home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- BOTHTNC2.DOC
- Documentation for the KISS downloader overlay for TNC-2 ROM
- Docs by Bdale, N3EUA, 870208
-
- The hex file BOTHTNC2.HEX contains code to overlay a 1.1.2, 1.1.3, or 1.1.4
- TNC-2 ROM and add the additional capability of downloading Intel-format hex
- files over the RS-232 port. This is, for example, a handy way of adding KISS
- capability to your TNC2 for use with the KA9Q TCP package.
-
- To get it working, use an EPROM burner to read the contents of your current
- TNC2 ROM into a disk file, in Intel hex format. Then, use your favorite
- editor to append the contents of BOTHTNC2.HEX to the end. Take the resulting
- combined file and burn it into a 27256 EPROM and off you go...
-
- Caveats: Some ROM burners don't grok Intel hex format (like the JDR, which
- uses a separate utility to go hex->binary), or may not allow you to read a
- ROM into a hex file. If so, sorry. Also, because this procedure induces
- duplicate data bytes as overlays for existing bytes in the ROM, a burner that
- burns straight from the hex file without building a binary image in RAM first
- will lose big time. Only recourse in these cases is to manually massage the
- hex file...
-
- If all this is too difficult, pester Bdale N3EUA, or Andy N0CCZ, or your local
- KA9Q TCP-package guru for a pre-burned ROM... we'll be happy to assist!
-
- Operation:
- When you power on the TNC2, you won't get your usual banner. Instead, most
- characters that you type will be echoed back at you. If you type a ctrl/E,
- a fairly meaningless banner will be printed. If you send a hex file at the
- TNC, it will suck it into RAM and then execute it. This is how you load KISS,
- for example. If you type an 'h', normal TNC2 operation will resume, starting
- with your normal banner...
-
- Following is the text I got from Bob when he sent the code:
- - - - - - - - - - -
- Date: 4 FEB 87 11:02-MDT
- From: BOBW@usu.bitnet
- Subject: KISSTNC hex dump
-
- This is the KISSTNC loader for use with HOWIE 1.1.2, 1.1.3, or 1.1.4
- and KISS co-resident. This file loads at 4800hex and HOWIE code stops at
- about 4300H. This code intercepts the Z80 start address at 0000 and jumps
- back into HOWIE code at 00ED which is what the 0000 restart used to jump
- to. The first line of the HEX dump is the JP 4800H orged at 0000. To add
- the code to the HOWIE roms we first loaded the 1.1.3 or 1.1.4 code into
- the rom burner, then we loaded the KISSTNC code, which overwrote location
- 0000, and then burned the ROM. When the TNC starts up it is in KISS mode
- waiting for a ';' to load or a control-E or an upper or lower case 'H' to
- start the normal HOWIE code.
- Bob Wood WA7MXZ at CHEM::
-
-
-