Briel Computers SUPERBOARD User manual

SUPERBOARD ///
Setup and Users Manual
JUNE 2014 PRELIMINARY EDITION
Briel Computers

All materials, schematics, and hardware designs provided without any warranties. Although this material has been carefully examined,
Briel Computers takes no responsibility for any errors in printing.
Vers on 3.0
Published by Briel Computers
U A
Copyright 2014 Briel Computers. All rights reserved. Printed in the United tates of America. Except as permitted under the
Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a
database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher, with the exception that the program listings may be
entered, stored, and executed in a computer system, but they may not be reproduced for publication.
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Forward
How the Superboard /// came to be
Thank you for purchasing the uperboard ///. This replica was a goal of mine for nearly 8 years. I grew up in the
70's and 80's and was proud to be a part of the computer revolution if only as a bystander. I read every magazine
I could get my hands on about computers. I read every ad for every computer. My parents didn't see the point of
having a computer in the house. What could it do? The uperboard II by Ohio cientific was one of those
machines I just had to have. At 14 I was already into electronics and was studying schematics and anything I
could read. eeing the ad in magazines for the uperboard II was just amazing! For the low price of only $299
you could have a complete system! It came with a video port (custom connection not included), a cassette port
that could be converted into a real serial port, and a built in keyboard. eeing that keyboard included on a
system board just made it look so high tech. till, I didn't have a job and with no way to purchase one, I was
unable to acquire this fascinating board.
After years of collecting vintage computers, I attended a Vintage Computer Festival in New Jersey where I
made some friends and an offer came to barter a couple of my kits for a functional Ohio cientific uperboard
II. I quickly jumped at the opportunity and found myself the owner of a uperboard II after 24 years of waiting.
When I got home, I quickly connected the machine to a 5V power supply and made my own video connector. I
had my machine up and running in minutes. It was a real blast seeing that bold 25X25 text display and typing in
a program when...I accidentally hit the BREAK key and lost my program. oon to find out, this was a real issue
with the board and unless I modified the board, I'd just have to be careful.
Now that I owned my own uperboard I decided that I wanted to create a replica, so that those who never had
the opportunity I had to acquire one, could build their own. One problem I have is that the HIFT LOCK key is
a locking switch that Cherry does not make any longer. I have a few, but when they are gone, a slide switch will
be included to perform a caps lock function. HIFT LOCK must be on in order to load BA IC. Hopefully I will
find a new source for these switches. Each of my projects I do is something different than the others. The
replica 1 is a demonstration of the simplicity of the 6502 and how easy it is to make a computer. The Micro-
KIM shows how to make a stand alone computer for around $100. The Altair micro was my biggest challenge
to make a complete computer with all those switches and LED's in a case for around $200 that could replicate
the Altair 8800. My latest project, the uperboard /// uses a built in keyboard. People said that there is no way to
make a computer with a custom built-in keyboard for under $200. Well, the impossible is here. This project
took years to complete and to put everything together. The layout work took nearly 4 months to get right. This
is my largest board I've ever made and the blue layout was chosen because the O I computer cases were blue.
I hope you enjoy the uperboard /// and I will continue to produce these kits as long as there are out there
people who want one.
Vince Briel
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Setup and Users Manual
Index
Chapter 1: A Br ef H story of OSI and the Superboard II
Chapter 2: Introduc ng the Superboard ///
Chapter 3: Unpack ng and Sett ng Up
Chapter 4: Assembl ng the K t Vers on
Chapter 5: Programm ng the Superboard ///
Chapter 6: Us ng The USB to Ser al Interface
Chapter 7: Chang ng v deo modes
Chapter 8: Troubleshoot ng your Superboard ///
Append x A: Matr x Keyboard Connector P n Out
Append x B: 25 X 25 v deo sheet
Append x C: Expans on Interface connector
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Chapter 1: A Br ef H story of OSI and the Superboard II
Ohio cientific (O I) was a computer company that was in business from 1975 until 1981. While the company
had a short life span, it made an impact on computers and computing history. One of the first computers made
by O I was the O I 500. It was a simple computer with no video display and required a serial port and power
supply for operation. Later, they released the uperboard which had a 6502 or 6800 processor, 1K RAM, 512
bytes ROM, I/O chip slot, 2 serial ports and the O I 48 pin connector for turning it into a full system. Video
cards and other boards were made available for this bus system.
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In 1978 the uperboard II was born. It was designed as a single-board computer like the 400 but included a
video display interface with 1K video RAM, 8K system RAM and built in keyboard. The added BA IC
interpreter by Microsoft made this a complete system on one board. The board was available in a case and was
badged as the Challenger 1P. The display specs boasted 32x32 display but most TV's only allowed 25x25 to be
visible and the other characters were cut off. The BA IC operating system only showed 25 across so that no
important data was left out such as on power up.
The uperboard II was heavily advertised in computer magazines along with the other systems O I offered.
ome games and programs on cassette were offered and a disk controller board was made available giving the
uperboard II a disk operating system for storage.
Lack of software support and inferior hardware led up to the end of Ohio cientific in 1981. Other computer
companies like Apple, Radio hack, Commodore had taken the large share of the market. While these
companies had superior machines with color graphics and low cost disk controller systems, none offered the
engineering friendly type of board like the uperboard II.
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Chapter 2: Introduc ng the Superboard ///
The uperboard /// was designed to be as close to original O I uperboard II as possible. The system board
includes built in BA IC in ROM, 32K RAM, 1K video RAM and a 53 key keyboard. The design is software
compatible with the original O I uperboard II so you can run programs designed for it on the new
uperboard ///.
The blue color isn't the only thing that makes this kit look different than most vintage style computer kits today.
The onboard 53 key keyboard sets this kit apart from most others. The key switches are the famous Cherry MX
switches and the key caps are custom designed art work and made by WA D keyboards. Without this company,
a keyboard of this quality would not be possible.
Chapter 6: Using the U B to erial Interface
The system uses only 11 chips thanks to the the Parallax Propeller micro controller. This chip handles all the
onboard video and system ROM. The 1MHz signal clock that drives the 65C02 processor also comes from this
chip. Firmware updates can be performed using Parallax's free Propeller Tools software.
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The system processor is the Western Design Center (WDC) 65C02 running at 1MHz to replicate the speed of
the original system. While the CPU can operate at a much higher rate of speed, this would cause programs to
not function as properly and video would be unable to keep up. The system comes with 32K RAM and that is
the same total as if the uperboard had the optional O I 610 board. Additional memory can be added with a
custom board to the expansion interface.
The system board operates at 3.3V so the power usage is much lower. As a result, you can power and operate
the uperboard /// right from the U B port of your PC or Mac. maller phone power supplies may not work as
they are only designed to power small phones. Using a power supply less than 1000mA could damage the
system board or the power supply or both. The U B interface is not just a power source, but a built in serial port
that can transmit and receive data to/from a PC or Mac. Using terminal software such as Hyper-Terminal, Tera
Term, or Zterm, you can send and receive data as if it was going to/from the cassette interface. Instead of 300
BAUD, the serial port is set at 9600 for faster data transmission. Because there is no hand shaking, delays must
be added when sending data to the uperboard ///.
The serial port takes the place of the cassette interface. The original cassette interface used the serial port at 300
BAUD and connected to an external cassette recorder. The process is slow, unreliable, and very tedious. till,
there are some who choose this method. The uperboard /// has a header onboard for accepting a cassette board.
The interface would be fairly simple requiring a voltage comparator, D/A circuit and a clock divider to reduce
the speed of the BAUD rate to 300. For simplicity of the system design, I did not put this onboard but added the
expansion header for a cassette interface.
As of the writing of this manual, there are 75 shift lock switches in possession for uperboard /// kits. These
Cherry MX click lock switches are out of production and very difficult to source. Once these run out, standard
switches will be substituted along with a slide switch for performing hift Lock functions. Why is shift lock so
important? Well, with out the characters shifted on power up, BA IC will not load. BA IC will not accept
commands that are not shifted, so it would be very difficult to hold a shift key for every alpha character.
There are five mounting holes on the board to secure it to a board or install it in a custom case. As of the writing
of this manual, there is no optional case for the uperboard /// but we hope to change that in the near future.
The BREAK key has an added delay of 3 seconds on it. This was added as a feature because it is very very easy
to hit the BREAK key. Think of the BREAK key as a RE ET switch, because that is what it is. When you press
it, the system resets and does a cold boot. Any programs you were working on are lost. Any data, gone. Now,
just hitting the button will not reset the board, you must hold it for 3 seconds. Another feature of the BREAK
key comes on power up. Pressing BREAK key on power up will put the video mode at 32x32 displayable video
page. Although BA IC still only uses lines of 25 characters, you get a 32 wide 32 high display to use. Power off
or RE ET the system board to change the display back.
The uperboard /// has that real vintage feel to it with modern conveniences added on. The kit is fairly easy to
build because the keyboard switches fit snug into the board and don't easily fall out. Relive the vintage
computing days and fire up your uperboard /// today!
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Chapter 3: Unpack ng and Sett ng up system
Before you begin setting up your uperboard /// computer, make sure you have plenty of table space. Do not
power up the unit while touching any part of the circuit board and contact Briel computers if you are unsure
about any part of the setup process.
You will need the following items to get your uperboard up and running:
1. The Superboard /// system board.
2. M n USB connector to PC/Mac or power supply.
3. A TV w th compos te v deo n, or a compos te computer mon tor.
4. A v deo cable to connect the Superboard /// v deo out to a TV or mon tor.
Place or mount the uperboard /// board so that it is secured. Make sure no metal objects can touch the circuit
board or damage could result. Next you need to choose what type of power supply you are going to use. There
are two ways you can power your uperboard ///. The mini U B cable is not only the serial port but also the
power source. If you intend on using the uperboard /// just off your computer, you don't need a power supply.
Try not to use the uperboard /// connected to a U B hub as the power requirements are different than a direct
port.
Once you have the power source connected, you can attach your monitor or TV to the uperboard /// with a
standard composite video cable. Most modern TV’s have a composite input located on the back of the TV. Plug
your RCA style cable into the back of your TV or monitor and locate the video connector as shown and plug
your cable (not supplied) into the uperboard ///.
Now you are ready to test your uperboard ///. Make sure your TV or monitor is turned on and slide the switch
on the uperboard /// to the ON position. The red LED below the switch should light up and a screen of garbage
should appear. If you do not see the random garbage screen, or the LED is not lit, turn the replica 1 off and
recheck your work.
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With the uperboard /// powered on, LED is lit up and garbage is on the screen, you need to RE ET the system
board to begin operation. Make sure the HIFT LOCK key is in the down position and press and hold BREAK
for 3 seconds. After 3 seconds, release the key and the screen will clear and you will get a message at the
bottom of the screen that says:
D/C/W/M ?_
For BA IC you want to choose option C. For a simple memory editor type M. For now, we want to press C. If
shift lock is down you will get the next prompt:
MEMORY SIZE?_
This is the first question asked by Microsoft BA IC. Here you can enter how much memory you want to put
aside for BA IC. The best answer is to just press RETURN. This will scan how much memory the system has
and use as much as possible for BA IC. After pressing RETURN the system will prompt it's next question:
TERMINAL WIDTH? _
This question is a general question that Microsoft BA IC originally asked to determine how wide the print
screen should be. By pressing RETURN you move on and the default is 72 characters wide. When a BA IC
line of code prints 73 wide, it will print it on the next line.
After this response if all goes well, you get the following display:
31999 BYTES FREE
OSI 6502 BASIC VERSION 1
.0 REV 3.2
COPYRIGHT 1977 BY MICROS
OFT CO.
OK
_
Notice that the screen cuts off at 24 characters to ensure all characters showed up on the display. At this point
your uperboard /// is up and running and ready for input. If you want to make a simple program type this in:
10 PRINT “HELLO WORLD “;
20 GOTO 10
RUN
When you type in RUN and press RETURN “HELLO WORLD “ will spit out all over the screen and scroll
continuously. To stop it, simply press CTRL and C to stop the program.
If you make a mistake, RUB OUT does not backspace, you will have to retype the line. Ah, the joys of the old
micro computers. You are now ready to explore the uperboard /// and all its wonders.
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Chapter 4: Assembl ng the Superboard /// k t
If you have experience with soldering circuit boards, then not only will you enjoy the replica 1 kit, but you will
also have the pride in assembling it yourself while saving money. If you have never built a circuit board kit,
please start with something a little simpler before attempting to build the replica 1. This chapter is only
designed as a brief guide to help you assemble your uperboard /// kit.
Tools requ red for assembly:
oldering iron, solder, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, and a multi-meter
Before you beg n:
Make sure you have proper work ng space and that you heat your ron before beg nn ng the assembly.
Th s k t s not for beg nners and Br el Computers assumes that you have some pr or exper ence w th
solder ng c rcu t boards. If you have never soldered c rcu t boards before or don’t feel you are ready, you
should bu ld other k ts of a smaller, less complex nature before bu ld ng your Superboard ///.
Read ng and dent fy ng res stors:
In early Br el Computer k ts, all parts were labeled n an effort to make t eas er on the k t bu lder. Now,
the manuals are be ng expanded to help newcomers to k ts learn to dent fy the parts and read the r
values. Res stors have 4 colored bands on them that are used to dent fy the value. The f rst 3 are the
value and the 4th colored band s to dent fy the tolerance of the res stor. The 4th band s usually s lver for
10% or gold for 5% tolerance. Here s how to read the other three to get the value:
Let’s assume the resistor you are trying to identify has the colors orange, and then another orange, then a red
band followed with a gold band. o, to read the resistor, find the gold or silver band, that identifies the 4th band.
Hold the resistor so the 4th band is on the right side and read the first color on the left.
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The first color is orange which has a value of 3 according to the chart above. The second color is also orange
which also has a value of 3. The 3rd number indicates how many zeros follow the first two numbers. o, red is 2
zeros. This gives your resistor a value of 3, 3 and 2 0’s (00) or 3300=3.3K. This may take some practice but
look through all the resistors and identify them without a meter if you need practice.
Read ng and dent fy ng capac tors:
It takes less time to read the values of the capacitors than to read the values of the resistors. The key is to
understand and read the numbers correctly. Electrolytic caps are barrel shaped, ceramic are flat and round.
Larger capacitors may have the values clearly printed on them. For example:
10uF = 10 Micro Farads
maller capacitors however, may only have 2 or 3 numbers on them. For example, the 22uF capacitors say
22J. .1uF capacitors have the value 104 on them. This is similar to the resistor codes where the first 2 numbers
are actual numbers and the 3rd number is the multiplier code. o 10 X 4 is 100,000 and the value is in pico
Farads (pF). Converting it to a proper numbering format gives us the value .1uF. To make things easier, here is
a list of the values on the capacitors used and the numbers printed on them.
Power LED:
Looking at the LED there are two connectors, the Anode is longer and has the smaller connector inside. The
cathode is the negative side. It has a shorter lead and a larger part inside the LED. The cathode is the negative
post.
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K t contents:
Before you beg n:
Make sure you have proper working space and that you heat your iron before beginning the assembly. This kit
is not for beginners and Briel Computers assumes that you have some prior experience with soldering circuit
boards. If you have never soldered circuit boards before or don’t feel you are ready, you should build other kits
of a smaller, less complex nature before building your uperboard ///.
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QUANTITY PART
1 65C02 40 PIN IC
1 PROPELLER CHIP P8X32A-D40 40 PIN IC
1 24LC256 EEPROM 8 PIN IC
1 AS6C1008 SRAM 32 PIN IC
2 74HC00 14 PIN IC
1 74HC04 14 PIN IC
1 74HC138 16 PIN IC
1 74HC573 20 PIN IC
1 74HC244 20 PIN IC
1 6850 ACIA 24 PIN IC
3 40 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
1 32 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
1 24 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
2 20 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
1 16 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
2 14 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
1 8 PIN MACHINED SOCKET
1 5MHZ CRYSTAL
1 LM3940 3.3 OLTAGE REGULATOR
1 Q1 TRANSISTOR 2N4401
1 POWER SWITCH
1 40 PIN HEADER
1 1N914 DIODES D1-D8
1 1K RESISTOR R1
7 3.3K RESISTORS R2-R8
2 220 OHM RESISTORS R9 AND R10
1 10K OHM RESISTOR R11
2 4.7K RESISTOR PACKS
1 SHIFT LOCK SLIDE SWITCH (AS NEEDED)
1 IDEO CONNECTOR
11 .1uF CAPS C1-C11
2 10uF CAPS C12-C13
1 .01uF CAP C14
1 10 PIN HEADER
1 USB INTERFACE
1 LED
1 CHERRY MX1A-31NW
52 CHERRY MX1A-11NW
53 KEY CAP SET
2 SPACE BAR SPRING RETAINER
1 SPACE BAR SPRING
1 PCB BOARD
13

Ready to Beg n Assembly:
Now that you have inventoried all parts you are ready to begin assembly of your replica 1. Heat your iron for
about 5-10 minutes to make sure it is at proper temperature.
Step 1: tart with the resistors. Bend the leads on each side of the resistor 90 degrees near the edge of the
resistor. Insert the resistor into its proper location until it rests flush with the board. They are not polarized so
that can be installed either direction. While holding the resistor with one finger, bend the pins on the bottom
side away from each other so that the resistor will not fall out and will stay flush on the board. Flip the board
over and solder the resistor down to the board. Cut the extra lead length off and throw away. Repeat for all
resistors carefully making sure each one goes in the proper location.
Step 2: The diodes D1-D8. The diodes install almost the same as the resistors except they are polarized. That
means that they MU T go in the correct way. If you look closely, they look like clear glass and you can see a
small band on one side. When installing like the resistors, make sure that band matches the white band on the
board. The diode bands will face away from the keyboard section. older and cut like the resistors.
Step 3: Place the 5MHz crystal into its location and while holding it flush with the board, turn the board over
and set it on your work bench. Verify that the crystal is still flush with the board and solder the 2 pins into
place.
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Step 4: Insert the power switch so that the black switch portion sticks out off away from the board. Hold the
switch and turn over the board and place it on your workbench. Next carefully solder each pin down making
sure not to allow any solder to flow across to another pin. Check with a volt meter that no pins are touching.
Remember that some pins will contact because the switch is on or off. If your system also came with a switch
that points straight up, that is installed later.
Step 5: Next is the sockets. I like to start with the largest sockets and work my way down. Insert the socket so
that the edge with the notch in it matches the board. If you get this wrong, it is OK, it is just a socket and does
not matter if it is installed backwards. As long as the chips are installed facing correctly, that is most important.
I like to solder 1 corner pin and turn over the board and check to make sure the socket is flush with the board.
Once you check that, solder the remaining pins.
Step 6: Install the resistor packs. There are 2 yellow packs with 9 pins each on them. The dot on the resistor
pack is pin 1 and goes where the 4.7 is written on the board. Hold in place, turn over and solder down. If you
solder this backwards, the keyboard will not function.
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Step 7: Installing the serial U B power interface. The small blue U B board supplies power and serial to U B
communication with the uperboard /// to a PC or Mac for data transfer. To install this board onto the
uperboard ///, you need to hold the U B board mounted in the uperboard /// U B connector facing out,
connector down and through the board. Turn the board over and set on the table. older 1 pin of one of the 6 pin
header so the U B board is attached and check that everything is flush before finishing up the remaining pins.
Step 8: Install the HIFT LOCK slide switch. This switch looks almost identical to the power switch except
that the switch handle points straight up, not right angle. Installing is identical to installing the power switch.
Step 9: Install the LED. The LED has 2 leads on it and one of them is longer. Install the longer lead where the +
is and push until flush. Bend the leads apart a little and turn the board over and solder the LED leads to the
board. Cut the excess length off.
Step 10: Install the 40 pin and 10 pin headers. Make sure the header is flush with the board. older 1 pin on
each edge and turn over and check that the header is still flush with the board. older the remaining pins. Repeat
for 10 pin header.
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Step 11: Install the video connector so that the round metal connector points out away from the board. Hold the
connector and turn the board over and place on your workbench. older the two pins down and use enough
solder to fill the holes completely.
Step 12: Install the transistor. The pins may need to be separated a little to make them fit into the holes. Make
sure the flat spot on the transistor matches the flat spot on the board. Turn the board over and solder down. Cut
away the excess leads.
Step 13: Install the eleven .1uF capacitors into the locations C1-C11. These capacitors are identified by 104 on
the them. These are not polarized so they can go in either direction. They vary by manufacturer so you may
need to adjust the pins to fit them into the board. I usually bend the pins away from one another to hold the
capacitor in place, then turn the board over and solder the pins. Cut the extra leads off.
Step 14: Install the .01uF capacitor C14 like you did with the .1uF capacitors. ID is 103M on the cap. It is not
polarized so you can install it in either direction as well. Cut the extra length off.
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Step 15: Install the two 10uF electrolytic capacitors C12 and C13. These capacitors are cylinder shaped and
black. They are polarized and the longer lead is the positive side. The negative side has an arrow pointing down
to the lead to help out. Place the capacitor so it is flush with the board. Bend the pins slightly away from one
another to help hold the position and turn the uperboard /// over. older the 2 leads and cut the excess off.
Step 16: Install the Voltage regulator. The LM3940 voltage regulator is polarized and the flat metal side faces
out away from the board. Install as far as it will go, then turn the board over and carefully solder the pins down.
Extra time on the pins may be necessary to get the pin hot enough to solder. Cut excess lead from pins and
check for shorts as this is a main power entry point on the board.
Step 17: Installing the key switches. While supplies last, once key switch is different from the others. It click
locks down and then when pressed again, click locks up again. This is the HIFT LOCK switch. If you do not
find this switch then it is no longer available. Another way to identify it is that it may not have the 2 black
retaining tabs, just one big one in the middle and 2 metal contact tabs on the bottom. Install that switch first as it
may need to be held to be soldered. Next, I like to install a whole row of switches at a time. Install a switch and
when lined up, really press it into position so it is firmly installed in the board. Repeat for the entire row. Turn
over and solder the 2 contact tabs for each switch. Repeat for all switches including the space bar.
Step 18: Install the key caps. Use the picture to see where each key cap goes. Carefully make sure the switch is
not upside down and lined up with the switch. Firmly press onto the switch. Repeat for all switches except the
space bar.
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Step 19: Installing the space bar. Here is actually a more difficult part in the build process. I've included wire
for wrapping the space bar spring but you can use anything you feel works for you. Install the space bar
stabilizer inserts in the bottom outer inserts of the space bar. lide the stabilizer spring into each hole and
position the bar so the cut out will go around the switch away from the other keys. Work the space bar onto the
switch and make sure the spring is around half way of the switch. Using the wire, place through the holes on the
board so the wire wraps around the wire and the wire comes back under the board. Leave just a little slack so
the spring is not touching the board. Twist the wire, cut and fold. Repeat for the other side of the space bar.
Before nstall ng your IC’s, power up your Superboard ///. Make sure the LED comes on sol d and then
turn off to prepare the ch p nstallat on.
Step 20: Install all the chips and check the orientation so that all the chips are facing the correct way. If you
have soldered a socket backward, do not install the chip the same as the socket, but follow the orientation of all
the chips so they match.
Inspect on of your work:
Now that you have completed your soldering, take a few minutes and look over your work. Check for solder
spots that might not be good connections to the posts. Look for bridges where solder may have jumped over
where it wasn’t supposed to go.
Test ng your Superboard ///:
Once you are satisfied that the power is being distributed correctly, install the P8X32A-D40 and 24LC256
EEPROM. Attach an RCA cable to the uperboard /// video port and attach it to your monitor or TV. Power up
your uperboard /// and see if you get a screen full of garbage. If the video section is working properly, turn off
the board and install the remaining chips. Power up the uperboard /// again, this time press ‘BREAK’ button
for 3 seconds and let go to see if you get the prompt:
D/C/W/M ?_
Congratulations. At this point you can power off the begin testing the reset of your uperboard /// for
functionality. Refer to chapter 3 for testing the board. Any parts that get accidentally damaged during the
building process can be replaced at the owner’s expense. Contact Briel Computers for any replacement parts
needed. The goal of Briel Computers is that ALL uperboard /// kits get completed successfully. If you are
having a problem, please feel free to ask for help.
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Chapter 5: Programm ng the Superboard ///
The uperboard /// is a complete computer system loaded with Microsoft BA IC for the 6502 and a means to
load a store programs to/from a PC or Mac as if they were stored on cassette. The system board is equipped
with 32K of RAM which is 4 times more than the stock O I uperboard II came with. There is a small library
of programs out there to download and play but nothing beats writing your own program.
We are not going to show you how to program BA IC, we'll leave that up for you to discover. The goal of this
chapter is to just get you started with the uperboard /// and what you can do.
First thing we need to do is start the uperboard /// and press and hold BREAK until you get the prompt:
D/C/W/M ?_
There are several options here, Disk boot, monitor, but we want the C option to boot into BA IC. Make sure
your HIFT LOCK key is locked down or the switch is in the on position. BA IC will not load without all
uppercase characters. Next, the system will prompt you for memory size. We should always use the RETURN
key as BA IC will use the maximum amount of memory available.
Next next prompt asks us for the terminal width. ince Microsoft BA IC was originally written for systems
using terminals, not all terminals had the same 80 or 132 character width available on the screen. For example,
some only have 40 characters across. You can tell BA IC how many characters across you have and will affect
how it handles printing lines of code. The default is 72 and pressing RETURN will keep it at that number.
Now you get the Microsoft BA IC 3.2 splash message and you are ready to program. While not necessary,
typing in NEW assures use that the memory is cleared and ready for a new program.
NEW
10 PRINT “HELLO, PI IS:”
20 PRINT 22/7
30 PRINT “RANDOM NUMBER:”
40 A=INT(RND(0)*100)+1
50 PRINT A
60 PRINT “YOUR NAME “;
70 INPUT A$
80 PRINT “THANK YOU “;A$
90 END
A quick look at the program above shows us that a BA IC program needs line numbers. This tells the system
where the program is and how to access subroutines. The first line starts with a PRINT command. Notice all
alpha characters are upper case. BA IC only understands upper case characters. You can have lower case inside
the PRINT quotes if you choose. After the PRINT is “ and this tells the computer to print everything in between
the quotes to the screen. o, HELLO, PI I : will print to the screen. ince there is no ; after the quotes the
computer does a line feed and carriage return to the next line on the screen. If we are at the bottom of the
screen, the whole screen will line feed. Line 20 does another PRINT command but this time it prints a math
function. 22/7 is not actually PI, but for our example it is close. Line 30 is another PRINT command stating
“RANDOM NUMBER”. Line 40 is a math function for random number generation. It takes a variable A and
stores in A the random number between 1 and 100. Line 50 then prints the value of A to the screen.
© Briel Computers 2014 page
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