Commodore 16 User manual

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OWNER'S GUIDE STATEMENT
"This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy. If it is not properly instaT"1
ed and used in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, this equipmen.
may interfere with radio and television reception. This machine has been tested and -
found to comply with the limits tor a Class B computing device in accordance with the—
specifications in Subpart J of Part 15 of the FCC Rules, which are designed to providf"
reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. If you w'
suspect interference, you can test this equipment by turning it off and on. If you dete^_^
mine that there is interference, with radio or television reception, try one or more of th«
following measures to correct It:
• reorient the receiving antenna __^
• move the computer away from the receiver
• change the relative positions of the computer equipment and the receiver
• plug the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and the receiver are
different branch circuits
If necessary, consult your Commodore dealer or an experienced radio/television technT'
cian for additional suggestions. You may aiso wish to consult the following booklet. ^J
which was prepared by the Federal Communications Commission
"How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems". This booklet is
available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402, Stock Nfe^
004-000-00345-4."
You should use only the cables, accessories, and peripherals recommended by Com
modore for your Commodore 16. All cables, including the cables for the television WP
hookup, serial port, video port, Datassette, and joysticks, are specially shielded, in
accordance with the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission. Failure'to'
use the appropriate accessories and cables will invalidate the FCC grant of Certifica- w-
tion, and may cause harmful radio interference.
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COMMODORE 16
OWNER'S GUIDE
A FRIENDLY INTRODUCTION TO YOUR
COMMODORE 16
Published by
Commodore Business Machines, Inc.

THE INFORMATION IN THIS MANUAL HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND IS BELIEVED TO BE ENTIRELY RELIABLE.
NO RESPONSIBILITY. HOWEVER, IS ASSUMED FOR INACCURACIES THE MATERIAL IN THIS MANUAL IS FOR
INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Copyright © l98d by Commodore Electronics Limited
All rights reserved.
THIS GUIDE CONTAINS COPYRIGHTED AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION
MAY BE REPRODUCED. STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY w^
MEANS. ELECTRONIC. MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING OR OTHERWISE. WITHOUT THE PRIOR
WRITTEN PERMISSION OF COMMODORE ELECTRONICS LIMITED. ^
Commodore BASIC v 3.5
Copyright = 1984 by Commodore Electronics Limited, all righis reserved. "-—
Copynahi © 1977 by Microsoft, all riahls reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION i
SECTION 1 Setting Up 1
SECTION 2 Looking at the Keyboard 11
SECTION 3 Using Software 25
SECTION 4 Learning the BASICs 36
Numbers and Calculations 37
Programming 42
Sound and Music 45
Graphics and Color 48
SECTION 5 ETC.
Peripherals 53
Book List 56

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Introduction
The Commodore 16 personal computer is your pass
port to the Information Age. With the Commodore 16.
you have the ability to quickly process many kinds of
information — personal, educational, scientific, finan
cial. And with the Commodore 16 you can present this
information in almost any form — in words, numbers,
pictures or sound, or in any combination of these
forms.
You can use your Commodore 16 in a number of
ways. You can select from many easy-to-use software
products that are available on cartridge, tape and
disk. You can also create and store your own pro
grams. In either case, the full processing power of the
Commodore 16 is at your disposal.
Using This Guide
To start using your Commodore 16, follow these steps:
• Unpack all the equipment and set it up according to
the directions given in Section 1, Setting Up Your
Computer.
• Plug in the Commodore 16 Tutor Cartridge which will
give you complete "hands-on" training on all
keyboard functions. (Note: Information related to
what this cartridge covers is presented in Section 2
of this Guide, Looking At The Keyboard. You can
refer to the printed version of the instructions when
you are away from the keyboard, or when you have
another cartridge plugged in.)

Read Section 3, Using Software. This section tells
you how to use software that is packaged in any of
the three basic packaging forms — cartridge,
cassette tape, and disk — as well as the units
needed to use cassettes and disks. When you have
completed this section, you will be ready to use the —
Commodore software packages available at your
local dealer. You'll be able to use software even
without reading the rest of the Guide.
If you are interested in programming the
Commodore 16 yourself, you will want to read Sec
tion 4, Learning the BASICs. This section describes
the Commodore 16's computational capabilities
and introduces the advanced BASIC programming
language that is built into your computer. The
sophisticated sound, music, color, and graphics
capabilities of the Commodore 16 are also intro
duced in this section. For detailed descriptions
of all these topics, see the Commodore 16
Intermediate User's Manual.
Consult the appendices for additional helpful infor
mation, including information on equipment that
can expand the Commodore 16's capabilities even
more, and a list of books you may find helpful.
You'll soon see that you can begin to use your
Commodore 16 as soon as you have set up and
connected all the equipment. How far and how fast
you go from here is up to you. You are in control.

-A
. unpacking your
Commodore 16
. setting up your
Commodore 16
.Troubleshooting chart

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SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
Unpacking Your Commodore 16
When you open the box, here's what you
should have:
1. Your Commodore 16
2. The supply power
3. The TV switchbox
4. The RF (Radio Frequency) cable
5. The Owner's Guide
6. Tutor cartridge
7. Warranty card
8. Commodore Magazines subscription card
If you don't find all these items in the box, check with
your dealer immediately for replacements.

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
Getting To Know The Switches
And Sockets
Take the time to review the next few pages while
making sure where each switch or socket is located
on your computer. This will save time and confusion
later on.
The Right Side Of Your Commodore 16
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SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
The On/Off Switch
• There is a red power light located above the key
board on the right. This lights to show you that the
power is ON.
• Make sure your Commodore 16 is turned OFF when
you install or remove cartridges or any peripheral
device, such as a printer or disk drive.
The Joystick Sockets
• The joystick controllers plug in here.
• Your Commodore 16 uses specially designed joy
sticks for games and other uses/available from your
Commodore dealer.
The Reset Button
• Press the reset button when you want to "start
over", to get a cleared screen and memory as if you
just turned your computer off then on again.
The Power Socket
• The round end of the cord from your power supply
plugs in here.

-
SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
The Back Of Your Computer
-
The Memory Expansion (Cartridge) Port
• Commodore 16 software cartridges plug in here.
(Port is the term for the rectangular opening.)
The RF Jack
• This is where you plug in one end of the RF cable
(the thin black cable) to hook up your computer to a
TV set.
The Video Socket
• Here's where you plug in the round end of the cable
if you want to connect a color monitor (instead of a
TV set) to your Commodore 16.

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
YOU CAN USE EITHER THE RF JACK OR
VIDEO SOCKET—YOU WONT NEED BOTH!
The High/Low Switch
• Use this switch to set your Commodore 16s TV
channel output:
You can use either channel 3 or 4 on your TV to
display the video picture from your computer.
Set this switch to L to use your computer on
channel 3, or to H for channel 4. If you have a
TV station on channel 3 in your area, select
channel 4, and vice versa. Experiment to see
which setting gives you the best picture. If you
have a monitor, you won't need to worry about
this switch.
The Serial Socket
• You can plug a disk drive or a printer into this
socket.
To use both, first plug the disk drive into this open
ing, then plug the printer cable into the back of
the disk drive.
The Cassette Port
• The Commodore 1531 Datassette™ tape recorder
for cassette tape software plugs in here.
• The Datassette is used to load or store programs
on cassette tape, and is specially designed for your
Commodore 16.

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
Setting Up Your Commodore 16
Connecting your Commodore 16 is as easy as 1-2-3:
1
2
3
Hook up the silver SWITCHBOX to the
back of your TV.
Plug in the POWER SUPPLY on the right
side of your computer and into a wall plug.
Connect the RF cable (the thin black one)
from the TV SWITCHBOX to the RF
SOCKET on the back of your computer.
REMINDER: The power on everything (com
puter, TV, etc.) should be turned OFF until you
are completely set up and ready to go.
1 Installing The TV Switchbox
You'll need a small flat-headed screwdriver to connect
the switchbox. (A dime is even too thick!)
• Disconnect the VHF antenna leads from the back of
the TV.
• Connect the leads on the switch box to the
VHF screws.

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
Connect the antenna leads to the screws on the bot
tom of the switchbox (to the 75 or 300 ohm screws,
depending on your antenna).
Peel off the paper strip that's covering the adhesive
square on the back of the switchbox and stick the
switchbox onto the back of your TV.
2
Connecting The Power Supply
• Plug the round end of the POWER SUPPLY into the
POWER JACK on the right side of your computer.
" Plug the other end into an electrical wall socket.

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
Plugging In The RF Cable
Plug either end fit doesn't matter which) of the RF
cable into the top of the SWITCHBOX in the opening
labelled "COMPUTER".
Plug the other end of the cable into the RF jack on
the back of your computer.
You need to connect everything to your TV only
once. When you want to use your computer,
move the switch on the SWITCHBOX to the
COMPUTER position. When you want lo watch
TV, move the switch to TV. The switchbox will
not interfere with your TV reception.
Connecting Your Commodore 16
To A Monitor
If you're connecting your computer to a monitor
instead of a TV, follow the instructions in the monitor
manual. Hooking up a monitor like the Commodore
1702 Color Monitor is simple. You need to connect
only one cable which goes directly from your monitor
to the VIDEO socket on the back of your computer.
You do NOT need to use the switchbox and the RF
cable.
S

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
Finally ...
Now it's time to turn on your computer. Turn on the
POWER switch on the right side of your computer.
If all went well, the red POWER light will go on, and
here's how your screen will look:
BLACK
LETTERS
WHITE
BACKGROUND
PURPLE
BORDER
The flashing block under the word READY is called the
cursor. The cursor tells you that the computer is
ready. If something went wrong, the Troubleshooting
Chart should come in handy.
IMPORTANT: Some TV sets cannot display the
entire Commodore 16 screen. Instead, their pic
ture cuts off the far left and far right column of
the screen. We recommend using a different TV
set or a monitor such as the Commodore 1702,
1802 or 1803 color monitor.
If this isn't possible, you can deal with the prob
lem by pressing the ESC key, followed by the R
key. This reduces the computer screen display
size to 38 columns, so that the entire picture fits
on the screen. You must repeat this each time
you power up or reset your computer.

SETTING UP
YOUR COMPUTER
TROUBLESHOOTING CHART
Symptom
Indicator light
not 'ON1
No picture
Random pattern on
TV with cartridge
in place
Picture without
color
Picture OK, but no
sound
Cause
Computer not
turned ON
Power cable not
plugged in
Power supply not
plugged in
Bad fuse in
computer
TV on wrong
channel
Incorrect hookup
RF cable not
plugged in
Computer set for
wrong channel
Cartridge not
properly inserted
Poorly tuned TV
TV not connected
properly
Color set too low
on TV or computer
TV volume too low
Poorly tuned TV
Remedy
Make sure power
switch is in ON
position
Check power socket
for loose or discon-
necled power cable
Check connection
with wall outlet
Take system to
authorized dealer for
replacement of fuse
Check other channel
for picture (3 or 4)
Computer hooks up
to VHF antenna
terminals
Check TV cable
connection
Set computer for
same channel as TV
Reinsert cartridge
after turning OFF
power
RetuneTV
Check connections
Adjust color setting
Adjust volume of TV
RetuneTV
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