASMtool'· Assembly source analyzer and flowcharter 89.95 and a set of functions to display them. Shipping & Handling: USA $3; Canada/Mexico $10; Other $15; CA Res. add sales tax; PS/2 trademark of IBM Corp. This turned out to be a good thing, NOT COPY PROTECTED 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE If within 30 days of purchase you find our product does not perform in accordance with our claims. since my bit-mapped chara~ters are dis call our customer service department and we will gladly arrange a refund. played many times faster than those put For orders and information, call: out by the BIOS. The C EXPLORA IZ:Z:SJ TIONS section below describes the char I VISA I 1-800-662-8266 ffi acter set generator and display func V COMMUNICATIONS, INC. tions. 303 t Tisch Way, Suite 802, Dept. MC4, San Jose, CA 95128 (408) 296-4224 The original version of CRITTERS 62 read screen pixels to determine if they MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 63 were food. This is slow and tedious, for a file name. If the file exists, the pro products this time around. Microsoft C taking about 10% of the program's time. gram lets you edit the character set. 6.0 should have been out by now, but So I created a bit array which indicates When you've finished, it saves the the development of a new "power pro the location of food. When food is changes. All very neat and simple, huh? grammer's" environment and Code plotted on the screen, a bit is set in the It's the editor which is tricky. When View 3.0 has delayed it. Lattice 6.0, array. When a critter moves, it checks a character is displayed for editing, it is which is supposed to get them back into the bit array rather than having to read shown in an 8x8 matrix on the left side the race, should also be out, but I the screen. of the screen. Each block in the matrix haven't seen that either. Such is life .... At this point, I began to add new represents one pixel. One block blinks; features to CRITTERS. The little guys this is the current cursor position. RESOURCES now mutate their color, maximum Pressing the keypad arrow keys moves energy level, reproduction cycle, and the cursor around in the matrix. One book you must have if you use life-span. Critters now move in eight Background cells are grey, fore PC-compatible video displays is called directions instead of four. ground cells are white. To toggle the Programmer's Guide to PC & PS/2 Video In addition, I have added a mutation state of a cell between foreground and Systems, by Richard Wilton (Microsoft, that can "sense" food. This is imple background, just press the space bar. 1987, ISBN 1-55615-103-9). This is the mented as a radial search, the distance Press S to select the character to be best nuts-and-bolts volume I've ever controlled by the critter's sense gene. It edited. CSG will then ask which of the seen on every standard video adapter turns out that senses are a very positive 256 characters you want to edit. You from Hercules to VGA. Wilton's book is mutation; within a few hundred moves, can enter the character directly (e.g., by written for assembly language program the critters that have gained senses wipe pressing the "g" key to edit the lower mers, which can be a problem for out the "senseless" ones. case g), or you can hold the Alt key and people unfamiliar with that art. More additions are on the way. Car enter the decimal value of the character If you're a C programmer (which I nivores and omnivores will be interest on the keypad. assume you are if you read this ing. How about disease and disaster? Once you've selected a character, the column), another good book is Graphics Different species of food? Different food matrix displays its current repre Programming in C, by Roger Stevens in different parts of the "world"? And, sentation for editing. Pressing X will (M&T Books, 1988, ISBN 1-558-51018-4). of course, what about bisexual repro exit the program and save the character This book contains virtually no as duction? (Editor's note: What about it? set; pressing Q will exit the program sembly, and the code in it works with This is a family magazine.) The possibili without saving. All in all, a very simple Borland's Turbo C and others. This ties are endless. process. book isn't as deep as Wilton's, but it Of course, I tightened code here and As cells are toggled, the CHAR_DEF covers the subject well. there and removed some redundant matrix changes bits for the current char loops. By the time I was through, CRIT acter. The routines for blinking, setting, NEXT TIME TERs had gone from 2,000 moves per and unsetting cells contain some inter hour to over 20,OOO! With the new esting video-display algorithms. There I've got more things to talk about graphics library, the program now com is no reason CSG could not handle than can possibly fit in the next few piles under the Microsoft, Borland, and different size characters. I made it (years of) issues-but I'm going to try. Zortech compilers. Using Zortech C in simple to handle some simple graphics The next issue will feature my quick integer-only tiny model produced a text problems. minimalist auto-sensing graphics li new CRITTERS program 40% smaller CS_Disp is the module which makes brary, ZIPGRAPH, a cornerstone of than the first. the character sets useful. The function most of the graphics work I do. It's cs_IoadO copies a character set from needed for the FRACLAND program, C EXPLORATIONS disk into memory; only one character which generates fractal landscapes. set can be loaded at a time. cs_putchO If possible, I also intend to do some Now let's look at the character set displays a single character, and cs_puts work with ray-tracing in 640x400 by 256 generator, called CSG. CSG, shown in outputs a complete line. A specific pixel color mode. Then there's the star-chart Figure I, is a Zortech C program which location on the screen displays charac generator and the c++ library and the lets you design complete 8x8 bit charac ters. These are fairly simple routines. planetary system generator and more ters, visually. Figure 2 shows CS_Disp, I've found that having my own char CRITTERS and some interesting new a module containing the functions to acter generation and display routines applications for fractal geometry and load and display characters on the has made graphics programming much the 32-bit fixed-point math library screen. easier and more· pleasant. My routines and .... Let's look at CSG first. The idea be run considerably faster than those pro An author's work is never done, hind CSG is simple. An array of eight vided by most vendors, and they use far especially if he's having fun. 8-bit bytes holds each character. The less. disk and memory space. Use them array CHAR_DEF defines the structure and abuse them; after all, that's why MMC AD Systems of a character. CHAR_SET is an array of they were published. As always, I Box 360845 256 CHAR_DEFs and represents a appreciate comments. Milpitas, CA 95035 complete character set. (408) 263-0781 mainO begins by checking to see if NEWS AND REVIEWS you've entered the name of a character set on the command-line. If not, it asks Sorry folks! There aren't many new • • • 64 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 By David Thompson Micro C Staff Do You Feel Invisible? CULTURE CORNER • Surviving On Caffeine & Sugar • Getting Technical Work Without Technical Training • Pocket Protectors • Advanced Pocket Protectors • Fiction Writing • Creating A Work History (prerequisite: Fiction Writing) • Moving Into Management • Dressing For Distress • Cashing Your Paycheck First • 100 Most Asked Party Questions • Advanced Mumbling Order any two classes and get the third class free. Complete four classes for a USED Bachelor's Degree. Complete six for a USED Master's, or all twelve for a USED Ph.D. (For a limited time, we offer special discounts to al OU know the problem. It's Friday the clones really compatible?" 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There's one Systems Engineering Development's bills or other untraceable funds only. Foreign now, let's see what we can discover. new program: VaporTraining. From the funds O.K. from countries with which the u.s. has Immediately you notice he's grip company that introduced VaporWare, no extradition treaty. We make no warrantee on ping a can of Jolt in one hand, a half VaporTraining is the most successful usability of USED information or on your ability eaten twinkie oozes slowly from the program for prospective engineers and to understand it. From time to time we may actu other. It's obvious that the color of his other party animals. Plus, unlike univer ally ship USED products; such an accident in no skin precisely matches the dingy whites sities, USED is no ordinary diploma way requires us to ship a product to any other of his eyes. Check out the ink-stained mill. purchasers. FINER PRINT: If you can read this, pocket protector safety-pinned to his T Nowhere else will you get the train you're ready for our new course, Squinting Without Eyestrain. shirt. Notice the thick, dirty glasses. ing you really need to be the complete We approach within earshot: "Are engineer. USED classes include: ••• MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 65 Generating zao Controller Code On An AT Clone By Laine Stump people were so glad just to have computers % Redhouse Press Laine finds that his fancy 18 MHz 80286 ma that they ignored the missing accents. This Merkez PK 142 chine doesn't generate 280 code. Herein he talks made computerized bank statements look quite 34432Sirkeci Istanbul, Turkey about some alternatives to buying a cross assembler. juvenile (half the words were misspelled). That, (And he talks about Turkey, and character sets, they were told, was the price they paid for and .... ) computerizing. Around the time I arrived here, things started to get better. A few companies figured remember it as vividly as last night's dinner. out how to change the character generator The long talks about why I was going off EPROMs on their video cards and write a TSR Ialone. The last few moments of being to- that changed the keyboard mapping. gether, trying to tie up all those loose ends that Suddenly everybody had to have Turkish. you never think about until it's time to go. The "Does it do Turkish?" became such a common final, tearful farewell as I headed off across the question that most companies began listing ocean and into the future, not knowing when "Turkish EPROM" as a feature of their equip or if we would see each other again. ment. Yes, I have missed my Big Board. In the four These days, the first unit of a new model years since I left it sitting dejectedly in the x printer or video card goes straight to the "R & ray tube box in my brother's garage, I can't E" (Reverse Engineering) department to figure count the number of times I wished I had this out where the character font is, how it's organ or that program. The stack of 80 or so 8" single ized, and how to install the Turkish characters. density CP 1M floppies is stashed in the closet in Woodinville, Washington. From time to time The Process I have even considered sending for myoid Lately I have been acting as the R & E de companion. ("I won't work for you unless you partment for several companies in Istanbul and buy a first class seat for my CP 1M machine.") Ankara. To aid me in this work, I have written But the desire to have a CP1M machine has (actually, "caused to evolve" is a better term) a faded with the passage of time. After all, I do program called BITED, a sort of visual version all my work on MS-DOS and XENIX these of DEBUG. days. And I definitely don't have a shortage of When I'm converting a machine, I usually programming tools anymore (C, C++, Modula, search around in the machine's EPROM with Pascal, MASM, CodeView, Zortech Debugger, BITED until I see something that looks like numerous database and display libraries, character bitmaps. Then I massage the display countless editors ... ). format a bit until it looks understandable. I re place the original characters with the Turkish Turking It Up characters and burn a new EPROM. After arriving in Turkey in 1985, I saw the Nowhere in the process do I ever need to first hints of a niche market that lately has been pay any attention to what processor is in the the source of most of my income. It has to do machine, or worry about any assembly lan with the six characters in the Turkish alphabet guage. I'm just modifying data. which don't appear in either the IBM PC For example, most of today's dot matrix Graphics character set or in any ISO or ANSI printers use an NEC integrated 8-bit MPU chip character set. These characters are simply nor called the uPD78C10. I have Turkified probably mal characters with the addition of an accent ten different printers which use this chip. Al (like 0 or C;). though I have a data book for the uPD78C10, When computers first arrived in Turkey, I've never needed to look at it. 66 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ---.--~------Character Set Standards could type Turkish. I searched through the problems of transferring data be All the equipment that I Turkify a dump of the program EPROM until I tween two incompatible machines. plugs into IBM compatible micros. Al saw the familiar "QWERTY" (strangely, A few fax messages later, I had a Z80 most all equipment that plugs into IBM only in upper case). I changed a few coprocessor card and U niDOS winging compatible micros supports the IBM PC bytes. my way. Ten days later I got the note Graphics character set (which includes After burning a new EPROM, I could declaring that it was in customs. I international (accented) characters at the type Turkish, but it always came out in should come down to the docks and codes between 80h and A7h). upper case. Another search through the find out which body parts they wanted It happens that the Turkish standard EPROM revealed no lower case table for to secure its release. for this character set puts the special the keyboard. That must mean that (Don't ask me why the airmail cus Turkish characters in place of already there is a tolowerO subroutine some toms office is on the waterfront. Prob existing characters not used in Turkish. where that is called when shift or caps ably for the same reason it took them There is already a bitmap correspond lock isn't down. Back to the Z80 refer seven days to notify me that I -had an ing to the Turkish character code. When ence and the notebook scratched full of Overnight Express Mail package wait the printer receives that code, it knows ones and zeros .... ing for me.) it should display the bitmap. After some time, I had managed to I hiked down the hill from my perch deduce my way into the tolowerO sub in Cihangir, overlooking the Bosphorus, A Bird Of A Different Feather routine. Assuming that tolowerO would and walked the short way to the Cus I recently had to deal with some be entered with the character in the A toms Post Office. thing slightly different. I was adding register, and a compare would be done Luckily, while waiting in line for the Turkish to the display and keyboard of with the upper and lower limits of the third time to get a piece of paper the Olivetti WS-685 terminal (a private capital letters, I hand assembled those stamped, I ran into a familiar customs label of an Ampex product), which is a few instructions and searched for them official. He'd been around a few weeks clone of a DEC VT-220 terminal. with SYMDEB. before when I came down to pick up a The VT-220 (and, hence, the WS-685) Amazingly, I found them. (Lucky for suspicious looking package from PC uses an ANSI character set instead of me, since the program EPROM is Tech. He remembered me (actually, he the IBM PC Graphics set. This character 32Kbytes and it's full! I think I'd rather remembered I had promised to look for set contains more international charac eat moss than try disassembling 32K of an American wife for him) and men ters than the IBM set, but they are in a Z80 code by hand .... ) I modified tioned to the agent clearing my package different range (AOh - FEh). The codes tolowerO for the special cases of the that I wasn't such a bad kid. from 80h to 9Fh are used as control Turkish characters. The new EPROM "Look here!," said the agent, point commands (similar to the familiar worked, and I was done (for the mo ing at the line on my paper that said ASCII codes between OOh and 1Fh). ment). "Duty to be Paid." "You should be pay There were plenty of empty spaces ing duty on this, but I'm not charging in this ANSI set to add Turkish charac Never Again you because you can speak Turkish." ters without displacing existing charac This whole experience started me (So few foreigners take the time to learn ters. But after I added them to the bit thinking again about my Big Board. Just Turkish that anyone who can utter any map, the terminal refused to display think if it had been here, sitting next to thing resembling a complete sentence them. That meant I needed to dig into my X24. I could have easily finished the impresses them.) I thanked him, the control program in the terminal's job in one-fourth the time (it took me grabbed my new toy, and left. EPROM. two days). What about next time? Luckily, the WS-685 is based on the Surely there will be another terminal Micro Solutions Z80 Coprocessor Z80 processor. ("AHA!" you say. "Now based on the Z80 that needs to be The Micro Solutions Z80 Coprocessor I know why you babbled on about your Turkified. card is a half-length card that can plug Big Board!") Unluckily, I have abso I thought again how my Big Board into any empty slot on a PC or AT com lutely no Z80 development tools that uses 8" diskettes. I remembered that, patible. The card contains a Z80H (8 run under DOS. A quick search through with drives, it weighs something MHz), 64K of RAM (8 x 4164), and a my list of acquaintances came up with slightly less than a 1963 VW Beetle. I re few TTL glue chips. Other than one zero who had a Z80-based CP 1M ma alized that, no matter how much loving address jumper used to set the location chine. care we put into its construction, it al of the Z80 <-> 8086 communications After searching through four or five most surely wouldn't survive the bash port, there is nothing about the card dusty boxes full of books, I found my ings it would receive on a flight from that needs mentioning. It's small and well-thumbed Mostek Z80 Reference Seattle to Istanbul. cute; you plug it in and forget about it. Manual (from the days of EE 325) and Included with the Coprocessor card began to disassemble by hand. This dis A Solution are two pieces of software: UniDOS and assembling led me to a table with one Then I thought of something else. UniForm. UniDOS is a TSR program byte for each character code, telling What about that little Micro Solutions that enables you to run any CP IM-80 what action to take with the code. I Z80 Coprocessor card that Emerald Mi program on a PC with the Z80 Co changed the table and, viola, it worked. croware is selling? That doesn't even processor installed. UniForm is a combi weigh as much as the left front fender nation device driver and TSR that al Capitalizing of a '63 Beetle. Besides, it's faster than lows reading, writing, and formatting of Now that I could display Turkish, it my Big Board (probably faster than a dozens of different CP 1M format dis was time to modify the keyboard so I '63 Beetle, too). And it will eliminate all kettes in your PC's drives. MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 67 UniDOS CP/M Compatibility allow me to copy to and from CP 1M UniDOS is the software interface UniDOS seemed near perfect in its diskettes with special, internal com which manages communication and emulation of CP1M. I didn't encounter mands. I was favorably surprised when coordination between the Z80 and the problems with any of the CP1M pro I discovered that the "Uniform Disk" 8086. After installation, UniDOS runs grams I ran (including ZSID, DDT, works with just about any DOS com CP 1M programs while making itself al ZZSOURCE, Turbo Pascal 2.0, M80, mand. Not only can I use COPY, DIR, most completely invisible to the user. It LBO, VEDIT, EXPRESS), although I and ERASE, but I can also use XTREE, accomplishes this by trapping all DOS avoided some programs on purpose. Brief, Zortech C++, Turbo Pascal, or any calls to execute a program and checking UniDOS has one problem w~th pro other program. if the program you're requesting is a grams that do direct I/O (e.g., People using the same word pro Z80 CP1M program. If so, it loads the MODEM730). There are provisions for cessing program on incompatible sys program into the Coprocessor memory sending hardware I/O requests to the tems and sharing files can just edit the and starts up the Z80. 8086, though. These programs could be file right there on the floppy diskette; While the CP IM-80 program is run patched to make these requests no need to transfer it first. Again, Micro_ ning, UniDOS also handles all I/O re (MODEM730 must be patched for each Solutions has integrated their software quests, translating display, keyboard, different type of machine anyway). into DOS almost seamlessly. disk, and printer commands from Both CP1M and DOS programs can CP1M to DOS. It handles both BOOS access both CP1M and DOS diskettes. I The Seams and BIOS requests properly, even trans even ran DU77 (a CP 1M disk sector edi A few seams appear in other areas, lating some of the important fields in tor) to look at MSDOS disks (floppy and though. My first complaint is that Uni FCBs (file control blocks) for those pro hard) and it worked perfectly. UniDOS Form doesn't support CP1M user areas. grams that make use of the information. even cooked up some disk parameters All files come up as user o. This doesn't UniDOS decides a program is for DU to display (number of tracks, seem to be much of a problem (all the CP IM-80 if one of the following is true: sectors, allocation groups, etc.). files are still there) until you have two the file has a .COM extension and is on files in different user areas with the a CP1M format disk (accessed by Uni Integration of CP/M and MS-DOS same name. Although I haven't tried Form); the file has a .COM extension I also became curious about how this, the UniForm manual states that and is in one of the directories specified well UniDOS integrates the running of "unpredictable results may occur." by the "CPMDIR" command; or the file CP/M programs in with MS-DOS. To My second complaint is that they did has an extension of .CPM. test this, I tried running CP 1M pro not include the formats for Slicer disk grams from within other programs (Le., ettes. That would be okay, except there somewhere else than the DOS prompt). is no documentation on adding your First I went into XTREE and told it to own formats to the UniForm data file. 68000 execute a CP 1M program. It worked I remember getting a letter from a SK*DOS - A 68000/68020 DOS containing perfectly (although only if it was a Micro C reader a while back telling me CP1M .COM file in a directory marked how to do this, but it has become im everything you expect in a DOS - on-line help. by the CPMDIR command). Then I possibly lost in my famous cardboard multiple directories, floppy and hard disk sup went into EXPRESS and gave a com box file system. Until I find it, I just port, RAM disk and/or disk cache, I/O mand to execute an external CP1M have to live without all those programs command. This also worked. I carefully packed onto 788K Slicer disk redirection, and more. Supplied with editor, About the only thing you must avoid ettes. (I deported the Slicer two years assembler, Basic, powerful utilities. Supported is losing track of which .COM files are ago for lack of proper documentation.) by Users' Group and BBS. Software available MS-DOS and which are CP/M. Don't Something slightly related to this: it mix them together. Either keep all the would be wonderful if UniForm would from other vendors includes C compiler, CP 1M programs in their own directory attempt to narrow down the drive type Basic, editors, disassemblers, cross-assem and mark it with CPMDIR, or rename selections for me. It could look at the blers, text fonnatter, communications all CP1M .COM files to .CPM the sec diskette and throw out all formats that ond you copy them onto your hard didn't match the diskette's physical for programs, etc. Priced at $165 with configura drive. mat (e.g., only display disk types that tion kit, less if already configured for your are 1024 bytes per sector, double sided). system. UniForm I have some unlabeled disks, and it HARDWARE - 68xxx systems UniForm is a program that creates a takes a long time to discover what for new virtual disk drive. This makes a mat they are by trial and error. CP 1M diskette inserted in your floppy drive appear to DOS programs as a DOS 4.0 Incompatibility DOS diskette. Uniform version 2.13 My last complaint about UniForm is (data version 1.12) contains 204 different that it doesn't work with DOS 4.0. The diskette formats from ABC to Zorba, in resident part of UniForm is in a device cluding Kaypro (and Pro-8) and Mor driver. When I try to boot DOS 4.0 with Mt. Kisco NY 10549 row. Most are CP 1M formats, although UniForm, the system locks as soon as it (914) 241-0287/ Fax (914) 241-8607 there are a few strange MS-DOS for loads UNIFORM.5YS. mats, such as 96 tpi DEC Rainbow. I have two versions of UniDOS, the Reader Service Number 40 I expected UniForm would only Coprocessor version and the Interpreter 68 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ------version (discussed below). The Co would have been worthless to me if I processor version (1.25) locks up under hadn't been able to read the programs DOS 4.0, while the Interpreter version from the pile of Kaypro disks I've Rack &Desk (1.11) runs just fine. hoarded these last four years. Fortunately I repartitioned my hard drive recently to make the DOS parti Related Products PC/AT Chassis tion less than 32 Mbytes (making space Micro Solutions sells several other in Integrand's new Chassis/System is not for XENIX). Because of this, I can still terface cards for use with UniForm. another IBM mechanical and electrical clone. An entirely fresh packaging design read the drive with DOS 3.3 (which is These cards allow you to read and write approach has been taken using modular compatible with UniForm). If you use diskettes for Apple II, MacIntosh, North construction. At present, over 40 optional DOS 4.0 for the large drive partitions, Star hard sector, and most 8" single and stock modules allow you to customize our though, you'll have to use UniForm and double sided formats. standard chassis to nearly any requirement. UniDOS with a floppy-only system. Integrand offers high quality, advanced These problems are just slight annoy Why? design hardware along with applications You may now be wondering why and technical support all at prices competi ances. Mostly I am quite impressed tive with imports. Why settle for less? with UniForm and UniDOS. "Laine the DOS Jock" has spent so much time talking about a "mere Z80." Interpreter Version Of UniDOS What good is it to you? Why should The version of UniDOS I have been you waste your money on it? talking about is specially tailored to If you only work with DOS, and work with the Z80 Coprocessor card. never do any work with embedded con There is another version, though, that trollers or anything else that might con uses software to interpret the Z80 ma tain a Z80, UniDOS is slightly less than chine code. I tried this version and was worthless. You may as well spend the mildly surprised. money on flea collars for your armadil Memory dumps with DDT scrolled los. past the screen at nearly the same speed If you're doing development work as SYMDEB. VEDIT and EXPRESS even on anything that has a Z80, you can edited text at a reasonable speed (except save yourself a considerable sum of wordwrap). Very acceptable. ZZ money by buying the Z80 Coprocessor. SOURCE did start to bog down a bit Consider that a Z80 cross assembler when its symbol table got large, but it running under DOS can easily cost was still workable. $500. Alternatively, you can pay $169 Of course, I'm running a 12 MHz, 0 for the Z80 card and UniDOS and buy wait state 286. On an 8 MHz 8088, it the Z80 Macro Assembler from Micro C might be a dog. However, the interpre (disk K25) for $6 (plus $2 S/H to for Accepts PC, XT, AT Motherboards ter version has a mode that runs 8080 (a eign countries). I've even seen copies of and Passive Backplanes subset of Z80) programs on a V20 chip. CP 1M, complete with all utilities, for Doesn't Look Like IBM Although not all programs contain only $25. Rugged, Modular Construction Excellent Air Flow & Cooling 8080 instructions, the ones that do will Of course, if you're running some Optional Card Cage Fan run just as fast on the V20 as on the Co thing like a publishing house (or a ma Designed to meet FCC processor board. gazine) where you get in writers' work 204 Watt Supply, UL Recognized You may think now that you should on anything from papyrus to 112" mag 145W & 85Walso available forget about the Coprocessor card and tape, UniForm could do wonders for Reasonably Priced get the interpreter version of UniDOS. I your sanity. suggest thinking a bit more. The Co All you newcomers to the Micro C processor board is $169 and includes clan could use the Z80 Coprocessor to UniDOS and UniForm. The price of the see for yourselves what it was like in Interpreter UniDOS with UniForm is the old days. $135 (including a V20 chip). Unless you need that slot for something else, I think Conclusion it's worthwhile to spend $34 more and I have several other "Turkifization" ....._. ii=W=~6r~-=-" -- ...... _ ii;;=:;' . -.~. -_ get the Coprocessor board. projects waiting. I'm sure that at least .. --...... - :: ':! = ~~~ ~ ~~ Note, however, that the UniDOS in one of the machines in question will cluded with the Coprocessor board does have a Z80 processor. When it's time to not support the interpreter or the V20 work on that machine, I'll be ready. Call or write for descriptive brochure and prices: mode. 8620 Roosevelt Ave. • Visalia, CA 93291 Emerald Microware 209/651-1203 Another Suggestion P.O. Box 1726 TELEX 5106012830 (INTEGRAND UD) FAX 209/651-1353 Don't even think of getting U niDOS Beaverton, OR 97075 We accept Bank AmericardlVlSA and MasterCard without UniForm, although the op (503) 641-8088 IBM, PC, XT, AT trademarks of International Business Machines. posite would be useful if you just Drives and computer boards not included. needed to exchange data files. UniDOS • • • Reader Service Number 22 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 69 The Mercenaries: Silicon Valley Contractors least, is the Peninsula, home of The City, north By Todd Hoff Want to turn your C experience into $25 to ern California's favorite son, San Francisco. 1075 W. Remington Dr. The whole area is one frenetic job producing Sunnyvale, CA 94087 $125 per hour? Want to work 80+ hours a week? (408) 730-8410 Just print up some business cards and catch the machine. Producing, as in war, perfect condi next flight to Silicon Valley. Of course, there are a tions for the software mercenary. Contracting few things that money won't buy, but you'll find in the Valley is perhaps unlike contracting in out about those after you arrive. any other place in the world. There's a tangible energy in the Valley, flow ing from the people and companies continu 've become something my mama warned me ously pummelling and pushing at technology's against-a Silicon Valley contractor, a soft frontiers. There's a fever here, causing normal Iware mercenary. Constantly chased by head- people to work 80 hour weeks for months on hunters, scurrying from company to company, I end. Always omnipresent, like a golden carrot, lead a dangerous but interesting life in the Val lies the hope that your stock options will be ley. come more valuable than your toilet paper (al Silicon Valley, everyone's heard of it. Many though never as comfortable). dream of coming here. What will you find when you arrive? What's it like to be a contrac Power Brokers tor in the fabled Valley? Read on. Next, the veteran mercenary must know the Four years ago I packed my bags, leaving major players. Everybody's here. All the biggest my beautiful but job-starved emerald isle of companies and all the wanna-be-biggest com Eugene, Oregon, for the techy promised land panies have active development staffs in the Silicon Valley. At the time, all I knew about Sil Valley. icon Valley lay printed in the San Jose Mercury Opportunities are nearly endless-during News help wanted section; literally page after good times, of course. The mercenary can take page of engineering jobs stared back at me, advantage of strained super power relations beckoning me with opportunity, challenging (DEC, IBM, Amdahl), or border skirmishes me to come. So I did. (SUN, MIPS, Apple), or foreign powers (NEC, Here I, along with the thousands of other Sony), or countless other third world countries immigrants from Russia, India, Vietnam, (start ups). Taiwan, Sweden, Germany, Ohio, and Texas, Rarely, however, do you contact a client found both opportunity and challenge in this directly (as you would if you were an inde former land of oak trees, apricot orchards, and pendent contractor). Normally, introductions old tractors. are made through an intermediary (job shop). Job shops are like floating countries, hiring the Getting To Know The Territory mercenary for an hourly fee, finding a needy As a mercenary, the first thing you want to company, and then reselling your services at a know is the lay of the land. Every place in this higher rate. Sometimes a considerably higher area is specified in relation to the San Francisco rate. Bay. Silicon Valley, although existing on no Independent contracting is good if you can map, is the little kingdom on the western shore get it. You get to keep the full fee and your of the Bay, usually referred to as the South Bay. hours are very flexible. But (and there are lots East Bay lies to the east. This area is expand of buts to independent contracting), the market ing exponentially and includes Bezerkly (Berke ing, the problems of running a small business, ley of BSD fame), Oakland, and Concord. The and the responsibilities to clients often push North Bay includes the politically correct cities folks into job shops. of Marin and Sausalito. Last, but certainly not "Tom Jones," a local independent contractor 70 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 As a mercenary, the first thing you want to know is the lay of the land ... The whole area is one frenetic job producing machine. who wishes to remain anonymous, got perience, "but I go primarily through Also in demand are testing and techni in via a career switch. "I started 15 job shops. My long term goal is to be cal support positions. It's difficult to years ago," Tom says, "with no con come an independent contractor. The find permanent people who'll take these tacts, no nothing. Like most inde longest I've been without a contract is dirty jobs so companies often hand pendents, I got all my jobs through re seven days, and another guy I know them out to mercenaries. ferrals. It was tough at first, but over was without a contract for a total of the years I've built a steady and loyal three days in three years." The Timid Need Not Apply clientele." No matter what the job, a mercenary Now Tom is in the envious position Tour Of Duty position is not for the timid. Many of being picky. "1 look for a synergy "UNIX porting is popular," says people need the patronage of a large when accepting clients," says Tom. Anna Osborne, a local contractor. "If company. Why would anybody leave "I've upped my value by specializing in you just mention porting you got it the comfort and security of a large com one area. I look for clients who fit into made. Of course, everybody wants X pany for the fetid jungles and night my specialty so I can make my jobs Windows. Databases, networking, marches of contracting? The answers work together. One drawback is that graphics, and surprisingly, firmware. I may surprise you. I'm on call 24 hours a day. If there's a was originally a compiler person, but Mark found contracting attractive for problem, I have to fix it and fast be there weren't very many compiler jobs." having " ... more freedom, less responsi cause many of my programs perform UNIX and C are hot. Almost any ex bility, and more pay. The less responsi vital functions." perience with either will get your foot bility aspect is something I think most For those potential mercenaries who in the door. I knew someone, don't people don't consider. You have a pro don't want to build clientele, but still quote me, who just read a UNIX ject. You don't have to worry about the want to play, job shops offer attractive manual, had programmed in C on MS long term implications of anything. rates, some benefits, and extreme ease DOS, and got a UNIX job. Perhaps not Working for a couple of start ups, I car of use. Job shops do all your marketing. completely ethical, but he was sure he ried a lot of responsibility. I got tired of They contact all the clients. They set up could handle it-and he did. A merce worrying about it." the interviews. They negotiate rates. All nary must be honest enough about his Anna left the fold of a large com you have to do is interview ... and work. or her abilities to make these judgments. pany because "after working at a com "I have a few customers I've built re Not surprisingly, this area offers pany for a while, technology passes you lationships with," says Mark Lewis, a many contracts for the Macintosh if by. I was so caught up in the local contractor with over ten years ex- you're comfortable with MPW or C. bureaucracy, I wasn't free to do any- MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 71 thing. As an employee it doesn't look my butt off, day and night. I forego remember: Silicon Valley workers de good if you jump from company to even the semblance of a family life. For serve both hazardous duty pay and company. But as a contractor, you can what? For some stock options and pro housing allowances. The Bay Area is jump around and stay up to date on the mise of payment when the product sells beautiful, but all is not well in Oz. latest stuff." "to this long list of customers just beg Dennis Hayes quotes some startling For many, contracting is predestined. ging for it." statistics in his book, Behind the Silicon The Valley's environment almost en Another deal used by start ups is to Curtain. It's estimated 60% of high-tech courages you to become a contractor. pay up front for three months' work. workers are seeing psychiatrists. This Very few people I know ever stay at a The contractor then works six months area has more divorces than marriages. job more than two or three years. Job assuming there's payment and bonus In 1987, over $500 was spent on drugs turnover in the Valley averages 50% ready when the product is done. If the per man, woman, and child in San Jose, every two years. Explaining the process startup happens to go under, as many although both Anna and Mark say they Mark says, "I moved every two years, do, you're out of luck. Although con don't see much drug use. Anna jokes, anyway. It was never my intention. tractors are one of the first in line to be "Do caffeine, sugar, and cigarettes That's just how it worked out. After paid from bankruptcy proceedings, count as drugs?" having six or seven jobs in ten years, I chances are you'll never see a cent. Also, Silicon Valley has more Super decided to make it permanent." fund sites than any other area in the na Cleanup tion. And the hills become a little harder War Is Hell Latrine duty is very common. In to see every year. Risk is inherent in the mercenary's dustry often brings in contractors to fix Housing is atrocious. Only 9% of the work. The mercenary must always be poorly designed, badly implemented people in California can afford a house. weary of surprise attacks. Tom has projects. Somehow it never occurs to A house in Palo Alto, 1300 square feet many gruesome stories. "One guy I management that they should pay for on Vs of an acre, sold recently for more know has worked for three companies the expensive people up front, not when than $600,000. More reasonable areas that closed down with no notice. At one it's almost too late. offer cheaper houses but tack on an place, he showed up for work Monday The "almost" means that contractors hour to your commute. By the year morning to find the doors locked." are often seen as cannon fodder. Be 2000, the state's average house is sup Company loyalty-at least in the cause a person is only a contractor, posed to reach a cost of $470,000. The Valley-is dead. Mercenaries merely asking them to work 7 days and 90 average commute, now 45 minutes, is recognize the reality. "Many people I hours a week is okay. Oh well, mer projected to be 2 hours by 2010. Lovely. know," says Anna, "say that once cenaries work for money, not glory. People also forget the cost of little they've learned all they can learn at Always remember: as a contractor things they take for granted at a com their company, they'll leave. Nobody you are just meat satisfying a temporary pany. Health insurance is expensive. cares because the companies don't hunger. Eventually you will leave, ex Retirement plans are nonexistent. And care." pectedly or unexpectedly, but you will all those· paid holidays for employees Lack of loyalty stems from the cycles leave. are unpaid for mercenaries. of innovation and obsolescence. On the As a mercenary you have no ties, no I hear you saying that as a merce upward portion of the cycle, people are loyalty. None is asked, none is offered. nary you get all the benefits of being a worth more than gold, vital assets to be For money, you give someone the right small business. Not so. New rules have treated royally. On the down side, any day, any time, to say good-bye. made it much more difficult for contrac people are dust, liabilities that must be tors to qualify as businesses. The mer exorcised from the ledgers. I've heard Wages Of Sin cenaries' mercenary-the IRS-now that many companies turn to contrac Software mercenaries, however, eat takes a dim view of W-2 contractors tors for public relation reasons: firing well. As a beginning contractor, say saying they are a business. And because contractors doesn't make headlines. with 2-3 years solid technical ex of IRS pressure, most job shops won't Another problem for the mercenary perience, you could start at $35 per 1099 you anymore. You are, in effect, an is getting paid, sometimes a battle. hour. With a couple of years of con employee of the job shop. In reality, of "One of the beauties of working for a tracting experience, you've proven course, this is total BS. job shop," Tom says, "is that you al yourself so you can command $40-$50 ways get paid. I've never worked for per hour. Why Do They Keep On Keeping On? free, but it's been close. One tactic com A medium level specialist, say in X When the dust has settled, the battle panies use for getting out of paying is Windows, device drivers, kernel work, ended, wounds bandaged, the merce complaining about your work. No mat or networking, can ask $50-$70 per nary moves on. Mark, Anna, and Tom ter how detailed a spec you have, there hour. For high level specialists, with lots all say that they like contracting and are always misunderstandings. Some of pertinent experience, the sky's the won't stop. To them the advantages times a client won't pay because 'I limit. I know several people who get outweigh the perils. Most people didn't do what they wanted.' This usu $100-$125 per hour and one who gets wouldn't agree. But as Anna says, ally means the company doesn't need $250. Granted, contracts at this level "Contractors are obsessed with inde the software anymore so they don't may be shorter term-but who cares! pendence. Disillusioned with large busi want to pay me for it." ness, they want to do it all themselves." Several times people have asked me The Field Is Bloody to work for free. Here's the deal: I work Lest you think these rates too high, • • • 72 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 Continuing AROUND THE BEND Coming Up Gunnison SOG The whole idea of picking topics for issues happens to be a If the Port Alberni SaG featured food and scenery, the bit controversial around here. Gunnison SaG featured high mountain thunderstorms and "Don't set topics, let readers be surprised." energy. Human energy. Check out Karl's write up of this fine "Writers will see the topics and assume we're not interested SaG and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Thanks for in anything else." a great SaG, Scott and Maria. "It locks us in for a whole year." It's also nice, however, to have something to work on. Some On Your Own direction. So here goes. . I led a group discussion at the BC SOG about my favorite • January-Embedded Systems subject, being on your own. We shared tales of failures: un • March-Object Oriented Programming popular T-shirts, unmarketed hardware, and a dishonest dis • May-Micro Controllers tributor. And successes: the $25 network (again), a hospital • July-Operating Systems package, and a kit robot. When I suggested the possibility of turning a product over • September-Data Collection to marketing folks, there were hisses from the audience. (I • November-Graphics might have mentioned used cars in the same breath.) You'll notice that the major topics alternate between hard However, after the dinner, David Stern took my arm and ware and software. I'd also considered running contrasting suggested that I (we) might be a bit mistaken. subjects, such as running Exposed Systems following the issue "Technical types design the product and then they look for on Embedded Systems. Running Micro Supporters after the a market. Marketing types find the market first. Then they see issue on Micro Controllers. Running Nonoperating Systems if someone can build the product." (should be a great issue) after Operating Systems. And running He's right. Data Dispersal after Data Collection. (By this time you should We can all point to situations where the design came first have a pretty graphic idea how we pick the special subjects.) and the market followed: CP 1M, Apple, Byte, VisiCalc, C, Osborne. (Osborne? That was the company which created the Port Albemi SOG market for Kaypros.) You can take the SaG out of the country, but you can't take However, the computer marketplace has become a lot more the country out of SaG. Port Alberni, Canada, was definitely mature and a lot bigger. Owning a small niche can be as lucra country and the event was definitely SOG. tive as owning the whole shootin' match six years ago. You A solid (even solider after the salmon barbeque) 50 SOGgy just need a lot sharper aim to hit the niche. That's where the families showed up at the local college and made it an event that reminded me of the very early SOGs. Good companion ship, good food, good weather, good camping (and Bed & Breakfasting), and great scenery. The local community went out of its way to make us feel welcome, and our hosts (David Stern and Randy Young) had a great time despite their initial nervousness. (Neither had even attended a SOG before.) The only down sides of the whole event were customs and gasoline prices. Don Jindra and wife (and sons) drove all the way from Denton, Texas, to show off their $25 network pack age. (It really works.) Canadian customs wanted $1,200 duty for his three demo computers. No $1,200, no entry. After turning around and heading back toward Texas (I understand he first exchanged a few words with the customs officer-something about back ward countries remaining backward because of petty officials), Interested Folks at Robotics Demonstration, Port Alberni he decided to try another entry point. Under the eagle eye of a new customs agent, they dug out the computers and again explained why they were taking marketing type, a real marketing type, can make himself in them into Canada. This time the officer wished them luck and valuable. let them through. Now, finding a real, knowledgeable marketing person and This was just one of their trials. Their first Hertz van broke making sense of the information he generates ... well, that's down two hours from home. Then their keys got locked in the another story. second van. Fortunately it happened during the barbeque and we had a You And Micro C? handy hardware engineer and a handy hardware debugge~ Speaking of marketing, it's definitely time to expand Micro (often mistaken for a coat hangar). Made me wonder how C. We should be exposing ourselves to more people, con many software folks it would have taken to unlock the van tacting more potential advertisers, even possibly gqing assuming of course they couldn't just disassemble it. monthly. (Did I really say that?) MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 73 · So, we're looking for a partner. A go-for-it person or group tions, and, well, other wonderful surprises. As for the floor who wants to invest time, money, ideas, and energy in making sweepings, I'd hate to guess how many hours I spent sorting Micro C the significant player it can be. We're ready to take a resistors and capacitors. At $7.50 per box, I was hooked. look at focus, market, everything. (The only things that have Like the Tektronix outlet, some surplus stores are con to stay are the light style, the informality, the readability, and nected with corporations. Though many are for employees the editorial. Not necessarily in that order.) only, the rest are quite happy to sell to the public. If you feel you and Micro C might be a good fit and you're Then there are the independent outlets. They often pur willing to take a very significant (and demanding) role in a chase overstock by the pound (often for the value of the silver, more and more significant magazine, then let's talk (503-382- gold, or tin). Then these shops try to sell as much as they can 5060). (Bend is a wonderful place to raise a family.) to hobbyists and start-ups before stripping the rest of their precious metals. Many of these stores haven't the slightest idea A Surplus Idea what it is they are selling. If it's big or impressive, they ask One of the best suggestions to come out of this year's re more. After something has blocked an aisle for six months, gional SaGs so far: "Have readers send in information about they ask less. their sources for surplus parts. Then print the list in Micro c." Shopping in person is by far the most interesting (and the Wow! What an idea. Part of my startup time on a new pro safest). Many stores have a plethora of high-tech orphans. ject gets spent locating sources of parts. As difficult as it is Since orphans almost never show up in catalogs, they're only finding normal retail sources, it's nearly impossible to find available to browsers. They're also often just what you need surplus dealers who have what I need. But, surplus prices can (though you wouldn't have realized it if you hadn't seen make the search worthwhile. them). I remember purchasing 25 lb. grab boxes at the Tektronix Anyway, if you're a junk aficionado, or just have regular surplus store. They wouldn't let me open them on the prem dungeons where you stir up dust with the buddies on Satur ises, so I didn't have the slightest idea what was inside (usu days, send us the scoop on them. (Just include those that deal ally just a tangle of small parts swept off the floor at a board with the public.) Include: assembly area). 1) Name, address, phone number; On occasion I found brand new power cords, reed relays, 2) Person to talk to; transformers, ICs in their original tubes, used soldering sta- 3) Days/hours they're open; 4) Whether they sell by mail/phone, to walk-in customers, or both; 5) Whether they have a catalog. What does it cost? 6) Their specialty (if they have one); 7) Whether they also sell non-surplus parts. (Give a general description); 8) Whether they have a return policy. What is it? 9) Prices (high/low /variable/wildly variable/ chaotic). You might mention two or three examples of products and prices; 10) Include a paragraph or two about how they are to deal with, how knowledgeable they are about their stock, amount of stock. Is it mostly junk or prime, have you had trouble with them ... ? Mandelbrot Explorer 3.0 11) Include any additional information you think is ger mane to Micro C readers. If there's a shop you've just heard about but haven't tried, Fantastic fractal grapnzcs on 16-color EGAjVGA to 800x600. send the information you have and we'll try to get in contact Magnifies up to 16.5 trillion times. Stop and start at wil~ save and with them. retrieve, collage, full control over color boundaries, "zoom box, " display ofperiodic orbits, auto-backup, all optimizations for speed Now, there's a reward for you in this. You receive a free including pi,'tel interpolation and 386 integer support. Comes with Micro C issue disk (or Micro C back issue) for each firm you seven ready-made pictures for immediate gratification. report on. (The disks and issues might not be surplus, but their price is right.) $30 Pascal Book I don't use many books when I'm programming-for a Peter Garrison long while just Borland's Turbo Pascal reference manual. 1613 Altivo Way However, not too long ago I found myself struggling with a Los Angeles, CA 90026 sticky little graphics problem. It was so bad that I dug through 2136651397 all my Pascal books. Nothing, until I found Complete Turbo Pas When ordering please specify EGA/VGA and disk format cal, Third edition. Overseas orders please add $4 How Jeff Duntemann has time to put this much effort into a book while being editor of... (well, it was Turbo Technix) Reader Service Number 112 74 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 escapes me. But he's done it. He's thrown in lots of sample acy in its July 25 issue: routines, including, fortunately, copious comments on Bor "Engineers on their way back to their cubicles at AT&T or land's Graphics Interface. (He also does mouse drivers, inline Xerox Corporation can stop at another valley landmark, the and outline assembly language, low level system hooks, and Computer Literacy Bookstore, where the magazine section in lots more.) cludes copies of Micro Cornucopia and HyperAge." It's a readable book and it has a good index. Plus, Dun Computer Literacy will sell you just about everything temann isn't afraid to talk straight. I get a strong feeling that you'll need for those all-nighters, except the Jolt. So if it's tech Borland doesn't print anything in its manuals that might nical, has pages, and has covers (not blankets), they probably sound like a bug. So I turn to Duntemann at least as often as I have it. They say they ship within one day (national and inter tum to Borland. national), they track down obscure books for no extra charge, and they'll be glad to put you on the mailing list for their free Complete Turbo Pascal newsletter. Third Edition (Covers 5.0) I usually see Dan Doernberg, founder of Computer Liter 822 pages $24.95 acy, when I attend the' West Coast Computer Faire, and I've By Jeff Duntemann always enjoyed talking to him. He's a great source if you're Scott Foresman and Company looking for the latest book on hi-tech arcane and obscure. ISBN 0-673-38355-5 Computer Literacy Bookshop Speaking Of Books 520 Lawrence Expressway One of the most famous and discerning places to get tech Sunnyvale, CA 94086 nical books, walk-in or mail order, is Computer Literacy. (408) 730-9955 They're famous because they're famous. They're discerning because they've carried Micro C since around 2 BC (2 years Ventura 2.0 Before the fancy Covers). Most of you have watched us fumble our way into desktop The New York Times, another significant publication (though publishing. Despite the tribulation (which always occurs at they still don't have fancy covers) mentioned Computer Liter- deadline), I've found that desktop is as much an improvement cYFh ~C,R\der The C Programmer's Companion Now Available for OS/2 II! YOU WANT THE SOURCE1! WELL HOW YOU CAN BAVE IT! The IIASTBR.FOL DTS'SSEllBLER. (1ID86) vill create HASH coapatible CCSYM - C Symbol Compiler source code fro. program files (EXE or COK). • Analyzes ANSI C source code. MicrosofVTurbo extensions supported. And the files are labeled and co•• ented so • Automatically generates separate commented function prototype files for they become USEABLE. KD86 is an interactive disassembler with an easy to use,. vord all global and local (static) functions. processor like interface (this is crucial for • Log File lists all your symbol definitions with detailed usage statistics. the REAL progra.s you vant to disassemble). • Generates a "symbol database" which CCRIDER uses to quickly retrieve With its built-in belp screens you ANY symbol definition in your application, no matter how large it is. won't have to constantly refer to • Incremental compilation supports efficient database updates. the .anual either (although t there are valuable diSCUS-~ CCRIDER - POP-Up Symbol Lookup sions on the ins and outs of disassembling vhich • Pop-up utility which converts your own editor into a powerful hypertext you won't vant to miss). 1 f::; programming environment. -n. c...... n'· • Point at a symbol in your editor, then pop-up its definition in a window. HD86 is a professionally • One keystroke "Edit" command allows you to edit the definition in your supported product and yet costs own editor, no matter which file or directory it was defined in. no .. ore than "shareware". And of course, it's not copy protected. YBRSIOI 2 10& AVAILAlLKt • "Paste" command inserts the definition into your currently edited file. • Supports multiple editing sessions under OS/2. IID86 n is om.Y $67.SO ($I.SO sQ) + tax FREE Western Wares C.C" Software, 1907 Alvarado Ave., Walnut DOS Version $89 Box C Norwood. co 81423 DEMO Creek, CA 94596, (415) 939·8153 OS/2 Version $179 (303) 327-4898 Reader Service Number 169 Reader Service Number 31 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 75 over the old paste up procedures as word processing is over a Version 2.0 supports EMS memory. According to the typewriter. I couldn't go back. manual, you don't have to have EMS memory (unless you We've used Ventura Publisher from the beginning. Version want fancy hyphenation), but it supports it. So when Carol got 1.0 was buggy, sure, but with three different ways to do any exasperated with this issue's 3-D article (page two became one thing, there was usually a work-around. As revisions totally strange the instant she loaded either of the two illustra rolled in, we spent more and more time doing the work and tions), I packed up her machine and headed for MicroSphere. less and less time doing the around. My hunch was that extra memory was more important Now, with version 2.0 things seemed to take a giant step than Ventura was letting on. I suspected that overflowing backwards. The most consistent thing was inconsistency. An stacks or misaimed pointers were causing the problem. article (chapter) that went together and saved perfectly might "I want EMS, lots of EMS," I said as I dumped the dismem be garbage when called up again. Or, we'd load a figure into a bered machine onto their service bench. Fortunately RAM frame and a nearby headline would get weird. Page numbers prices have come down a bunch. Unfortunately, Howard, Ed, changed into headlines, often refusing to change back. and Allan were up to their ears in other work. Sometimes Carol could fix the problems. Sometimes she Ah well, I can stuff RAM and set dip switches with the couldn't. Either way, the next time the file was edited, there best. So I did. Five hours and six false starts later, I had added might be a whole new set of problems. 1.5 meg of EMS. (The EMS board was very smart, by the way, I called Xerox. letting me configure its RAM as any combination of extended, The only thing the support person asked about was expanded (EMS), and main memory. In fact, for over an hour memory. How much RAM? (640K.) Were we running TSRs? it was a lot smarter than I was.) (No.) Did we have at least 52 OK of free memory before run The instant I got back to the office I cobbled up Carol's ning Ventura? (Definitely.) monitor, keyboard, printer, fired up Ventura, selected "Desk" I hadn't been too concerned about RAM because version (to get the version display), then pointed the mouse arrow to 1.X was running precisely, though slowly, on the same ma the word "Ventura" and clicked. Up came the secret diagnos chine (as an article got long or complex, the older version tic window. (Kind of like a secret decoder ring, but useful.) would swap data between memory and disk). Sure enough, Ventura recognized 1.5 meg of EMS. Something about this new version was definitely not right. Then I loaded the troublesome 3-D article and looked at page two. Wow! The page number displayed correctly, unruly text from other pages had disappeared-the whole thing worked. I tried another article, and another, and another ... everything worked. Ain't desktop fun? PROMPT DELIVERY!!! Longhorn SOG Reborn SAME DAY SHIPPING (USUALLY) ICs QUANTITY ONE PRICES SHOWN for SEPT. 3, 1989 After seeing Don and Kim Jindra at both the Canadian and Colorado SaGs, I wasn't too surprised when I got a call from Kim. What did surprise me was the subject. The Longhorn DYNAMIC RAM SaG. SIMM (1) 256Kx36 80 ns $400.00 "We've got to do something more than the regular meeting SIMM I 1Mx9 70 ns 180.00 SIMM (2) 1Mx9 80 ns 135.00 at the Info Mart. I got hold of Stuart, he's hard to reach, and SIMM 256Kx9 100 ns 45.00 volunteered to take over the SaG arrangements. He said fine, 1 Mbit 1Mx1 100 ns 12.75 so I've got it." 41256 256Kx1 60 ns 6.95 It turns out she's lined up meeting space for SaG talks, a 41256 256Kx1 80 ns 4.95 barbeque, a place for two JoIt SIGs, T-shirts, and more. She's 41256 256Kx1 100 ns 3.75 arranging SaG sessions on Friday in Denton, Texas (25 miles 41256 256Kx1 120 ns 3.40 north of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport), then taking the group 4464 64Kx4 120 ns 4.50 to Dallas for Saturday's Info Mart meeting. 41264 (3) 64Kx4 120 ns 9.65 If there's any chance you can attend, or speak, or whatever, EPROM get in touch with Kim right away. (Check the Longhorn SOG 128Kx8 200 ns $22.00 64Kx8 200 ns 9.50 information box in this issue.) I'll see you there. 32Kx8 150 ns 7.25 16Kx8 250 ns 4.50 Longhorn SOG-Oct.13-14 STATIC RAM Kim Jindra 62256p-10 32Kx8 100 ns $18.95 P.O. Drawer F 6264p-12 8Kx8 120 ns 5.50 Denton, TX 76202 6116AP-12 2Kx8 120 ns 4.50 (817l?87) o idL~~pson ito--'& Publisher Reader Service Number 37 76 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ._------_... - \ Letters continued from page 6 INTRODUCING The Nature Of Radar merge when the signals indicated the Regarding LIMBO's distance sensor aircraft was getting close. This avoided ("Letters," Issue #49, p. 75): Whether the loss of valuable battery charging the intensity of reflected light, or a time when the aircraft could be a ~tude~ radar signal, is inversely proportional to hundred miles away. the square or to the fourth power of dis To counter this countermeasure, the 25 MHz 8-bit tance depends on the nature of the re airborne radars were fitted with at ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER flecting target. If the reflection is from a tenuators in the transmitter output, in Based on the TRW THC1068-1 plane surface that reflects without scat the form of a vane that could be hybrid flash converter, its high tering, the inverse square applies. If cranked into a slot in the waveguide. signal-to-noise ratio yields ex scattering occurs at the target, inverse When a sub was first detected, with the cellent accuracy at the Nyquist square applies for both the forward and radar transmitter at full output, the air limit. the return paths, and the product is the craft would turn for a run at the sub • 4 KB of cache SRAM or to host inverse fourth power, the radar equa marine. The radar operator would crank as converted at DMA speed tion. in the attenuator as they ran, reducing • 110 or DMA data transfer LIMBO's received power from his the power steadily to keep the received • 10 MHz full-power bandwidth (her) own source as seen in a mirror signal constant as the range decreased. • 3.92 mV resolution would be inverse square, but from a At the submarine, the receiver opera • 16 jumper selectable base white object would be inverse fourth tor would hear the radar signal decreas addresses power. The polished ball bearing ing from the time the aircraft went into • Input unipolar or bipolar beloved of telescope makers as a test kill mode, and assume that the aircraft • External clock and trigger inputs object will produce an inverse fourth was going away. With the noise of the • Software source code included power response for LIMBO's sensor in sub's diesel to mask the sound of the spite of the specular nature of the reflec aircraft's engines, it was usually INTRODUCTORY PRICE tion, because it produces the scattering possible to arrive over the sub before it $299 that is the underlying reason for the in submerged. verse square law. The effectiveness of this system is ap ALSO AVAILABLE AS A KIT Not only the library's dusty tomes parent if you use the inverse square to FOR $99, INCLUDING: on radar show the inverse fourth calculate the signal at the sub, and the • Printed Circuit board power. The Second (1988) Edition of inverse fourth power to calculate the • Software Antennas, by Professor John D. Kraus of signal at the aircraft, assuming a trans • Manual & assembly instructions Ohio State University, gives the radar mit power adjusted at all times for a (KITintroductoryprice includes PAL equation and explains the fourth power constant signal at the airborne radar re and 4KB of high-speed SRAM) of distance in the denominator. The ceiver. Requires: PC compatible 1/2 length equation is alive and well, as good So be careful! Failure to appreciate 8-bit expansion slot. DOS 2.11 or today as the first time someone found the inverse fourth power law in the greater. EGA, VGA or Hercules dis play needed for graphic representa that doubling the transmitter power radar equation has been known to be tion of data. didn't buy you much early warning fatal! time. It also includes other factors, such as the effective cross section of the tar John Innes get. 120 Macpherson Street The inverse fourth power behaviour Cremorne, NSW 2090 was responsible for the effectiveness of Australia a very successful anti-submarine measure during World War II. Sub Editor's note: All this leads me to a bit of marines used to surface at night to run specular reflection. Placing an alien infrared their diesel engines and charge their detector (for detecting alien infra reds , of propulsion batteries. Maritime recon course) and a fairly substantial laser on naissance aircraft would search for your robot might be the most effective way Silicon Alley ~ them with radar, and the subs used re to sink other maze contestants. (I knew P.O. BOX 59593 ceivers on the radar frequency to warn you'd get a charge out of that.) DEPT. MC-1112 of their approach. Renton, WA 98058 This was very effective, as the signal 206.255.7410 arriving at the sub was detectable by its C 1989 Silicon AUey Inc. 'tude Is a trademark of Silicon Alley Inc. Other brand or product receiver long before the reflected echo namtJS are traoemarks or registertJdtrademarfcs oftMir respecUVtJ holders. Prices and sptJclica from it was strong enough to appear on tbns subject to change. the radar receiver in the aircraft. In fact, the aircraft were detectable at such long ranges that the subs would only sub- Reader Service Number 177 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 77 By Michael S. Hunt 2313 N. 20th Boise, ID 83702 (208) 336-7413 A Short Look At Sparse Matrices Linking Your Way Into Tables this, it looks like OOP (Object Oriented than many computers have. Michael is short this time. It turns out Programming). I also received the Many of the matrices used in these he's still recovering from the Jolt SIGs at Turbo Assembler and Turbo Debugger. applications are called sparse matrices, the Gunnison SOG. So he's covering sparse Soon I'll start digging into all of it. I meaning that most of their elements matrices in a sparse sort of way. have some code that could use as have the same value, usually zero. Some sembly code speed so I'll discuss inter common forms of sparse matrices are facing Pascal and Modula-2 to assembly upper and lower diagonal matrices and f you've looked ahead at the code for code routines. I'll also compare writing tridiagonal matrices found in systems of this issue, you've probably noticed with OOP and without OOP. differential equations. Ithat I haven't included the promised The toolkit for sparse matrices (Fig B-tree balancer. Instead, the code this Stony Brook Modula-2 ure 1) stores only the nondefault ele time supports a linked list implementa My upgrade to version 2 of Stony ments of the matrix. The elements are tion of sparse matrices. (Sparse matrices Brook's Modula-2 compilers just ar stored in an array of linked lists. The are like regular matrices only smaller, rived. With support for DOS, OS/2, function Sparse returns the ith row and we hope.) Windows, QuickMod compiler for jth column element from the mth matrix. Well, what can I say? It's summer, development, and optimizing compiler PutSparse stores an element in the and there was SOG, the new Turbo Pas for production, it's a very impressive linked list if it doesn't equal the default cal 5.5 arrived, the new Stony Brook package. I'll talk in greater detail about value for that element. The unit sup Modula-2 compilers arrived, and I went the Turbo and Stony Brook products ports MAXSPARSEMATRIX (currently scuba diving. Still, I wrote the A VL next time. 3) matrices. Each matrix can be up to routine (named after its developers), but MAXROW (currently 1000) rows by right now it has a vaguely annoying Scuba Diving 65,365 columns. SetDefault lets you tendency to drop pointers. So I'll cover It was great! A whole day of diving change the default value for the m th the A VL routines in the next issue. in a high mountain lake. The water was matrix. cold, the air was clean, and the fish The sample program (Figure 2) SOG weren't biting. shows several common matrix opera SOG, as always, was great! My wife tions using the SparseMatrix unit. Pamm and I made the trek from Boise That Little Bug to Gunnison, Colorado, where I gave a At the last minute I realized I could Next Time talk about the differences between Pas save some CPU time and simplify my Will there be A VL trees next time? cal and Modula-2. After about an hour, A VL code. Foolishly I began a quick re Yes Virginia, there really is an AVL the talk turned into a discussion about write. The VAX editor at work saves all routine. After that, back to reality. the column. versions of a file, but the Turbo editor Two camps emerged, one wanting saves only one .BAK file. Ah, to ex more simple toolkits that explained perience Laine's Lament for a universal • • • common algorithms. The other wanted editor. Soon the original version had powerful applications-oriented tool been wiped out and I had no back up. boxes. I'll try to satisfy both camps by showcasing an algorithm from a robust Sparse Matrices toolbox. We can still put full source In numerical analysis, modeling, code on the issue disk and the Micro C simulation, and many other fields of BBS. mathematics and data analysis, we often deal with large (1000 x 1000 or Turbo Pascal 5.5 larger) matrices of data. The data are On the surface, 5.5 looks like 5.0. But often real numbers at four or eight bytes scratch the surface and hmmm, what's apiece. This can consume more memory 78 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 USES SparseMatrix; 3: DEFAULTVAL= 0.0: CONS'1' MatA = 1; MatS =2; Matc == 3: VAR i, j, k : WORD; PROCEDURE AddMatrix: (* BEGIN FOR i := 1 TO 10 DO FOR j := 1 '1'010 DO BEGIN PutSparse(i, j, MatA, i*1.0): nodePtr = "'nodeType: PutSparse(i, j, MatB, j*2.0); node Type = record PutSparse(i,. j, MatC, Sparse(i, data : data1'ype; Sparse(i, col :. WORD: END; nextCol : nodePtr WriteLn; WriteLn('MatA +MatB = MatC'): FOR i := 1 TO 10 DO BEGIN MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 79 Getting A Little Hyper screen grabber for importing graphics from Anthony Barcellos Tony is hyper about hypertext (he uses it to im other programs, and a public domain reader to p.o. Box 2249 prove his manual dexterity). This time he also talks distribute with the hypertext. Davis, CA 95617-2249 Voice: (916) 756-4866 about his mini-BBS and about the Association of You can create four types of linkages within Data: (916) 758-1002 Shareware Professionals. These are three good con Black Magic. A simple Note link pops up a nections for anyone considering a shareware future. window that displays a short text string. Use Note links to clarify comments or add little di gressions. n the beginning was text, and it d. idn't seem Replacement links are quite different. Unlike all that bad at the time. Then came format Note links, which the user may examine (or Iting and everyone saw that it was good. not) on a case-by-case basis, Replacement links When graphics were mixed in, the real excite are typically organized in families scattered ment began. But there's yet another step in this throughout a document. When a Replacement progression from text editors to word proces link of a particular kind activates, all other Re sors to desktop publishers. placement links of the same name also turn on. It's called hypertext. It offers text, graphics, Replacement links substitute something for and freedom-with a bit of confusion tossed in. each occurrence of the link word. Unlike the documents most of us are used to, For example, "Boot your computer." could hypertext does not proceed in a straightfor be uniformly replaced with "If your computer ward linear fashion. Forget about beginnings, has a hard disk and is turned off, turn it on; if middles, and ends. Hypertext can go off in any it's already turned on, press the keys Ctrl, Alt, direction. and Del simultaneollsly. If your computer does Say you're reading a hypertext document. not have a hard disk, place your DOS diskette (Clearly this is not a hard copy system.) A par in drive A and turn your computer on; if it is ticular phrase or caption catches your attention. already turned on, place your DOS diskette in A special symbol flags it, indicating that more drive A and press the keys Ctrl, Alt, and Del information is available. You click on the sym simultaneously." bol and a window opens. It may be a technical How's that for customizing the level of your citation or reference. Perhaps it's an illustration documentation? or graph. It might even be an extensive digres Reference links can take you from one hy sion, containing further branches of its own. pertext document to another, thereby blurring A hypertext document can be perused on the boundaries of individual hypertext files. So several levels, tailored to each reader's in you don't get totally lost, the Reference link dividual needs and preferences. A novice, con gives you a flowchart map of the document. sulting a hypertext user's manual, could ask for Black Magic's DOS link lets you shell out to additional help on difficult procedures. a new program while Black Magic shrinks into An expert could lightly skim or, alterna a tiny memory-resident kernel. When you exit tively, deeply dig into technical details that the DOS program, Black Magic resumes con would frighten off a beginner. Using symbol trol. Thus you can build a highly customized keys and internal "links," a hypertext author DOS shell and help system. can create a file that approaches all things to all In their press kit, NTERGAID says that people. DuPont is using hypertext as the documenta tion component of an active order system. The That New Black Magic Environmental Protection Agency uses Black NTERGAID has released a shareware hyper Magic to organize its voluminous regulations, text authoring system called Black Magic. It in and NASA uses it to distribute aerospace test cludes a word processor to create your text, a data. 80 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 Despite its power, Black Magic's sys since communications programs like converting to Turbo Pascal 5.5, thus tem requirements are modest. Although ProComm offer a host mode for unat shaking off the 64K limit. it prefers a hard disk, Black Magic can tended operation. However, Minihost is Since Minihost has always served me manage with a dual-floppy Pc. The more like a small bulletin board system well in its "mini" form, I'm not sure I'll minimum RAM is 384K, although 640K with amazingly low maintenance re jump into Maxihost. In any case, I can is recommended. quirements. Mankin's program comes attest after years of reliable use that Black Magic requires a graphics card; practically ready to run as soon as you Mankin's little BBS is a gem of a system. it supports CGA, Hercules, EGA, and extract the components from the archive VGA. A Microsoft mouse (or compat file and copy them to a Minihost Minihost ible) is optional. It supports Epson dot directory on your hard disk. (Minihost Don Mankin matrix and Hewlett-Packard LaserJet supports floppies, too, but a hard disk is 3211 Crow Canyon Place, #A296 printers for printed output. (Of course, recommended.) San Ramon, CA 94583 Black Magic loses most of its hypertext You'll need to edit Minihost's para (209) 836-2402 (BBS) features when you print a document. meters, but they've thrown in numerous You can, of course, choose which part of example entries. Just enter your name in $25 hobbyist registration fee a hypertext file to print, so Notes and place of Don Mankin's (the author) as $50 commercial registration fee such can be included.) sysop, and edit the names in the user That old Black Magic doesn't have us list to give your friends suitable access Shareware Sources under its speller, because it doesn't levels. Or you can lock everyone else The Association of Shareware Pro check your writing. They left that for re out by declaring your Minihost a closed fessionals has already done a great deal lease 2.0. Overall, however, the package system. to professionalize the shareware busi is impressive. You also get to set disk and directory ness. Many shareware authors have NTERGAID suggests several applica protection levels. You can change the turned to ASP for information on enter tions for Black Magic, including techni COM port from 1 to 2 (or whatever). ing this alternative software market cal documentation, educational course Or, you can prevent others from place. ware, computer-based training, and pre downloading files with specified exten ASP also has other functions. ASP sentations. The clever user can probably sions. has an ombudsman to mediate disputes come up with several original applica The documentation explains each op between users and ASP members. In tions for this combination word proces tion in the order in which it occurs in addition to writing to the ombudsman sor /DOS shell/clip art gallery / refer the .CNF file, so I loaded the user's at ASP's address, you can reach him via ence system. manual into one window of my word CompuServe. His ID number is If you're eager to try it, you can processor and MINIHOST.CNF into the 70007,3536. download Black Magic from Compu other. As I scrolled through the manual, ASP has also published vendor Serve or from NTERGAID's own Hy I moved through the parameters. guidelines. Vendors who give perBoard at (203) 366-5698. There are I have been using Minihost for over shareware authors due credit and ad also several payment levels, as noted two years so folks can send me articles here to the ASP guidelines may describe below. for Sacra Blue, the newsletter I edit. In themselves as "ASP approved." the olden days, contributors would call As a shareware aficionado, I'm al Black Magic, version 1.4 and we'd attempt to get my Qmodem ways curious where people obtain their NTERGAID talking to whatever they had. Then shareware. Although users groups are a 2490 Black Rock Turnpike, Ste. 337 we'd patiently go through the file trans primary source for many people, the Fairfield, CT 06430 fer procedure. larger mail-order operations generally (203) 368-0632 (Voice) Now I leave Minihost running and have more comprehensive inventories (203) 366-5698 (BBS) Sacra Blue's writers can upload files just and many now carry the ASP seal of about whenever they please. I don't approval. Demo disk, $7.00 have to do a thing. Minihost lets them What's your favorite shareware Trial disk set (unregistered) $18.95 leave messages to me (or to each other, source? I've mentioned PC-SIG and Nel Registered copy since recent Minihost releases offer mes son Ford's Public (Software) Library in (with technical support), $49.95 sage conferences as well as messages to the past. Let me know your ,experiences Registered copy (with technical the sysop) and I can leave messages for with shareware vendors and I'll report support, printed manual, keybrd them. on which ones seem to be the best bets template, quick reference card) My system is configured so that any for quick and friendly service. Just write $89.95 one can log in to leave messages or to me or leave a message on my Mini upload files. I have entered a few host system. Keep those bytes coming. A Heavenly Host people in my user base so that they can You're at the office. Your file is on download files and access additional ASP Ombudsman your PC at home. You need it now. directories. Minihost is very flexible. Assoc. of Shareware Professionals What to do? The simplest way to receive Minihost P.O. Box 5786 If you have Minihost running on is to call Don Mankin's Minihost system Bellevue, W A 98006 your system at home, you just call it up at (209) 836-2402 and download the cur CompuServe 70007,3536 via modem and download the file to rent version. If you do, you'll also dis your office computer. cover that Don is in the process of creat Minihost is by no means unique, ing a new system called Maxihost. He's • • • MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 81 mUD omm Order And Chaos: nrnm Creating Fibonacci Attractors With Turbo Pascal Objects By Gary Entsminger fourth columns the Fibonacci sequence, and it has challenged and perplexed mathematical P.o. Box 2091 My last conversation with Gary began with: Davis, CA 95617 "How in the heck am I going to introduce this kind minds for almost eight centuries. The pattern's of chaos?" (Actually, I didn't say "heck," but you simple enough-each successive number is equal understand.) to the sum of the two preceding numbers. "You could tell them you assumed it was a Cul As a population model, the Fibonacci ture Corner until you got to the very end," he said. sequence has a basic flaw: it omits death. Con "The end wouldn't have straightened me out," I sequently, rabbits grow by leaps and bounds muttered. (hops, actually), eventually filling the surface So here I am, still no introduction. (And, come of the earth. to think of it, I still don't have a Culture Corner.) Fibonacci wasn't all that interested in over running the planet with rabbits; he wanted to understand patterns of growth. His sequence, eonardo of Pisa created one of the first it turns out, fits a very interesting ratio con models of population growth in 1220, templated in Greece some 15 centuries before L7.69 centuries ago. Leonardo, better Fibonacci. known to us as Fibonacci (renamed by mathe matical historian, Guillaume Libri, in the 19th The Golden Ratio century), used a pair of rabbits as the basic The golden ratio (11.z(1 + sqrt(5» or roughly unit for reproduction in his model. He rea 1.618034 ... is the ratio between two divisions soned the following- of a line or plane, such that the smaller is to (1) begin with one pair of rabbits; the larger as the larger is to the sum of the (2) let them mature for one year; two. (3) let them beget one pair like themselves; The golden ratio recurs throughout na (4) for each successive season, let each new ture- (mature!) pair beget a new (immature!) pair; • it's roughly the ratio of your total height to (5) continue as far as integers (or rabbits) your navel's height. (If you don't believe go. me, measure yourself; even better, measure Figure 1 shows how this scheme develops. a good friend.) We call the pattern in the second, third, and • it accurately models the "bee-tree law," or pattern of reproduction in bee colonies (where a single female parent asexually re produces males, and male and female parents together sexually reproduce females); • it describes the number of ways light can be refracted and reflected through different layers of glass; • it describes the arrangement of florets in sunflowers and other composites. A typical sunflower, for example, has a head containing spirals of tightly packed florets. Each spiral winds a fibonacci number of florets in one direction and the next smaller (or larger) fibonacci number of florets in the other. (See Figure 2.) 82 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 Sunflowers have been found spiral ing in all the Fibonacci numbers up to 144. The late summer hillside below (and for miles around) my writing table here in the Elk mountains glows golden with blooming composites. A hillside fractal of Fibonacci spirals. Growth Most models of population growth share a similar form- Xn+1 = F(Xn ) where Xn is the density in season ni Xn+l is the density in season n+ 1; and F is a mapping which shows how the density changes from season to season (or state to state). Figure 2-Chrysanthemum Morifolium (elusion). Photo by C. Anderson F has two parts: one part represents birth rate, and one part represents death Figure 3 -Rl=1.61803398867 R2=O.6180339887 rate. Most of these mappings (at least most of the published ones) have one significant trait in common: they define a single-humped (i.e., parabolic) curve. Qualitatively, they behave like the much-discussed logistic equation (w hich I briefly discussed in Micro C, #47, "Strange Attractors: Order In Chaos"). In particular, these mappings all exhibit both ordered and chaotic be havior depending on their initial condi tions. I thought it might be fun to explore a population growth model based on the Fibonacci sequence. The equation I chose to model is simple enough, with a rate parameter for birth and a second rate parameter for death- Xn+l = R1 1< Xn 1< (1 - R2 1< (Xn-l 1< Xn-l» Figure~Rl=1.83957 ·R2=O.6180339887 where Rl is the birth rate of this genera tion and R2 is the death rate of the last generation. The Fibonacci twist is twofold: (1) as a possible rate (for Rl or R2); (2) as a three generation component: future generations (or states) depend on both this generation (birth rate) and the generation before (death rate). Not surprisingly, the Fibonacci sequence (expressed as the golden ratio) produces dramatically different be havior (when used as a rate) than values very, very near the ratio. See the attractors in Figures 3 and 4 for imme diate gratification. Later I'll talk results. Prolog & Pascal Usually I use Turbo Prolog for mod- MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 83 elling systems, primarily for three rea sons- (1) Models are state systems (Le., they're recursive). The value of the last state gets fed back into the system to produce the next state. Prolog is a recur sor's dream; (2) The BGI (Borland Graphics Inter face); (3) Speed. Lately, though, I've been program ming about half-time in Turbo Pascal, first beta-testing TP 5.5 and lately beta testing Turbo Power's Object Pascal Toolbox. The new object extensions make TP a very intriguing compiler, so I couldn't resist an opportunity to test Turbo Pascal objects for chaos. After a bit of thought and a few half blind alleys, I decided to create two ob jects: (1) a graphics object; to initialize and test the adapter; to set and modify scales; to setup basic variables such as screen coordinates. (2) and a Fibonacci model object which inherits all the graphic and scal ing methods from the graphics object. The Fibonacci model object includes a recursive state-changing method and a menu. Pascal Objects I've described the objects and their methods in Figure 5. For convenience, I created and compiled the graphics ob ject first as a unit. The Fibonacci object (created later) uses the graphics unit. Objects are handy here for several reasons: (1) It's easy to view an object as an entity with an internal state that it re members (about itself!) even when you aren't using it; (2) The graphics object is generic, so I can create many more complex objects from it later (by inheriting its methods); (3) Since an object's methods know all about its data fields (Le., its state), I don't have to pass parameters between the object's methods; (4) Objects group data and methods (which might otherwise be confusing) in distinctive blocks. My code is simple enough, so I'll only comment here on a few interesting (I think) nuances. My first semi-blind alley generated one of Turbo Pascal's stack overflow er rors. The problem-too much recursion. Even a 64K stack isn't enough for crank ing out strange attractors. In Turbo Pro log, you can recurse 'til the cows go 84 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 begin Ratel:= Xmin unchanged') Rate2 , end: current··scale.Xmin := R: writeln('N;w Xmax: '): procedure readln(Rs): begin Val(Rs,R,Return); WalLE I current_scale.Ymin THEN current scale.Ymax := R ELSE - INGRAF 2.10 A multi-device graphics library for Scientific, Engineering, and Business usersl Supports video, printer, and plotter graphics for personal computers. Ov~r 100 routines to create bar. pie, and smith charts; linear. log (senu-log and log-log). and polar plots; axel and grid. with tick marks and labels. uuuken, line types. curves. arcs. circles, ellipses. and more. (EMU IOUte' cod,., 110 nqallill or rUII-tim, feu/) The window function allows you to use up to 32 windows. You can set individual characteristics (such as sizing. scaling. labeling, etc.) for each window or identical characteristics for all windows. INDUCTIVE REACTANCE TEMP. & RAINFALL OF HOUSTON AREA U: 7S•0 I~O . t,o,D .c.. C v 65.0 ~ 60.0 lui ~ 55.0 ~ SO.O ~O '~O 35.0 00 JAM FEB MAR ~ tlAy Jl.II JI.l. AUC S[P OCT NOV occ· CAPACITIVE REACTANCE 1984 INGRAF is available for C. FOR1RAN-77. and QuickBASIC (pascal available soon); support for numerous compilers. We also have GRAFLIB 4.10 for video and printer graphics; PLOTLIB 4.10 for pen plotter graphics, and FORTLIB 4.05. a FORTRAN enhancement library. Sutrasoft P.O. Box 1733 • Sugar Land, TX • 77487 Order Line : 1·800·888·8460 All other calls: 713 491·2088 Reader Service Number 173 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 85 home by inserting a cut (!) before the re tween each call to fib. This sequence Last Page" or Dynamics, The Geometry Of cursive call. Called tail recursion elimi runs all night or until a KeyPressed. Behavior, by Abraham & Shaw for nation, this is a beautiful technique. And there's no need for a large stack (a details.) In Turbo Pascal, there's no obvious few K will do). The Fibonacci sequence clearly way to insert a cut. But there is a subtle Note in Figure 5 the use of New and brings an intriguing (if not yet fully il way to recurse 'til your heart's content. Dispose to allocate and deallocate heap luminating) order to chaos. And Turbo My first (unsuccessful) attempt at a space for objects. And the use of the Pascal objects offer a potentially elegant recursive method went something like caret (") for referencing dynamically al solution to the programming of com this: (note: this procedure belongs to the located objects. plex models. I'll get back to you. object, fibonacci, hence it's one of fi Note also that init and done do noth And that, friends, is Tidbits. bonacci's methods) ing besides internal notekeeping. Specifically, they set up and reference References procedure fibonacci. fib; the VMT (virtual memory table), which Abraham, Ralph & Christopher begin guarantees that the right amount of Shaw; Dynamics, Vols. 1-4; 1982, '83, '85, create_a_strange_attractor; memory will be allocated on and deallo '88; Aerial Press. (An illustrative guide WHILE KeyPressed <> True DO cated from the heap. to attractors, basins, tangles, and the fib; complex mathematics of dynamics. end; Results Highly recommended.) The results of my explorations were Entsminger, Gary; "Strange Attrac This code generates a stack overflow revealing. The attractors do vary de tors, Order In Chaos," Micro C #47; error long before it's created much of an pending on subtle changes in birth and May-June 1989. (A short introduction, attract or. death rates. If we use the golden ratio, with Turbo Prolog code, to strange at My second (successful) attempt uses the attractor is periodic and highly pre tractors.) two procedures- dictable (see Figure 3). . Graham, Ronald; Knuth; Patashnik; If we vary rates ever so slightly away Concrete Mathematics; Addison-Wesley; procedure fibonacci.recurse_fib; from the golden ratio, the attractors 1989. (Contains an excellent discussion begin vary ever and ever more strangely, of the Fibonacci sequence.) WHILE KeyPressed <> True DO looping and looping between and Stevens, Peter S.; Patterns In Nature. fib; around its loops. (See Figure 4). (Excellent examples of how nature ap end; Incidentally, the data generated by pears to an architect.) the Fibonacci model equation plotted as Stewart, Ian; Does God Play Dice? The procedure fibonacci.fib; a time series (i.e., each successive state Mathematics Of Chaos; Basil Blackwell; begin versus time) shows a mass of chaotic 1989. (A terrific introduction to the create_a_strange_attractor; dots. The two attractors in Figures 3 mathematical side of chaos. Includes end; and 4 are phase portraits, generated by many recent experimental discoveries & plotting one generation's data against discussion of recent applications.) There's no longer a stack overflow the last generation's data, rather than problem, since the stack is reclaimed be- against time. (See Micro C #47, "The ••• 86 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 3D Surface Generation O,-l,incmode,fillcolor, return (1): else if «horangle >== PI/2.0) && (horangle < PI» return (2)i (horangle>7.0*PI/4.0).? (incmode = 1): else if «horangle >== PI) && (horangle < 3*PI/2. 0) ) (incmode= 0): return(3); dosurf(xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax, nx~ny, z, 0, else return(4)i me-l,l, ny-l,D, -1, incznode, fillcolor, 1* intget_quadrant() *1 edqecolor): break; 1* finds· global transformation angles and their cosines } and sines for later use in calls to axonometric () . *I if (box) void transform_angles(float horangle,float elangle, invert? drawboxbottom(boxedgecol) int quadrant) drawboxtop(boxedgecol); drawboxfront(quadrant,boxedqecol); float phi,psi/sinel; } free (Xa) : ,'. free (Ya) ; 1* avoid dividing by O. all this messing around with return (0): quadrants is because angles that generate cosines of / * int surface () *1 0.0 area function of the floating point library of the compiler and of round-off error. *1 1* converts from decimal degrees to radians. */ if (cos(horangle)~ 0.0) 1* horiz angle 90 or 270*/ void degrees_to_rads(float* horangle,float *elangle) switch (quadrant) { { case 1 /* check that angles are in the range 0 to 360: *1 case 3 phi = PI/2.0; do psi;:: 0.0: if (*borangle <0.0)' *horangle.+::360.0; break; while, (*horangle < 0.0») case 2 do case 4 phi =-PI/2.0; if(*horangle>360.0)*horangle-=.360.0; while .• ·. (*horangle' >.360.0); *elangle =*elangle * PI /180.0; *hoiangle == *horangle·*·!?I 1180.0; l*voiddegrees_to_rads () *1 I*find.$ >st:andardmath quadrant of viewer *I } ini: get quadrant (float horangle) sinel=sin(elangle); Sinphi= sinel* sin(phl); { - Cosphi= cos(pbi); Sinpsi= sinel* sin(psi); if «borangle>=O.O)'& (horangle< PI/2.0» Cospsi == cos (psi) ;" Cosel = cos (elangle) ; 286 or 386SX? CAN'T MAKE UP YOUR MIND? AS OW $99.95 StH $3.00 WHAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS NOW MAY NOT BE Outside U.S. RIGHT FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE. TAKE ADVAN add $10.00 TAGE OF THE SPEED AND POWER OF A PT286 AT LAST! SYSTEM AND RETAIN THE OPTION OF UPGRADING LATER TO A386SXWITH A PLUG IN CPU MODULE. ALL PRODUCTS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH DOS, UNIX, XENIX, OS/2. AND MAY CONTAIN UP TO 5 FLOW CHART AND ANAL VZE MEGABYTES OF ON-BOARD MEMORY. 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(408) 244-6826 ediUine_oUt - Reader Service Number 139 Reader Service Number 119 VISA • Me 30 - Day Money Back Guarantee MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 87 88 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ------Linef(pUn1] ,q[l] [1] ,pU] [0] ,q[l] [0]); Linef (pu] to] ,q[l] [0] , p [0] [0] , q[O] [0]); 1* void Clrawfillquadrangle 0 *1 for (i = 0; i < 5: i++) { 1* draws triangle described by the 3 points passed. transf(~[i),Zb[il,&Pb[i],&Qb[i]); void filltriangle(int xO,int yO,intx1,int y1, itransf(&Pb[i],&Qb[i]); int x2iint y2,int fi11color) transf(Yt[i],Zt[il,&Pt[i]i&Qt[i]); itransf(&Pt[i],&Qt[i}); int z,a,b,dx,dy,d,deltap,deltaq,jstart; intxl[2] [3],yl[2) [3); register int x,y,i,j,k; 1* sort thepoirits in ascending vertical order: if (y1 < yO) swapcoords(&xl,&yl,&xO,&yO); if (y2 < yO) swapcoords(&x2,&y2,&xO,&yO)i if (y2 < yl) swapcoords(&x2,&y2,&xl,&yl); I*stick em in arrays for triangle edge computation:*1 Csetf(color); xl[O] [0] = xO; yl[O] [0] = yO; for (i = 0; i < 4; i++) xl[O] [1] = xl; yl[O] [1] = y1; Linef(Pb[i],Qb(i),Pb[i+l),Qb[i+l]); xl[O] [2] =x2; yl[O] [2] =y2; /* void drawboxbottom() *1 1* to use loops instead of if statements, we pretend the long side of the triangle is made up of 2 void drawboxback(int quadrant,int color) lines. one has zero length: (x2,y2) to (x2,y2). { xl[l) [0] =xO; yl[l] [0] = yO; xl[l] [1] = x2; yl[l] (1] = y2; xl[l] [2] = x2; yl[l] [2] = y2; 1* i loops· over. the 2 triangles: k·loops over the· two short aides. and· the one long side: *1 for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) { jstart = 0; Csetf(color): for (k = 1; k < 3; k++) for (i=O; i<2; i++) { { j = back [quadrant-1) [i); Linef(Pb [j] , Qb [j] , Pt [ j] , Qt [j 1) ; MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 89 Printer Error Handler Current Loop To RS-232C Converter This small circuit will convert a 20 rna signal to RS-232C. I originally built it to convert Reliance Automate 31 pro gram files from our Datapoint to an Allen Bradley T-50 Industrial Terminal. By building and using this converter, I saved countless hours of hand convert ing files. The circuit consists of a single 4N28 IC. It decides which voltage (+12 VDC or -12 VDC) reaches the RS-232C port. I put a 2.7K resistor in series with the 4N28's input LED. The resistor limits the LED current to around 8 rna. I use a 10K resistor to pull up the 4N28' s output when it's not conducting. The schematic (see Figure 1) shows how I wired the 4N28. To transmit from the Datapoint, I C's biosprintO routine. bio_print_stringO. The routines for fired up the 20 rna current loop and Let me briefly describe the algorithm. checking in bio_print_stringO are so loaded the Automate 31 tape (this sets I print strings only; printing floating small I didn't want to make the extra the baud rate). Then I connected the points and integers is just a matter of call to printer_okO. However, you may power supply and hooked up the signal converting the number to a string and want to call printer_okO to determine to the computer's RS-232C port. then printing the string. the printer status before you start print After selecting the same baud rate in First, I send a string to the printing ing. This is the reason for some dupli my terminal package, I just captured the function. It prints out the string charac cate code. Also, the abort/retry function files as they came in. (Imagine all the ter by character, each time checking the uses printer_okO to keep determining typos and all the eye strain of compar status of the printer. If the function de printer status. ing and checking that I avoided.) tects an error, it moves into the You can use these routines univer abort/retry function. The abort/retry sally with all your Turbo C programs. Larry Kraemer function saves the contents of the cur Just compile STDPRINT.H to an .OBJ Rt.2 Box 190 rent window. Then it creates its own file and use it in your project files, or Jackson, MO 63755 window, prints the error message, and put the code in your program as a asks if the user would like to abort or header file. If you compile STDPRINT.H Printer Error Handler retry. to an .OBJ file, make sure you include With all the compilers I've used, If the user selects retry, it keeps the files BIOS.H, CONSOLE.H and there's been one sore point when using checking the printer to see if the error GRAPHICS.H in the program. the standard printing routines. If there's has been corrected. If it has, it returns to I hope these routines will make your a problem, you get the ugly "WRITE the printing function and continues life a little easier when dealing with the DEVICE FAULT ERROR," or something printing the string. If the user chooses to printer. (Note: These routines do not similar all over your beautiful screen. I abort, it exits the printing function. The work for serial printers.) wanted something that could handle the abort/retry function restores the pre error in a professional way. vious screen and window coordinates Jeffrey Scott Donovan I wrote Figure 2 for Borland's Turbo before finishing. 1515 Santa Barbara St. #A C 2.0. (The routines are not ANSI com You may notice a little double coding Santa Barbara, CA 93101 patible.) The heart of the code is Turbo in the functions printer_okO and 90 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 Micro Ads A Micro Ad Is the inexpensive way to reach over 22,000 technical folks like yourself. To place a Micro Ad, Just print out your message (make it short and sweet) and mail it to Micro C. We'll typeset your ad (no charge) and run it In the next available Issue. You can also send camera ready copy. 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Kaypro Color Graphics Review RS-232C: The Interface The Great C Issue Issues #35-current $3.95 each ppd. 48 pages 104 pages 11 C Compilers Writing ASimple Parser In C ISSUE #15 (12/83) ISSUE #26 (10/85) C++, An Object Oriented C Canada & Mexico Screen Dump Listing Inside ZCPR3 Source Level Debugger For All issues $5.00 each ppd. Fixing Serial Ports Two Megabytes On DSI-32 Turbo C Playing Adventure SOGIV 96 pages Foreign (air mail) Upgrading Kaypro II To 4 The Future Of Computing Upgrading Kaypro 4 To 8 Graphics In Turbo Pascal All Issues $7.00 each ppd. 48 pages 104 pages 94 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 MICROC ADVERTISER'S INDEX Issue 50 Reader ...... • • . • . . • . . . Page 112 Garrison, Peter ...... 74 ** NTERGAID ...... 91 Service .•...... •..•. Number Genus ...... 11 161 Opal Fire Software ...... 48 72 Acquired Intelligence ...... 6 11 Halted Specialties . . Inside Front 170 AISN ...... 93 156 Heath ...... 39 160 Annabooks ...... 48 3 PC Tech ...... Back Cover 4 Austin Codeworks ...... 61 22 Integrand...... 69 119 Peripheral Technology ..... 87 149 InformationModes ...... 91 147 Berry Computer ...... 13 139 Quantasm Software ...... 87 154 JRT Systems ...... 57 ** Capital Software ...... 19 176 JoelSampsonEngineering '" 91 129 Research Group ...... 27 15 Cascade Electronics ...... 43 166 RoboticSystems ...... 31 31 CC Software ...... 75 175 Kilgore ...... 92 142 R]Swantek, Inc...... 53 7 CompuView ...... 7 126 Komputerwerk ...... 91 171 Ryle Design ...... 93 163 Copy Technologies ...... 91 136 Kore, Inc...... 91 158 Cottage Resources ...... 91 162 Semi-Disk Systems, Inc ...... 28 143 Covox, Inc...... 42 153 Lattice ...... 5 127 SemWare ...... 15 106 Software Masters ...... 91 8 Datadesk...... 1 151 Maxx ...... 29 40 Star-K ...... 68 133 DATArx ...... 91 42 McTek Systems ...... 47 173 Sutrasoft ...... 85 174 Daytron ...... 62 ** Micro Cornucopia ...... 95 172 Micro Magic ...... 93 168 University Degree Advisory .. 93 10 Emerald Microware ...... 35 37 Microprocessors Unltd ..... 76 93 Erac Company ...... 45 2 Microsphere ...... Inside Back 62 V Communications ...... 63 110 NuMegaTechnologies ...... 2 ** Contact Advertiser Directly. When you write for information, please tell these folks you read about their products in Micro Cornucopia. Now Available From Micro C Computer Interfacing with Pascal & C by Bruce Eckel • Voice Capture and Analysis, Part 2 Use your PC parallel port for digital input and output • TTL Families Explained • Build an Adapter Card for your PC • Control a stepper motor • Filling Memory Holes on Your XT • Design and build electronic circuits • 3-D Graphics, Part 2 "With wit and superb More LIMBO technical figures, Bruce • captures the essence of making electrons out of bits • Bits From Our Past Order From: and vice versa." Micro Cornucopia Jeff Dunteman, Dr. Dobbs PO Box 223 Bend, OR 97709 1-800-888-8087 Only $30 ppd. Includes Book & Disk MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 95 By Gary Entsminger P.O. Box 2091 Davis, CA 95617 Dynamics & Objects Shaw, includes 850 informal illustrations the book to get us thinking about ob Interested in learning more about chaos? which embed mathematical complexi jects- (I mean the sophisticated kind, not the kind ties in pleasing semi-cartoons and You can think of an object as an entity we have around the office.) Interested in ob caricatures. The state space discussion, with an internal state and external opera jects? Gary looks at a few good books on the for example, begins with a cartoon of an tions. The external operations in C++ are subjects. alligator-faced waffle iron and a concise member functions. The functions that ex paragraph about modelling- ecute the messages in an object-oriented lan An organism-physical, biological, or guage are called methods, and messages are na small bookstore along the main social-is observed in different states. This the actual function calls. The concept of tourist strip of Durango, Colorado, observed system is the target of the model. state means an object remembers things Inear the old Durango-Silverton rail- Its states can't really be described by only a about itself when you aren't using it. An or road, I happened on The Geometry Of Be few observable parameters, but we pretend dinary C function (one without static varia havior Part 2: Chaotic Behavior, and that they can. This is the first step in the bles) is stateless because it always starts at couldn't resist a longer look. (Maria's process of "mathematical idealization" and the same point whenever you call it. Since Bookstore has a couch towards the back leads to a geometric model for the set of all an object has a state, however, you can have for perusing, or snoozing-I've seen idealized states: the state space of the model. a function that does something different both.) Thirty minutes later I decided I Different models may begin with different each time you call it. needed not just Part 2, but volume 1 in state spaces. The relationship between the Then Bruce gives an example; in fact, the series. actual state of the real organism and the in these 600 thoroughly-crammed I called Aerial Press (the publisher) points of the geometric model is a fiction pages, he gives many examples. in oceanside Santa Cruz and discovered maintained for the sake of discussion, Bruce has succeeded on several a small publishing operation devoted to theory, thought, and so on. levels, I believe. Using C++ works: as a dynamics. Dynamics is that intriguing The books explain (or more precisely, programmer's introduction to object science that "deals with the concepts of show through illustrations) such terms oriented programming (by using C to change, rate of change, rate of rate of as state spaces, attractors (strange and teach object-oriented programming, he's change, and so on, as they occur in nat otherwise), manifolds, saddles, insets, ironically turned the tables on Pascal, ural phenomena." tangles, and basins. since Pascal has always been noted as a Aerial publishes 16mm films, VHS, The more I peruse this series, the bet teaching language); as a programmer's U-Matic, and Beta videos, books, lec ter I like it. introduction to C++; and as a toolbox tures, and software on dynamics, chaos, for developing applications. The ''big fractals, and visual mathematics. Aerial Press, Inc. examples" include windows, a micro P.O. Box 1360 CAD, and matrix operations. Dynamics Santa Cruz, CA 95061 Thorny topics such as pointers and The methods of dynamics are becom (408) 425-8619 references, and overloading functions ing increasingly important to scientists and operators get ample coverage (60 modelling physical, biological, and so Thinking About Objects and 40 pages, respectively). cial systems. Dynamics has exploded That goes double for Bruce Eckel's C and Pascal programmers who into a great hope for unifying the second book, Using C++. It's the best in want to understand objects will find sciences. If the beauty of fractals or the depth study of object-oriented program much to learn from Bruce. You real philosophical implications of chaos has ming I've seen. In fact, I'm not even world folk won't be disappointed either. tweaked your' curiosity, and you want using it to learn more about C++. I'm He spends 26 pages developing a clock to get a' quick background in dynamiCS, using it to better understand Turbo Pas based event controller, which you can I enthusiastically recommend Aerial's cal 5.5 (the object-oriented version), use as a model for your own object Visual Mathematics Library. which luse to model dynamic systems oriented control systems. The four-volume set, Geometry Of Be (see ~'Tidbits," this issue). Eckel, Bruce, 1989: Using C++; havior, by mathematician Ralph Bruce has been ''building systems Osbourne-McGraw Hill; Berkeley, CA. Abraham and illustrator Christopher out of objects" for some time and uses • • • 96 MICRO CORNUCOPIA, #50, Nov-Dec, 1989 ------~~.,-~-,--~~,--~----, SUPER 80386 25 with 4MB RAM and Rotary Voice Coil Hard Drive This machine features an 80386 CPU running at Display Color Graphics 25 Mhz on a full size motherboard. For extra quality and reliability we've included a 45MB on a monochrome monitor! 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We will also cus tomize any of our designs to better meet your needs on our in-house CAD systems. All of our standard products are available in private label versi ons. About PC Tech PC Tech has been designing, manufacturing and marketing high performance PC re lated products for over three years. Our standard product line includes processor, memory, and video products. All products are designed , manufactured and sup ported in our Lake City, Minnesota facilities. Designed, Sold and Serviced By: High resolution fractal produced on the PC Tech COLOR 34010 907 N. 6th St., Lake City, MN 55041 (612) 345-4555 • (612) 345-5514 (FAX) Reader Service Number 3 PC, XT, AT, oolS, Hercules, and Award BIOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.