SAVING and LOADING DIRECTLY BETWEEN the TI

FUNNELWEB and IBM COMPATIBLE PCs

by Charles Good
9/25/01
Using the Funnelweb editor. you can use LF and SF to LoadFiles and SaveFiles directly to and from a hard drive or floppy disk on an IBM compatible PC. You can use the IBM's hard drive to store all your important text files! This can sometimes be done at very fast transfer rates comparable to saving and loading text using a 99/4A disk, and you don't need a modem on either the TI or IBM.
What you do need is an IBM and TI computer cabled together between the TI's serial port and an IBM com port, usually COM2. You can't use store-bought serial cable for this because the TI serial port is not quite standard. I had L. L. Conner make my cable. You may be able to make your own. The needed pin connections for such a cable are these:
TI...IBM
1.....1
2.....2
3.....3
6...20
7.....7
20.....6
To Save Text from Funnelweb to the IBM
On the IBM, start Windows and go to the Accessories window. Activate the Terminal program. Click on "Settings." Then click on "Terminal Preferences" and make sure CR does not generate CR/LF (if the box has an X in it, click on the box to turn off the X) and that you are in 80 columns. Accept these settings by clicking on "OK"
Click on "Settings" again and then click on "Communications." Select either 19200 or 9600 baud, odd parity, 7 data bits and the proper COM port. Then click on "OK." I haven't figured out how to save 8 bit characters (Funnelweb's extended IBM graphics set) directly to an IBM using this technique. You may want to experiment with the baud rate. On my Geneve, I can use the baud rate on 19200 without losing any characters at the IBM end or causing an error message at the Geneve.
On my 99/4A system, I can only use 9600. On both systems, I have a TI RS232 card. Cable length and the peculiarities of your system may dictate that you use a slower baud rate. When using 19200 to save text, the speed of the save is at least as fast as saving to TI floppy disks.
Click on "Transfers" and then click on "Receive Text File." Select or creat a file name, drive letter and directory. Then click on "OK." If asked, say you want to overide the existing log file. Now you are ready to receive text from Funnelweb.
Write you document or LF a document into Funnelweb editor. First set up the IBM terminal program as descrived above. Then enter SF from Funnelweb's command line. Use "RS232.BA=19200" (or BA=9600 onf the 99/4A system) as the SaveFile name. Yes, I know the TI's RS232 isn't supposed to be able to handle a baud rate of 19200, but on my Geneve, It works for me! You need to specify the same baud rate in Window's Terminal and Funnelweb's Terminal and Funnelweb's SF file name, Once you enter the SF file name, your text will flow out of Funnelweb and across the serial cable into your IBM. You will see the text appear on the IBM screen.
When the IBM cursor stops displaying more text, move the IBM mouse pointer to click on "Stop." Your Funnelweb text has been saved to an IBM disk as an 80-column ASCII text file with no control characters and no tab marking.
To Load Text from an IBM into Funnelweb
First, load the Funnelweb editor. If you are using a Geneve, load the Funnelweb editor from GPL, (you can use speed 5) rather than using EXEC. When using EXEC v2.11 on the Geneve, I can't break out of the RS232 loading process although I seen to remember that I could with an earlier version of EXEC. From Funnelweb's command line, type LF and specify "RS232.BA=600" as the file name. Press enter and Funnelweb will appear to lock up as it waits for text to flow in from the RS232. You can's use baud rates faster then 600 for LoadFile even though you can use much faster baud rates to save files.
Now set up the Windows Terminal program. Click on "Settings." then on "Communications." Click on 600 baud, 7 bit, Odd parity, the proper Com port and then click on "OK." Now click on "Transfers: and then click on "Send Text File." Select the file name and drive of the text file you are lloading into Funnelweb and click on "OK." At this point, text will start flowing into Funnelweb and you will see line numbers increment at the right of the Funnelweb v5.x command line.
When text stops flowing across the IBM screen and when Funnelweb's line numbers stop incrementing on Funnelweb's command line, This means all the text is now in the TI's text buffer. Press FCTN-4 (the Break key) and the key to display the text on the TI's screen. It is this FCTN-4 keypress that fails when I load Funnelweb into my Geneve using EXEC instead of GPL.
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Any Comments, Questions, or Inquiries: E-Mail is- w7wwg@jps.net