

             Getting a Tandy to Talk to a Kaypro

By JOHN LUSTIG

     Describing a Kaypro is like trying to describe a blind date.
"Beautiful" is rarely the first word that comes to mind.  Instead, you'd
probably tell a friend that your little Kay is cute, compact and has a
lot of personality.  And--unlike some blind dates--they're portable.

     Well, sort of portable.

     The truth is that sometimes a Kaypro is anything but portable.  As
a freelance writer, I soon found that lugging a Kaypro along with me
everywhere was a good way to build muscles--but impractical from a
writing standpoint.  Being on the go much of the time, it always seemed
easier to work with my good, old, bare-bones word processor (a pad and
pen) than to drag along my Kaypro.

     So a couple of years ago I broke down and bought a TRS-80 Model 100
lap computer from Radio Shack.  I've never been really thrilled with the
Model 100's primitive, built-in word processor or its tiny screen.  But
the Model 100 is truly "portable" and it's come in handy in situations
where I've had to leave my "Little Kay" behind.

     Before I bought the Model 100, though, I was determined to make
sure I could pass data back and forth between it and my Kaypro.  This
turned out to be a lot more difficult, however, than either I or the
salesman suspected.  It took days of experimenting to finally figure out
a way to use the public domain program, MODEM7.COM, to transfer data
between the two computers.

     Since joining PUGSKUG, I've occasionally thought about writing an
article explaining how to hook up a Kaypro to a Model 100.  But I wasn't
sure if anyone else in PUGSKUG has a Model 100, so I kept putting the
article off.

     I still don't know if anyone in the club has a Model 100, but since
getting elected (or was I shanghaied?) vice-president of PUGSKUG, I
decided to stop talking about doing this article and just sit down and
do it.

     As luck would have it, two days before I sat down to do this
article, the February issue of "Portable 100/200/600" magazine arrived
in the mail with a story on--you guessed it--how to transfer data
between CP/M machines and Model 100s.

     OK, that probably sounds suspicious.  But honest, I knew how to
upload data from the Model 100 to the Kaypro long before I read Ken
Haller's story.  But I do want to credit Haller.  Thanks to him I now
know how to transfer data back the other way--downloading data from the
Kaypro to the Model 100.

     I suspect most people, however, won't have a great need for this
ability.  If you own both machines then you are much more likely to
upload files from the Model 100 than the other way round.  For that
reason--and because I really don't want to crib anything from Haller's
article--I'm just going to relate how to upload files from the Model
100.  If you do want info on downloading--or transferring Basic programs
between the two computers--pick up a copy of the magazine or give me a
call at 525-6257.

     (The same issue of "Portable 100/200/600" also explains how to get
the Model 100 to talk to MS-DOS and Macintosh computers.  If you're
thinking of buying a lap computer soon, then you might keep in mind the
Model 100's ability to communicate with other popular computers.  Of
course, it doesn't have all the dandy features of the new, CP/M-based
Bondwell-2 Lap Portable.  But the Model 100 is a heck of a lot
cheaper--especially if you're willing to buy second-hand.)

     Anyway, on to the meat of this article:


     HOW TO UPLOAD FROM A MODEL 100 TO A KAYPRO

     Begin by getting a null modem cable (available from Radio Shack)
and linking the Kaypro and the Model 100 via their RS-232 ports.  Then
turn on the Kaypro.  In Drive A place a disk with MODEM7.COM.  (Modem7
is available as part of the PUGSKUG library.) Place a blank, formatted
disk in Drive B.  Then type: MODEM7

     After the Modem7 menu appears, type in the following on your
Kaypro: T B:filename.ext

     Hit the Return key.

     When the disk drives quit spinning, do a Control Y.  (Hit the
Control key and the Y key at the same time.)

     Now, turn on your Model 100 and enter the document you want to
transfer.  With the cursor at the top of the document, hit the Return
key a couple of times so that two blank lines are added to the beginning
of the document.  (This is necessary to keep the Kaypro from eating the
first line of the document during transfer.)

     Push the Label key and then press the Save key (F3).  The Model 100
will then ask you what device you want to save the story to.  Respond by
typing in: 38N1E

     Hit the Return key.

     Data from the Model 100 should now be appearing across your
Kaypro's screen.  When the transfer is complete, type in a Control E on
your Kaypro keyboard.  You should now be back at the Modem7 menu.  To
write the data to disk you must type in: WRT

     Hit the Return key.

     To get back to the CP/M prompt, all you have to do is type: CPM

     Hit the Return key.

     That's all it takes.  You should now have a copy of that file from
your Model 100 on your Drive B disk.

     (Note: I'm assuming that you'll be transferring data at 300 baud.
If you find a way to set up Modem7 to accept data at 1200 baud then you
must type in a different code on your Model 100.  Instead of "38NIE",
type in "58NIE".)


