Re: COPY MASTER II (1983) copycard: Info Needed

[wernst@deltanet.com (Warren 'Llama' Ernst)]

buggie@argo.unm.edu (stephen e buggie) wrote:

>
>As part of a combo deal, I have acquired this card.   It is one of those 
>push-button copying cards popular for backing up protected software:
>
>COPY MASTER II  (Applied Technology Laboratories, Los Angeles, 1983)
>	Model 04-103 Rev. A
>
>
>	Does anyone have the docs for this card, or software?
>	
>	Also, does anyone know whether this card can copy 128K or whether 
>it is limited to 64K?

I have (or perhaps had) this card, and you should note that while it
was sort of useful for some games of the early 80's, it is virtually
useless now. Here's why:

All the card does is take EVERYTHING in ram and save it as many image
files to disk, and then you can load it into memory at a later time
(provided the card is still installed). This works fine for games
where the entire game loads into memory and then never refers to the
original disk again. But if, after you reload the game back into
memory, the game wants/needs to look at the original disk again for
more levels/enemys/or whatnot, you need to place the original disk in
the drive again -- the copy card can't get around that.

But suppose you do have one of these programs in question. Once you
make the image, you can't load it back in unless the card is still
installed, OR you search through the saved disk image and find 12k of
empty memory pages and patch the run-time module into the disk. I
successfully did this ONCE in the 8 years I used the thing.

So, as a copier, it is not the greatest, but with other its software
loaded, it could do 3 very useful things (note that a Control-Reset
dumped the loaded software in the card, so each reboot requires a
lengthy software reload process):

1. Button will act as a system pause button. Another press un-pauses.
Works for every game I tried.

2. Button does a screen dump to any printer (dot matrix): text, HiRes,
DHR. I printed the winning screens of AutoDuel for southern california
players to see with it.

3. Button does a screen capture to disk - either HiRes or DHR. DHR was
the 2 file format that required conversion to work with newer DHR
programs like TimeOut Paint or DazzleDraw, but it worked very well.

The biggest problem with this card: when software wasn't loaded into
it and someone pressed the button (which people ALWAYS seem to do -
its like there's a sign on it that says "PRESS ME!!!"), 90% of the
time it completely freezes the system. If someone is borrowing your
system to run AppleWorks and they press the button, they have pretty
much lost everything since their last save. I don't wanna think about
how many friend's term papers were mangled with this card and their
curious fingers.

Now, as for software, well, I took that card out years ago and I have
NO IDEA where the disks or book went. I will look tonight, but I doubt
I'll find anyhting. If I have it in storage and I find it later, I'll
let you know.

Virtually,
Warr
Former Beagle Bros Tech Support

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Author, "Using Netscape"      | Warren Ernst  -  wernst@deltanet.com
"Using Netscape in Windows95" | http://www.deltanet.com/users/wernst/
"Netscape Unleashed"(contrib) | Computer Consultant, Technical Writer
Que and SamsNet Publishing    |         Graphic Artist, Nerd
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