Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!bbn!bbn.com!tluteran From: tluteran@bbn.com (Thomas Luteran) Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops Subject: Re: Seiko RC1000 Wrist Terminal (+ watch) Message-ID: <54257@bbn.COM> Date: 29 Mar 90 18:28:26 GMT References: <54152@bbn.COM> <1990Mar28.182248.23185@cs.dal.ca> Sender: news@bbn.COM Reply-To: tluteran@spca.bbn.com (Thomas Luteran) Distribution: na Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA Lines: 71 In article <1990Mar28.182248.23185@cs.dal.ca> bill@biomel.UUCP writes: > >I bought and liked one too, but then I bought a Casio 7500 which I much >prefer. It is however convenient to have the info on your wrist, the >tradeoff is the greater functionality and clarity of the organizer vs. >the small size and portability of the Seiko. > I agree; again, it doesn't cost a lot of money. I still plan on getting one of the organizers for all of the reasons Bill mentions. >> Once you 've set up your pages on the PC you download to the watch by >>putting it into receive mode (TERMINAL, then LOCK buttons). > >I've had lots of trouble with the connector on mine and usually have to >try the download about a dozen times. Keep in mind that you HAVE to use >the PC to load the Seiko -- you cannot program it on the fly. With my >Casio I can enter new telephone numbers at any time, but with the Seiko >I have to use a PC and have the software and cable with me. My cable works okay, first time out. > >There was another comment about the protocol in use -- the Seiko >software is written in BASIC, so you have the source code. It runs fine >with GWBASIC, but not with QuickBasic. > The BASIC program that is included is just a loader program that peeks and pokes some assembly (machine?) language code into the PC - you can't (at least I can't) read this directly to determine the protocol. My idea is to figure the protocol out by connecting a terminal to the PC serial port instead of the watch and watching (sorry!) what comes down the line when the PC is downloading. Then I can write a C program that I can run on my UNIX system at work that will operate in a similar manner. Another thing I am wondering about :-) is whether or not you can address the individual pixels on the display or not - maybe it has some format for loading a raster image??? - instead of just downloading characters into one of the memo pages. Each character is 7 pixels high by 5 pixels wide, but the characters are separated by about 1 pixel of blank space on a single line and by two pixels between the two lines: xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx I guess I need to get the Technical Reference Manual (Programmer's Guide?) from Seiko :-). Tom Luteran BBN Software Products Corporation Cambridge, MA