By Tom R. Halfhill — originally published in COMPUTE!’s Gazette Issue 2, August 1983
Software and hardware support for Commodore 64 and VIC-20 computers is growing rapidly, judging from the new products exhibited at the Comdex/Spring computer show in Atlanta. Here’s a sample of what’s soon going to be in the stores.
According to one recent estimate, Commodore is making more than 110,000 computers a month, including at least 70,000 VIC-20s, and is the leading home computer manufacturer in terms of market share. Sold nearly everywhere at bare-bones prices, Commodore computers are developing into a large and lucrative market for independent makers of software and accessories.
So it’s not surprising that entrepreneurs and established companies alike are jumping into this potential market with new products. Many of these firms were exhibiting their wares at the recent Comdex/Spring computer show in Atlanta. Although Comdex is business-oriented, with emphasis on more expensive microcomputers, this spring’s show seemed to have a larger minority of home computer exhibitors. Commodore itself and the other home computer manufacturers were not there, but plenty of independent (or “third-party”) companies had merchandise to display. Two welcome trends in evidence are growing software support for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, and lower-priced peripherals to match the lower prices of computers.
Most of these products should be available by the time this issue appears. Here’s a summary of the most interesting items we spotted:
Low-Cost Printers
• Gorilla Banana, from Leading Edge Products, Inc., Canton, Massachusetts. This is the product behind those recent, mysterious, full-page gorilla ads in magazines. Leading Edge, best-known for its Elephant Memory diskettes, says the Banana is only the first in a new line of low-cost peripherals for home computers.
At $249.95, the Banana is an 80-column (full-size paper) printer for informal word processing and general use. Features include a dot-matrix print head (characters are formed out of tiny dots); tractor feed (requiring tractor-feed paper with tear-off perforations along the edges); unidirectional printing (the head prints left to right only, and returns to the left for each new line); printing speed of 50 characters per second; four character sets (U.S., British, German, and Swedish); double-width print mode (characters are printed twice as wide, 40 columns per line); and upper/lowercase without true descenders (the “tail” on letters such as g, j, p, k, and y does not dip below the line). There’s also a graphics mode with a density of 63 by 60 dots per square inch. Special programs can make pictures or charts in this mode by individually printing these dots.
The Banana hooks up directly to any computer with a Centronics parallel interface (an industry-standard connection). Since the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 lack this interface, Leading Edge also introduced a $29.95 adapter. For another $29.95, you can get a cartridge that lets the Banana print the special Commodore graphics characters, which most printers besides Commodore’s own cannot handle.
• STX-80, from Star Micronics, Inc., of Dallas, Texas. Another 80-column dot-matrix printer, the STX-80 is even less expensive at $199. But it differs from most of its 80-column cousins in that it’s a thermal printer. The print head uses hot wires and special heat-sensitive paper instead of an inked ribbon to form its characters. Unlike most thermal printers, however, the STX-80 does not use the shiny silver thermal paper which can sometimes be hard to read. Instead, it uses white thermal paper with sharp black lettering, remarkably similar to standard typing paper.
Like the Banana, the STX-80 is unidirectional, but manages slightly faster printing speed of 60 characters per second. It has upper/lowercase with true descenders, double-width text mode, dot graphics mode, block graphics characters, European characters, and Centronics-standard parallel interface. Although Star Micronics did not have its own parallel adapter for hooking up the STX-80 to Commodore computers, such adapters are available from other third-party companies. At Comdex, Star Micronics had an STX-80 attached to Commodore 64 with an interface available for $79.95 from Cardco, Inc., of Wichita, Kansas.
• DP-8240, also from Star Micronics. The DP-8240 is 40-column (half-width paper) printer with an inked ribbon and dot-matrix print head. Prints at 50 characters per second, has tractor or friction feed, up per/lowercase without true descenders, graphics characters, European and scientific characters, dot graphics, and parallel interface. Suggested retail is S250.
• Impact Printer, from Fidelity Electronics, Ltd., of Miami, Florida. This was not only the least expensive printer we found at Comdex, but also the only low-cost unit designed specifically for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. It hooks up to either computer with no additional interface. Although the impact Printer has only 24-column line, it uses standard adding machine roll paper and is suitable for program listings and other informal output. Other features include printing speed of 30 characters per second, upper/lower case, graphics characters, inverse characters, and a dot graphics mode. Price is S129.99.
Instant Expansion
Want to expand your computer’s memory or capabilities? number of quick plug-in accessories were shown at Comdex:
• Supermother for VIC-20, from Compuscope, inc., Tillamook, Oregon. The Supermother short for “super-motherboard” is the largest expansion board now available for the VIC. As you know, expanding the VIC to larger amounts of memory with 8K or 16K cartridges presents problem, since the computer has but one cartridge slot. The Supermother plugs into this slot and adds eight additional slots, each one selectable with switch. This means you can plug in several memory cartridges, program cartridges, and other accessories all at once, and use one or more of them at time by flipping the appropriate switches. Since you’re not constantly plugging and unplugging cartridges, it also saves wear on the edge connectors.
The Supermother also has system reset button, which can sometimes rescue you from jam by clearing the VIC if you’ve made serious programming error. Another button freezes program execution without interfering with anything else. This would be especially handy for games which lack pause feature. There’s also switch that lets you make backup copies of cartridges on tape or disk, but the backup will not run without the Supermother. The Supermother sells for $149.95.
• Super 16K, Super 8K for VIC-20, also from Compuscope. These memory expansion cartridges work with the Supermother, or singly on the unexpanded VIC. The Super 16K, at $79.95, and the Super 8K, at $49.95, both have low power consumption for more reliable operation, external block switching, and write-protection circuitry. Some of these features will be most useful to advanced programmers. For instance, with external block switching, you can change the cartridge to work in different memory configurations. The write protection circuitry allows these Random Access Memory (RAM) cartridges to simulate Read Only Memory (ROM), so that information stored there cannot be accidentally erased. An interesting feature of the Super 8K is its four empty chip sockets inside the cartridge. If you want to upgrade to 16K expansion later, you can buy memory chips and add them yourself without soldering.
• VIGOR for VIC-20, from Microtek, Inc., San Diego, California. VIGOR stands for “VIC’s Grand Old RAM-cage” and is a three-slot expansion board that sells for S39.95. Like other boards of this type, it allows you to plug in memory expanders, games, and other program cartridges simultaneously. Microtek already makes 8K and 16K expanders for the VIC. Two 16K cartridges plugged into VIGOR will fully expand VIC-20 and still leave one slot free for another accessory.
• CC-2064 for VIC and 64, also from Microtek. This cable plugs into VIC or 64 and allows it to operate Centronics-standard parallel printers, like those detailed above. The cable comes with special software on cassette which is necessary to complete the interface. Price is $70.
• Accessories for VIC and 64, from Oceans International Ltd., Bensenville, Illinois. This company exhibited wide line of hardware and software for both computers, including: Textview, plug-in module that lets the VIC display 40 or 50 characters per screen line in addition to the standard 22 characters, $199; the Joy II adapter, which allows two joysticks on VIC or three on 64, $19.95; the RS-232 Bidirectional Interface, so VICs and 64s can be attached to modems, printers, and other devices which use the RS-232-standard serial interface, $39.95; three-slot expansion boards for both the VIC and 64, S49.95; and parallel printer interface for the VIC, $99.95.
• VIC/64 Switch, manufactured in Sweden and distributed in the United States by Computer Marketing Services, Inc., Cherry Hill, New Jersey. This device lets you plug up to eight VICs and/or 64s into single disk drive and printer – ideal for classrooms and users groups. The VIC/64 Switch constantly scans the computers for input/output commands. If more than one computer tries to access the disk drive or printer at once, the Switch handles (he commands in sequential order (first come, first served). It works with the VIC-I540/
1541 disk drive and serial printer. Price is $149.95.
• VIC/64 Relay Cartridge, also from Computer Marketing Services. This device plugs into the user port of VIC or 64 and lets the computer control lights, heaters, air conditioners, burglar alarms, coffee pots, or almost anything else. It has six relay outputs and two optocouplers for controlling appliances. Price is $59.95.
New VIC And 64 Software
Here are some of the more interesting new software products that were exhibited at Comdex:
• “Wizware,” from Scholastic, Inc., Inglewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Widely known among school children and parents for its Weekly Reader, Scholastic is entering the field of educational and entertainment software with line of programs for the Apple, Atari, Texas Instrument’s, and VIC-20 computers. So far, VIC-20 selections include Electronic Party, interactive party games for birthdays and other occasions (age six and up); Square Pairs, memory match game (age eight and up); Turtle Tracks, using turtle graphics to teach elementary computer programming (age eight and up); and Your VIC-20, an introduction to the VIC for young people. Each is on cassette for $29.95.
• Commodore 64 software, from Tri Micro, Orange, California. Tri Micro, new company, introduced very broad line of software which includes Scriptimus, word processor, $39.95; Easy DB, database file manager for storing and sorting names and addresses, inventories, book catalogs, etc., $39.95; The Trilogy Series, an integrated word processing, data base, and spreadsheet system, S149.95; Tri Count, small-business program with general ledger, inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable, $149.95; Tri-Sy$, tool for BASIC
programmers which adds an enhanced screen editor, extended commands, statistics module, and other utilities, 559.95; Tri Graph 1.0, for creating high-resolution graphics, S29.95; Tri Forth 1.0, fig-FORTH language with extensions for the Commodore 64, S59.95; Easy Tutor, ten lesson tutorial for beginning BASIC programmers, $34.95; Tri Slugger Stats, for keeping track of softball and Little League teams, S39.95; The Bean Counter, home finance manager, $39.95; and two arcade-style games, Shields Up and Krystals of Zong, $39.95 each.
• VIC and 64 games, from Oceans International. In addition to the hardware accessories mentioned above, Oceans International also introduced line of games for the VIC and 64: Dot Gobbler, Frogman, Tank Wars, Close Encounters, Amazing Maze, and Space Ric-O-Shay, $32.95 each. Blackjack and Blockbuster are available for the VIC only.
• VIC and 64 software and languages, from Computer Marketing Services. This company exhibited line of programs and languages for both computers (plus the hardware already covered above). These include: Vanilla PILOT (VIC and 64), disk or cassette-based language with turtle graphics recommended especially for children, $29.95; 64-Forth (64 and VIC), a fig-FORTH operating system and language with special extensions, $59.95; 64 Mailing List (64 only), $29.95 tape or 334.95 disk; 64-STAT (64 and VIC), a cartridge that adds 19
statistics and graphics commands to BASIC, 549.95; Script-64 (64 only), full-featured word processor with built-in dictionary expandable to 20,000 words, $139.95; and Calc Result, sophisticated disk-based spreadsheet for the 64 which leaves about 41K free memory for data, S149.95.