Re: Help with Super Serial Card & Obtaining ProDos

[Linards Ticmanis <ticmanis@coli.uni-sb.de>]

I can only give a partial answer.

Will Kranz wrote:

> You guys said things about firmware on the card at $Cx00
> and using <CTRL-I> or <CTRL-A> (depending on modem/terminal
> jumper) to change baud rate.  Any more hints about this?
> Are there other command options?  Does this only work after
> addressing card with IN#? 

Yes. You need to give IN# first.

> If 6B is 300 baud, what other
> rates can one set with what codes?

No idea, sorry.

> 
> One of the FAQ's says the SSC should be in slot 1 for use
> with a printer and slot 2 for communications work. Why?

Convention, just like "Floppies in slot 6." Most software that uses a
printer and/or a modem expects them in slot 1 and 2.

> I found several articles about the dip switch settings,
> but nothing on these firmware features.  I tested the card
> setting baud rate with the dip switches, and it always seems
> to send 7 bit data with the high bit set even though I say no
> parity via dips.

Apple BASIC does this internally AFAIK, it always sets bit 7. Sending
bytes from machine language should get you around this.

>  Is there a trick to get full 8 bit, no parity
> binary data transmitted?  And how should I have the interrupt
> enable switch set for use via the operating system, ie
> IN#.  It seems to work the same way independant of how I have
> this set, so I just don't get it.  Any help appreciated.

If you want to use comm programs that do interrupt handling, and if you
want to use them at high baud rates, set it to "on". The Apple ROMs up
to and including the unenhanced //e don't do much in the way of
interrupt handling.

> Lastly, I have DOS 3.3 disks, but to do the install of the
> binscii.exe I've found I seem to need ProDos.  Are there any
> available ProDos *.dsk image sets available?  Where?

Lots of places. ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/ among others.

> Where do I find out about differences between *.dsk and *.po
> disk image sets?

The sectors within each track are stored into the file in a different
order. Generally, avoid .po and don't burden the world with any new .po
images if you can avoid it. The Apple File Manager included with the
"Apple II Oasis" emulator can convert between the two formats.

-- 

Linards Ticmanis

 The Master said, "The business of laying on the colors follows the
preparation of the plain ground."