Optron #43 10 апреля 2001

История

Pages of History - stories about how the Spectrum "Went to the people" ...

  From the Editor:

  In previous articles of this column, we
told you about the history of domestic Spectrum. At this time, 
you offered stories on how the Spectrum

"Went to the people" ...



   ... An example of a single user


  {} Taras Nikolaychuk, 2001


  First there was a desire ...

  Press at the time wrote a lot about the 8-bit computers of 
all kinds Microsha, BK'shkah and Radio 86. Returning from the 
army in his native Warsaw University of Technology, first thing 
I bought his programmable calculator MK-61.


  References in the stores lacked the points
application of forces - too (labarotornyh works
We had a lot of), and gradually began the development of 
computer technology. Subsequently, the lessons of the MC-61 I 
was very useful when master assembler. And since by nature I

zhelezyachnik more then a month through the commercials
half made epoxy casts of seals and
began to modernize its unfailing helper.

  The first thing I increased the clock frequency
- Even then there was the question of "turbirovanie"
(I hope, "smiley" set should not?). Then there were the keys 
miking and signal the end of the program. The last stage of 
building "computing power" has become a block External memory 
on tape. 

  Worked all fine, but once
on the radio market (if anyone remembers, he then
was about the circus) my friend and I bought a card
RC-86 and the main chip to it. Process
Start / Build stretched relatively long:
complete set of ICs have not been,
ROMs, and debug tests have to program manually by using a 
homemade programmer. Whatever it was, but some time later this 
miracle of engineering thought to work. And then came another

Hobbies - type of log Hexdump programs. And then they went and
own "pen test".

  At the department we have the cars were then
only dopotopye DZM with downloadable from the cassette BASIC. 
80% of time on labaratornyh was spent on manual collection of 
programs guesswork (the editor itself is not was) and, if lucky 
- at the very laboratory work. And here the assistance of RK-86 
has been invaluable - with permission from teaching program we 
did at home, and to the Institute to bear fruit. 

  It was way back in 1989, I studied
then on the faculty for electromechanical
specializing in electric and automation of industrial 
installations (CAP). 

  At all of our 12th hostel at that time
guys there was only one of Spectrum, but used it only as a toy, 
so we are happy owners of RC-86 (and in graphical mode did not 
work), first looked at sinkleristov slightly down.

But you will agree that to see "DIZZY" in color on "electronic" 
and stay at the same time completely indifferent to it was 
simply impossible. And nobody knows how much work still have We 
Kazakhstan, but in his heart has already occurred in the 
fracture favor of the Spectrum. Although it should be noted that

Some programs in BASIC (because of the high originality and 
use) were moved to Spectrum of Kazakhstan. This calculation of 
linear circuits and calculation of filters to block power, and 
the calculation of the transformer, and the program to select 
the solutions (to quote its author - someone Sergey - based on 
lectures Professor Polonnikova).


  Even then, Kazakhstan has been written for many
both system and game programs -
editors, assemblers, debuggers, muzredaktory and, of course, 
games. During those first, rather amusing toys, and we sat with 
rebatami from the hostel all night. PACMAN'a and skipjack I 
first I saw it on the RC-86.


  Upgrade did not go round and this car. First
ROM-disk with the firmware BASIC "Micron", then "musical CPU" - 
580VI53 and Finally, the last - fatal! - Lotion,

which killed and favorite computer -
programming ROM.

  After the tragic death of PC I
decided to collect the Spectrum - the market for selling 
printed circuit boards and chipsets. The work was conducted in 
parallel - in obshage and at work.


  At the Department of the CAP was a laboratory SRL-76
worked mainly on Azovstal -
galvanic decoupling unit with chains
6 kV, using optical fibers, non-contact position sensors 
rental, etc. 

  Since the extra money to anybody ever
interfered with, and I got a job in this laboratory, where he 
worked, mostly, installer of radio equipment. There I met with 
the talented circuitry Ivan Valer'yanovich Khodyrev - a 
research assistant at the time. I was always amazed that he

for an hour and a half painted shemku I
followed immediately her payal - and it worked
with virtually no cleanup. Once he
mentioned that he knew people who worked on
Spectrum in Lviv. Spectrum, he began to solder a little bit 
ahead of me, and from him I Owned learned why Savage is not 
Mouzon (shortening INT'a) and how we can make PN10 "Rewritable 
ROM (clean ROM then cost 25 rubles, and PN10 were NIL'e).


  Under the leadership of Khodyrev was embodied in
iron block sweeps of the oscilloscope, which allows you to 
connect to the last Spectrum as a monitor (so you can

was at work chasing the game and ROM "scorch").

  After starting the board the first time I trudged from 
graphics and HATE DIZZY, and music from SAVAGE-3 in general has 
been out of competition. 

  Then, in the Student Programme flourished "TV" business - 
build Electron and trade components. The case was serious, with 
blocks from the TV even went to Peter. It was then, before the 
first price rise Pavlovsky, and I've been in the cradle of the 
Russian Revolution. Purpose there was one - to buy a floppy 
drive (I knew about it only that it should be bilateral, 
80-track, and if possible, not domestic).


  Having spent all my savings, I became the owner of Bulgarian 
(still not home) ES5323. Absurdity of the situation was to that 
in Lviv on the floppy drive controller knew by hearsay, all 
information kept in the strictest secrecy, but the fees and 
schemes, and had nothing to say. And as soon as samples were 
first board of the Moscow controller, my humble student

Budget has suffered another loss.

  The board was assembled in record time, but
next to a standstill: the controller refused to format a floppy 
disk. What I it just did not do - all my efforts were

in vain ... up until a friend
on the great secret is not told me that
board computer, you must cut a
conductor. As it later turned out, it
a sample signal joystick ports. Difficult
imagine my joy in the opening minutes of the drive!

  The first time, all forces were hurled at
diskofitsirovanie favorite programs (on diskette
Games had not yet sold). It was then that I
and had to seriously sit down and assembler.

  Invaluable help in the Spectrum and
While studying: it all were counted
"Elbe", the system difuravneny to the diploma
project, etc. Only the absence of
printer can not use the Spectrum for the full program. "

  As expected, the development of the beloved offspring did not 
stop there. Gradually, the computer "overgrown": printer, 
muzprotsessor, PLL controller to drive 128'oy regime 
turbodrives drive heads, and much, much more ... 

  Already at the end of my studies at the Institute
(1992) I saw one day Khodyreva interesting controller, which he 
brought from Kiev. The controller was of CDOS

(Convoy Disk Operation Sistem), had 8K
ROM and 8K of RAM, so that when connecting to
computer, he did not pick up at any of the bytes.
The command system was similar to the system
OPUS, mnogokatalogovaya with labeling
bad sectors. With the help of Ivan Valer'yanovich bought this 
controller and I do. But soon began to appear a lot of programs 
under TRDOS and this had devaysa refuse.


  Remained unrealized two projects:
modem and mish.

  It was at this time must yield
the first issue of "ZX-Revue." Then
this edition has been above all praise,
because it is in some measure our quenched
hunger for information (I would even say -
vacuum). All rooms of this journal, including
"Dnipropetrovs'k", I keep to this day.
Contribution "Revyushki in the development of the Spectrum in
CIS can not be overstated: it is this
together disparate fans from all over
country, not let this movement alive and
follow the path of the other 8-bit machines
the name of which one no longer remembers. This is me
I say to you as a resident of "heartland" for which "Revyushka" 
was the only (and how!) source of information about the 
Spectrum. 

  So, in the "ZX-Revue" for 1992 was
published scheme of a modem and software
Polish author to support it. Scheme
I was repeated, but it contained several errors and, moreover, 
gave low (Well, really!) The reliability of communication. 
After the launch of the program iS-DOS MODEM I made a simple 
tape-modem's own Construction, which conducted experiments on 
the reliability of communication (even with Lviv, and I lived 
already in Nadvornaya). 

  "Split" the driver of the aforementioned program for CDOS, I 
defined the port addresses and after a while I got

own version of "Allegro". Its main
drawback was the lack of galvanic
interchanges with the telephone line. That's why, and
had contact with Moscow, and thence
book CDOS-modem.

  With the mouse obtained a similar story:
at first I did all the mechanics myself, not yet
found proprietary IBM-mish. After the publication of
in the "ZX-Revue" standard Kempston Mause I
"Bungled" the scheme of the controller and set to
"Myshefikatsiyu" ARTSTUDIO48, which in obschemto, happened. 
Where was I when know that the world exists such a program as 
ARTSTUDIO128, where it is already done? But as they say, all 
the better - As a result of their effort, I mastered the 
machine code and digital logic circuitry. 

  At the moment, to other devaysa I added SOUNDRIVE, 512K, HDD,
GENERALSOUND, turbo. Further development
stopped because of the limit load-carrying capacity of tires 
Z80. 

  The question may arise: why me
it is, and where this application?

  I will answer the points:

  1) I have a lot of work with texts in force
their work (here I am very handy
Winchester);

  2) Design Firmware (for example, various "begushek, as well as
Russification of printers);

  3) Work with graphics, often greater than
standard screen (PICASSO);

  4) How to book (for 6000 phone
rooms and somewhere on the same number of transistors);

  5) The calculation of the elementary circuits and 
transformers; 

  6) Means of communication (BBS) for znakomymyh spektrumistov.

  Here's a brief history of the Spectrum in a particular case, 
which I hope is not over yet!