And the results are in!!!
Check out the Retrochallenge site for the 2011 Winter Warmup results! Congratulations to the 2011WW winners!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Retrochallenge Success!
To recap - my goals for the Retrochallenge 2011 Winter Warmup were:
(With one caveat - I actually created the program that I moved from my PC to the PET/SFD-1001, using VICE. But it could have been a PRG program from anywhere.)
Here are the steps I used to get the program from my PC to the PET, then to the SFD-1001:
Create program in VICE
I typed a small (very!) program into the VICE Commodore PET emulator program, then saved it to a virtual tape file ("TAP" file). It's pretty easy to create and use a virtual tape image in VICE. I'll leave the "how" as an exercise to the reader, but you'll figure it out in less than a minute.
Create a WAV file with an analog C2N-compatible audio image of the program
Next, I used a program called "Audiotap" that converts a virtual TAP file into an audio "WAV" file.
This program prompts you for the *.TAP file, then for the output *.WAV file. It then creates an audio WAV file that reflects the same signal you'd hear as created/used by a real Commodore C2N cassette drive.
Record the WAV file to tape
Now, creating this file and recording it to a cassette deck was pretty easy. Getting it to read on the PET was hard. The audio levels had to be adjusted properly, and I actually had to switch computers once. I was trying to use my laptop for this, but its sound output is too noisy. I eventually switched to my desktop, which has a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS, and this was squeaky clean. Here's the mono cassette deck I used:
Load the program from C2N tape into the PET
Once the WAV file was recorded on the tape, then I moved it to the C2N cassette deck, and attempted to load the program from tape.
As I mentioned, getting the analog levels correct was tricky - but once done, things were looking up!
Save the program to the SFD-1001
With the program successfully in memory, I wasted no time in saving it to the SFD-1001:
Test that it all worked
With the program safely moved from the PC to the PET to the SFD-1001, I then did a cold-start (just to make sure there's nothing up my sleeves), and loaded the program back from disk:
Voila! Bits moved successfully from the PC realm to the PET via good ol' cassette tape, then tucked safely away on disk.
The future
As I've been reading up on moving programs between the PC and the PET, I've found that there are several options, all of which are better and more sophisticated than the cassette tape proxy method that I just performed. I'll be looking into these, perhaps building some more hardware, and then will blog with future results.
But for now, I will bask in the bright light of Retrochallenge success!
- Build a cable to connect the Commodore SFD-1001 drive to the PET 2001-8N.
- Test the cable and the drive by successfully formatting a disk, saving a program, then re-loading that program into memory.
- Get some software from the Internet, load it into the PET, then save it to the SFD-1001.
(With one caveat - I actually created the program that I moved from my PC to the PET/SFD-1001, using VICE. But it could have been a PRG program from anywhere.)
Here are the steps I used to get the program from my PC to the PET, then to the SFD-1001:
Create program in VICE
I typed a small (very!) program into the VICE Commodore PET emulator program, then saved it to a virtual tape file ("TAP" file). It's pretty easy to create and use a virtual tape image in VICE. I'll leave the "how" as an exercise to the reader, but you'll figure it out in less than a minute.
Create a WAV file with an analog C2N-compatible audio image of the program
Next, I used a program called "Audiotap" that converts a virtual TAP file into an audio "WAV" file.
This program prompts you for the *.TAP file, then for the output *.WAV file. It then creates an audio WAV file that reflects the same signal you'd hear as created/used by a real Commodore C2N cassette drive.
Record the WAV file to tape
Now, creating this file and recording it to a cassette deck was pretty easy. Getting it to read on the PET was hard. The audio levels had to be adjusted properly, and I actually had to switch computers once. I was trying to use my laptop for this, but its sound output is too noisy. I eventually switched to my desktop, which has a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS, and this was squeaky clean. Here's the mono cassette deck I used:
Load the program from C2N tape into the PET
Once the WAV file was recorded on the tape, then I moved it to the C2N cassette deck, and attempted to load the program from tape.
As I mentioned, getting the analog levels correct was tricky - but once done, things were looking up!
Save the program to the SFD-1001
With the program successfully in memory, I wasted no time in saving it to the SFD-1001:
Test that it all worked
With the program safely moved from the PC to the PET to the SFD-1001, I then did a cold-start (just to make sure there's nothing up my sleeves), and loaded the program back from disk:
Voila! Bits moved successfully from the PC realm to the PET via good ol' cassette tape, then tucked safely away on disk.
The future
As I've been reading up on moving programs between the PC and the PET, I've found that there are several options, all of which are better and more sophisticated than the cassette tape proxy method that I just performed. I'll be looking into these, perhaps building some more hardware, and then will blog with future results.
But for now, I will bask in the bright light of Retrochallenge success!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
RC 2011 Winter Warmup photos
As promised, here are some photos of my Retrochallenge 2011 Winter Warmup project. You click on the pictures to get a bigger version.
First, let's start with a photo of the PET 2001-8N, SFD-1001 disk drive, and handy 5.25" disk holder (containing a DS/DD disk!):
Here's a close-up of the PET:
Here is the SFD-1001 IEEE-488 drive. Notice the DIP switch on the lower right-hand side - this is the "hacked" device select that I talked about earlier:
Here is the drive side of the cable I made. Note that it's a 24-pin Amphenol connector - smaller than Centronics-style printer plug, but similar in appearance:
Here are a couple of pics of the PET side of the cable (this is the side I soldered). A bit ugly, but functional - and I got good solder joints. I think I'm doing better with my soldering these days. Note that it's the same type of connector as the PET (and later) user port:
This is the SFD-1001 formatting the disk:
And here is the result - notice the 4133 BLOCKS FREE - that's slightly over 1 MB. Read it and weep.
OK, here's where I chain two programs together, while not losing the variables in-between. There are two programs on the disk, creatively named PROGRAM1 and PROGRAM2. I've got screen shots; however, the first screen shot is pretty fuzzy, so here's the code...
PROGRAM1:
Hey, on line 20, what am I doing with the A$=A$+""? Why add a null string to another string? Here's a summary - When Commodore BASIC sees a new string defined like A$="HELLO", it leaves the string storage right in the BASIC program. Why move it and take up more space? Pretty efficient - except when you chain to another program, that line number is gone, and so is your string. So you need to do something to Commodore BASIC to make the string "dynamic" - stored in variable memory, rather than right in the BASIC program. Adding a null string is one way to convince the string to be "dynamic".
For a better and more lengthy explanation, see Jim Butterfield's 5 part series on this topic, as provided to me by Nathan (thanks Nathan!). (Links at the end of this blog post.)
PROGRAM2:
Pretty simple, right? Line 70 of PROGRAM1 loads PROGRAM2 from disk, and it starts running, printing the variables to prove they made it! Here are the screen shots, including the program running:
PROGRAM1:
PROGRAM2:
Running PROGRAM1, which chains to PROGRAM2 - Drum roll please!
It's ALIVEEEEEE!!!
OK, here are the links to the Jim Butterfield articles if you'd like to read up.
Loading And Linking Commodore Programs by Jim Butterfield (Part 1,) Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
My next posting, perhaps later this weekend, will be a first shot at getting bits from the Intarwebs into the PET, and onto the SFD-1001! Stay tuned!
As a side note, my cat Stormie decided to upstage my retro hobby today. When she wants attention, she's pretty persistent. From one PET to another...
First, let's start with a photo of the PET 2001-8N, SFD-1001 disk drive, and handy 5.25" disk holder (containing a DS/DD disk!):
Here's a close-up of the PET:
Here is the SFD-1001 IEEE-488 drive. Notice the DIP switch on the lower right-hand side - this is the "hacked" device select that I talked about earlier:
Here is the drive side of the cable I made. Note that it's a 24-pin Amphenol connector - smaller than Centronics-style printer plug, but similar in appearance:
Here are a couple of pics of the PET side of the cable (this is the side I soldered). A bit ugly, but functional - and I got good solder joints. I think I'm doing better with my soldering these days. Note that it's the same type of connector as the PET (and later) user port:
This is the SFD-1001 formatting the disk:
And here is the result - notice the 4133 BLOCKS FREE - that's slightly over 1 MB. Read it and weep.
OK, here's where I chain two programs together, while not losing the variables in-between. There are two programs on the disk, creatively named PROGRAM1 and PROGRAM2. I've got screen shots; however, the first screen shot is pretty fuzzy, so here's the code...
PROGRAM1:
5 PRINT "NOW RUNNING PROGRAM1"
10 A=1001
20 A$="SFD1001":A$=A$+""
30 PRINT A
40 PRINT A$
50 PRINT "CHAINING TO PROGRAM2"
60 PRINT
70 LOAD "PROGRAM2",8
Hey, on line 20, what am I doing with the A$=A$+""? Why add a null string to another string? Here's a summary - When Commodore BASIC sees a new string defined like A$="HELLO", it leaves the string storage right in the BASIC program. Why move it and take up more space? Pretty efficient - except when you chain to another program, that line number is gone, and so is your string. So you need to do something to Commodore BASIC to make the string "dynamic" - stored in variable memory, rather than right in the BASIC program. Adding a null string is one way to convince the string to be "dynamic".
For a better and more lengthy explanation, see Jim Butterfield's 5 part series on this topic, as provided to me by Nathan (thanks Nathan!). (Links at the end of this blog post.)
PROGRAM2:
10 PRINT "NOW RUNNING PROGRAM2"
20 PRINT A
30 PRINT A$
Pretty simple, right? Line 70 of PROGRAM1 loads PROGRAM2 from disk, and it starts running, printing the variables to prove they made it! Here are the screen shots, including the program running:
PROGRAM1:
PROGRAM2:
Running PROGRAM1, which chains to PROGRAM2 - Drum roll please!
It's ALIVEEEEEE!!!
OK, here are the links to the Jim Butterfield articles if you'd like to read up.
Loading And Linking Commodore Programs by Jim Butterfield (Part 1,) Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
My next posting, perhaps later this weekend, will be a first shot at getting bits from the Intarwebs into the PET, and onto the SFD-1001! Stay tuned!
As a side note, my cat Stormie decided to upstage my retro hobby today. When she wants attention, she's pretty persistent. From one PET to another...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Episode #139 - covers my Retrochallenge 2011 Winter Warmup entry
Be sure to check out Episode #139 of the Retrobits Podcast, which I devote to the SFD-1001 drive, IEEE-488, and my Retrochallenge 2011 Winter Warmup entry!
Highlights:
Highlights:
- The SFD-1001 drive and cable are functional and working well.
- I've been able to "chain" two BASIC programs together to make a more "complex" program; however, string variables may not be preserved when loading one program from another. More research required.
- My proposed first-pass method to move a program from the Internet to the SFD-1001 involves using an emulator to create a TAP (virtual cassette tape) file of the desired program, using another utility to turn that TAP file into a WAV file, recording the WAV to a cassette tape, then loading that program from that tape onto the PET 2001 using the C2N cassette deck. Finally, the program will be stored from the PET to the SFD-1001. Whew! Morse code goes faster!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Retrochallenge Step 1 COMPLETE (pics to come)
Hi all,
I successfully soldered up a cable, hooked up the PET 2001-8N and the SFD-1001, then proceeded to format a disk. Saved a BASIC program and loaded it back up - worked like a charm!
Retrochallenge Step 1 COMPLETE.
One speed bump - my SFD-1001 has a homebrew-added DIP socket on the front (lower-right side). I thought it might be a device select, but was assured it wasn't. Well, it was. When the drive refused to talk, I traced the wires back to the drive internals, and found that it had been hacked into the chip sockets where the device select is set. Hooked up a jumper, and blammo, drive working!
I have LOTS of free blocks. This drive stores 1 MB per floppy (!). Now I've got somewhere to put all the programs - ever made - and then some - for my 8K PET :-) Guess I'd better start writing some of my own programs!
Pics (and video?) to come...
I successfully soldered up a cable, hooked up the PET 2001-8N and the SFD-1001, then proceeded to format a disk. Saved a BASIC program and loaded it back up - worked like a charm!
Retrochallenge Step 1 COMPLETE.
One speed bump - my SFD-1001 has a homebrew-added DIP socket on the front (lower-right side). I thought it might be a device select, but was assured it wasn't. Well, it was. When the drive refused to talk, I traced the wires back to the drive internals, and found that it had been hacked into the chip sockets where the device select is set. Hooked up a jumper, and blammo, drive working!
I have LOTS of free blocks. This drive stores 1 MB per floppy (!). Now I've got somewhere to put all the programs - ever made - and then some - for my 8K PET :-) Guess I'd better start writing some of my own programs!
Pics (and video?) to come...
Monday, January 3, 2011
Retrochallenge 2011 Winter Warmup!
I'm getting started on my Retrochallenge Winter Warmup 2011 project! Here is the description and some more details...
A while back, a friend gave me a PET 2001-8N. It's in really nice condition. The -8N means 8K of RAM (and a standard sized keyboard), so it's not a powerhouse - but it is among the first models of computers produced by Commodore. I have the accompanying tape drive - a C2N Datasette. But I have to admit, I've wanted a disk drive.
My PET is not the first model produced by Commodore - that honor would go to the smaller keyboard PET 2001 with the built-in datasette. (This is, of course, if you don't count the KIM-1 SBC, which was produced by MOS Technology prior to the Commodore acquisition.) However, my 2001-8N does have the correct ROMs to support a disk drive. So when the opportunity came up to get an SFD-1001, I jumped at the chance. It needed about $30 worth of repairs, but now it's up and running, and refurbished.
The SFD-1001 is an interesting device. It can store 1 MB on a single floppy disk. It is supposed to use "quad density" media, but even back in the day, this was pretty rare and expensive. So people figured out that you could use standard double-density media, and it would mostly work. That's what I plan to do. The SFD-1001 looks much like a standard Commodore 1541, but it has an IEEE-488 interface. And, as it turns out, I don't have an IEEE-488 cable. I could buy one, but I already have the pieces, so I'm going to try building one. Which brings me to my project:
Step 1: Build the cable
The PET user port is the same style connection as the VIC-20/C64/C128 user port. The pinouts are not all the same, but the flat-edge connector style is identical. As it turns out, the IEEE-488 connection on the PET is also the same style connector - it just has the flat-edge "notch" at a different location. If you're using a non-keyed connector, you can use a user-port connector for the PET side of the cable. I have a solder-style user-port connector, so I'm set on that end.
The other side of the cable is more of a problem. The disk drive end of the cable requires a male 24-pin Amphenol plug. I do have one; however, I'm going to have to harvest it from a non-working IEEE-488 adapter for the C64. It is a difficult decision to "snip" this cable from the adapter; however, the adapter is broken, and I don't have the facilities or inclination to fix it. So, the Amphenol connector and attached ribbon cable will be "re-purposed".
I have to sketch out the pinouts for both sides of the cable, then get out my wire strippers, soldering iron, multimeter, and make it happen.
Here's the rest (details coming in later posts):
Step 2: Test the cable by formatting a disk, then saving/loading a program.
Step 3: Get some software from the Internet, get it to the PET, then get it on the disk drive.
Step 4: (Extra credit) Figure out if it's possible to "chain" BASIC programs, so that an 8K PET can run some programs that are slightly more sophisticated.
Off I go! Pictures to come shortly!
A while back, a friend gave me a PET 2001-8N. It's in really nice condition. The -8N means 8K of RAM (and a standard sized keyboard), so it's not a powerhouse - but it is among the first models of computers produced by Commodore. I have the accompanying tape drive - a C2N Datasette. But I have to admit, I've wanted a disk drive.
My PET is not the first model produced by Commodore - that honor would go to the smaller keyboard PET 2001 with the built-in datasette. (This is, of course, if you don't count the KIM-1 SBC, which was produced by MOS Technology prior to the Commodore acquisition.) However, my 2001-8N does have the correct ROMs to support a disk drive. So when the opportunity came up to get an SFD-1001, I jumped at the chance. It needed about $30 worth of repairs, but now it's up and running, and refurbished.
The SFD-1001 is an interesting device. It can store 1 MB on a single floppy disk. It is supposed to use "quad density" media, but even back in the day, this was pretty rare and expensive. So people figured out that you could use standard double-density media, and it would mostly work. That's what I plan to do. The SFD-1001 looks much like a standard Commodore 1541, but it has an IEEE-488 interface. And, as it turns out, I don't have an IEEE-488 cable. I could buy one, but I already have the pieces, so I'm going to try building one. Which brings me to my project:
Step 1: Build the cable
The PET user port is the same style connection as the VIC-20/C64/C128 user port. The pinouts are not all the same, but the flat-edge connector style is identical. As it turns out, the IEEE-488 connection on the PET is also the same style connector - it just has the flat-edge "notch" at a different location. If you're using a non-keyed connector, you can use a user-port connector for the PET side of the cable. I have a solder-style user-port connector, so I'm set on that end.
The other side of the cable is more of a problem. The disk drive end of the cable requires a male 24-pin Amphenol plug. I do have one; however, I'm going to have to harvest it from a non-working IEEE-488 adapter for the C64. It is a difficult decision to "snip" this cable from the adapter; however, the adapter is broken, and I don't have the facilities or inclination to fix it. So, the Amphenol connector and attached ribbon cable will be "re-purposed".
I have to sketch out the pinouts for both sides of the cable, then get out my wire strippers, soldering iron, multimeter, and make it happen.
Here's the rest (details coming in later posts):
Step 2: Test the cable by formatting a disk, then saving/loading a program.
Step 3: Get some software from the Internet, get it to the PET, then get it on the disk drive.
Step 4: (Extra credit) Figure out if it's possible to "chain" BASIC programs, so that an 8K PET can run some programs that are slightly more sophisticated.
Off I go! Pictures to come shortly!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Podfade
Yikes, the dreaded Podfade!
When I started the Retrobits Podcast, one of my primary goals was to maintain a regular schedule. This was suggested in a book I read on Podcasting (one of the first books out there, and an excellent one) by Todd Cochrane. Basically, the idea is that if you drift on your schedule, your listening base will drift, too, because you're being unpredictable with your shows. Makes sense. That notion kept me on an every-week basis for a long time. But once you get derailed from your schedule, it's difficult to get back on the tracks.
There is a phenomenon known as "Podfade" - where podcasts start strong, but then get less predictable over time, or disappear. Part of the reason this happens is that the barrier to entry for podcasts is pretty low. All you really need is a way to record and edit, and an audience of an acceptable size that would be interested in your topic. From there, it's trivial to find a cheap or free location to host your podcasts, and to get listed with iTunes and various podcast directories.
But once you're up and running, next comes the sometimes hard slog of putting together the show on a regular basis. Life can get in the way. Once you've slipped once - well, it's like an exercise plan. It's hard not to go ahead and slack off again - you've blown the sit-ups for this week anyway, right?
Well, speaking of that, I have an idea to fight my own podfade - one that is drawn from recent life experience. But first, I needed to take a look at a couple of key questions:
Sometime a little over a year ago, I decided that I needed to improve my physical condition. I was tired, overweight, and generally unhappy about the years creeping up on me. I knew the fate that would await me if I tried to jump in head-first into a workout and diet plan. Namely, it would work for a while, but then I'd get overwhelmed, and it would falter. My wife came to the rescue with a great idea. Her suggestion: Start small, give yourself small but fun rewards for success, and establish a track record. Make consistency, rather than quantity, a goal. Once you've established a solid, predictable routine, bump it up ever so slightly. Integrate it into your life, so it's not such a struggle. Sneak up on it.
So, I did exactly this. I started walking twice a week, and knocked off eating out so much. (This helped financially as well as holistically). Once this became habit, I added a little bit more, and a little bit more. My reward was a weekly sushi splurge, or some great food from our local Korean supermarket (H-Mart). For me, asian food is quite motivating. Over the course of a year or so, I've worked up to 4 cardio workouts per week, strength exercises six times per week, and 8 cups of water per day, every day. And I've just allowed the fast food to go by the wayside. The result? I'm fifty pounds lighter, have more energy, feel stronger, and it's not really that hard to talk myself into it each day.
Sometimes in life, it's about finding out what works for you. Since this incremental improvement method worked for me on workouts, I'm hoping it'll also help me overcome my podfade. Retrobits is a lot of fun to do, and it's something I'd very much like to continue. So, one possible plan is:
On a side note: It's hard to find material on the Internet for other strategies people have on fighting podfade. I only found one article, and it was behind a paywall. I wonder what other methods have been successful for podcasters? If you have any insight, shoot me an e-mail.
Hope everyone (in the States) has a great Thanksgiving!
- Earl
When I started the Retrobits Podcast, one of my primary goals was to maintain a regular schedule. This was suggested in a book I read on Podcasting (one of the first books out there, and an excellent one) by Todd Cochrane. Basically, the idea is that if you drift on your schedule, your listening base will drift, too, because you're being unpredictable with your shows. Makes sense. That notion kept me on an every-week basis for a long time. But once you get derailed from your schedule, it's difficult to get back on the tracks.
There is a phenomenon known as "Podfade" - where podcasts start strong, but then get less predictable over time, or disappear. Part of the reason this happens is that the barrier to entry for podcasts is pretty low. All you really need is a way to record and edit, and an audience of an acceptable size that would be interested in your topic. From there, it's trivial to find a cheap or free location to host your podcasts, and to get listed with iTunes and various podcast directories.
But once you're up and running, next comes the sometimes hard slog of putting together the show on a regular basis. Life can get in the way. Once you've slipped once - well, it's like an exercise plan. It's hard not to go ahead and slack off again - you've blown the sit-ups for this week anyway, right?
Well, speaking of that, I have an idea to fight my own podfade - one that is drawn from recent life experience. But first, I needed to take a look at a couple of key questions:
- Am I still interested in maintaining a regular podcast on computing history and the retrocomputing hobby?
- Is there enough remaining and/or new material out there to fill a regular schedule?
Sometime a little over a year ago, I decided that I needed to improve my physical condition. I was tired, overweight, and generally unhappy about the years creeping up on me. I knew the fate that would await me if I tried to jump in head-first into a workout and diet plan. Namely, it would work for a while, but then I'd get overwhelmed, and it would falter. My wife came to the rescue with a great idea. Her suggestion: Start small, give yourself small but fun rewards for success, and establish a track record. Make consistency, rather than quantity, a goal. Once you've established a solid, predictable routine, bump it up ever so slightly. Integrate it into your life, so it's not such a struggle. Sneak up on it.
So, I did exactly this. I started walking twice a week, and knocked off eating out so much. (This helped financially as well as holistically). Once this became habit, I added a little bit more, and a little bit more. My reward was a weekly sushi splurge, or some great food from our local Korean supermarket (H-Mart). For me, asian food is quite motivating. Over the course of a year or so, I've worked up to 4 cardio workouts per week, strength exercises six times per week, and 8 cups of water per day, every day. And I've just allowed the fast food to go by the wayside. The result? I'm fifty pounds lighter, have more energy, feel stronger, and it's not really that hard to talk myself into it each day.
Sometimes in life, it's about finding out what works for you. Since this incremental improvement method worked for me on workouts, I'm hoping it'll also help me overcome my podfade. Retrobits is a lot of fun to do, and it's something I'd very much like to continue. So, one possible plan is:
- Make a new show every three weeks. If it's more frequent, that's fine - but never less frequent.
- Give myself a little reward (maybe a few extra bucks in my retro budget?) each time I hit the mark.
- Once that schedule is established for a few cycles, creep up to once every two weeks.
- Lather, rinse, and repeat, until it's where it can be sustainable (possibly weekly?).
On a side note: It's hard to find material on the Internet for other strategies people have on fighting podfade. I only found one article, and it was behind a paywall. I wonder what other methods have been successful for podcasters? If you have any insight, shoot me an e-mail.
Hope everyone (in the States) has a great Thanksgiving!
- Earl
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