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FWTOIBM2.TXT
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2006-10-19
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102 lines
Modified February 1999 from an article originally published in the
September 1995 issue of the Lima User Group newsletter.
-----------------------
SAVING AND LOADING TEST DIRECTLY BETWEEN FUNNELWEB
AND AN IBM COMPATIBLE PC
by Charles Good
Lima Ohio User Group
Using the Funnelweb editor you can use LF and SF to LoadFiles and
SaveFiles directly to and from a hard drive or floppy disk on an IBM
compatible PC. You can use the IBM's hard drive to store all your
important text files! This can be sometimes be done at very fast
transfer rates comparable to saving and loading text using a 99/4A
disk, and you don't need a modem on either the TI or the IBM
What you do need is an IBM and TI computer cabled together
between the TI's serial port and an IBM com port. I find that a
"modem cable" purchased for $8 at my local WalMart store works just
fine with no modification, connecting my TI's RS232 to my laptop PC's
COM1 port. If you want to try and make your own cable, the needed pin
connections for such a cable are these:
TI..IBM
1----1
2----2
3----3
6----20
7----7
20---6
-------------
TO SAVE TEXT FROM FUNNELWEB TO THE IBM:
On the PC I use the windows 3.1 terminal program (term.exe) on
systems running either windows 3.1 or windows 95/98. The reason I use
the older windows 3.1 program is that I can't figure out how to get
windows 95/98's Hyperterminal program to accept direct cable
transfers. If you don't have this program I can email it to you as an
attached file or, if you send me $1 I will put it on an IBM disk and
snail mail it to you.
On the IBM start Windows and boot the Windows 3.1 terminal
program. Click on "Settings". Then click on "Terminal
Preferences" and make sure CR does not generate CR/LF (if the box has
an x in it, click on the box to turn off the x) and that you are in 80
colums. Accept these settings by clicking on ok. Click on "Settings"
again and then click on "Communications". Select either 19200 or 9600
baud, odd parity, 7 data bits, and the proper COM port. Then click on
ok. I havn't figured out how to save 8 bit characters (Funnelweb's
extended IBM graphics set) directly to an IBM using this technique.
You may want to experiment with the baud rate. On my Geneve I can use
a baud rate of 19200 without losing characters at the IBM end or
causing an error message at the Geneve. On my 99/4A system I can only
use 9600. Cable length and the peculiarities of your system may
dictate that you use a slower baud rate. When using 19200 to save
text the speed of this save is at least as fast as saving to TI floppy
disk. Click on "Transfers" and then click on "Receive Text File".
Select or create a file name, drive letter, and directory. Then click
on ok. If asked say you want to override the existing log file. Now
you are ready to receive text from Funnelweb.
On the 99/4A or Geneve write your document or LF a document into
the Funnelweb editor. First set up the IBM Terminal program as
described above, then enter SF from Funnelweb's command line. Use
"RS232.BA=19200" (or BA=9600 on a 99/4A system) as the SaveFile file
name. Yes I know the TI's RS232 isn't supposed to be able to handle a
baud rate of 19200, but on my Geneve it works for me! You need to
specify the same baud rate in Window's Terminal and Funnelweb's SF
file name. Once you enter the SF file name your text will flow out of
Funnelweb and across the serial cable into your IBM. You will see the
text appear on the IBM screen. When the IBM cursor stops displaying
more text move the mouse pointer of the IBM and click on "Stop". Your
Funnelweb text has now been saved to an IBM disk as an 80 column ascii
text file with no control characters and no tab markings.
----------
TO LOAD TEXT FROM AN IBM INTO FUNNELWEB:
On the 99/4A or Geneve load the Funnelweb editor. If you are
using a Geneve load the Funnelweb editor from GPL (you can use speed
5) rather than using EXEC. When using EXEC v2.11 on the Geneve I
can't break out of the RS232 loading process although I seem to
remember that I could with an earlier version of EXEC. From
Funnelweb's command line type LF and specify "RS232.BA=600" as the
file name. Press enter and Funnelweb will appear to lock up as it
waits for text to flow in from the RS232. You can't use baud rates
faster then 600 for LoadFile even though you can use much faster baud
rates to save files.
On the PC boot the windows 3.1 terminal program. Click on
"Settings" then on "Communications". Click on 600 baud, 7 bit, Odd
parity, the proper com port, and then click on ok. Now click on
"Transfers" and then click on "Send Text File". Select the file name
and drive of the text file you are loading into Funnelweb and click on
ok. At this point text will start flowing into Funnelweb and you will
see line numbers increment at the right of the Funnelweb v5.x command
line. When text stops flowing across the PC screen and the PC cursor
returns to the terminal window and when Funnelweb's line numbers stop
incrementing on Funnelweb's command line this means all the text is
now in the TI's text buffer. Press FCTN/4 (the Break key) and then
<enter> to display this text on the TI's screen. It is this FCTN/4
keypress that fails when I load Funnelweb into my Geneve using Exec
instead of GPL.