Re: [M100] triple screens

[Joe Grubbs]

Whoa now this is really cool! I wonder if this would work in CP/M


From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020 2:38 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: [M100] triple screens

Making good progress on integrating the VT100 driver into REX.  A lot trickier 
than I expected!

Anyhow an interesting side effect -

Model 100/Tandy 102 can actually drive the LCD and 2 external screens at the 
same time.

Within a basic program it is possible to switch within a program using SCREEN 0 
(or 1 or 2).
0 = LCD
1 = RS232
2 = BCRhack(TTL serial)

So, I have this little demo running where I have text scrolling on all 3 
screens.

..Steve

Re: [M100] M100 overclock

[Joe Grubbs]

Aww yeah! I'm liking where this is going. Will the sluggish original ROM handle 
8Mhz+?


From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2020 5:23 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: Re: [M100] M100 overclock

I've had a bit of spare time to fiddle.
I now have 6 MHz running nicely (actually 6.2MHz).  Screen issue resolved (was 
a different problem).  Also serial port is working.  TSDOS at 6MHz is.. fast!

I won't go into the details yet, as I have poked around a bit here and a bit 
there.  When I'll do a good summary once I have it well understood.

Some comments though.
The original main rom and typical M100 RAMs are pretty slow.  Hard to go fast 
with 200nsec or 250 nsec ram/rom.
Addressing the slow parts seems to be working well.
* faster main rom is pretty easy.  Just get a fast Eprom, like a TEEPROM etc.
* faster RAM == REXCPM (plugs in, no problem)

Next hurdle is 8MHz (actually 8.23MHz).

(my clock circuit gives me divide ratios of 49.454MHz)
/6 = 8.23, /8 = 6.17, /10 = 4.94 etc)

Steve

Re: [M100] evolution of Z80 in M100

[Joe Grubbs]

Holy smokes, that's great progress!


From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 4:40 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: [M100] evolution of Z80 in M100

A while back I wrote a bit about an NSC800 Adapter, which can be used to 
exchange the venerable 80C85 for the lesser known but Z80 compatible NSC800.

My first adapter has been running smoothly for a while, at the same 2.5 MHz.

I'm about to ship out a new version which does something new.  It ups the clock 
speed for the NSC800 processor to 4MHz.  That is the fastest speed grade device 
that was produced for the NSC800.

So, that should support a significantly faster LCD operation, and generally 
faster computing.  Not that it is critical for enjoyment of CP/M or anything, 
but it does put the M100 in the class of a pretty fast CP/M machine.

It will operate in BASIC mode in M100 too ;)
And I have Teeny running for NSC800, too...

When I have it working I will follow up.
Steve

Re: [M100] having fun with MVT100

[Joe Grubbs]

Awesome Jim! I can't wait until mine gets here


From: M100  on behalf of Jim Anderson 

Sent: Friday, October 16, 2020 12:00 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: [M100] having fun with MVT100

On a more uplifting note, I received my MVT100 in the mail last week and I've 
been having a blast with it!  I thought I'd share a few things which others 
might find helpful:

I added the jumper for the BCR TTL serial hack to the machine I've been using 
for my REXCPM (the old SOD hack, because I'm unlikely to go the Z80 route and 
didn't want to be bothered patching things).  While I was in there I also ran a 
jumper to supply VDD (which I picked off from a nearby via which supplies pin 9 
in the BCR port) to pin 22 on the RS-232 port - this is the Ring Indicate 
signal from a modem and isn't connected to anything in the M100, but more 
importantly, it maps to pin 9 when you use a DE-9 adapter.  I was inspired by 
Stephen's post about adding a jumper to the MVT100 to power it off pin 9 (which 
I have also done) and which reminded me that my old Bluetooth serial adapter 
also is capable of drawing power from pin 9.  This way, I can run the MVT100 
off either the BCR or the RS-232 port and it'll receive power.

If there's a future need to revise the MVT100 board design, it might be useful 
to add a trace and a jumper to allow the user to easily enable/disable power 
draw from pin 9 - the way it is now, I'm not sure whether Bad Things would 
happen if I tried using the board as a USB serial adapter while it was 
connected to my M100, since that would common the M100's VDD with the USB power 
supplied by the PC...

A note on screen resolutions: I had not even thought about this until I got it 
and started playing around with it, but the text font the MVT100 uses can look 
absolutely hideous when it's being scaled poorly by an LCD monitor.  This isn't 
specifically an MVT100 issue - LCD monitors often wreak havoc on text when they 
are scaling from a non-native resolution, and it's something I'd just forgotten 
about because it's been so long since I had to drive an LCD at its non-native 
resolution.  My original plan for my MVT100 was to use it with an older NEC 15" 
LCD I had which is native 1024x768 - too low to be useful for a PC, but I 
thought the compact size and 4:3 aspect ratio would make it a perfect terminal 
display.  Alas, it's actually almost the worst thing to use, because the MVT100 
output is 640x480 and that means there aren't enough pixels to do an acceptable 
job of scaling, giving characters that alternate from skinny to fat as you read 
down a line of text...

I also tried with a 1280x1024 LCD on the theory that I might be able to tweak 
the pixel clock settings in the monitor and get it to map at least the 
horizontal pixels 2:1 but this monitor doesn't let you tweak very much (it 
mostly relies on the auto-adjust routine).  I got it looking better than the 
small LCD but I still wasn't very happy with it (and it still didn't look as 
good as sending it into a bit 1920x1080 LCD).

Of course, it looks the best by a long shot when you send it into a good old 
VGA CRT, which arguably is the most retro-looking solution of all, and lucky 
for me I never did throw away that little paper-white monochrome VGA monitor I 
got back in the 90s (yes, I said monochrome VGA!).  It's kind of perfect for 
this - it doesn't even pretend to represent all colours, it only uses the green 
signal (which is all the MVT100 is jumpered to output as I received it) so it 
all works out almost as if it was meant to!

One other thing: I don't know what is limiting the display output speed, but 
when I started using the BCR at 57600bps I was expecting the display to update 
faster and it seems like it actually is the exact same speed as it was on the 
serial port at 19200bps.  From past experience using dumb terminals I had been 
feeling like even the 19200 output was displaying a bit slower than it could 
(it felt like 9600) and I'm wondering if this is just a result of the processor 
having to take turns between executing program instructions and bit-banging 
each output byte.  Please don't take this as a complaint about it being slow - 
the speed is fully in keeping with my expectations for the platform, and it's 
lightning-fast compared with the internal LCD :) I just wonder what is limiting 
it because I know the M100 is capable of faster data transfer... (speaking of 
which, I'm still dying to have access to the high-speed large-packet data 
transfer capability for backing up and restoring REXCPM)

Anyway, it all works great and I couldn't be happier with this solution!  Many 
thanks to Stephen for sharing your genius ideas with us!







jim

Re: [M100] Model 100 converted to NSC800 (aka Z80) part 2

[Joe Grubbs]

Steve, this is utterly fascinating, thank you for sharing this and your 
progress. I look forward to your updates


From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Sunday, October 4, 2020 2:24 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: Re: [M100] Model 100 converted to NSC800 (aka Z80) part 2

The processor adapter board is low profile, having pins short enough to allow 
the PCB itself to rest on the socket, on the main board.
Then there is enough room for the CPU socket for the NSC800.

The main rom, being closer to the front, has less room.  In that case, no 
socket for the option rom.  The 27C256 is soldered to the pcb, with the pcb 
flush mounted to the main rom socket.

A Z80 isn't a good natural fit as the M100 is designed around the multiplexed 
address/data bus with the ALE signal to latch.
That's why the NSC800 exists; it was National Semiconductor taking advantage of 
Z80 improvements, while leveraging the chip sets for the 8085.

I haven't posted the design info yet.  The PCB and schematic, in the end, are 
very simple.  I'll start documenting it at the wiki.

Now, I am trying to think of a quick way to compile TS-DOS from Ken's 
disassembly, for CP/M.  Not sure I want to re-write it in Turbo Pascal or C.

Steve



On Sun, Oct 4, 2020 at 12:48 PM RETRO Innovations 
mailto:go4re...@go4retro.com>> wrote:
How is the fit, with the socket and adapter?  Is there room?

Has anyone tried to support a Z80 in the same way?

Are your design plans available anywhere?

JIm

Re: [M100] REXCPM / REX# / MVT100

[Joe Grubbs]

Woohoo! I'm going to love that VT100 adapter

From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 12:33 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: [M100] REXCPM / REX# / MVT100

Folks, thanks for the patience.  Summer is over!
Just a quick note to say that I have everything built and am assembling 
packages for the mail. In this tranch of hardware I have 4MB REXCPM, 2MB 
REXCPM, REX# for various models, plus both kits and assembled MVT100 video 
adapters.
cheers,
Steve

Re: [M100] MVT100 update

[Joe Grubbs]

Cool thanks! I look forward to this

From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 6:27:33 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: [M100] MVT100 update

Hey all,
Just a quick note to say  I have some progress to report on the MVT100 video 
adapter.  Boards are back finally and they look to be fine.
I have some work to do to sort out how to program the PIC correctly.

Once that is done I will be able to send out the kits to those who let me know 
they were interested in such.

I'll post some pics of the finished product + additional info at the wiki.
cheers
Steve

Re: [M100] Update on REXCPM

[Joe Grubbs]

Thank you for all the great work on this. I can't wait until mine arrives!

From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2020 5:07 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: [M100] Update on REXCPM

Quick update.
All of the first build were shipped out.
The next build starts this week, so more should be pending shortly.
Cheers Steve

Re: [M100] dual CPU project

[Joe Grubbs]

Running Turbo Pascal is reason enough for me! Fond memories for me on Computer 
Science classes

Re: [M100] dual CPU project

[Joe Grubbs]

Sounds great Steve, keep us updated on this.  You may have mentioned this 
before, but do the two processors share the bus simultaneously, or is only one 
or the other (like a Commodore 128)?


From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Friday, June 5, 2020 10:44 AM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: Re: [M100] dual CPU project

Hello all,
Interesting update.
So, I've been working on getting NSC800 AKA Z80 processor to work in the M100 
such that it can be used in CP/M as an alternative processor.

Great news is that I now have a solution for actually running the M100 using 
the NSC800!  Not that it really matters; there are no Z80 applications for 
M100, and the Z80 can't run 8085.

But, what this means is that having a Z80 processor for CP/M in M100 is very 
close to reality.

And it is kinda neat to see the good old M100 interface work using a Z80 ;)

Learned a lot along the way for how to modify 8085 code to run on NSC800.
Also the subtle difference in how NSC800 deals with the Timer driven interrupt  
TP.

More to come, Steve

On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 7:46 AM Stephen Adolph 
mailto:twospru...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Reviving this thread.
Now that we have a solid CP/M application written in 8080, there should be a 
way to boot into CP/M  using the NSC800.
I dropped this project some time back but it is time to revive it, as a 
processor swap would be a cleaner way to expanding the CP/M application 
universe for the M100.



On Thu, Jul 11, 2019 at 10:30 AM Stephen Adolph 
mailto:twospru...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Motivated by 2 things
1) discovery of the NSC800 Z80 processor that is 80C85 like
2) continuing to work in the direcition of CP/M
3) and recalling that there are 5MHz 80C85 parts out there..

I started to work on a dual CPU card for M100 that enables a couple of things;
- standard 2.5MHz 80C85 operation (default)
- switchable clock for 80C85, supporting 5MHz
- switchable CPU enabling NSC800 at 2.5 MHz.

Board is done and heading to the fab.  VHDL is mostly done.

I don't expect this board will be wildly popular but maybe it has some interest 
 Double speed M100 seems interesting on it's own, let alone being able to 
support Z80 CP/M applications.


Any interest?

I have purchased material to make 5 of these.

A few more comments.
- to install this board you need to remove the 80C85.  that's some effort to do
- to run at 5MHz you need to upgrade the 81C55 to a 5MHz version.  That's also 
some effort.
- NSC800 runs about 5$ on ebay.
- fast 80C85 can be had for under 5$.
- fast 81C55 can be had for under 5$.
- to run at 5MHz  you might also find you need a faster main ROM, and faster 
RAM.  TBD on that; will advise after I do some testing.

Re: [M100] dual CPU project

[Joe Grubbs]

Not sure how I missed this original post last year, but wow I'm impressed. 
Please keep at it and keep us updated. This sounds like a very cool venture


From: M100  on behalf of Stephen Adolph 

Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2020 3:55 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com 
Subject: Re: [M100] dual CPU project

No, it is a plug in board but it plugs into the CPU socket (ahwhich 
does not exist!)
On my bench system I did the work to take out the CPU and added a socket.
Then I plug an expansion card into it.

Good idea though about the system bus, I'll have to think about that.

I'm almost done a full patch to the M100 Main ROM which makes it 8080/Z80 
compatible.  In this case I should be able to switch to running Z80 in M100 
mode too!

Steve

On Sat, May 30, 2020 at 2:57 PM Ken Pettit 
mailto:petti...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Hey Steve,

Oh great!  One more emulation I need to add to VirtualT!  ;)

Nice work!  How do you wire it it?  System bus?
Ken

On 5/30/20 5:04 AM, Stephen Adolph wrote:
...and I just now this second got the NSC800 to run in the M100 successfully.
It is driving the LCD at the moment.
I think the interrupts are different, and more work to do, but it is officially 
alive.
yay!


On Sat, May 30, 2020 at 6:32 AM William stewart 
mailto:wstewart2...@yahoo.com>> wrote:
Stephen,
Are you suggesting a swap of the 8085?

Sent from my iPhone

On May 29, 2020, at 7:46 AM, Stephen Adolph 
mailto:twospru...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Reviving this thread.
Now that we have a solid CP/M application written in 8080, there should be a 
way to boot into CP/M  using the NSC800.
I dropped this project some time back but it is time to revive it, as a 
processor swap would be a cleaner way to expanding the CP/M application 
universe for the M100.



On Thu, Jul 11, 2019 at 10:30 AM Stephen Adolph 
mailto:twospru...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Motivated by 2 things
1) discovery of the NSC800 Z80 processor that is 80C85 like
2) continuing to work in the direcition of CP/M
3) and recalling that there are 5MHz 80C85 parts out there..

I started to work on a dual CPU card for M100 that enables a couple of things;
- standard 2.5MHz 80C85 operation (default)
- switchable clock for 80C85, supporting 5MHz
- switchable CPU enabling NSC800 at 2.5 MHz.

Board is done and heading to the fab.  VHDL is mostly done.

I don't expect this board will be wildly popular but maybe it has some interest 
 Double speed M100 seems interesting on it's own, let alone being able to 
support Z80 CP/M applications.


Any interest?

I have purchased material to make 5 of these.

A few more comments.
- to install this board you need to remove the 80C85.  that's some effort to do
- to run at 5MHz you need to upgrade the 81C55 to a 5MHz version.  That's also 
some effort.
- NSC800 runs about 5$ on ebay.
- fast 80C85 can be had for under 5$.
- fast 81C55 can be had for under 5$.
- to run at 5MHz  you might also find you need a faster main ROM, and faster 
RAM.  TBD on that; will advise after I do some testing.

Re: [M100] 4 REXes available

[Joe Grubbs]

Thanks Jim, this is very helpful



From: M100  on behalf of Jim Anderson 

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2018 2:38 PM
To: m...@bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] 4 REXes available

> -Original Message-
>
> I know this batch were pre-programmed for the 100 (and 102), but I
> assume it's easy enough to make it 200 compatible?

It's pretty straightforward in that it doesn't require any specialized 
chip-programming hardware.  As long as you have a TPDD or TPDD emulator already 
working with your machine, it's just a matter of putting a couple of files in 
the TPDD (or emulator) and running a few commands on the T200.

http://bitchin100.com/wiki/index.php?title=REX_Release_4.9

After putting the REX in your T200 ROM socket, scroll down to the section 
'Rebuilding REX' and follow steps 2, 4, and 5 (steps 1 and 3 are only needed if 
you already had the REX working in your machine, although obviously the part of 
step 1 about backing up your RAM files is important, since in step 5 you'll be 
doing a cold restart).  Use the files for release 162, though, not 236.  
They're linked a little bit further down the page.

This is a good process to be familiar with anyways, as this is essentially how 
you'd go about upgrading your REX to a future software release.







jim

Re: [M100] 4 REXes available

[Joe Grubbs]

Thank you for doing this Josh... I wasn't able to jump on one of these this 
time, but a REX has been on my wish list for a looong time. I'll likely 
want one for my 100 and 200 next go-round.

I know this batch were pre-programmed for the 100 (and 102), but I assume it's 
easy enough to make it 200 compatible?


From: M100  on behalf of Josh Malone 

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2018 10:15 AM
To: m...@bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] 4 REXes available

All REXes have been claimed. Thanks so much to everyone.

On Feb 20, 2018 6:09 PM, "Josh Malone" 
> wrote:
Hello all,

Well, I was hoping to have more stock before I sent this, but circumstances 
will prevent me from building more for a while and I need to pay the the 
Digikey bill :)

I have 4 REX units available for sale. Programmed for Tandy 100/102. Price is 
$65 plus $7 priority shipping. Please mail me off-list to inquire. Payment via 
PayPal only for now. U.S. shipping only, again, for now.

I *will* be building more, but it will be a few weeks or more. :(

Thanks for everyone's support. I appreciate it!

-Josh

Re: [M100] Model T’s 9 pin port

[Joe Grubbs]

I think it can only act as an input, no output capability


From: M100  on behalf of Darryl Pruett 

Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 9:24 AM
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] Model T’s 9 pin port

Could the bar code reader pin port be use for other I/O applications?

Re: [M100] List of wanna haves

[Joe Grubbs]

Some time ago Ken (? I think) did some preliminary work on a modern-day DVI and 
it all sounded really promising, but I'm not sure where it landed. I don't 
recall the exact details, so I apologize... I've had a few head injuries since 
then.


From: M100  on behalf of Josh Malone 

Sent: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 11:32 AM
To: m...@bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] List of wanna haves

Yeah - a replica DVI would be an awesome bit of modern kit for the
M100/102. Even if it didn't have the disk part, the video part would
rule!

Re: [M100] New to list

[Joe Grubbs]

Hi Mike, I recognize you []


There are a number of neat mods/addons for these machines. Stephen can chime in 
as he's been doing a lot of work on both the REX ROM upgrade as well as the 
QUAD memory upgrade.




From: M100  on behalf of Michael Brant 

Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2015 7:31 AM
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] New to list


I am new to the list.  I recently aquired my first 100.  I am looking for any 
mods or addons that might be available.  Anyone on here make any?

[M100] Serial to VGA module

[Joe Grubbs]

Hello All,

I saw this posted on a Facebook group and it got me thinking. I wonder if this 
could be repurposed (with some ancillary hardware and ROM tweaks) to give the 
Model 100/200/102 an external VGA display for very little money:

http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/serial-vga

It accepts serial data and drives a text based VGA display at 800x600 
resolution. Additionally, it understands escape sequences to manage simple text 
windows, etc. It's pretty cool, and it got my wheels turning.

  

Re: [M100] Rex upgrade

[Joe Grubbs]

I would love to bestow my 200 with REX. Hint hint nudge nudge Ken ;)

--- Original Message ---

From: Bob Pigford rpigfo...@comcast.net
Sent: June 14, 2015 12:43 PM
To: 'Model 100 Discussion' m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] Rex upgrade

Well, the longer you wait, the longer you miss out on a terrific ModelT 
upgrade.  I think it is quite stable as it is now (REX 4.9, ver 162).  But YMMV.



From: M100 [mailto:m100-boun...@lists.bitchin100.com] On Behalf Of 
mechanicalgenius
Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2015 12:36 PM
To: Model 100 Discussion
Subject: Re: [M100] Rex upgrade



I would wait even longer for ReXP. It will be the most stable update, and 
everyone will miss it when it's gone.







Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone



 Original message 
From: Lee Kelley l...@3footed.com
Date: 06/14/2015 7:45 AM (GMT-07:00)
To: Model 100 Discussion m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] Rex upgrade

I think I'm going to wait for Rex 95





On Sun, Jun 14, 2015 at 8:38 AM, Stephen Adolph twospru...@gmail.com wrote:

Great! Glad to hear it!!



On Sunday, June 14, 2015, gotoole goto...@tpg.com.au wrote:


 Thanks Steve I have now upgraded to 4.9 and all is working fine.



 Regards



 Gordon O’Toole



 From: M100 [mailto:m100-boun...@lists.bitchin100.com] On Behalf Of Stephen 
 Adolph
 Sent: Sunday, 14 June 2015 12:12 AM
 To: Model 100 Discussion
 Subject: Re: [M100] Rex upgrade



 Run the program REXU.
 Looks like you are doing the 4.7 upgrade.
 I recommend going straight to 4.9.
 4.9 is a full wipe and rebuild.
 Steve
 -=]\-[‘



 ‘[-=- wrote:
 Hi All



 Trying to upgrade my Rex using the below procedure



 I am up to step 4 and when I do this just tells me  Ok  and that is it.



 What am I doing wrong  ?



 Regards

  [p]\

 Gordon O’Toole



 Steps to a happy upgrade

 1. Start the upgrade from a cold booted laptop. While not necessary, it 
 ensures the laptop is working nominally with no lurking problems. If you 
 have important data please save your current RAM image to REX, and then to 
 TPDD if needed.

 2. Regarding your saved RAM images with important data saved within - please 
 back those up to an external TPDD device using the SAVE function. In case 
 there is a problem, you will be glad you did - it will ensure your data is 
 safe should the REX directory get garbled. This takes only a few minutes.

 3. Download the upgrade package, and place the 2 files in your favorite TPDD 
 device or emulator so they are accessible to the LAPTOP.

 DELETE ANY PREVIOUS COPIES OF –[]\\’
 and REX147.BR

 4. Upload the program REXU1.CO to the laptop. Issue the command CLEAR0,59960 
 in BASIC so that REXU1.CO can run.

 5. At the prompt, press Y to save your current SYSTEM to TPDD. It is 
 recommended that you save your existing image just to be safe. Keeping the 
 system image allows you to revert to that if something unforseen happens 
 during the upgrade. Provide a unique filename (something like REXBAK to 
 safely identify the system image backup.

 6. At the prompt, proceed to upgrade the software image by pressing Y, or 
 quit the application using N, Q or ESC. (N, Q and ESC are equivalent). 
 Confirm your intention to upgrade the system by confirming with Y at the 
 next prompt, or abandon using N. If you confirm the upgrade, the upgrade 
 process will proceed by erasing the first 16k of the system image, 
 containing the system software, and replacing it with the binary image 
 REX147.BR stored on TPDD.

 Be careful to keep the laptop powered up during the flash process!

 REXU will load the new software into block 0, and copy the software to block 
 1, then it will restart REXMGR to complete the installation.



 DONE!



 No virus found in this message.
 Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
 ./
 Version: 2015.0.5961 / Virus Database: 4360/10006 - Release Date: 06/13/15







--

I will never in my lifetime make a film that cannot be seen by the whole 
family  Arther P. Jacobs

Re: [M100] Model T Twitter Client

[Joe Grubbs]

Using the Twitter API and some simple HTTP requests, you can do just about 
anything. 

On a similar note, I wrote a widget under NitrOS9 for my Color Computer that 
posts Facebook status updates via their Graph API :)



 Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2015 12:12:07 -0500
 From: hira...@hotmail.com
 To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
 Subject: [M100] Model T Twitter Client
 
 Okay, here's the 3rd (4th?) project I want to work on for my M100; 
 sadly, I don't know squat about twitter... yet.
 
 But, with my M100, BlueM and the GetBlue software, hypothetically I 
 could access twitter with my M100.
 
 I mean, in 2009, they had a twitter client for the C64!
 And I've seen twitter access scripts for emacs, and vim, and a perl TTY 
 twitter client (hypothetically, I could set this one up on my PC, shell 
 in to my PC from my M100, then access twitter that way... but I'd like 
 to be able to carry my M100 into a McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts and chat 
 on twitter with it, just to be cool and make people stare :D
 
  

Re: [M100] Mouse with Model T

[Joe Grubbs]

I don't think the RN-42 has HID connectivity, but I could be mistaken.


 Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2015 11:02:46 -0500
 From: hira...@hotmail.com
 To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
 Subject: [M100] Mouse with Model T
 
 February issue of Portable 100 has an article (page 8) on using a serial 
 mouse with  your M10x/200.
 It requires a special cable to draw power from the barcode port (part of 
 me would love to rewire the barcode port to the modem to make a 2nd 
 serial port)...
 
 But, it occurred to me... could a BlueM connect to a bluetooth mouse? 
 Most bluetooth mice, being intended to be used with Android and other 
 portable devices, are smaller than regular mice. Not sure how much use a 
 mouse would be... but there you go.
  

Re: [M100] CPM?

[Joe Grubbs]

If it doesn't, we need a clever developer who is very intimate with the Model 
100/200 architecture and the 8085 to port it :)  Someone in the Color Computer 
community ported CP/M to run under OS-9 on the 6809. If that can be done, it 
seems that getting it to run on an 8085 would be plausible.


Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2015 00:44:09 -0300
From: louis.l...@gmail.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] CPM?

A friend found an image of what is supposed to be CPM for the trs100. Does 
anyone know if this actually exists?   

Re: [M100] CPM?

[Joe Grubbs]

He's basically built an emulator/VM that runs in OS-9. There was a lengthy 
discussion about the finer details on the CoCo list, but here is one of his 
videos demonstrating it running WordStar (wow flashback!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysn7Na60ZGA



Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2015 08:50:14 -0700
From: jho...@pobox.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] CPM?



On Monday, June 1, 2015, Joe Grubbs jsgru...@hotmail.com wrote:



If it doesn't, we need a clever developer who is very intimate with the Model 
100/200 architecture and the 8085 to port it :)  Someone in the Color Computer 
community ported CP/M to run under OS-9 on the 6809. If that can be done, it 
seems that getting it to run on an 8085 would be plausible.

  
How can that be?  
I think typical CP/M programs require an 8080 compatible CPU. The 6809 is not. 
-- John.  

Re: [M100] Portable 100 searchable database?

[Joe Grubbs]

The CGP-115 printer throws off enough RF to shutdown an airport, so I like to 
hold florescent tubes close to mine for lighting...
:P



 Date: Sun, 24 May 2015 16:20:52 -0700
 From: gof...@gmail.com
 To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
 Subject: Re: [M100] Portable 100 searchable database?
 
 ...I use a carbide-fired miners lamp...
 
 A Real Programmer would capture the lamp's waste heat to
 
 produce the steam that runs his dynamo...
 
:)
  

Re: [M100] TDock

[Joe Grubbs]

Cool Mike!


 From: dm...@torfree.net
 To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
 Date: Wed, 20 May 2015 14:35:09 -0400
 Subject: Re: [M100] TDock
 
 I played with that a while back, mainly to talk to 
 an internal RS-232 SD card module (as well as the 
 BT module); been meaning to get back to it 
 soonish.
 
 The hardware and software are pretty well in 
 place, although ISTR that a signal or two had to 
 be inverted; I'll see if I can find any notes.
 

  

Re: [M100] What printer can I use with my TRS 80 Model 100?

[Joe Grubbs]

For what it's worth, I think the TRS-80 Model 2/12/16 used the same or similar 
34 pin header connector for the parallel port. So it might be possible to use a 
cable for one of those machine on the Tandy 100/200 family. I cite this because 
I believe those cables are perhaps more readily available on eBay or 
craigslist. Good luck with your search.


From: jsgru...@hotmail.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 19:27:53 -0400
Subject: Re: [M100] What printer can I use with my TRS 80 Model 100?




I do have a cable, but I'm not interested in selling it.



Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 17:19:07 -0600
From: johnjessemar...@gmail.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] What printer can I use with my TRS 80 Model 100?

Joe,
I have no printer cable cord for the TRS 80 Model 100 what so ever.
Do you have the printer cable to go with the computer?On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 
11:35 AM, Joe Grubbs jsgru...@hotmail.com wrote:Any printer with a parallel 
(centronics) interface should suffice. Forget getting anything new. 
  

Re: [M100] What printer can I use with my TRS 80 Model 100?

[Joe Grubbs]

I do have a cable, but I'm not interested in selling it.



Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 17:19:07 -0600
From: johnjessemar...@gmail.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] What printer can I use with my TRS 80 Model 100?

Joe,
I have no printer cable cord for the TRS 80 Model 100 what so ever.
Do you have the printer cable to go with the computer?On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 
11:35 AM, Joe Grubbs jsgru...@hotmail.com wrote:Any printer with a parallel 
(centronics) interface should suffice. Forget getting anything new. 
  

Re: [M100] Model 200 battery cover

[Joe Grubbs]

Ugh. I'm like pedantic about this sort of stuff :P   I put a piece of tape on 
it for the time being, but it drives me nuts. Haha, hopefully someone has one.



Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 17:16:28 -0400
From: djj...@gmail.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] Model 200 battery cover

Mine has broken twice. Rick Hanson was nice enough to send me one after the 
first one broke, but that one broke too. I used tape to make mine hold. It's 
not pretty, but it works.
On Sun, May 17, 2015 at 5:07 PM, Joe Grubbs jsgru...@hotmail.com wrote:



Hi all,

Despite my best efforts to be gentle, my battery cover has finally broken. Does 
anyone out there in Model T land have a non-broken 200 battery cover that 
they're itching to sell?


  

  

Re: [M100] My TRS-80 M100 and going to the park

[Joe Grubbs]

Hahaha that's great! Coincidentally, my sister sent me this video this morning, 
it's along the same lines as the story you just shared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF7EpEnglgk

It is amazing how the skills that are just intrinsic to us are completely 
foreign to most of today's kids.



Date: Fri, 8 May 2015 16:19:59 +0100
From: james.z...@gmail.com
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] My TRS-80 M100 and going to the park


I don't post on here very often, two posts in one day is something of a record 
for me. I don't really know how to program, save for a little bit of Python on 
my Raspberry PI. So as an M100 user, I guess I'm what you could class as an 
enthusiastic/user. I use my M100 for writing articles for my vintage tech blog, 
the battery life just makes it a great machine to use. The screen is far 
superior to the Amstrad NC100 I was using previously, which was more of a word 
processor then a real computer like the TRS.

Anyways, I thought I would share with you an experience I had with my M100 last 
week, while we had a spell of sunshine. I know it's not exactly dissecting a 
system rom or anything ambitious as getting an M100 online over wifi. But I 
thought I would share it, as it's was a fun moment using a 30yr old computer 
for what it was meant for. 

Last week the sun blessed us with an appearance, so a group of us 'nerds' 
decided to venture out in to the sunshine to soak up some Vitamin D! I packed a 
rucksack and threw my M100 inside, thinking I could finish off a blog post. 
Sitting on the picnic blanket with a flask of tea, I kept having people come up 
to me, inquiring about the 
Tandy. I genuinely didn't think anyone would raise an eye brow, aside from take 
pity on the sad nerd who couldnt afford a Macbook Air. To my surprise people 
wanted to know about the little machine, which I was more then happy to tell 
them about. Even if it did mean I didn't get any work done!  Some of them sort 
of knew what it was, while others were completely baffled. One guy even asked 
if I hooked it up to the PC using USB. When I explained to him that I used a 
serial cable, there was a lost expression his face. Clearly not a lover of old 
RS-232!  The oddest part of the outing was having my friends seven year old son 
approach me, looking genuinely confused.
 
What is that?
It's a computer I replied
No, it doesn't have a lid Argued the child
That's
 a laptop, this is a portable computer. See this label on the front, it 
says 'Portable Computer', it can work out maths problems and I can write
 on it just like a regular computer
It's not a computer, it doesn't have a screen! how do you close the lid?
It doesn't need a lid and the screen is there see!

So if you want to confuse a small child, wave an old computer at them and watch 
their brain explode lol. Having grown up in the 80's, it's really difficult to 
get my head around the fact there is a generation now, that see's touchscreens 
as common place. I really wonder what they would make of sitting in front of a 
C64 and typing out a program listing from a book, like I did when I was 7-8 
years old. Thats what I think of when someone says the word computer. 

Anyways, that was a random adventure with my M100, still a useful work horse. 
Hope nobody objected to me sharing :-) 

James


  

Re: [M100] Model 100/102 vs Alphasmart

[Joe Grubbs]

I think it would be awesome if you use the Model 100 for your journal! There's 
something about that back-to-basics simple design that adds to the experience. 
Plus, no esoteric or expensive batteries, instant-on, no security updates, etc.

I've been toying with the idea for a motorcycle trip across country, and I 
think I'd bring either my 100 or 200 with me to blog about it. I've been 
playing with more modern connectivity methods (inspired by Stephen's work with 
BT), so I would be able to publish my text through my phone... hopefully. Your 
message has just inspired me more :)



Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2015 08:10:52 -0700
From: mechanicalgen...@cox.net
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: [M100] Model 100/102 vs Alphasmart

Howdy folks
My name is Robert and this is my first post. 
I am going to be taking a trip this summer,  aboard a 50ft sailboat,  from 
Hawaii to Long Beach. I did this run couple years years ago.  Best month of my 
life.  During that journey,  I shared my journal daily.  We used a ham radio 
based email system called Sailmail to connect with the world.  I would write on 
my tablet everyday and upload once a day.  Everyone loved reading about the 
journey.  
I want to share it again.  Last time,  I ran into a couple issues with my 
Samsung tablet. Battery life wasn't that great,  and daylight viewability was 
awful.  If I wanted to write during the day I had to go below deck to do it.  
This time I want to be able to write anywhere and everywhere. 
I have a Model 100, and it seems like it could be quite nice for this trip,  
other than transferring files to the laptop we will be using for Sailmail. I 
won't likely have access to the laptop before the trip for testing. I don't 
have a NADSbox. 
Another option I ran across is an Alphasmart Neo. Not quite as cool,  but 
rugged,  USB built in, and I think it is backlit. I think it may have a 
limitation on the number of files it can store,  and I will be creating at 
least one new file per day. 
So I come to you,  oh knowledgeable ones of the Model T world.  What wisdom can 
you share with this lowly sailor? 

Re: [M100] Ladroid progress

[Joe Grubbs]

Subscribe :)

I'm also curious how this works out. I had to stop work on my own serial/BT 
internal adapter project because of other things going on, but this may inspire 
me to pick it up again



From: ajroac...@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2015 18:32:56 +
To: m100@lists.bitchin100.com
Subject: Re: [M100] Ladroid progress

This is really exciting news. 
On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 9:50 AM John R. Hogerhuis jho...@pobox.com wrote:
Hello Russell --
The cable to the BCR provides power to BlueM. The Bluetooth module which Steve 
designed is attached to the serial port. 
Steve designed BlueM so it can also accept power from an unused serial port 
pin. This requires to open the laptop and solder an internal wire to the serial 
port that can provide the +5V to power the BlueM. Eventually I will do that so 
there's no wire going to BCR. 
I think it could also be connected to a battery. 
-- John. 

On Wednesday, March 25, 2015, Russell Flowers rflow...@gmail.com wrote:
Awesome! 
In the picture it looks like there is a cable coming from the barcode wand port 
and going back to the M100... but I don't think there is a port there is there? 
Did you stick Bluetooth module in the battery compartment?


On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 3:01 AM, John R. Hogerhuis jho...@pobox.com wrote:=
HTERM - BlueM - Ladroid on Galaxy Note - SSH - Linux server
Lots to do to make it user friendly but it's working!
-- John.