Epson Equity II User manual

EPSON

®

Equity™ II

User’s Guide

Y14499100801

IMPORTANT NOTICE

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

Seiko Epson Corporation makes no representations or warranties, either express or implied, by or

with respect to anything in this manual, and shall not be liable for any implied warranties of

merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose or for any indirect, special or consequential

damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, so this

exclusion may not apply to you.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

otherwise, without the prior written permission of Seiko Epson Corporation. No patent liability is

assumed with respect to the use of information contained herein. While every precaution has been

taken in the preparation of this publication, Seiko Epson Corporation assumes no responsibility

for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the

information contained herein. Further, this publication and features described herein are subject to

change without notice.

TRADEMARKS

Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.

Equity is a trademark of Epson America, Inc.

IBM is a registered trademark and AT is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp.

MS and GW are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research Inc.

XTREE is a registered trademark of Executive Systems Inc.

Copyright

0

1986 by Seiko Epson Corporation

Nagano, Japan

ii

FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

FOR AMERICAN USERS

This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and

used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions,

may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested

and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance

with the specifications in Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to

provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installa-

tion. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular

installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television recep-

tion, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is

encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following mea-

sures:

l Reorient the receiving antenna

l Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver

l Move the computer away from the receiver

l Plug the computer into a different outlet so that computer and receiver are on

different branch circuits.

If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television

technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet

prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful:

“How To Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems”

This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington

DC 20402. Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

Note: If the interference stops, it was probably caused by the computer or its

peripheral devices. To further isolate the problem:

Disconnect the peripheral devices and their input/output cables one at a

time. If the interference stops, it is caused by either the peripheral device or

its I/O cable. These devices usually require shielded I/O cables. For Epson

peripheral devices, you can obtain the proper shielded cable from your

dealer. For non-Epson peripheral devices, contact the manufacturer or

dealer for assistance.

WARNING

This equipment has been certified to comply with the limits for a Class B comput-

ing device, pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules. Only peripherals (com-

puter input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified to comply with the

Class B limits may be attached to this computer. Operation with non-certified

peripherals is likely to result in interference to radio and TV reception.

The connection of a non-shielded equipment interface cable to this equipment will

invalidate the FCC Certification of this device and may cause interference levels

which exceed the limits established by the FCC for this equipment.

. . .

111

System Upgrade Sheet

This sheet describes several changes to the Equity II/III

documentation due to an upgrade in the system software.

Equity II User’s Guide

(Page 18)

The Equity II is now capable of supporting four logical disk

drives: any combination of floppy-disk drives and RAM-card drives.

Correct Table l-l to read:

DIP switch

7

8

Number of floppy disk drives:

One

Two

Three

Four

ON

OFF ON

ON

OFF

A new DIP switch label has been provided to place over the one

on the inside of the DIP switch cover. To attach the label, remove

the protective backing and place it on top of the old label. You do

not need to remove the old label.

The Equity II normally recognizes a hard disk as drive C. If you

install a RAM disk card and set the number of drives to three, the

hard disk becomes drive D. Setting it to four causes the hard disk to

become drive E. See the manual that came with your RAM card for

details on all the possible drive settings.

G W-BASIC for the Equity II/III

(Pages 7-203 to 7-207)

GW-BASIC now supports Hercules

TM

monochrome graphics on

the Equity III. If you have installed a Hercules Board in Equity III,

all references in the SCREEN command section to “Equity II only”

no longer apply. You can also RUN the sample program on page

7-206 on your Equity III.

MS-DOS for the Equity II/III

(Page 10-16)

The last option in Table 10-2, under “Format Disk”, shows that

you can select the media type in a 1.2MB drive. If your system does

not have a 1.2MB drive, this option does not appear.

Hercules

TM

is a trademark of Hercules Computer Technology.

Y14799101900

Contents

1

2

Introduction

..................................

1

How To Use This Manual

.......................

2

Setting Up Your System

........................

3

Unpacking

...................................

3

Choosing a Location

...........................

3

Arranging the Components

.....................

5

The Front Panel

...............................

7

Removing the disk drive protector sheet

.........

8

The Back Panel

...............................

8

Connecting the Power Cord

.....................

10

Connecting a Video Monitor

....................

11

Connecting the Keyboard

.......................

12

Connecting a Printer

...........................

14

Parallel interface

............................

14

Serial interface

..............................

16

The Equity II character set

....................

16

Setting the DIP Switches

........................

17

DIP switch set 1

.............................

18

DIP switch set 2

.............................

19

Using the Equity II

.............................

21

Safety Rules

..................................

21

Powering Up

.................................

21

The initial screen display

......................

22

Inserting and Removing Diskettes

................

23

Special Keys on the Equity II Keyboard

...........

24

Using MS-DOS on the Equity II

..................

25

Selecting an Execution Speed

....................

26

Resetting the Computer

.........................

26

Turning Off the Equity II

.......................

27

3

Using Disks and Disk Drives

....................

29

How Disks Work..

............................

29

Choosing Diskettes for the Equity II

..............

30

Drive and diskette incompatibilities

.............

30

Caring for Disks and Disk Drives

................

32

Protecting your Data

...........................

33

Making backup copies

.......................

33

Write-protecting diskettes

.....................

34

V

Using a Single Floppy Disk Drive

................

Using a Hard Disk Drive

........................

4

Installing Option Cards

.........................

Removing the Main Unit Cover

..................

Installing an Option Card

.......................

Removing an

access

slot cover

.................

Replacing the Main Unit Cover

..................

Post-Installation Adjustments

....................

Removing an Option Card

......................

Using a Mouse

................................

Using a Modem

...............................

5

Troubleshooting

...............................

The Computer Fails To Start Up

.................

The Video Display Does Not Appear

.............

The Computer Hangs Up or Freezes

..............

Floppy Disk Problems

..........................

Hard Disk Problems

...........................

Software Problems

............................

Printer Problems

..............................

Option Card Problems

.........................

Memory Problems

.............................

The Battery Is Low

............................

Appendixes

A

Equity II Specifications

.........................

CPU and Memory

.............................

Controllers

...................................

Interfaces

....................................

Power Supply.. ...............................

Mass Storage

.................................

Keyboard

....................................

Environmental Requirements

....................

Physical Characteristics (CPU Only)

..............

Power Requirements

...........................

Options

......................................

B

Glossary

.....................................

Index.. ......................................

34

35

37

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

A-1

A-2

A-3

A-4

B-1

Index-1

vi

Figures

l-l

Standard system arrangement

...................

1-2

Alternate system arrangement

...................

l-3

Front panel

...................................

l-4

Back panel

...................................

l-5

Connecting the power cord

......................

l-6

Connecting a monitor

..........................

l-7

Connecting the keyboard

.......................

l-8

Adjusting the keyboard legs

.....................

1-9

Printer placement

..............................

1-10

Connecting a printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-11

2-l

2-2

3-l

4-l

4-2

4-3

4-4

4-5

Location of DIP switches

.......................

Inserting diskettes

.............................

Specialkeys

..................................

Write-protect notch

............................

Back panel screws

.............................

Side screws under plastic inserts

..................

Removing the main unit cover

...................

Inserting an option card

........................

Removing an access slot cover

...................

Tables

l-l

Set 1

DIP switches

.............................

18

l-2

Set

2

DIP switches

.............................

19

2-1

Special keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

3-l

Drive/diskette compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

31

5

6

7

9

10

11

13

14

15

16

17

23

24

34

38

39

41

42

vii

Introduction

Your Epson

®

Equity™ II personal computer is a versatile, high-

performance system which offers you a wide variety of choices. First you

choose between two models of the Equity II main unit. Then you select

the peripherals you want to use with it to assemble the configuration that

does the most for you.

The Equity II main unit can have up to two disk drives and comes in

these models:

l

One 360KB (double-density) floppy disk drive

l

One 360KB floppy disk drive and one

20MB

internal hard disk drive

Both models include 640KB of memory. Instead of the hard disk, you can

choose to add either a 1.2MB (high-density) floppy disk drive or another

360KB floppy disk drive in the bottom slot. You may also replace the

standard 360KB floppy disk drive in the top slot with a

1.2MB

floppy

disk drive.

You can also choose among many optional internal and external

devices. The Equity II’s built-in serial, parallel, and video interfaces

allow you to connect almost any peripheral or combination of periph-

erals. Here are some optional Epson devices you can add to your system:

l

A 12-inch monochrome monitor

l

A 13-inch RGB color monitor

l

An Epson printer or plotter

l

A mouse and a mouse interface card

You can also use most cards for the

IBM@

Personal Computer on the

Equity II. Check with your Epson dealer from time to time to find out

which peripherals and option cards are available.

In addition, the Equity II runs most software products for the IBM

PC. And you can choose between two execution speeds and several wait

states to control how fast the Equity II operates.

How To Use This Manual

This user’s guide explains how to set up and care for the Equity II. It

also describes how to connect optional equipment and start using your

system.

Follow the instructions in Chapter

1

to set up your system. Chapter

2

describes how to turn on the Equity II and gives general operational

procedures. Chapter 3 explains how disks and disk drives work and

shows you how to use them. Chapter 4 describes how to install and

remove option cards. If you encounter a problem, refer to Chapter 5 on

troubleshooting.

Appendix A presents the Equity II’s hardware specifications and

Appendix B is a glossary of important computer terms this manual uses.

Refer to the glossary whenever you come across an unfamiliar word.

You may even want to glance through it before you start reading this

book.

Although illustrations in this manual show the Equity II model with

the internal hard disk, the setup and operational procedures apply to all

configurations. You do not need to read everything in this book; some

sections may describe a particular option or accessory you do not have.

The Equity II comes with the MS”-DOS operating system and the

GW™-BASIC programming language. If you have used MS-DOS before

on another computer, you will find that it works the same way on the

Equity II. However, be sure to refer to your Equity MS-DOS manual to

learn about the new commands and special utility programs Epson has

added.

You may have bought other software as well. This manual tells you

how to load software diskettes. To learn how to use a program or an

operating system, refer to the software manual that comes with it.

Chapter 1

Setting Up Your System

It won’t take you long to get your Epson Equity II personal computer

up and running. This chapter describes the Equity II main unit and shows

you how to set up your system and make any necessary adjustments.

Unpacking

When you unpack your Equity II, you should find the following:

l

The main unit and power cord

l

The keyboard with cable

l

An MS-DOS operating system diskette and a GW-BASIC program-

ming language diskette with supplemental MS-DOS utilities

l

An MS-DOS manual and a GW-BASIC manual

l

This Equity II User’s Guide

In addition to these items, you probably bought a compatible video

monitor, such as the Epson monochrome monitor MBM-2095-E or the

Epson RGB color monitor MCM-4035N-E.

As you remove your system components from their cartons, be sure

to inspect each piece. If anything is missing, looks damaged, or seems

wrong, consult your Epson dealer.

You’ll also find a registration card with the main unit. Fill it out now

and mail it to Epson. With your registration card on file, Epson can sup-

port your hardware and software and send you information on product

updates.

Be sure to keep your packing materials. They provide the best pro-

tection possible for your computer if you need to move or ship it later.

Choosing a Location

Before you set up your new system, choose an appropriate place.

Whether you use your computer at home or in the office, you need to

find a comfortable, convenient location where the Equity II can run

properly.

Choose a location that provides the following:

A large, sturdy desk or table. Make sure it can easily support the

weight of your system, including all its components.

A flat, hard surface. Soft surfaces like beds and carpeted floors

attract static electricity, which erases data on your disks and can

damage the computer’s circuitry. Soft surfaces also prevent proper

ventilation.

Good air circulation. Air must be able to move freely under the sys-

tem as well as behind it. Leave several inches behind the computer

clear to allow ventilation.

Moderate environmental conditions. You need to protect your com-

puter from extremes in temperature, humidity, dust, and smoke.

Avoid direct sunlight or any other source of heat. High humidity also

hinders operation, so select a cool, dry area. Since you can’t risk

losing data stored on disk, do not expose your computer to dust and

smoke which can damage disks and disk drives.

Appropriate power sources. To prevent static charges, connect all

your equipment to 3-prong, 120-volt, grounded outlets. You need

one outlet for the main unit, one for the monitor, and additional

outlets for a printer and any other peripherals. The two auxiliary

power outlets on the back panel of the Equity II reduce the number of

wall outlets you need (see ‘The Back Panel” in this chapter).

No electromagnetic interference. Locate your system away from any

electrical device that generates an electromagnetic field. Surprisingly,

even a telephone can cause trouble, especially if you keep diskettes

right next to it.

When you find the ideal location for your Equity II, you can start to

set up your system.

Arranging the Components

First decide how you want to arrange your system components. You

can set up the Equity II main unit horizontally or vertically.

In the horizontal position, the main unit lies flat with the monitor on

top of it and the keyboard directly in front. Figure l-l shows this

arrangement.

Figure 1-1. Standard system arrangement

5

In the vertical position shown in Figure 1-2, the main unit stands

upright on its side with the keyboard and monitor beside it. The feet on

the right side serve as the base when the main unit is vertical. If you

choose the vertical position, contact your Epson dealer about a mount-

ing kit to stabilize the computer.

Figure 1-2. Alternate system arrangement

Of course, if you have special computer furniture or want to custom-

ize your setup, you can arrange your system components to suit your

own particular needs.

Before you connect the system components, take a look at the front

and back panels of the main unit.

The Front Panel

Figure l-3 shows the front panel with the covers open to reveal the

computer’s DIP switches and the keyboard cable socket. To open the

covers, press down gently on each of the small handles and pull out.

Standard floppy disk drive

\

Disk drive

Power/speed

Disk lock/release button

LED lamps

LED lamp

Optional’

Reset

/

DIP

/

Volume’

Keyboard

Power

disk drive button switches knob cable socket

switch

Figure l-3. Front panel

The front panel components work as follows:

l

Power switch. Use the power switch to turn the computer on and off.

l

Power/speed LED lamp. A light indicates the power is on. When it is

green, the computer is running at the faster execution speed. When it

is red, the computer is running at the slower execution speed.

l

Standard floppy disk drive. The top drive on the Equity II is a 360KB

floppy disk drive that uses double-density, 360KB diskettes.

l

Disk lock/release button. Press this button to lock a diskette in

place. Press it again to eject a diskette.

l

Optional disk drive. Your Equity II may have a second floppy disk

drive (360KB or 1.2MB) or a 20MB hard disk drive (as shown in

Figure l-3) in this slot. If your Equity II has only one disk drive, a

panel covers this empty slot.

l

Disk drive LED lamps. A red light indicates that the drive is being

accessed. To avoid losing data, never remove the diskette or turn off

the computer when the drive’s LED lamp is on.

7

Keyboard cable socket. You plug the keyboard cable into the main

unit here.

Reset button. Press this button to reset the computer. When an oper-

ating system diskette is in the top drive or running on the hard disk,

you can press the reset button to reboot it.

DIP switches. You set these switches to match your system’s charac-

teristics, such as your monitor type, number of floppy disk drives,

and interface types.

Volume knob. Turn this knob to adjust the volume of the internal

speaker the computer uses to generate sounds.

Removing the disk drive protector sheet

A cardboard sheet occupies the diskette slot in the floppy disk drive.

This sheet is inserted at the factory to protect the drive’s read/write

heads.

Remove the sheet before you connect any cables. For a 360KB floppy

disk drive, press the button labelled PUSH to eject it. If you have a

1.2MB

floppy disk drive, turn the latch counterclockwise until it is hori-

zontal and pull out the sheet.

Save the protector sheet and reinsert it whenever you move the com-

puter, even if you just move it to another part of the room. If you don’t

plan to use your computer for a week or more, such as when you go on

vacation, insert the protector sheet to help prevent dust from entering the

disk drive.

The Back Panel

Now look at the back panel of the main unit to identify the electrical

outlets and the input/output ports. Figure l-4 shows where you connect

your peripherals.

WARNING: Connect all your peripherals before you plug the power

cable into an electrical outlet. After you plug in the power

cable, always turn off the power switch before you connect

or disconnect any peripheral.

Unswitched

AC outlet

AC input

Switched

AC outlet

/==I-,’

\

Composite Dire&drive

RSi32C

Parallel

Opt&

card

video port

serial port

poti

access slots

Figure 1-4. Back panel

The back panel components work as follows:

Switched AC outlet. Auxiliary power outlet. You can plug the power

cord of an IBM-compatible monochrome monitor into this outlet, if

the monitor’s power consumption does not exceed

1

amp. The main

unit’s power switch controls the monitor connected to this outlet.

Unswitched AC outlet. Auxiliary power outlet. You can plug a

peripheral such as a color monitor or a printer into this outlet, if the

peripheral’s power consumption does not exceed 1.5 amps. The

main unit’s power switch does not control the peripheral connected

to this outlet.

AC input. Plug the power cord into the main unit here to supply

electrical power to the computer. Make sure the computer is off

when you plug the power cord into a wall outlet.

Composite video port. You can plug a composite monitor into this

RCA-type phono jack. See “Setting the DIP Switches” in this chapter

to find out how to set switches

l-5

and

l-6

to match your monitor

type-

Direct-drive video port. Internal video interface connector. You can

plug a TTL monochrome or an RGB color monitor into this nine-pin

female D-connector. See “Setting the DIP Switches” in this chapter to

find out how to set switches

l-5

and

l-6

to match your monitor type.

RS-232C serial port. Allows you to connect a peripheral with a serial

interface, such as a modem, another computer, or a printer.

Parallel port. Allows you to connect a peripheral with a

parallel interface, such as a printer or a plotter.

Option card access slots. The Equity II has five slots to hold up to five

option cards. You can install option cards to add special features and

peripherals, such as a hard disk, a mouse, or another monitor. If

your Equity II has a hard disk, a hard disk controller card occupies

one option slot.

Connecting the Power Cord

Plug the power cord into the AC input on the back panel of the main

unit, as shown in Figure l-5. To avoid an electric shock, be sure to plug

this end into the main unit before you plug the other end into a wall

outlet. For now, do not plug the other end of the power cord into an

electrical outlet.

Figure 1-5. Connecting the power cord

10

Connecting a Video Monitor

The Equity II has a built-in video interface for connecting a monitor.

The exact procedure you use to connect your monitor to the main unit

depends on the type of monitor you have. See your monitor manual for

detailed instructions or follow these general guidelines:

1.

Place your monitor on top of or near the Equity II main unit. It is

easiest to connect the monitor cable if the back of the monitor and

the main unit face you.

2.

If necessary, connect the monitor cable to the monitor. (Some moni-

tors come with permanently attached cables.)

3.

If you have a TTL monochrome or RGB color monitor, connect the

appropriate end of the monitor cable to the direct-drive video port

on the back panel, as shown in Figure

1-6.

If the plug has retaining

screws, tighten them with a screwdriver.

Figure 1-6. Connecting a monitor

11

If you have a composite video monitor, connect the appropriate end

of the monitor cable to the composite video port on the back panel.

If you want to use a different monitor with a video interface card,

install the option card as described in Chapter 4. Then connect the

appropriate end of the monitor cable to the connector on the option

card.

4. Plug the monitor’s power cable first into the power inlet on the moni-

tor and then into an electrical outlet.

Note: You can plug some monitors into one of the two auxiliary

power outlets on the back panel. Make sure the monitor’s

power consumption does not exceed

1

amp if you plug it into

the switched AC outlet or 1.5 amps if you plug it into the

unswitched AC outlet.

5.

When you read “Setting the DIP Switches” in this chapter, be sure to

set DIP switches

l-5

and

l-6

on the front panel of the main unit to

match your monitor type.

If you have a monochrome monitor and you set your DIP switches

accordingly, you can run IBM-compatible text and Hercules graphics

software. With a color monitor and the appropriate switch settings, you

can run IBM-compatible color/graphics software.

Connecting the Keyboard

After you connect your monitor to the main unit, you can connect

the keyboard. The keyboard cable is attached to the keyboard at one

end. You connect the other end to the keyboard cable socket under the

cover on the lower right comer of the front panel.

12

To connect the cable, open the front panel cover and insert the key-

board connector as shown in Figure l-7. Do not force the connector, but

be sure to insert it all the way. See that the cable exits to the right of the

main unit. Gently push the cable into the retaining clip, and close the

cover.

Figure 1-7. Connecting the keyboard

13

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