Collection of Tools & Utilities/Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso/cdrom/cdplay.zip/PLAYHELP.DOC

Text File | 1989-07-18 | 13.4 KB | 332 lines

        Forthplay and Romplay Documentation and Comments
                         Date:  09Jul89

If you have this file, you should also have copies of
ROMPLAY.BAS, ROMPLAY2.BAS, ROMPLAY3.BAS, and 4THPLAY.COM,
CD-Audio players for the Hitachi CDR1503S or CDR3500 CD-ROM
Drives and PC bus interface cards.

Use Romplay & Romplay3 for keyboards with function keys across
the top (enhanced layout).  Romplay2 is better for the original
keyboard.  Romplay is intended for those times you want to do
something other than compute.  Forthplay is better for starting
play or checking a drive.

Required:

Hitachi CDR1503S, CDR3500, or 100% compatible CD-ROM
     drive.
Hitachi PC bus interface card: CDIFI2, CDIFI3A, CDIFI4, CDIFI4A,
     CDIF25A, CDIF25A2, or CDIF35A

300H base address for Forthplay, Romplay base is changeable (see
     line 10010).

For Romplay, GWBASIC (Non-IBM, about 80K file size), or the
BASICA version for IBM, (if you really have an IBM), or with
Tandy & Compaq, the BASICA version with Tandy or Compaq MS-DOS.

On a monochrome system, you will need to edit the program colors
and may need to change some color indicators and graphics
chracters.  First try changing the colors defined around 10000.
Blue/green paper must black, tip colors set to white/lwhite.  It
may be less trouble to use Forthplay and auto.

Romplay Functions:

     E     Eject Disc
     A     Accept Disc - Close Tray when present and open
     S     Sample first 17 seconds of each track
     P     Play - Start to End, Next Que, or Section Repeat
   <   >   Reverse/Forward 1 Track    -  ,  .
 <<<   >>> Reverse/Forward 1 minute   -  {  }
  <<   >>  Reverse/Forward 10 seconds -  [  ]
     N     Number Play - Enter Start & End track numbers
  ------   Spacebar toggles Pause On/Off - clears modes
     C     Cue to start of current track or release cue/pause
     Q     Quit - Immediately go to DOS with clear screen
    1-9    First digit of number play entry sequence
     R     Repeat Play from Starting to Ending Track
     T     Toggle Que On/Off for use at next Play or end
              of current play
     B     Begin - Mark currently played location for Section
              Play
     F     Finish - Section Play end - enable mode for play
              (Must be greater than Begin location) (Press Play
              to start Section Play - Space Bar to exit)
     M     Manage Que - set mode for Que functions
     /     Shuffle Play (Makes new random shuffled Que and plays)
     D     Drive (0-3) - Select CD-ROM drive for program

Manage Que Functions:

   < >   StepQue - Rotate stack of Que entries
    F    Fill Que with all tracks in reverse order
    C    Clear Que to 0 entries
    S    Shuffle all Que entries
    I    Insert number into current bottom of Que  (prompt)
   1-9   First digit of insert  - before prompt
    D    Delete number from Que (prompt)
    T    Toggle Que Mode - Manage or normal modes

Notes: Spacebar or Return/Enter accepts digits when valid
     Enter 0 to cancel number delete or insert
     When digits expected - only digits accepted
     Spacebar or other keys will exit Manage mode
    < > StepQue operates from keyboard when Que is on


Slide Cue Time Scale Operation and Use:

The time scale shows the current minute position and relative
   time remaining.

It can be used to cue directly to any minute of the disc using
   the cursor keys.

Cursor left/right - Slide reverse/forward 1 minute
Cursor up         - Move laser to selected minute and read
                       time/track code
Cursor down       - Play to end of disc from selected location

The normal program mode is automatic repeat play of the entire
disc from start to finish.  This mode is active when other modes
are clear.  When another mode is selected, prior modes are
cleared.  Pause, or skip functions clear other modes, and restore
play to end operation.

When the program is run, it checks to see if a I/F card is
installed at the address. If card/drive isn't there, it will list
line 10010 for editing.  PRTA=&H300 is the base address for Port
A on the card.  If something else uses the address, it should not
answer drive commands in the next step.  Then the program trys a
drive command to see if a drive answers.  If no answer, changes
the drive number and trys again.  When no drive answers, decides
the user forgot to turn it on, and waits to rerun.

The program updates the screen times, watches for end of play, a
keypress,  or change in drive status, until something happens.

If a CD is playing when the program is started, or when the drive
number is changed, it obtains the current play location, and
returns to it after finding the maximum times.

Since basic is too slow to read the Disc Table of Contents (TOC)
which lists the track times, it finds the maximum Minutes &
Seconds through use of a clever "hack", by attempting play at 99
minutes, then trying lower numbers until it sees the drive in
play mode, then counts up until it goes to pause again.  At that
point, it backs up two seconds and reads the track number on the
disc.  Doing it this way allows you to have a player in basic
with Source code.  The Forth program just reads the TOC and gets
the times, but Forthplay doesn't have all of the Romplay
features.

Times are used for display and skip wrap-around, while the
maximum track number is needed for other operations.

If your host is very fast, you may need to use slow mode or add
some delay loops to let the max time routine operate properly.

On ROM tracks the times change to yellow or light red.

The drive remembers only the last start/end time given to it by
the program.  It will continue to play when the program is
exited.

The drive is intended for data transfer and it performs audio
functions only through host control and monitoring of its
operation.


Forthplay Commands:

Play       ( n n Play ) ( n Play ) ( play )
        n is starting track n is ending track, ie:   2 5 Play
        n is starting and ending track,  ie:  3 play
        Play plays tracks 1-99, or to disc end
Tune       Shows current Track and Index, if playing
Time       Time in Track and Time within entire disc
Mode       Reports Drive Status, except busy and lock
TOC        Generally shows Table of Contents for installed disc
        List of tracks, start times, and end time of disc
Channels   Reports status of mute bits to be used at next play
Stereo     Enable both channels at next play
Left       Enable left channel at next play
Right      Enable right channel at next play
Mute       Mute channels at next play
Eject      Ejects disc when not locked
Accept     Closetray
CloseTray  Accepts disc - CDR1503S only
Lock       Disables front panel Open/Eject button
Unlock     Enables Open/Eject button on drive
Drive      ( n Drive )  Sets Drive (0-3) for commands, ie: 3
Drive
Drives     Reports active CD-ROM drives
Romdrive   Reports current CD-ROM drive used for commands
Xplay      ( n n n n n n xplay ) ( n n n xplay ) ( xplay)
 Xplay     Extended play by min, sec, frame, to min, sec, frame
        0 0 0 99 59 74 is default
        0-6 arguments when stack is empty - if works strange
           retry
        Pause occurs when times are invalid
Rplay      Replay last xplay, Stime & Etime Setting
Stime      Set start location for repeat, must be playing disc
Etime      Set end location for repeat
Menu       Shows Command menu
Bye        Exits immediately to DOS on active drive
Credits    Resets Drive and I/O card to inital setting - shows
           opening
Auto       Starts automatic play like Romplay - partial


implementation


Forthplay consists of words added to the F83 Forth language.

With Forthplay & F83 forth, the contents of the current line to
the left of the cursor is read when Enter is pressed.  Correct
typing errors with the Backspace key and retype the remainder of
the line.  The editor you will be using is the one provided as
part of this version of the language.

Type one of the commands on the Menu screen and press
Enter/Return.

Commands which require numbers need the numbers before the
command, with the numbers separated from each other and the
command with a space.  This is rather similar to some calculators
which use "reverse Polish" number entry.  (ie: number and += and
second number and += or -  etc.)

Forth accepts numbers using a "stack" to hold the numbers.  Words
which need numbers expect to find them on the stack.  Words which
obtain numbers, leave the numbers on the stack for other words to
use.  This is why numbers must precede command words which use
them.  Entering the required numbers separately from the command
is possible, so that entering:

                                1
                               10
                              PLAY

works the same as:

                            1 10 PLAY

which will cause the drive to play tracks 1 to 10, and then
pause.

                             2 PLAY

will play only track 2.

                      1 0 32 2 59 74 XPLAY

will play from minute 1, second 0, frame 32, to minute 2, second
59, frame 74.

                            20 XPLAY

will play the remainder of the disc from 20 minutes.

Xplay defaults to 0 0 0 99 59 74, limiting is done, but no error
checks.

TOC provides a list of track start times by track number.
Once read for a disc, .TOC will show it again.  If TOC seems to
be showing times for a prior disc, do DRIVES which will clear the
old disc status.

When Forthplay is first started, use  DRIVES  then  MODE to see
if everything is working.

Forthplay doesn't error check.  Once it starts, you're in a live
programming language which assumes that you know what you're
doing.

There are many words not on the Menu screen, so if you type a
word forth doesn't know, it will print the word followed by ?
and clear any numbers from the stack.  Some of the command words
were selected to use alternate names because Forth already used
the first word chosen for another function. If you type a word
Forth knows without the arguments it needs, you may lock up the
system or leave invalid values for the next word used.  If you
bomb out, power down for 15 seconds, and cold start to be sure
your system is clean.

You can get a list of words used to make the program by entering

                              Words

Press spacebar to stop listing.  The last words defined are
listed first.  All words before EMPTY are part of Forthplay.

Enter  SEE wordname  to see the contents of a word.  Try:

                           SEE ACCEPT

Always Exit Forthplay with Bye and Romplay with Quit to reset the
Interface Card and make sure DMA channel 3 is clear.  Although my
programs don't use it, the interface card may be enabled if you
exit improperly, causing panic when the Hard Drive on your XT
doesn't work.

These programs talk only to the Hitachi I/F Card and Drive.
Everything else is handled by F83 or basic.

Forthplay and Romplay are private works not written for hire, but
rather for my own use.  They are not supported by any Hitachi
company or division, and the code they use may not be supported
on future models.  You use the programs or code at your own risk,
they represent my understanding of hardware commands.

Background:

My first audio player software for CD-ROM drives was Forthplay.
It came alive on the evening of December 6, 1987, based on the
hardware docs for program developers from Hitachi Sales Corp. of
America.   Most of Forthplay was done on a Compaq portable the
following weekend.  Without the fine work of Laxen and Perry on
F83, neither Forthplay or Romplay would exist.

The availability of Forthplay later led to use of several
CDR1503S drives by Knotts Berry Farm (a southern California
amusement attraction), when they decided to use Forth and Hitachi
drives for audio applications.

A version of Forthplay was also done for the original Atari 800
computer, with interfacing being handled through joystick ports
1-3.  Worked nicely.

Romplay started as a lark during a three day weekend in Feb. 88.
It was begun to see what could be done with basic.  Suprised me
that anything was possible, let alone Romplay.  I consider it a
"good hack".

Romplay met a few CD-ROM insiders at the 1988 Microsft CD-ROM
conference in Seattle, Wa, and one of the Nimbus people got the
first copy.  Along the way, a few others received copies to use
in demos.  Afterwards, I added features every couple of months,
until it reached its present state.  Romplay3 was a search for a
better screen layout, with the use of character graphics for a
BIG time display.  At 4.47MHz, it skips a second display every
now and then.  A full graphics diplay and mouse is needed to do a
Mac-like picture of a CD audio player with all the buttons
working.

As part of the distribution disk, you may have versions of
Allplay and Romlock, a set of small executeable utilities.
Allplay issues a play all tracks command to drives 0-3, and
LOCK300.EXE and KCOL300.EXE which lock and unlock the drives at
various addresses.  Allplay may be named PLAY300.EXE or have a
valid base address as part of its name.

Forthplay and Romplay versions below 1.0 are Freeware and may be
copied as needed.  They are dedicated to all the people who have
created free software for any computer system.  Thanks...  Roscoe

Tomcat Softworks
Contact:  71777,2564