In response to E. C. Kramer's question (EUG #3) on Slogger's T2P3 tape to disk transfer ROM, I enclose a list of programs I have successfully transfered: Creepy Cave,
Thrust,
Overdrive,
Elixir,
Spooksville,
Stryker's Run,
Blockbusters,
Citadel,
Palace Of Magic,
Moon Raider,
Bug Blaster,
Mr. Wiz,
Quest,
Snooker,
Qwak,
Zalaga,
Elite,
Clogger,
Plan B,
Plan B2,
Crystal Castles,
Repton Thru Time,
3D Dotty,
Ravenskull,
Cosmic Camouflage,
Guardian,
Frak,
Soccer,
Kayleth,
The Growing Pains Of Adrian Model (MRB or E2P),
Answer Back Quizzes.
To obtain a high success rate, transfer the ROM image into Sideways RAM (This is suggested in the instructions) by using the *Rsave (*SAVEROM), *Rload (*LOADROM) instructions in Slogger's Expansion 2.0 ROM or Pres's Plus 2.
Contents of !BOOT file for Slogger Expansion 2.0 ROM
(Use *LOADROM command with Pres Plus 2) *RLOAD T2P3 R14 ?&2AE=&82 *FX 163,128,1 *T2P3
The above file can be typed using View (as shown, i.e. no line numbers) and saved using the filename !BOOT. Don't forget to auto-boot the disk using *OPT 4,3
Line one loads the ROM image into Sideways RAM, in this case in ROM position 14. The second line pokes the service entry point into memory, the letter 'E' denotes the ROM position (in this case, again position 14) this will be in the range '0' to 'F' depending on which ROM socket the Sideways RAM is in. In line one the ROM position number is in decimal and in line two it is in Hex. The third line switches off the Plus 1 A to D converter and line four selects T2P3.
Another hint when loading from tape is to use a stereo tape player and wire the left and right channels through a change-over switch and then into the computer (See diagram). If the tape is badly recorded on one channel, it may not be on the other. This will give you two chances of success, On the subject of printer drivers, the Acornsoft Printer Driver Generator (on disk) is a menu-driven program which allows you to customise the driver to your own requirements. You do need a good understanding of your printer codes (possibly this could be covered in an EUG article).
One wee comment on the article Using View With Tape - it doesn't tell you how to load the printer driver generated by the program! This confused a lot of Electron User readers when the program was first published. And finally my own boob - I didn't make it clear in my article on BBC ROMs that Wordwise and Wordwise+ are Mode 7 programs and that the Electron requires a Mode 7 adaptor for these programs to function correctly.
1st June 1992