Epson HX-20 User manual

EPSON
HX-20 OPERATIONS MANUAL
B Y
Kenneth Skier
President
SkiSoft, Inc.
Cambridge, Massachusetts

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechan-
ical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
Epson America, Inc. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the
information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the
preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for
errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the
use of the information contained herein.
The Source”’ is a service mark of Source Telecomputing Corporation. a subsidiary of the
Readers Digest Association. Inc.
CompuServe® is a registered trademark of CompuServe. Inc.
Copyright® 1982 by Epson America, Inc.
Torrance, California 90505
ii

Federal Communications Commission
Radio Frequency Interference
Statement
“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 radio and
television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with
the specifications 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 equip-
ment 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 measures:
l Reorient the receiving antenna
l Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver
l Move the computer away from the receiver
l Plug the computer into a different outlet so that com-
puter and receiver are on different branch circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/ television technician for additional suggestions. The user
may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communica-
tions Commission helpful:
“How to identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems.”
This booklet is available from the US Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

CONTENTS
1 Congratulations! ...................................
2 Cautions .........................................
Case ..............................................
Dummy cartridge ..................................
System bus cover ...................................
Circuitry cover .....................................
Battery charger ....................................
Batteries ..........................................
Printer ............................................
Peripherals ........................................
Physicalshock .....................................
Humidity .........................................
Extreme temperatures ...............................
3 Preparing your HX-20 for use
.......................
Unpackingthe HX-20 ..............................
Charging the batteries ..............................
Preparing the printer for use .........................
Removing the printer cover. .....................
Inserting the paper roll. .........................
Inserting the ribbon cartridge ....................
Replacing the printer cover. .....................
Adjusting the viewing angle ......................
initializing memory and the calendar clock ............
Selecting a different character set. ....................
4 Using the HX-20 ...................................
Turning it on ......................................
Viewing the menu.. ................................
Choosing an item from the menu .....................
5 The screen editor. ..................................
The virtual screen ..................................
Thecursor ........................................
Scrolling ..........................................
Homing the cursor .................................
Clearing the screen .................................
Typing on the virtual screen .........................
Automatic scrolling. ................................
1
5
5
5
6
7
7
8
9
9
10
10
11
13
13
14
15
16
17
21
22
23
25
27
31
31
31
33
35
35
36
40
40
41
41
41
V

Virtual screen width ................................
42
Logical lines vs. physical lines. .......................
43
Retyping ..........................................
44
Deleting text ......................................
44
Insert mode .......................................
45
Upper and lower case. ..............................
46
Numeric mode .....................................
47
Graphic characters .................................
49
Printing the screen .................................
50
Using the special function keys .......................
52
6 Connecting your HX-20 to other devices
..............
55
-to a cassette recorder .............................
55
-to an RS-232 device ..............................
57
-to a bar code reader ..............................
58
7 What if you have problems?
.........................
61
If you can’t turn off your HX-20 .....................
61
If the menu displays garbage .........................
62
If you encounter other problems .....................
62
8 Storing your HX-20 ................................
63
-for a few minutes to a few hours ..................
63
- for a few hours to a few weeks ....................
63
-for a few weeks to a few months ...................
63
9 Specifications.
.....................................
65
Architecture.. .....................................
65
Expansion .........................................
67
Help! ...............................................
73
vi

Chapter 1
Congratulations!
Congratulations! You have just
purchased the first of a new gen-
eration of personal computers.
The Epson HX-20 is unlike any
product ever built, combining
the power and usefulness of a
desktop computer with the port-
ability of a pocket calculator.
It’s a go-anywhere, do-
anything system designed from
the start to be user-friendly-
which means you don’t have to
know anything about comput-
ers to use it. Powered by its own
internal batteries, with no dan-
gling cords or external parapher-
nalia, the HX-20 is a compact
and uncluttered system, at home
in the classroom or the confer-
ence room, on your desk or in
your lap.
Unlike most other personal
computers, the HX-20 can store
up to seventeen programs in its
memory. (Five of these may be
BASIC programs.) When you
turn on the HX-20, a menu ap-
pears on the screen, listing the
names of these programs. You
can make the HX-20 run any
program on the menu simply by
pressing a single key.
Furthermore, the HX-20 has
a memory like an elephant. Un-
like most personal computers,
which forget any program in
memory as soon as they are
“powered down,” the HX-20
remembers all programs in its
1

memory even when you turn it
off
Contained within the HX-20
is an extended version of Micro-
soft BASIC, a powerful pro-
gramming language that is easy
to learn and which takes full
advantage of the many special
features of the HX-20. If you
have no interest in program-
ming, you can purchase
programs and run them on your
HX-20. But if you do wish to
learn about programming, the
accompanying Epson HX-20
BASIC Tutorial and Reference
Manual will teach you every-
thing you need to know. It will
take you from a computer
novice to an accomplished com-
puter programmer, in only a few
evenings.
J
When you use the HX-20,
you’ll notice that its full-size,
full-stroke keyboard has the feel
of a fine piece of office equip-
ment, and that its program-
mable special function keys
make it a snap to develop pro-
grams that are extremely easy to
use. You'll also appreciate its
built-in screen and printer. They
display graphics as well as num-
bers, punctuation marks, and
upper and lower case letters.
You may tailor the HX-20 to
certain applications, such as
word processing or telecom-
munications, by purchasing a
tiny circuit called an option
ROM An option ROM will fit
inside the HX-20, enhancing it
2

permanently with the desired
capabilities. Only one option
ROM can fit inside the HX-20 at
a time, but it’s a powerful means
of customizing the HX-20 for a
desired application-without
diminishing in any way its abil-
ity to run BASIC programs or to
accept option cartridges.
Option cartridges also tailor
the HX-20 for specific applica-
tions. You can install a cartridge
in moments, simply by sliding it
into a recessed compartment in
the case of the HX-20. Insert a
program cartridge for one or
more ready-to-run applications
programs; or slide in the micro-
cassette cartridge, which con-
tains a complete microcassette
recorder suitable for storing
programs and data files.
If your applications require
more memory than the HX-20
features, just attach an expan-
sion unit, which virtually dou-
bles the read-write memory
and permanent memory of the
system.
Should you decide to expand
the capabilities of your HX-20
even further, you may connect it
to such external devices as:
-an ordinary cassette recorder,
for permanent storage of pro-
grams and data;
-a display controller, which
enables the HX-20 to display
text and graphics on your
television set or on a video
monitor;
-a printer, for full-page print-
outs of text and graphics;
1-
I
-a modem or acoustic coupler,
to enable your HX-20 to com-
municate over telephone lines
to other computers and net-
works such as CompuServe@
and The Source”;
3

I
I
-one or more floppy-disk
units, which may store dozens
or hundreds of programs and
data files on-line, for virtually
instant access;
As you can see, the HX-20 is
powerful, portable, easy to use
and expandable. Whether you
wish to use it for school, for busi-
ness, or just for fun, you could
hardly choose a more personal
personal computer.
So, once again, Congratulations!
-a bar code reader, to scan bar-
coded programs, songs, and
data sheets.
4

Chapter 2
Cautions
The HX-20 is not a toy. Although it is solid and well-built, it is not
invulnerable. Treat it with the care it deserves, and it should pro-
vide you with years of reliable service.
The warnings on these pages concern only the HX-20. If you con-
nect your HX-20 to any peripherals, be sure to heed any warnings
contained within the documentation for those peripherals.
(Note: failure to observe the following cautions may void the
warranty on your HX-20.)
Never disassemble the case
There are no parts inside your HX-20 that you can service or replace
by yourself. If you remove the screws that hold the case together,
you will risk damaging the static-sensitive circuitry and/or the
batteries.
INever
disassemble the case
Leave the dummy cartridge in place
In the upper right corner of your HX-20, you will notice a dummy
cartridge.
5