Path: news1.icaen!news.uiowa.edu!NewsNG.Chicago.Qual.Net!nyd.news.ans.net!newsfeeds.ans.net!nyd.news.ans.net!news.idt.net!nntp.giganews.com!cyclone.swbell.net!typhoon01.swbell.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: <3619701C.D093BA6@swbell.net> From: Rubywand Reply-To: rubywand@swbell.net X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.06 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: Extracting *.DSK/*.DO/*.PO images-- NULL-modem X-fer Info References: <19981004064956.09053.00003267@ng12.aol.com> <01bdefdc$63844ba0$110798cd@pdsrome> <3618DC68.E098B4D4@swbell.net> <6vanjo$557@crcnis3.unl.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 167 Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 20:19:24 -0500 NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.193.15.194 X-Complaints-To: abuse@swbell.net X-Trace: typhoon01.swbell.net 907636820 207.193.15.194 (Mon, 05 Oct 1998 20:20:20 CDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 20:20:20 CDT Organization: SBC Internet Services Xref: news1.icaen comp.sys.apple2:140082 Jack Somers writes ... > > Rubywand wrote in message <3618DC68.E098B4D4@swbell.net>... > >Jim Thompson writes ... > >> > > A .SHK file should be downloaded to PC without any special > >processing on the PC-- i.e. just get the binary file and transfer it to > >your Apple II. NULL-modem is a good way to transfer stuff from PC to an > >Apple II. > > > > Where can I get such a NULL-modem cable or connection for my PC to Apple > IIGS file transfers? I would like one very much!!! .... A NULL-modem or NULL-modem "cable" is, usually, two standard 25-pin DIN female sockets mounted back to back with some lines swapped ... ~~*~~ NULL-modem ~~*~~ Socket-A Socket-B 1 -> 1 2 -> 3 3 -> 2 4 & 5 -> 8 6 & 22 -> 20 7 -> 7 8 -> 4 & 5 20 -> 6 & 22 If you can find a couple old-style DIN-25 plug casings, the sockets can be mounted and the casings can be glue-gunned together to make a nice compact unit. Radio Shack sells a NULL-modem connector for a few dollars. To do NULL-modem transfers, you plug a modem cable from each computer into the connector. I plug a hi-speed modem cable from the GS into one end of the NULL-modem and a modem cable from the PC COM1 or COM2 serial port into the other end. The Hi-Speed GS modem cable is described in the Spectrum manual and in the ProTERM 3.1 manual ... ~~*~~ Hi-Speed GS modem cable ~~*~~ View is looking into the cable connector/plug at the pins. Male Mini-Din 8 RS-232 Male DB-25 6 7 8 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 3 4 5 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 DIN-8 DB-25 Signal Discription 3 2 TD (Transmit Data) 5 3 RD (Receive Data) 4,8 7 GND (Ground) 2 5 CTS (Clear to Send) 1 4,20 RTS & DTR (Ready to Send and Data Term Ready) 7 8 DCD (Data Carrier Dectect) InTrec Software (888-PROTERM; http://www.intrec.com ) and MC Price Breakers (360-837-3042; http://www.mcpb.com ) are two places which sell a Hi-Speed modem cable for the GS. The mechanical setup is pretty simple ... ____________ ____________ | PC or Mac | | Apple II | | running a | | running a | | telecom | <--modem--> [NULL modem] <--modem--> | telecom | | program | cable [connector ] cable | program | |____________| |____________| On the PC side, the COM port may have a 9-pin socket. This is okay. A 9-to-25 modem cable or short converter cable is a standard item. Today, most users depend upon the PC for connecting to the net. This means that COM1 or COM2 will be connected to an external modem or that one of the COM ports will be committed to an internal modem. Since the PC can handle net I/O and other tasks at the same time, it is convenient to leave one COM port connected to the modem and net and to use the other for a fixed NULL-modem connection to the GS. For example, .... [Modem to net] | modem cable COM2 ____ |______ ____________ | PC or Mac | | Apple II | | running a | COM1 | running a | | telecom | <--modem--> [NULL modem] <--modem--> | telecom | | program | cable [connector ] cable | program | |____________| |____________| To transfer files between the computers, each is running a telecom program with data format set to the usual 8-N-1 and baud rate set the same. I use Spectrum on the GS and HyperTerm on the PC with baud rate set to 57,600. HyperTerm allows defining and saving different setups. When HyperTerm is started, I load a setup which expects to use COM1 (since COM2 is used to connect to the net modem). "Emulation" is set to plain "TTY" and, as already indicated, port settings are 8 data bits, No parity, 1 Stop bit, with "Flow Control" set to "Hardware" and speed set to 57,600. Spectrum's Port settings are 57,600 for Baud Rate, 8-None-1 for "Data Format", 64k for "Buffer Size". "Send LFs", "H'ware Handshake", "Xon/Xoff flow", and "DCD is valid" and "Modem Port" are all selected. "Character delay" and "Line delay" are both set to zero. Spectrum's File Transfer settings have "Auto receive", "Packet send ahead", and "Binary II Down" selected. Usually, the "Default File Transfer Directory" is left at /RAM5 (800k RAM disk). For big transfers, it gets set to a folder on a ProDOS hard disk partition or to a folder on a ProDOS Zip disk partition. Our IIgs is a ROM-01 with 4MB Mem Expansion (AE GS-RAM III) and 10MHz/64k ZipGSx accelerator running System 6.0.1 from an 80MB Focus Hard Card. The SCSI interface for the Zip Drive is a RamFAST with 3.01f ROM. No screen saver NDA's are loaded (ever) and AppleTalk drivers, inits, etc. were ripped out years ago. This system has no problem doing NULL-modem transfers at 57,600 baud. To send a file, say Narfgame.shk, from the PC to the GS, HyperTerm is started, the setup file is "opened". On the GS, Spectrum is started. Once both telecom programs are ready, you "browse" to locate Narfgame.shk and, with HyperTerm's "protocol" set to Zmodem, click "Send". The process of sending an .shk file from the GS to the PC is similar. That is, usually you will select a Zmodem send, highlight the files to send, and click "Open" under Spectrum on the GS. (You may need to press RETURN once or twice at the end of a send from the GS to get HyperTerm to officially end the receive.) If the current default Receive directory for HyperTerm is not the one you want, you may need to click Receive File and browse to the directory you like on the PC. Then, click Receive and start the send from the GS. Maybe the above is more detail than you needed. Still, sometimes, a specific example is better than a bunch of guidelines. In any case, there is quite a bit of info on NULL-modem transfers, downloading, and related stuff in the two Text files mentioned earlier. Rubywand