VT-100 terminal program availlable for PET?

[Diddl]

Is there a terminal program availlable for PET? A VT-100 or ANSI emulation would be nice.


It would be cool to use my 8296 as a terminal for my linux PC. Nearly all things would be possible:

• take control over SuSE


• Filetransfer by X-modem or Z-modem protocoll


• reading and sending emails


• midnight commander!


• surfing the Web (by Lynx)


• chatting (ICQ, IRC ...)

[RobertB]

     Message forwarded to PET guru, Larry Anderson.

                  Truly,
                  Robert Bernardo
                  Fresno Commodore User Group
                  http://videocam.net.au/fcug

[Diddl]

The reason is, in 2008 I have made a project to connect IEEE-488 Floppys to PC via COM port or USB. see XS-1541 project


Now I'm working on a new firmware for this XS-1541 to give the PET a serial communication port (RS232).

XS-1541 will be a IEEE-488 / RS232 bridge with this new firmware.

--

This bridge + a terminal program will make a VT-100 terminal for a linux system ...

[RobertB]

     Strike two for me today!  No word back from West Coast U.S.A. PET guru, Larry Anderson.  I can only assume that he has never heard of such a terminal program for the PET.  I will now send an e-mail to Bill Degnan, East Coast PET guru.

             Hoping for a response,
             Robert Bernardo
             Fresno Commodore User Group
             http://videocam.net.au/fcug
             The Other Group of Amigoids
             http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
             Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
             http://www.sccaners.org

[Blacklord]

I have a VT52 program if that's any help.

[Diddl]

I have a VT52 program if that's any help.

Yes that would be nice, could you send it to me or upload anywhere? (t.winkler@tirol.com)

PET doesn't have a RS232 connector. Is this VT52 for CBM-II? Or is this for a special hardware on PET?

[Blacklord]

I have a VT52 program if that's any help.

Yes that would be nice, could you send it to me or upload anywhere? (t.winkler@tirol.com)

PET doesn't have a RS232 connector. Is this VT52 for CBM-II? Or is this for a special hardware on PET?

CBM-II sorry.

[RobertB]

I will now send an e-mail to Bill Degnan, East Coast PET guru.

Hooray!  Bill has responded.  See his message below.

------------

From: B Degnan
Date: Fri, November 6, 2009 3:47 pm

Robert,

In order to do this, you'd need to get the rs232 port working and a  terminal program. The RS232 part is not a problem, but finding a 8296-compatible terminal program is the challenge, because little was made for the 8296. I may however have some terminal programs, and one of them could work. My 8296 is on the fritz so I can't test from here.

It depends on how technical this user is; experimentation will be required. I need to know what kind of disk drive this person has, etc.

(snip)

I can pass this message on to cbm-hackers user group; that's the place to get this kind of info.

Bill

[Diddl]

sounds great!

It must not be for a 8296, it's only cause I have one, a program for 8032 is also welcome. If it is source code a program for any CBM is welocme (2001, 3008, 4032 ...).

Yes, terminal programs usually work with a UART or other RS232 adapter. This part must be rewritten to implement it for my interface. CBM/PET doesn't have a RS232 so there are no terminal programs around.

---

I implement RS232 over IEEE-488 device 10. So any CBM can use RS232 by

Code Select Expand

DOPEN#1,"9600,8,N,1" on U10
PRINT#1,"teststring over rs232"
GET#1,A$
:
DCLOSE#1


The adapter works like a 8050 floppy and receives command over IEEE-488. It sends all Byte like a bridge between IEEE-488 and RS232.

[RobertB]

I can pass this message on to cbm-hackers user group; that's the place to get this kind of info.

Bill just e-mailed me tonight, saying that he has been ill for the last 3 weeks and was not able to follow up on any message from you or get any message to the cbm-hackers group.  He says that now he will do so, as soon as I send him your original postings (or give him the link) made here.

                     Truly,
                     Robert Bernardo
                     Fresno Commodore User Group
                     http://videocam.net.au/fcug
                     The Other Group of Amigoids
                     http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
                     Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
                     http://www.sccaners.org

[Diddl]

Thank you Robert.

[carlsson]

Did you make any progress with a terminal program? I think you have asked in other places as well. The fun thing is we have about a handful different forums and mailing lists most of us are members of, but yet we keep hunting eachother around instead of settling for one central point where most of the on-topic discussion should go into.

By the way, I have seen documentation (book) for some PET terminal software, but not the actual floppy disk. Anyway I suppose "terminal software" can have a lot of different meanings, of which VT100 compatibility through RS232 necessarily isn't the most common for old devices.

Maybe you can make an own termcap or whatever it is called in Linux to send and receive raw data from the PET without any other terminal emulation. Control codes for cursor movement and so on may be hard though without a definition.

[Diddl]

No, I had no progress until now.


This is a idea of Nils, he want to access the internet (www, ftp, mailing) using his CBM8296.

If we found a working terminal software for his CBM it would be possible by connect CBM via IEEE-488 to XS-1541 and seriell (by USB) to a linux PC.

[carlsson]

How about Blacklord's VT52 program for the CBM-II series? The assembly language should be the same, only different computer and memory map. On the other hand there may be VT compatible terminal programs for the C64 you could convert if you two are eager to fix up more software..

[carlsson]

Have you looked up CaTer? I know it is a C64 program but if one is to invent wheels it may be a good starting point. The author Lars also lives in Stuttgart so you have an additional language to speak with him.

http://formica.nusseis.de/Cater/

[Diddl]

This CaTer doesn't include source code, but maybe it would be a good idea to speak with the author Lars .


The Blacklord's VT52 would be nice, but same problem: no source code available


It is nessecary to have either sourcecode or a native compatible (for 80 column CBM-I).

[Diddl]

I wrote bullshit! it seems CaTer is a very good idea, it includes source code!


Will send this to Nils, he wants to make the VT-100 part, I will make the XS-1541 changes.