THE COMMODORE PET COMPUTER
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FILE - VERSION 1.7
-------------Updated 11/25/2000--------------
BY LARRY ANDERSSON,
COMMODORE COLLECTOR AND PET ENTHUSIAST
--------------------------------------
NOTE: This FAQ is by no means complete, much of the information covered here
deals with PETs and their peripherals that I have had experience with and
reference materials on. If you have stuff to add or revisions to current
information please e-mail me at:
foxnhare@jps.net
CONTENTS:
========
- WHAT MODELS OF THE PET ARE THERE?
- MOTHERBOARD SERIES
- WHAT VERSION OF ROMS DO I HAVE ON MY PET?
- WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND/OR BUGS OF MY VERSION OF BASIC?
- CAN I RUN VIC-20, 64, 128, PLUS/4, OR C-16 SOFTWARE ON MY PET?
- WHAT ARE THE BASIC COMMANDS FOR MY PET?
- HOW DO I GET 64 (VIC, PLUS/4, ETC.) BASIC PROGRAMS ON MY PET?
- HOW CAN I GET PET PROGRAMS FROM DISK TO TAPE?
- HOW CAN I GET PET TAPE PROGRAMS TO DISK?
- HOW COME MY PET CAN'T READ A TAPE FROM MY PLUS/4 OR COMMODORE 16 OR
VISA-VERSA?
- HOW DO I ACCESS THE PET's M/L MONITOR?
- WHAT ARE THE COMMANDS FOR THE M/L MONITOR?
- CAN I GET A BETTER M/L MONITOR FOR MY PET?
- WHAT IS THE 'KILLER POKE' AND SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT IT?
- WHERE CAN I GET SOFTWARE FOR MY PET?
- WHAT KIND OF DRIVES CAN MY PET USE?
- PRINTERS?
- IS THERE A MODEM AVAILABLE FOR MY PET?
- I NOTICED WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN IEEE-488 INTERFACE ON SOME ELECTRONIC DEVICES
CAN I HOOK THESE THINGS TO MY PET?
- I GOT A PET AND IT DOES NOT WORK, BEFORE I LOOK FOR A REPAIR SHOP IS THERE
ANYTHING I CAN TRY TO REVIVE IT?
- EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE HOOKED UP OK BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO LOAD ANY PROGRAMS
- I'M HAVING KEYBOARD PROBLEMS, WHAT CAN I DO?
- HOW DO I ACCESS UPPER/LOWER CASE OR GRAPHICS CHARACTERS?
- HOW CAN I HEAR SOUND ON MY PET?
- HOW DO I MAKE SOUND ON MY PET?
- I HAVE A PET PROGRAM THAT CAN USE JOYSTICKS, HOW DO I MAKE AN INTERFACE?
- WHAT ARE THE PINOUTS SO I CAN BUILD AN IEEE-488 CABLE FOR MY PET TO MY DRIVE.
- WHAT IS THE PINOUT FOR THE PET PARALLEL USER PORT
- WHAT IS THE PINOUT FOR THE DATASETTE PORT
- WHERE CAN I GET CONNECTORS THAT FIT THE EXPANSION/CASSETTE/USER/IEEE-488
PORTS?
- HOW CAN I CONTACT TPUG (TORONTO PET USERS GROUP)?
- WHERE CAN I BUY/FIND A PET COMPUTER?
- WHAT IS THE 'BEST PET'?
- ARE THERE ANY PET COMPUTER EMULATOR PROGRAMS AVAILABLE?
....-....+....-....+....-....+....-....+....-....+....-....+....-....+....-....+
WHAT MODELS OF THE PET ARE THERE?
The PET line was Commodore's first computer line after purchasing MOS
Technologies, the primary design of the computer (as well as its
microprocessor, the 6502) was by Chuck Peddle. The line was labeled in
series' the first series, the 2001 series, the European 3000 series, and the
modern 4000 and 8000 series, and the final single unit 9000 series which is
the SuperPET.
I have just read from a C= 2001 series manual that the '3000 series' is the
"International Designation" of the 2000 series.
9" display units (40 column x 25 line character only display):
PET 2001 series:
Original PET:
- Steel case - Internal 'datasette' cassette tape drive
- Blue on black 9" display - Small 'calculator style' keyboard
- Small shipment with 4k, most with 8k RAM
- Original ROMs
Large Keyboard PETs (no more internal datasette drive):
PET 2001 xN (x=8,16,or 32 depending on amount or RAM it was shipped with)
- Full-size key keyboard w/PET graphic symbols imprinted on keys
- Upgrade ROMs
- Many steel cased, some w/molded plastic tops.
- many with clearer green on black displays
- Later versions had 4.0 ROMs installed
PET 2001 xB (labeled as CBM, Commodore Business Machine)
- Full size xx key keyboard (no graphics symbols printed on keys)
- Upgrade ROMs (powers up in upper/lower case mode)
- Later versions had 4.0 ROMs installed
- Many w/molded plastic tops some steel cased.
PET/CBM 40xx Series (PET= N keyboard/ROM, CBM= B keyboard/ROM, xx= RAM)
- 4.0 ROMs
- molded plastic top
12" displays - updated video controller (prone to the 'killer poke')
- internal piezo speaker, audible startup, and right margin sound.
- 4.0 ROMs
PET/CBM 40xx (PET= N keyboard/ROM, CBM= B keyboard/ROM, xx= RAM)
- 40 x 25 display, upgradable to 80 columns
- lower case availabe by CHR$(14) which also changes line spacing.
80 column series (can be set to 40 column mode via software.)
CBM 80xx
- 80 x 25 display, powers-up in upper/lower case.
- buisness xx key keyboard
- later versions had 64k & 96k RAM expansion board options.
- 4.0 ROMs
PET SP9000 SuperPET (or Micro Mainframe)
- 80 x 25 display - 6809 co-processor board
- 96k RAM - True RS-232 interface
- Multiple charactersets (for APL, etc.)
- Avalability of disk Based languages
CBM 200
- Same as an 80xx series CBM unit with rounded case, not sold in the US.
CBM 8296
- Same features of the 8000 series but with built-in 64k memory expension,
rounded case and detached keyboard. This unit was not sold in the US.
Teacher's PET
This unit was usually a 2001 series PET which was re-labeled with
"Teacher's PET, Donated by Commodore Business Machines"
The story behind these in many US schools (at Least in California, where I
know of it) Commodore had a promotion where if schools bought 2 PETs the
third would be 'donated by Commodore. This was a tax write-off and marketing
plan for the company similar to Apple's promotion of "an Apple for every
school".
Educator 64/4064
This is actually a Commodore 64 in a PET case, thus beyond this FAQ.
Pic: Various PETs w/other Commodore computers (for size comparison)
(note bottom-rightmost three PETs with Calculator, business (B) and
graphics (N) keyboards)
MOTHERBOARD SERIES
2001 4k/8k (9" CRT) 2001, 3000 & 4000 series (9" CRT)
IEEE user tape #2 IEEE user tape #1
+------####-####--##-+ +------####-####--##-+
! # ! #!
! # ! #!
! # exp ! #! exp
! # bus ! ROMS #! bus
! # ! F E D C A B 9 #!
! # ! #!
! ! ! !
! (2k) ROMS ! ! !
! F F E D D C C ! ! !
! 8 0 0 8 0 8 0 ! ! !
! ! ! !
tape # RAM MEMORY ! tape # RAM MEMORY !
#1 # ! #2 # !
+--------------------+ +--------------------+
4000/8000 series (12" CRT)
IEEE user tape #1
+------####-####--##-+
! # # tape
! # # #2
! R exp bus # ! 2000 Series
! A #! circa 1977/78 Max RAM - 8k
! M 9 #! [daughterboard exp to 32k]
! A #!
! M R B ! 3000 & 4000 Series
! E O C ! (3000 series is European version)
! M M D ! circa 1979/80 Max RAM - 32k
! O S E !
! R F ! 4000 & 8000 Series
! Y ! circa 1981 Max RAM - 32k*
! spkr! [daughterboard exp to 96k]
+--------------------+
WHAT VERSION OF ROMS DO I HAVE ON MY PET?
The PET/CBM line had three major ROM revisions as well as a few minor ones,
you cannot reliably determine the ROMs by looking at the outside of the PET
(unless it has a large monitor). Fortunately there is an easy way to
distinguish the three various versions by just turning on the computer.
Depending on how your start-up message looks you can determine the ROM
version:
*** COMMODORE BASIC *** - Original ROMs sometimes referred to as 2.0* ROMs.
(only found in the older calculator keyboard style
PETs) Occupy $C000-$FFFF
### COMMODORE BASIC ### - Commonly known as the 'Upgrade ROMs' sometimes
referred to as 2.0 or 3.0 ROMs depending on who
you ask. Occupy $C000-$FFFF
*** COMMODORE BASIC 4.0 *** - 4.0 ROMs The only ROMs that will work on
large-screen PETs. Occupy $B000-$FFFF
* Some people contend that BASIC version 1.0 never made it out of beta
development and the PET line started with version 2.0 ROMs... Commodore
on the other hand usually refers to the 'Upgraded ROMs' as V2, or 2.0.
For the sake of sanity in this FAQ I will refer to them as original and
upgrade ROMs.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND/OR BUGS OF MY VERSION OF BASIC?
Original ROMs
Commodore had not yet implemented the IEEE-488 disk routines. Arrays are
limited to 256 elements due to a bug in firmware. There is no machine
language monitor nor could the PEEK command access locations above memory
location 49152. The upper/lower case character set was inverted (SHIFT for
lower case), due to the way the accumulators were handled you could not have
a command such as POKE address,PEEK(address) work reliably.
(note: reading my sources there are ALOT of bugs, will take a
while to compile them)
Upgrade ROMs
Most Original ROM bugs were squashed. BASIC commands and capabilities very
much like the Commodore 64's. Now includes a tiny ML monitor and IEEE-488
disk operability. Easter Egg - enter WAIT 6502,x to see 'MICROSOFT!'
displayed on the screen x number of times.
4.0 ROMs*
Addition of direct Disk operation commands DLOAD, DSAVE, COPY, HEADER, etc.
Ability to repeat cursor control characters by holding down keys. Reserved
DOS error-channel variables: DS,DS$. Added screen 'window' formatting control
characters in machines w/larger displays.
* The small screen-and large screen versions of these ROMs differ and
some software developed for the small-screen 4.0 ROMS crash on the large
screen units. This is due to the necessary changes made for the newer video
controller of the 12" display PETs.
CAN I RUN VIC-20, 64, 128, PLUS/4, OR C-16 SOFTWARE ON MY PET?
Maybe. Any program that is all BASIC that does not use hi-res graphics or
sound and contains no POKES should work readily on a PET. Of course if it
contains POKEs, sound commands, and Machine Language, conversion will be
nessasary. If it relies on more than one voice of sound, hi-res grpahics,
programmable character sets or color, it may not be worth converting because
those features aren't present on the PETs.
NOTE: Many early VIC, 64, Plus/4 (and IBM!) BASIC games and programs were
converted PET games.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC COMMANDS FOR MY PET?
For the most part the BASIC on the 64 is identical to the upgrade ROM PETs and
it only varys by a few commands and features between original and 4.0 ROMs.
On the other hand the 'memory map', the locations you POKE numbers into, vary
quite a bit between ROM revisions. Memory Maps are available for all the
versions...
Link: PET BASIC Quick Reference
Link: PET BASIC Command Reference
TPUG still has a few books ($5-$15) and Commodore manuals ($5) available,
with permission to reprint (!) the Commodore ones ($.10/page), and a nearly
complete 8 page PET/VIC/C64 BASIC command list ($2) with syntax,
descriptions, examples, printer codes, etc. (see end for TPUG info)
HOW DO I GET 64 (VIC, PLUS/4, ETC.) BASIC PROGRAMS ON MY PET?
Unlike the later 8-bit Commodores,the PET always loads programs into the
memory address they were saved at (i.e. no loading ,8 and ,8,1 as on the
later machines), which means BASIC programs saved on VICs, 64s, 128s, etc,
will not load in the right location on the PET to be seen by the BASIC
interpreter. PET BASIC starts at location 1025 ($0401 in hex) and the later
Commodore machines have different, higher starting locations. (see table x)
There are a couple ways to get a BASIC program to load properly into memory,
Disk Track/Sector Editors:
My preferred method of conversion is using a disk track/sector editing utility
to change the 'load address bytes' of the file directly on the disk. This is
not an easy process to 'explain' and I hope to write it up at a later time.
BASIC Line Relocation Method:
Here is a way to get the BASIC editor to do it for you; of course you will
need to have an upgrade ROM or later PET (which has a ML monitor) or load in
a monitor for your original ROM PET first. It involves 'linking' the higher
located BASIC program to a line starting in regular BASIC, when you delete
that line, the editor will move your program to where it belongs in memory.
1. Enter NEW to erase any programs already in memory.
2. Enter: 0 REM
3. LOAD the program you want converted (i.e. LOAD"program name",1 for tape)
4. When loaded, enter the machine language monitor by entering SYS 1024
5. display the first part of the BASIC you first typed:
M 0401 0408
6. Change the line-link to the memory location of the program to be moved;
use cursor keys to move up and change the first two two-digit numbers to
read:
:0401 01 08 00 00 8F 00 00 00
^^ ^^ (for a program from a 64, otherwise, see table x)
7. Press return to change the bytes then enter X to exit the monitor.
8. Type LIST, you should see the 0 REM followed by the program.
9. Enter 0 to delete line 0 which will move the BASIC to its proper place.
10. Save the program.
TABLE X - Load Addresses for BASIC files:
Saved under Start of BASIC
Computer load load change
Model/ addr. addr. bytes
configuration dec. hex. to:
------------- ---- ----- -----
PET/CBM 1025 $0401 N/A
VIC-20 unex. 4097 $1001 01 10
VIC-20 +3k 1025 $0401 N/A
VIC-20 8k+ 4609 $1201 01 12
Commodore 64 2049 $0801 01 08
B-128 0003 $0003 *
Plus/4-C16 4097 $1001 01 10
Plus/4-C16** 8193 $2001 01 20
C128 mode 7169 $1C01 01 1C
C128 mode** 16385 $4001 01 40
* The BASIC RAM of the B128 is located in a separate bank of RAM memory,
which starts at a VERY low address and will be difficilt to convert without
a track/sector editor or saving it special on a B-128 itself.
** When hi-res GRAPHICS mode space has been allocated.
I GOT SOME PROGRAMS OFF THE INTERNET AND NEED TO GET THEM TO MY PET, HOW DO I DO THAT?
There are a few ways to do this. It mainly depends on what sort of hardware
you have at your disposal.
There are various file types as well, it may be easier to break this down a bit, first are the file types you would find on the internet:
filename.D64
filename.TAP
filename.P00
filename.PRG or filename.BIN
1!filename, 2!filename,3!filename,4!filename
ZIP, GZIP, ARC - These are compressed files
D64
HOW CAN I GET PET PROGRAMS FROM DISK TO TAPE?
You can just LOAD the program from tape and and SAVE them to disk one after
another, of course, if you are using a VIC/64/128, etc. the loading address
will get messed up. Fortunately there is a wonderful fily copy utility
available for PET (4.0), VIC (12k+), and Commodore 64/128, called 'Unicopy'.
Unicopy (written by the famous Commodore enthusiast, Jim Butterfield) allows
you to copy from disk directly to tape. This of course preserves the loading
address and makes things much easier. (also it performs multiple file copies
instead of just one program at a time).
HOW CAN I GET PET TAPE PROGRAMS TO DISK?
Again you can do LOAD and SAVE as I mentioned or use a handy little utility I
had discovered for the 64. This program will automatically LOAD each file off
of tape and subsequently SAVE it to disk (device number 8) and continue until
you stop it (or a disk error occurs when it attempts to save a file with
the same name as one already on disk, disk full, or end of tape.)
Here is the listing (remember this is written for the Commodore 64):
5 rem tape2disk
10 for i=53181 to 53247:read a:poke i,a:next i
20 print "[clr][down][down][down]tape to disk transfer program!"
30 print"[down]insert formatted disk in drive 8."
40 print"[down]insert tape, rewind and then press play.[down]"
50 sys 53181
100 data 169,1,162,1,160,1,32,186,255,169,0,162,65,160,3,32,189,255
110 data 169,0,32,213,255,169,8,162,8,160,255,32,186,255,169,20,162
120 data 65,160,3,32,189,255,173,61,3,141,251,0,173,62,3,141,252,0
130 data 169,251,174,63,3,172,64,3,32,216,255,76,189,207
Type this in, SAVE it (don't want to type it in again, right?), put a blank
formatted disk in drive 8, type RUN. If everything is working the messaage
will display and the computer will now ask you to press PLAY on tape, put in
a cassette, rewind if necessary, and press PLAY. Let it run through the tape
(this could take an hour or more if it is a long tape). Reset the computer
and load the disk directory. You should now have the tape programs on the
disk, note that they are all padded with extra spaces, you will need to use a
disk or directory editor to "fix" the file names.
HOW COME MY PET CAN'T READ A TAPE FROM MY PLUS/4 OR COMMODORE 16 OR VISA-VERSA?
You are quite a collector, aren't you? When Commodore designed the Plus/4 and
Commodore 16 they broke alot of standards they had previously established for
their 8-bits (and fortunately went back to in the C128); besides the plug
designs, they changed the sound-frequency of the signals used to record on
tape. Though the the format is identical to the PET and the other C= 8-bits,
the sound is only readable on the Plus/4 and Commodore 16. My sggestion would
be to record the program on disk (1541) and then read it on a 4040 or 2031, or
copy them to tape using a 64, 128. or VIC-20.
HOW DO I ACCESS THE PET's M/L MONITOR?
The 'Terminal Interface Monitor' (known as TIM to some tinymon to others.)
is available on all PETs but the original ROM version (which Commodore
offered to users on tape later on). TIM is activated by executing a BRK
instruction by SYSing any memory location containing a zero (0), most people
enter SYS 1024, as it almost always contains a 0.
WHAT ARE THE COMMANDS FOR THE M/L MONITOR?
G - Execute M/L: G programaddress (i.e. G 033C)
L - Load: L "filename",dev (i.e. L "PACMAN",08)
S - Save: S "filename",dev,startaddress,endaddress
(i.e. S "FLASH ATTACK",02,027A,2000)
R - Display Processor Registers
X - Exit Tiny Mon
M - Memory Display: M startaddress endaddress (i.e. M 0400 04A0)
: - Modify Memory (supplied in memory dumps using the M command)
; - Modify Processor Registers (supplied in the processor register, P command)
CAN I GET A BETTER M/L MONITOR FOR MY PET?
Yes, there are two that I know of that are readily avaiable. The most popular
(and universal among the Commodore 8-bits) is Jim Butterfield's Supermon.
There are versions available for all ROM revisions including original ROM PETS
and offer a mini Assembler and Disassembler among other useful memory/ML
commands. The other, similar to Supermon is called Extramon. There are other
versions many of wich are commercial but I have little information on them.
WHAT IS THE 'KILLER POKE' AND SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT IT?
This is THE POKE of computer lore, the command that WILL physically break a
computer! Of course other commands and methods are known that can
potentially cause damage (usually to disks, hard drives or other mechanical
units), but this is the most notable mainly because it was a command somewhat
commonly used and it affects solid-state circuitry.
Lately debate has gone up about how leathal is this POKE to the circuitry,
some contend it will not cause damage, but so far no one has volunteered
their equipment for testing.
History of 'the killer poke'
When the first PETs (small 9" screen) models came out, the display wasn't all
that fast.
The old PETs were slow because the print character ROM routine
waited for the interval between screen scans before updating the screen
memory. This reduced conflicts over the screen RAM which would have resulted
in random pixels (snow) being illuminated on the screen. There was an input
on one of the I/O chips which was hooked up to the video circuitry and told
the routine when to access the video RAM.
It wasn't too long before someone learned they could impove the
character display speed via a poke to location 59458; which would set the
video controller to update more readily. It was a noticible improvement of
speed on programs using PRINT often, it was kind of like a free upgrade.
It was mentioned in a few publications and used in many programs that relied
on printing to the screen. I had learned of the poke through Cursor
Magazine, a monthly tape-based publication. They printed the command in one
of the 'newsletter' flyers included with an issue which you could insert
into their game "joust" to make it play faster.
Later on, when Commodore released the larger display (14") PETs, they had
improved the display controller which made that POKE unnecessary. An
unfortunate side effect was that the POKE to 59458 affected a different
register which adjusts one of the newer screen display capabilities, which
could result in damaging the PETs video curcuitry when left running. I
discovered it by accident after our school received some large-screen 4016s.
When active, the screen starts to warp after about the third line and the
display stops around the fifth, the keyboard is also unresponsive. When a PET
is in this mode, the only solution is to turn it off, FAST! Fortunately none
of the school's PETs were damaged due to this POKE. Later Cursor Magazine
published a 'fix' that would allow older PETs to use the poke and keep the
large-screen units from frying. Unfortunately there are still many programs
that do not have this fix.
Prevention
Make sure to check BASIC programs (especially games) when running them on a
large-screen PET and be ready with the power switch when you first run it.
I have usually found the 'killer poke' statement looking like this:
POKE 59458,PEEK(59458)OR 32. It will always be a POKE to 59458, the
remainder of the POKE may vary.
WHERE CAN I GET SOFTWARE FOR MY PET?
Unfortunately PET software is not too easy to come by as it is for 64
and VIC-20 collectors (though originally it was mainly converted PET
programs that first appeared for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64.)
There is one FTP location on the internet that has a good selection of PET
software for transferring, you can reach it via the web at:
http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/
I also have a small PET games archive on-line:
http://www.jps.net/foxnhare/archive.html
and run a BBS which has a section of PET software on-line,
the board's phone number is (209) 754-1363 (300-2400 baud, 24 hrs a day)
Other than that the next best way is through contacting other PET enthusiasts
and arranging purchasing or exchanging software.
TPUG added this:
TPUG has public domain PET and SuperPET software available on 4040 or 8050
format disks ($3 members/$6 nonmembers) or on cassettes ($5/$10). I haven't
an accurate count handy, but it's 100 to 200 disks full. Yes, SuperMon is
in there. We also have 58 disks of educational programs developed jointly
by Commodore Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Education, and a dozen or so
commercial programs on cassette. (see end for TPUG info)
WHAT KIND OF DRIVES CAN MY PET USE?
Tape Drives
Tape Drives for the VIC, 64 and 128 work well on the PET. In fact you can
hook up 2 tape drives on the PET (On non-original PETs the second connector
is inside the case, on the left edge of the motherboard.) and can be
accessed as device #2.
Commodore Models:
SANYO - First drives, power supply section cut out and modified for
PET datasette cable/plug.
C2N - Box look, black case.
C2N - Box Look, cream colored case (w/counter).
1530 - Rounded low-profile, distance counter & 'save' indicator light.
Commodore IEEE-488 5.25" models
2020 - (first drive design, bugs will be present if old ROMs)
2040 - Updated ROMS, resembles a 1541 format & readbable on 1541/71s
3040 - European 4040, like the 3000 series PETS?
4040 - Read/Write compatible with 1541/1571s.
2031 - Read/Write compatible with 1541/1571s.
2031LP - Same as above but in a 1541 style case.
8050 - Single Sided/Quad Density format, 512k per disk side.
8250 - Double Sided/Quad Density format, 1mb per disk
8250LP - Same as 8250 but with low profile grey plastic case like 1541.
SFD-1001 - Same as 8250, but single drive unit in a 1541 style case.
Commodore IEEE-488 8"
8280 - 1 MB or 512k per Drive (little info on this one... called a monster
for it's size and weight)
Commodore IEEE-488 Hard Disk Drives
9060 - Five Magabyte Hard Disk Unit
9090 - Seven and a Half Megabyte Hard Disk Unit
3rd party
MSD-SD1 ** The MSD SD1&2 offer both IEEE-488 and
MSD-SD2 ** VIC/64/128/+4 Serial bus interfaces.
Modified 1541
Exatron Stringy Floppy - Kinda a cross between a tape drive (in connection
and file storage) and a disk drive (in speed accessibility and capacity),
more of a curiosity than in popular use.
Others - Of course there are other drives some of which use their own
proprietary OS and interfacing I have seen a couple ads in
in the past but have never received any detailed information.
PRINTERS?
Commodore Model IEEE-488 Printers
2022 - Tractor - Metal Case
2023 - Friction - Metal Case
4022 - Tractor Feed - Plastic Case (Epson MX-70 mechanism)
6400 - Daisy Wheel Printer - TEC F-10 mechanism.
8023 - Tractor Feed - Wide carriage - Plastic case
Some companies produced printers with IEEE-488 interface options (Epson was
one)
Also available through some outfits were IEEE to Centronics/RS-232 Printer
interfaces which would plug into the PET and offer you use of common
centronics parallel or serial printers.
IS THERE A MODEM AVAILABLE FOR MY PET?
I know of only one company that prosuced a modem and IEEE-488 interface, the
company is TNW, and I think they also built the Commoodre 8010, an acoustic
modem for the PET. I have some notes on using the device but have never
actually seen one.
I NOTICED WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN IEEE-488 INTERFACE ON SOME ELECTRONIC DEVICES
CAN I HOOK THESE THINGS TO MY PET?
Some electronic devices DO have IEEE-488 interfaces built-in to talk
to computers, and the communications protocol is the same as on the PETs,
you will need to get the data on how to communicate with your device
though (like what device number it is, what commands it knows, etc.)
which should be available from the device's manufacturer.
IEEE-488 is also used on some Hewlett Packard computers and is referred to
as either the HP-GPIB, HPIB or just GPIB (for General Purpose Interface Bus).
Evwn though IEEE-488 is a standard it was not adhered to precisely by
Commodore so some 'tweaking' of your programs may be necessary in order to
get non-commodore equipment working. (I.E. convert commands to true ASCII)
I GOT A PET AND IT DOES NOT WORK, BEFORE I LOOK FOR A REPAIR SHOP IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN TRY MYSELF TO REVIVE IT?
PETS are pretty hardy beasties and usually don't die outright, there are
times when all you need is just a little user intervention to get them
running again.
First check the fuse, which should be next to the power switch on the back,
this sometimes can be the culprint (and in the case of schools PETs,
sometimes it is missing).
Second, open the case and re-seat the socketed chips. The PET computer chips
have a tendency to creep loose of their sockets, you might try (with the
PET's power off and you grounded) to first push down on each of the socketed
chips (mind any pins sticking out, you don't want to bend them!) usually you
will hear a sound of them sinking in a tad more. once done, try the power
again.
If that doesn't work; you can pull each of the socketed chips and re-insert
them, this has also been proven to work in some cases.
Well, if those don't work, then unless you are an electronics technician,
it's off to the shop (also check with your local Commodore users group, they
may have some electonic whiz members). Call around to local Computer and TV
repair shops and see if they have a technician that can diagnose and repair
older electronic equipment (some don't, they just swap cuircuit boards, which
would not be available in this case.) Cross your fingers and hope it isn't
some long out of production chips.
EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE HOOKED UP OK BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO LOAD ANY PROGRAMS
One of the most common occurances is that you placed your devices (tape,
disk drive) to the left of your PET. The monitor on the PET is not as
well shielded as modern monitors and puts out alot of interference where
the video flyback circutry is. Try placing them to the right of the PET.
Other common TAPE problems:
- Your tape drive head needs demagnatizing or cleaning
(Radio shack seels tape head demagnatizers and cleaners)
- The belts/rollers in your tape may be getting old (will need to
disassemble the tape units and take the belts to a stereo/TV repair shop
to get the proper replacement.)
- The tape connector is grungy - clean the connector by first rubbing off
the dirt with a comon pencil eraser and then wipe off with a bit of
isopropyl alcohol on a towel or q-tip.
- Wrong tape port - Make sure you are hooked up to the proper port for
the tape device number you are trying to access.
Disk Problems:
- If the disk drive flashes a number of flases repeatedly it is reporting
an internal hardware fault, here is a chart:
flashes: 4040 8050
# cause: location: cause location
1 - Zero Page - 6532, C1, E1 Zero Page - 6532, C1, E1
2 - ROM - H1 ROM - 2364, L1
3 - ROM - L1 ROM - 2364, H1
4 - ROM - J1 N/A
5 - Zero Page - 6530, K3, 6504, H3 Zero Page - 6530, K3, 6504, H3
6 - N/A N/A
7 - RAM - 2114, D4, D5 RAM - 2114, D4, D5
8 - RAM - 2114, E4, E5 RAM - 2114, E4, E5
9 - RAM - 2114, F4, F5 RAM - 2114, F4, F5
10 - ROM - 6530, K3, 6504, H3 ROM - 6530, K3, 6504, H3
- Your drive head(s) could need cleaning.
- Try initializing the drive you are trying to use
disk command Ix (x=drive number, note: Initilize does not mean format
on commodore 8-bit drives.)
- Your drive(s) could be out of alignment Fixing this one is beyond this
FAQ at the present time.
- The IEEE-488 connector may be grungy - clean the connector by first rubbing
off the dirt with a comon pencil eraser and then wipe off with a bit of
isopropyl alcohol on a towel or q-tip.
- Wrong port - Make sure you are hooked up to the proper port, the IEEE-488
port is the port closest to the power switch, and that the connector is
right side up (on most Commodore cables, it is writing side up)
- The drive might be set for something other than device 8.
I'M HAVING KEYBOARD PROBLEMS, WHAT CAN I DO?
There are two common keyboard problems on the PET, the most common is a
dirty keyboard, that is where some or many keys are not working or don't
work well. The second my be a loose wire on the keyboard cable, where every
other, third or fourth key doesn't work. Both jobs require a little skill
with a soldering iron and normal precautions to protect your computer from
static. I am going to discuss just cleaning the keyboard; if you think you
have a loose connection, you may consider going though this process as it
will also give you easy access to the wires that may be broken, and let you
do your repairs long the way.
Cleaning the keyboard:
Cleaning the PET's keyboard is not a hard process but a tedious one. Nor
is my process a standard or fool-proof; everyone has their own idea on how
to do this and I offer no gaurantee that it will fix or not damage your
computer, if you are uneasy with the steps presented, then you should
strongly consider letting an experienced electronics person do the job for
you. In order to clean the contacts you will need to remove the keyboard
from the computer and partially dissassemble it, then re-assemble and test,
I have had to dissassemble and reassemble stubborn keyboards up to three
times to get all the keys working so don't be frustrated if it does not
work on the first or second time.
Tools you will need:
- Medium sized phillips screwdriver (for the case screws and the keyboard
mounting screws.)
- Small phillips and/or regular screw driver for the screws holding the
keyboard's PCB in place.
- Low wattage soldering iron for disconnecting and re-connecting the shift-
lock switch from the keyboard PCB.
- Can of compressed air
- clean pink-pearl or dust-free pencil eraser and a clean sheet of paper.
- paper towl or lint-free cloth
- denatured alcohol (isopropyl rubbing alcohol ok, but get it in the 90%
alcohol range)
-also good light and a clean workspace.
1. Open the PET cabinet.
- Under the white top of the PET cabinet, near the front on the left and
right sides there may be two phillips type screws holding the cabinet
shut, remove them.
- lift the wite top from the front, (*there is a hinge in the back),
careful not to lift too far to stress the keyboard or video connections.
Locate the wire 'hood prop' (either in the front base or under the hood
on the left side, undo from it's hook and place in (or next to) the
screw cavity where the case screw was.
2. Remove the keybord assembly.
- carefully work the keyboard connector loose from the main circuit board
(it's been a few years, dont force it too hard.)
- remove the large screws holding the keyboard assembly to the case and
take the keyboard to your clean work area, be careful of bending the
keyboard wires at the PCB, the older the PET the more brittle the
connections may be.
3. Diassassemble the keyboard PCB from the keyboard machanism.
- flip the keyboard upside down, you will see the PCB section of the
keyboard, along the center there are two wires that are soldered to two
pins, this is the shift-lock switch connection. (if you had a steel
plate under your keyboard assembly there probably is a square of sticky
foam covering those contacts) you will see about 20 or so tiny screws
holding the PCB onto the assembly.
- With the soldering iron, undo the wires connecting to the shift-lock
switch, do not linger on those contacts too long or use a high wattage
iron, it could damage the plastic workings of the switch.
- with the small screwdriver remove all the tiny screws, make sure the
driver has a snug fit, you don't want to strip the screwdriver holes.
- Remove the PCB from the keyboard assembly, note: On some boards, the
'little rubber cups' act as a contact and sometimes spring, don't
loose track of those, put them back in the recepticles they came out of.
4. Clean the PCB section.
- wipe the pcb section with the towel or cloth to remove any dust.
- with the eraser, 'erase' the 'gold fingers' of the key contacts, not to
hard else you remove the traces.
- wipe the PCB to remove eraser crumbs.
- dampen a towel or cloth with the alcohol and then wipe the contacts on
the board again (this will help dissolve crud you can't see), make sure
it's dry.
5. Clean the Assembly.
- If there is alot of crud underneath the keycaps (non-original PET kbds)
you may want to blow the stuff out now with the compressed air,
if there is alot of gunk between keys, you may want to clean that too
(I recommend covering a pencil or pen tip with a towel or cloth, to get
in the tight places between keys real good)
- Bottom of assembly - you will see little dark rubbery or spongy 'feet'
below every key assembly these are carbon conductors which bridge the
contact of the PCB's 'fingers', they are somewhat fragile so we don't
want to punish them too hard.
- Blow out any dust with compressed air.
- with the eraser lightly wipe each foot, the eraser will pick up some of
the graphite, you will need to clean it (the eraser) off by 'erasing'
on the paper after every few 'feet'.
- blow out the assembly with the air once more.
6. Re-Assemble and test
- before we put everything all together you should do a partial
re-assembly and test that tll the keys work, some keys may need more
attention (or their 'feet' switched with less used keys)
- Fit the PCB back on the assembly and put in thoe 20 or so tiny screws
(don't overtighten or you will strip the plastic threading on the
assembly!)
- To reduce possible heat damage to the shift lock, do not re-connect yet.
- Plug in the keyboard connector into the computer's circuit board.
- Turn on PET and test keys.
- Note problem keys, if the dead keys are in a pattern (every other every
third, etc), you may have a broken wire on the keyboard connector. If
it is just a couple keys, you will have to un-attach, re-open and
concentrate on those keys.
7. Keys clean, re-solder and re-assemble!
- Once all the keys are clean you can re-solder the shift-lock wires
(and replace the foam insulator if it had one)
- If you have a plastic cased PET, BE VERY CAREFUL fitting and tightening
those keyboard assembly screws, those posts can snap easier than you
think!
- Fit key keyboard assembly in the PET's case and partially screw in two
or three screws. then check the edge keys to make sure they are not
rubbing or stuck against the case, and shift the assembly as needed,
tighten screws and put in the rest.
- Plug back in the keyboard connector and re-test the keyboard.
- If all is well put the prop back in its hook, and close the hood and put
back in the hood screws.
HOW DO I ACCESS UPPER/LOWER CASE OR GRAPHICS CHARACTER SETS?
In order to have graphic symbols to to draw simple charts and for games
as well as upper and lower case characters for word processing Commodore
gave the PET two 256 character sets, one with upper and lower case
characters for word processing and business applications and one with
upper case and graphics characters for charts, games, etc. In order to
change the 'mode' of the PET you must direct the computer to 'look' at
one of two character sets via a POKE command.
The PETs start up in one of two modes, upper case characters (pressing
shift types graphics symbols) or lower case characters (pressing shift
shift types upper case characters).
To direct the computer to uppercase/grpahics mode:
POKE 59468,12
To direct the computer to lower/uppercase mode:
POKE 59468,14
Note that when you change sets the characters on the screen change
immediately to the new image, you cannot hve characters from both
set on the screen at the same time without some specially timed
program to perform it.
Original ROM PET have reversed reversed upper/lower case characters:
Commodore had the upper/lower case characters reversed in the original
ROM models where both modes started with upper case characters and you
pressed SHIFT for lower case or graphics. This is the reason for some
older software having reversed case text. There are utilities available
that will adjust all your PRINT statements to the proper case for the
newer or older ROM machines.
12" 4000/8000 series:
The 12" 4000/8000 series PETs allow you to change case by printing
a control character: CHR$(14) - Text Mode CHR$(142)-Graphics Mode
When you issue a CHR$(14) on a 4000/800 series PET the newer display
controller will be adjusted so there is a pixel or two gap between
screen lines. If you do not wish this gap in text mode just
POKE 59468,14 instead of printing CHR$(14)
(if you want the gap in character mode you can issue a ? CHR$(14)
and then POKE 59468,12 to produce the desired effect.)
Unlike the later Commmodore 8-Bits there is no way to edit the
characters on the screen in software alone.
HOW CAN I HEAR SOUND ON MY PET?
Like many other microcomputers of the time the PET was not originally designed
to produce sound. A few methods of sound generation have been developed but
the most popular employs the use of parallel user port pin M which is used
to generate a 'square wave' output by setting the 'handshake register' for
port B into a free-running mode. Adjustments to the timing of the handshake
and the pattern of the 'wave' adjusts its sound and timbre. You can achieve
approximately 3 octaves of notes and various noises with this one voice
output.
The latest 4000/8000 (large screen PET) motherboards have a built-in piezo
speaker and also have a bell sound accessible with a print: chr$(7)
Sound Interface Diagram (use mono-spaced font to view properly)
Parallel Port:
1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
= = = = = = = = = = = =
### ######################### ######
= = = = = = = = = = = =
A B C D E F H J K L M N Ground +===========+
! +---------------------! AUDIO !
CB2 ! 50-500K resistor ! AMPLIFIER !
+-----/\/\/\-------------+===========+
You can get most of the parts (except the parallel port connector) at
Radio Shack, including a low-cost mini amplifier. See below for a source
for 12/25 edgeboard connectors.
HOW DO I MAKE SOUND ON MY PET?
This process sets the PET's shift register in a free-running state where the
signal is used for sound generation. By adjusting the pattern of the output
and the frequency you can produce a wide variety of sounds, and even music!
Three pokes are required to make sound:
POKE 59467,16 (turn on port for sound output use 0 to turn it off*)
POKE 59466,octave (octave number, see below)
POKE 59464,frequency (0 for no sound)
After setting 59467 you can adjust 59466 and 59464 to get any sort of sound,
but to get music you need to set them with specific values, here is a
three-octave note table:
Note Table:
octave=15 octave=51 octave=85
Note Oct.0 Oct.1 ! Oct.1 Oct.2 ! Oct.2 Oct.3
Freq ------------+-------------+--------------
B 251 125 ! 251 125 ! 251 125
C 238 118 ! 238 118 ! 238 118
C# 224 110 ! 224 110 ! 224 110
D 210 104 ! 210 104 ! 210 104
D# 199 99 ! 199 99 ! 199 99
E 188 93 ! 188 93 ! 188 93
F 177 88 ! 177 88 ! 177 88
F# 168 83 ! 168 83 ! 168 83
G 158 78 ! 158 78 ! 158 78
G# 149 74 ! 149 74 ! 149 74
A 140 69 ! 140 69 ! 140 69
A# 133 65 ! 133 65 ! 133 65
Set 59466 with octave range desired and play notes by setting the frequency
in 59464. To stop any sound use POKE 59464,0.
* Note, due to a hardware bug, leaving the shift register in free running
mode will cause problems when attempting to use the datasette so always
POKE 59467,0 before attempting to use any tape commands.
The process for using and playing sound can also be done on the 64/128 and
VIC-20 the same connector pins are involved but the POKEs are different:
Instead of 59467, 59466, and 59464 for the PET use these:
on the VIC-20: 37147, 37146, and 37144
on the 64 or 128: 56587, 56586, and 56584
I HAVE A PET PROGRAM THAT CAN USE JOYSTICKS, HOW DO I MAKE AN INTERFACE?
The PET was not initially designed for joysticks but a determined user had
devised a dual-joystick interface employing the parallel port. This interface
allows you to plug in standard Atari/Commodore compatible joysticks....
Interface Diagram (use mono-spaced font to view properly)
Looking at back of user port 1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
= = = = = = = = = = = =
### ######################### ######
= = = = = = = = = = = =
A B C D E F H J K L M N
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
port 1-> 8 1 2 3 4 ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! !
port 2-> 1 2 3 4 8
Joystick pin diagram => 5 [4] [3] [2] [1]
looking at back of \ /
male connector 9 [8] 7 [6]
The 'fire' button (pin 6) is added by connecting joystick port pins 1 & 2
to pin 6 with diodes, solder each diode from (already wired) pins 1 & 2
to pin 6 (with the banded ends to pin 6).
WHAT ARE THE PINOUTS SO I CAN BUILD AN IEEE-488 CABLE FOR MY PET TO MY DRIVE.
On the PET the pin arrangement for the IEEE-488 port is:
1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
= = = = = = = = = = = =
###### ################### #########
= = = = = = = = = = = =
A B C D E F H J K L M N
1 - DIO1 9 - IFC E - REN
2 - DIO2 10 - SRQ F - GND
3 - DIO3 11 - ATN H - GND
4 - DIO4 12 - GND J - GND
5 - EOI A - DIO5 K - GND
6 - DAV B - DIO6 L - GND
7 - NRFD C - DIO7 M - GND
8 - NDAC D - DIO8 N - GND
IEEE-488 Device Connector Pinout:
+-
! ---- (NOTE: The pin order may look backwards
! ---+ but two references list it as such)
! 1 13 !
! 2 14 !
! 3 15 ! 1 - DIO1 9 - IFC 17 - REN
! 4 16 ! 2 - DIO2 10 - SRQ 18 - GND
! 5 17 ! 3 - DIO3 11 - ATN 19 - GND
! 6 18 ! 4 - DIO4 12 - GND 20 - GND
! 7 19 ! 5 - EOI 13 - DIO5 21 - GND
! 8 20 ! 6 - DAV 14 - DIO6 22 - GND
! 9 21 ! 7 - NRFD 15 - DIO7 23 - GND
! 10 22 ! 8 - NDAC 16 - DIO8 24 - GND
! 11 23 !
! 12 24 !
! ---+
! ----
+-
WHAT IS THE PINOUT FOR THE PET PARALLEL USER PORT
1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
= = = = = = = = = = = =
### ######################### ######
= = = = = = = = = = = =
A B C D E F H J K L M N
1 - System Ground A - GND
2 - TV Video B - CA1
3 - IEEE-SRQ C - PB0
4 - IEEE-EOI D - PB1
5 - Diagnostic Sense E - PB2
6 - Cass.1 Read F - PB3
7 - Cass.2 Read H - PB4
8 - Diag Tape Wrt. J - PB5
9 - TV Vertical K - PB6
10 - TV Horizontal L - PB7
11 - GND M - PA2 (CB2)
12 - GND N - GND
WHAT IS THE PINOUT FOR THE DATASETTE PORT
1 2 3 4 5 6
= = = = = =
###### ###########
= = = = = =
A B C D E F
A or 1 - GND
B or 2 - +5v
C or 3 - Motor (computer controlled +6v for datasette motor)
D or 4 - Read line from casette
E or 5 - Write line cassette
F or 6 - Cassette Switch Sense (monitors cassette play/ff/rew buttons)
WHERE CAN I GET CONNECTORS THAT FIT THE EXPANSION/CASSETTE/USER/IEEE-488 PORTS?
An excellent source for PET compatible edgeboard connectors as, the 24pin
centronics connectors (not to mention just about any other component) is
DigiKey Corporation:
DigiKey Corporation
701 Brooks Ave. South
Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677
(800) 344-4539 www: http://www.digikey.com
Call or write and ask for a catalog!
The parallel and IEEE-488 ports both accept 12/24 edgeboard connectors with
.156" contact spacing, the datasette port accept 6/12 connector with .156"
contact spacing.
Side Note: Digikey does not seem to have proper hoods (enclosures)
available for the edgeboard connectors, which can make it quite a struggle
to remove the buggers once connected. I have found that using 1.25" long
by 6/32" machine screws fit snugly in the side mounting holes, with a
matching nut and lock washer it would make a good gripping surface away
from the sensitive contacts. These parts can be easily/cheaply found at
most hardware stores.
+---+ Washer & Nut
Mounting Hole !! !!!--------+
!! !!!--------+ Screw
+--+ !==
Edge Contacts ! !== Pins
HOW CAN I CONTACT TPUG (TORONTO PET USERS GROUP)?
TPUG GAVE ME THIS LINK: http://www.icomm.ca/tpug
OTHER NOTES FROM TPUG:
Thanks for the plug for TPUG Newsletter. Over the years we've produced The
TORPET, TPUG NEWS, one more issue of The TORPET, TPUG Magazine, THE
NEWSLETTER, TPUG Newsletter, one TPUG News Update, and back to TPUG
Newsletter. Most recent back issues are still available (singles free,
batches for the postage cost), and we can photocopy ($.10/page) most of the
earlier ones as needed. I've put a couple on our web site and more will
follow. Your readers might appreciate a link to us at:
http://www.icomm.ca/tpug
TPUG has a few cables available (CDN$50 = US$35 plus $5 shipping) for those
who don't want to roll their own.
TPUG also has a few drives (2040s and 3040s upgraded to 4040s, 8050s, 8250s,
2031LPs, etc, around $25) and even some PETs (free but you pay the
shipping), and occasionally PET printers, modems, serial and parallel
interfaces, LANs, ... which we'd rather find a good home for than store. We
also have 4032 circuit diagrams ($5) and lots of information buried away.
WHERE CAN I BUY/FIND A PET COMPUTER?
That is a tough one, in the United States the PETs were pretty popular for
schools, almost all of which have been deemed obsolete and have been given
away, sold or discardrd.
I bought a bunch through our county's school district auction, after that
I have received a couple from individual users, and have been fortunate
to locate a few used computer stores in the area that have had machines
(ones from a scool) left.
On-Line internet auctions (such as ebay.com ) regularly sell PETs but their
prices may climb way higher then you should expect to pay. Also shipping
PETs is an expensive proposition (the lightest is about 35 pounds).
A more direct approach would be to place an ad in your local paper or
advertiser on looking for old computers. You may be surprised what you will
find. Also there is the internet, and from time to time I see postings in
newsgroups like comp.sys.cbm or misc.forsale.computers.other.systems.
Also join your local users group and let them know you are a PET fan, there
may be a PET owner in the group or that contacts the group, looking to pass
their model into loving hands. I know from experience when you give support,
you will receive support back.
WHAT IS THE 'BEST PET'?
That's a matter of opinion, compared to today's computers the PET is about
as featureless as you can get, it mainly depends on what you are looking for.
If you have specific programs to run then let the programs will dictate your
system, as it may be inpossible to find versions to other PET models.
I will give you these insights though.
* If you want a 'show model' the original PET gets more attention than the
later ones - especially if it is operational. The other small screen units
look cool as well, and if you have a jazzy display the 4000/8000 has the
biggest/brightest screen of the lot.
* If you want to re-live your childhood playing games and such, the later
2000, 4000 models are good, the 8000s work well too with the 4032 software
to get them into 4000 mode. Also the 4000 models have built-in speakers
which may be a factor.
* If you want to mess with programming/business software, the 8000 models may
be your best bet, though the 4000 models is up there too, the 4000/8000 has
a tad better speed then the older models. Also the large screen models are
much more visible at a distance if you are running a demonstration display.
* For "power PET computing" it would be the SuperPET, it has all the features
of an 8000 as well as ability to run multiple languages.
Drives:
TAPE: Nothing is more common on the PET than tape drives, as back then disk
drives started at $500 and jumped to 1200 for a dual disk model, get a tape
drive, it's cheap and it will come in handy. Of the tape drives experience
has shown reliability in this order:
- 1530 low-profile drive (rarely a problem, I always have one ready)
- Black Box C2N somewhat durable.
- Original SANYO deck (the one in the original PETs), except for the belts
mine still function.
- Cream Color Box C2N - not sure why but they have the most problems... :/
DISK:
- 4040/2031/MSD: like the 1541 is the defacto standard for disk drives on the
64, for the PET are the 4040, 2031, and MSD, as the 4040 was the most sold,
and of course the compatibility with the 1541 format does not hurt either.
Note the 4040 and other models are VERY large (as big of footprint as the
PETs!) if you are looking to save space look for the 2031, 2031 LP, or
MSD SD1 or 2, these are much smaller.
- 8050, 8250, SFD-1001, these drives were more in use by business users, some
software may only run on these drives. Also for many years in the 1980s
these large capacity drives were long sought after by BBS sysops before
affordable hard drives became available.
- 9060, 9090, these hard disk drives would be a companion drive to a flaoppy
drive as there is no removalbe disk access, and as far as software support,
it is probably exclusive to business programs, as these drives sold for
multiple thousands of dollars at the time.
- 8280 This dual 8" drive would certainly be a show stopper, but as far as
software we are looking at even a smaller set of business titles that
support it.
Printers:
- The PET printers are not all that feature laden, the also are big, usually
quite noisy and slow. When looking at printers some models are Tractor
Feed or Friction only, keep that in mind, some are daisy-wheel and
not dot-matrix, also a factor. There are a handfull of PET to Parallel or
RS-232 printer interfaces out there which will allow you to print to a
generic dot matrix (at the expense of no graphics on most adapters) but
those may be hard to get as well.
ARE THERE ANY PET COMPUTER EMULATOR PROGRAMS AVAILABLE?
There are only a few, the first popular one was produced by Commodore for
the Commodore 64, it is able to run many PET BASIC games with POKE commands
properly converted and a little M/L. It's intent was to help those PET
owners who upgraded to a 64 back in the early 80s...
--------------------
For non-Commodore platforms there is VICE, Versatile Commodore Emulator,
which runs under Unix or MS-DOS/Windows 95 machines and can emulate:
-C128
-C64
-VIC20
-PET 2001
-PET/CBM 3032
-PET/CBM 4032
-CBM 8032
-CBM 8296
The older 0.11.0 version also emulated the C128's 80 column mode, but
because of lack of time in development it is not supported any longer
- i.e. not by the current development team.
The VICE Site (which includes an FTP section for downloading VICE)
is located at:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dsladic/vice/vice.html
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