VIC or C64 as Morse code key oscillator?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 12:17 pm

carlsson wrote:As you can see it gets significantly longer due to the more complex sound setup. I also added a CLI before RTS, which perhaps is not required.

It is not required, as long as the SYS is done in direct mode. Before 'READY.' is displayed, CBM BASIC does a CLI by itself. In a program however, interrupts would remain disabled.

I don't know why CLD in the IRQ routine, but I'm sure Mike has a good reason for using it.

The kernal would be better off including CLD in the first place.

CBM BASIC for itself doesn't use decimal mode, so normally this is not going to make problems. But I had found a good use for decimal mode within MINIPAINT. When an interrupt occurs with decimal mode on, certain instructions in the IRQ will screw up as they don't expect it. I didn't want to "mask" the conversion routine within SEI/CLI as it takes quite long to execute, and decided to insert CLD in the IRQ as it had been altered anyway.

rwv01 · Post by **rwv01** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:20 pm

After fumbling around with it, I managed to change the default parameters in my copy of the program.
Thse work better for what I'm doing:

Volume now=10
Freaquency now=49 (evidently optimal for the interface)
Waveform now=17 (triangle instead of sawtooth. Easier on the ears

)

I would like to try pulse wave because I think it would make the start and stop of the tone easier to distinguish, but havn't been able to poke it into the register. What would I have to do to make it a default setting?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:58 pm

The pulse waveform can be selected with POKE717,65.

But you'll also have to set the pulse waveform width. Carlsson's program uses Voice 1, i.e., POKE 54274,0:POKE 54275,8 to get a 50% duty cycle.

rwv01 · Post by **rwv01** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:17 pm

Thanks Mike.
I'll try that out.
The oscillator works very well with a real key BTW.

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:09 am

rwv01 wrote:Since we won't have a radio at the FCUG meeting, I have recorded some signals for the demo of the interface. But now, with the help of Mike's oscillator program, and a code key lent by my dad, (thanks to both!) I think we have a way to do a live demo of it's Morse code translation function. I'll use my VIC-20 to transmit a signal to yours via your radio Interface. We just plug it into my monitor's headphone jack instead of a short wave radio's.

Yippee! Rmv's presentation of the Kantronics Hamtext cart for the VIC-20 was really great! For most of the meeting, we discussed ham radio on the VIC-20 and watched in amazement as Rmv put the Hamtext cart through its paces. With an unexpanded VIC-20, Hamtext had plenty of features for sending and receiving. Using a World War II Morse code key (!) and a C64 acting as the receiver sending a signal to Kantronics interface and the VIC-20, Hamtext worked perfectly. I was most impressed that Hamtext split the VIC-20 screen into 3 or 4 separate windows (depending on mode). Our treasurer took several digital pics of the event, and I vidoetaped some of the equipment and screens. Expect that video to be up on Blip.tv and/or Youtube!

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

rwv01 · Post by **rwv01** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:22 am

Yeah, It went pretty well. We got the Interface and software successfully demonstrated using the C64 version of Mike and carlsson's oscillator program and some pre-recorded code (Morse and RTTY).

It was difficult to keep my sending speed steady enough for the Interface though, and when I demoed Hamtext's transmit function, the VIC monitor's speaker was at full volume! Fortunately, the patrons of the restaurant we were in were an easy-going bunch

. We had a good time.

Here is a copy of the oscillator for C64 with my parameters set as default.
ie, vol.=10, freq.=49, wave form=17.
It uses Control Port 2; pins 6, (fire button) and 8 (ground).
If you don't have a code key, a joystick with a responsive fire button will work.

Code: Select all

10 fort=679to731:reada:poket,a:next:sys679
15 data120,169,10,141,24,212,169,0,141,0,212,141,5,212,169,49,141,1
20 data212,169,240,141,6,212,169,203,141,20,3,169,2,141,21,3,88,96
25 data216,162,17,173,0,220,41,16,240,1,202,142,4,212,76,49,234

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:37 pm

rwv01 wrote:...when I demoed Hamtext's transmit function, the VIC monitor's speaker was at full volume!

Yes, I was covering my ears until we got the volume turned down!

(Darn stiff volume control.)

Fortunately, the patrons of the restaurant we were in were an easy-going bunch .

Also the owner, Stan H., is an easy-going guy. All of our equipment covered three tables!

If you don't have a code key, a joystick with a responsive fire button will work.

It was interesting for me to hold a joystick and use it to send Morse code.

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

dano · Post by **dano** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:50 pm

Not to hijack your thread or anything, but I actually have a Kantronics unit that I have absolutly no use for... if someone else is into ham radio and wants to play with it, let me know!

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:38 pm

dano wrote:...I actually have a Kantronics unit that I have absolutly no use for... if someone else is into ham radio and wants to play with it, let me know!

Very nice! Does yours come with the Kantronics interface, power supply, necessary cables, and instruction binder?

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

dano · Post by **dano** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:11 pm

All I have is the "interface" box that connects to the joystick port, some misc cables, a power supply, and a cartridge minus the shell. Maybe the manual could be copied by someone else who has one of these?? Hopefully it's useful to someone out there!

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 12:25 am

dano wrote:All I have is the "interface" box that connects to the joystick port, some misc cables, a power supply, and a cartridge minus the shell.

Ah, the cart board can fit into an empty case, and a replica label could be made.

Maybe the manual could be copied by someone else who has one of these??

I have the instruction binder (the manual being inside of it).

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

dano · Post by **dano** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:12 am

Would you be interested in providing it a good home then

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:37 am

dano wrote:Would you be interested in providing it a good home then

O.K., we can work out the details in private messaging.

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

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 12:21 am

dano wrote:All I have is the "interface" box that connects to the joystick port, some misc cables, a power supply, and a cartridge minus the shell.

My thanks to DanO for the goods. I picked them up a few days ago while in the Portland area. They all seem to be in good condition.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
CommVEx v6 2010 - http://www.commodore.ca/forum and click on ComVEX

RobertBe · Post by **RobertBe** » Wed May 19, 2010 1:38 am

dano wrote:All I have is the "interface" box that connects to the joystick port, some misc cables, a power supply, and a cartridge minus the shell.

At last Sunday's FCUG meeting, DanO's Hamtext goods were tried out again. Though the interface box was the same as my Hamtext interface, DanO's power supply was in a small, shiny, steel box with the transformer stuck on top of the box! DanO's Hamtext board was deeper than the mine which was tested a few months ago. Also, when his board was powered up, no SYS number had to be input; the program came up automatically. When the program started up, it came up with an options menu, which the my cart didn't have. Once past that menu, everything else seemed the same. In other words, this was a Hamtext variant!

It may have been an older version
of the one I have,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
July 24-25 Commodore Vegas Expo 2010 - http://www.commodore.ca/forum
and click on ComVEX