Welcome!
Welcome to the EazyLink2 Client User Guide, which . This is displayed in your browser, when you have clicked selected the Help > User Guide menu item from the desktop application. Hopefully these pages also makes sense, should you You may also have arrived here through our project wiki navigation system. The words EazyLink and Eazylink2 are used interchangeability throughout this document.
common desktopthe Desktop versions of the EazyLink
Client When an icon identifying| Info |
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This user guide is being written at the moment, while we work on the Beta releases. We anticipate to have this work completed when EazyLink has reached final release of V1.0 . |
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During the life of this product, different Desktop operating systems have been used to write up the User Guide. These images of windows and messages have changed. These images have not been updated, so they may look different, but the words and function remain the same. |
Feedback is most welcome, to help us improve EazyLink
Installation
To install the Eazylink2 to your client computer, download the application and run it from our software repository. Currently we have three versions available; for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The installers will be quite self explanatory, behaving similarly on all three platforms.
On Windows however, the end-user will have a system warning screen about the software not being an officially signed application by Microsoft; this can be ignored (we don't do viruses and our software-installer is built on Linux or Mac OS X).
Connecting up the Z88 to the Client
The Z88 uses a female 9 way 'D' RS-232 connector to connect to the client. The connections are not the standard PC type as the Z88 was around before that standard was adopted. The recommended way to connect it is to use the PC to Z88 cable. The PC end of this cable can be used with a Serial to USB converter should the Client computer not have a serial port. When purchasing the Serial to USB converter make sure that it supports 'hardware handshaking' and that the drivers are available for the Operating System you are using.
It is hoped that as more uses use this program a list of known Serial to USB convertors can be listed here so that users may have a more informed choice.
Before running the program, you need to know the device name the operating system has allocated to the serial port you are using to connect to the Z88. This is either a physical number that is on the computer e,g, COM.1 COM.2 (device names on Windows). If you are using a Serial to USB converter the driver will automatically allocate a new serial port device name, please refer to the manufacturer's instructions for details how to find out that name (COM port number on Windows).
Using the Program
There are two ways that this program may be used in. These are:-
- Imp/Exp mode
- EazyLink2 mode
Imp/Exp is a standard communication application that is standard on all Z88. It is included here on the Client's side to enable users to connect to a Z88 without any additional applications. It requires the user to use both the Client's and Z88's keyboard.
Eazylink2 on the other hand needs an additional application on the Z88 and is operated on the Client. The EazyLink popdown is available on Application cards. If the user wishes to make their own copy, they can use the Imp/Exp to upload the application and blow the image on an EPROM pack or Flash card.
Eazylink2 prerequisites
- Install the software on the Client
- Install EazyLink popdown on the Z88
- Connect the Z88 to the client
On the Z88 Select []L to start Eazylink
On the desktop computer start Eazylink2.
Select the serial port device name the Z88 is connected to.
If you get a communication error, make a note of the messages on the Z88 screen and try again.
If you get continuous communication errors, go to Solving Communication Errors (see below).
Solving Communication Errors.
Test the Z88 Serial Port
If the Z88's serial port has never been used, it may have never worked.
To test it, you can use a 9 way 'D' plug with pins 2-3 4-5 and 8-9 connected, or you can use a paperclip cut into three to make these three connections.
On the Z88
- Make the connections as described above.
- Select the Terminal []V
- Type some characters on the keyboard like "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
- Check that these characters appear on the screen
- Remove the connections
- Type some more characters, they should not appear on the screen.
If that all works, the Z88 Serial Port is working.
Is the correct cable being used?
If you are using a standard PC Cable, it will not work. Get the correct cable from Rakewell.
Using a Serial to USB convertor?
have you
- Downloaded a copy of the latest drivers for your Operating System?
- Checked that it supports hardware handshaking?
Test the Client's Serial Port
If you are unable to get it working, try downloading a Free Terminal Emulation program for your Client's Operating System and do a similar excercise as described in the "Test the Z88 Serial Port" section.
History, Introduction & Now
In 1987, there were many computers, but no established standard to connect them together, unlike today with the internet. The Z88 connected to other computers using the RS-232 serial port to connect with a cable to the Desktop Computer. Data transfer was achieved using its own Imp-Export program. Cambridge Computer produced BBC (for the BBC Micro) and PC Link (for the IBM PC) which included the cable and software to run on these computers. Other computers were supported Amiga, Nimbus and QL (just to mention a few) by third parties. Different programs use different protocols, that is the way they talk to each other. Here is a small summary that the communication path followed and where Eazylink fitted into it.
PC Link was the first program from Cambridge Computer. It was designed for the IBM PC running under DOS. The software supplied came on a 5-1/4" disk and the connecting cable was the 9/25 'D' type. It used Imp/Exp, the 'built-in' popdown on the Z88.
Z88 BBC Link also from Cambridge Computer, was designed for the BBC Micro. The software supplied came on a different type of 5-1/4" disk.The connecting cable was the 9 'D' and a 'Domino' 5 pin DIN Plug. It also used Imp/Exp, the 'built-in' popdown on the Z88.
Imp-Export is reliable, but is slow, limited in functions, and requires the user to have access to both the Z88 and PC or BBC keyboards to issue the commands for transferring files. Larger memory devices and the use of directories needed more commands.
PC Link II was the answer to this, another DOS program but it required an additional popdown to be run on the Z88. This was supplied on a 32K EPROM card labelled PC LINK. All commands were sent from the PC Computer as additional protocol commands were used. It was supplied initially with the 9/25 'D' type connecting cable but later on with the 9/9 'D' type as more PCs moved over to the smaller size 'D' plug.
MAC Link used the same 32K EPROM card only labelled MAC LINK. All commands were sent from the MAC. It was supplied with the 9 'D' type to an 8 pin mini plug to fit in the MODEM port.
Eazylink used a different 32K EPROM card that was compatible with PC and MAC Link, introduced faster transfer and additional commands. Character translation, required when using the foreign Z88s, was done on the Z88 during the transfer eliminating conversions as a separate operation. It was supported on the PC running from Windows 98 but was retired in April 2014 together with Windows xp.
Eazylink2 is supplied either on a 32K EPROM card or in OZ 4.5+ for the Z88. The additional popdown gives the full facilities of Eazylink2 and file checking if they are required. When used with OZ 4.5 or above, the restricted transfer speed of 9600 baud on the standard Z88 is broken. The theoretical maximum speed of 38400 baud is achieved. Future enhancements to Eazylink2 will be done in the OZ version only.
Download the re-written Desktop software from our EAZ page, for different operating systems. Windows (XP and above), Mac and Linux are supported. The 'built-in' Z88 software protocol Imp-Export is there, allowing the user to start transferring files straight away (with the correct cables). This means theoretically, the BBC Micro could also be used if connected to the Desktop using the BBC Link software stated above.