\.. ZY-1000 MZ-5600 ~:,\',\ : ·::1. ~~ MZ-700 PC-3000 'NO'VEMBER ~Ol4 Volume 34 Number 2 SHARP USERS CLUB VOLUME 34 NUMBER 2 MAGAZINE November 2014 MAIN EDITORIAL (M.Hawes) ....... .. .. .... ... .... ... .. ...... 2 CLUB NEWS & COMMITTEE ADDRESSES 3 Original Sharp Manuals for Sale (M. Hawes) ................. .. 4 Items Wanted (M. Hawes) ... 4 "From Bedrooms to Billions" (M. Smith) .. ....... 5 MZ-80 Nostalgia: Early MZ-80 Software Part 1 (J. Venor) . 6 "I Ching" ................................................. 7 MZ-80K "Melody"; MZ-80B "Player" . .. .................... 8 MZ-80K "Card Sharp" & "Demen at the Wheel" .................. 9 "Mystery at the Hause of Treasure" & "Sharp Hints" . ......... 10 "Sketchpad", "Breakout" & "Pascal Functions" ............. .. 10 "Coup D'etat" ... ... ..... ... .......... .. .. .. .. 11 "The Valley" . 13 John's Holiday in Weymouth, October 2014 (J.E . /M.H.) ........ 15 Expanding Boundaries of BOA Graphics (Pt 2) (B . Donnachie) ... 16 Switching the Display Off During a Frame ................. 16 Double Buffer Horizontal Split ... ... .. .. ... ..... .. ... .. .. 18 MZ-700 Section Editorial/MZ Web Links (P. Trainer) 21 MZ Items offered/sold on E-Bay .... .. 22 News from the Czech Republic- by Martin Lukasec ............. 23 MZ-800 NOBOMI Unicard Mk3b . ... ... .. .. .. ...... ...... ... 23 MZ-700 NOBOMI Unicard Mk3c .... ... .... .. ...... .. ..... .. 24 MZVGA-VGA output for SHARP MZ-800(& MZ-700/MZ-3500) .. ....... 25 David Luftner's internal VGA output for MZ-800 .. ... .... .. .. 25 STMZ800: Tiny (67x66x28 mm) SHARP MZ-800 Emulator ........... 25 MZJOY: Connect Sharp/Atari joystickstoamodern PC ......... 25 2Mb MZ-800 RAM/ROM disk with battery backup ................ 25 QD I/F MZ-1El9 and MZ-lFll drive electronics replica . .. ... 25 MZ-1Rl8 64kB SHARP RAM File Board replica . 25 MZ-1E24 RS-232C for MZ80B, MZ-700 & MZ-800 replica ......... 26 MZ-1E05 FloppyDisk Controller for MZ-700/800 replica ... .. 26 PC Covox audio i/fand MOD player for Sharp MZ-800 . ... ... 26 ROM Card for SHARP MZ-800 replica ....... ...... ...... ... 26 PEZIK 512kB RAM disk (no batt bkup) for MZ-800 replica ... ... 26 VCTM1 Battery backed-up RAM disk for MZ-800 replica ......... 26 KBD adapter (PS/2 keyboard to SHARP MZ-3500) ...... .. ... ..... 26 Q's about SUC & other projects in the 90's (M . Lukasec) . ... 27 Same Answers to the Above Questions (M. Hawes) . 28 COPYRIGHT (C) 2014 BY THE SHARP USERS' CLUB, HENLEY-ON-THAMES, OXON. U.K . - J - Sharp Users Club Volume 34 Number 2 Editori al 6 BelleVue tel: 01305 783518 The Esplanade e-mail : [email protected] Weymouth Dorset DT4 8DR 24 November 2014 Voila! (as they say in France). Hereis Vol. 34 No. 2 ofthe Sharp User Club Magazine. , A bit late out of the blocks again, due mainly to 4 queries from a !arge group of Sharp enthusiasts in the Czech Republic that required a Iot of research in our archives. ln fact, the e-mail that contained those queries also carried a long Iist of Sharp MZ- hardware add-ons that have been produced by various members of this Czech group. This amazing Iist appears on pages 23-26 of this issue and is quite mouth­ watering, especially for those members of the SUC who use the MZ-700 or the MZ-800. And who would have thought that it would ever become possible to buy a high-quality replica ofthe MZ-1 E05 Floppy-Disk Card for the MZ-700/800 (which, l am sure, could also be used, after only very minor modifications, on the MZ-80A or the MZ-80B). The Czech queries appear on page 27 of th is issue, and are answered, as far as we are currently able, on page 28. These answers required a Iot of delving into our archives, and this process has led me to conclude that, for the record, we should perhaps publish a booklet giving full details of ALL the 'hardware kits ' that we ever produced, plus details of any special software that we wrote to go with them. The 'Czech Saga' forms the technical backbone ofthis issue. But we also have 2 very nostalgic contributions from Mike Smith and Joe Venor; a very interesting article from Ben Donnachie on MZ-80A Graphics; the usual bit by Paul Trainer on MZ material on the Web and MZ machines on Ebay; and a 'Sales' pageaffering a collection of virtually 'as new ' Sharp MZ-Manuals, all salvaged from oblivion by Mike Mallett. Plus some tips from John Edwards, re USB hubs and column formats in MS-Word. All in all, for a one-make computer club that started in 1980 and still going strong, a pretty remarkable issue, with a very wide spread of interest, and hardly anything written by yours truly. Long may this trend continue!! Piease remember to pay your Subscription for 2015, using the pull-out form at the centre ofthis issue. DO IT NOW, don 't wait till the New Year and then forget it!!! Happy Christmas, and a Good New Year! * Vol.35 No.l will appear in Spring 2015, deadline circa 3 1/03/2015 * - 2 - Sharp Users Club General Section CLUB NEWS Nov 2014 MZ-80B Librarian *****NOTE NEW ADDRESS & TELEPHONE NUMBER! I Steve Bass, I Downlands Close, Nyetimber, Bognor Regis, W. Sussex, P021 3QA •' Telephone 01243 267548; e-mail: [email protected] / Treasurer/ Record~llolder ~" )'(~·i (\ ,{ I John Duxbury, 52 KenCial Str et, Barrow-i urness, Cumbria LA 14 5HH Telephone 01229 813578 · -mail: sharp.u [email protected] ' '-/ Hardware Consultant John Edwards, Oaken Piggeries, Holyhead Road, Codsall, Nr.W'hampton WV8 2HX J Telephone 01902 845273 ; e-mail : john _ edwards.suc@tiscali .co.uk P.S. John is often busy in bis garden; ifhe don't answer, LEAVE A MESSAGE!! Secretary Andrew Ferguson, II Harcourt Close, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 I UZ ~ I Telephone 01491 574850 Chief Editor and MZ-80K Librarian Maurice Hawes, 6 BelleVue, The Esplanade, Weymouth, Darset DT4 8DR I Telephone 01305 783518 ; e-mail : [email protected] Advisor for PC and Handheld Section (Web-Based only) .j Mike Mallett, 4 Kilburn Close, Calcot, Reading, RG31 7DH ***** NEW ADDRESS! Telephone 0118 9615019; e-mail : [email protected] Curator ofSUC Website Mike Smith { Address ofSUC Website is now ........... www.sharpusersclub.org Mike Smith 's personal address is now .. ..mike.smith @sharpusersclub.org MZ- 700/800 Editor and Librarian j Paul Trainer, I Elmete Walk, Roundhay, Leeds LS8 2LB Telephone 0113 2958192; e-mail : [email protected] MZ-80A Librarian ./ Dr Joseph Venor, 16 Church Road, Wootton, Beds, MK43 9EU Telephone 0 1234 766703 ; e-mail: joe_ [email protected] SOME BACK ISSU ES OF TI-JIS MAGAZfN E ARE STILL AV AILABL E AND WE NOW HAVE A FEW PACKS OF 'FONTWRITER' RißBONS (see Val. 32 No. I p. 15) FOR FU RTHER DETAI LS PL EAS E RIN G 01305 783518 - 3 - Sharp Users Club General Section Manuals for Sale/ltems Wanted Original Sharp Manuals for Sale- by Maurice Hawes Mike Mallett recently sent me a Iarge box full of Sharp Manuals. A few were new to me, and I am keeping those for the SUC Reference Library. But most ofthem were duplicates of Manuals that I already had, and I can offer these to SUC members, at give-away prices that include p. & p., as shown below (all except the first Manual in the Iist in virtually 'as new' condition): MZ-80K BasicManual (SP-5025) (cover slightly soiled, A4+, 131 pp.) f5-00 MZ-80K Disk Basic Manual (SP-60 15) (hard cover, A4+, 182 pp.) f7-00 MZ-80A Disk Basic Manual (SA-651 0) (A4+, I 0 I pp.) f5-00 MZ-700 Owner's Manual (MZ-IZ013B) (A4, 304 pp.) f7-00 MZ-700 Disk Basic Manual (MZ-2Z009) (A5, II 0 pp.) f4-00 MZ-800 Disk Basic Manual (MZ-2Z046) (A5, 74pp.) f4-00 MZ-800 Personal CP/M Manual (MZ-2Z-047) (A4+, 400 pp. app.) f8-00 MZ-3500 Owner's Manual (A4+, 69 pp.) fS-00 MZ-3500 Basic Language Manual (MZ-2Z007) (A4+, 374 pp.) fS-00 MZ-3500 Basic Language Manual Appendix (MZ-2Z007) (A4+, 51 pp.) f5-00 MZ-3500 CP/M 2.2 Manual (A4 + Ring Binder, 265pp. inc. Master Disk) f 10-00 MZ-5500 Manuals (MS-DOS, CP/M-86 User Guide, CP/M-86 Manual) p. o. a. MZ-5600 Manuals (MS-DOS, CP/M-86 User Guide, CP/M-86 Manual) p. o. a. Piease make your cheque payable to 'Sharp Users Club' and sent it to my address in Weymouth (see page 3), together with a note giving your postal address. (N.B. If you can collect from Weymouth, the prices can be reduced very significantly.) ITEMS WANTED 1) A Sharp MZ-3500 Computer (preferably with the Main Unit and Keyboard in working order, but a working Monitor is not essential as we already have one.) 2) ANY software or documentation for the Sharp MZ-2500 - in particular, the Personal CP/M system, which we know existed, because they have Manual!! A reasonable price will be paid for any of the above items- please contact me at my address in Weymouth (for details, see page 3 of this Magazine) - 4 - Sharp Users Club General Section From Bedrooms to Billions From Bedrooms to Billions By Mike Smith, Curator of the Sharp Users Club Website During the summer I was lucky enough to see the first public screening of a film called "From Bedrooms to Billions", a documentary charting the rise and fall ofthe British computer gaming industry. The golden years were during the era ofthe MZ-80K, and whilst the 'K' was not a renowned gaming machine (except for Minotaur's Cave), I thought it might be useful to discuss the film in the hallowed pages ofthis Magazine.