Date   : Wed, 28 Feb 2007 08:56:55 -0600
From   : julesrichardsonuk@... (Jules Richardson)
Subject: Filestore, and Torch Communicator

Rob wrote:
> On 28/02/07, Kris Adcock <beeb@...> wrote:
>> Morning all,

[reply-to-all click click click delete delete click click grumble]

morning! :-)

> No, the acorn filesever software for using on a Beeb was for the 6502
> co-processor.  What you have is a Torch Z80 second processor.  Fairly
> popular in it's day, as i think it was cheaper and more available than
> the Acorn one.

I have a feeling it was actually released before Acorn's Z80 copro, too. Plus 
of course it sat internal to the case rather than Acorn's offering which was 
sold in a copro case, needed its own PSU etc.

Torch also offered a "Tosca" board which was the same logic (although I think 
it possibly had a faster Z80 - can't check from here) but with an attached 
serial port. My experience has been that the Communicator's *far* more common, 
but I think Jonathan's experience may have been different :)

>  It runs CPN (a modified version of CP/M) from ROM -
> you should be able to fire it up with, wait for it... *CPN    It will
> run most CP/M software out of the box with no problem.  (as long as
> the software does bios calls legally, which almost all does as there
> was such a vast range of hardware at the time it would be impossible
> not to!)

I've finally tracked down a scanner with an ADF, and IIRC the manuals for the 
Torch Z80 board are stapled, so in theory I should be able to scan mine 
without damaging them [1]. Assuming nobody else has already done so, anyway. I 
think there's a useful section in there on the differences between CP/N and CP/M.

[1] I'm back in the UK at the end of March.

cheers

Jules