Auto-chaining of files
Bernie Dawson
Back in AMPLINEX 009 I described my way of auto-chaining
files. It allowed me to view the Mixing Desk while programs were running, and I
used this process on both of my discs available from Panda Discs. I use a BBC
model B and did not know that a problem would occur when BBC Master users tried
to operate the files. After Panda Discs alerted me to the problem I scrounged use
of a BBC Master to check it.
The solution is to use a different memory location from
&901 which I had used. If you have one of my discs and are a BBC Master
user then do the following:
On my first disc (DCT volume 3) change occurrences of
&901 to &71 in the jukebox program words 'sel' and 'init'. Do likewise
for each file in 'chain' and in a part 'a' usually 'part1a'. In the file
'endos' inspect the words 'RUN', 'choose', and 'part1g', changing &901 to
&71 and &911 to &73.
On the Jarre disc (DCT volume 13) change &901 to &71
in the jukebox program words 'init', 's3a', and 's4a'. In 'rend2a', 'rend2b', 'rend2c',
'rend2d', 'rend5a' and 'rend5b' change 'qn' and 'wait'. The discs then operate
as intended.
Use of *TYPE - clashing ROMs
Allan Gardner
Following my comment in AMPLINEX 015 about the use of *TYPE,
Lol Taylor kindly replied in issue 016, and Alan Minns gave the definitive
answer in issue 017.
I am grateful for their replies as I had become somewhat
apathetic about the problem - I had just learned to live with it!
After some investigations I found that the problem was due
to my relocating the workspace of the Aries B32 Shadow RAM to &1300. This
(in theory) would allow the DFS enough memory to have one file, but
unfortunately, as Alan Minns pointed out, *TYPE, *DUMP and *LIST do not work,
'hanging' the computer in each case.
The interesting thing is that the Acorn DFS does not suffer
from these problems, each of the above text-file operations working perfectly.
Here are two possible solutions:
1) Use the Acorn DFS
2) Locate the Aries Shadow RAM workspace at &1400.
I don't really like the idea of losing yet another page of
memory to the Shadow RAM/DFS combination so I will probably leave my setup as
it was; but I have implemented another feature on my BBC Model B which helps
this problem and many other 'ROM-clash' problems.
I have blown a 32k EPROM with the Watford DFS in one half
and the Acorn DFS in the other. With a switch on the highest bit of the address
line of the chip I can manually select the Watford or Acorn DFS, (followed by a
<BREAK> to initialize the ROM).
As I have legally purchased both chips, I don't believe that
there is a copyright problem in using this system.
I have further extended this idea to the point of having ten
'ROM's (6 x 16k and 4 x 8k), in just four ROM-slots, controlled by an 8-way DIL
switch under the 'ROM-pack' expansion slot at the left of the keyboard, so even
ROMs that can be a nuisance by clashing with others can be 'inserted' or
'removed' without needing to remove the lid.
If anyone needs further details, or assistance in
implementing this idea please contact me via AMPLINEX.
Gaining memory
David Bloxham
Not everyone may realise that if you take the S out of the
*/C.PREPARE command in the !BOOT file, you gain 512 bytes of memory (half a
kilobyte), although you do lose the Staff editor graphics.
Changing drives
John Slee
I have transferred
the AMPLINEX music files on to double-sided music discs, and used as many menus
as necessary (usually 3) to select each piece using a program called 'jukebox'.
I get fed up, however, with typing *DRIVE 2 or *DRIVE 0 to
change between different drives. To get round this problem I have written a
simple menu which allows me to change drives before calling up my 'jukebox' program.
The menu only requires two words as shown below:
"dmenu" [
7 MODE MENUDISP
%Menu to change disc drives
%------------------------------------
%Return to previous menu % menu
%DRIVE 0 % 0 drive dmenu
%DRIVE 1 % 1 drive dmenu
%DRIVE 2 % 2 drive dmenu
%DRIVE 3 % 3 drive dmenu
%------------------------------------
MENU
]
7 MODE MENUDISP
%Menu to change disc drives
%------------------------------------
%Return to previous menu % menu
%DRIVE 0 % 0 drive dmenu
%DRIVE 1 % 1 drive dmenu
%DRIVE 2 % 2 drive dmenu
%DRIVE 3 % 3 drive dmenu
%------------------------------------
MENU
]
"drive" [ $STR "DRIVE" $+ OSCLI ]
To include this facility in your own 'jukebox' program:
1) put your music disc in the drive and type
"jukebox" LOAD
2) enter the word definitions for 'dmenu' and 'drive' as
shown above
3) add 'dmenu' as an option in your main jukebox menu
4) type "jukebox" SAVE to save the new program.
Then, to get to the jukebox on another drive, select the new
menu, use it to change drives, and then press the f9 function key, which is
normally programmed to enter "jukebox" LOAD RUN.
The jukebox on the drive you selected will then be used.
MIDI and the Music 2000
Ian Waugh
I wrote an AMPLE program for the Music 2000 which lets you
edit the Performances on Yamaha's TX81Z expander. It was published in the August
issue of Micro User. Even if you don't have a TX81Z, I believe some of the
programming methods could prove useful for anyone wanting to control any piece
of equipment via MIDI.
Published in AMPLINEX 019, September
1990
