Date   : Fri, 03 Apr 1998 08:42:39 GMT
From   : Chris Thornley <osu036@...>
Subject: Re: First timer without a disk drive.

the majour mising componient is a disk controller i.e a 8271 or a wd1770
seris chip + associated 
componiets. 8271 is more compatible but hard to resouce.



On Fri, 03 Apr 1998 13:47:41 +1000 David Smith wrote:

> From: David Smith <dcs@...>
> Date: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 13:47:41 +1000
> Subject: [BeebEmul8] First timer without a disk drive.
> To: Beeb Emulators <beeb-emulators@...>
> 
> Greetings everyone,
> 
> This is my first email to this list - and what a great 
> subject.
> 
> 3 cheers for Robert Schmidt's awesome BBC Lives site!
> And 3 cheers for Mark Usher's awesome efforts with the
> BBCUG (plus other assorted manuals)!
> 
> I've had the opportunity of rescuing an old Beeb
> from the scrapyard !! I hadn't seen one since I
> was 16 in 1986.  [We had ours for four glorious years,
> till my older brother sold it :-(  ]
> 
> [The problem]
> Enough reminiscing.  I have a problem, that I'm wondering
> if any of you might be able to help me with - you see this
> machine never had a disk drive (...aaargh) and I'm not 
> exactly sure what I need or if it is at all possible to
> attach one.
> 
> 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.  
> 
>    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).
>    Page is now correctly at &1900.  Weird - I don't ever 
>    remember reading about a "Caps+Break" option.
> 
>    And typing 
>    > *disc 
>    causes the machine to hang, as if it's waiting for something.
> 
> 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...
> 
> My question is - am I missing something important? 
> Something so hard to get I may as well go back to 
> using my trusty beeb emulator, hand back the 3.5" and just
> buy myself a cassette recorder like it says in the user guide?
> 
> I'll understand if that's the case.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> David.
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Canon Information Systems Research Australia  Telephone: +61-2-9805-2845
> 1 Thomas Holt Drive, North Ryde, NSW 2113.          Fax: +61-2-9805-2929

               />      Christopher J. Thornley is OSU036@...
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