Morrow MDCP88 Instruction Manual

MDCP88
CO-PROCESSOR
USER'S GUIDE
&INSTALLATION
INSTRUCTIONS
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Copyright (C) 1984 by Morrow Designs, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,
transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any
language or computer language, in arty form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or
otherwise, without prior written permission of Morrow Designs.
DISCLAIMER
No representations or warranties, express or implied, are made
with respect to the contents hereof, ,including, but not limited
to, the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose. Further, Morrow Designs Inc. reserves the
right to revise this publication and to make changes from time
to time in the content hereof without obligation to notify any
person of such revision.
Morrow
600 McCormick St.
San Leandro, CA 94577

IIIPORTANT WARRAN'1'Y INFORMATION
LIMITED
WARRANTY
Morrow Designs, Inc. warrants its products to be free from
defects in workmanship and materials for the periods indicated
below. This warranty is limited to the repair and replacement
of parts only.
This warranty is void if, in the sole opinion of Morrow Designs,
Inc., the product has been subject to abuse or misuse, or has
been interconnected to other manufacturer's equipment for which
compatibility has not been established in writing.
Ci~~ Qoard~ - Parts, including the printed circuit board,
purchased as factory assemblies, are warranted for a period of
ninety (99) days from the original invoice/purchase date.
Electro-mechanical peripherals - Peripheral equipment such as
floppy or hard disk drives, etc., not manufactured by Morrow
Designs, Inc., are included in the limited warranty period of 99
days from the original invoice date when sold as part of a Morrow
system.
Exception - Expendable items such as printer ribbons, software
media, and printwheels are not covered by any warranty.
Software/Firmware - Morrow Designs, Inc. makes no representations
or warranties whatsoever with respect to software or firmware
associated with its products and specifically disclaims any
implied or expressed warranty of fitness for any particular
purpose or compatibility with any hardware, operating system,
or software/firmware. Morrow Designs, Inc. reserves the right to
alter or update any program, publication or manual without
obligation to notify any person of such changes.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: THE FOREGOING WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF
ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL MORROW DESIGNS, INC.
BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES EVEN IF MORROW DESIGNS,
INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
WARRAN'1'Y RETURN PROCEDURE
Should a buyer experience a defect in either workmanship or
materials during the warranty period, any Morrow Authorized
Service Center will replace or repair the product at its expense
only if the product is promptly returned to the dealer or Service
Center with dated proof of purchase.
Should factory repair be necessary, the Service Center shall
contact Morrow Customer Service for a Return Materials Authori-
zation (RMA) number.

TABLE
oF CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
4.1
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
4.3.3
4.3.4
4.3.5
4.3.6
4.3.7
4.3.8
5.
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.4.1
5.5
5.6
5.6.1
5.7
5.7.1
5.8
5.8.1
5.8.2
5.8.3
5.8.4
5.9
5.9.1
5.9.2
5.10
5.11
HQTE: The Appendix (Installing the Copro-
cessor Board) has its own Table of Contents
following page 26.
INTRODUCTION: WHAT THIS MANUAL IS AND ISN'T.
TWO WAYS TO Q) • •
START WITH ACOPY.
RAMDISK: MEMORY USED AS ADISK (MD-3 ONLY) • • • • • •
Trying Out Ramdisk • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
EXAMPLE: Using Ramdisk as aNewWord Working Disk
Creating anew file directly on a floppy •••
Revising an existing file on the ramdisk • • •
If your coprocessor board has only l28K ••••••
RAMDISK's Options. • • • • • • • •• • •••••
Drive Name to Assign to Ramdisk ••••••••••
RAMDISK and Morrow's Virtual Drive • • ••
Erase File Di rectory? • • ••• • • •
RAMDISK Load Address • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Loading RAMDISK Above CP/M • • • • • • • • • • • •
Co-Power 88 Port Address ••• •• • • • • • •
Command Line Shortcuts for Options •
If Things Don't Work •••••••••••••••
KS-DOS AND THE MICRO DECISION. • • • •
What You
CAN Do. • • • • • • • • •• • •••••
What You CAN'T Do. • • • • • • • • • • • • •••
What's In This Section of the Manual ••••••••
How to Load MS-DOS • • • • • • • • • • • . •
The TIME and DATE Prompts •••••••••••••
Backing Up Diskettes with MD-3's ••••••••••
Copying the Software to the Hard Disk ••••••.•
Copying SuperCa1c 2 to the Hard Disk • • • • • • •
Exiting from MS-DOS •••••••••••••••••
Hard Disk Users: REMEMBER TO PARK • • . •
Differences in MS-DOS. • • •••••••••••
Missing Programs • • • •• • • • • • • • • . •
Command Ed
it ing Keys • • • • • • • • • • •
ROM Function Keys •••••••••••••••.•
Additional Options for FORMAT •••••••••••
Finding Software for Your Coprocessor. •• •••
Coprocessor Software Currently Available • • • • •
Installing MS-DOS Software for Your Terminal •
Installing SuperCa1c-2 • • • • • • •
Running SuperCalc-2 •••••••••••••••
1
1
2
3
4
5
5
6
7
8
8
9
10
10
11
12
13
13
15
15
15
15
15
17
17
19
19
20
20
20
20
21
22
22
22
23
26
26
26

SOFTWARE
GUIDE
FOR U SIN G
T B E II D C P 88
COPROCESSOR
BOARD
1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT THIS MANUAL IS AIm ISN'T
This documentation was produced by Morrow for use with the MDCP88
Coprocessor Bo~rd. This section covers booting and running
MS-DOS, and the use of the Coprocessor as a ramdisk (MD-3 only).
Appendix A, which follows, describes installing the Coprocessor
Board. It is intended primarily for Morrow dealers. (There are
no other appendices, as the nAn might suggest.)
You will have also received one or two MS-DOS manuals, depending
on who printed them. They provide the complete details on MS-
DOS. This manual gives only a brief introduction. Finally, you
should have a SuperCalc 2 manual as well.
2. TWO WAYS TO GO
There are two ways that you can use your coprocessor board: as a
ramdisk with CP/M (MD-3's only) and as a 16 bit processor with
MS-DOS. Using your coprocessor board either way is as simple as
typing one CP/M command at your terminal.
When used as a ramdisk, a coprocessor board with 256K of ram
provides as much storage as two-thirds of a double sided floppy
disk, but with much faster access.
Second, while using the coprocessor board as a 16 bit processor,
your Micro Decision becomes operating system compatible with IBM
PC's running MS-DOS. This means that you can use any of the
software written for PC's that does not rely on special hardware,
that is, bit-mapped graphics or IBM's proprietary ROM. A list of
one vendor's software for the Coprocessor is given in section
5.9.
Software Guide 1

NOTE: You can not use the coprocessor board as a ramdisk AND
run MS-DOS simultaneously. Also, since the MD-5/ll/l6/34
hard disk series already employ an "intelligent" ramdisk,
the ramdisk has not been designed to work with hard disk
Micro Decisions.
o The first pOrtion of this guide explains how to use the
coprocessor board as a ramdl.sk. There are several subtle
differences in how you can use the ramdisk which are ex-
plained here.
oThe second portion of the guide demonstrates how to use the
coprocessor board with MS-DOS. This information is a neces-
sary supplement to the MS-DOS manual that you received.
If you have an MD-3, we suggest that you start by learning about
the ramdisk before trying MS-DOS. The ramdisk has the advantage
of being almost completely familiar territory. MS-DOS 2.1 is
presumably new for you, so it has a higher frustration potential
and is better handled last. However, if ~ really ~ ~ start
lfit.h MS=DOS.L Q1:. hgy.§ ahg.x:.d=diR.k MiQ.I.Q DecisiQIlL .f..Q.J..low t.M
directions in "Start with ~ Copy", ~ ~ ahead ~ "MS-DOS and
the Micro Decision".
3. START WITH A COpy
Before you start using your ramdisk or MS-DOS, we want you to run
a "submit" program that copies some files onto your current
system disk from one of the Coprocessor disks.
Copying distribution diskettes is the Standard Operating
Procedure for any new software. With MD-3's, the files will go
on your normal CP/M System diskette. With hard-disk MD' s, the
files will go in user number 0 of your hard disk.
Locate the MDCP88 Diskette whose label reads:
MDCP88 MS-DOS Loader /Ramdisk Distribution Diskette
1. To start off, turn on your Micro Decision and load the CP/M
operating system in the usual way. If you are using the Co-
Pilot Menus, please ESCape to CP/M by pressing the ESC key
at the Co-Pilot Main Menu. The screen should show "A>",
without any numbers next to the A. (Type user B and RETURN
if there is anumber present.)
2. Insert the MS-DOS /Ramdisk Distribution diskette in your B:
drive and close the door. For MD-3 owners, this is the
upper drive. The lower drive holds the normal CP/M System
diskette.
Software Guide 2

3. At the nA>n prompt, type the appropriate command below,
followed by RETURN:
MD-3's - submit B:3
Hard-disk MD's - submit B:BD
4. When the nA>n reappears, take the MS-DOS / Ramdisk
Distribution Diskette out of drive B: and put it away in a
safe place.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
MQTE TQ HARD-DISK OWNER~ A few moments after entering
nSUBMIT B:HD
n,
you'll be told to switch to the MS-DOS Dis-
tribution Disk. MS-DOS is automatically loaded and some
copying occUrs. When that's done, nA>n appears on the
screen. ~ is MS-DOS's System Prompt, NOT CP/M's. You
could now proceed to copy SuperCalc to the hard disk (sec-
tion 5.6) or run other MS-DOS utilities. To return to CP/M,
type:
z81
and hit RETURN. Ignore the message that tells you to insert
'a CP/M system disk. Just hit RETURN again and you're back
to CP/M.
*** * * * * **** * ** * * * * * * ** * ** * * * * *
The most probable thing that can go wrong during this phase is a
failure due to running out of space on your CP/M System disk.
This wouldn't normally happen, but if it does, youlll have to
make room on it by erasing unneeded files. If you I re familiar
with CP/M, you III know that there are several alternative
solutions which we wonlt go into.
4. RAMDISK: MEMORY USED AS A DISK (MD-3 ONLY)
Depending on the option you've selected, the coprocessor board in
your Micro Decision has either 256K or 128K of memory. This
memory is available for use by running the CP/M RAMDISK program.
The RAMDISK program prepares the coprocessor board and makes
small changes to CP/M that add the coprocessor board's memory as
if it were an extra ultra-fast disk drive.
These changes to CP/M remain in effect until you reset or turn
off your Micro Decision.
The most noticeable change after running RAMDISK is that you have
one more drive. This drive differs from your floppy drives in
that it is very fast. There are no heads to move over a track,
no slowly spinning disks to wait for. Information is stored in
Random Access Memory, ram.
Software Guide 3

NOTE: There is no way to permanently save files on the
ramdisk. The ramdisk forgets everything when the power
goes off unless you remember to copy its files to other
"real- disks.
4.1 Trying Out Ramdisk
With a copy of the RAMDISK.COM program now present on your CP/M
System disk (thanks to the "submit 3" command), you're ready for
a test drive. Next to the "A>-, type:
ramdisk *
(hit RETURN)
The RAMDISK program will fIrst display a copyr ight notice, and
then will silently prepare the coprocessor board and CP/M for use
as a ramdisk. When this process has been sucessfully completed,
RAMDISK produces a report briefly explaining what has been done:
Logical drivei ••••• M:
COPower_88 porti ••• 8E,0F
Load address ••••••• D800
File directory ••••• erased
You now have a ramdisk with logical drive name M:. The last line
of the report tells you that the ramdisk' s directory has been
erased. Type the commands in bold below (screen responses are
shown without bold):
A>dir m:
NO FILE
A>stat m:
Bytes Remaining On M: 252k
A>
Well, CP/M obviously believes that there's a drive called "M:"
out there with no files presently on it. These are exactly the
responses you'd get from a blank medium-capacity floppy disk.
Coprocessor boards with 256k of memory installed have 252 kilo-
bytes available for file storage. If your coprocessor board has
only l28K of memory, 124K is available as a ramdisk, but you'll
find that the usefulness of a124K ramdisk is fairly limited.
Next, try copying something onto the ramdisk:
A>pip m:=pip.com
A>dir m:
M: PIP COM
A>
This copies the PIP.COM program onto ramdisk drive M:.
Software Guide 4

One good way to use your ramdisk is for temporary storage of
programs or data. For example, you can copy NewWord programs
from your NewWord Working disk onto the ramdisk. You will then
notice a significant increase in speed while using NewWord.
Remember, if you create or edit any files on your
ramdisk, you MUST "pip" them onto a regular floppy in
drive A: or B: before you turn off your Micro Decision.
4.2 EXAMPLE: Using Ramdisk as a ReWWord Working Disk
NOTE: This example will work sat isfactor ily only for
coprocessor boards with 256K ram.
This procedure will have an enormous impact on the speed of many
aspects of word processing. You'll still be limited by your
typing speed, of course. But operations that normally require
disk accesses will now be nearly instantaneous.
1. Insert aNewWord Working Diskette in drive B: (upper drive),
and your CP/M System Diskette with RAMDISK.COM in drive A:.
2. If you've been using the menus, escape to CP/M by pressing
the ESC key. "A>" should be on your screen.
3. Type RAMDISK * and press RETURN.
4. When the "A>" reappears, type PIP M:=B:NW*.* and press RETURN.
5. With systems that use an MDT-60 / MT-70 terminal and KEY.COM
for function keys, also type PIP M:=B:KEY.COM.
The NewWord programs have now been loaded onto the ramdisk. Co-
processor boards with 256K RAM will have about l20K left for
documents (those with only 128K will not have room even for
NewWord programs). If you want to create or revise documents on
the ramdisk, you'll have room for about 25 pages of single-spaced
text.
Your next step depends on a couple of things. If you want to
edit an existing file, you can work on it directly on its
diskette or copy it onto the ramdisk too and work on it there.
Likewise with a new file: You can create it on a diskette or
create it on the ramdisk. Just be aware that if you create or
~ g ~ on t.M ramdisk ~ m.u.s.t. ~ (pip) .it. .QD..t.Q g floppy
after saving itl.
Software Guide 5

4.2.1 Creating anew file directly on a floppy •••
6. Insert the diskette that should hold the new file into drive
B: (upper drive). Close the latch.
7. At the "A>" prompt, type
A>II:
M>NW
(and RETURN)
(and RETURN) or KEY NW
The command you use at the "M>" prompt depends on whether
you're using KEY.COM to program your function keys.
8. NewWord now begins, much faster than normal. At its Opening
Menu, select D. At the file name prompt, respond B:FILERAME.
Your new file will now be placed onto the diskette in drive
B: whenever you save it with a CTRL-K command.
9. When you're all done with NewWord on'the ramdisk, press the
Micro Decision's RESET button.
4.2.2 Revising an existing file on the raadisk •••
Editing files on the ramdisk has definite speed advantages when
scrolling, finding and replacing, and saving. The down side is
that the file is completely temporary until you copy it from the
ramdisk onto a floppy. The procedure below coverS all the
necessary steps.
6. Insert the diskette with the file to be edited into the B:
(upper) drive. Close the latch.
7. At the "A>" prompt, type these commands, following each with
a RETURN:
A>PIP II:=B:FILERAIIE (substitute actual file name)
A>II:
M>RW or KEY NW
8. NewWord now begins. Your file should appear in its
directory list. Type D to open the file for editing.
9. Eventually you'll' save the edited file on the ramdisk. Use
A
KX
•
19. At the "M>" prompt, type A:PIP B:=FILERAME. This replaces
the older version of the file on the floppy in drive B: with
the newly revised version. The file is now safely and
permanently saved.
11. You can continue performing other ramdisk operations, or you
can press the Micro Decision's RESET button to return to
normal non-ramdisk operation.
Software Guide 6