Pet Pointers

RANDOM REMARKS Concerning RND(X): Memory locations 218-222 store previous random number, in usual PET notation: R = ((((PEEK(222)/256 + PEEK) (221))/256 + PEEK(220))/256 + PEEK(219))/256 + .5)*2t (PEEK(218)— 128) To “randomize,” try a statement like “X=RND(—TI).” Don’t use the re SPOT sulting X, but call RND(l) thereafter. The Society of PET Owners and Trainers (RND(negative # ) fills memory loca tions 218-222 with a scrambled-bytes version of the argument.) Mark Zimmermann Pasadena, CA PET VANCOUVER PETS The Vancouver PET Users Group recently POINTERS held their second meeting. The success of the PET has caught us all by surprise. The attendance at our second meeting • • • was over double the first, with some 40 owners and 15 PETs. The Commodore PET LISTING CONVENTIONS dealers indicate that there are many more PETters who are not aware of our group. PET Program listings in People’s Com Interested persons should phone Rick puters employ the following conventionsLeon at: (home: (604) 734-2060); to represent characters that are difficult (work: (604) 324-0505). They can also to print on a standard printer: Whenever write to: square brackets appear in the listing, neither the brackets nor the text they Vancouver PET Users Group enclose should be typed literally. Instead, Box 35353 Station E the text between the brackets should be Vancouver, BC translated to keystrokes. For example, Canada [CLR] means type the CLR key, [3 DOWN] means [DOWN, DOWN, DOWN] The club format includes a short presen i.e., press the first CRSR key three times. tation by a PET owner on programming on PET hardware, news from Commo • • dore and other sources. Followed by PET Patter and program swapping. TAPE TIP PROGRAM TAPE SEARCH I recently bought tapes and was able to load only one side of each tape. I I use an external cassette recorder with couldn’t load the other side and was my PET, and I have 10 seconds between ready to mail them back until I tried this: programs on a tape (recorded at zero Commodore's PET is a factory assembled I placed a small piece of cloth (about volume). This makes it possible to locate personal computer based on a 3/8”6502 by 2”) under the cassette and any program using a SHARP RP 1155 microprocessor. The $795 system inforced the lid to close. Then they both Deck with Automatic Program Search cludes a keyboard, cassette tape unit, loaded O.K. Maybe I aligned the tape System (APSS). On fast forward or built- in TV screen, some graphics, upper and tape head by doing this? R.L. Mc- rewind it will stop at the first blank in and lower case, and extended 8K BASIC\ Arthy, San Clemente, CA. the tape. Great for verifying and locating and 8K o f user memory. Each bimonthly programs. issue o f People’s Computerssince the Who knows. .. but it certainly sounds September-October 1977 issue has inworth passing on the information. ThanksJack Clark cluded an article on the PET. for the tip. -Ed. Oxon Hill, MD 48 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS points if you consider the more negative pressed, it will put a 255 (or FF PET PAWS features of its keyboard design. Obvious hex, or the Pi character) in location ly this keyboard is best suited for young 515 (or 0203 hex). If a key had users with small hands. It is apparent that been depressed, a simple contact many adult users would prefer a larger, was made from one of the ten more standard size keyboard to work strobe lines to one of the 8 return with, especially when they want to enter lines. The BASIC would then have a lot of text, graphics, or data. It is partic inserted a value in location 515 ularly true that when the PET is used for which was equivalent to the sum of business applications, often requiring the decimal numbers in the corre large amounts of data processing (number sponding row and column (as in crunching), the present PET keyboard is dicated in the first diagram to fol not so well suited for rapid data entry low). in volume. The KYBD plug/receptable on So, we must conclude that for some the mother board (inside the purposes the PET needs a new set of PET) has numbered strobe lines “paws.” And for those SPOT readers and lettered return lines. If you who may be interested in checking out arrange your add-on keyboard KEYBOARD HOOKUP the following reprint of an article on this strobe line connections according topic, here is a solution to this problem: to the pattern in the second dia In a recent SPOT column we learned that gram to follow, so that they make our PETs can be trained to speak (via “So you don’t like the KYBD contact with the return lines hard copy printout) using a Diablo that comes with your PET?!!! Well (indicated by the lettered groupings Printer and a PET ADA interface (see the it has proven to be a snap to add on over the diagram in figure 1), article on “PETting a Diablo,” Jul-Aug of your own KYBD . and I do mean then you can connect your eight PC, p.47). Well, now it is also possible add on, not replace! een lines to the existing KYBD to produce, if you will, a new set of Since encoding the KYBD in plug (in parallel) and still retain “paws” for our PETs. (“Paws” in the formation for the PET is done by the graphics keypad on the PET!!!! sense of a new kind of keyboard for the the BASIC under the 60-cycle PET... or, another “set of fingers,” a interrupt, there is only one of ten As an example: a #4 strobe new “hand,” so to speak). I am alluding, lines strobed out to the existing line connected to, and returned of course, to the possibility of wiring up KYBD (10 by 8) matrix at a time. by an “E” line will print the another, more standard kind of keyboard The BASIC then looks to see if character “P”.” to the PET-one which will work in paral there is a return of this strobe on lel with the existing PET keyboard. any of the eight returning lines This excerpt was from an article orig from the matrix, caused by a inally printed in the “PET User’s Group depressed key. If there is no return Newsletter” (volume 0, no. 1), published As Ludwig Braun pointed out in a recent of the strobe, the BASIC chooses by Pete Rowe, for the PET Computer review of the PET which appeared in another of the ten lines to strobe Project, Lawrence Hall of Science, Creative Computing (see page 24, July/ until it has gone through the full ten, Berkeley, and was written by Neil Bussey August issue), the PET does lose some when, if there have been no keys and Richard Tobey. Columns by alphabetic groupings Rows ~ \ r E rm] INST 64 fBl fO1 rm rsn* r*n P-n faTI m n # $ % l&j \ ( ) DEL 1 2 1 2 ' □ ' B 1 e ’ D □ h a □ □ 7T 48 3 4 3 4 10 : n w E R T Y u i 0 P , 4 , Strobe Rows a ’ D ' ' CD ' ’ B rw] □ □ R 32 f * E 5 ^ 6^ ^ 5 ^ 6 (connected (U s D UJ G H J K L T U in even /odd R 16 m p n rw\fin rai fTsT fa] n n fan ffl 7 8 7 8 alternating z X , c , V B N M ? N order) ' OFF ' RUN 0 SHIFT RVS B SB OD SPACE a SHIFT B 53 G9 a 9 10 9 10 ON J I® J [ 13 < > (STOP) 16 8 15 7 14 6 13 5 12 4 11 (3) 10 Return lines are indicated by the alphabet in 8,coJumns A thru H. Figure 1 Figure 2 NOV-DEC 49 In my experience, it was a little bit more than “a snap” to add on my own key board to the PET! However, I can now say that all my effort was really worth it, because now that I have another key board to use with my PET it is really easy to sit down in a comfortable chair and enter in long passages of text or a great many data statements! With a larger size, typewriter-like keyboard, it would be quite easy to type in text at 60+ wpm speed (with the aid of a mini-word pro cessing software system). If you are able to wire in a 3-foot long ribbon cable from the keyboard to the PET, then you could conveniently place the PET on a table top and still sit nearby in a com fortable chair with the new keyboard resting on your lap. Now isn’t that a neat way to make home computing fun and comfy?!! CONLEY VS. COMMODORE than the 8 -page throwaway that came with the computer. Itwas on shiny paper, For those of you who might be inThanks for the copy of People’s Com though). terested in tackling this project of adding puters. (I guess my subscription has on another keyboard to your PET, you expired—just can’t figure out the Greek The ROM wouldn’t fit!!! $(®#%<t# can write to me at the address given on your mailing labels.) Thought I’d %$*&!! It seems that the older mach below for more details. It will not be a let you know what happened on that ines (I don’t think she read my first letter very expensive project, as the keyboard Commodore/PET problem we were hav either!) use a 24 DIP ROM and she sent alone only costs about $30.00.

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