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- LEAR SIEGLER ADM3 MODIFICATIONS
-
- ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR COMPUTER TERMINALS, WHICH IS BEING USED BY
- THE COMPUTER HOBBYEST, IS THE LEAR SIEGLER ADM3 OR ADM3A. HOWEVER, THERE ARE
- SPECIAL PROBLEMS WHEN THEY ARE USED WITH CP/M, BUT THESE PROBLEMS CAN BE
- VERY EASILY MODIFIED BY TWO SIMPLE MODS THAT I HAVE DEVELOPED. THESE MODS
- CAN BE EASILY INSTALLED AND REMOVED, AND DO NOT REQUIRE SOLDERING. THEY TAKE
- ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO INSTALL AND DON'T EVEN REQUIRE THE MOTHER BOARD TO BE
- REMOVED. UNFORTUNATELY, MY MOD ONLY APPLIES TO THE ADM3, BUT I IMAGINE THAT
- THE ADM3A CIRCUITRY IS SUFFICIENTLY SIMILAR THAT THE MODS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED.
-
- MOD #1-----THE PROBLEM:THE CP/M EDITOR AND FDOS PREEMPTS THE CHARACTER
- CONTROL Z FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES. IMSAI RECOMMENDS THAT THE
- BLANK SCREEN CAPABILITY OF THE ADM3(WHICH USES CONTROL Z) BE
- DISABLED. THIS IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE THE BLANK SCREEN
- CAPABILITY IS HANDY TO USE IN GAMES AND OTHER APPLICATIONS.
-
- THE SOLUTION:CONVERT THE ADM3 'BLANK SCREEN' SIGNAL FROM CONTROL
- Z TO CONTROL Y. THIS ENABLES YOU TO USE THE BASIC STATEMENT
- 'PRINT CHR$(25)' TO CLEAR THE SCREEN
-
- PROCEDURE: 0.TURN OFF THE POWER
- 1.PREPARE A 3 INCH STRAND OF INSULATED WIRE WRAP WIRE
- BY STRIPPING ONE END FOR 1/4 INCH AND THE OTHER 1/2 IN
- 2.REMOVE THE I.C. #J2 FROM ITS SOCKET AND BEND PIN #10
- 90 DEGREES(SO IT WONT INSERT IN THE SOCKET). REPLACE
- THIS I.C. IN ITS SOCKET.
- 3.REMOVE I.C. #L3 AND PLACE THE 1/4 STRIPPED END IN
- THE PIN #2 HOLE. REINSERT THIS I.C.
- 4.TWIST THE 1/2 INCH END OF THE WIRE AROUND I.C. J2
- PIN 10 SEVERAL TIMES USING NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS.
- 5.REACTIVATE THE CLEAR SCREEN FUCTION USING THE DIP
- SWITCH ON THE REAR OF THE MOTHER BOARD.
-
- MOD#2-----THE PROBLEM: NOTHING IS MORE FRUSTRATING TO ME THAN TO GET COMPILER
- ERROR MESSAGES WHEN I HAVE INADVERTANTLY INSERTED A CONTROL
- CHARACTER IN A STATEMENT. THE DIFFICULTY IS THAT THESE CONTROL
- CHARACTERS DO NOT PRINT ON THE SCREEN AND I HAVE NO WAY OF
- KNOWING THAT THEY ARE THERE. A SIMILAR PROBLEM OCURRS WHEN
- SOMEONE HAS INSERTED CONTROL K (FOR FORMFEED), OR OTHER
- CONTROL CHARACTERS, IN A TEXT AND I WANT TO MOVE OR REMOVE IT.
-
- THE SOLUTION: IF YOUR TERMINAL HAS LOWER CASE CAPABILITY, THEN YOUR
- ROM HAS THE CONTROL CHARACTERS BURNT INTO IT.
-
- PROCEDURE: 1.PREPARE A 1+1/2 INCH WIRE BY STRIPPING ONE
- END FOR 1/2 INCH AND THE OTHER FOR 1/4 IN.
- 2.REMOVE IC.#F3 AND BEND PIN 12 FOR 90 DEGREES.
- 3.PLACE THE 1/4 INCH WIRE END IN THE HOLE FOR
- PIN 7 AND REINSERT THE I.C. #F3.
- 4.WRAP THE 1/2 INCH END AROUND PIN 12.
- 5.SET THE DIP SWITCH ON THE REAR OF THE MOTHER
- BOARD TO U/L DISPLAY
-
- DIFFICULTIES: THE LINE FEED CHARACTER WILL DISPLAY AND
- THEREFORE EFFECTIVELY REDUCE THE LINE LENGTH
- FROM 80 TO 78 CHARACTERS.
- THE BACKSPACE (CONTROL H) NO LONGER WORKS
- PROPERLY SINCE THE TERMINAL NOW CONSIDERS
- CONTROL H AS A VALID CHARACTER AND ATTEMPTS
- TO ADVANCE THE CURSOR WHILE BACKSPACING IT.
-
- SUGGESTION: USE A SPDT SWITCH FOR THIS MOD SO THAT YOU
- NEED ONLY DISPLAY CONTROL CHARACTERS WHEN YOU
- DESIRE.
-
- SINCE MANY PEOPLE ARE USING THE ADM3A, I'LL DESCRIBE THESE MODS IN
- TERMS OF CIRCUIT CHANGES.
-
- MOD#1 BEFORE MODIFICATION THE 3 NEGATIVE INPUT 'AND' GATE #J2 (7427) SENSES
- THE THREE SIGNALS 'NOT COLUMN 1','NOT DATA 4',AND 'NOT XX2'. THIS MOD
- CHANGES THE LATTER SIGNAL TO 'NOT XX1'. 'NOT XX1' IS OBTAINED FROM
- THE 7442 DECODER #L3.
-
- MOD#2 BEFORE MODIFICATION THE 4 NEGATIVE INPUT 'AND' GATE #F3 (7425) WHICH
- IS USED TO CREATE THE SIGNAL 'FORESPACE' AND WHICH IN TURN IS USED TO
- CREATE THE INCREMENT CURSOR SIGNAL,USES THE FOLLOWING SIGNALS
- 'NOT CC80','CTRL CHAR','DEL',AND 'DOIT'. THIS MOD SETS THE 'CTRL
- CHAR' INPUT TO LOW BY GROUNDING PIN #12. THIS RESULTS IN THE CONTROL
- CHARACTERS BEING PLACED IN MEMORY AND DISPLAYED JUST AS ANY OTHER
- OTHER CHARACTER (PROVIDING THE LOWER CASE PROM IS PRESENT).
-
- CONTRIBUTED BY R.A.GREGOIRE, RD10,CARLISLE,PA
-