From: andrewh@panix.com (Andrew Huie)
Subject: Re: I GOT A DUMB TERMINAL!!!!
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 07:40:32 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

In article <y5wVPB2w165w@cyberden.uucp> moon!cyberden!phbill@well.sf.ca.us writes:
[text deleted]
>The thing is (if any of you can help me out on hooking it up.. dont wanna 
>blow myself to peices ;) ) a Qume model QVT-101.  It has a base with a 
>brightness knob on the front, and on the back a power switch, fuse, and 
>two 25-pin RS232 ports- one labeled "AUX" and the other "EIA."  I suppose 
>it would only take a little guessing as to what goes where, but I THINK 
>that the "EIA" is for keyboards.  

The EIA is probably the modem port.  The AUX port would then be the serial
printer port (but it could mean considerably more -- see below!).

>
>Now for the problem (other than where to PUT it!!?!?!?!).  Since it has 
>no drives and seems to simply be a monitor that you stick a modem and a 
>keyboard into, I'll still need my Atari and good ol' BobTerm to do file 
>xfers.  I'm wondering if I can have BOTH the RS232 port AND the SIO port 
>in at the same time.  Would this short any of the 3 components out!?!?

Does your Atari have an RS232 interface as well?  This is where it can get
interesting (strange, but interesting 8-)).
>
>Well, any info. on this here junked (but working) Qume "QVT-101" would be 
>MUCH appreciated, esp. info. on hooking it and the SX212 up together.  
>(there's no way for BOTH the Qume and the Atari to talk to the modem at 
>the SAME time, is there!!?!?!?)
>

There is!  Without docs it's going to mean some guesswork (I'm basing this 
on my experience with a VT-220, which had _3_ serial ports of various types)
and it's pretty much theoretical, but it SHOULD work.

You'll need and RS232 interface on the ATARI, access to whatever configuration
capabilities the terminal has (if the keyboard has a "setup" key, and it brings
up the internal menus, you're in luck; otherwise, your chances are very slim),
and possibly a null modem cable which will go from the ATARI's RS232 port to
the AUX port (it may not be necessary, a regular modem cable might do).  
Without these, you might as well stop here.

OK, now on to the procedure.  Pull up the terminal's setup menu and see if
is a section/submenu for the auxiliary, secondary serial, or serial printer 
port (the AUX port, in other words).  Then see if you can make the port go 
bi-directional (as opposed to output only, if it was connected to a printer).  
Now here is where you will need to find out if you need the null modem/regular 
serial cable.  If the section/submenu allows you to configure it as a data
terminal(DTE) or data communication(DCE) type port, you're in luck; you can
choose between a null modem or a regular serial cable, respectively.
Otherwise, you will probably need a null modem cable.  After hooking the
computer up to the AUX port, configure the AUX port to match the Atari's
parameters (you might even be able to up the baud rate to 9600, but it won't
do much good, obviously).  By then the Atari should be able to talk to the 
terminal AND to the modem.

Note that this is highly dependent on finding what you need.  If, for
instance, the printer port allows data to flow in only one direction, you
are out of luck.

Once this is set up, there may still be problems -- namely, what to do if the
terminal decides to intercept data from file transfers (i.e., the terminal
reacts badly to the usually weird characters going back and forth between the
"printer" and the modem)?  Again, check the section/submenu for an "operating
mode" (or something similar) for the printer.  See if there is a selection
which will cause the terminal to "monitor" the flow without actually inter-
preting it.


I guess that's just about it.  If you have any more questions, feel free to
ask.

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit