Laser 2001 & Salora Manager - official thread

[carlsson]

It struck me that Laser 2001 BASIC has BSAVE. Unless it is limited to a memory range, it should be possible to dump ROM to cassette format. Too bad we haven't yet found a way to decode the tape signals, although I think existing tools for other systems might serve as starting points to make a tool even for this one. We'd need some sample recordings of known content first, like 10 PRINT"HELLO WORLD" etc.

[MADrigal]

I think Giovanni Ortu's "CvTape" tool would do good if only it was "modded" in order to be compatible with Laser 2001 tape format.

But an easy way to "dump" the ROM from tape could be a "LLIST" of the raw data bytes to a parallel printer.

[carlsson]

Too bad neither the German Laser 2001 manual nor the Finnish Salora Manager manual are specific about technical details such as pinouts. I'm sure the expansion port could partly be figured out anyway e.g. which pins are ground and which have a signal but docs would definitely help.

[TBCTBC]

If I understand correctly, there's a TMS99** chip in the Laser 2001? I see at .old-computers.com that it has text mode: 36x24 characters which is kinda strange. Exactly as my Coleco ADAM which is also very strange. I'm not sure if that's a typo or what.

[MADrigal]

From my memory, the Laser 2001 has a TMS9929, that's the same as the CreatiVision video chip. And it's a PAL-only video chip.

The only known Laser 2001 variants are, in fact, German and Finnish, both PAL.

The text mode is 32x24 chars, that's 256x192 pixels.

I think that's just a a typo.

[TBCTBC]

Yeah, I guess, but it's strange that the same typo would find it's way to some Adam docs too
I need to get a Laser 2001 I feel, I got a Laser 128, 200 and 310 already.
But I like systems with the TMS-chip, I got quite a few now

[MADrigal]

Well I do have a Salora Manager (Finnish Laser 2001) and it's 100% compatible with all the CreatiVision games that don't require a keyboard (like BASIC and Music Maker).

And the video resolution of the CreatiVision games is exactly the same when playin on CV and on Manager.

Please read the Laser 2001 manual here:

https://www.madrigaldesign.it/creativemu ... .php?id=39

On page "G47" it reads that there's 256x192 pixels on screen.

Then again same info on page G50 ("256/2" and "192/2")

[carlsson]

Actually I believe the 36x24 mode on the Coleco ADAM is a hires mode where characters are plotted, 7 pixels per character and then 4 pixels left unused. I.e. that would not be a native VDP mode, but some kind of software operated mode.

As far as I can tell, I have never seen this on my Laser 2001 but then I don't have any particular amounts of native Laser 2001 software, only Creativision software including the Sonic Invader tape.

[carlsson]

As for retrieving the ROM content, it struck me one could write a program that PEEK's the ROM and outputs values on screen. If used with a video capture device on the PC, we get a MP4 with a long row of number scrolling past. Now if there is OCR software that can take MP4 input, it could be converted back into text and eventually binary form that way.

[Mobsie]

Hi Carlsson,
great idea
I read this thread again after long time, very interesting. I play a little with my Manager today. I ask me how was the Disk-Drive be used because there are now special commands in basic. On the CBM`s we have the ",8". Drive was sold with a special controller right? Like on the Pic and maybe with a special Basic-Cart.

Model-Salora_Manager.jpg