Sharp MZ-80B

[Geoff 555]

Hello all. First of all I appologise for asking silly questions, I know nothing about computers. I have resqued a MZ-80B from a pile of computers that have been in a barn for probably 20 years plus. It looked complete but black with grime. Farm yard, open ended barn, wind blowing through - you get the picture.
I have spent the last 3 weeks cleaning it and upon opening it up found that 2 caps in the power supply had blown themselves off the board and the electrolytics were either leaking or split. Rebuilt.
Now there is a tape deck and I was wondering if I could obtain a tape/tapes to try. I would obviously pay what ever the cost was.
A user guide would be handy but I am not holding my breath.
Many thanks for any help you may be able to give.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[TonyDuell]

I don't think this conflicts with the interests of this site.

You can download many manuals for the MZ80B from this site :

http://www.sharpmz.org/mz-80b/dldsh80b.htm

The user manual, BTW, includes the circuit diagrams.

IIRC the MZ80 series are unusual in that they do not have BASIC in ROM. Instead
the BASIC interpretter was loaded from cassette (or disk if you were lucky enough to own a disk drive) when you turned the machine on. Without a tape the machine doesn't do much. It looks like you can download the interpretter and a program to turn it into an audio file from that site, but I have not tried any of it.

[Geoff 555]

Hello Tony, many thanks for the info. I havnt had chance to read any of it and I don't know how much or if any will make sense but it sure will keep me busy.
Have had another look and have found lots of discs.
Thanks again, I will be back.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[electronicskip]

Geoff.
If you need a sharp MZ80 casette tape to test out the computer, i have some ,being a Sharp MZ80 owner myself, ive not used it for a long time but i know i can put my hand on a tape (might even have a spare manual)

[Geoff 555]

Hello electronicskip thank you very much for your very kind offer, I am not far from you, Bristol. PM to follow shortly.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[acollins22]

Hi Geoff,

I had good results using a car adapter, my mp3 player and tape images I found on the net.I'm having a CRAFT moment in that I can't remember where I found the images (they didn't take much finding) but I know I had to put the *.MZF files through mvf2wav to convert them.

I have a few wav files I've already converted, including BASIC, if you'd like them.

Cheers,

Andy.

[Geoff 555]

Hello Andy I dont want to be greedy but some files would be great, thank you. I am trying to clean up a disc drive at the moment, the problem that is rearing its head is that I have no cables etc.
A box of some 40+ discs are scrap as they have been wet and the oxide is flaking off.
PM to follow, after tea.
Thank you again.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[Geoff 555]

Hi chaps, questions again for you please. Sorted the tape deck I think. Now I have been given a cassette tape (Thank you.)
MZ700 (same as MZ 80-B?). BASIC .V 1.0A. on one side and APPLICATIONS .V 1.0A on the other.
When turned on then select 'C' for cassette and put cassete in.
IPL searching for program.
and that is all that happens. ? Runs to end of tape.
Am I being silly and doing something wrong?
Question 2. Have box marked 'Floppy disc'. Does this with the correct cable** plug straight into the 80B.

** I dont have this cable, what are the chances of finding one?

Have 2 buttons on the back marked.
RESET So thats self explanatory.
IPL what does that do please.

Have cd sized disc with much information on, WAV files. Not sure what to do with that yet.
Thank you, sorry to bother you.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[TonyDuell]

To attempt to answer some of the questions (although I never really used Sharp machines)...

Something is niggling in the depths of my brain that the MZ80-B had a different tape format (perhaps a different data rate (baud rate)) to the other MZ80s and that its tapes were not interchangeable with those of other machines.

IPL = Intial Program Load (or Loader). A term more commonly used with IBM mainframes, it basically is the same as 'boot'. From the schematic it seems to also generate a CPU
reset, but perhaps the 2 buttons reset (or not) other parts of the machine.

I think the Sharp floppy drive unit was just drives and a power supply. There was a 34 pin connector on it which is much the same pinout as a PC floppy drive. In the MZ80-B there is an optional expansion cardcage which fits in the back rear of the case. The floppy controller is a board that goes in there. Do you have the expansion cardcage and if so what boards are in it?

[Geoff 555]

Hello Tony thank you for your reply. Yes there is a cardcage and on the back panel it is marked.
I/O. UNIT.
There are 3 horiszontal slots stacked vertically marked, from top to bottom 1 - 2 - 3.
and to the right another 3 slots marked 4 - 5 - 6.
Cards marked as follows, which may not mean a lot I am affraid.
1. N0055PA and very small 01. 'D' shaped connector. 37 pins.
2. E0055PA. very small 01. -------------- ditto-------------.
3. Sharp printer interface. 'D' connector 25 pins.

4. Blanking plate fitted. Card marked GRAPHYC. 2. E0052PA. no external connection. Small ribbon cable to card further inside.
5. Blanking plate fitted. No card.
6. Card. E0054PA. 'D' connector. 37 pins.

Just realised when I say pins I mean 'holes' for pins. (Tis late.).

Thank you for all your help.

One thing I don't understand is in the instructions, which I have just started to read, That has befuddled me already, is that you insert the cassette tape and then turn the machine 'ON'. But to open the deck to put a tape in and get the Eject button to work the computer has to be ON.
I can't believe that you have to turn it on and open the deck, turn it off and then insert the tape, close the lid and then turn the computer on.
Could be I am just being thick.

Cheers.
Geoff.

[TonyDuell]

The Graphyc(sic)2 card is extra video memory which gives (IIRC) a higher resolution screen mode.

I _think_ the E0054PA card is the floppy controller. If I am right the cable is essentially a special IDC ribbon cable with a DC37 plug on one end and the connector to fit the drive unit on the other. The service manual (available from the site I mention several posts ago) gives the signals.

The floppy controller has a 40 pin IC MB8866 on it. Can you fnd this IC on the board?
Are there any non-TTL ICs on 0055PA boards?

[Geoff 555]

Hello Tony and everyone.
Thank you Tony. Card details below. Didn't dive into the manual as to be honest I would have difficulty understanding it and with memory problems would forget most (all) of it very quickly, and get numbers mixed and backwards. Sorry.
Card 1.
SN7404N X 4.
SN74LS175N X 4.
SN74LS125N X 4.
SN74LS42N. X 1.
SN74LS266N X 2.
SN74LS04N X 2.

Card 2.
SN7404N X 4.
SN74LS175 X 4.
SN74LS125AN X 4.
SN74LS42N X 1.
SN74LS266N X 2.
SN74LS04N X 2.

Card 3.

SN74LS04N X 1.
SN7416N X 2.
SN7474LS42N X 1.
SN74LS125N X 1.
SN74LS175N X 1.
SN74LS30N X 1.
SN74LS175N X 2.

Card 6.

SN7438N X 2.
SN74LS14N X 1.
SN74LS51N X 1.
SN74LS74AN XX 1.
SN74LS123AN X 1.
SN74145N X 1.
SN74LS04N X 1.
SN74LS93N X 1.
SN74LS74 X 1.
SN74LS123N X 1.

MB 8866.

SN74LS175N X 1.
SN74LS00N X 1.
SN74LS175N X 1.
SN74LS32N X 1.
SN74LS00N X 1.
SN74LS74AN X 1.
SN7438N X 1.SN74LS175N X 1.
SN74LS32N X 1.
SN74LS74AN X 1.
SN74LS04N X 1.
SN74LS245N X 1.SN74LS74AN X 1.
SN74LS123N X 1.
SN74LS20N X 1.
SN74LS02N X 1.

-------------------------------------------------
A small development I found a game for a MK700 and it was new and unused so tried that with out loading Basic, so I knew it wouldn't work but I had the message 'FILE ERROR' which proved that the heads were intact and it was capable of reading something.
A very kind person sent me a load of games and BASIC SA-5510. on a CD. So I found an old TEAC tape machine and a tape and transfered the Basic from the disc. ( The player worked which I was amazed at as it had been stored rather damp for at least 15 years.)
The tape ran and went to the end of the recording and rewound. Message 'Loading Error.' I count that as progress.
My son who used to have a 80K a long time ago said that he thought that the 80B would not work with the 700 basic and used a basic peculiar to the 80B but could not remember.
So I guess that I need a Basic for a 80B or confirmation that the SA-5510 will work so pointing to a fault.
I have many many 51/2" discs that wont work on the 80B. Shame.
Thank you everybody for sticking with it so far.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[TonyDuell]

Cards 1 and 2 seem to be much the same and would appear to be MZ80IO2 boards. That's basically a 'user port' giving 2 8 bit parallel output ports and 2 8 bit parallel input ports

Card 3 I don't recognise, but you said it was for a printer

Card 6 is the floppy disk controller. It should be quite easy to make up a cable to link to the drives.

As I said, I remember there being something odd about the MZ80B cassette format, it ran at a different baud rate to the other MZ80's or something.

[Geoff 555]

Hello Tony yes card 3, I wasn't clever but the card was marked 'PRINTER'. As regards a cable could you kindly suggest a source of connectors and cable please. We only have a Maplin store locally.
Thank you.
Geoff.

[TonyDuell]

What is the connector on the back of the floppy drive unit? The Sharp manuals are not too clear on this, but it looks to be a DC37 socket, like the one on the floppy controller board.

You should be able to get IDC DC37 plugs (37 way D plugs) from RS or Farnell. I would be very surprised if the orginal cable was anything other than straight through, so you just need a length of 37 wire IDC ribbon cable (Maplin sell a 40 way cable by the foot, get that and tear 3 wires off the 'plain' edge). Crimp the plugs on so that pin 1 connects to pin 1 and it should be fine.

[Geoff 555]

Hello all. Tony the socket/s on the floppy are 2 female sockets, both identicle. Marked IN and OUT. narrow long rectangular.
Inside the rectangle 48.86mm. X 6.29mm.
2 paralell lines of pins 17 on one side, say 1 - 17. and 16 on the other say 1 then a blank space ( where pin 2 would be) then 3 - 17. There are no actual pin numbers on the sockets.
A bit difficult to measure but the pins are 3.36mm apart.Approx.
I hope that that is good enough.

Another question I am affraid and it shows how silly I am, finally managed to get the www.sharpmz.org site working ( after having to ditch the laptop which broke its WI-FI .) Down loaded SB 5510 great, its a MZF file and there lies a problem, it is not recognised by the computer ( the modern one. I am using now.) so I tried to find something to open it with. Thought I had but the Malware/Anti virus kicked in and blocked it. Tried all I could but nomatter what it was blocked, eventually to the extent that I could not even open the saved file. Bu**er. Gave up at midnight.
So can I ask please how the heck can I down load, open and ,I guess, convert to wav so I can make a copy to tape? Everso please.
Yes I did try to get the Malware to except the site but it had it 'perminently' blocked so it seems.
Many many thanks for your help, I really hate to be a PITA.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[TonyDuell]

Are you sure the pins are 3.36mm apart? It would be much more common for them to be 0.1" pitch.

I've never done this (the only thing I've used that site for are the manuals) but I seem to remember a .mzf can be converted to an audio file which can then be recorded on tape. But I also seem to remember that the coversion program does not support the MZ80B, as that uses a different data rate.

-tony

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

the conversion program does not support the MZ80B, as that uses a different data rate.

...How maddening that must be, to have what you want sitting on your computer but not in the form in which you need it.

Looking again at

www.sharpmz.org I see that on this page

http://www.sharpmz.org/mzf2wav.htm

the converter Tony mentioned is there and, as stated, does not support the MZ80B as written. However, both versions (Windows / Linux ) include the source code and so in theory could be modified to include or work exclusively with the MZ80B, if you are handy at 'C' programming.

The same page also mentions 'Adler's Sharp MZ emulator' which has a similar MZF to sound file converter feature - maybe that one does support the MZ80B 1800 baud format?

A final thought, you could try generating an 'A' compatible file (1200 baud) with the software as-is and then use audio processor software like Audacity to first speed up the file by 50% (thus changing the baud rate to 1800baud) and then pitch-shift the tone(s) back down to the correct frequency / frequencies without altering the shortened duration of the tones or the overall time length of the file. This approach assumes that there is no difference between the 'A' format files and the 'B' format files apart from the baud rate - I have no idea if that is actually the case.

[Geoff 555]

Hi. Tony my appologies 0.1" is closer I was having difficulty with reflections from the white socket and the stainless Vernier and old eyes.
Hello SiriusHardware, what you have said, it is frustrating, sorry but I am affraid that 'C' programing and emulator what ever is way outside anything I know of.
When I said I knew nothing about computers that was possibly an understatement!!
Thank you for your efforts, I will try to explore further but at the moment I am completely stuck.
All the best to you all.
Geoff.

[Geoff 555]

Hello have got 40 core cable and will be getting 'Dc37 and 25' plugs.
I have photo's of the Floppy Disc socket to see if they can be recognised?
Many thanks for all your help.
Cheers.
Geoff.