Digital Equipment VT 240 series User manual

VT 240series
Owner's Manual

EK-VT240-UG-003
VT 240series
Owner's Manual
Digital Equipment Corporation

1st Edition, August 1983
2nd Edition, September 1984
3rd Edition, December 1984
Copyright © 1983, 1984 by Digital Equipment Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
The reproduction of this material,
in part or whole, is strictly prohibited. For copy
information, contactthe EducationalServicesDepartment, Digital EquipmentCorpora-
tion, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754.
The informationin thisdocumentis subject to changewithoutnotice. Digital Equipment
Corporation assumesno responsibilityforanyerrorsthat mayappear
in thisdocument.
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and
used properly, that
is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may
cause interference
to radioand television reception. It has been type testedandfound
to complywith the limits fora Class B computing device in accordance with specifica-
tions in Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable
protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause interference
to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and
on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following methods:
• Reorient
the receiving antenna.
• Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver.
• Move the computer away from the receiver.
• Plug the computer into a different outlet so that computer and receiver are on
different branch circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer
or an experienced radiol television
technicianforadditionalsuggestions.The usermayfindthebooklet
Howlo Identify and
Resolve Radio/TV Interference Problems, prepared by the Federal Communications
Commission, helpful. Thisbooklet
is availablefrom the U.S. GovernmentPrinti ng Office,
Washington,
DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.
AT&T is a trademark of American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Mate-N-Lok is a trademark of
AMP, Inc.
Tektronix, Tektronix 401
0, and Tektronix 4014 are trademarks of Tektronix Corporation.
The following are trademarks ofDigital EquipmentCorporation, Maynard, Massachusetts.
mamaamo™
DECtaik PDP UNIBUS
DEC DECUS PIOS VAX
DECmate DECwriter Professional VMS
DECnet DIBOL Rainbow
VT
DECsystem-10 LA RSTS Work Processor
DECSYSTEM-20 MASSBUS
RSX

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 A LOOK AT
THE TERMINAL
General............................................................... 1
VT240 Components. ...... .. ... .... .. ... .. .... ... ..... . ............... 1
Monitor.......................................................... 2
System
Box...................................................... 2
Keyboard........................................................ 2
How the VT240 Works ............................. .... ......... ... .. . 2
Operating
States ..................................................... 3
Set-Up
............ '............................................... 3
On-Line.......................................................... 3
Local............................................................ 3
Operating Modes
.................... '. ......... .. .. .. .. .... .... .... ... 4
VT200 Mode, 7-Bit Controls ..................................... 4
VT200 Mode, a-Bit Controls..................................... 4
VT100 Mode. ................................ . .... ... ..... ... .. .. 4
VT52 Mode ....... ... ................................. ........... 4
4010/4014 Mode......................... .. ...... ............... 4
Character
Set Modes ................................................. 5
ReGIS Graphics
...................................................... 5
CRT Saver Feature ................................................... 5
Programming
the VT240 ............................... ............... 5
iii

iv CONTENTS
CHAPTER 2 CONTROLS, INDICATORS, AND CONNECTORS
General............................................................... 7
System
Box ........................ ................................... 7
Monochrome Monitor. ............. ............................. ...... 10
Color Monitor. ..................... ............................. ......
"12
Cursors.......................................................... 14
Keyboard
............................................................. 14
Main Keypad ........................................ ~................ 15
Tab.............................................................. 15
Ctrl ....................................................... "....... 15
Lock............................................................. 16
Shift............................................................. 16
Return........................................................... 16
<XJ (Delete) .................................................. 16
Compose Character
................................... '". ... ...... 17
Editing Keypad ....................................................... 17
Auxiliary Keypad ................... ........ .. ......................... 17
Top-Row Function Keys. .............................................. 18
Hold Screen ..................................................... 18
Print Screen
:.................................................... 19
Set-Up........................................................... 19
Data/Talk.................................................. ...... 19
Break............................................................ 19
F11 (ESC) ....................................................... 20
F12
(BS) ......................................................... 20
F13
(LF) ......................................................... 20
Function
Key Summary. ....... .................................. 20
Visual Indicators .................................................... ".. 21
Hold Screen Indicator........................................... 21
Lock Indicator................................................... 21
Compose Indicator.............................................. 21
Wait Indicator ................................................. "... 21
Audible Indicators .................................................... 22
Keyclick
......................................................... 22
Bell.............................................................. 22
CHAPTER 3 OPERATING PROCEDURES
"General ......................................................... ...... 23
Printing............................ ............................. ...... 23
Normal Mode .............................................. ...... 24
Auto Print Mode................................................. 24

CONTENTS v
Printer Controller Mode. .... .. .. .. .. ........ ... ... ... .......... .. 24
Local Controller Mode. ..... ... .... ... .. .... ....... ... ..... ...... 25
Integral Modem/Auto Dialer Option................................... 25
Data Mode ...................................................... 25
Talk Mode ....................................................... 26
Dialer Mode ..................................................... 26
Using Dialer Mode Features .......................................... 26
Typing a Telephone Number at the Keyboard. ........... ........ 26
Dialing a New Telephone
Number. ..... .... . .... ........ .. .. .. .. 27
Redialing the Last Telephone Number Dialed
................... 27
Call
Status. .... ... .... .... ....... ... .. ... ... ........ ...... .. ..... 28
Storing Telephone
Numbers..................................... 28
Dialing Stored Telephone Numbers.............................. 29
Disconnecting Calls
............................................. 29
Monitor Display Messages. ..... .. .. .. ...... ....... ... ......... .. 29
Composing Characters
............................................... 31
Using a Three-Stroke Compose Sequence ...................... 32
Using a Two-Stroke Compose Sequence ........................ 33
Aborting or Restarting a Compose Sequence. ........... ........ 33
CHAPTER 4 TERMINAL SET-UP
General............................................................... 45
Using Set-Up
......................................................... 46
Set-Up
Screens. .... ... ..... ......... ... .. .. .. ... ........ ... ... ...... . 46
Screen Title ..................................................... 47
Terminal
Identifier........... ...... ... .. ... ......... ... .. ........ 47
Firmware Version
Number....................................... 48
Status Line ...................................................... 48
Fields............................................................ 48
Set-Up Controls and Cursor
..................................... 50
Set-Up Example: Changing Features ................................. 51
Set-Up Screen Descriptions .......................................... 52
Set-Up Directory
Screen. ............ . ............. ................ .. . 54
Display Set-Up Screen................................................ 60
General Set-Up Screen ............................................... 64
Communications Set-Up Screen ...................................... 69
Printer Set-Up Screen ................................................ 75
Keyboard Set-Up Screen ............................................. 80
Tab Set-Up Screen ................................................... 85
Graphics Set-Up Screen .............................................. 87
4010/4014 Set-Up Screen. ............ .. ... ... .. ... ... .... ........... 90
Telephone Set-Up Screen ............................................ 93

vi CONTENTS
CHAPTER 5 COMMUNICATION
General............................................................... 97
Host and Printer Port Interfaces.... .. .. .. .. . .. ... .. .. . .. ... . ......... 98
Modems ........... .'.................................................. 98
Cables ................................................................ 103
Printers .... .. .... .. ... .. .. ............. ... .. .. ... .... ... .. .... .... .. .. 103
Character Format .. ... .... ... .......... ... .. .... ........ ... ... .... .. .. 104
Terminal-Host Data Flow Control ..................................... 104
Conditions That Send XON ...................................... 105
Conditions That Send XOFF ..................................... 105
Buffer Overflow Prevention ...................................... 106
Use of Fill Characters ........................................... 107
Connect/Disconnect. .. .... ....... .. ... ... ... .... ...... .. .. .... .. 108
Printer Port Operation ................................................ 109
Terminal-Printer Data Flow ........................................... 112
CHAPTER 6 PROBLEM SOLVING
General. .. ... .. .... .. .. .. ... .......... .... .. ... ... ....... ... .. .. .... .. 113
Common Operating Problems ........................................ 113
Power-Up Self-Test ................................... , ............... 115
Performing the Power-Up Self-Test ................................... 116
Digital Service ........................................................ 118
APPENDIX A SPECIFICATIONS
General. ..... . .... .... ... ..... ..... .... ... .. .... ... .. ... .. .... .... .. .. 119
APPENDIX B OPTIONS, DOCUMENTATION, AND SUPPLIES
General ...... .... ... .. .... ... .. .... .... ... .. ... .. .... .... ... .... .... .. 1 23
Available Options ..................................................... 123
Related Documentation ............................................... 124
Specifications ........................................................ 125
Ordering Information. ..... ....... ......... .. .. ... .... ..... .... ...... .. 126
APPENDIX C KEYBOARDS
General. .. ... ... ... .. .. .. ................. .. .... .. ... ..... .... ... ... .. 127
INDEX

CONTENTS vii
FIGURES
1-1
VT240 Series Video Terminals
2-1 System Box Controls, Indicators, and Connectors. . .. .. .. . . .. . 8
2-2
Monochrome Monitor Controls, Indicators, and
Connectors ................................................... 10
2-3 Color Monitor Controls, Indicators, and Connectors... .. . . ... . 12
2-4 Keyboard (North American) ................................... 14
2-5 Main Keypad.................... .. .. . . . .. .. . ... .. .. .. . .. . . .... 15
2-6 Editing Keypad. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . . .. .. . ... . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . ... . 17
2-7 Auxiliary
Keypad............. ... ............................. . 17
2-8 Top-Row Function Keys and Visual Indicators.. .. . . .. . .. . . ... . 18
4-1 Set-Up Screens.. ........ ....... ....... ....................... 46
4-2 Sample Set-Up Screen .............................. , . .. . . .... 47
4-3 Set-Up Directory Screen... ..... .......... .................... 54
4-4 Display Set-Up Screen .......... .. . ... . . .. .. . ... . . .. .. . .. . . . .. 60
4-5 General Set-Up Screen ....................................... 64
4-6 Communications Set-Up Screen .............................. 69
4-7 Printer Set-Up Screen........ ... ............................... 75
4-8 Keyboard Set-Up Screen. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .... .. . . .. .. 80
4-9 Tab Set-Up Screen. .. . .. . .. .. . .. ...... . .. . .. .. . .. . .... .. .. .. .. 85
4-10 Graphics Set-Up Screen ...................................... 87
4-11 4010/4014 Set-Up Screen. . . .. . . ... . .. . .. . . .. . .. .. ... .. . .. ... 90
4-12 Telephone Set-Up Screen. . .. . .. ... . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . .... .. .. .. .. 93
5-1 Cables ..................... " ................................. 103
5-2 Character Format ............................................. 104
5-3 Printer Port as Input Device (Printer-to-Host Mode) ........... 109
5-4 Printer Port as Output Device (Normal Print Mode) ............ 111
5-5
Printer Port as Input/Output Device (Printer Controller
Mode) ......................................................... 111
6-1 Power-Up Self-Test Indicators ................................. 116
C-1 North American ............................................... 128
C-2 United Kingdom ............................................... 129
C-3 Belgium (Flemish) ............................................. 130
C-4 Canada (French) .............................................. 131
C-5
Denmark ...................................................... 132
C-6 Finland .......................... '" ........................... 133
C-7 France/Belgium ............................................... 134
C-8 Germany/Austria. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . ... . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. 135
C-9 Holland. .. . . ... . ... . . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . .. .. . . ... .. 136
C-10 Italy ................. " ........................................ 137
C-11 Norway ........................................................ 138
C-12 Spain ........................... '" ........................... 139

viii CONTENTS
C-13 Sweden ....................................................... 140
C-14 Switzerland (French) .......................................... 141
C-15 Switzerland (German)
......................................... 142
TABLES
2-1
2-2
2-3
3-1
3-2
3-3
4-1
4-2
4-3
4-4
4-5
4-6
4-7
4-8
4-9
4-10
4-11
4-12
4-13
5-1
5-2
5-3
6-1
6-2
System Box Controls, Indicators, and
Connectors.......... . .. 8
Monochrome
Monitor Controls, Indicators, and Connectors... 11
Color Monitor Controls, Indicators, and Connectors. .. . ... .... 13
Dialer Mode Display Messages ............................... 30
Valid Compose Sequences: Multinational Mode............... 34
Valid Compose Sequences: National Mode ................... 39
Status Line Messages ........................................ 49
Set-Up Controls and Cursor Functions. .. . .... ....... ..... ... . 50
Set-Up Screens Summary. ... ... . ... ..... ... ... . .... ... ... ... . 52
Set-Up Directory Screen ...................................... 55
Display Set-Up Screen. . ... ............ .. . ... .. .. ... .. .. ...... 61
General Set-Up Screen.. ..... ... .. ... .. .. ..... ... ....... ..... 65
Communications Set-Up Screen .............................. 70
Printer Set-Up Screen.. .... ...... .. ... .. .. ... .. ..... .... ...... 76
Keyboard Set-Up Screen. ...... .. .. ... .. .. .......... .... ...... 81
Tab Set-Up Screen............................................ 86
Graphics Set-Up Screen ...................................... 88
4010/4014 Set-Up Screen.................................... 91
Telephone Set-Up Screen. ..... .. ....... .. ..... ... ..... ....... 94
Comm Port EIA Interface Signals ............................. 99
20mA Port Interface Signals .................................. 101
Printer Port EIA Interface Signals
............................. 102
Common Operating Problems ................................. 114
Screen Error Messages ....................................... 117

INTRODUCTION
This manual provides the information you need to operate and maintain your
VT240 series video terminal. The manual is organized into six chapters and
three appendices
as follows.
• Chapter
1, "A Look at the Terminal," introduces you to the VT240 series
of terminals. This chapter provides
an overview of what the terminals are
and what they do, then briefly describes how they work.
• Chapter
2, "Controls, Indicators, and Connectors," describes the terminal
controls, indicators, and connectors, and shows their locations.
• Chapter
3, "Operating Procedures," provides information on specific ter-
minal functions and operating procedures.
• Chapter
4, "Terminal Set-Up," describes each set-up screen feature in
detail. This chapter shows you how to select set-up features to define the
terminal's operating characteristics.
• Chapter
5, "Communication," describes how the VT240 series terminal
communicates with a host computer and a peripheral device such
as a
printer.
• Chapter
6, "Problem Solving," describes the self-test used to find termi-
nal hardware problems. This chapter also contains simple troubleshoot-
ing information to correct common operating problems.
ix

x INTRODUCTION
• Appendix A, "Specifications," provides all VT240 series terminal
specifications.
• Appendix
B, "Options, Documentation, and Supplies," describes the
options, related documentation, and supplies mentioned
in this manual
and how to order them.
• Appendix
C, "Keyboards," shows the various keyboards available with
the VT240 series terminal.

A LOOK AT THE TERMINAL 1
GENERAL
This chapter introduces you to the VT240 series of terminals. This series
includes the VT240
and VT241 terminals. The chapter provides an overview of
what these terminals are
and what they do, then briefly describes how the
terminals work.
VT240 COMPONENTS
The three main components of the VT240 series terminals are the monitor, the
system box,
and the keyboard (Figure 1-1). The VT240 and VT241 terminals
use the same system box and keyboard; the only difference between the
MA·'136·84
Figure 1-1
VT24Q Series Video Terminals

2 A LOOK AT THE TERMINAL
terminals is the monitor. The VT240 has a monochrome monitor, while the
VT241 has a color monitor. This manual uses the VT240 to describe general
applications, since both the VT240 and
VT241 operate the same way.
Monitor
The monitor consists of a monochrome or color cathode-ray tube (CRT) and a
monitor board. A single cable connects the monitor to the system box.
System Box
The system box is the electronic center of the terminal. The main parts of the
system box are a power supply, a controller board that contains the central
processing unit
(CPU), and electrical connectors.
Keyboard
The low-profile keyboard has four groups of keys and four visual indicators.
The main keypad operates like a typewriter keyboard. A single coiled cable
connects the keyboard to the terminal.
There are
15 basic keyboards available with the VT240. (See Appendix C.)
Each keyboard is for a different language.
HOW THE VT240 WORKS
The VT240 is a general-purpose video display terminal that lets you interact
with a software application program. You send characters to the application
program by typing
on the keyboard. Characters sent by the application pro-
gram appear
as text on the monitor screen. You can print the images (text and
graphics) you create on the terminal if the terminal is connected to a printer.
The terminal operates by executing standard American National Standards
Institute(ANSI) functions in text mode, and ReGIS (Remote Graphics Instruc-
tion Set) or Tektronix
4010/4014 in graphics mode. You send characters to
the host computer by typing on the keyboard. Characters sent from the
computer appear on the monitor screen.

A LOOK AT THE TERMINAL 3
OPERATING STATES
The VT240 has three operating states you can select from the keyboard.
• Set-up
• On-line
• Local
Set-Up
The set-up state lets you select or examine terminal operating features. Chap-
ter 4 describes these set-up features
in detail. You also use set-up to select the
on-line
and local states.
You select set-up from the keyboard by pressing the Set-Up key.
On-Line
The on-line state lets the terminal communicate with a host computer. Data
entered at the keyboard
is sent to the host computer. Data received from the
host computer
is displayed on the monitor. You can also display data entered
from the keyboard
on the screen, if you select the local echo feature in set-up
(Chapter
4).
You can only select on-line in set-up.
Local
The local state lets you place the host computer on hold. Data entered at the
keyboard is sent to the monitor, but not to the host computer. Data received
from the host computer is stored; this data is sent to the monitor after you put
the terminal back on-line.
You can only select local in set-up.

4 A LOOK AT THE TERMINAL
OPERATING MODES
The VT240 has five major operating modes. You can select these modes in set-
up. The default operating mode is VT200 mode, 7-bit controls. A default setting
is a factory setting the terminal uses until you change that setting.
• VT200 mode, 7-bit controls
• VT200 mode, 8-bit controls
• VT100 mode
• VT52 mode
• 4010/4014 mode
VT200 Mode, 7-Bit Controls
This mode executes standard ANSI functions and lets you use the full range
of
VT240 capabilities. You should use this mode with application programs that
expect 7-bit control characters and either
DEC multinational characters or
national replacement characters (depending on the character set selected in
set-up, Chapter 4).
NOTE: In general, most VT100 application programs will run in VT200 mode,
7-bit controls.
VT200 Mode, 8-Bit Controls
This mode also executes standard ANSI functions and lets you use the full
range of VT240 capabilities. You should use this mode with application pro-
grams that expect 8-bitcontrol characters and
DEC multinational characters.'
VT100 Mode
This mode executes standard ANSI functions. You should use this mode with
application programs that require strict compatibility with Digital's VT100
terminal.
VT52 Mode
This is a text mode that executes Digital
(DEC) private functions (not ANSI).
You should use VT52 mode for compatibility with existing application programs
designed for Digital'sVT52 terminal.
4010/4014 Mode
This
is a graphics mode. You should use this mode with application programs
designed for Tektronix 4010 and 4014 terminals.

A LOOK AT THE TERMINAL 5
CHARACTER SET MODES
The VT240 has two basic character set modes, multinational and national.
Multinational mode supports the DEC multinational character set (DEC MCS).
The DEC MCS is an 8-bit character set that contains most characters used in
the major European languages. The ASCII character set is included in the DEC
MCS.
National mode supports the national replacement character (NRC) sets. The
NRC sets are a group of eleven 7-bit character sets. You can only use one
NRC set at a time. The NRC set available depends on the keyboard selected in
set-up (Chapter 4). National mode restricts compatibility to a 7-bit environment,
so the
DEC MCS is not available.
ReGIS GRAPHICS
You can use ReGIS graphics mode in VT100 or VT200 modes, using com-
mands from the keyboard or from the host computer.
You can use ReGIS
graphics mode with application programs designed for Digital's VT125
terminals.
CRT SAVER FEATURE
If during normal operation the terminal is inactive for 30 minutes (no keyboard
activity or input from a host computer), the monitor screen goes blank (but data
is not lost). Keyboard activity or input from the host computer activates the
monitor again. To reactivate the screen, press the Ctrl
key.
PROGRAMMING THE VT240
Your VT240 comes with a VT240 Programmer Pocket Guide. This guide pro-
vides a summary of the control codes used to access the terminal's features.
For more detailed information,
you can order the VT240 Programmer Refer-
ence Manual from Digital.
(See Appendix B for ordering information.)
NOTE: This manual describes the use of the North American keyboard,
unless otherwise specified.
When you use the North American keyboard, the
terminal defaults to multinational mode. (National mode is disabled.)

GENERAL
CONTROLS, INDICATORS, 2
AND CONNECTORS
This chapter provides information about the terminal's controls, indicators, and
connectors. The chapter also describes the keyboard, including the three
keypads and special function keys.
SYSTEM BOX
The system box controls, indicators, and connectors are shown in Figure 2-1
and described in Table 2-1.
7

8 CONTROLS, INDICATORS, AND CONNECTORS
POWER SWITCH
INTEGRAL MODEM
o
VIDEO MONITOR
CONNECTOR POWER CORD CONNECTOR
(DO
NOT REMOVE LABEL YETI
~~~~~~~:======~~;(
I ~7FUSE
Comm
EIA HOST PORT
CONNECTOR
Figure 2-1
COMPOSITE VIDEO
OUTPUT CONNECTOR
.t::;;:=;;:=~~-~ VOL TAGE
-
~ SELECTION
KB
KEYBOARD
CONNECTOR
PR
PRINTER PORT
CONNECTOR
SWITCH
MAw1138-84
System Box Controls, Indicators, and Connectors

CONTROLS, INDICATORS, AND CONNECTORS 9