On, IIRC. It caused such a surge that the tape would be partially erased. -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com -- Computer geeks don't byte; we just nybble. ---------------------------------

On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 2:47 PM, David Griffith <dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu> wrote: Good point. How hard could it be? The wikipedia page for the adam has some links at the bottom to users groups. They probably have the info for that. You could probably hack together a cable to hook it up to a different printer while drawing power from an old atx power supply or something. The interface is probably a regular old serial or parallel interface, just with a proprietary cable. I doubt coleco made their own printers. I bet there's a fix for the tape drive problem as well. Did they ever make a floppy drive for the adam or did it die too quickly? I had a colecovision as a kid and played it a lot. When the adam came out, I desperately wanted one, but my parents couldn't separate the idea of a home computer from the idea of a video game console. Any computer was just something (expensive) for me to play games on, so they refused to buy one. They eventually bought a 5150 used since that was a *real* computer. And they could use it for work (I don't think they ever attempted to use it). I worked for a year and a half making minimum wage to save up enough for an amiga 500. I asked them to chip in some money for a 2000. They refused because the amiga was obviously only for games. Of course, I learned C and 68000 assembly language on that machine as well as writing countless papers. Sometimes I think I got my computer science degree in spite of my parents. Can you tell I'm bitter. ;-) brian

[ADAM printer] Hmm... A nmmber of manufacturers (Commodore being the obvious one) used standard printer mechansisms with their own electronics, and thust their own interface. I think it's fairly well-known that the Commodore GPIB printers had Epson mechansims, but the electronics is nothing like the Epson electronics. And of course the Commodore 1520 is an Alps mechanism. Maybe Coleco did soemthing similar. I'd heard the interface was something a little unconventional... -tony

It's a simple wiring job. An AT power supply works nicely. On Dec 29, 2009, at 2:47 PM, David Griffith wrote:

Brian Lanning wrote: It's if you tried to eject the tape with it running. Because it didn't stop the high speed cassette before ejecting it, and it didn't have an eject interlock mechanism. Peace... Sridhar

Contrary to popular opinion, I actually think this was a smart idea. Here's why: While it is true that if the printer PS dies, the computer isn't usable, putting the PS for the system in the printer actually simplified the wiring of the unit. It only required one AC connection for the whole thing, one wire going from the printer to the computer, and one wire to the keyboard. The whole system was designed with the idea of making things simple for non-techies to use. So, in that respect, I think it was a good idea. On Dec 29, 2009, at 12:38 PM, Brian Lanning wrote:

That's a fair point. It is a linear power supply so there may have been a size/weight/packaging issue as well. The PSU is actually fairly large in the printer... case and all measures about 5x7x2". I'm admittedly a bit of an ADAM apologist... it's my favorite computer from the early 80's. That said, I think that their power supply designs (not just in the printer) were cheap and not very robust. On Dec 29, 2009, at 8:29 PM, Adam Sampson wrote:

I disagree. The PSU is on the same PCB as the monitor, but in nrither case does any of the logic run off the flyback transformer. I have the Amstrad PCW8256 service manual here. The PSU is a switch-mode thing using an STK7308 hybrid chip. It produces +5V, +12V, +24V. The monitor is a conventional monochrome design running off that +12V line. The CRT heater is powered straight from that, other CRT voltages come from the flyback transformer as you'd expect. Thati s a separae issue. I can well beleive the decoupling is not all it should be :-) How is the average user going to do that? They are very common in consumer electronics over here. And not hard to get. I am sure a UK supplier will ship across the Pond. Now perhaps you know how I feel when I want to get 0.125" or 0.156" edge connectors (which nobody stocks over here). And UNC bolts are rarer than rocking horse manure in the UK. Much rarer. That's what a lot of people do :-). According to the manual, there are 3 of them, one inseries with each chopper transformer secondary winding. They're ICP-N75 devices, which I think are 3A. But I would have to check. -tony

I'd call that a decoupling (or coupling) issue. Just a very low frequency one :-)# Err, if you're going to start plugging random things into connectors, you deserve all you get. How about pluging an RS232 cable into an IBM-compatible parallel port? It'll fit, but it'll blow a few chips. TTL (or whatever) doesn't like having +/-12V applied to its pins. FWIW, there is a current limit circuit on the +24V output (the '24V Protect' blcok Q5010 to Q5013 and related components). There is a similar circuit on the 5V rail. From what I can see, the 12V rail is not protected, but that one is only brought out on the bus expansion conenctor, and if you connect random things there you've got a lot more to worry aobut that blowing a PSU fuse. My guess is that shorting out either supply line used by the printer will do no lasting damage. I don't know why I am defending Amstrad products. I don't much care for them (they _are_ cheaply made, as you know I like quality desigbs). On the other hand I think the PCW range was one of the better thought-out 'appliance' computers Do you mean Whitworth (as in BSW)? Those are quite common over here. And I'll lay odds that almost everyone here has used a 1/4" BSW screw at some point. Can you get BA fasteners? Those were very commonly used on small machinery, electrical stuff, etc over here. A lot are still in use. They are not hard to get here. I can get the connectors I mentioned from, e.g. Digikey. OK, I have to pay the shipping charges, but I can get them. But I've not found a company who will sell me a small quantity of UNC fasteners and send them to England ('small quantity' means, say, 100 off 1/2" 6-32 bolts. Not just 1 of them). Suprisingly the taps and dies can be found over here. I can make nuts (although it's a lot of work to mill a piece of rod to a hexagon and tap the hole), but making screws with the right heads is a lot harder. -tony

Actually, they're not that common in British cars (escept in the electrical parts). Cars tended to uyse BSW/BSF (if old) or UNC/UNF (if newer). Larger UNC/UNF fasteners are not that hard to find over here, but the 'number sizes' certainly are. [Possible UNC supplier] I must admit I much prefer to order from a web page, or failing that a printed catagloe. Phoning somebody up and saying 'do you have any 6-32 UNC bolts half an inch long, Allen cap head' and then carrying on 'no', 'well what about Pozidriv pan head' and so on, gets boring fast. I also like to compare the prices of various heads/materials/finishes. I might well take a compromise if it was a lot cheaper. That's secondary to the problem of them mishearing what I want and sending the wrong stuff (as has happened too many times to me). Ordering off the web removes that problem, any mistyping of the order code is then certainly my fault. -tony

In case anyone is interested, it looks like there was a floppy drive and even a modem for the adam. I didn't know either existed. http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/coleco-adam/index.html brian

Yah, I have the modem, it's a plug in cart/card that goes in to the expansion ports inside the tape unit. The floppy drive you can still pick up, as well as a few other peripherals. Marty On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 9:28 PM, Brian Lanning <brianlanning at gmail.com> wrote:

I think it was because there was no commonly-avaiallbe connector that coule (a) carry the current needed by the printer mechanicals and (b) had enough pins for all the data lines -- the printer really was a dumb device, just motors, printhead and drivers, all the timing came from the computer). OK, penny-pinching if you line (in that there were expensive connectors that could do the job), but IMHO a sensible choice. FWIOW, the daisywheel printer used on the PCW9512+ seems to have had a single cable ending in a 14 pin DIN plug (think : Atari ST floppy drive). But that has a serial interface (not RS232, of course), with a gate array (I think) in the printer. Or at least that's what the service manual shows. -tony

I think that's more of an urban legend than the actual reason for the name. I have yet to see an actual verifiable source for the attribution. According to a lawsuit over the name, Coleco had it trademarked back in '76, making the claim impossible - http://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/17/business/logical-challenges-coleco-s-adam… Marty On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Christian Liendo <christian_liendo at yahoo.com> wrote:

Evan Koblentz wrote: How is it written on the machine's nameplate? AFAIC, that's the correct way it should be written. Peace... Sridhar

So why don't you do your own research if you feel so strongly about it? ;) I suggest the periodical references of your local library to get you started. On Dec 29, 2009, at 6:37 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:

I would suggest looking the Popular Science report from the CES where ADAM was introduced. I could be wrong, but I think it or Family Computing had a quote from one of the people manning the Coleco booth about it. I might have the magazine in a box somewhere. Anyway, the PopSci article is also interesting because there's a prerelease picture of the ADAM with cassette drives which are slot loaded like a car stereo. On Dec 29, 2009, at 6:54 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:

----- Original Message ----- From: "Evan Koblentz" <evan at snarc.net> Cc: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 7:37 PM Subject: Re: Coleco Adam name? The introductory ADAM press release and brochure show it all uppercase, but make no reference to the Apple story. Nor does it indicate that ADAM is an acronym. You might check the local papers of the time (would be the Hartford Courant) and the trade press for proof of the Apple angle.

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009, Evan Koblentz wrote: Just curious: how do YOU spell and punctuate the names of each of the Apple 6502 based computers? How do you feel about the people who ARE parties to Apple's marketing? How do you spell and capitalize the name of the computer that Jobs marketed after Apple? How do you capitalize the Apple music player, and the giant evil auction site? Yes, my company name is XenoSoft. For a short while, about 30 years ago, Microsoft capitalized their 'S' also. -- Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009, Evan Koblentz wrote: Do you write "Apple II", or "Apple ]["? "Apple III" or Apple ///"?

On Wed, 30 Dec 2009, Evan Koblentz wrote: I do. It is more of an affectation than using all caps.

I'm not familiar with that company or software. But, if I ever had a reason to write about it, I would do the same thing I'm doing now with the Coleco computer -- I'd try to find out if the letters are a valid acronym, and then I'd make a decision. If I found out that "CODE" does not stand for anything, then I'd write Code instead. I'd tell anyone who had a problem with that to explain to me exactly why "CODE" stands for and why they ever capitalized it in the first place. If their answer is, "Nothing, and because the company's brochures told us to," then I'd just laugh at them.

Or see how it is written in the FCC database. -- Will

Fred Cisin wrote: The nameplate I care about. The schematics, I don't. Like it or not, the marketing people named the machine. Almost no machines are sold under their engineering-department code names. Peace... Sridhar

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009, Cameron Kaiser wrote: Why would they think that we wouldn't buy "Butthead Astronomer" computers?

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009, Sridhar Ayengar wrote: Not necessarily. If it was always true, you'd rent videos from Moxie Gallery or try to figure out how to pronounce the alchemic symbol for soapstone. -- David Griffith dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

Evan Koblentz wrote: I don't know if there was any truth behind the "bite out of Apple" story, but it was mentioned in news reports as early as 1985. As far as capitalization goes, any contemporary news articles I've seen in the magazines Byte, InfoWorld, Creative Computing, and 80 Micro always referred to it as the Adam. -- Matthew Reed http://www.trs-80.org mkr at trs-80.org

I just spent the night looking it up in news databasees and the contemporary newspaper articles all used ADAM, including in the announcement before and during the CES unveiling. Marty On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Matthew Reed <mkr at trs-80.org> wrote:

It was the common convention with the computer press at the time to change all odd capitalizations to an initial cap for product and company names. I know this was the case with all IDG publications, including InfoWorld and 80 Micro.

On 30 Dec 2009 at 21:01, Matthew Reed wrote: Don't forget that "Adam" was the name of the robot (Adam Link) in "I, Robot", a 1964 episode of "The Outer Limits". The Coleco product probably would have been less popular if called "D.A.R.Y.L.". --Chuck