Date   : Fri, 03 Apr 1998 08:39:06 +0100
From   : Mike Tomlinson <jasper@...>
Subject: Re: First timer without a disk drive.

In article <3.0.1.32.19980403134741.00b76e60@...>,
David Smith <dcs@...> writes

>Yesterday I programmed a 16K eprom with the Watford 1.44 DFS
>image from the most-comprehensive "BBC Lives" ROM archive.
>
>Plugged it in last night - result:
>   - it displays the Watford 1.44 logo, 
>     no cursor and the machine beeps long and hard.  

You have no disc hardware, or disc hardware incompatible with the
Watford rom.

>   Strangely, I can go "Caps+Break" (not "Ctrl") and the
>   "Watford 1.44" line disappears and Basic comes up and I
>   can type things in.  (Beeping stops too).

Pressing any key other than Ctrl, D or W together with Break causes the
DFS to disable itself. (W only applies to the Watford DFS)

>   And typing 
>   > *disc 
>   causes the machine to hang, as if it's waiting for something.

If you do this after pressing Caps+Break above, you should hear a click
and see the "cassette motor" LED come on.  The machine is trying to load
and excecute a machine code program called 'disc' from tape.

>A friend has let me have his 3.5" (MITSUMI) internal disk drive,
>which I'll maybe try plug in tonight - however I'm beginning to
>think I'm seriously deluded if I think its just going to work...

If this is from a PC, some do, some don't.  You will need to figure out
the drive select jumpers and select it as drive 0.  PC drives come
preconfigured as drive 1.

>My question is - am I missing something important? 

Yes...  disc hardware, namely the 8271 chip and various support
components.  The 8271 was obsoleted by Intel even when the BBC came out,
so you will have a job finding one now.

In the UK, second hand Beebs seem to go for a fiver in poor condition/a
tenner in OK condition.  You'd be better off looking for another used
one which has a DFS and disc hardware and keeping your present one for
spares.  I believe the Beeb was popular in Oz/NZ so you shouldn't have
too much trouble finding one.

Or use an emulator! - pcBBC is very good, as is BeebEm.


-- 
Mike Tomlinson
"Watch me not care."  - Dogbert