Kaypro 2 8-bit CP/M Computer

I purchased this Kaypro 2 at the VCF East festival in 2023 for $75. I did not try it out immediately when I got home. But after a few days I tried turning it on. But it did not work. So, I have some work to do, maybe on the power supply. 

This model is the second in the line, following the original Kaypro II and before the Kaypro IV. It was made in 1983  and has two full-height single-sided disk drives mounted horizontally. Unlike my NorthStar Advantage, which uses hard sectored disks, this machine uses a fairly common disk type and controller. Hopefully this will make it easier to make disks for it, maybe with a Greaseweasel?

The Kaypro company was famous for confusing model numbers. It will be important to identify exactly what hardware I have so that I can make up the correct disks that will work in this model. As far as I can tell, my “Kaypro 2” is in fact the same as the “Kaypro II”, but has been renamed to alleviate confusion about a Model 11, which did not actually exist but was being identified by some folks as two ones (11) instead of two upper case I’s (II) or two lower case Ls (ll). The original Kaypro II was named to try to associate with the popular Apple II at the time.

This name change happened in 1983 and came just after the Kaypro II changed to the floppy drives being installed horizontally instead of vertically. The badging on the case used the “2” instead of “II” but the computer is essentially the same as the Kaypro II. The Kaypro 4 (IV) was also the same as the Kaypro II only it used double-sided full height drives instead of the single-sided floppy as is used by my Kaypro 2. The Kaypro 4 also came out in 1983, immediately after my Kaypro 2, but is informally typed as Kaypro IV to distinguish it from the model 4 that came out in ‘84 (typed as 4/84). The next Kaypro 2 came out in 1984 and used half-height single-sided drives. This was followed by the Kaypro 2X which used half-height double-sided drives.

Review:

1982 Kaycomp/Kaypro II used full-height single-sided drives mounted vertically (original)

1982 Kaypro II used full-height single-sided drives mounted horizontally (before name change)

1983 Kaypro 2 used full-height single-sided drives mounted horizontally (my machine)

1983 Kaypro 4 (IV) used full-height double-sided drives mounted horizontally

1984 Kaypro 2 (2/84) used half-height single-sided drives mounted horizontally

1984 Kaypro 2X used half-height double-sided drives mounted horizontally

My machine, the 2, and the 4, use CP/M 2.2F. The 2/84, 2X, and 4/84 use CP/M 2.2G.

Possible replacement power supplies:

MW MPT-120B Triple Output (forum says obsolete)

Meanwell MPT120B (forum says obsolete)

Mean-Well RT-85B (forum says this is still available)

I have an unused power supply that may work for this Kaypro. But I don’t know enough about power supplies to know for sure if I could use this PS I already own instead of purchasing the Mean-Well above.

 Personal Computing in 1982

I graduated High School in 1982 and like most young people just about to leave school I had to make some decisions about what kind of job I would get out in the real world. But unlike a lot of kids my own path into the real world was not really up to me. My parents were followers in a religious organization that insisted that young people follow a path into the ministry and to surrender one’s own preferences to the organization. At that point in my life I surrendered to that narrow understanding of real world life.

So, my decision was to find work that allowed me to pursue the ministry with the minimum amount of distraction. While my own preference at the time was to find a job working with computers, maybe office work or accounting, I ended up in the food and restaurant business and did some janitorial work on the side. Neither of these types of jobs really required much knowledge of computing. They were jobs that allowed me to get a paycheck so I could spend the majority of my time in ministerial work. My parents were proud of me and I was a good little minister and worker bee for the mother organization. I was promoted within the organization and eventually ended up at headquarters. But I never got my hands on any computers.

I was watching the developments in “personal computers” from the mid-seventies into the early eighties. But by the time I was assigned my place in the religious organization computers were still not very “personal”. Our organization, like a lot of small corporations, were still primarily using mini computers, or what were then cut-down versions of the typical mainframe computers. Computing was something that required a “department” and you didn't have your own personal computer equipment at home or for your own personal use. If you did have some personal projects that you wanted to pursue you had to get permission to use the big central computer and keep your personal work in a special place in that system, if there was room for it. If you were lucky the organization was wealthy enough to have offline storage and allowed you to keep your personal stuff saved on a “cartridge” of some type, maybe a tape wheel or card set, or a floppy disk.

In those days, the late seventies and early eighties, “personal computers” were a new concept. And most people, even if they understood the concept, could not participate due to the “personal” cost of acquiring the “personal” equipment. In my case, I was pursuing a “career” that was dictated by an organization and did not see a path for me to have my own personal computing equipment. I could only watch as others who were fortunate enough to be assigned to the computer department got to work with the computers owned by the organization. 

But when I was still in junior and senior high school, from about 1977 to 1982, I had come across some people who were fortunate enough to come into possession of some “personal computers”. One person I knew had an Apple II system, with a tape drive and printer and a modem. A teacher of mine had a Commodore PET that he brought to class and allowed us to get our hands on. By 1983 I had graduated and I was roommates with a friend who purchased a Commodore 64. I played with it a little but I was too busy with my restaurant job and my ministry work to get any real traction on the Commodore 64. And then I got my assignment with headquarters and did not see any more “personal” computers for quite some time. It was not until I got engaged to marry my wife that I got reacquainted with some “personal computers”. It was in 1986 when I was gifted a NorthStar Advantage that my father-in-law had purchased for his small business but was not using. He also had an IBM PC at home. 

What I didn’t understand at the time I graduated in 1982 is that there was a revolution starting in personal computers. It was then possible to get your hands on computing equipment and use it for your own personal projects. But it was still a concept that I didn’t quite understand and I did not have a lot of extra money to use to purchase computer equipment. At that time purchasing computer equipment was still very expensive and what I understood as “computer equipment” usually consisted of machines that were used for business or government or at the university. I did not see the many “console” and gaming machines of the time as anything more than “toys”.

In 1982 there were many options available for small companies and hobbyists who wanted to pursue a choice in “personal computing”. But it took a lot of money to buy into this new paradigm in computing and I did not have that kind of money. So I was shut out. I could walk into a Sears department store and look at the Commodore VIC-20. But that’s all I could do. The $300 price tag was just too much for me. And I didn’t even know that I would have to pay extra for a tape cassette recorder and a printer. 

Back across the country in New York, my wife’s family was building a small business. Her parents had gone to college to become teachers and were by then teaching Junior High school during the day and running a small business at night and on weekends. In 1982 I had not yet met my wife and her parents. But unlike me, my wife’s family did have the extra money to buy a Commodore VIC-20. My wife and her siblings learned to type in programs from the magazines into the VIC-20 and play games. An experience I would not have for several more years. 

In 1982 my wife’s parents were considering buying a computer to help in their business. But they would not buy a computer for the business yet. It would take a couple more years before they invested in computer equipment for the business. Why? Because small “personal” computer systems were still very expensive. And no one really knew the total costs back then. While there were some “personal computers” available they were not really suitable yet for use in business at an affordable cost. Just after I graduated High School I was one day waiting for the bus in downtown Seattle and just next to the bus stop was a shop that had a few computer systems on display. One of these computers was an Apple Lisa. It’s price tag was $10,000! 

That was in 1983. A small business like my wife’s family was running could not afford to outlay that kind of cash for some speculative system that was not even proven to be a good tool yet. Business people bought “tools” to help the business get done what it needed to get done. Office work was still being done with desk calculators and ledger books and maybe an IBM Selectric typewriter and some carbon paper. They already had these things. Why would they need a “computer”?

Well, from my perspective, I thought it was “neat” to consider having my own personal computer. I was not sure yet what they could do but I knew it was “neat”. Alas, it was not to be. It was not until 1988 that I bought my very own personal computer, a Tandy 1400FD IBM PC clone running MS-DOS 3.3. But in 1982 I did not know what that was. I had no concept of MS-DOS or IBM PC, or NorthStar Advantage or CP/M. I only knew of Apple II and Commodore PET and VIC-20.

So what could be done with a “personal computer” in 1982. Why would a person spend between $300 and $10,000 to acquire a computer? And why was there so much variation in the category of computers we now know as “personal” computers?

As it turns out my understanding of personal computers was a pretty common and popular understanding. Most people back then thought of using computers in business, or industry or government, and a personal computer was just an outgrowth of the then current paradigm of the “mini” or “mainframe” computing systems of the day. Instead of sharing a big computer at work you now could have your own computer on your desk, even at home. But what most people did not understand at the time was just how much cost was involved in buying into this new paradigm of “personal” computing.

Whereas a “Mini” computer system was usually leased to a company or government for about a total cost of up to $100,000 a single person could now buy a “personal computer” and use it for whatever they wanted, outside of the “company”, or government department or university. From a personal perspective this was a pretty “neat” idea. But it was not yet a popular one. If you were a small business owner you needed to justify the cost. And if you were a hobbyist you had to have disposable income in the same range as collectors of automobiles and sports cars. There were not many of us regular folks who had that kind of disposable income. 

There was a group of people who saw the opportunity to sell this “neat” idea of personal computing as “home computers”. And this is where I came in the late seventies and early eighties. Really, there was two “types” of personal computers back then - the Personal Computer, later to be named the venerable “PC” by IBM, and the lower cost “Home Computer” that was targeted at “Dad”, who either saw it as an opportunity to have their own rig, or as a way to give their kids a leg up. While the majority understood computing as an outgrowth of the Mini computer systems being used by corporations, some people saw them as appliances for the home.

I later would come to think of computers like the C64 and Tandy CoCo as “toys”, for kids. But at that time, in 1982, I really did not know what they were capable of. I would later learn that they were actually “toys”, but also learning machines. They would help spawn a whole industry of self-generated computing and shared applications that would push costs down enough for folks like my wife’s family to finally justify the purchase of a computer for use in their business.

Now, in the year 2024, I am a computer hobbyist who follows a growing interest in “Vintage” and “Retro” computers and computing. There are many in my generation, and those just behind me, who remember the days when they were given or purchased a small personal computer as their very own. And the memories of this experience drives us to tell stories and help preserve what we have now lost these many years hence. Personal Computers have lost the “wonder” and are no longer looked upon as something “neat” in the marketplace. But they are still here, in one form or another. As I explore the past generations of personal computers I can’t help but think of what it was like trying to put these machines to work as an entrepreneur, or small business, or university student trying to make their way in the world. Did these old machines really help?

I recently picked up a few “home computers” at a couple of the VCF East computer fairs where they have a consignment “for sale” area. These were the computers that I was able to look at when I was young but could not afford to buy. These are also the type of computers that I later saw as “toys” when I became a regular user of office computer systems in small businesses. 

They are as follows:

Commodore VIC-20

Commodore Plus/4

Texas Instruments TI99/4A

I already had some other home computers in my collection from either garage sales or trash picking. 

They are:

Commodore 64

Tandy CoCo2

Tandy MC-10

Apple IIe

Apple IIc

Atari 800 (not working)

What all of these computers have in common is that they were targeted by the manufacturers as computers for the home or small sole-proprietorship. The marketing was toward parents and kids, or a single staff business, or maybe dual partnerships, with small office needs. To that end there was pre-made software available on tapes or cartridges that was supposed to make it easier for the new user to participate in “personal computing”, be it games, education, or productivity.

The entry level cost of these machines was somewhere between $300 and $1000 at the time they were introduced to the market. But the cost would climb depending on what your end goal was for your new “personal computer”. Most of these machines would play games out of the box, and even came with a cartridge or two to get you started. But if you wanted to write a novel or do accounting you would have to pay for add-on peripherals and the cost would go up. Sometimes up near the cost of a “real” office computer like a Tandy TRS-80 Model III, or IBM PC.

So, what could one do with a home computer “toy” as compared to a “real” office computer? And were these the only choices for personal computing? 

As I set up these machines in my hobbyist computer lab and began to use them it occurred to me that I never really understood why these types of computers were so popular and sold so well. I realized that the market segment for these computers was completely different from the market I ended up in once I joined the business community. I saw the pictures on the boxes and the brochures and I thought they were viable machines for a small office in the home. But I did not know how much of an effort it must have been for a business person to actually use these machines in an office setting for productive purposes.

However, if you were a gamer then it was extremely compelling to have one of these machines. You could invite your friends over to your house and enjoy hours of fun. And you were no longer limited to Pong machines or the early Atari and Magnavox offerings. You could also program your own games and save them to tape and distribute them to others who owned the same machine. That is pretty “neat”.

I got to wondering how much did it really cost to put one of these machines to work in a home office or a small office setting. If you were a sole proprietor and thought to get one of these machines instead of a S-100 system or a Tandy TRS-80 Model III, what was it like? Could you make it work? So, I started putting together a little spreadsheet to help me sort it. I started with the cost of the basic machine and then added peripherals and software packages that would allow me to do what I wanted to do in my “office”. What would it take from each machine to reach my goal?

First, I will define what I wanted to do in my office in 1982. And this would vary depending on what my chosen profession might be. If I was going to be a writer it would take slightly different tools than if I were going to be a programmer. If I was going to be a scientist or mathematician my office might need more storage for data and a modem and an online account to research labs and online databases of the time. In my case, I was more interested in being a contractor and how to price materials and write installation contracts. In my wife’s business they would have wanted the typical office suite of word processing, spreadsheets, and databases and maybe the ability to program a POS system.

Okay, let’s say I wanted to have the “Suite” of office applications with a Word Processor, a Spreadsheet, and a Database. What would it take for each machine to provide this capability? And how would this compare to buying a CP/M business machine of the day, or the recently released IBM PC?

Before I started the spreadsheet I had to remind myself what “personal” business computers were available in 1982. To be “personal” they had to be able to stand alone on a desk without the need to be connected to a mainframe or mini computer system. There were not a lot of affordable choices for a small business office in 1982. But there were some. Off the top of my head I thought of the IBM PC, the NEC APC, the NorthStar Horizon, the DEC Rainbow, and the Tandy TRS-80 Model III. We also had the Osborne and Kaypro machines which were portable.

I spent quite a bit of time looking up information about what computers were available in 1982. It was harder than I thought it would be. But I did find a few lists and I gathered my own list of possible machines. I decided the criteria should be machines that were available in the general marketplace in the US. There were several machines from Europe or South America and Asia that may have been available here in the US but it seemed reasonable to me to expect most small business types to favor something closer to home and backed by a well known company. I ended up with several candidates for my list of “regular” business personal computers (not “home” computers).

Here are some that made my list:

Apple III

Commodore PET 8000

IBM 5150

Kaypro II

NEC APC

NorthStar Advantage

TRS-80 Model III

All of these machines were available for sale in 1982. But unlike the home computers I will compare them to, they were not available in the local retail stores like Sears or Montgomery Ward. These business computers were generally sold by “Agents” or “Dealers” that represented the manufacturer and provided some on-hand consulting services and support. Not unlike a car dealership. You went to a dealership’s store and got a quote for a complete business computer system which included the machine, peripherals and software and, maybe, some training.

In general, if you were a sole proprietor and not in touch with the business computer industry you may never have seen most of these machines or know what they cost. If you were a hobbyist you probably knew about the Apple III and TRS-80 Model III. But you wouldn’t have seen these machines walking around in a local shopping center or at Sears. Instead, you would have seen one of the boxes from the TI99/4A or Commodore VIC-20 or 64. You would have looked on those boxes and saw the nice family using the computer for more than games. The box told you could do “business” stuff with this computer. Cool! 

But wait, before I pull the trigger on one of these boxed computers from Sears maybe I should at least do some casual inquiries into what other computers I could use for my small business. After all, I have heard that IBM now has a “personal computer” and it does not have to be used with a mainframe. And I have seen Radio Shack also offering some business computers. They are a lot bigger than these boxed computers so I better find out why before I spend my money. (A reasonable and business-like self conversation).

Here are the “home computers”, being offered in boxes, in retailers like Sears in 1982:

Texas Instruments TI99/4A

Commodore VIC-20

Commodore 64

And let’s add the hobbyist computer also available at that time, which was very popular and had lot’s of software and peripherals, but was not quite a “business computer”, the Apple II Plus.

So now, to the matter at hand. How much will it cost me to buy into one of the “regular” business machines versus buying one of these “home” or “hobby” computers?

Well, my effort in putting together my spreadsheet turned out to be enlightening. I came to realize that buying into a regular business style “personal” computer in 1982 was very expensive! The costs ranged from just under $3000 to over $6000. Wow! If I couldn’t afford the $300 for a VIC-20 I sure wasn’t going to manage the $3000 or more. (Of course I could have put the purchase on a type of payment plan, say a monthly payment of $250 or $300 for a year).

But what was even more enlightening was the final cost of one of these “home” computers when attempting to do office work in a small business. And the sacrifices in overall quality of the software and tools to be used in a small office when compared to a “real” business computer.

It would cost about $550 to buy the basic “home computer” machine. A little less for the VIC-20. But the TI99/4A and C64 were similar in cost at just under the $600 mark. The Apple II Plus was significantly more costly at about $1200. But none of these computers were ready for office work out of the box. Yes, the pictures on the box show you that you can do office stuff. But they don’t tell you that to do that stuff costs extra. Just like it does with the “real” business computers.

None of these “home computers” came with a screen, disk drives, or a printer. And in some cases to add any of these peripherals would also require the purchase of an interface card. You may also need special cables and adapters. Most of the software that may be used for business productivity are going to “require” these add-ons before they will work. So, just like with “real” business computers you need to know what software applications are going to work for your productivity and then you buy the hardware that will allow it to run.

In my spreadsheet I decided I wanted to use an office “Suite” of software that included a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, and Database Manager. In all cases the software available for these machines would require at least a floppy disk drive and usually extra RAM and an 80 Column screen. I would also need a printer that would allow me to keep hard copy prints for offline records. A thermal printer would not work. Either a daisy wheel or dot matrix would be needed.

Here’s what the final cost was for each of these machines to satisfy at least the basic requirements of a small office:

Apple II Plus - $4,125

TI99/4A - $2,986

Commodore 64 - $2,338

Commodore VIC-20 - $2,005

So the cost to do business style computing on one of these “home computers” was between $2000 and $4000. That cost overlaps our “real” business machines by $1000.

And there is more than just the total cost for the machines and software. With the “real” business machines you have the expertise of the business community to help you get the most out of your system. Even if you went with the lower cost of the Tandy TRS-80 Model III you would have many more choices for software and support. If your machine or disk drive was acting up you could take it to the local service center and get it fixed. And you could get training and software support for specific business needs that would not be available with the “home” style computer.

Finally, the quality of software available to you in 1982 on a home computer was seriously lacking. In some cases you could not get more than a page of data before having to save the file to disk. And many of these systems did not support upper and lower case characters, or fonts. And if your needs grew it was not easy to add more storage or higher capacity disk drives and disks. Most small businesses would outgrow the capabilities of these home computers very quickly.

So, while the entry cost was lower than a “real” business computer, in most cases, it would have been a bad decision to buy one of these computers with business use in mind. Now some folks may have been satisfied with what these machines had to offer, especially the Apple II Plus, which was far more popular and supported at the time than the other machines. If a single page document or spreadsheet was enough, or a card file type of database, then fine. I suspect that there were many small single operator business people who made it work for them. And if you could save $2000 than that was a good thing. But most businesses, like my wife’s family had in 1982, would have seen the value of investing more money in better equipment that would pay off in the long run.

It wasn’t until a couple of years later, in about 1984, or maybe 1985, that my wife’s dad finally purchased a computer for the business. He went with the NorthStar Advantage for between $3000 and $4000 after software and a printer. This was at “the end” for nearly all CP/M machines since by then the IBM PC and MS-DOS had taken over the market. So they were able to buy a system that cost about $6000 in 1982 for about half that price in 1984.

By the time I was engaged to my wife in 1986 the NorthStar was in the attic and her dad was using his IBM PC. He was a teacher and he got a lot of help from others who also had IBM PC’s. They shared software and ideas and that made it a powerful tool for both his career in teaching and his small business. Sometime in 1986 I asked if I could take home the NorthStar Advantage and was given permission. I ended up putting that machine back to work in both my own business and in my wife’s family business. It served for several more years as our word processor for our contracts that we used with our clients. It was retired from the business in about 1989 but I used it for hobby stuff for many more years.

While I may have been tempted by the pictures on the box of the Commodore 64 and TI99/4A in 1982 I am glad I did not attempt to turn one of these machines into a business computer. I did not necessarily plan to wait so long but it turned out that waiting for the NorthStar Advantage was a better deal. Of course, it was my father-in-law who actually spent the money for the Advantage. But it was a viable machine and well suited as a small business computer whereas the home computers would have left us wanting more.

Side note: If I was a writer of some type back in 1982 I had another choice available to me. The Word Processor. The machines were like portable typewriters that saved documents to disks or uploaded to a server back at the publisher's office. They were not full blown “computers” but they were also more capable than any home computer as a word processor.

My conclusion about these Personal Computers in 1982 is that there were really two classes of personal computers at the same time. If you were a business person or an academic, and had the money, you would probably purchase a personal computer that resembled the IBM PC, either the actual Model 5150 or one of it’s competitors like the NorthStar Advantage. But if you were short on cash and had kids, or were a kid, you would probably buy, or ask your dad to buy, one of these home computers like a Commodore 64. If you were a hobbyist and already a “nerd”, maybe going to school or college and pursuing a career in electrical engineering, you would probably already have an Apple II or a Heathkit and would probably look down on these home computer “toys”.

But don’t underestimate the appeal of an inexpensive computer that can play games and allow you to create your own games. These home computers were often instrumental in forming the early experiences of today’s game developers and helped spawn a huge industry that continues to this day. If you were a young business man you might have chosen not to buy one of these home computers for yourself. But you would have been wise to purchase one for your kids. At the very least you could have purchased a separate “console” game machine like the Atari 2600 or 5200, or an Intellivision or Colecovision. Those consoles sold for about $200 and were not home “computers”. But they were good at computer games and would help inspire the games culture in the decades to follow 1982. All in all, these “home” personal computers had their place in history, even if not in the office.

 Commodore Plus/4

I picked this machine up for $90 at the VCF East Consignment sale. I don’t know much about it so I’ve been watching some videos and reading forums to try and catch up. It turns out that this was a series of computers that came in between the C64 and C128. It was not directly compatible but was intended to be a new line focused on business use. This line is now known as the Commodore 264 series, or TED Series. It was not well received and was not a big seller in the US.

I put my digital voltage meter on the 1 & 2 pins on the power supply and made sure the right voltage was being supplied. It passed with 5.3V. I found my video cable that I got for the C64 (and TI 99/4A?) and plugged it in between the Plus/4 and the newly acquired Sharp flat screen on Input 1 with the RCA connector for Video and Audio. Then I held my breath and turned it on. It works! The video is a lot better than I get when I use the RF video on a TV. 

Now, to figure out how to get some software. I bought a Zoom Floppy adapter at the VCF Exhibits and I wondered if I could use that to transfer some software to floppies. But before I do that I need to find out if my 1541 disk drive works or not. I bought the 1541 drive at the Warrensburg garage sale years ago but I never tried to use it yet. I pulled it out of storage and attached it to the serial port of the Plus/4. Then I powered it on and powered on the Plus/4. The lights on the drive came to life and stayed at the green led. I tried getting a DIRECTORY with BASIC and it found the drive! It works!

I found some old 360K diskettes and tried to format a couple of diskettes using the HEADER command in BASIC. It worked! I formatted two diskettes. Next I tried to use the floppy to save a file and then read it back. For this I used the built in Word Processor program. I typed a few sentences and then used the command mode to save a file. When I entered the command correctly and a valid file name the program accessed the drive and wrote the file. Then I tried to read it back in and it worked. The 1541 drive seems to be working fine. I reset and did another DIRECTORY and it listed my newly created file. Now I will go ahead and start setting up the Zoom Floppy.

I watched a video that was helpful in pointing me to the right software to download and how to do the basic setup of the Zoom Floppy. Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdAzAIPkbf4

I have a Windows 10 machine on the workbench and I found a USB cable with a mini-USB end. I plugged in the USB to the Zoom Floppy but did not plug it in to the Windows 10 computer yet. First I need to download some software, including a driver, before I attempt to connect the Zoom Floppy device. I browsed to the openCBM download site and downloaded the openCBM program for Windows. This is a command line program and requires using the PowerShell command line in Windows - unless I download a GUI. I downloaded the CBM Transfer GUI from a separate site. I also downloaded a USB driver helper named Zadig from their site. This allowed me to bypass the Windows driver problems that are associated with some legacy USB products and Windows 10.

After downloading and extracting the openCBM and GUI zip files I plugged in the Zoom Floppy to the Windows 10 computer. Windows said it installed the driver but it was not properly identified in Device Manager. To get the proper driver installed I ran the Zadig.exe program and let it do its thing. After it was done I checked the Device Manager again and this time the correct driver was installed. Next I ran the openCBM installer. The installer installed the openCBM files to C:\Program Files\opencbm. Next I ran the CBMxfer installer. This installer had the wrong default location for the openCBM software so I corrected the location to C:\Program Files\opencbm and let it run. When it was finished I had the cbmxfer.exe file in the C:\Program Files\opencbm folder. I right clicked on it and created a shortcut on the desktop and renamed it to Zoom Floppy GUI.

The final step for setting up openCBM and the Zoom Floppy device was to turn on the 1541 and see if openCBM finds the drive. I turned on the 1541 and then opened the CBMxfer GUI and clicked through the default preferences. The 1541 drive was identified! I put in my test diskette and did a directory and it listed my files! It works! So I now have the Zoom Floppy adapter setup and working. Now I can try to get some software that will run on the Plus/4 and transfer it to a disk in the 1541.

There is a lot of activity from the user community for this machine. A lot of software has been ported to work on the Plus/4. There are a few programs that were contemporary with the machine that can still be found. But most of the stuff available has come from the user community and it is shared at sites like “https://plus4world.powweb.com”.

One thing to watch for is that since the Plus/4 was more popular in places like Hungary than in the US a lot of the games will be supporting PAL video modes instead of NTSC.

—--

04/21/24

After reading several sites and watching videos on this machine it is clear that most people who have used this machine do not appreciate its built-in business software or its lack of compatibility with C64 games programs. Most games programs were created for the C16, this model's little brother with less memory. Some C64 games were “ported” but were limited to the C16 specs and did not take advantage of the better specs on this Plus/4.

There were a few games that were produced specifically for this Plus/4 but since the Plus/4 was backward compatible with the C16 most developers built their games for the C16 and knew that those same releases could be played also on the Plus/4. So, very little was produced specifically for the Plus/4. However, the built-in business programs could have made the difference had Commodore developed it further and promoted business features better. But by this time in Commodore’s history the management changed (Trammiel had left the company) and the Plus/4 was essentially abandoned as a failed system. It wasn’t until the user community started creating more software for this machine, and the C16, that this model started to reveal its potential.

If we were to transport ourselves back to 1984 and look again at this machine we might see it as a potential market leader for small business users. We should remember that the cost of buying a business oriented computer in those days was extremely high. The cost was between $3000 and $10000 and required learning either the CP/M or MS-DOS operating systems, or maybe a Tandy Unix or Apple OS. 

This computer had the potential to run office software and give the user an alternative to buying a “real” business computer system. Adding a disk drive and printer would bring the cost to maybe $800 or $900, and could be used with the family TV that most small business types would have already had at home. It would have compared very favorably to the Apple II or Tandy TRS-80 or CoCo at a lower cost. And remember, most “real” business computers at that time did not have color or games capability. Business computers were focused on text screens and printers only, not games. But this computer could easily be used “after hours” for family games, in full color. That would be a pretty attractive package for a small sole-proprietor raising a family.

In 1984 IBM and MS-DOS were beginning to become the “standard” for business users and CP/M computers were going out of fashion. By 1987 MS-DOS was the dominant system for business. But the cost to buy in was still at least $2000 and usually much more if purchased as a “turnkey” system. A lot of small mom-and-pop shops or sole-proprietors could not afford to spend that kind of money. If they had bought this machine, and if Commodore would have supported it with upgrades, then the small business person could have made a go of it for at least a few years. Eventually the prices for MS-DOS systems would come down. By 1990 the prices for computers had come down to under $1000. But in 1994 a small business owner would have done without a computer just because of the costs. Had Commodore not dropped the ball they may have had success in that market. And maybe the users of this computer would have “upgraded” to a MS-DOS computer made by Commodore.

But this is all a look backwards At the time maybe we couldn’t yet foresee that Microsoft would dominate the market with MS-DOS. In 1984 it wasn’t yet “decided” who would win the PC Wars and Commodore was still a player. Companies like NEC, Tandy, DEC, NorthStar and others were still trying to compete and grab their piece of the pie. But Commodore was still more interested in competing in the “home computer” and gaming systems markets. The landscape would soon be littered with failures in those markets, followed closely by the makers of so-called professional computers. In the end it doesn’t really matter. Commodore went down with everyone else as they all lost out to IBM and MicroSoft.

—--

04-22-24

Today I noticed that some games do not work without a joystick. I will need to get an adapter so I can use my C64 joystick. I have to be careful to get the right adapter so that I don’t risk damaging the TED chip.

I also noticed that I wasn’t getting any sound. I switched to using the RF video to the antenna input on the TV, using the TV/Game adapter from my CoCo2. When I tested the sound on that output it worked. So something was wrong with the RGB output, or the cable. I looked up the pinout and made sure the cable I was using was wired correctly. It appeared to be fine. I plugged it back into the RGB video port and I only attached the yellow RCA for video. It booted to the video screen just fine, as before. Then I started up Tetris, which has a big sound at the opening screen. Then I plugged in the white RCA plug and I got sound! I plugged in the red RCA plug and I also got sound. I plugged them both in and I still had sound. So, it appears that I didn’t have the cable attached correctly at first. Anyway, it’s working now. The sound is fine.

Now that I have tested this machine and verified it is working I am going to order some accessories. While I am waiting I am going to put it in the box and start checking out the VIC20.

 TI99/4a Notes

I recently picked up this Texas Instruments TI99/4a at the 2024 VCF show in Wall, NJ for about $65. I had picked up another TI99/4a at last years show also (2023) but unfortunately that machine did not work and it had a broken keyboard cable. So, I was hoping that I would have better luck with this one. My hope was that maybe I could use parts from both to make up one good machine.

It took me a while to get to testing it out. I also bought a couple of Commodore machines at this years show and I started with testing those machines first. Both of those machines worked - a Plus/4 and a VIC-20. So, that was exciting and I was now anticipating trying out this TI99/4a.

I had forgotten if the video cable I was using for the Commodores was also compatible with the TI99/4a. I had to do some reading to ensure that I didn’t screw anything up. As it turns out the cable is compatible and does not have any connection to the 12v pins on the TI99/4a port. Since I last tested my previous TI99/4a I have purchased a nice little LCD screen TV that has the composite video inputs on the standard three color RCA plugs, Yellow for video and White and Red for split audio. I used this TV for the two Commodore machines in the last few weeks and it works good. I do not currently have a working CRT monitor with a composite input so this TV is a suitable substitute for now.

I tried to double-check that the power brick that came with this machine was working. I used my multi-meter to check the voltages and it seemed to pass the test. So, my next step was to make sure the power switch on the front of the machine was off and I used a power strip with a switch to plug the power adapter into and then I plugged the 4-pin power connector from the power supply into the TI99/4a. I also plugged in the TV to the power strip and plugged in the three RCA ends of the video cable to the TV and plugged in the 5-pin DIN side of the video cable to the back left port on the TI99/4a. Finally, I flipped on the power strip and turned on the TV and tuned the TV to Input 1 and then I turned on the power switch on the front of the machine. It worked! The sign-on screen came on the TV. I hit the spacebar and then I was able to get into Basic and did the obligatory “Hello world” demo. It works! 

The last TI99/4a did show the red power light but was otherwise dead. So this is a big improvement. Hopefully it will stay on and keep working.

It looks like I got lucky and I won’t have to repair this machine. I tested all the keys and they all seem to be working. But I don’t have any cartridges or any other accessories at all (besides the included RF Modulator which I am not using). I decided to do some reading online and watch some videos before I decided how to proceed. I will need to figure out how to get some software.

After some reading I learned that the computer supports the same cassette players as I used on my Tandy or Commodore but I would need to get a cable to interface to the cassette port and it is not the same cables as I already have with those other machines. I also will need an adapter for the joystick ports. I can use my Atari joysticks but the joystick port is not standard and will need to be broken out into two Atari style ports. (One of my Atari joysticks works and the other one does not).

I looked at how I might get a cartridge or two, or maybe a cassette. After looking around and watching some video I realized it would probably be cheaper to use an adapter that uses SD cards that can load multiple pieces of software on one SD card instead of trying to buy several cartridges or cassettes. Ultimately I decided on either a FlashROM99 or a FinalGROM99. The FinalGROM99 is the latest iteration of the FlashROM99 so that made the most sense if I could find one. I read there were shortages and some sources were sold out and had a waiting list. I considered buying the older FlashROM99 which I found at one source but then I found a FinalGROM99 for a decent price at a source not far from me here in the US. Some of the other sources were overseas.

The FlashROM99 was available for about $35. The FinalGROM99 I ended up purchasing was twice that. But the earlier version did not support subdirectories on the SD card and thus was limited to 171 entries in the root of the drive. The FinalGROM99 supported subdirectories and larger SD drives and also some other TI99/4a features I don’t yet understand, such as “Groms” files. Anyway, I did end up purchasing the FlashGROM99 and while I waited for it to arrive I watched videos about the device and read the manual online at the creator’s github. 

While I was watching these videos about the TI99/4a I also ran across similar devices for the Commodore machines. I had previously had success creating actual diskettes on my Commodore machines using a device I also purchased at VCF this year, a “Zoom Floppy”, and my actual 1541 disk drive, which works fine. But now I was considering getting one of these flash ROM devices for my Commodores and using SD cards instead of the actual floppy diskettes.

Well, I ran across this device named “BackBit”. After looking into it I realized that I could have probably used the BackBit Pro device on my TI99/4a and did not need the FinalGROM99. Oh well, I already purchased the FinalGROM99 and it was on it’s way. But I will be buying the BackBit Pro for use with my Commodores and Tandy CoCo machines. (The BackBit Pro supports several machines all with the one device. You have to purchase adapters to fit your machines but they support most of the machines I have, including the TI99/4a).

The FinalGROM99 arrived by mail and it was time to test it out. So, the next thing I have to learn is how to actually get the software images on to a supported SD drive. I read in the online manual that I could use any regular SD drive and that SD drives that were 2GB or smaller are formatted with FAT16 and 4GB or larger are formatted with FAT32. I scrounged through my stash of SD drives and found a couple of 1GB drives. I chose one and copied everything that was on it over to a folder on my desktop Win11 machine. Then I used Windows to format it to the standard FAT16 then confirmed I could access it in Windows explorer. I now had a SD card ready to go. But how do I put TI99/4a software onto it? Where do I find the software and what format is it in?

I did some googling and found a couple of sources for software. I also watched a video where he said he downloaded software and just dropped it on his SD drive. But he wouldn’t divulge where he got it. It also took a little while to decipher some forum messages on AtariAge to learn where to find software. Apparently people hesitate to come right out and tell you where to download software since there may be some copyright issues. So, you kind of have to be patient and keep digging until you get the answer through clues left by others.

It turns out there is a big archive of TI99/4a software at a place called ftp.whtech.com. There is also a pre-made collection of software ready to drop on your SD card named “FinalGROM99.zip” buried in that archive. That’s the one I downloaded. Then I expanded it on the hard drive using Win11 and then I dropped all the files at once onto the SD Card. Then I Ejected the drive using Windows Explorer and then I removed the SD card from my Win11 box and brought it over to the TI99/4a. 

I did not get a case around my FinalGROM99 so I had to carefully tilt the machine back so I could see the slot behind the flip open door of the cartridge slot and carefully inserted the card into the slot. Then I made sure the power and video cables were in place, turned on the LCD TV, and carefully inserted the SD card until it “clicked” into its slot on the front of the FinalGROM99. Now I powered on the machine. It came on and I hit the spacebar to go to the next screen. To my delight the FinalGROM99 was on the list at number 2. I entered “2” and the FinalGROM menu came on screen and showed me the folders of the SD card. It works!

I used the , (comma) and . (period) keys to move from screen to screen. These keys also have the < and > which help us understand these keys as “back” and “forward”. After looking through some of the screens under the “Games” folder I chose one to try by entering it’s letter. The first game I tried was called Defender. Unfortunately it seems to require a joystick so I could not play it. I rebooted the device and chose another game, this time Ms. Pacman. I was able to play Ms. Packman using the S,D,E and X keys as my arrow keys. But I am not very good with those keys and the TI99/4a does not have a separate set of arrow keys like the PC keyboard. But it worked.

Before I explore more games I am going to wait until my joystick adapter arrives. In the meantime I would like to explore some non-game software that was available for the TI99/4a. I know that MultiPlan was available on cartridge and I imagine there must have been a few others. Hopefully a word processor or two. I would like to compare it to the Plus/4 as a potential personal office machine.

I would like to explore some cassette software. Maybe I can start up something from the SD and then save it out using the cassette port. I’m not sure how this will work but I am interested in finding out if this will be possible.

I also only have 16K of ram. So maybe I can explore a 32K expansion. I think maybe the BackBit Pro also works as a 32K expansion module. So, if I get the TI99/4a adapter then maybe that will end up being the best solution for ram expansion.

—--

07/01/24

I got the joystick adapter installed and tried out the two Atari joysticks I have. I again started up Defender and selected two player. The first player usd the smaller joystick that I had attached to the front connector. It worked fine. Then when I got to player 2 I switched to the large joystick I had connected to the rear connector of the adapter. It only worked to move to the right. I could not move left or up or down and I could not fire. I suspected the joystick was bad.

I browsed through the files on the SD card and found a diagnostic program. One of the choices was for the controller test. When I ran that test the first joystick (the smaller one) wrecked fine. But the second one (the larger one) did not pass the test. I did not try swapping the joysticks to the opposite ports to confirm, but I think that the larger joystick does not work. I will start looking for a second Atari joystick to replace it.