TATUNG EINSTEIN TC01 EMULATION

CONTENTS

Einstein Emulation On A PC DESKTOP

MESS

MESS " Multi-Emulator Super System" is run by a group of people who are dedicated to document old computers by emulation. Their latest  windows software interface has many old computers added for emulation. Thanks to Kevin Thacker the Einstein TC01 has also been added. Mess has a web site at http://www.mess.org/. It is a non profit project. The sourse and binary are made freely available. For those not technically minded and just want to have their favourite old computer emulated on a PC or MAC the latest versions can be downloaded from their download page. For each old computer to be emulated its system ROM in a zip archive has to be added to the Bios folder in the mess directory and in the software folder a subdirectory containing disk or tape images of the computer to be emulated.

EINSTEIN EMULATION

1: First create a folder "MESS" on a hard drive. Download the latest MESS.zip and extract all files to the MESS folder.

2: Download "einstein.zip" from here and add it to the "bios" folder in the MESS directory. Do NOT unzip the archive.

3: Download "Xbas.dsk" from here and add it (also other Einstein Disk images if you have them) to an "einstein" sub directory in the MESS software folder.

4: Double click left mouse button on "messgui" icon to start MESS.

MESS Folder

MESS EMULATOR WINDOW

Disk images to be loaded into MESS's virtual drives for the TC01 can be made from Einstein 3.5" floppies with CPDRead in most PCs.  CPDREAD needs to be run in DOS not from the Windows DOS Prompt so either boot into DOS with a floppy or close Windows into MS DOS. It can be a fickle program and for reasons of its own will not work with some PCs. More information on CPDRead and CPDWrite can be found on this Tatung Einstein Site page. CPCDiskXP  (win2000 & XP only) can create Einstein disk images from 3½ inch Einstein floppy in a PC drive. EinTrans will (with a null modem connection between Einstein and PC needed) create a standard 40 track 10 sector per track Einstein disk images. See this Page.

A number of Einstein Disk Images can be found here.

MESS default settings are usually set to full screen for an emulation startup. A black screen is followed by an introductory box stating the name and details of the system (old micro) to be emulated. A key press will bring up another box showing the disk images loaded into the simulated drives. A further key press will bring up the Einstein screen with a window giving "keyboard status". Do nothing for "full keyboard emulation" and normal Einstein emulation; the keyboard status window will dissapear. To toggle the emulation veiw from full screen to a window on the windows desk top hold down the <Alt> key then press <ENTER> key.

DISK IMAGES

CPCDiskXP

A new disk image reader and writer for Einstein 3.5" floppys. Works from Windows using Win2000 or XP only.

A big advance on CPCRead

Designed for Amstrad CPC disk images BUT With win2000 or XP it will read 3.5" Einstien floppies to a disk image file in the PC and write images back to 3.5" Einstein floppies. I have used this successfully with single and double side Einstein 3.5" floppies.

Download site http://www.cpcmania.com/

CPDRead

Download cpdread720.zip This Zip archive contains all files to read a single side 3.5 720k disks with 40 track Einstein format. Seems to work on most PCs. CPCREAD.CFG already set up for 3.5 Einstein disks to be read from drive A.

To set up CPDRead. Create "cpdread" folder on PC hard drive extract all files from zip archive to it. Shut down windows to DOS or boot the computer to DOS. With an Einstein 3.5 disk in the PC's "A" drive from the CPDRead directory type

"c:\cpdread>cpdread filename s <ENTER>" - - - - no file extension needed.

The "s"extension is needed if both sides of a floppy  have been single sided formatted on the Einstein. The "s" extension may be omitted or added to get two disk images off the same floppy. If all goes well a disk image file should be in the cpdread directory. Not much use having CPDRead if haven't got CPDWrite working or Einstein emulation on the PC. Except to send disk images to those that have.

EinTrans version 2.00

This is a PC-Einstein transfer utility developed by Ste Ruddy which includes the ability to create extended disk image files on the PC from a disk in an Einstein drive. A null modem cable link between the PC and Einstein with hardware hand shaking is required. A complete zipped archive 1.38meg, holding a windows GUI version and a dos prompt command line version. Plus a help file that explains it all is available. Download EinTrans200.zip.

Serial Port Connections

PC-Einstein Serial Link

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