[Coco] NitrOS9 with Deluxe RS232 Pak

Ron Klein ron at kdomain.org
Fri Jun 19 10:13:19 EDT 2015 

Hi Gene,

It sounds like your life has been full of many experiences that has served
you well.  If you do take the mensa test, I'd love to know how you do.
Quite impressed after reading your comments below.

I have a father-in-law who shares a bit of the same story - orphaned,
dropped out prior to high school, but has a world of experience with so
many things.  A blue collar, jack of all trades (so to speak) guy.  Tough
time growing up but a real good family man and loves to share his knowledge
and time to help people.  A lot can be learned from folks like him and
yourself.  He passed a few years ago and certainly miss him.

Thanks again for your help -- really appreciate it!

-Ron




On Thu, Jun 18, 2015 at 2:18 PM, Gene Heskett <gheskett at wdtv.com> wrote:

> On Thursday 18 June 2015 14:51:35 Ron Klein wrote:
> > Hi Gene,
> >
> > I hope I'm as active with things as you seem to be when I'm 80.  :)
> >
> > Cnc and wood carving machines?  Heck, you could make your own rifle
> > parts. I'm jealous!
> >
> > I am a big gear head, too, so my interest in cnc machines is the
> > incredible things they do on high performance cylinder heads.  Amazing
> > technology for sure.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > -Ron
>
> Thanks for the flowers, Ron.  And its for sure that I have been there and
> done that in several endeavors over the last 65 years since I quit
> school after the 8th grade and went to make a living fixing these
> newfangled things called tv's.
>
> In fact when it can be arranged by the state chairwoman, I am going to
> pay my $40 and sit for the mensa test yet this summer.  I have passed
> several other tests that if I could document them today after 40 to 69
> years, would seem to qualify me.  OTOH, I'm an old Iowa farm kid.  And
> its sort hard to separate the corn farmer from the technician.
>
> > On Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 11:05 PM, Gene Heskett <gheskett at wdtv.com>
> wrote:
> > > On Wednesday 17 June 2015 23:35:52 Ron wrote:
> > > > Hi Gene,
> > > >
> > > > I started reading through the OS9 Level 2 documentation and it
> > > > helped me quite a bit.
> > > >
> > > > The ramdisk sounds very interesting!  I only have 512K of RAM
> > > > (like most folks).  Wish there was a 2MB upgrade readily available
> > > > to use for your ramdisk.  Perhaps someday.
> > >
> > > It can be used with 512k, just not as big.  I have a 2 meg kit, and
> > > at one time played with a 1.7 meg ramdisk, but it wasn't being
> > > anywhere used while building rzsz, so I dropped it back to about
> > > 1/2 a meg, still worked for big C compiles.
> > >
> > > Ram problems in Nitros9/OS9 aren't generally main ram, but system
> > > ram, the ram the OS uses to keep track of things, so those with more
> > > than 128k don't often see main ram failures.
> > >
> > > We've made a few attempts to setup a 3rd ram allocation by
> > > separating the scf and rbf modules into their own space, but haven't
> > > been successful with the level3 effort, particularly with drivewire
> > > living in both scf space and in rbf space.  I have an idea of how we
> > > might separate sysram from main ram in order to be able to allocate
> > > another 8k block of memory for use only when it is in system mode,
> > > but its not at all well fleshed out, and unless a younger mind jumps
> > > on it (I'm 80, and TBT my interests are more directed to cnc
> > > metal/wood carving machines these days, and I am probably about a
> > > month from first chips on a new Grizzly GO704 milling machine, being
> > > told by a flea powered computer where to cut & how fast, at an
> > > accuracy in the <.001" range) I suspect that will not happen either.
> > >  Furniture carved to that level of accuarcy is a treat, as are parts
> > > or stocks for one of my BP rifles.
> > >
> > > > I have been using Drivewire, though it's been limited to DECB.
> > > > Impressive way to replace the antiquated floppy drives.  Frees up
> > > > more desk space (which is a good thing).  I'm amazed at the speed
> > > > at which that bit-banger port operates!
> > >
> > > It works just as well under Nitros9, once you figure out which
> > > modules need to be swapped out for the drivewire equivalents.  That
> > > can be tedious for the new bee though.
> > >
> > > > Thank you, sir!
> > > >
> > > > -Ron
> > > >
> > > > On 6/17/2015 8:27 PM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > > > > On Wednesday 17 June 2015 20:32:57 Ron wrote:
> > > > >> Hi Gene,
> > > > >>
> > > > >> I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my numerous
> > > > >> questions and comments.  What you've said makes sense.  It
> > > > >> looks like I have a lot more to learn (i.e. tboot command, /t2
> > > > >> parameter changing and saving, creating new bootfiles, etc.).
> > > > >>
> > > > >> I'm still looking for a good sources of documentation (beyond
> > > > >> the nitros9.org website).  Is OS9 documentation still relevant
> > > > >> when using NitrOS9?
> > > > >
> > > > > Quite a bit of it is.  Occasionally we'll figure out a better
> > > > > way. The dsave is one command that has had a syntax change, and
> > > > > tmode/xmode are all built from the same src file, so the
> > > > > operative syntax diffs have disappeared.  XMode/DMode have been
> > > > > dressed up a bit, and both can now work on disk files by
> > > > > prefacing the pathname with a leading - sign.
> > > > >
> > > > > Some of us have written replacements for existing utilities but
> > > > > with more bell & whistles.  I wrote a ramdisk quite a few years
> > > > > back that can be made operational for a compile, and then return
> > > > > every byte back to the system when its no longer needed.
> > > > > Doesn't need an initial format before use as it actually does it
> > > > > in the few milliseconds delay you see if you do a dir /r0, as it
> > > > > detects the command, and holds it until it can show you the
> > > > > empty directory. Access speed is essentially the same as a good
> > > > > scsi circuit, essentially the speed the cpu can move the data,
> > > > > 11 seconds for a megaread on a 63x09 equipt machine, 13 or so
> > > > > for a 68x09.
> > > > >
> > > > > Other folks are encouraged to blow their own horns when the
> > > > > opportunity presents itself.
> > > > >
> > > > > You will want to get acquainted with drivewire at some point, so
> > > > > get ready for the loss of the use of /t1, drivewire uses it, at
> > > > > speeds up to 110 kilobaud to access files on your pc that are
> > > > > disk storage to the coco.  Faster than a real floppy!
> > > > >
> > > > > The future is bright, so you may want to wear shades. :)
> > > > >
> > > > >> Thanks again!
> > > > >>
> > > > >> -Ron
> > > > >>
> > > > >> On 6/17/2015 5:20 PM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > > > >>> On Wednesday 17 June 2015 17:04:34 Ron wrote:
> > > > >>>> Hello everyone,
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> I'm just just getting started with NitrOS9, but being
> > > > >>>> familiar with Linux has help considerably to navigate around
> > > > >>>> the OS.
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> I have a Coco 3 with a MultiPak.  Slot 4 has an SDC
> > > > >>>> controller and I've mounted the NitrOS9 SDC version
> > > > >>>> (nos96809l2v030300coco3_cocosdc.dsk
> > > > >>>> <http://www.nitros9.org/latest/nos96809l2v030300coco3_cocosdc
> > > > >>>>.dsk
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>>>) . Slot 1 has a Deluxe RS232 Pak.  I've connected this pak
> > > > >>>>> to my
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> PC with a NULL modem cable.  RS232 pak seems to work fine
> > > > >>>> with my PC (tested it at 9600 baud) using the RS built-in
> > > > >>>> term program from DECB.
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> I am, however, unable to connect to the Coco (running
> > > > >>>> NitrOS9) from my PC.  Information is a bit spotty online, so
> > > > >>>> I apologize in advance if this is well documented and I just
> > > > >>>> missed it.
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> I run the following command to initiate a shell:
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> shell i=/t2&
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> This is correct.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>>> I believe this telling NitrOS9 to use the Deluxe RS232 Pak
> > > > >>>> and not the bit-banger port.  I'm unfamiliar with how to
> > > > >>>> verify the proper driver is being loaded for /t2 and unable
> > > > >>>> to get the correct syntax for the xmode command to verify
> > > > >>>> what the default term settings are. I'm also thinking there
> > > > >>>> may be a way to communicate faster than 9600 baud using the
> > > > >>>> Deluxe RS232 Pak (from within NitrOS9) as well.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> There is, but in the long run when the coco is on the
> > > > >>> receiving end of that data, it cannot go faster than about
> > > > >>> 5500 baud if overruns are to be avoided.  Particularly if
> > > > >>> using an error correcting transfer protocol such as rzsz.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>>> I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed by the power of the Coco
> > > > >>>> running NitrOS9.  It was so far ahead of it's time.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> There is also a time limit that I have not discovered the
> > > > >>> cause of, that says if I don't start, or have already running,
> > > > >>> a copy of minicom, there comes a time when the /t2 port is no
> > > > >>> longer responsive to the incoming login from minicom.  10
> > > > >>> minutes late, and the coco will need rebooted.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> As for the xmode command bear in mind it only works on an
> > > > >>> unopened path, so for playing with /t2's params live, you use
> > > > >>> tmode .0 or .1, or even .2, where 0 is stdin, 1 is stdout, and
> > > > >>> 2 is stderr. Permanent changes to /t2.dd need to be done using
> > > > >>> xmode, and then generating a new bootfile useing the modified
> > > > >>> /t2.dd.  Or you can transfer the changes to the in memory
> > > > >>> copy, and then save it for use in a new bootfile. We actually
> > > > >>> have several methods of skinning that cat. ;-)
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>>> Thank you!
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> -Ron
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> Cheers, Gene Heskett
> > > > >
> > > > > Cheers, Gene Heskett
> > >
> > > Cheers, Gene Heskett
> > > --
> > > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> > >  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> > > -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> > > Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
> > >
> > > --
> > > Coco mailing list
> > > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > > https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>
> Cheers, Gene Heskett
> --
> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
>  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
>
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>

More information about the Coco mailing list