Floppyshop 2/Floppyshop - 2.zip/Floppyshop - 2.iso/diskmags/0022-3.564/dmg-0047/stzmag.042

Text File | 1997-04-16 | 25KB | 457 lines

         |            ST*ZMAGAZINE                      ISSUE #: 42
        |||           ---------------------------------------------
       |||||                         October 13, 1989
      |||||||         ---------------------------------------------
     |||||||||                      Editor: Ron Kovacs
    |||||||||||       ---------------------------------------------
   |||||||||||||
  |||         |||     ---------------------------------------------
 ||| ZMAGAZINE |||    COMPUSERVE: 71777,2140   GO ATARIARTS  LIB 15
  |||         |||     ---------------------------------------------
   |||||||||||||      GEnie: ZMAGAZINE  ST RT BB CAT 31, LIBRARY 25
    |||||||||||       ---------------------------------------------
     |||||||||            Copyright 1989, Rovac Industries, Inc.
      |||||||                      Post Office Box 59
       |||||                 Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059
        |||                          [phone]
         |            ---------------------------------------------


 EDITORS DESK - by Ron Kovacs
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 This week the staff is on vacation and we are producing a Best of STZMAG
 issue.  New articles this week are included from John Nagy on the
 retirement announcement by Sig Hartmann and WK Whitton on a recent price
 comparison he did.  Alice Amore is on vacation too!   Next week rested
 and with our full staff back we will return with a regular report.

 A few months ago we asked your assistance with printers for a local
 elementary.  This time I want to once again pass the plea for donations
 for 1st and 2nd grade students with Atari ST computers.  If you have any
 equipment from a recent upgrade and are willing to donate it to a worthy
 cause, or you have a few dollars to donate (which are tax-deductable),
 please leave EMAIL to D.A.BRUMLEVE on GEnie.



 SIG RETIRES
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            by John Nagy


 After five years with ATARI Corp, Sig Hartmann announced this week that
 he will resign/retire effective November 1st.

 Although currently assigned at Vice President level in charge of OEM
 sales, Industrial sales, and Institutional sales, Sig has spent much of
 his time away from his primary responsibilities in order to be the
 primary public speaker for Atari.

 Sig has regularly charmed audiences at Atarifests and shows with his
 views and information about Atari, and generally has been able to thaw
 the chilliest of listeners into feeling good about the company.  As the
 only effective public speaker offered by Atari since the variable but
 very public Neil Harris, Sig has been in high demand.

 Fortunately for Atari and audiences alike, Bob Brodie (new User Group/
 Show Coordinator) has proven to be a thoroughly enjoyable and effective
 speaker at several recent events.  He spoke to an assembly of 200 users
 from 5 groups last month in New Jersey, and shared the "Official" Atari
 seminar duties at the WAACE Atarifest with Sig.  Bob seems to be the
 heir apparent for the "image" jobs to come.

 Sig has hinted widely about retiring for some time.  At the April 1989
 World Of Atari show at Disneyland, Sig spoke of introducing the "new
 blood" who would be shaping Atari's future.  He shared the podium then
 with Mike Dendo (VP Sales) and Joe Mendolia (VP Marketing), both of whom
 have since resigned from Atari.  "Sam [Tramiel, Atari Corp CEO] and Jack
 [Tramiel, Atari owner and Chairman of the Board) don't think I have
 suffered enough yet", Sig joked then, "so I have to work a while
 longer."  Private comments indicated that the retirement would come
 within a year at that time.

 Although it may well have been the lack of an appropriate replacement
 for Sig on the speaking circuit that kept Sig from setting a date until
 now, November 1 is the fifth anniversary of Sig's employment at Atari,
 and his stock and benefits fully vest at that time.  Sig worked with the
 Tramiels at Commodore before they bought Atari, and before that was
 instrumental in a total overhaul and turnaround at TRW.

 Sig Hartmann's plans for the future are not settled, but may include
 some additional service to Atari.  It is expected that he will attend
 COMDEX in November (Las Vegas) for fun and to see both new products and
 old friends.  Not one to sit for long, Sig has mentioned moving to
 Germany (either to work or just to relax) as a serious option.  For the
 present, Sig hopes to finally be able to spend some time at his suburban
 Los Angeles home without having to constantly commute to Sunnyvale, some
 300+ miles up the Pacific coast.

 Thanks, Sig, you have been appreciated, and you will be missed!




 VIDI-ST VIDEO DIGITIZER-REAL TIME FRAME GRABBER
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Best of ST*ZMAG
                                                            by John Nagy



 I have longed for a good way to put TV pictures on the ST for longer
 than I have had a video camera.  I almost bought COMPUTER EYES several
 times, but was unhappy with the "under six second" exposure time needed
 for good pictures.  I am GLAD I waited!  The VIDI-ST beats all other
 video digitizers by miles!

 ST*ZMAG/Z*NET was the first to tell you about this product, and now the
 VIDI-ST from Scotland is available in the USA.  Distributed by COMPUTER
 GAMES PLUS in California, the VIDI-ST is a real-time frame grabber for
 use with any composite video source.  What that means is that any VCR,
 camera, even some TV sets can be used as a signal source for instant
 digital pictures on any Atari ST computer.  Unlike other digitizers,
 VIDI-ST does not require a motionless subject.  It actually captures a
 SINGLE VIDEO FRAME at 1/60th of a second, and delivers them to your ST
 at up to fourteen frames a second.  You can collect frames and play
 them back as an animation!  Intake and display speeds are independently
 controlled in the software, and up to 125 frames (on a MEGA 4, 25 on a
 1040, 9 on a 520) can be stored, played back in sequence, or
 individually selected for manipulation from a 16-screen-at-a-time
 selection display.

 ST*ZMAG is making a number of files done with the VIDI-ST available on
 the national boards.  Look for several REAL LIVE ACTION sports
 animations, the likes of which were virtually impossible before, and
 several dramatic still shots selected from sporting and other FAST
 MOVING events.  Enthusiasts who are used to the "other" systems won't
 believe this stuff can be done!  The SEQ files are large, of course,
 but they are worth seeing!

 Additional pictures have been uploaded since we ran this article earlier
 this year.  Look for WAACE pictures of Ralph Mariano, Darlah Pine, Bob
 Brodie, Sig Hartmann, Sandy Small and more!

 The VIDI-ST is a disk and a black cartridge about the size of a disk
 box, with a single contrast control protruding from the side next to a
 phono plug that is the video input.  Recessed controls adjust
 brightness range and horizontal scan rate.  Operation is remarkably
 simple.  Any composite source can be sampled instantly.

 The software with the VIDI-ST resembles CYBERPAINT in layout and
 sophisticated power.  Alternative palettes can be selected or reset
 from any Control Panel accessory, flavoring the 16-shade monochrome
 translation of the input in any way you choose.  Advanced cut/paste and
 clipboard functions allow remarkable edit functions.  A window can also
 be opened in an exiting picture, and new moving input can be sampled
 inside.  NEOCHROME and DEGAS format files can be loaded and merged with
 live video, and the results saved in either format as well, and can be
 manipulated or titled in other art programs.  The sequence of frames
 can even be saved individually and loaded into Cyberpaint to create and
 save an animation.  A print function is also supplied, but at this
 time, supports 9-pin Epson printers.  This is not a problem, as various
 DEGAS and NEO print and conversion utilities are abundant.  The
 company, ROMBO of Scotland, is doing continuous development and
 upgrades to the software as well.

 The quality of pictures and the speed of the display is quite good, and
 when displayed on a TV, fools some viewers into thinking they are
 looking at direct live video instead of digital output from a computer.
 Monochrome operation is also available by use of a separate MONO
 program on the disk, but some functions are not as complete as in the
 color version.  Sampling rate is decreased somewhat by the dither
 process required to make MONO half-tone images.  Further advancement of
 the MONO version is one of the announced goals in the adequate but
 brief documentation.  Details of how to program the power of the cart
 into your own applications is also included, with a machine code file
 on the disk to help!

 Applications of the VIDI-ST are many.  The rapid sampling is a
 breakthrough in digitizers for the ST, allowing you to collect a
 sequence of frames and then selecting exactly the one where the action
 (yes, ACTION!) is exactly what you want.  No super freeze-frame is
 required on your VCR, in fact you can collect frames live and review
 them later.  Quality is sufficient for use in newsletters by importing
 the pictures into any DTP system.  ST*ZMAG used the VIDI-ST for the
 pictures of the World of Atari Show it posted on the national telecom
 services.  Excited viewers of the system, shown only at the Disneyland
 and MACE shows (and the upcoming Detroit WORLD show) came up with
 intriguing ideas as well, including making backgrounds for TV slides on
 cable TV, and "pencil tests" of hand drawn animations.  Normal pencil
 tests are shot on film and production at the art house must wait days
 until the test can be viewed.  Using VIDI-ST, it can take minutes and
 have no processing charges!  Another use will be to collect screen
 shots of 8-bit software for newsletters via the Atari XL/XE composite
 output.

 For DTP, we discovered that the really effective and high quality
 detail of the color pictures did not convert well in print.  However,
 by converting the low res pictures into a hig-res Degas picture, then
 importing THAT into a publishing system, provided near-photo quality in
 print.  I wish we had discovered that before we printed the June Z*NET,
 which carries several pictures generated with VIDI-ST.  They are good,
 but could have been GREAT.

 It is a treat to be able to rave about a new product, and this one
 deserves it.  Although there are a number of additions I would like to
 see made to the software, like the ability to save the ENTIRE sequence
 in one piece instead of as separate frames, I am sure that such things
 will be coming soon.

 VIDI 2,3,4 (software revisied versions) have been uploaded to GEnie
 during the summer.  These versions clean-up the VIDI picture and offer
 different types of capturing and saving.  These newer versions were NOT
 done by the VIDI-ST people overseas and do not have the same features of
 the original VIDI software.  All the PD files need the VIDI cartridge to
 run.




 HARDWARE PRICEWATCH
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           by WK Whitton


 If you are looking for some inexpensive hardware to upgrade your current
 ST system, here is a list of some of the better prices I have been able
 to locate through many hours of research:

 720K 3.5" DS Drive Teac          $63     Falcon 213-390-3955
 720K 3.5" DS Drive Teac          $69     Mighty Micro 800-277-8585
 720K 3.5" DS Drive Sony          $62     Essence Group 714-546-3110
 720K 3.5" DS Drive Mitsumi       $56     Colorado Memory 1-800-245-3040
 720K 3.5" DS Drive Model #1035   $59     408-434-0168

 3.5" DS disks .49 in lots of 25          MEI/MicroCenter 800-634-3478
 3.5" DS disks .66 cents in lots of 100   1-800-288-8025

 ST-157N 50 meg              $317      Colorado Memory 800-245-3040
 ST-277-1 65 meg             $315      CTI 1-800-223-4492
 ST-177N 60 meg              $419      USA Flex 1-800-872-3539
 ST-250R (RLL) 40 216 bare   $259 kit  Colorado Mem 800-245-3040
 ST-251 40 meg               $290      Micro Informata 800-752-0842
 ST-251-1                    $305      Data Dynamics 1-800-999-1172
 ST-251 XT kit               $372      Express MicroMart
 ST-251 XT kit               $355      FD Microsys 800-548-2660
 M8450 Miniscribe 40 meg kit $297      Express MicroMart 1-800-533-0177
 "            "              $282      Computer Products 1-800-338-4273
 ST-238 w/controller         $230      Colorado Memory Sys 800-245-3040

 HP Deskjet Plus             $699      Arlington 1-800-548-5105
 "             "             $675      Micro-Technology 1-800-283-0505
 "             "             $655      American Multi Sys 800-888-6615
 "             "             $659      Value Plus 800-843-1181

 HP Deskjet Carts            $16.95    USA Flex 800-872-3539




 ZMAG TECH ARCHIVES - ENLARGING YOUR MONOCHROME SCREEN
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Best of ST*ZMAG


 Enlarging the SM124 Monitor Screen; From the World-Wide User's Network


 If you have one of the Atari ST computers with the SM124 monochrome
 monitor, chances are quite good that you have come to accept the wide
 (black or white) border surrounding the usable area of the screen.  You
 may have thought "what a waste", but probably only grumbled about it,
 and went back to work.  If you've got the time (about 15 minutes) the
 tools (3 or 4 available from any Radio Shack), and the nerve (not too
 much needed), this article will explain how you can have a LARGER,
 usable screen!

 Tools

 You'll need a Phillips screwdriver, preferably a #1 size, Two "TV tuning
 tools"; a hex-tool, 3/32" and a flat blade (screwdriver like) tool
 around 1/8" in width.  Both of these tools should be made of insulated
 (plastic) material, the longer the better.  A make-up mirror or similar
 mirror is handy also.  You might also want to lay down a thick towel on
 your work area so that you won't scratch up the face of your monitor.
 Make sure that you give yourself enough working space for both the
 monitor and the CPU/Keyboard as you will need to have them hooked up to
 make the adjustments.

 Boot your system with either the desktop, with one or more windows
 opened, or call up a text file.  The Ideal situation is to have text
 reaching all four corners of the screen, so you will be able to compare
 one "edge" to the other.

 Now unplug your monitor power cord from the socket in the cabinet, and
 turn the monitor around so that the rear of the case is facing you.
 Place the towel or padding on the work area in front of you and
 carefully tip the entire unit onto the glass face.  Using the phillips
 screwdriver, remove the 5 screws holding the cabinet together (two on
 the bottom, one on each side about 3/4 of the way up, and one just above
 the power cable socket.  Once these have been removed, put them
 somewhere out of the way where they won't be lost (a cup or bowl works
 good for holding parts).  Now gently lift straight upwards on the rear
 sides of the case, and it should begin to lift away.  TAKE CARE! you
 still have the speaker wires connected to the case, and there is not to
 much extra slack.  Carefully reach into the case and find the speaker
 connector that attaches to the monitor main board, and pull it straight
 away from the board to disconnect it.  Don't be too concerned about the
 orientation of the plug as it will work in either direction.  Once you
 have done this, continue to lift the rear section of the cabinet,
 feeding the CPU-Monitor cable through the opening as necessary.

 Set the cabinet well out of the way, and we get into the real MEAT of
 the mod!  Tip the monitor back on to its bottom and arrange the mirror
 so that you can see the screen while working at the rear of the unit.
 Re-connect the power cord to the monitor and be VERY CAREFUL where you
 put your fingers, as there are some HIGH voltages in there Jack!  Grab
 your plastic flat-blade tool and start looking along the right rear of
 the mother board.  Near the front of the board, neatly tucked between
 the CRT and a heatsink/power board is a row of 3 adjustable controls or
 potentiometers about 1/2" in diameter.  They are labeled, "VLIN",
 "VSIZE" and "VHOLD".  We will be adjusting the "VSIZE" which is the
 middle of the three.  Gently slip your tool into the slot of the pot,
 and while watching the screen in the mirror, begin to turn the tool
 slightly (don't put too much pressure on the pot, as that can affect the
 setting).  The top and bottom of the screen will begin to move, together
 or apart!  Expand the screen to within approximately 1/2" to 3/4" of the
 top and bottom of the plastic frame on the front of the monitor.

 That task done, we will swap tuning tools, going for the hex-shaped one.
 Looking near the left rear corner of the mother board, close to where
 the power cord socket is located, you will find a plastic shaft with a
 slot in it sticking straight up from the board, and just ahead of that,
 a strange looking device composed of a small diameter tube, with what
 appears to be a couple of spools of wire on it.  Inside that tube, there
 is a small, somewhat fragile core of graphite, which WILL break if
 mistreated.  Gently lower your hex-tool into this tube, and you will
 feel it slide home into the core.  By turning this core (without
 pressing down on the core) gently in a clockwise direction, and watching
 the mirror, you will see the screen shrink slightly at first, but then
 grow WIDER!  Remember to leave about 1/2" to 3/4" border from the
 plastic bezel.

 What may have happened is that not only did your picture get larger, but
 it looks off-center.  We can fix that by adjusting the magnets at the
 end of the CRT "neck".  The magnets look alot like "Q"'s about 1 to 2
 inches forward of the wiring at the very end.  They are colored dark
 grey or black and have a little "ear" sticking out so that you can
 adjust them to get the picture back centered on the screen.  Don't worry
 about touching the magnets, but keep your hands away from wiring that
 may be "HOT".  Once you get the picture well centered, you may have to
 re-adjust the two size controls as they are all inter-related.  Once you
 have the size and orientation to your liking, it is time to sharpen up
 the screen image.  Remember the slotted plastic shaft at the left rear
 of the mother board?  This is the "FOCUS" control, and you can adjust it
 with your flat-blade plastic tool to get things back to tack-sharp.  Now
 you have a CUSTOM TUNED monitor that should be much easier to read and
 use, and you did it yourself!

 To re-assemble the monitor, unplug it first for safety.  Then slide the
 CPU-Monitor cable through the rear cabinet section, and with your third
 hand (if you are Zaphod Beeblebrox) remember to re-connect the speaker
 wires.  There is an indicator as to which way it was originally
 connected, One side has two slots, and the other side only has one, but
 the speaker WILL work even if the connector is reversed.  If you feel
 adventurous, you might want to add on an AUDIO OUT jack to these leads.

 Finally, having re-assembled the screws and the case in general,
 re-connect the monitor to the CPU and enjoy the BIG PICTURE!  If you
 have any problems, check first that the LED at the front of the monitor
 is lit indicating that there is power to it.  If not, you may have a
 loose power cord or you might have blown a fuse.  The fuse is located on
 the vertical power board at the side near the VSIZE pot and can be
 easily found at Radio Shack.

 Enjoy your "New" monitor and if you have any questions, you can leave me
 a message on Compu$erve at PPN 75046,476



 WAACE - PART 2
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           by Ron Kovacs


 The WAACE show was indeed a success and it was a pleasure to meet more
 of the people behind the modems.  I already spoke about a few happenings
 last week, so this will be another short article.

 Here are some of the highlights:

 FIRST STOP COMPUTERS was on hand showing their new products, DupliTwix-
 Blitz which is a disk copying software/cable package selling for $44.00
 at the show.  A full demonstration took place and even offered attendees
 to supply a disk they couldn't copy to test out the demo.  The copying
 process is an electronic one, memory is not filled and dumped back to
 disk, it is sent through the printer port via the special cable between
 two disk drives (which are required).  Whatever the discovery cartridge
 can do, this cable setup can beat and do more.  The other new product
 titled ACCESS written by Doug Hodson.  More on this product in a future
 edition via a review.  First Stop Computer, LTD, [phone].

 STRATA SOFTWARE next to the First Stop/ZNet booth displayed their new
 release STalker 2.0 and STeno.  STalker is a terminal emulator accessory
 complete with file transfer while you are using and GEM program.  Some
 features include:

     ~ Full background operation
     ~ ANSI compat screen control
     ~ Autodialer up to 20 numbers until connection
     ~ Function key programming
     ~ Virtual screen side of 24-2000 lines by 40-200 columns
     ~ Works with any modem

 Included with STalker is STeno, a text editor accessory that can be used
 in conjuction with STalker as a capture buffer.  STeno can also be used
 as a stand alone editor with the following features:

     ~ Word wrap
     ~ Tab expansion
     ~ Background printing
     ~ Cut/Copy/Paste

 Look for a full review in a future edition of ST*ZMag.  Information on
 these programs can be obtained from Strata Software, 94 Rowe Drive,
 Kanata Ontario, Canada, K2L 3Y9, [phone].

 ATARI's booth being manned by Bob Brodie, the new user group coordinator
 answering questions non-stop on both days.  On display Sunday was the
 Stacy 4 running the Spectre GCR, Sandy Small was there helping out.
 Other products on display in the booth included the VIDI-ST, Swifter for
 the Atari 8-bit, the Portfolio, Mega's, 520/1040 ST's.

 SEYMOR RADIX with the IMG Scanner and DVT VCR hard disk back-up program.
 GRIBNIF with NeoDesk 2.05.  Clayton Walnum from Analog, ST-Informer,
 Current Notes.  SOFTREK with Turbo-ST, WUZTECH, DDP, CODEHEAD SOFTWARE
 all displaying their latest products.

 Seminars ran both days and included ISD on Desktop Publishing with
 Calamus, David Small with MacIntosh emulation, Patricia and Bill Rayl,
 myself and JD Barnes of Current Notes with a seminar about the Grass
 Roots of Atari, Ask ST-Report with Ralph Mariano, Wayne Buckhold of
 SofTrek on Speeding up Your Atari, Swap Shop for attendees interested in
 trading and buying used equipment.

 OverView

 The show was a success as previously stated, nothing much in the area of
 NEW was on display and this being the ONLY east coast AtariFest this
 year many came from all over to attend.  My guess at attendance is
 around 3500-4000 for both days, keep in mind that on Sunday the show ran
 from 1-5pm.

 The next event on the show schedule is Comdex, November 13th in Las
 Vegas Nevada.  Atari Corp will be on hand without Sig Hartmann since he
 is retiring November 1.


 =======================================================================
         STZMAGAZINE          ISSUE #42         October 13, 1989
                            Volume 1, Number 42
                   Copyright 1989, Rovac Industries Inc.
 =======================================================================