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Archive-name: psion-faq/part4 Version: $VER: Psion FAQ v1.1Beta2 (1995/12/01) Posting-Frequency: monthly part 4 ====== See part 1 for complete table of contents of this FAQ (including this part's). 6.6 With an Acorn Archimedes or Risc PC (by Nick Craig-Wood) 6.6.1 ALink from Acorn This is a package including the equivalent of the 3-Link for Acorn machines, the A-Link and some software to run on the Acorn. The software runs as a filing system on the Acorn machine and allows you to use the Psion just as if it was a (rather slow) hard disc. It does not allow the Psion to look at the Acorn drives though. It comes with a set of conversion applications for Spreadsheet, Data and Word files into native Acorn and generic (eg CSV) formate. 6.6.2 PC programs All of the available PC programs can be used under the hardware or software PC emulators provided you can run the correct version of Windows or DOS that these programs rely on. Note that the A-Link has a slightly different wiring to the 3-Link. The A-Link will work fine with the PC software, and plugged into a PC, but the 3-Link will not work with the Acorn software. All that is different is the wiring from the 'soap' to the 9-way D-Type connector. 6.7 With a modem Psion provide 3FAX, which is a hardware and software add-on offering FAX capability and a data modem operating at 2400 baud. Apparently, this is a technical limitation as the Psion could not cope with faster transfer rates from faster modems anyway (from the modem data exchange side). No one has really confirmed this though! The 3-Link cable/software offers a standard serial interface through which standard modems can be connected, transferring (serially) up to the Series 3a limit of 19.2K (9.6K for the Series3). Paraphrasing "Lord John" - w0400@ggr.co.uk: The Serial 3link cable is a null modem connection, with a male 25 way end. To work with a modem, you need to "un-null" the modem wires, so you have a straight through link. The wiring of the plug is below. Note that pin 8 is not just "in the air", but connected to pin 6. Choose plugs with whatever gender you need. 2 ------------- 3 3 ------------- 2 4 ------------- 5 5 ------------- 4 6 -+----------- 20 8 -+ 20 -----------+- 6 +- 8 7 ------------- 7 The harder part is correctly configuring the modem; each modem is different. You need to configure the modem and the Series 3/3a to handshake on RTS/CTS. I do not use Xon and Xoff for flow control with the modem; these characters are passed through to whatever is connected to the modem. Using this configuration, I can consistently operate the link at full speed with no problems. Also of interest, Klaus @ ernstk@delphi.com notes: The Psion Modem Adapter (cable), Partnumber 055856, is wired like this: Pin name Pin number Direction DB-25 Mini-Din Series3 - Other DCD 1 <------------- 8 RD 2 <------------- 3 TD 3 -------------> 2 DTR 4 -------------> 20 SG 5 -------------- 7 DSR 6 <------------- 6 RTS 7 -------------> 4 CTS 8 <------------- 5 RI 9 <------------- 22 FG shield -------------- 1 6.8 With a packet radio TNC If you want to work packet radio mobile/remote, your Psion will be just great because of it's small size. Adding a TNC (Terminal Node Controller) is just like adding a modem actually (that's what TNCs are in the first place!), so make the "un-null" cable first (as described in the modem section). Be sure to have a full cable with the CTS/RTS lines and set XFLOW OFF on your TNC as you should preferably use these hardware lines instead of software XON/XOFF codes. As for a specific packet program, you're in luck: Roger Muggleton (G0HZK@GB7WIR on packet) made a nice program called Pocket Packet. Now if someone could just write a little BayCom driver program... For more information concerning packet radio and amateur radio in general, I would recommend you the "rec.amateur.radio.xxx" newsgroups from Usenet. 6.9 Terminal emulation The 3-link cable software includes a dumb terminal emulation. VT100 emulators are also available. There are some at the IC archive: vt122.zip VT100 emulator from Psion GmbH vt100v2a.zip VT100 emulator from Widget <http://www.widget.co.uk> (these are crippled versions of commercial products). There are also free/shareware/commercial alternatives: FreeVT (File: FreeVTxx.zip) PComm (commercial; Psion) 6.10 TCP/IP stack There were two TCP/IP stacks being programmed for the Psion Series 3 a while ago. Unfortunately, I don't have any news on whether or not _any_ program has been finished. All I could gather were rumours; apparently, Psion was also very interested... If anyone has more infos, please mail me or post to comp.sys.psion. 7. THE EMULATOR =============== Psion, in their great generosity, have released their Psion emulator for the Series 3 and later on for the Series 3a. This is a PC product. Also please note that it is completely *unsupported* by Psion and do not ask them for new versions, other platforms, etc... I think that it was quite nice of them to offer their users (and potential users) such a nice tool. We wouldn't want it to stop, would we? The files are available as usual in the IC archive in the development directory. 7.1 Limitations & bugs The following limitations & bugs were reported: -The keyboard is only "British" and doesn't accept your regular keyboard map (either use one of the techniques described in the "Can I change the keyboard?" section or see below for a more permanent way around this problem); -No sound; -The system screen "loses" your configuration each time you launch the emulator; -It only works in DOS with 4Mb RAM and at least a 386 processor; -Caps lock works but doesn't show the symbol like on a real Psion; -Shift diamond key doesn't work. 7.2 Tips & tricks -Alt+Ctrl+shift+S makes a screen snapshot and automatically increases the screen number in the file (unlike the real Psion); -Alt+Ctrl+shift+C shows some memory parameters (useful for development); -Ins key on the numeric keypad (0 key) switches between applications like Shift-System button on the real Psion; -If you replace the 480 by 160 in the "HHSERV.PAR" file by 640 by 480, you will get a complete screen on your PC. 7.3 Changing permanently the keyboard mapping (by Uwe Kallmeyer) The keyboard map is held internally in the file "EPOC.DLL". You must thus patch this file to suit your own keyboard. It contains three tables, one for Psion/Ctrl keys, one for shifted keys and one for normal keys. These tables start at locations (for the file dated 4.12.94, size 94736): Psion/Ctrl $35D8 Shift $33D8 Normal $32D8 8. PROGRAMMING ============== 8.1 Overview of development possibilities There are a number of ways in which you can program the Psion. Choose the one which fits your abilities, requirements, and budget. 8.2 OPL programming directly on the Psion This is the most straightforward. If you can live with the cramped keyboard and screen, you can pursue this option with no further outlay, anywhere you can take your Psion. Some alleviators: 1)A database of the OPL commands is available from the IC archive (see section 5) which you can load into the built-in DATA application. 2)Switching off the clock in the OPL editor will give you more active screen width. CONTROL/menu toggles this. 3)CONTROL/Word takes you straight to the OPL editor from the system screen. 4)Get OPP from Andy Clarkson. This is really *the* programmer's tool for programming directly on the Psion. It allows you to have exactly the same functionnalities as with Psion's S3ATRAN and even more directly on your Psion! You can also make use of some of the data which follows in this section, so read on. 8.3 OPL programming from a PC You can compose your OPL text files on your PC and send them down to the Psion with the link for translation, or you can obtain S3ATRAN from the IC archive (Section 5). S3ATRAN will translate your OPL source into .OPO format which you can then use the link to move to the Psion. In addition to translating simple OPL, S3ATRAN understands a number of C-like pre-processor commands, which make source preparation easier. As well as this advantage, source preparation on a PC allows use of the full-sized keyboard and screen, use of whatever text editor you favour, convenient storage and archival of important source code, and access to printers. It also allows you to make bigger programs since you are not limited to a 64k source like on the Psion. For those using windows, you can use Psion's Opl Development Environment (ODE) which is a *very* nice programmer's tool for developing OPL in windows. ODE is commercial. There is a Psion 3 emulator for the Series 3 and another one for the Series 3a, both available in the IC archive, which allows you to run OPL programs on the PC. For more details, see elsewhere in this FAQ. The "Psionics files" are a collection of information for the OPL programmer who wants to know more than is in the programming manual, but who doesn't want the expense and effort of getting the SDK. They include general explanations of system concepts, descriptions of all the system calls usable from OPL, information about some useful device drivers, and random other useful items. Much of the information is taken from the official Psion SDK manuals, with permission. Clive D.W. Feather is widely appreciated for having taken the time to bring this information to the Psion community. You can get the latest set of files (which change quite frequently), from the WWW site. See that section in the FAQ for the address. Psion offer Software Development Kits - "SDKs". The lowest level is the documentation-only level. This currently includes three large ring-binders which document vast amounts of detail about the Psion. Though much is of prime relevance to C programmers, a lot of essential information can be gleened by the astute OPL programmer. System calls, file formats, transmission protocols, OS structure etc. are all to be had. The SDK costs 75 UKP. See the contacts section if you want to order it. 8.4 C Development on PC The second level of SDK (see above) is called the "Standard SDK". It includes the documentation mentioned above, and some software on floppies. The software comprises the TopSpeed C language system, an interactive Psion debugger, some customisation files, and some examples. This costs 155 UKP. "TopSpeed C" is a general purpose development environment and C compiler. You can use it to write C programs for your PC, and the development environment allows you to add other language compilers. Psion's customisation files taylor TopSpeed C so that it can generate image files which will run on the Psion. The Psion debugger allows C programs to be debugged. Debugging can be done at the C source code level, or at assembly language level, or in a mixture of the two. The debugger also allows programs to be run locally on the PC in a form of Psion emulator, or run on the Psion itself through the serial link. A slew of very useful features are included in the debugger. Psion also provide some example programs which are referenced in the manuals. Going through these with the manual is a good way to learn about the Psion and the best way to program on it. The SPY application is amoung the examples included. It is theoretically possible to write C programs for the Psion using other compilers, but extensive expertise would be needed to avoid the pitfalls. For example, Topspeed C implements parameter passing in a way which is compatible with the Epoc operating system. Object-oriented programming is possible in this C environment. 8.5 Advanced C Development on a PC The highest level of SDK is the "Professional SDK". This adds the source code of various device drivers to the Standard SDK. It costs 295 UKP. 8.6 Available books (by John A Watson) In order of complexity, the following books are available. 1)First Steps in Programming the Psion Series 3 by Mike Shaw, 14.95 GB ISBN 0-7457-0145-0 An introduction to the basic principles of programming. 2)Graphic Programming on the Psion Series 3 by Bill Aitken, 14.95 GBP ISBN 0-7457-0156-6 As the title suggests this is for those interested in graphics. 3)Serious Programming on the Psion 3a by Bill Aitken, 16.95 GBP ISBN 0-7457-0035-7 (Series 3) ISBN 0-7457-0282-1 (Series 3a) A complete OPL programming tutorial from basics to advanced especially graphics including sprite design. 4)Machine Code Programming on the Psion Series 3a & 3 by John Farrant, 16.95 GBP As the title suggests this book tells you how to program in 8086 machine code and assembly language. The price/package includes a fully functional two-pass assembler with text editor and debugger. 5)Introduction to Using the Psion Series 3 by Ros Lawton & Isaac Davis, 14.95 GBP ISBN 0-7457-0146-9 14.95. 6)The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions for You and Your Psion Series 3a & 3 by Richard Bloss & Adam Taylor, 9.95 GBP ISBN 0-7457-0300-3 8.7 How to do various things: tips & tricks (Thanks to Andrew Baldwin for material) 1)First - reading the programming manual which came with your Psion more than once is thoroughly recommended ! 2)REVTRAN - is a reverse translator available at the archive. It turns OPO modules back into OPL - though variable names may be lost. This program allows developers to see how others have implemented their programs, and this may give valuable insights into useful programming techniques. Please note that you should not use REVTRAN to circumvent protection mechanisms, to avoid paying shareware fees, to steal programs or fragments thereof, or to do anything else illegal or anti-social. Some OPL programs are protected against reverse translation. 3)SPRITES - the manual doesn't make it clear. You can have only one sprite. You must emulate any further sprite functionality in OPL. 4)MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ARRAYS - are not provided in OPL, but they can be emulated. For example, a two dimensional array: ARRAY%(X%,Y%) may be implemented by declaring ARRAY%(Z%) (where Z%=X%*Y%). You can now access element (a%,b%) as ARRAY((b%-1)*X% + a%). Each access requires arithmetic so this will incurr a speed penalty. OPP, the OPL preprocessor, implements this (exactly like described) but with complete transparency to the programmer. 5)SPEED - OPL can get slow. Here are some ideas for speeding them up. a)Where does your program spend the most time ? Find out, and concentrate on those sections. It's pointless speeding up code segments which will not impact overall speed significantly. b)The use of floating point numbers is very slow; the Series 3 calls code which emulates a floating point processing chip. Major gains can be had if you avoid floating point numbers. Often integers can be used with a mental shift of the decimal point. c)BUILT-IN FUNCTIONS like SIN can also be very slow. Sometimes it is preferable to build a table of answers and use a look-up strategy. d)On the Series 3a, make use of the procedure cache, which can keep often-used procedures in memory - thereby avoiding a heavy time penalty for loading them in. On the Series 3 there is no cache to use, but you can place the procedure code inline to avoid the overhead. There will be a readability/complexity overhead to trade off. e)Use gUPDATE to restrict screen updates, as detailed in the manual. f)OPL allows the programmer to call machine code routines, which can be highly optimized for speed. These can be built from C programs using the SDK, or with an assembler (available in the archive). Programming at low levels requires extensive knowledge of the Series 3 Operating System. During development crashes are common, and data loss may well occur. Also note that re-implementing a code segment at a lower level will not necessarily give significant speed improvements; it depends on what the code is doing. A. SHAREWARE/FREEWARE SOFTWARE ============================== Please note that the software described here is just a small part of available software and that it would be impossible to track down every single share/freeware Psion program. If there is a program which you would like to see added to the list, please write a mini review in the same style as these here and mail it me. I'll gladly add it and give you credit! Just some guidelines if you wish to submit a mini-review: mention the author (if possible), the exact filename and the type of program (free/share/cripple) as from the list below. Do not write more than 2-3 sentences and do not mention any "this is great" or "this is bad" comments, thanks! A.1 Applications I've used the following definitions below. These may not accord with their standard meanings as used elsewhere. Shareware: a fully functional program is provided, but the user is asked to pay for it. Crippleware: as shareware, but the functionality of the program is restricted in some way to encourage registration. (This may not make it unusable - ANY restriction puts a program in this category.) Freeware: the fully functional program is given away free. It is probably still copyright to the author and conditions may be imposed on redistribution. GNUware: the program is distributed under the GNU General Public Licence: among other things, this means it will include source code. Note that when ``xx'' appears, this means the version number. New version come out very often, so I can't track down each program. The following people have contributed their reviews (see the first part of this FAQ for their Email addresses): Roger Burton-West (RBW) Steve Litchfield (SL) Neil Masson (NM) APPMAN: Jeremy Wakefield: freeware (RBW) For the advanced OPL programmer only, how to use those cascading dialogues and other flashy features of the built-in apps. Challenging but very useful. BATCHK: Pelican software: freeware (SL) Shows you the state of your batteries in a one-screened pretty display. Even shows the state of the battery in RAM SSDs! CMDP: Psion, Inc.: freeware (RBW) DOS-style command line interface for the 3a and Workabout. Handy if you like command lines (I do). Slightly quirky. CON3A: Tim Bentinck: shareware (SL) A comprehensive units conversion utiility. Allows every conversion under the sun, and a few more. DUMP3A: Wolfgang Schirmer: freeware (RBW) Elderly but still useful hexadecimal/ASCII file editor. Perfect for inspecting and modifying binaries, finding resources, etc. DRAW: Rick Andrews: shareware (SL) Painting and drawing application. Its basic function is to let you create PIC files for use as icons or in slide-shows or in your own programs etc. Allows PCX import/export. FE830: Psion, Inc.: freeware (RBW) Hex/ASCII file editor for the PC, optimised for TLV files. Needs some technical knowledge, but invaluable for data recovery from corrupted files. FONTxxx: Steve Godfrey: shareware (RBW) Edits Psion fonts. You can use them in your own programs, but not in the built-in apps. JBDATxx: John Boyce: freeware (RBW) Replacement for Data, with much better functionality. Needs lots of memory, but much more useful than the standard app. JBLAUNCH: John Boyce: freeware (NM) Provides a single icon under which you can launch any program. JBSTOPGO: John Boyce: freeware (NM) Stops all your programs before a backup and restarts them afterwards. JBTREE: John Boyce: freeware (SL) Allows you to browse round a Psion disk, tagging and deleting, viewing or moving files. Lots of extra features too, such as viewing the space that could be reclaimed on a flash SSD. INSTALL: Psion GmbH: freeware (NM) Provides configuration for your Psion, so that your system layout can be restored after a reset. (DP:Only works correctly with english type Psions!) LOTTERY3: freeware (SL) This application will run a complete simulation of thousands of years playing, just for you, showing how often you would have won (or, more probably, lost) during that time. MACSYS: Tom Dolbilin: freeware (RBW) The Macro System allows automation of most common Psion tasks. It can record and play back a sequence of keystrokes: but macros are actually full OPL programs, and can use all the power available to the system. A little tricky to master, but very rewarding. MAP*: Steve Litchfield: shareware (RBW) Huge geographical information system with multiple overlays. Maps of the UK, Ireland and London are available (separate registration). NOT a route finder, but handy for general information and basic town plans. NOTEPAD: Pelican Software: shareware (NM) A useful note-taking utility with links to other Psion applications. OPP (NM) This is an OPL pre-processor with various C-like features, such as #defines, includes, 2D arrays. Makes OPL much more readable. See also section "Programming" for more info. PASON (NM) Switches password protection on overnight. I use my Psion far too often to put up with entering a password every time I switch it on. PICPRINT & PRINTPIC (SL) Two small utilities which allow printing from a PIC graphics file (for example, a screen-dump of a spreadsheet) to an Epson or Canon BJ printer. PIEDIR (NM) Gives a graphical representation of where your precious memory has gone. Can do files only or can sum all the space under directories. (DP:still quite buggy, but a new version should come out soon.) READERxx and TCREADER: Barry Childress: shareware (RBW) Probably the best text file viewer for the Psion, with many display options and good buffering. TCReader is a PC program to compress text files that Reader can view on the fly. RFM110: Psion, Inc.: freeware (RBW) TSR to mount Psion drives over serial link to a PC, allowing normal PC software to access them. Old and sometimes unstable, but still my favoured serial comms package. RVTRNxx: Mike Rudin: freeware (RBW) Extremely useful package to convert translated OPL programs back to source code, in case you've lost the source or want to see how someone else did something. Controversial, and some programs have anti-Revtran "traps". S3ABANKx: Alan Richey: crippleware (RBW) An excellent general personal finance handler, with optional modules for inventories, expenses, petrol, etc. Shareware version is severely limited (only 3 accounts). Needs lots of memory. Alternatives are available; easier to use and less power/memory hungry, but not as complete: BankPlus, DPBank, SCBank. S3AEM1: Psion, Inc.: freeware (RBW) Series 3a emulator for the PC. Try before you buy a Psion, test new software, or run programs at greater speed. See also "Emulator" section in part I of this FAQ. S3AFRAME (NM) Supplies an event-driven interface to OPL. Menu selections and key presses are supplied as events to your OPL code. SHELL3A (NM) Gives a UNIX-like command line interface. This is particularly useful for creating directories and removing files, where the Psion menu interface is rather clumsy. Not the least of its virtues is the fact that it understands filenames using forward (/) slashes as well as back (\) slashes. TOPIX: Uwe Kallmeyer: crippleware (RBW) Multi-level outline editor, with links to files from other apps (such as Word or Sheet). Perfect for large project management and keeping track of long lists. TUBEFINDER: Steve Litchfield: freeware (SL) A simple routefinder for the London Tube system. It's not the most accurate and thorough program in the world, but then hey, it's free! A.2 Games (by Dan Ko) Name Stars Zip Exp Mem Type FMT Collection Description ------------ ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- ---------- ------------------ pipe3a.zip ***** 9k 10k 12k S F ? exciting puzzle stigma.zip **** 63k 87k 39k D+C F ? rolling ball fair22.zip **** 115k 197k 46k S+C F+S GamesPck3a THE golf game tetris_2.zip ***** 9k 16k 6k S F ? Tetris nuff said Patience *** - - 8k C R 1Mb/2MbS3a zzzzzzzz bunnies.zip ** 15k 42k ? F F slow platform lander3.zip **** 33k 62k ? S F+S GamesPck3a cool space game risk101a.zip ***+ 31k 81k 14k S F ? strategy willy11.zip ** 40k 68k ? S F doubt it 2slow2big platform Tanka.zip ** 9k 12k? ? S F S3 was much better Stars: Arbitary rating units, overall personal impression includes adjustment for size. * waste of space ** avoid; boring, limited appeal *** OK, if you've nothing better to fill your flash with **** excellent, recommended ***** can't live without it Zip: The zip file size Exp: How much space the installed components will take up Mem: Free system memory required to run in Type: S Shareware D Demo F Freeware/PD C Commercial Format: F floppy (ZIP file) S SSD R built into ROM Collection: Name of collection which contains this game End of part 4/5