Big Apple Users Group 12.1.97

[joreilly@smtp.dorsai.org (James OReilly)]

[ Article reposted from dorsai.helpdesk,comp.sys.apple2.usergroups,nyc.seminars ]
[ Author was James OReilly ]
[ Posted on 23 Nov 1997 20:35:38 GMT ]

Subject: See the A2 run the elevator at BAUG meeting on Dec 1
 
LET'S GET PHYSICAL STARRING NEIL WOTHERSPOON
===================================================
 
BAUGers and friends:
 
Big Apple Users Group will meet at 6:30 pm on Monday, December 1, at the
usual place, 345 West 58th St, Apt 5L next to the Coliseum, just west of
Columbus Circle, in Manhattan. 
 
Neil Wotherspoon has written a process control program to run an elevator. 
I'm helping him translate it from QBasic, a PC programming language, to
Applesoft Basic, an Apple II programming language.  A process control
program controls some mechanism in the real world.  This program makes an
elevator go the floor you select.  Since Polly has ruled that we can't
connect the computer to her building elevator, I guess Neil will have to
bring the 2 foot tall model elevator from his office.  Come see Neil show
us that an Apple II can actually control events in the real physical
world. 
 
Skip this paragraph if you aren't interested in the gory programming
details.  The program addresses the elevator thru the printer slot and
passes the character equivalent of the floor no. to the elevator.  When we
connected the computer to a printer to test the program, the program
stopped when it tried to send the elevator to the 4th floor.  We found
that this happened because the character equivalent of 4 also means end of
transmission to an Apple II.  Neil is rewiring the elevator to accept
different signals and we'll have the demo ready for the meeting. 
 
I can show how I used Program Writer to write the program in Applesoft
Basic.  Hank Levinson, if asked, could discuss ways of avoiding the end of
transmission problem, which he thinks might be circumvented by "error
trapping" procedures. 
 
You can call our hotline at (212)606-2297 for a recorded meeting
announcement.  If you have any questions you may call us at (718)499-7470
or at (212)956-3634 or e-mail us at baug@dorsai.org. 
 
We hope to see you at the meeting.
 
                                Thank you
                                Jim O'Reilly
                                joreilly@dorsai.org

-- 
				Thank you
				Jim O'Reilly
				joreilly@dorsai.org