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File transfer between Windows PCs and X68000 machines using a null modem cable
The following tutorial is kind contribution by our forum member Magic Knight.
Last year I had a problem. I wanted to transfer files which I had downloaded from the Internet onto my Windows PC over to my X68000. I didn’t have a 5.25” drive on my PC, and even if I were to get one, I was running Windows XP so a program like xfloppy wasn’t going to work anyway. I do have a laptop, running Windows 98, but with no way to connect a 5.25” drive.
My main priority was to get a hold of SCSI drivers so that I could use a CD-ROM drive, and thereafter transfer files by simply writing CDs on my Windows machine.
I therefore contacted Makoto Kamada, whose website is here:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/m_kamada/
He suggested that I should try connecting the two machines (Window 98 laptop and X68000) using a null modem cable and then transfering the files that way. At the time he had not yet publicly released the BASIC program he wrote to start the process, but recently he did release it with details of how to use it on his website (in Japanese), along with the program itself.
http://homepage2.nifty.com/m_kamada/di200908.htm#D20090815_WIN68KTRANSFER
I will go through all of the steps necessary to carry out the transfer.
First, let’s look at the requirements:
Your Windows PC will probably have to be Windows 95/98 or similar, I haven’t tried it with other operating systems. You could try it and see if it works on your own system. Your X68000 probably needs Human68k 3.02, it may well work with earlier versions, I really don’t know. A null modem cable. The one I got to work is the Sanwa KR-MD1.
http://www.sanwa.co.jp/product/syohin.asp?code=KR-MD1&cate=1&keyword=kr-md1
You can see how the pins from each end are connected, so you can probably find a similar cable in your own country. You may also have to connect two cables together before you get the right connection.
Ensure that both machines are turned OFF when connecting the cable.
Now, the procedure:
1. Download and install Tera Term Pro ver. 2.3 for Windows on your PC
Download ttermp23.zip from:
http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html
This is an older version of Tera Term Pro, which works fine on Windows 95/98. I don’t know if the newer versions work well or not.
2. Download ZM.X for X68000
Download ZMX68K4.LZH from:
http://retropc.net/x68000/software/tools/zmodem/zm/
This is a ZMODEM transfer tool for the X68000.
3. Extract sxmr.zip onto the Windows PC
http://homepage2.nifty.com/m_kamada/sxmr.lzh
When extracted, you will see a simple text file, sxmr.bas.
This is a simple XMODEM receiver tool written by Makoto.
You use it only once, when transferring ZM.X from the Windows PC to the X68000.
4. Setup the serial port of the Windows PC
Start Tera Term Pro.
Tera Term Pro
- Setup
- Serial port
Baud rate: 4800
Data: 8 bit Parity: none Stop: 1 bit Flow control: hardware <---- Don't use Xon/Xoff Transmit delay 0 msec/char 0 msec/line -Save setup
5. Setup the RS-232C port of the X68000
Using Human68k version 3.02:
You need to use RSDRV.SYS, so edit your CONFIG.SYS to include the following line:
DEVICE = \SYS\RSDRV.SYS
Now reset the X68000 so that the driver loads while booting.
At the X68000 Command line type
A:\>SPEED 4800 b8 pn s1 rts
The SPEED program will set up the communications port to use the following settings:
Baud rate: 4800 Data: 8 bit Parity: none Stop: 1 bit Flow control: hardware <---- Don't use Xon/Xoff
The SPEED command both sets up the port and clears the buffer, so you can re-enter this command if it seems that the buffer is corrupted in any way.
6. Transfer sxmr.bas from the Windows PC to the X68000
At the X68000 Command line type
A:\>copy aux sxmr.bas
From Tera Term Pro
- File
- Send file
- File name: sxmr.bas
- Option Binary ON ←— Important.
This is an easy method to transfer text files from Windows PC to X68000.
CAUTION: The copy command of X68000 does not stop until 0x1a is received.
You might have to use the INTERRUPT switch or the RESET button to abort the copy command if you have a problem.
sxmr.bas already ends with 0x1a.
You can easily add a 0x1a to the end of a file by the following command at the Windows Command Prompt.
copy OLDFILE+nul NEWFILE
7. Transfer ZM.X from Windows PC to X68000
If you already have an LZH extractor on your X68000, transfer the file ZMX68K4.LZH.
Otherwise, transfer ZM.X extracted from ZMX68K4.LZH by using your favourite tool.
At the X68000 Command line type
A:\>basic sxmr.bas
X-BASIC starts.
Filename=? ZMX68K4.LZH or ZM.X
From Tera Term Pro
- File
- Transfer
- XMODEM
- Send
- Filename: ZMX68K4.LZH or ZM.X
- Option Checksum ON ←— Important
Hit any key on X68000 to start transferring.
When the transfer is finished, use “SYSTEM” command to return to the command line.
8. Transfer any files from Windows PC to X68000
At the X68000 Command line type
A:\> zm -r
From Tera Term Pro
- File
- Transfer
- ZMODEM
- Send
- Filename: any file
If you had transferred not ZMX68K4.LZH but ZM.X, you should transfer a LZH extractor, e.g. lx.r, and ZMX68K4.LZH first and replace ZM.X. lx.r is here:
http://retropc.net/x68000/software/tools/archiver/lx/
9. Transfer any files from X68000 to Windows PC
From Tera Term Pro
- File
- Transfer
- ZMODEM
- Receive
At the X68000 Command line type
A:\> zm -s FILENAME
Note that the baud rate when transferring initially is 4800, this is probably the highest speed possible when transfering using the BASIC program, due to the speed of the BASIC interpreter. When using ZM.X, you can probably go higher, I transfer files at 9600 baud when using ZM.X.