Synapse SynCalc ; Copyright (C) 1983, 1985 Synapse Software Corp. and Mike Silva#
SynCalc from Synapse and programmed by Mike Silva is the(!) spreadsheet for the Atari 8 bit. No program of that kind reaches the performance SynCalc does.Officially, 2 version were sold, one from 1983 and the other from 1985. Of course, there are others out there in the web, mostly patched and cracked ones.
Versions:
- 1983 Version, works with all models and Axlon (up to 256k) compatiable RAM expansions, ATX available
- 1985 Version, works with all models and Axlon (up to 256k) and XE (up to 64k) compatible RAM expansions, ATX available
- 1993 Version, works only with XL/XE models and XE (up to 256k) compatiable RAM expansions ATR available
1983 Version#
The 1983 version was the first one, it had some bugs, but was and still is marvelous. The only bug we know is as follows:if you have a value in the 255th line and insert one line more, the Atari crashes and your work is lost. In my opinion a bug we can live with. If you have a bug-list of the 1983 version, please let us know. Your help is very much appreciated in this case.
1985 Version#
The 1985 version should be free of bugs, further, it was sold with a template disk, please see below. This version uses extended RAM, if available. For example, in an Atari 130XE there is more than 80 KB RAM available. But the user has to take care, because the limit for storing data on diskette is 90 KB. The goal should be, to create an atr-image for all Ataris (Classic, XL, XE) free of bugs and just limited to the installed RAM. Further, to get rid of the 90 KB data storage limit.1993 Version#
Appears to be based on the 1983 version. All "STA $CFFF" bank select statements are replaced by "JSR $0101", pointing to a small subroutine that maps the Axlon bank number to and XE bank in PORTB.
| Port B | FF | EF | EB | E7 | E3 | AF | AB | A7 | A3 | 8F | 8B | 87 | 83 | FF | FF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | 800/XL | 130 XE | 130 XE | 130 XE | 130 XE | RAMBO | RAMBO | RAMBO | RAMBO | RAMBO | RAMBO | RAMBO | RAMBO | n/a | n/a | |
| Total RAM (k) | 48/64 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 192 | 192 | 192 | 192 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | n/a | n/a |
See also http://atariage.com/forums/topic/208094-who-can-crack-this-one
.
Manuals#
- Synapse SynCalc-1983 Version ; size: 7,6 MB ; thanks to Atarimania for hosting
- Synapse SynCalc-1985 Version ; size: 13,3 MB ; thanks to Atarimania for hosting
- Synapse SynCalc Template Disk ; size: 8 MB ; thanks to Atarimania for hosting
ATR images#
- 1983 version from Atarimania ; thanks to Atarimania for hosting
- 1985 version from Atarimania ; thanks to Atarimania for hosting
- Synapse SynCalc Template Disk ; thanks to Atarimania for hosting
RAM configuration; findings from JAC! from AtariAge#
From p. 5 of the documenation:"What You Will Need
1. An ATARI home computer
2. An ATARI disk drive (up to 2).
3. The program diskette, enclosed in the inside front cover pocket of the manual.
4. At least 48K of memory.
5. A TV set or other video monitor. A black and white set will work.
6. Blank diskettes for storing data.
Optional:
ATARI printers for obtaining hard copy versions of reports.
You can also use the Axlon Rampower 128K or Mosaic 64K Select to increase your computer's capacity."
From p. 9 of the documenation:
"NOTE: The memory indicator will be nnn/NNN where nnn = amount of memory used in K bytes and NNN = total amount of memory available in K bytes (1 K byte is equal to 1024 characters). When you notice that the memory indicator shows that the worksheet is becoming full, you should save the worksheet to disk and then reload it. This may free up additional memory space. The amount of memory will vary according to the configuration of your computer."
| Hardware | Base RAM | Expansion | Free Memory in 1983 Version | Free Memory in 1985 Version | Free Memory in 1993 Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari 800 | 48k | none | 21k | 21k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 52k | none | 25k | 25k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 64k Axlon | 69k | 69k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 128k Axlon | 133k | 133k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 256k Axlon | 245k | 245k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 512k Axlon | 245k | 245k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 1024k Axlon | 245k | 245k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 2048k Axlon | 245k | 245k | n/a |
| Atari 800 | 48k | 4096k Axlon | 245k | 245k | n/a |
| Atari 800 XL | 64k | none | 21k | 21k | 21k |
| Atari 800 XL | 64k | 256k Rambo | 21k | 84k | 213k |
| Atari 800 XL | 64k | 256k Compy | 21k | 84k | 149k |
| Atari 800 XL | 64k | 512k Rambo | 21k | 84k | 213k |
| Atari 800 XL | 64k | 512k Compy | 21k | 84k | 149k |
| Atari 800 XL | 64k | 1024k Rambo | 21k | 84k | 213k |
| Atari 130 XE | 64k | 64k Atari | 21k | 84k | 85k |
The disk contains a boot loader in the sectors 1-8 and two versions of the program. The first version starts at sector 18 ($12) supports the Axlon compatiable memory expansions with the banking register $CFFF. The second version starts at sector 62 ($3E) and supports the XE compatible memory expansions with the banking register $D301 (PORTB). In both cases, the extended memory is banked in at $4000. If an extended memory bank at $4000 is available for the banking value $E3 during the boot process, the second version is loaded.
1B3B: LDY #$EF
1B3D: LDA #$E3
1B3F: STA PORTB
1B42: TXA
1B43: STA $4000,X
1B46: STY PORTB
1B49: EOR #$FF
1B4B: STA $4000,X
1B4E: INX
1B4F: BPL $1B3D
1B51: LDX #$00
1B53: LDA #$E3
1B55: STA PORTB
1B58: TXA
1B59: CMP $4000,X
1B5C: BNE $1B6C
1B5E: INX
1B5F: BPL $1B58
1B61: LDA #$3E
1B63: STA $84
1B65: LDA #$00
1B67: STA $85
1B69: JMP $1B74
1B6C: LDA #$12
1B6E: STA $84
1B70: LDA #$00
1B72: STA $85
... load main part
Images#
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