May June 1980 - Commodore Computers

66 66 COMPUTE. MAY/JUNE. MAV I JUNE. 198O 1980 ISSUE 4II
Review
Review
M-100 Microprinter ($39O) ($390)
Digiclocks
M-1OO Microprinter
Digiclocks
3O16 3016 Oceanview Avenue
Orange, California 92665
David L. L Bosfeel Bosteel
Professor of Architecture
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 981O5 98105
Chuck A London
Systems Engineer
Boeing Computer Services Company
Seattle, WA. 08124 98124
The M-100 M-lOO Microprinter is designed for connection
to the IEEE-488 port of the Commodore PET, uses
4.75 inch aluminized paper (40 characters/line),
and prints approximately 70-150 lines/minute. The
unit comes fully assembled in a 10 x 7 x 5 inch
high cabinet with built-in interface and power
supply. A 22 inch cable is included, ineluded , and the plugs
are easily y reversible on the e cable so that the printer
can be located either to right or left of the PET
computer. The unit works s with either "old" " or Hnew"
"new"
ROM's. ROM' s.
The M-100 M-IOO Microprinter uses a Sharp DC-4002
electro-sensitive printing mechanism with a 8 by 8
dot matrix to print all the PET characters and
graphic symbols, including cursor control symbols and
reverse field printing, as they would appear on the
PET monitor for program listings ings or programmed output.
See sample below of printed output and commands.
A "Graphics" " switch sets (shifted) characters
to print graphics symbols as shown on the PET
keyboard. A ""Line Feed" switch allows one to
independently advance the paper one or more lines.
The paper is friction-fed and the printer platen is
gear driven so that line e spacing is fi fixed at 5 lines/
in inch with a character height of ..115 5 inches (for
lower case or graphics symbols). Thus drawings or
SOFTWARE SPECIALISTS MICROPHYS PROGRAMS
diagrams do not appear exactly as they would on
the PET monitor as there is some space between each
diagrams do not appear exactly as they would on
the PET monitor as there is some space between each
line.
The M-100 Microprinter very nicely reproduces
the PET keyboard symbols, including descenders for
lower case letters. The output has more nearly the
The M-100 Microprinter very nicel y reproduces
the PET keyboard sy mbols, including descenders for
lower case letters. The output has more nearly the
size and appearance of typed text than is some­
size and appearance of typed text than is some
times the case with th other er printers. The aluminized
paper might be seen as a deterrent t for r record purposes
to some, but, for purposes of reproduction,
,
it it can be mounted (one or two columns/page)
on backing sheets and a xerox copier will provide clean
copy without edges or greyness.
copy without edges or greyness.
The principal uses of a 40 character/line printer
The principal uses of a 40 character/line printer
are probably to provide listings for development or
debugging of programs too long to remember as
debugging of programs too long to remember as
the lines scroll from the PET monitor screen, and to
provide" "hard copy" of program output for later
use. The PET operating system has commands that
use. The PET operating system has commands that
make it very easy and these are summarized below
as they apply to the M-100 IOO Microprinter. En [n most
cases monitor and printer output are identical but
the "TAB" function and use of commas in PRINTS
the " TAB" fun ction and use of commas in PRINT#
statements for printer output give different (and sometimes
unpredicted) results from those seen on the
times unpredicted) results from those seen on the
monitor. The use of the "SPC" Ilspe" function and semicolon
separator for same-line printing may be used
instead. The use of the semi-colon, , when combining a
sequence of operations over several lines of a program
for same-line printing, appears to confuse the operating
system printing firmware, , or primer printer functioning, orr
maybe onlyy this programmer. Anyhow, the results arc are
different for monitor than for r printer. Also, it is
inadvisable 10 to leave "open" files lying around in the
system--appears system—appears to sometimes cause all sorts of
puzzling condilions, conditions, including a Iistuck" "stuck" cursor
(usually recoverable) and unintended programmed in
(usually recoverable) and unintended programmed input/output
formatting.
put/output formatting.
It is useful, , in any case, to organize printer output
separately from that for monitor. The PET
monitor has thee annoying g characteristic of flashing
(goes dark, , then screcn screen image rcturns) returns) as each print
line e is output to printer. Much better practice is to
organize hard copy output in a subroutine that first
SOFTWARE SPECIALISTS MICROPHYS PROGRAMS SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
2048 FORD STREET
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11229
(212) 646-0140
64&O140
Mp Mn
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