| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 630.1 | Be careful about BLITZ! | UKCSSE::KEANE | | Thu Oct 12 1989 06:10 | 22 |
| Hi,
There is something very "funny" ie peculiar, going on here. In the UK,
Power computing are marketing a Blitx copier, consisting of a lead, and
software to drive it. You have to provide your own second disk!!. They
are asking 25 pounds or abouts for it. SO they DEFINATELY dont think
its in the PUBLIC DOMAIN.
The whole market for mechanical copiers, Blitz, happy cart, Romantic
Robot, etc are in disarray, due to the new Copyright legislation that
came into force in August. Most of the firms quit selling, but Power
Computing are still advertising.
The story I heard is that the Blitz will copy one particular type of
protected disk that a firm DJL, (who sell the protection software and
technique, to the disk publisher), have employed on the disk. DJL are
now changing their copy medthod to defeat the Blitz. They have said
that they are waiting to see if Poweer change the Blitz software. If
Power do, then DJL will prosecute them under the new Act, as the change
to Blitz could only be to overcome DJL's programme, and would be a
direct breach of the new copying law!!
|
| 630.2 | | BREW11::LANE | | Fri Oct 13 1989 09:05 | 13 |
| I know someone with a circuit diagram and some software for something
that sounds identical to this Blitz gizmo. He also gave gave me
a different story to its origin. He said that an engineer from
Birmingham University (England) who had an ST was fed up with the
slow backup process and the difficulties of backing up protected
software for his own use, and invented this copier, and released
it into the public domain. Several shops (including Software Express
in Birmingham) are now selling it and there is nothing that he can
do.
I will check with him to see if it is "Public Domain" and if so
I will post a note on how to make one and upload the software.
|
| 630.3 | BLITZ info from ARC file | MDCRAB::MCLENDON | | Fri Nov 10 1989 16:45 | 150 |
| Here's the text of the original file included in the ARC set as
included with a package sold by a mailorder company in Ohio.
I've reformatted it slightly. Tell me where to upload the ARC
file, and I'll send it. Or, send email and followup with a disk
to me @DCO/216, Landover, MD 20785. Sorry, not enough local
storage to guarantee long-term availability on-line.
===============================================================
THE HAPPY KILLER
BLITZ COPIER
Are you ready for a $22.00 copier that will copy as good, or
in most cases better, than a $150.00 cart? Yes?? Well then,
Blitz is for you. Blitz is a revolutionary new back-up system
for the Atari ST computer. Using a special cable (that you
can make yourself) and software included in this arc, it will
back up your software at a speed and power unheard of before.
If you know a little about wiring and how to solder, that's the
most that this copier will cost you. If you have to have someone
make one up for you, it might cost you $30-40 (although some
people have been known to pay up to $50 for a pre-made cable).
That's right, all that is needed is a cable (and two drives).
No internal wiring to be done in the computer. No special,
over-priced cartridges. In a nutshell, all you do is cut an
Atari drive cable in two and then attach a third plug that goes
into your printer port. What this cable does, is copy from drive
one, out through the printer port to drive 2. (Copying is ALWAYS
from drive 1 to drive 2.)
It reads from drive 1 and writes to drive 2 at the same time!
So in the time it takes ACopy, ProCopy, or Happy to just read
a disk into memory, this program has read AND written out the same
disk in one pass. And it does not care if the disk is protected
or not, it copies just as fast either way (this way you can
make a legal backup copy of all your protected software). Plus, it
seems to copy a lot that ACopy, ProCopy AND Happy won't copy!!!
BLITZ operates the disk drives at a very low level. When backing
up disks it should go through an entire disk without a pause.
If it does pause (for more than a second or so) then
it may have got out of synchronization. In this case, press
ESCAPE to abort the copy and start it going again. So the best
thing to do is watch it copy and count down the tracks. If it
stops for even a second, then you can forget it and start again,
as it has gotten out of sync and the copy will not work. But for
a program as fast and as cheap as this, you can afford to take
the time to count down the tracks.
One other thing. There are very few programs that this program
won't copy IF you're drives are in alignment and up to proper
speed. If the copy that you make does not work properly,
try changing your drives around (if possible) or try it on
someone else's computer and drives.
BLITZ comes as a program or a desk accessory. To run it as a
program you will need "BLITZ.PRG" and "BLITZ.RSC" in your
working folder. To run it as an accessory, you will need
"BLITZ.ACC" and "BLITZ.RSC" on the root directory of your
boot-up disk.
If you are unsure as to whether a disk is single-sided or
double-sided copy it double sided (the main difference will be
that it will take longer).
BLITZ will quite happily appear to write to a write protected
disk. Do not worry here - If a disk is write protected then
there is NO WAY that BLITZ can write to it (unless your disk
drive is faulty). However, you must be careful that when
you DO want to write to a disk that the disk is not write
protected - because BLITZ will not notice.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You will not be able to use your external
drive in a normal way with the BLITZ lead plugged in.
MAKING YOUR OWN BLITZ CABLE
(See BLITZ.PC3 or BLITZ.IMG for cable layout!)
Here's all you'll need........
1 Atari drive cable. Cost = ~$20 for a six foot one.
1 24-pin printer plug (male). Cost = $1.00
1 Printer plug hood. Cost = $1.00
....That's it! Just print out the BLITZ.PC3 or BLITZ.IMG file
and you'll see how to hook up the printer plug into the drive cables.
I suggest that you obtain an Atari drive cable and cut into two
parts to obtain plugs one and two.
Plug 3 is a 25-pin male D connector, available from Radio Shack.
On machines with one internal drive and one external drive,
plug P1 into the computer drive-out port. Plug P2 into the 2nd
drive's drive-in port and plug P3 into the computer printer port.
On machines with two external drives, connect drive one in the
normal manner. Plug P1 into the drive 1's drive-out port.
Plug P2 into drive 2's drive-in port and P3 into the printer port.
You might consider which setup you have before you cut the cable.
With this setup, the computer will not recognize drive 2 unless
the BLITZ software is running. So if you leave your machine
setup with the BLITZ cables connected, you will lose the use
of drive 2 for everything but copying.
Switch boxes can be setup to allow you to leave the setup intact.
I'm sorry but I can't tell you the color code on the Atari
cables as every one is different.
=================================================================
Here's the schematic (transcribed from the screen dump)
DB25-male DIN-14 DIN-14
P3 P2 P1 Shown with plug in yourhand,
looking at the pins.
2|---------|2
3|---------|3 10 11
9|---------|4 8 9
3|------+--|5 6 12 13 7
|
+--|6 4 14 5
20|-------|7 2 3
1
7|-------|8
6|-------|9
5|-------|10
11|----------|1
4|-------|12
11|-------|13
8|-------|14
Printer Drive 2 Drive 1
Port (External) (Computer)
|
| 630.4 | Not quite everything... | MDCRAB::MCLENDON | | Wed Nov 15 1989 01:13 | 10 |
| Yes, there *ARE* some games that BLITZ will *not* backup, so I asked a
friend of mine why this is. Gee, if you copy the WHOLE TRACK, what
else is there to check? His answer was this: Timing. Yes, some
software authors apparantly use the timing of sectors between tracks.
That is, positioning the head on sector 1, track 6 and then timing how
long it takes to go to sector 1, track 9. It *could* be that BLITZ
does indeed copy the whole track, but doesn't synchronize each track
from the original disk. Just a thought...
Bruce
|
| 630.5 | | LEVERS::LANDRY | | Wed Nov 15 1989 01:45 | 13 |
| re .4
There's also the "flaky bits" protection scheme. The
programmer uses special equipment to write bits that are
between a zero and a one. The idea is that they will not
reliably read one or the other. The program reads these
bits several times. If they are identical every time, it
must be a copy. I don't know if anybody is actually using
this, but if they are, it would be impossible to copy
without special equipment.
chris
|
| 630.6 | get it here ! | LEVERS::LANDRY | | Wed Nov 15 1989 12:33 | 198 |
| Below is a note I got from some guy advertising on the Usenet (which you're
not supposed to do) giving a source for the Blitz cable. The Blitz
software mentioned in .3 is available in USER$457:[LANDRY.ST.PUBLIC]BLITZ.ARC.
Name Length Stowage SF Size now Date Time CRC
============ ======== ======== ==== ======== ========= ====== ====
BLITZ.PC3 5692 Crunched 37% 3593 9 Nov 89 11:06p 9238
BLITZ.PRG 22320 Crunched 49% 11523 9 Nov 89 11:06p 33ba
BLITZ.RSC 1536 Crunched 40% 926 9 Nov 89 11:06p e060
BLITZ.TXT 5398 Crunched 49% 2780 9 Nov 89 11:06p 653d
==== ======== ==== ========
Total 4 34946 47% 18822
chris
==============================================================================
= Please mention my name (signature) when inquiring.............Thank You =
==============================================================================
BLITZ - THE BACK UP SYSTEM
==========================
******** YOU MUST HAVE 2 DRIVES TO USE THE BLITZ !! ********
BLITZ is a revolutionary new back-up system for the Atari ST computer.
BLITZ uses ONLY a special cable and software to back-up your software at
at a speed and power unheard of before. There is NO internal wiring done
to the computer. The BLITZ cable copies from Drive 1 out through the
Computer printer port to drive 2. It reads Drive 1 and writes Drive 2 at
the same time. The time it takes a normal copy program to read a disk,
the BLITZ reads and writes the disk in one pass. The BLITZ backs-up
protected and non-protected disks in the same amount of time.
BLITZ - CONNECTIONS (Using BLITZ cable purchased from AT YOUR SERVICE)
======================================================================
BLITZ ONLY copies FROM Drive 1 (an internal drive or an external drive)
TO Drive 2 (an external drive).
1) If Drive 1 is external, connect the Computer to Drive 1 in the normal
manner using your original ST drive cable.
2) The rectangular 25 pin DB connector connects to the Computer's printer
out port.
3) If Drive 1 is internal, the circular 14 pin DIN connector with the
thinner cable connects to Computer drive's out port.
If Drive 1 is external, the circular 14 pin DIN connector with the
thinner cable connects to Drive 1's out port.
4) The circular 14 pin DIN connector with the thicker cable connects
to Drive 2's in port.
BLITZ - INSTRUCTIONS
====================
You will NOT be able to use your external drive in a normal way with
the BLITZ cable plugged in.
BLITZ comes as a program or a desk accessory.
- To run it as a program, you will need "BLITZ.PRG" and "BLITZ.RSC" in
your working folder.
- To run it as an accessory, you will need "BLITZ.ACC" and "BLITZ.RSC"
on the root directory of your boot-up disk.
If you are unsure as to whether a disk is single-sided or double-sided,
copy it double sided. (Copying double-sided just takes longer).
BLITZ will quite happily appear to write to a write protected disk.
DON'T WORRY! - If a disk is write protected then there is NO WAY that
BLITZ can write to it - unless your disk drive is faulty!
BLITZ operates the disk drives at a very low level. When backing up
disks it should go through an entire disk without a pause. If it does
pause (for a second or more) then it has gone out of synchronization
and you MUST recopy the disk. In this case, press ESCAPE to abort the
copy and restart it again.
BLITZ - CONSTRUCTION
====================
Before constructing the BLITZ cable, you should have some knowledge about
wiring and soldering, a good pencil-type soldering gun, and about $25.00
worth of parts.
If you do not want to attempt to assemble the cable, you can purchase a
built cable for $35.00 (which includes the built cable, software and
shipping) from:
+--------------------------------------+
| AT YOUR SERVICE |
| 2856 Leechburg Road |
| Lower Burrell, PA 15068 |
| U.S.A. |
| (412) 335-4477 |
+--------------------------------------+
If you do want to assemble the cable, you can purchase the parts from the
above address for $25.00 (which includes the cable parts, software and
shipping).
PARTS NEEDED:
1 - 6 Foot ST Drive Cable - $20.00
1 - DB 25 Pin Male Printer Plug - 1.50
1 - DB 25 Printer Plug Hood - 1.50
1 - Disk (BLITZ Program) - 2.00
Shipping - FREE (PREPAID ONLY)
--------
TOTAL $25.00 (PREPAID ONLY)
To assemble the BLITZ cable, basically all you have to do is cut an
Atari disk drive cable and add a third plug that goes to your computer
printer port. If you own an internal drive you should measure the
distance from your computer to your external drive and cut the cable
accordingly (Remembering that the total cable length is 6 feet and that
the rest of the cable goes from the computer's printer port to the
computer's disk drive port). However, if you own two external disk
drives, cutting the cable in half is probably better, because both
drives should be of equal distance from the computer.
On the next page are all the connections necessary to build the cable.
However, the cable wire colors are ONLY from the cable supplied by
AT YOUR SERVICE.
COMPUTER (INTERNAL) COMPUTER
OR DRIVE 1 (EXTERNAL) DRIVE 2 PRINTER
OUT PORT IN PORT OUT PORT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 PIN DIN PLUG (MALE) 14 PIN DIN PLUG (MALE) 25 PIN DB PLUG (MALE)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 --WHITE--------------- 2
3 --VIOLET--------VIOLET-- 3
4 --BLACK--------------- 9
5 --BLUE---------------- 3
6 --PEACH/BLACK--------- 3
7 --GREEN-------------- 20
8 --BLUE/BLACK---------- 7
9 --YELLOW-------------- 6
10 --WHITE/BLACK--------- 5
1 --GRAY----------PEACH-- 11
12 --BROWN--------------- 4
13 --ORANGE------------- 11
14 --RED----------------- 8
SHIELD --------------- SHIELD ----------------- SHIELD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 PIN MALE PLUG (ATARI DIN STYLE)
PIN LAYOUT
(VIEWING FRONT OF PLUG/PIN SIDE)
GRY
*
VIO * 3 1 2 * WHT
BLU * 5 RED 4 * BLK
GRN * 7 ORG * BRN 6 * PEA/BLK
YEL * 9 * 14 * 8 * BLU/BLK
PEA * 11 13 12 10 * WHT/BLK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 PIN MALE PLUG (DB STYLE)
PIN LAYOUT
(VIEWING REAR OF PLUG/SOLDER SIDE)
BLU
&
BLU/ WHT/ PEA/
ORG BLK RED BLK YEL BLK BRN BLK WHT
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19
GRN
COURTESY OF: AT YOUR SERVICE
2856 Leechburg Road
Lower Burrell, PA 15068
(412) 335-4477
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Inquiries may be sent to the below NET address; Orders only to AT YOUR SERVICE
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|