Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!XEROX.COM!"Hugh_E._Wells.ElSegundo"
From: "Hugh_E._Wells.ElSegundo"@XEROX.COM
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Info-Atari8 Digest V88 #21
Message-ID: <880224-080353-2551@Xerox>
Date: 24 Feb 88 16:00:28 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 25

2/24/88

Subject:  Linking and controlling with Atari computers

1.  Linking two computers through the 850 RS-232 ports is the most common
technique.  The running of Battleship games is a natural for link.  Any of the
common modem programs are used to provide the control link.  When using the
RS-232 ports connected directly, it will be necessary to interchange two leads
(the name of the leads escape me at the moment) so that the two machines will
operate (receive/transmit) alternately instead of simultaneously.  The concept
is exactly the same as using two modems through a phone line as far as the
computers are concerned.

2. Controlling things with the Atari computer through the game ports is limited
only by ones imagination.  The ports support both I/O operations, and hardware
wise, it is only necessary to buffer the signals to prevent excessive loading on
the driver chips and internal power 
of digital I/O, and one analog input sense only.  Two ports will double the
bits, etc.  A driver program will have to be tailored for the control actions
(I/O) desired.  As an example, the Atari works great as a weather station
monitor where the digital I/O is used for wind direction position indicating,
and the analog input is used for wind speed and/or temperature input.  

Happy computing,

Hugh Wells