Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!PENNDRLS.UPENN.EDU!GTHEALL From: GTHEALL@PENNDRLS.UPENN.EDU (George A. Theall) Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro Subject: Rainbow EchoMail Digest Message-ID: <8912281500.AA24223@remote.dccs.upenn.edu> Date: 28 Dec 89 14:59:00 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 196 Rainbow EchoMail Digest Dec 28, 1989 In this issue: IBM FORMATTING (2 messages) GRAPHICS ON A NON-LA50 PB (2 messages) Z80 TALKING TO BABY BLUE... Articles posted to either INFO-DEC-MICRO or comp.sys.dec.micro are currently gatewayed automatically to the Rainbow Echo on Fidonet; thus, you do not need to take any special action to respond to articles in these digests. Please send reports of problems or suggestions for improvement of this digest to GTHEALL@PENNDRLS.UPENN.EDU (ARPA Internet). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: 12-26-89 To: GEORGE THEALL Subject: IBM FORMATTING From: PAUL OLSON George, In reply to the message you forwarded: There are a few neat ways to transfer data to and from IBM systems and Rainbow systems. The first, and most expensive, is to purchase an IDRIVE from Suitable Solutions. I have a 5.25" IDRIVE and it works like a champ. It isn't that expensive, and if you have a lot of transfer work to do, the cost would be justified. . The second method is to use the RX50 driver for the IBM PC/AT, if you are running an AT. I've used the driver successfully on a number of occations. . The third method is to obtain the program FORIBM.COM. This is a CP/M program only. It will format a degaussed floppy to the 160Kb IBM format. The Rainbow can then write to the disk, but not the IBM. To transfer from the IBM to the Rainbow, use a floppy which has been formatted on the IBM to be read only on the Rainbow. I have also used this method with success. . Both FORIBM and RX50DRVR are available on various BBS's and from the Internation Rainbow User's Group (618/632-1143). Keep in mind that the IDRIVE has a format program which is run under CP/M. Also the disk from IRUG is CP/M format, although the utilities to get the RX50DRVR to the IBM system are on the disk. In other words, make sure you have CP/M available on a floppy for booting and formatting. . As Always, Paul --- ConfMail V3.31 * Origin: The Pot of Gold - (703-359-6549) (1:109/103) ------------------------------ Date: 12-26-89 To: PAUL OLSON Subject: IBM FORMATTING From: FRANK MALLORY PO> To transfer from the IBM to the Rainbow, use a floppy which has been PO> formatted on the IBM to be read only on the Rainbow. I have also used PO> this method with success. I have a bunch of diskettes that I have formatted on the IBM PC with FORMAT /1, and I have hardly any trouble using them to transfer files in BOTH direction This method is not 100% reliable, however; some individual drives on the IBM may refuse to read data that has been written by the 'bow. PO> the IDRIVE has a format program which is run under CP/M. Also the disk PO> from IRUG is CP/M format, although the utilities to get the RX50DRVR to PO> the IBM system are on the disk. In other words, make sure you have PO> CP/M available on a floppy for booting and formatting. If I didn't know better, Paul, I would think that you are making a sales pitch for good 'ol CP/M. :-) The fact is that the current IDRIVE has a format program (IFORMAT) that runs under MS-DOS. And both FORIBM (WARUG #73) and RX50 (WARUG #114) are listed as being on MS-DOS format diskettes (even tho FORIBM is a CP/M program). --- msged 1.99L MSC * Origin: Silver Bullet - Silver Spring, Maryland - 301-622-2247 (1:109/123) ------------------------------ Date: 12-26-89 To: GEORGE THEALL Subject: GRAPHICS ON A NON-LA50 PB From: FRANK MALLORY GT> From: genrad!rxf@husc6.harvard.edu ( Ruben D. Fagundo ) GT> Organization: GenRad GT> GT> Has anyone seen or used any programs that will print a Rainbow graphics GT> screen on an Epson style of printer. I don't want to have to buy an GT> LA50 just to do graphics when other epson style printers are cheaper GT> to get. If that's a major concern, I would recommend that you buy and use software for the Rainbow that will work with an Epson printer. But the best solution is to buy a used LA50; they can be had for about $200, not much more than an Epson-compatible printer of the same speed. GT> Also, does any one know the number for INFO-DEC-MICRO? I'd like to GT> get RBIODIF that was recently mentioned on echomail. Since you are a registered user on this board, Ruben, it would be easy for you to simply log on here and download it from area 24. On the other hand, if I weren't so lazy I would uuencode it and send it to you via my Internet gateway. PS - George: I was not able to uudecode the file you sent. Probably because the uuencode/decode program I am using can't handle multi-part files. --- msged 1.99L MSC * Origin: Silver Bullet - Silver Spring, Maryland - 301-622-2247 (1:109/123) ------------------------------ Date: 12-27-89 (12:29) To: CARL HOUSEMAN Subject: Z80 From: FRANK MALLORY I bought a 6MHz Z80 and plugged it into the 'bow. Works fine, but it doesn't obviate the need for the boot ROM mod for use with the V20. I've got to run some benchmarks before I can tell whether a faster Z80 has any benefits at all in the 'bow. --- * Origin: Silver Bullet - Silver Spring, Maryland - 301-622-2247 (Opus 1:109/123 ------------------------------ Date: 12-25-89 To: GEORGE THEALL Subject: TALKING TO BABY BLUE... From: GEORGE DAHLCO, SYSOP 102/ In a message of , GEORGE THEALL (1:273/203) writes: GT>From: unmvax!ariel!carina.unm.edu!mreisch@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Mique GT>Reisch) GT> GT>1) Is there any way to write a disk on the Rainbow and read it on an GT>IBM pc/xt (not at, I know about RX50 from the info-dec-micro archive GT>and it doesn't help me). I've tried formatting the disks on the XT GT>using format a:/1. This produces a disk that both machines can write GT>to but they can't read the others files (ie the rainbow says a disk GT>written by the XT is perfectly blank and twice the size the XT said it was). Use Media Master (non-PD). Reads/writes 180K single sided IBM PC disks. Works like a champ. The RB is 80 tracks, PC is 40 per side that's why you are having a problem. Reads of IBM PC single sided disks should be OK though. Use the DOS commane 'MEDIACHK ON' when reading. GT>2) Communications. I could really use a termprog that supports zmodem GT>transfers. If not that then perhaps a patch for DSZ to make it run on GT>the Rainbow. Use BinkleyTerm v2.30 in terminal mode. Simple to set up, supports ZMODEM nicely. Hope this helps. -George, 102/138- --- msged 1.999 * Origin: Western Region VAX EC, RAINBOW/PDP-11 Echo Hub (1:102/138.1) ------------------------------ Date: 12-28-89 (09:29) To: FRANK MALLORY Subject: GRAPHICS ON A NON-LA50 PB From: GEORGE THEALL FM>PS - George: I was not able to uudecode the file you sent. Probably becau FM>the uuencode/decode program I am using can't handle multi-part files. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you'll have to manually piece the parts together then. There should have been 3 parts, and the subject lines say which is which. Once you strip out all the extraneous message headers/trailers, simply concatenate the files (using copy, cat, or an editor) and run the combined file thru uudecode. You might also look into Richard Marks' UUENCODE/UUDECODE v3.07. This pair does all of this for you - it ignores extraneous lines and handles multi-part files automatically. It's what was used to create the files sent to you. My only complaint was that I couldn't specify a message size of 100 lines (~6K) - it said that was too small. :-( George --- ~ EZ 1.23b4 #263 ~ Unrecognized faults lead to wasted efforts ------------------------------