ii[i: lorn hardware conversion Vinters: a layman's guide Micros and matlis Atom with BBC Basic Beeb sound the C mic ' mputers veri mes T^yT- jS Sb- ^- CONTENTS ACORN USER MARCH 1983, NUMBER EIGHT Editor 3 News 67 Atom analogue converter Tony Quinn 4 Caption competition Circuitry and software by Paul Beverley Editorial Assistant 71 BBC Basic board Milne 8 BBC update Kitty Barry Pickles provides a way round David Allen describes some Managing Editor some of its limitations Jane Fransella spin-offs from the TV series Competition Production 11 Chess: the big review 75 Simon Dally offers software for Peter Ansell John Vaux compares three programs TinaTeare solving his puzzler with a dedicated machine Marketing Manager 15 Beeb forum 79 Book reviews Paul Thompson Assembly language and Pascal Ian Birnbaum on programming Promotion Manager among this month's offerings Pal Bitton 19 Musical synthesis 83 Printers for beginners Publisher Jim McGregor and Alan Watt assess First part of this layman's guide Stanley Malcolm the Beeb's potential by George Hill Designers and Typesetters 27 DIYIightpen GMGraphics, Harrow Hill 89 Back issues and subscriptions Joe Telford shows you how in a Graphic Designer to get the ones you missed, and hardware session of Hints and Tips How Phil Kanssen those you don't want to miss in Great Britain 33 Lightpen OXO Printed 91 Letters by ET.Heron & Co. Ltd Software from Joe Telford Readers' queries and comments on Advertising Agents Lightpen multiple choice 39 everything from discs to EPROMs Computer Marketplace Ltd 41 BBC assembler 20 Orange Street 95 Official dealer list London WC2H 7ED Tony Shaw and John Ferguson Where to go for the upgrades 01-930 1612 addressing tackle indirect and support Distributed to News Trade the 45 Micros in primary schools by Magnum Distribulion Ltd. is put under scrutiny 72-8 Fleet Street, Maths London EC4Y 1 HY. 51 Software review Tel: 01-583 0961 Three educational packages Telex: 893340 Magnum G. worthy of consideration Published by Addison-Wesley Publishers Ltd. 53 Microprimer review 53 Bedtord Square, How good is the MEP's package? London WC1 B 3DZ Heather Govier finds out Telephone; 01-631 1636 Telex: 881 1948 57 Software review ISSN: 20M7002 7 Eight packs for the Beeb ^Addison-Wesley 63 User groups Publishers Ltd 1983 64 Atom ROM review Bruce Smith gives his opinion of the Ross toolkit Cover design by Mike Milne Subscription Information For UK Subscriptions, send your cheque or postal order How to submit articles made payable to Addison- You are welcome to submit articles to the Editor of Acorn Userior publication. Acorn User Wesley Publishers Ltd to: cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped addressed envelope is enclosed. Acorn User FREEPOST Articles should be typed or computer written. Black and white photographs or trans- BKT (Subscription Services) Ltd parencies are also appreciated. If submitting programs please send a cassette or disc. Douglas Road, Payment is £50 per page or pro rata. Please indicate if you have submitted your article Tonbridge reviews and information to: The Editor, Acorn User, 53 Bedford Kent TN9 2TS elsewhere. Send articles, England Square, London WC1 B 3DZ. Tei: (0732) 351216 Telex: 95573 Coming soon in Acorn User: • Games listings • Language ROMs for the Beeb • Software reviews • • Programming in primary scfiools • Discs tested • Musical micros • Graphics Annual subscription rates • Atom EPROM blower • Printer guide • UK £15 permission otlhe publisher. The publisher Europe £18 All righls reserved. No pari ol Ihis publication may be reproduced without prior writlen £20 cannot accepi any responsibility tor errors in articles, programs or advertisements published. The opinions expressed on the Middle East publisher, Lid, or pages ol itiis journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those ol the Acorn Computers Africa The Americas and £22 Acornsotl Ltd, Rest of me World £24 Acorn, Acomsofl: and the Acorn symbol are the registered trademarks ol Acorn Computers Ltd and Acornsofr Ltd Official 13[DB Dealer BBC DISC SYSTEM /Z700 Disc Interface inc. 1 .0 operating System £95 Installation £20 Model B £399 BBC Single Drive (100K) ipriceincludes VAT. Can. extra£8l £230 + £6 Carr Complete Upgrade Kit E50 BBC Dual Drive (BOOK) Installation £15 £POA Individual Components also A wide range ot "Software from Acorn, available. BBC and others for education and fun in slock. Ait mating connectors with cables in stock. *^ 'VIEW BBC Word Processor ROM BOOKS Basic Programming on BBC £5.95 Teletext Adaptor 30 HR Basic (NEC) £5.95 Let your BBC teach you to Program £6.95 2nd Processor (6502) + 64K RAM £170 BBC Micro Revealed £7.95 Assy. Lang. Program on BBC £8.95 2nd Processor (Z80) + 64K RAM £170 Program the 6502 £10.75 6502 Games £10.75 Phase Phone to Check Delivery Details on New Add-ons 6502 Software Design £10.50 INo VAT on Books - El p&p/book) WIDE RANGE OF SOFTWARE HELD IN STOCK For Full Details of Add-ons for BBC SEND or PHONE FOR OUR BBC LEAFLET Send for our Leaflet BBC COMPATIBLE BVa" DISC DRIVES DISKETTES These are TEAC mechanism fully compatible with BBC. They are in packs of 10 supplied with independent power supply and housed in BBC Single Sided 40 tracks £15 matching cabinet. Single Sided 80 tracks £24 SINGLE DRIVES: 100KE180 200KE255 400KE345 Double Sided 80 tracks £32 DUALDRIVE: 200K£36a 400KE480 800KE610 p&pC2/pack Carr- C6/Single drive t8/Dual drive, DisC Cable: Single £8 Dual£12 PRINTERS NECPC8023BEC EPSONMX80&100F/T3 SEIKOSHAGP100A • 80 Cols. 100 CPS • Proportional • MX80: 80 Cols. 80 CPS • MX100: 136 • 80 Cols. 30 CPS • Self Testing • Hi-Res Spacing • Hi-Res & Block Graphics Cols. TOO CPS • Bit Image Printing Graphics • Standard & Double width • Bi-directional Logic Seeking • Forward • Hi-Res Graphics • Bi Directional Logic characters only & Reverse Line Feed • International & Seeking* International Characters £185 + £6 Carr. Greek Alphabet • Auto underline • 32 Print FONTS • Auto underline • Super & Sub Scripts • 2K Built-in • Super & Sub Scripts buffer MX80 F/T3 £325 + £8 Carr. £320 + £8 Carr MX100 F/TE425 + £10 Carr. Please send SAE for our detailed price list of electronic and computer components MONITORS Kaga 12" Colour Monitor RGB Ferguson Cassette Recorder £250 + £8 Carr. £26 + £1.50 Carr. Microvitec 1431 14" Colour Monitor Kaga 12" Antiglare Green Monitor Cassette Leads £269 + £8 Carr. £107 + £6 Carr. 7 pin DIN 3 jacks £3.50 Microvitec 2031 20" Colour Monitor Hi-Res 12" Green Screen Antiglare 7 pin DIN pin DIN + jack £4.00 £389 + £8 Carr. Monitor £99 + £6 Carr. it We carry a wide range of connectors and assemblies. Microprocessors, RAMs, EPROMs, Crystals, etc. Price Lists, Leaflets available on request. Large stocks enable same day despatch on most orders. Special pricing for dealers purchasing in quantity. PLEASE ADD 40p p&p & 15% VAT Technomatic Ltd (Export: no VAT. p&p ! Cost) Government Colleges etc. welcome. MAIL ORDERS TO: 17 BURNLEY ROAD, LONDON NWIO lED Orders from Depts. & SHOPS AT: 17 BURNLEY ROAD. LONDON NWIO Detailed Price List on request, - (Tel: 01-452 1500, 01-4506597. Telex: 922800) ^ Siock items arc normally by return of post. 305 EDGWARE ROAD, LONDON W2 ACOHN USER MARCH NEWS Second processor timings BENCHMARK timings from Acorn for the BBC micro with a 6502 second processor Source of comparative timings and the benchmarks them- take the machine from third to selves is Microprocessors and IVIicrosystems (October 1 978 vol2 with first place in the top ten speed no5) an update from Personal Computer World ratings for micros. (October 1981). The benchmarks are listed in order accord- ing to benchmark 7, According to October's the Olivetti M20 was PCW, 7+8 top in ail the machines they reviewed. The BBC micro came third, with the DAI 3MHz BBC in 6502 0.42 1.73 4.95 5,25 5.51 8.46 13,18 3.08 16.26 second. Second Processor 2MHzBBC 0.61 2.6 7.43 7,88 8,27 12,69 19.77 4.62 24.39 Even more interesting is a price comparison. The DA! 1 MHz Atom Basic 0.50 5,07 9.49 10.8 13.85 19,14 31.06 is no longer sold in Britain, 4MHz 380Z TDL 1.4 6,5 13,2 13-9 15.0 22,3 31.6 6.2 37-8 the Olivetti costs over 4MHz Osbourne 1 1,4 4.4 11,7 11,6 12.3 21,9 34.9 6,1 41.0 the with £2000,. and Beeb 4.77MHz 8088 IBM 1.5 5.2 12.1 12.6 13.6 23,5 37.4 3,5 40.9 the 6502 second processor 1MHz BBC in ATOM 1.21 5.20 14,86 15,75 16.53 25,39 39.54 9,24 48.78 about eeoo. Vic20 1.4 8.3 15.5 17.1 18.3 27,2 42.7 9.9 53.6 The second processor Applesoft 1.3 8,5 16.0 17.8 19,1 28,6 44.8 10,7 55.5 uses the same eight-bit chip Pet2001 1.7 9,9 18,4 20.4 21-7 32,5 50,9 12.3 63.2 as the Beeb - a 6502 micro- 1 MHz 6809 TRSCOL 2.0 11.3 22.2 23.9 27.0 41.5 61.1 13,0 74.1 processor. It is this which performs all the calculations ZX81 fast mode 4.5 6.9 16.4 15.8 18,6 49,7 68.5 22,9 91.4 within the machine. ZX Spectrum 4.8 8.7 21.1 20-4 24,0 55,3 80.7 25.3 111.0 As well as increasing the ZX81 slow mode 17.7 27.2 65.3 63.0 74,2 199,3 275.6 91.6 367,2 machine's speed by about •Olivetti Iwl20 1.3 4.0 8,1 8,5 9.6 17,4 26.7 1.6 half, the second processor BBC 1.0 3.1 8,2 8.7 9.1 13,9 21.4 5,1 means an extra 64k of RAM can be used.