VTech Games Precomputer Power Pad Plus User Manual

Precomputer Power Pad Plus

User’s manual

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................ 1

CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED ........................ 2

MAIN BATTERY INSTALLATION ...............................2

BACKUP BATTERY INSTALLATION...........................2

AC ADAPTOR CONNECTION...................................3

PRINTER CONNECTION ..........................................4

MOUSE CONNECTION............................................4

GENERAL OPERATION ..........................................4

CHAPTER 3 THE KEYBOARD ............................ 6

SPECIAL KEYS ........................................................6

ACTIVITY SELECTOR ...............................................9

CHAPTER 4 ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS ........ 11

HOW TO PLAY.....................................................11

CHAPTER 5 WORD PROCESSOR.................... 20

FILE OPTIONS......................................................21

EDIT OPTIONS.....................................................22

FORMAT OPTIONS ..............................................23

TOOLS OPTIONS .................................................24

PRINT OPTIONS ..................................................24

HELP ...................................................................25

EXIT.....................................................................25

CHAPTER 6 SYSTEM SETUP ............................. 26

PRINTER SETUP ...................................................26

TIPS OF TODAY ...................................................26

SCREEN SAVER ....................................................27

CLEAR LAST SCORE..............................................27

ICON BOX ...........................................................27

QUICK MENU SETUP ............................................27

CUSTOMIZE SETUP...............................................27

DEMO MODE ......................................................28

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RAM CART MANAGER..........................................28

POWER LINK.......................................................29

CHAPTER 7 BASIC.......................................... 30

INTRODUCTION...................................................30

GETTING STARTED ..............................................32

BASIC COMPUTER TUTORIAL................................34

REFERENCE SECTION ...........................................47

ARITHMETIC FUNCTIONS ......................................52

STRING FUNCTIONS.............................................53

GRAPHICS FUNCTION ..........................................54

SUBSTRINGS .......................................................54

LOGICAL OPERATORS.........................................59

APPENDIX ...........................................................65

THE ERROR MESSAGES .......................................74

CHAPTER 8 CALCULATOR.............................. 76

BASIC CALCULATOR OPERATIONS .......................76

USING THE MEMORY FEATURES...........................76

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS .......................................77

TRIGONOMETRY FUNCTIONS ..............................78

CHAPTER 9 TIME LIMITS............................... 79

CHAPTER 10 SCORING.................................. 79

CHAPTER 11 POWER LINK ............................ 81

CONNECTING THE CABLE .....................................81

CONTROLLING VTECH POWER LINK™.................81

CHAPTER 12 HOW TO USE AN EXPANSION

CARTRIDGE............................... 83

CHAPTER 13 CARE AND MAINTENANCE ......... 84

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Thank you for buying the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning toy by VTECH^®.

We at VTECH^®are committed to providing the best possible products to develop a child’s

mind. Should you have any questions or concerns, please call our Consumer Services

Department at 1-800-521-2010 in the U.S. or 1-800-267-7377 in Canada.

PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS is a powerful learning computer tool featuring

120x32 full dot matrix LCD screen and a standard sized computer style keyboard that gives

the user the look and the feel of a real laptop computer. PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™

PLUS offers 38 activities that include tenses, antonyms, synonyms, grammar, spelling,

vocabulary, basic and advanced mathematics, 1000 trivia questions, logic games, a word

processor, BASIC programming with tutorial, a built-in calculator, a 75,000 word spell checker

and more. Get ready for hours of learning fun with the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™

PLUS learning unit.

CABINET LOCKS

LCD SCREEN

CONTRAST SWITCH

VOLUME SWITCH

SPEAKER

ON SELECTOR

OFF SELECTOR

9 LED STATUS

DISPLAY BAR

MEMBRANE

ACTIVITY

SELECTOR

EXPANSION

CARTRIDGE DOOR

COMPUTER

KEYBOARD

AC ADAPTOR PORT

PRINTER PORT

MOUSE PORT

PULL OUT CARRYING HANDLE

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CHAPTER 2: GETTING STARTED

The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit operates on 4 “AA” (UM-3/LR6)

size batteries for the main compartment or a 9V AC adaptor. 2 “AA” (UM-3/LR6) batteries

are required to backup the unit.

MAIN BATTERY INSTALLATION

1. Make sure the unit is OFF.

2. Locate the main battery cover on the back of the unit

and open it.

3. Insert 4 “AA” (UM-3/LR6) size batteries as

illustrated. DO NOT USE RECHARGEABLE

BATTERIES in this unit. (The use of Rayovac

Renewable/Rechargeable Alkaline batteries is

encouraged.)

4. Replace the battery cover.

5. Turn the unit ON.

BATTERY NOTICE

•

Install batteries correctly observing the polarity (+,-) signs to avoid leakage.

Do not mix old and new batteries.

Do not use batteries of different types.

Remove exhausted or new batteries from equipment when you are not going to use

it for a long time.

•

Do not dispose of batteries in fire.

Do not attempt to recharge ordinary batteries.

The supply terminals are not to be short-circuited.

Non-rechargeable batteries are not to be recharged.

Rechargeable batteries are to be removed from the toy before being charged.

Rechargeable batteries are only to be charged under adult supervision.

NOTE: If the unit suddenly stops working, or the sound seems weak, turn the unit off for

15 seconds, then turn it back on. If the problem persists, it may be caused by

weak batteries. Please install a new set of batteries and try the unit again.

BACKUP BATTERY INSTALLATION

1. Make sure the unit is OFF.

2. Locate the backup battery cover on the back of the unit and open it.

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3. Insert 2 “AA” (UM-3/LR6) size batteries as illustrated.

DO NOT USE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES in this

unit. (The use of Rayovac Renewable/Rechargeable

Alkaline batteries is encouraged.)

4. Replace the battery cover.

5. Turn the unit ON.

NOTE: While replacing the backup batteries, the 4 “AA” size

batteries must be kept in the unit or the unit must be connected

to the 9V adaptor while the adaptor is plugged in. If not, the

information stored in the following activities will be lost:

•

Word Processor

BASIC

User Name and Personal Message

Last Scores

Quick Menu Icons

AC ADAPTOR CONNECTION

Use a standard 9V

300mA

AC adaptor.

1. Make sure the unit is OFF.

2. Locate the adaptor jack on the back of the unit.

3. Plug the adaptor into a wall outlet.

4. Plug the adaptor into the unit’s adaptor jack.

5. Turn the unit ON.

NOTE: Do not leave the adaptor plugged in for a long period of time if the unit is not

in use. If the unit suddenly stops working or the sound seems weak, it may be

the result of the adaptor connection. Turn the unit off and unplug the adaptor from

the unit for 15 seconds. Next plug the adaptor back in and turn the unit on. If

the problem persists, it may be the result of the adaptor's wiring or the unit. Please

call our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-521-2010 in the U.S., 1-800-267-

7377 in Canada and a service representative will be happy to help you.

The VTECH^®AC adaptor is perfectly suitable to operate this product. Many retailers

carry the adaptor, however, if you are unable to find one locally, you can send

$10.00 plus $5.00 for shipping and handling (Illinois residents please add an 8.25%

sales tax.) to:

Adaptor c/o

VTECH^®Industries, LLC

101 E. Palatine Road

Wheeling, IL 60090-6500

Please do not send cash.

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PRINTER CONNECTION

The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit can support 12 different kinds

of printers. For details, please refer to Chapter 6.

MOUSE CONNECTION

Use our standard mouse, included with the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS.

1. Make sure the unit is OFF.

2. Locate the mouse jack at the back of the unit.

3. Slide open the mouse port door and insert the mouse connector into the unit.

4. Turn the unit ON.

5. The mouse will work best if it is kept on the mouse pad.

Left Mouse

Button

Right Mouse

Button

This 'ARROW' shows the unlocking

direction.Lock by pushing to the

opposite side of the 'ARROW'

The mouse functions the same as a real computer mouse. Move the cursor on the screen

by moving the mouse in the direction you would like the cursor to move. The Left mouse

button functions as a select key (Enter key) while the Right mouse button functions as

an Esc key.

GENERAL OPERATION

ON BUTTON & OFF BUTTON

Turn on your PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit by pressing the ON

button located at the upper right-hand side of the Membrane Activity Selector. A welcome

animation will be displayed and you can begin play. Turn the unit off at any time by pressing

the OFF button.

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Automatic Shut Off

If there is no input into the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS unit for about 20 minutes,

the unit will automatically shut off to save power. To turn the unit back on after an automatic

shut off, press the ON button again. We recommend turning the unit OFF when not in

use. If the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS unit is not in use for a long period

of time, remove the main compartment batteries or unplug the adaptor.

CONTRAST SWITCH

Depending on your lighting conditions, slide the Contrast Switch to the left or right to allow

for better viewing.

VOLUME SWITCH

Adjust the volume by sliding the Volume Switch to the left or right.

LED STATUS DISPLAY BAR AND LCD SCREEN

LED Light

There are 9 icons on the LED status display bar. Each icon represents an activity or function.

LCD SCREEN

On top of the LCD screen, a status bar is displayed.

Left Player's

Right Player's

Left Player's

Right Player's

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CHAPTER 3: THE KEYBOARD

The computer keyboard on PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS combines the operation

of a standard computer keyboard with several other functions described below.

SPECIAL KEYS

Enter Key:

Press this key after typing or choosing an answer to input your selection.

Shift Key:

Press this key to type capital letters or the symbols shown on top of the number keys.

Esc Key:

Press this key to exit an activity. By repeatedly pressing the ESC key, you can return

to the main menu.

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Caps Lock Key:

Press this key to make all letters appear in upper case. Press this key again to return

to normal typing mode. When the Caps Lock function is activated, the Caps Lock light

will turn on.

Answer Key:

Press this key to see the correct answer to any question.

Right Player/Left Player Keys:

Press these keys with activities featuring a 2-player mode. The first person to hit his or

her appropriate left or right player button will get the opportunity to answer the question

first.

Cursor Keys:

Press the

key to move the cursor to the right.

key to move the cursor to the left.

key to move the cursor downward.

key to move the cursor upward.

Help Key:

Press this key at any time and you will see helpful hints to assist you with the current

screen.

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Hint Key:

Press the Shift key and this key simultaneously when inputting text in Trivia activities when

you need a hint. You will be given three multiple choice answers to choose from. In

Rocket Fuel, you may replay the current stage.

Break Key:

Press the Shift and Break keys simultaneously when you want to interrupt a program in

the BASIC activity while it is running.

Alt Key:

Press this key and the letter ‘P’ to activate the printing function in the activities.

Press this key and the “3” key to get the symbol “#”.

Erase Key:

Press this key when you are inputting text. This will clear the entire input line so that

you can re-enter the text.

AC Key:

Press this key for an ‘All Clear’ screen in the Calculator activity.

Insert Key:

Press this key when you want to insert text in the Word Processor, BASIC and Design

A Card activities.

Delete Key:

Press this key when you want to delete the character at the cursor position.

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Backspace Key:

Press this key when you want to delete the character before the cursor position.

3, #, and £:

Press this key to type the number “3”.

Press Shift and this key simultaneously when you want to type the symbol “£”.

Press Alt and this key simultaneously when you want to type the symbol “#”.

ACTIVITY SELECTOR

There are 38 activities in the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS unit and they are

divided into 5 categories. This includes Word Games, Mathematics, Computer Skills, Games

and Trivia. Press any one of the activities to go into the activity directly.

WORD GAMES

MATHEMATICS

COMPUTER SKILLS

GAMES

Spy Trap

TRIVIA

Science

FUNCTION

MAIN MENU

/DEMO

Word

Flip Flop

Keyboard

Skills

Addition

Subtraction

Multiplication

Division

Puzzles

In Word

Fractions

Mystery

Letter

Vocabulary

Builder

Typing

Rocket

Fuel

Comparatives

Ratios

English

Geography

General

OFF

Challenge

Word

Recall

Word

Design

A Card

Synonyms

Antonyms

Algebra

Level

Maker

Processor

Sentence

Story

BASIC

Tutor

Spell

Plurals

Tenses

Player

Scrambler

Problems

Checker

Letter

Drop

Grammar

Quiz

Equation

Builder

Fractions

BASIC

Calculator

Cartridge

Screen

On Key:

This key is used to turn the unit ON. When the unit is OFF, press this key to turn the

unit ON.

Off Key:

This key is used to turn the unit OFF. When the unit is turned ON, press this key any

time to turn the unit OFF.

IMPORTANT: When using an AC adaptor, always make sure to FIRST PRESS THE OFF

KEY on the unit before unplugging the adaptor.

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Player Key:

Press this key to change from 1-player mode to 2-player mode and vice versa for activities

with 2-player mode. If you want to change the player mode, press this key first and then

select a player mode by typing the number 1 or 2. If you select the 2-player mode, you

will be prompted to enter the names of the first player and second player.

Level Key:

The unit provides 4 levels of challenge in most of the activities. If you want to change

the level, press this key first and then select a level by typing a number 1, 2, 3, 4. The

first level is the easiest and the fourth level is the most difficult.

Cartridge Key:

This key is used to access VTECH^®PRECOMPUTER expansion cartridges that are

compatible with the unit. An expansion cartridge must be inserted into the unit to operate

the cartridge feature.

NOTE: Cartridges are sold separately. Please refer to Chapter 12 for details and a listing

of VTECH® PRECOMPUTER expansion cartridges.

Print Screen Key:

This key is used to print the current screen. Press this key at any time, and the current

screen will print through the connected printer.

Main Menu/DEMO Key:

This key is used to return to the main menu. Press this key at any time and you will

return to the main menu immediately. When you are already in the main menu, pressing

this key will show the demo of this unit.

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CHAPTER 4: ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS

HOW TO PLAY

SELECTING/CHOOSING/HIGHLIGHTING

During the course of entering the activities and during game play, you will be asked to

either select, choose or highlight an object, a number, a letter or a word. This can be

done in two different ways:

Mouse

You can move the cursor arrow with the mouse. When the cursor arrow is on the

item you want to choose, press the left mouse button, or the Enter key.

You may also move the cursor to highlight text. To highlight, select text by pressing

the left mouse button and dragging the cursor over the text.

You may exit an activity, go to previous menu, and close pop-up windows by pressing

the right mouse button, or the ESC key.

Cursor Keys

You can move the cursor arrow with the cursor keys on the keyboard. When the

cursor arrow is on the item you want to choose, press the Enter key.

Also, you may select a highlighted option by pressing the cursor keys. If the highlighted

option is the one you want, press the Enter key.

CUSTOMIZED SCREEN AND TIPS OF TODAY

After turning on the unit, a welcoming animation and the customized screen will appear.

You can change the name and the message of the customized screen in System Setup.

Please see Chapter 6 for details.

After the customized screen appears, the Tips of Today pop-up on the screen. There are

55 different interesting facts that will be randomly shown each time the unit is turned on.

ENTERING ACTIVITIES

After the Customized Screen and Tips of Today are displayed, the Main Menu will appear.

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There are 5 large icons on top of the Main Menu. You can choose from the following:

Word Games , Mathematics , Computer Skills , Games , and Trivia

Use 1 of the following 2 ways to enter into one of the five categories:

1. Press any one of the five activity buttons from the Membrane Activity Selector.

2. Choose an activity icon on the screen.

After choosing the category (Word Games, Mathematics, etc.), you may select an activity:

Choose an activity on the screen. Due to the limitation of the screen, you will have to

scroll through the activity list by using the UP and DOWN arrow icons located on the right

side of the screen. Or you can use the UP or DOWN arrow keys on the keyboard. Press

the Enter key or the left mouse button to enter the selected activity.

During any of the activities, press the ESC button to quit the activity and return to the

main menu.

During any of the activities, press the Main Menu/Demo key to return to the main menu.

At the bottom of the Main Menu, there are three smaller icons. Choose from: Demo Icon

, Help Icon

and System Setup

Demo Icon

When this icon is selected, the demo mode begins. The unit will automatically enter one

of the Word Games, Mathematics, Computer Skills, Games or Trivia activities, and answer

a question. This process will repeat until you press any key, or move the mouse.

Help Icon

When this icon is selected, helpful text will assist you with the current screen.

System Setup

When this icon is selected, System Setup is entered. Please refer to Chapter 6 for details

of System Setup.

PLAYER MODES:

The unit will automatically begin in 1-player mode when the unit is turned on. To enter

the 2-player mode, press the Player key first and then type the number “2”. The unit will

prompt you to enter the names of the first player and the second player.

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NOTE: The following activities do not feature the two-player mode:

•

Word Puzzles

Spy Trap

Rocket Fuel

Keyboard Skills

Typing Challenge

Word Processor

BASIC Tutor

BASIC

Design A Card

Spell Checker

Calculator

GENERAL DISPLAY

In most of the activities, you will see a display with status information, useful icons and

a working area. The status information will include the players’ scores, the number of

chances remaining to answer a question, the current level, and the time indicator. At the

right side of the screen, there are several icons displayed. They include the Quit icon,

the Help icon, and the Up/Down arrow icons. The Up/Down icons are used to scroll the

text, if the text is too long to be displayed on one screen. Besides clicking on the icons

with your mouse, you can also press the Up/Down cursor keys on your keyboard.

WORD GAMES

MYSTERY LETTER

A word (missing a letter) will appear on the screen. Type in the missing letter and press

the Enter key to confirm your answer.

WORD RECALL

The unit will first display a word on the screen. After 3 seconds, the word will disappear.

Type in the same word as originally displayed. The underlines tell you how many letters

are in the word. Press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

PLURALS

A singular form of a noun will appear on the screen. Type in the plural form of the given

word and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

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TENSES

Two tenses of a verb will appear on the screen. Type in the missing tense (present, past

or past participle) of that verb and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

WORD PUZZLES

This is a crossword puzzle game with 10 missing words in each puzzle. Use the cursor

keys or mouse to select one of the missing words. Press the Enter key to receive a clue

for the chosen word. Type in the word for that clue and press the Enter key to confirm

your answer. If you need to see the clue again, press the Hints key and the clue will

appear. Also, you may use the Erase key to clear any word you have typed in, and the

unit will delete the word. After you have answered this clue, choose another word until

you have entered all of the 10 missing words.

COMPARATIVES

This activity shows three forms of adjectives or adverbs. Two comparatives will be displayed

on the screen, and you need to input the third one. Type in the missing comparative and

press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

SYNONYMS

The unit will display a word on the screen. Type in a word that has the same meaning.

The underlines tell you how many letters are in the word. Press the Enter key to confirm

your answer.

ANTONYMS

The unit will display a word on the screen. Type in a word that has the opposite meaning.

The underlines tell you how many letters are in the word. Press the Enter key to confirm

your answer.

LETTER DROP

An incomplete word will appear on the bottom row with its missing letter above it. Use

the Left/Right cursor keys or mouse to place the missing letter in its correct position and

press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

WORD IN WORD

The unit will display a word on the screen. Use the Left/Right cursor keys or mouse to

move the pointer and select a letter to be removed. Try to remove a letter so that the

remaining letters still make a word. Press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

VOCABULARY BUILDER

The unit will display a word on the screen with three definitions of the word. Only one

is the correct answer. Choose the correct definition of the word and enter your selection

by pressing the corresponding number or pressing the Enter key or clicking your mouse.

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WORD MAKER

The unit will display a prefix or a suffix of a word at the bottom of the screen. Several

suffixes/prefixes scroll across the screen above the word. When the correct suffix/prefix

is above the word, press the Enter key to input your answer.

SENTENCE SCRAMBLER

A group of words will appear on the screen. You must rearrange the words to form a

correct sentence. Select the word you think is the first word of the sentence with the

arrow keys or the mouse cursor, and then press the Enter key or the left mouse button.

The word will move to the answer line. Repeat the same process for the second word,

the third word and so on until the entire sentence is constructed. If you make a mistake,

you can select the word from the answer line with your mouse and the word will move

to the top of the screen. When you select the last word of the sentence, the unit will

check whether your selections are correct or incorrect.

GRAMMAR QUIZ

A sentence will appear on the screen with one grammatical error. Choose the grammatically

incorrect word with your arrow keys or the mouse cursor. Then press the Enter key or

left mouse button. If you pick out the grammatical error, 3 multiple choice options will

appear on the screen. Select the option that makes the sentence grammatically correct

by pressing its corresponding number, or moving the mouse cursor or pressing the Up/

Down arrow keys to highlight your choice then press the Enter key to input your answer.

MATHEMATICS

ADDITION

An addition problem will appear on the screen. Type in your answer, from right to left,

using the number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

SUBTRACTION

A subtraction problem will appear on the screen. Type in your answer, from right to left,

using the number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

MULTIPLICATION

A multiplication problem will appear on the screen. Type in your answer, according to the

position of the blinking cursor, using the number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter

key to confirm your answer.

DIVISION

A division problem will appear on the screen. Type in your answer, from left to right, using

the number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

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FRACTIONS

A fraction will display on the screen. 3 multiple choice options will be given. Decide which

option is the correct answer and press its corresponding number or click on the answer

with your mouse.

FLIP FLOP FRACTIONS

An equation which involves turning a fraction into a decimal/percentage will appear on the

screen. Type in the answer using the number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter

key to confirm your answer. When inputting your decimal answer, place a zero before

the decimal point when the answer is less than 1. Example: "0.94" is correct. ".94" is

incorrect.

RATIOS

A ratio problem will appear on the screen. Type in the answer to make the ratios equal

by using the number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

ALGEBRA

An algebra problem will appear on the screen. Type in the value of “x” or “y” using the

number keys on the keyboard and press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

STORY PROBLEMS

In this activity the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit challenges you

to find answers to math problems that are presented as story problems instead of numerical

equations. The question will appear on the screen. You may type your answer or press

the Hint key to choose from 3 multiple choice options. Select your answer by typing in

the corresponding number, using the mouse or use the Up/Down arrow keys to highlight

your selection then press the Enter key to confirm your answer.

EQUATION BUILDER

The unit will display an equation. Three signs < (less than), > (greater than) and = (equal

to) will scroll across the screen. When the correct sign is at the middle of the equation,

press the Enter key to choose the correct sign to complete the equation.

COMPUTER SKILLS

KEYBOARD SKILLS

You can learn keyboarding skills through this helpful typing tutorial. This activity is divided

into Basic and Expert courses.

Basic Course

In the basic course, you will type the letters displayed in the upper right corner of the

screen. The hand and the keyboard on the screen indicates which finger should be used

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to type each letter. Each correct letter equals 1 point. After typing 100 letters (50 for

the left hand, 50 for the right hand), the score and the rewarding screen will be shown.

Expert Course

In the expect course, follow the screen and type the given text. After you have completely

typed the text, your typing speed and accuracy will appear on the screen.

TYPING CHALLENGE

This activity helps to improve your keyboarding skills through this exciting typing game.

The cannon on the right side of the screen will fire letters to the castle on the left side.

Type the letter before it hits the castle. If the castle on the screen is hit 8 times, one

chance is deducted. You will win the game if you can type all the given letters before

your three chances are up.

WORD PROCESSOR

This activity offers word processing for your documents. Please see Chapter 5 of this manual

for further details.

BASIC TUTOR

This activity will acquaint you with the fundamental BASIC computer programming concepts.

At the end of the text, there is a program for the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” You

can learn the technique of a BASIC program by writing your own game.

BASIC

This is an intensive computer programming activity. Complete instructions are provided

in Chapter 7 of this manual.

DESIGN A CARD

The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning toy has several built-in pictures,

including holiday, birthday, and celebration scenes. With these pictures, you can print letter

greetings and folded cards along with your personal messages to give to your friends and

relatives.

To create and print a Letter Greeting:

Select Letter Greeting.

Choose a picture to be used in the Letter Greeting.

Type in your text message. You are allowed up to eight lines of text. Press the

Enter key several times. The unit will ask you if you have finished entering your

message. Select yes or no.

Select Print.

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To create and print a Folded Card :

Select Folded Card.

Choose a picture to be used in the folded card.

Type in your text message. You are allowed up to eight lines of text. Press the

Enter key several times. The unit will ask you if you have finished entering your

text. Select yes or no.

Select Print.

SPELL CHECKER

Spell Checker is an electronic word list that contains approximately 75,000 words and is

used to check the correct spelling of words. This program can work independently or within

the Word Processor activity.

The Spell Checker searches words phonetically. English words can be difficult to spell

because the same sound can sometimes be spelled several different ways. Remember,

Spell Checker never actually spells a word for you but will check for spelling errors and

gives you suggestions for correcting the possible misspelling.

Type a word the way you think it is spelled and press the Enter key. PRECOMPUTER

POWER PAD™ PLUS will spend a few seconds checking the dictionary. If the word is

spelled correctly, the unit will respond with “Correct!” If the word you typed is not in the

dictionary, it will give you a list of possible words to correct the misspelled word. To continue

checking additional words, continue typing without pressing the Enter key.

CALCULATOR

This activity allows you to use the unit as an advanced, scientific calculator. Please see

Chapter 8 of this manual for instructions.

GAMES

SPY TRAP

The object of the game is to catch all of the four spies within the time alotted. The spies

are hidden behind the numbers. The only way to reveal a spy is to select 2 to 3 continuous

numbers that add up to the number stated in the middle of the screen. When a spy is

revealed, select the spy to send him to jail. There is a time limit to catch the spies. If

you cannot catch the spies within the time limit, you will lose a turn. The following are

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the rules of the game:

1. Press the number key or use your mouse to select the numbers. You may select any

number. If all nine of the squares fill up, you will lose a turn.

2. Try to select the numbers so that 2 to 3 continuous numbers that you choose, add

up to the number in the middle of the screen.

3. A spy appears in one of the blank squares. Press the Space bar or click on the spy

immediately to put the spy in jail. If you don’t catch a spy within 5 seconds, he will

disappear.

4. If you cannot catch four spies within the time limit, you will lose a turn.

Repeat the above steps until all four spies are in jail.

ROCKET FUEL

Robot

Fuel

Rock

The object of the game is to push all of the fuel into the rocket so that the rocket has

enough fuel to travel to the next planet.

Use the cursor keys to control the robot in pushing the fuel into the rocket. The following

are guidelines when playing this game:

1. The robot can only push the fuel. It cannot pull fuel.

2. The robot can only push one fuel tank at a time. It cannot push two fuel tanks

simultaneously.

3. If you find that you cannot continue pushing the fuel tanks into the rocket, you may

press the Hint (Shift & Help) key. This restarts this stage. You can then try again

with another approach. Remember: you have only three chances to use the Hint key.

4. The rocket will start travelling to another planet only after you have pushed all of the

fuel into the rocket.

Note: You may click on the Help icon to learn playing tips.

The game also gives you the opportunity to load the game for different levels . You

need to enter the password that appears in the top right hand corner of the screen

to reload the stage.

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TRIVIA

This challenging trivia game has 1000 questions in 4 different topics: Science, English,

Geography and General. All topics are available with a 2-player mode and 4 levels.

Once you have selected a topic, a question will appear on the screen. If you know the

answer to the question type in your answer and the press the Enter key to input your

answer. If you don’t know the answer, you may select 3 multiple choice options by pressing

the Hints key. Decide which option is the correct answer and press its corresponding number.

Using the Hints key will result in losing one chance.

DEMO MODE

To access the demo mode, press the Main Menu/Demo key. You may also select the

Demo icon located on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. This mode demonstrates

some of the activities in the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS. When the demo

mode starts, the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS enters the activities in all

categories. After the unit demos one activity it will return to the Main Menu. This process

is repeated until you press any key or move the mouse.

SYSTEM SETUP

System Setup allows you to change various defaults. These include printer setup, quick

menu setup, customize screen setup and more. Please see Chapter 6 for further details.

CHAPTER 5: WORD PROCESSOR

The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS offers you one of the first and most important

applications found in computers: word processing. With this word processor, you will be

able to create, edit, save and print documents you have created. The unit can hold

approximately 3500 characters or 500-600 words before data has to be saved or printed.

The bottom line represents the status of the text on the screen.

L=1 “L” stands for a line of text. The number (i.e. “1”) represents the first line of text.

L=2 would mean the user is editing the second line of text. A “line of text” refers to one

line (60 characters) on an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper - not one line on the LCD viewing

screen. PLEASE NOTE THAT 60 CHARACTERS WILL TAKE UP 3 LINES ON THE LCD

VIEWING SCREEN BUT TRANSLATE TO ONE LINE OF TEXT ON AN 8 1/2 X 11 SHEET

OF PAPER WHEN PRINTED (SEE PRINT SECTION). This feature allows the user to

effectively print documents using a standard 8 1/2 X 11 format.

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J=L means the current line is justified left.

NB means the current word is not bolded. B means the current word is bolded.

CH means which character the cursor is on in a particular line.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VT-25 THERMAL PRINTER PRINTS 25 CHARACTERS PER

LINE ON A STANDARD ROLL OF THERMAL PAPER. YOUR PREPARED TEXT WILL

AUTOMATICALLY BE ADJUSTED TO FIT THIS FORMAT WHEN YOU SELECT THE VT-

25 THERMAL PRINTER IN PRINTER SETUP. WHILE THE FORMATTING WILL NOT

CHANGE ON THE LCD SCREEN, THE TEXT WILL PRINT CORRECTLY TO FIT THE VT-

25 FORMAT.

The Word Processor has a menu with many functions. You may view the Word Processor

menu by pressing the Help key. The Word Processor menu will appear with the following

options: File, Edit, Format, Tools, Print, Help and Exit.

FILE OPTIONS

Under the File Options menu, you may select four different functions: New, Load, Save

and Delete. To enter the File Options menu, press the Help key and select File Options.

New

New is the command to create a new file. Every time you enter the Word Processor

activity, you will see the same document you worked on the last time you were in

Word Processor. To create a file, select New from the FILE options and it will ask

if you want to create a new document. If you select “Yes”, it will ask if you want

to overwrite the current document. If you select “Yes”, the document will be deleted,

allowing you to create a new one. Selecting “No” will return you to the existing

document. If you want to save your document in order to create a new one, you

must have a RAM cartridge. This cartridge allows you to save multiple documents

and is sold separately.

Load

Load is the command used to retrieve an existing file from the optional RAM cartridge.

Select Load from the File Options and it will list all of the files in the RAM cartridge.

Select the file you want to retrieve and press the Enter key. The chosen file will

then appear on the screen.

Save

Saving a file is a very important option in Word Processor because if you forget to

save the file, your document will be lost permanently. You must have a RAM cartridge

in order to save a file. Select Save from the File Options and it will prompt you

to input the name of your file. Type in your file name and press Enter to save the

file. The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS can store one page, 8 1/2 X 11.

But if you would like to save the document before creating a new one, you must

have a RAM cartridge. To rename a file, enter System Setup and select RAM Cart.

Manager.

Please note that the filename can only be up to 8 characters long.

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Delete

When you no longer need a file, erasing it from the optional RAM cartridge is a

good idea because it will free up more space for other files. Select Delete from

the File Options and it will prompt you with a list of files in the optional RAM cartridge.

Select the file to delete and press the Enter key. A message will appear on the

screen asking you to confirm your selection. Be careful when deleting a file because

whatever you delete will be gone permanently.

Note: If you have purchased our VTECH POWER LINK™, and connect it to the unit correctly,

you may also Save, Load or Delete a file on the connected PC. In the File Options,

select Load. The unit will ask you whether to load a file from RAM Cartridge or

from PC. If you select PC, the files on the PC will be listed. You may then select

a file on the PC to be loaded into the unit’s main memory. The same applies to

the Save and Delete functions. Please refer to Chapter 11 for more details about

our VTECH POWER LINK™.

EDIT OPTIONS

Most simple editing can be accomplished by using the Backspace, Insertion (INS)

and Deletion (DEL) keys. When you want to change large blocks of text, you need

to do block editing. The EDIT menu is for editing blocks of text. You can find Edit

Options by pressing the HELP key.

Define a Block

The first step in block editing is to define or mark a block of text. There are two

ways to define a block of text. 1) Drag the mouse over the desired text to highlight

it. 2) Place the cursor at the first character of the block you want to edit, then select

Block Begin from the EDIT menu. When the cursor is at the end of the block, select

Block End from the EDIT menu. After a block of text is defined, you can use one

of the four blocking tools: block copy, block cut, paste block or clear block.

Block Begin

This marks the beginning of a block of text.

Block End

This marks the end of a block of text. The text between the Block Begin mark and

the Block End mark will be highlighted, up to 60 characters or one line of printed

text.

Block Copy

After a block of text has been defined, select Block Copy from the EDIT menu. The

original block will remain and you can paste the block in any location in the document.

Block Cut

To cut a block of text, first define the block of text and select Block Cut from the

EDIT menu. The block will be removed from its current position and will be placed

in memory. You can now paste the block in any location in the document.

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Paste Block

After you have used the Block Cut or Block Copy option, move the cursor to the

position where you want the block of text to be pasted. Select Paste Block from

the EDIT menu and the block of text you defined will be pasted to the new location.

Clear Block

To erase a block of text, first define the block of text and select Clear Block from

the EDIT menu to clear the block. The defined block will be permanently cleared

from the document.

FORMAT OPTIONS

There are four options in the FORMAT menu. They are: Justify Left, Justify Right, Justify

Center, and Bold.

Justify Left

By default, the text is aligned left with the margin, Justify Left.

Justify Right

To align your text to the right margin, choose Justify Right.

Justify Center

To align your text so it is centered within your document, choose Justify Center.

Important note:

You will not be able to view the format you selected on the screen. It will be reflected

in the printed document. This is due to the differences between the screen size

and the printed document.

Bold

There are two types of fonts, bold font and normal font. If you want to bold a word,

place the cursor on any letter of the word, and then select Bold from the FORMAT

menu. The entire word will be bolded. You may also use your mouse. Click and

drag on the word you want bolded to highlight it. Then select Bold from the FORMAT

menu. Your word will be bolded. The Bold command also applies to a block of text.

After you have defined a block of text, select Bold from the FORMAT menu. The

entire block of text will be bolded.

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TOOLS OPTIONS

The TOOLS menu provides two functions: Check Spelling and Symbols.

Check Spelling

Spell checker checks a word to see if it is in the unit's dictionary. To check the

spelling of a word, highlight a word using your mouse. Then choose Tools Options

and select Check Spelling. Press the Enter key. If the word does not exist in the

unit’s dictionary, it will give you a list of possible words for reference.

Also, you may spell check an entire document. Select Check Spelling from the TOOLS

menu. The entire document will be checked word by word. When there is a word

that is not found in the dictionary, several options will be provided: Ignore Word,

Edit Word, or Suggestions.

Ignore Word

If you think the word is spelled correctly, select Ignore Word and press the Enter

key. The Spell Checker will skip this word and continue checking the remaining text.

Edit Word

If you know the correct spelling of the misspelled word, select Edit Word and press

the Enter key. Type in the correct spelling of the word and press Enter. The Spell

Checker will change the word within your document automatically.

Suggestions

If you don’t know the correct spelling of a word, and you would like the unit to provide

you suggestions, select Suggestions and press the Enter key. A list of similar words

will appear on the screen. You may scroll from a list of possible suggestions, and

then press the Enter key to select a choice. There may be instances where the

unit does not have any suggestions. The unit will then say “No Suggestions.”

Symbols

Symbols gives you a list of useful characters to use in your documents. Press the

Symbol key located on your keyboard or select Symbols from the TOOLS menu. A

window will appear showing all of the different symbols you can choose from. Press

the scrolling arrows on the screen or the arrow keys on your keyboard to locate

a symbol. Press the Enter key to select it. The symbol window will close automatically

and the symbol you have chosen will appear in your document. Press the Esc key

to close the window if you do not choose a symbol. Remember you can also select

additional symbols located on the number keys.

PRINT OPTIONS

To view the printing options, press the Help key and you will see the Word Processor menu.

Select Print Options. There are three features in this menu: Printer Setup, Print and Print

Preview.

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Printer Setup

Printer Setup allows you to select a printer. This can also be done through System

Setup. Please see Chapter 6 for details.

In order to use the print feature, you must connect it to one of the printers compatible

to the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS. Please see the list of printers listed

in Chapter 6 under Printer Setup.

When this option is selected, the unit will ask you whether to print the text in Single

or Double Line Spacing. Select one as you like. The unit will then ask if you are

ready to print. Select yes or no. The current text will be printed if you selected

yes. Make sure the printer cable is correctly connected, and the correct printer is

selected in Printer Setup. Please note that 60 characters take up 3 lines of text

on the LCD Viewing Screen, but translate to one line of text on an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet

of paper when printed. (See Examples)

On screen:

Printed on paper:

What kinds of graphics are you referring to? Am I going to

recei

Print Preview

If you have purchased our VTECH POWER LINK™(sold separately), you can use

the PC monitor to view your text before it is printed. Make sure the VTECH POWER

LINK™ is correctly connected, then select Print Preview from the PRINT menu. The

text will be displayed on your PC screen. Use the Up/Down arrows to scroll through

the text, and press the Esc key when you have finished viewing the file.

HELP

Several pieces of Help Text will be shown when this option is selected. These helpful

hints will provide you with additional information to guide you through play.

EXIT

Selecting this option will bring you back to the main menu.

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CHAPTER 6: SYSTEM SETUP

To enter System Setup, click on the System Setup icon located at the bottom right-hand

corner of the screen. The System Setup menu will appear with the following options: Printer

Setup, Tips of Today, Screen Saver, Clear Last Score, Icon Box, Quick Menu Setup,

Customize Setup, Demo Mode, Ram Cart. Manager and Power Link.

PRINTER SETUP

Due to the extensive varieties of printers, not all compatible printers are listed. Please

check with your printer manufacturer for information on reconfiguring your printer.

There are a number of printers which PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS is compatible

with. Printer Setup allows you to select a printer to print your documents. PRECOMPUTER

POWER PAD™ PLUS supports the following printers:

VTECH Thermal VT-25

EPSON LQ-X70

EPSON 24 Pin

EPSON 9 Pin

EPSON Stylus

EPSON Stylus Color II

Canon BJC 4100

Canon BJ 200

Canon BJ 30

Canon BJ 300/330

HP Laser IV L

HP DESKJET

Before selecting a printer, make sure the printer is correctly connected to the PRECOMPUTER

POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit. After setting up the printer, you can print a document

from the Word Processor activity or print any screen. When you want to print a screen,

press the Print Screen key on the Membrane Activity Selector.

If no printer is selected, you will be unable to choose a printer using this feature.

Note: In Printer Setup, Epson^®Stylus Color II is displayed as Epson^®Stylus Color.

TIPS OF TODAY

The Tips of Today will provide an interesting fact every time the PRECOMPUTER POWER

PAD™ PLUS unit is turned on. You may turn the Tips of Today ON or OFF, by pressing

the Enter key or selecting it with your mouse.

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SCREEN SAVER

The unit features a screen saver option. The screen saver will appear after two minutes

with no input. You can turn this feature ON or OFF by pressing the Enter key or selecting

it with your mouse.

CLEAR LAST SCORE

The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit will store all players’ last scores

in memory. This will allow you to check future scores to measure your progress.

Select the Clear Last Score option. Last scores cleared will appear on the screen. Select

OK to clear the last scores stored in the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning

unit.

ICON BOX

You may turn the Icon Box ON or OFF by pressing the Enter key or selecting it with your

mouse. When the Icon Box is turned ON, the unit will specify each icon when you place

the mouse cursor over an icon for 1 second.

QUICK MENU SETUP

Quick Menu is a useful tool for advanced users. You can select three activities to put

into Quick Menu. This allows you to quickly access your favorite three activities directly

from the Main Menu instead of selecting from a list of activities.

Go to System Setup. Select Quick Menu Setup and press the Enter key. Check

to be sure the Quick Menu feature is “ON”. You can turn this feature ON/OFF by

pressing the Enter key or selecting it with your mouse.

Select First Icon using your mouse or the Up/Down arrow keys and pressing the

Enter key. The unit will display all the activities to choose from. Scroll through the

list and select your first activity. Press the Enter key. The unit will then return to

the Quick Menu Setup screen.

Select Second Icon and repeat this process.

Select Third Icon and repeat this process.

Return to the Main Menu. There you will see the three icons you selected at the

bottom of your screen.

You can enter the activities you chose immediately when you select these icons.

CUSTOMIZE SETUP

In Customize Setup, you can customize your opening screen, opening sound effect and

closing sound effect.

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Customize Screen

The Customized Screen is the screen shown after the opening animation. You may

personalize the screen by entering your name and your message. This information

will be displayed each time you turn on the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS

learning unit. Also, we have provided three different default messages for you to

choose from. To customize your screen, select Customize Screen and press the

Enter key. A Customize Screen menu will appear.

To enter your name, select Enter Name and click on the left mouse button or press

the Enter key. Then type in your name and press the Enter key.

To enter your personal message, select Enter Message and click on the left mouse

button or press the Enter key.

If you want to choose a default message, select Default Messages and click on the

left mouse button or press the Enter key. Choose from: VTech - Precomputer Power

Pad (TM) Plus COPYRIGHT (C); Proverb 1 - “Triumph” is try added to umph.; Proverb

2 - Reach for your potential and your potential will reach for you.

After you have typed in your personal message, or selected a default message, you

may preview it. Select Preview Screen and click on the left mouse button or press

the Enter key. The message you input will appear on the screen. To see your

customized screen, turn the unit off and then back on. Your customized screen will

appear.

Opening Sound

There are three different sound effects that you can choose from for the opening

sound. Select Opening Sounds and press the Enter key. Then choose either Opening

Sound 1, Opening Sound 2 or Opening Sound 3 and press the Enter key or click

on your left mouse button.

Closing Sound

There are also three different sound effects that you can choose from for the closing

sound. Select Closing Sounds and press the Enter key. Then choose either Closing

Sound 1, Closing Sound 2 or Closing Sound 3 and press the Enter key or click

on your left mouse button.

DEMO MODE

In System Setup, select Demo Mode and press the Enter key. The unit will show several

activities from all categories (Word Games, Mathematics, Computer Skills, Games and Trivia)

automatically. This process will repeat until you press any key or move the mouse.

RAM CART. MANAGER

The RAM Cart. Manager can be accessed through System Setup. The RAM Cart. Manager

is functional only when utilizing a RAM cartridge. RAM cartridges are sold separately. Insert

the cartridge into the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS unit, located on the left side.

The RAM Cart. Manager has the following functions: List Files, Save File, Load File, Rename

File, Delete File and Format Cartridge.

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List Files

When this function is selected, the files stored in the RAM cartridge are listed on

the screen.

Save File

When this function is selected, you will be asked to choose whether to save a BASIC

program or a Word Processor file. After you have made your selection, provide a

filename for your file. This process allows the BASIC program or Word Processor

file to be saved into the RAM cartridge.

Load File

When this function is selected, the files stored in the RAM cartridge are listed on

the screen. You can select one of the files and load the file into the main unit.

If it is a Word Processing file, the unit will take you to the Word Processor activity.

If it is a BASIC file, the unit will bring you to the BASIC activity. To view the BASIC

program, type LIST and press the Enter key. Continue pressing the Enter key to view

each line.

Rename File

When this function is selected, the files stored in the RAM cartridge are listed on

the screen. You can select one of the files and provide a new filename for the selected

file. The file will be renamed.

Delete File

When this function is selected, the files stored in the RAM cartridge are listed on

the screen. You can select one of the files. When you confirm that you want to

delete the file, the file is removed from the RAM cartridge.

Format Cartridge

When this function is selected, all files stored in your RAM cartridge will be cleared.

After you select Format Cartridge, the unit will prompt you to confirm you would like

your files cleared. If you select Yes, all data on the RAM cartridge will be cleared.

POWER LINK

If you have purchased our VTECH POWER LINK™, you can connect the PRECOMPUTER

POWER PAD™ PLUS unit to a Personal Computer. Please see Chapter 11 for details.

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CHAPTER 7: BASIC

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS BASIC?

BASIC is a computer language. The name BASIC stands for Beginner’s All-purpose

Symbolic Instruction Code. It was developed by professors at Dartmouth College

in the mid-1960s. It was designed for students who had no previous experience

in programming computers.

BASIC is a basic language; however there are differences in the language based

on the computer that uses it in much the same way that English is different depending

on which country it is spoken in (Great Britain or the United States) or which part

of the country the language is spoken in (East Coast, Midwest, South or the West

Coast).

The differences in the language will depend on the computer that is being used and

on the computer that produced the language for the computer manufacturer. Microsoft

BASIC is found on Apple II+, IBM PC and PC jr., Laser Computers, Commodore

VIC20 and Commodore 64 and others. Other computers such as the Timex Sinclair

ZX80 and the Texas Instruments 99/4 use versions of BASIC similar to MS-BASIC.

WHAT IS A PROGRAM?

A computer program is a series of instructions that tells a computer what tasks you

want it to perform. Computer programs are written in a programming language. BASIC

is one of the languages that both a human and a computer understand and so BASIC

can be used to write a program that a computer can carry out for you.

WHY SHOULD I LEARN TO USE A COMPUTER?

Computers can do many things if they are given instructions. For a particular job

to be done, by a person or a machine, we must specify the steps which must be

done to do the job. The computer becomes an extension of our capabilities. To

do this requires us to learn how to talk to our computer. This chapter will help you

to get started.

WHAT IS THIS CHAPTER FOR?

This chapter is a step-by-step guide for understanding programs and learning to use

the computer language called BASIC.

WHO IS THIS CHAPTER FOR?

This guide is written for students and adults who have little or no computer experience.

With a little time and effort you will discover that there is nothing difficult about learning

to talk to a computer.

WHAT IF I MAKE A MISTAKE?

Don’t worry about making a mistake, this program allows you to experiment. The

more you experiment, the more you will learn.

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THE KEYBOARD

1. The numeric (top row) keys are used for entering numbers. The letter keys are

used for entering letters.

2. The cursor is the blinking symbol “_” on the display that indicates where the

next character that is pressed on the keyboard will be entered in the computer.

3. The SHIFT key is used with another key to enter a character into the computer.

For example to enter the “+” character, you must press SHIFT and the key marked

“+ =”. If you just press the “+ =” key then the “=” character will be entered.

4. The Left Arrow key and the Right Arrow key are used to position the cursor left

or right, respectively. They do not erase any character that is displayed, but

you can type over anything in their positions.

5. To enter a space, simply press the SPACE bar. Each time you press the SPACE

bar, one space is inserted on the display line.

6. The INS and DEL keys are used to insert or delete one character at a time

on the display where the cursor is positioned.

When the INS key is pressed once, it will be in the insert mode. All characters

to the right of the cursor position will be shifted one character to the right to

make room for the new character once it is input through the keyboard. Pressing

the INS key again will go to the overwrite mode.

The DEL key is used to delete one character at a time on the display where

the cursor is positioned. The DEL key will shift all characters on the display

one position to the left, thereby erasing the character under the cursor.

7. Before anything on the display is actually sent, you must press the ENTER key.

This key acts much like a Return key on a typewriter. You press all the keys

that comprise a statement to the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning

unit and then press ENTER. PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS will process

your command and the information.

8. Every time BASIC is selected, it is in the overwrite mode. That is, the character

you type will appear on the screen whether there is a character at the cursor

position or not.

9. The “^” character on the ^ 6 key (which is used only in the BASIC program)

is used to tell the computer you want to raise the number preceding it to a power

of the number following it.

10. The BREAK key is used to do the following. When you are typing a line, but

before you press ENTER, it will erase all that you have typed; or, if you are

running a BASIC program, you can interrupt it by pressing this key. You can

restart a program by typing CONT and pressing the ENTER key.

When using the INPUT command, PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS will

ask you to supply it with some data from the keyboard. PRECOMPUTER POWER

PAD™ PLUS tells you it needs input with a prompt. The prompt is the “?” symbol

and it appears on the display indicating that the computer is waiting for you to

type something. The letters and numbers that you press will appear on the LCD

screen.

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THE LCD SCREEN

The PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS learning unit uses a Liquid Crystal

Display (LCD) screen. Each line will display 20 characters at a time. The Left Arrow

key and Right Arrow key are used to scroll the 20 character display window left or

right, respectively.

In BASIC, pressing the ENTER key allows you to see the next printed statement

that your program is displaying. You need to do this so the output doesn’t scroll

off the end of the line.

GETTING STARTED

This activity lets you type in your own programs and run them. Follow these simple steps:

1) Turn on PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS.

2) Choose the BASIC activity from the Membrane Activity Selector.

There are two modes available; Command and Run.

Type in this program:

10 PRINT “HI THERE”

press ENTER

This is a simple way of writing a program. Type in the program lines and remember to

press the ENTER key. Each line starts with a number and is followed by a statement.

PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS stores the line with the other lines into memory.

Later you can execute the program by typing the command, RUN. Remember to press

the ENTER key after typing RUN. The results appearing on the LCD screen are: HI THERE.

There is a short cut.

Enter the following (no line number in front):

PRINT “HI THERE”

press ENTER

This time PRINT was used as a command and the results appeared immediately on the

display after the ENTER key was pressed. The computer executes the command right

away, without waiting for you to type RUN. When you do this, the statements are not

saved for future re-use. They are executed immediately and discarded. This is not

recommended for creating programs but highly recommended for use as a calculator.

The following are some additional commands to be used:

NEW

This command clears the memory of any BASIC statements that have been previously

entered.

LIST

This command displays each line of your program starting with the lowest line number.

Each time you press ENTER, the next lines are displayed. You can stop this by pressing

the SHIFT and BREAK keys. If you enter the command with a line number after the word,

i.e., LIST 50, PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS will list the statement at line 50.

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RUN

This command instructs PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS to begin executing each

BASIC statement with a line number that was typed into memory. The computer will start

with the lowest line number and proceed up to the highest numbered statement.

EDIT

Use the EDIT command when you want to change a statement that has been typed into

memory without re-typing the entire line. Type EDIT and the line number and press the

ENTER key. The statement will appear on the display. Use the LEFT-ARROW and RIGHT-

ARROW keys to move the cursor. Use the DEL key to remove an unwanted character,

or type in a new character.

You can type in line-numbered BASIC statements in any order. The PRECOMPUTER

POWER PAD™ PLUS will sort them out for you and LIST them or RUN starting with the

lowest numbered statement to the highest numbered statement. It is a good idea to number

your lines in increments of 10 (10, 20, 30...) or 100 (100, 200, 300...). This way you will

have room to add more statements if you decide to change your program in the future.

You can insert an entirely new line in a program between two existing ones by using a

line number that doesn’t exist. To delete an existing line-numbered statement, type the

line number and press the ENTER key. You can also change an existing line by re-typing

the entire line.

AUTO

When you want to type in a program, type in the line number before the statement. With

the AUTO function, the line number will generate automatically.

e.g. AUTO

AUTO 100

generate the line no. starting from 10 with

increments of 10

generate the line no. starting from 100 with

increments of 10

AUTO 100, 5 generate the line no. starting from 100 with

increments of

100

105

“

i.e.

“

To end the AUTO mode, press ENTER without input or press the SHIFT key and the BREAK

key at the same time.

CONT

This command causes the program to resume executing after encountering the BASIC

command called STOP. The program will be carried on with the next statement after STOP.

Type CONT to resume the program after you press the SHIFT and BREAK keys.

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BASIC COMPUTER TUTORIAL

EXAMPLE OF A BASIC PROGRAM

You and Teresa went to the local video store to rent some movies. Teresa brought back

12 but 4 were too scary for you so you returned them. On that trip you came home with

7 new movies. How many are you going to watch this afternoon? You could work this

out yourself, but here is a BASIC program that can do the arithmetic for you.

Type in:

10 PRINT 12-4+7

20 END

press ENTER

Now type RUN and press ENTER. What happens? The answer, 15, appears on the screen.

In BASIC, you write a series of line-numbered statements that tell the PRECOMPUTER

POWER PAD™ PLUS what to do. The first statement, numbered 10, tells the computer

to work out the sum of three numbers and then PRINT the answer on the screen. The

next statement, number 20, tells the computer that this is the end of the program and that

it can stop RUNNING. However, the last statement is not necessary in this program because

you only want to print out the sum of 3 numbers, therefore, it could be removed.

Remove that last line by typing 20 and press ENTER. Now type RUN and press ENTER. What

happens? You get the same results.

Suppose you typed:

10 PRONG 12-4+7

press ENTER

Now type RUN and press ENTER. What happens? You get a strange message, “? SYNTAX

ERROR IN 10” in the display. That means you made a mistake in BASIC grammar and

this is the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS unit’s way of telling you this. You need

to EDIT the line or re-type it, changing “PRONG” to “PRINT” and then RUN the program

again to get the correct answer.

You can use PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS as a calculator in arithmetic statements

like the one above by not using a line number.

Just type:

PRINT 12-4+7

press ENTER

The answer will appear on the screen.

Another short cut is that you could use the “?” symbol to stand for the word “PRINT.” When

you are using BASIC as a calculator in “command mode”, think of the question mark as

meaning “What is 12-4+7?” When you are using the question mark as a “PRINT” command

in a program, the computer will replace the “?” with the word “PRINT” for you.

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LET’S DO SOME ARITHMETIC

In the previous section you learned to program the sum of three numbers using the BASIC

program. Numbers like 1, 3, 27, 14.3, etc., are called CONSTANTS, numbers that do not

change value. The program added and subtracted the constants 12, 4 and 7. The order

that you do addition is unimportant: 6+10 is the same as 10+6. In subtraction, the order

is important: 10-6 is not the same as 6-10. So the order that you write numbers and

do arithmetic operations is very important. In BASIC, operations are from left to right.

The * symbol is used to represent multiplication. Like addition, the order of the numbers is

unimportant. Here’s an example. There are 2.204 pounds to a kilogram. How many pounds

does a 6 kilogram parakeet weigh?

Type this:

10 PRINT 6*2.204

RUN

press ENTER

The symbol / is used for division. Here, like in subtraction, the order of the numbers is

important since 15/3 is 5 and 3/15 is .2. How many kilograms does a 6 pound parakeet

weigh?

Type this:

10 PRINT 6/2.204

RUN

press ENTER

You can also raise a number to a power. To do this you need the ^ sign. The expression

5^3 means 5*5*5 or 125; similarly, 3^5 means 3*3*3*3*3 or 243. There are fractional powers;

for example 2^.5 is the square root of 2 or 1.414.... Here’s an example: I bet you 1 dollar

and throw the dice 10 times; each time you double your money. How much have you

won?

Type this:

10 PRINT 2^10

RUN

press ENTER

When you use all the operations together, it can get a bit complicated. After a winning

baseball game, your 7 person team is awarded 3 cans of pop for the game plus another

11 cans because you finished first in the league. How many cans does each player get?

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Type this:

10 PRINT 3+11/7

RUN

press ENTER

Is it really evaluated from left to right? Yes, but was it the answer you were expecting?

If the answer came out to 4.57143, the computer first divided 11 by 7 getting 1.57143 and

then it added 3 to the result giving 4.57143. You probably were expecting the answer

to be 2 because 3+11 is 14, then divided by 7 is 2.

You can see that expressions are not simply evaluated from left to right. It is necessary

to have an exact set of rules to follow.

Here they are:

Functions

Order in which they are performed

( )

things in parentheses

(1^st)

(2^nd)

(3^rd)

(4^th)

raising to a power

* /

multiplication and division

+ - addition and subtraction

The computer will always look at an expression in parentheses first and follows those

commands. It could be an expression or more sets of brackets. Among the expression,

raising to a power is calculated first, followed by multiplication and division from left to right,

followed by addition and subtraction from left to right. If you’re not sure how the computer

will evaluate the expression, simply put brackets around the expression you want computed

first. Remember the brackets must always be in pairs, one right bracket for each left one.

If you don’t use both brackets, you will receive a “? SYNTAX ERROR” message.

NUMERIC VARIABLES

You have seen how you can use BASIC to print numbers and messages. You can also

give values to a BASIC program yourself. The computer uses a letter to stand for a value.

This is called a variable. For example LET D = 609. This statement puts the value 609

into a memory box called “D.”

Try this. Type:

10 LET A=8

press ENTER

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The computer creates a box in memory and calls it “A”. It puts the number 8 in this box.

Now type:

20 LET B=10

press ENTER

The computer creates a box called “B” and places 10 into it.

Type:

30 LET B=15

press ENTER

Since there is a box called “B” already with a value of 10 in it, it doesn’t make another

box called “B” with a value of 15 in it. The number 10 is just replaced with the number

15.

Now type:

40 LET C=A+B

press ENTER

This statement is a bit more complicated. Here’s how it works. First, the computer searches

for a memory box called “B” and finds the number 15. The “+” sign tells the computer

to add the numbers found in “A” and “B” together. It computes this and the answer is

23. Now, where is the answer placed? The “=” tells the computer to store the answer

in a memory box called “C”. The computer searches for a box called “C”. It doesn’t find

one so it creates one in memory and then puts the answer there.

Of course, if there was a memory variable called “C” that had a number in it from a previous

operation, the old number would be replaced by the new one in this statement.

Now let’s finish this by typing:

50 PRINT “FIRST NUMBER”; A

press ENTER

60 PRINT “SECOND NUMBER”; B press ENTER

70 PRINT “THE SUM IS”; C

RUN

press ENTER

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You will see the following on the screen:

FIRST NUMBER 8

SECOND NUMBER 15

THE SUM IS 23

press ENTER

Let’s take a look at the print statements on lines 50 through 70. The words in quotes

are called a STRING or a LITERAL. Whatever you put between a set of quotation marks

will appear on the screen exactly the way you typed it. Remember that quotation marks

come in pairs!

Next, the semicolon tells the print statement to print what is immediately to the right of

the end of the string. This is the number 8, which is the value in memory box A.

Suppose that you asked the computer to multiply 3 million times 3 million.

Let’s try. Type:

10 PRINT 3000000*3000000

RUN

press ENTER

The answer on the screen is 9E+12. This is the computer’s way of showing extremely

large numbers. A number with the letter E and a number to the right of the decimal point

is called scientific or exponential notation. You find the decimal point and move the number

of places specified after the “E” to the right filling in with zeros. The long way to write

out the above answer is 9,000,000,000,000. The procedure works in reverse for very small

numbers. The number 9E-12 is .000000000009. This is a very small positive number.

The number -9E+12 is a very large negative number while the number -9E-12 is a very

small negative number.

STRING VARIABLES

String variables are similar to the numeric variables that we have been working with so far

except that the variables contain alphabetic characters (numbers, letters and symbols). The

name of the memory variable always contains a $ to distinguish it as a string variable. String

variables are not used in arithmetic but allow you to store things like your pet’s name. Here

are some examples:

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VARIABLE NAMES

CONTENTS

675

2.3434

CURTIS

ALPHABET SOUP

Here’s an example of storing a string variable:

10 LET A$=“ALPHABET SOUP NO 123”

You can have a numeric variable called A and a string variable called A$. The $ lets

BASIC know how to tell them apart.

NOTE: For both numeric and string variables, only the first 2 characters of the variable

names are valid. Also, they cannot resemble the name of any command.

Examples: TOTAL is interpreted as the TO command and POTATO is interpreted as variable

PO.

CONSTANTS

A constant is something that doesn’t change. The computer stores it in memory just like

a variable. However, since a constant doesn’t change it has no variable name. The number

6 is a constant; so is 4.567 or 28967.35. “QUICK BROWN FOX” is a string constant.

You can store constants to a variable. That’s usually done to start out a program; later

the contents of the variables change. Suppose we want to count to 10.

Type in this program:

New

press ENTER

10 N=0

20 N=N+1

30 PRINT N

40 IF N<10 THEN 20

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50 PRINT “THE ANSWER IS”; N press ENTER

RUN

The statement at line 10 stores the numeric constant zero into N, a numeric variable. In

statement 20 the variable will have a numeric constant,1, added to itself and then the sum

of that operation will be stored in place of the value previously stored there.

The program in the above example contains a programming construction called a loop.

A loop is one or more BASIC statements, usually called a set, that can be executed as

many times as you want. The statement in line 40 contains an IF statement. It is called

a conditional statement and will be discussed in detail under the topic called Making

Decisions.

INPUTTING DATA

We have been putting information into the computer by typing constants into programs using

statements like the following:

10 LET N=10

press ENTER

20 LET A$=“NANCY LIKES CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES”

Another way to supply data is by using an INPUT statement.

Try this out by typing:

NEW

10 INPUT “GIVE ME A NUMBER”; N

20 PRINT “YOUR NUMBER IS”; N

RUN

press ENTER

The unit will prompt you to input a number with the character. Type any number of digits

that you like and press ENTER.

You can also input alphabetic data into string variables like this program:

10 INPUT “WHAT IS YOUR NAME”; N$ press ENTER

20 PRINT “HI THERE”; N$

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You can use as many input statements as you need to get all the values into your program.

Try this:

NEW

10 INPUT “GIVE ME A NUMBER”; N1

20 INPUT “AND ANOTHER”; N2

30 PRINT “I WILL ADD THEM”

40 C=N1+N2

press ENTER

50 PRINT “THE ANSWER IS”; C

Type RUN and press ENTER to see what happens.

MAKING DECISIONS

The IF statement tells the computer that it has to make a decision. It does this by comparing

two numbers, or arithmetic expressions or string variables. It uses special symbols to represent

a condition.

The symbol > means greater than.

The symbol < means less than.

The symbol = means equal to.

The symbol > = means greater than or equal to.

The symbol < = means less than or equal to.

Here are some conditions:

5 < 10

20 > 10

They are both true because

5 is less than 10

20 is greater than 10

The IF statement has a condition either TRUE or FALSE. The computer evaluates the

condition and decides that if a condition is TRUE it will do something for the TRUE condition.

Take the following:

IF A > 90 THEN PRINT “YOU ARE SMART”

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The A > 90 is a condition. The print “YOU ARE SMART” is the command given for the

true condition. In the above example, let’s give A the value 80. Would the message be

printed? No, it would not be printed because the condition is false (80 is less than 90).

Let’s try a program to compute the area of a rectangle.

Type:

NEW

10 INPUT “ENTER THE LENGTH”;L press ENTER

20 INPUT “ENTER WIDTH”;W

30 LET A=L*W

press ENTER

40 PRINT “THE AREA IS”;A

50 INPUT “ANOTHER? (Y/N)”;R$

60 IF R$=“Y” THEN 10

70 PRINT “THAT’S ALL FOLKS!”

80 END

RUN

This program uses the INPUT statement to get values for numeric variables and prints

a computed result. It then prompts for a string variable and makes the decision to begin

again if the value typed in is a Y.

Here’s another one.

Type:

NEW

10 INPUT “GIVE ME A NUMBER”;A

20 INPUT “AND ANOTHER”;B

30 PRINT “ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY OR DIVIDE”

40 PRINT “TYPE IN THE FIRST LETTER OF THE”

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50 PRINT “ARITHMETIC OPERATION YOU WANT”

60 PRINT “ME TO DO FOR YOU”

70 INPUT R$

100 IF R$=“A” THEN C=A+B : GOTO 200

110 IF R$=“S” THEN C=A-B : GOTO 200

120 IF R$=“M” THEN C=A*B : GOTO 200

130 IF R$=“D” THEN C=A/B : GOTO 200

140 PRINT “YOU MADE A MISTAKE”

150 PRINT “TRY AGAIN”

160 GOTO 30

200 PRINT “THE ANSWER IS ”;C

300 END

This is a long program but it has a lot of new information that is worthwhile to know. Line

70 contains an INPUT statement without the prompt string. Lines 100 through 130 contain

two statements for the command when the condition is true. One is a LET statement

without the word LET (C=A+B) and the other is a GOTO statement. Both of the statements

are separated from each other by the colon ( : symbol). The GOTO statement tells the

computer the number of the next statement to do. Line 140 is an error trap. It tells you

that you have not followed instructions.

You can experiment some more with this program and put in a decision to start the program

all over again.

If you change line 300 to be GOTO 10, the program runs continually. You can stop it

by pressing the SHIFT and BREAK keys and resume it by typing in CONT and press

ENTER.

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LOOPING

A loop is a set of one or more instructions. These instructions can be repeated as many

times as you want. You can create a loop with a GOTO statement.

A program like the following will run continually:

10 INPUT “GIVE ME A NUMBER”;N

20 PRINT “YOUR NUMBER IS”;N

30 GOTO 10

RUN

You can modify the program to get out of a loop by using an IF statement to control the

loop like the program that calculates the area of a rectangle.

Another way to create a loop is through the use of the FOR and NEXT statements. These

statements surround the instructions that you want to repeat.

For example, type the following:

NEW

10 FOR N=1 TO 10

20 PRINT “HELLO”

30 NEXT N

press ENTER

RUN

The word “HELLO” appears 10 times on the screen. You can change line 20 to print

the value of N every time the loop repeats.

Type:

20 PRINT “N IS”;N

press ENTER

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We could always rewrite the program like this:

10 N=1

20 PRINT “N IS”;N

30 N=N+1

40 IF N > 10 THEN END

50 GOTO 20

We can also count by 2’s. Let’s bring back the previous program and change line 10.

The entire program looks like this:

NEW

10 FOR N=1 TO 10 STEP 2

20 PRINT “N IS”;N

30 NEXT N

press ENTER

The STEP 2 part changes the meaning hidden in the NEXT N statement to be N = N

+ 2 or any other number that gets put in the STEP part.

We can even count backwards.

Try this:

NEW

10 FOR N=10 TO 1 STEP -1

20 PRINT N

30 NEXT N

40 PRINT “BLAST OFF”

RUN

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MORE ABOUT GROUPS - GOSUB ... RETURN

How much is 10 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit? What is 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius?

Here’s a program that gives you the answers. It uses the GOSUB and RETURN statements

to create a group of instructions that can be executed from various parts of the program.

Remember when you use a GOSUB, the program branches to the line number that you

specify in the statements that will be executed sequentially until a RETURN statement is

encountered. At that point the program will resume at the next statement following the

GOSUB. Confusing? Not really, but first some more background about our problem.

The formula for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit is:

F=(9/5*C)+32

The formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius is:

C=(F-32)*5/9

Now for the program!

Type:

New

10 INPUT “ENTER THE CELSIUS TEMP”;C

20 GOSUB 500

30 INPUT “ENTER THE FAHRENHEIT TEMP”;F

40 GOSUB 600

50 END

500 F=(C*9/5)+32

510 PRINT “THE FAHRENHEIT TEMP IS”;F

520 RETURN

600 C=(F-32)*5/9

610 PRINT “THE CELSIUS TEMP IS”;C

630 RETURN

RUN

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REFERENCE SECTION

The REFERENCE SECTION contains a brief explanation of all the commands and

statements you will use in this chapter. Refer to this when you need help.

CLEAR

The CLEAR statement is used to assign more memory space for the string variables.

Example:

10 Clear 100

This command will assign 100 bytes of memory for strings. If the CLEAR command is

not used, the computer will assume the number of bytes of memory for strings to be 50.

The use of the CLEAR command only will reserve the same number of bytes as the default

value. However, if a value follows the CLEAR command, the computer will assign the

number of bytes of that value. If you want to use more strings in your program, set this

number to a larger one but, at the same time, you will have less space for your program.

CONT

Also see STOP

This command causes the program to resume executing after encountering the BASIC

command called STOP. The program will carry on with the next statement after STOP.

You can type CONT to resume the program after you hit the SHIFT and BREAK keys.

DIM

Line # DIM array-name (array-size).

The DIM command reserves space for one dimensional numeric or string arrays. The array-

name may be up to 6 characters long but only the first 2 characters are valid. For a

string array the last character must be a $. The array can contain up to 100 elements

(0-99).

Example:

10 DIM FRIEND$(50)

10 DIM PRICE(19)

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EDIT

Use the EDIT command when you want to change a statement that has been typed into

memory without re-typing the entire line. Just type EDIT and the line number and press

the ENTER key. The statement will appear on the display. Use the LEFT-ARROW and

RIGHT-ARROW keys to move the cursor. Use the DEL key to remove an unwanted

character, or simply type in new characters.

Example:

10 INPUT B

EDIT 10

press ENTER

10 INPUT B_

Then use Left-Arrow key to move the cursor back under“B”.

10 INPUT B

Then type in “C”.

10 INPUT C_

You can type in line-numbered BASIC statements in any order. PRECOMPUTER POWER

PAD™ PLUS will sort them out for you and LIST them or RUN them starting with the

lowest numbered one. It is a good idea to number your lines in increments of 10 (10,

20, 30...) or 100 (100, 200, 300...). This way you have room to add more statements

if you decide to change your program in the future.

You can insert an entirely new line in a program by using a line number that doesn’t exist

between two existing ones. You can delete an existing line-numbered statement by merely

typing the line number and pressing the ENTER key. Of course, you can change an existing

line by merely re-typing the entire line.

END

Line # END

The END statement is used as the last command in a program. It stops the program.

Examples:

160 END

999 END

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PSET

This command is used for drawing a specified point on the screen.

PSET X, Y

(X, Y) is a coordinate of the specified point to be shown.

X represents a value of a horizontal position.

Y represents a value of a vertical position.

Example:

10 CLS

20 PSET 100, 8

RUN

The result: a screen pixel at coordinate (100, 8) will be turned on.

PRESET

This command turns off a specified point on the screen.

PRESET X, Y

(X, Y) is the coordinate of the specified point to be cleared.

represents a value of a horizontal position.

represents a value of a vertical position.

Example:

10 CLS

20 FOR X= 50 TO 100

30 PSET X, 8

40 FOR DELAY= 1 TO 70

50 NEXT DELAY

60 PRESET X, 8

70 NEXT X

80 END

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SOUND

This is a command to generate a sound note.

SOUND consists of two functions: frequency and duration

frequency The frequency of the sound in hertz; a value in the range

0 < frequency parameter < 256

duration

The number of the system clock ticks so the sound lasts; a value in the range

0 < duration parameter < 256

FOR ... TO ... STEP ... NEXT

Line# FOR variable = initial value TO final value STEP stepsize (optional)

Line#

Line# NEXT variable

The FOR ... NEXT statement repeats a task a set number of times without having to

rewrite it. All statements between the FOR and NEXT command are repeated based on

the initial value, the final value and the stepsize. If the STEP portion of the command

is not used, it is assumed to be 1.

Example:

60 FOR ITEMS=1 TO 20

70 INPUT PRICE

80 SUM=PRICE+SUM

90 NEXT ITEMS

RUN

FUNCTION

A function is a mathematical procedure which when applied to a certain value will give

a new value. We call the value in brackets ( ), the argument, and the new value, the

result.

Example:

SQR is a square root function.

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Type PRINT SQR (9). (press ENTER)

The answer is 3.

Example:

Y=9 : X=SQR(Y) : PRINT X

press ENTER

The answer is 3.

In these two examples, 9 is the argument, SQR is the function and 3 is the result.

A LIST OF NUMERIC FUNCTIONS

Function

ABS (X)

SGN (X)

What it does

Returns the absolute (positive) Value of X

Returns the sign of the argument

X negative returns - 1

X positive returns + 1

X zero returns 0

SQR (X)

LOG (X)

Returns the square root of X. X cannot be negative.

Gives the natural logarithm of X, i.e.,

the logarithm to the base e (=2.71828).

The value of the argument must be greater than zero.

EXP (X)

Gives you the value e^x, i.e., the natural antilogarithm

of X.

INT

(X)

Gives the greatest integer which is less than or

equal to X.

RND (X)

Gives a random whole number between 1 and X.

If X equals zero, RND (X) returns a random number

between 0 and 1. X cannot be negative.

SIN (X)

COS (X)

TAN (X)

The argument of the trigonometrical functions

is taken to be in radians (1 radian=360/2π = 57.296 degrees).

The range of X is -999 < (X) < 999.

ATN (X)

This gives the result of ARC TANGENT in radians.

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ARITHMETIC FUNCTIONS

ABS (X)

This gives the absolute (positive) value of the argument. So ABS (-7)=7.

Example:

PRINT ABS (7-2*4)

press ENTER

SGN (X)

This function will give the value of +1 if X is positive, 0 if X is zero, and -1 if X is negative.

So SGN(4.3)=1; SGN(0)=0; SGN(-276)=-1

Example:

A=6

press ENTER

PRINT SGN (A); SGN (A-A)

1 0

press ENTER

INT (X)

This converts numbers which are not whole into the largest whole number below the

argument. So INT (5.9)=5; also INT (-5.9)=-6. Note that with negative arguments, the

absolute value of the result returned by INT will be greater than that of the number.

Example:

PRINT INT (-6.7)

-7

press ENTER

RND (X)

This will produce a random number between 1 and X if X is a positive number.

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Example:

PRINT RND (19)

press ENTER

You will get a number between 1 and 19. RND (0) will give you a number between 0

and 1.

Note: X cannot be negative.

Important Note: From now on, the ENTER key sign will be deleted for simplicity.

Remember to press the ENTER key after each line of entry.

STRING FUNCTIONS

We can also use functions to act on strings. Take a look at the following:

LEN

This function computes the length of the string argument, which must be in brackets. So

if you type PRINT LEN (“JOHN”) the computer will return the result 4. This is telling

you that there are 4 characters in the string “JOHN”. Blank spaces have the value of

characters. Thus if you put in spaces “J O H N”, it comes out as 7 characters.

STR$

The STR$ function changes a number argument into a string. Take a look at the following

example and see how it works.

Example:

A$=STR$(73)

This is the same as saying A$=“73”.

Here is a sample program.

Type the next example:

10 A$=STR$(7*3)

20 B$=A$+“BIG”

30 PRINT B$

RUN

21BIG

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VAL

VAL works like STR$ but in reverse. It changes a string argument into a number. Look

at the following short program.

Example:

10 A$=“33”

20 B$=“20”

30 C=VAL(A$+B$)

40 D= VAL (A$) + VAL (B$)

50 PRINT C;D

RUN

3320 53

GRAPHICS FUNCTION

PGET function

Returns the color attribute of a specified pixel.

PGET(X, Y) = n

Returns

the current coordinates(X, Y) turns the pixel status ON

the current coordinates(X, Y) turns the pixel status OFF

SUBSTRINGS

It is also possible to get substrings of strings. A substring is a part of a string. For example:

“ABC” is a substring of “ABCDE”. The following three functions operate on substrings.

LEFT$ (A$,N)

This will return the substring from the left-most of string A$, the first character to the Nth

character.

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Example:

10 A$=“ABCDE”

20 B$=LEFT$ (A$+“FGH”,6)

30 PRINT B$

RUN

ABCDEF

RIGHT$ (A$,N)

This will return a substring but starting from the Nth character from the end and running

to the last one - the right-most character in the string A$.

Example:

10 A$=“WHY”

20 B$=RIGHT$(A$+“ME”,4)

30 PRINT B$

RUN

HYME

MID$ (A$,M,N)

This function returns a substring of the string A$ starting from the Mth character with a

length of N characters.

Example:

10 A$=“ABCDEFGH”

20 B$=MID$(A$,2,3)

30 PRINT B$

RUN

BCD

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ASC(A$)

The ASC statement will return the ASCII code, a code for representing alphanumeric

information, for the FIRST character of the specified string. Brackets must enclose the

string specified. Refer to the appendix of THE ASCII CODE TABLE (Page 72). For example,

the ASCII decimal value of “X” is 88. If A$=“XAB”, then ASC (A$)=88.

Example:

10 X=ASC(“ROY”)

20 PRINT X

RUN

CHR$ (N)

This statement works the opposite way as the ASC statement. The CHR$ statement will

return the string character which corresponds to the given ASCII code. The argument may

be any number from 32 to 127 or any variable expression with an integer value within

that range. Brackets must be put around the argument.

Example:

30 PRINT CHR$(68)

RUN

GOSUB...RETURN

Line# GOSUB first line number of subroutine.

Line#

Line# first line number of subroutine

Line#

Line# RETURN

The GOSUB command tells the computer to GOTO another line number. After the process

has been completed, a RETURN statement is used to send the computer back to the line

immediately after the GOSUB. These statements are used to process a series of commands

that are frequently used.

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Example:

30 GOSUB 120

other program lines

120 PRINT “WELCOME TO THE”

130 PRINT “PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD PLUS”

140 RETURN

GOTO

Line # GOTO line number

The GOTO statement is used to change the normal flow of the program (which is from

the lowest statement number to the highest). A GOTO command transfers control to the

specified line.

Examples:

10 GOTO 130

200 GOTO 65

IF...THEN...ELSE

In general terms, the IF...THEN... statement is used for CONDITIONAL BRANCHING. It

uses the general form “IF (condition) THEN (action clause)”. A condition is made up of

an expression, a relation and another expression.

Any BASIC expression, either numeric or string, may be used, but both expressions must

be the same type.

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Relations or comparisons used in the IF...THEN statement are the following:

= Equal to

< = Less than or equal to

< > Not equal to

> = Greater than or equal to

< Less than

> Greater than

Examples of how you can use conditions:

IF....THEN A=B

IF....THEN GOTO

IF....THEN GOSUB

IF....THEN PRINT

IF....THEN INPUT

Example:

30 IF X >25 THEN 60

If the condition X>25 is true, the computer is told to go to line 60 (Note: the GOTO is

optional after THEN).

If the condition is not true, that is, if X is not greater than 25, then the computer simply

carries on with the normal line number order in the program. Notice that it is not necessary

to use the ELSE part of the command here, as this is optional.

Example:

10 INPUT A,B

20 IF A > B THEN 50

30 IF A < B THEN 60

40 IF A = B THEN 70

50 PRINT A; “IS GREATER THAN”; B:END

60 PRINT A; “IS LESS THAN”; B: END

70 PRINT A; “IS EQUAL TO”;B

80 END

RUN

? 7 (pick a number)

?? 3 (pick a number)

7 IS GREATER THAN 3

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Example:

40 IF P=6 THEN PRINT “TRUE” ELSE PRINT “FALSE”

In this example, if P=6 the computer will print TRUE. Any other value will print FALSE.

In either case the computer will carry onto the next line.

It is possible for more than one statement to follow the THEN or ELSE command. A colon

separates the statements.

Example:

50 IF A =5 THEN PRINT “TRUE”: S=S-3:

GOTO 90 ELSE PRINT “FALSE”: K=K+8

So if A equals 5 the computer will print TRUE, subtract 3 from the variable S and go to

line 90. If A does not equal 5 the computer will print FALSE, add 8 to the variable K

and then carry on with the next normal line.

LOGICAL OPERATORS

Logical operators are used IF...THEN...ELSE and such statements where a condition is used

to determine subsequent operations within the user program. The logical operators are:

AND, OR, and NOT.

For the purpose of this discussion, A and B are relational expressions having only TRUE

and FALSE. Logical operations are performed after mathematical and relational operations.

Operator

NOT

Example

NOT A

Meaning

If A is true, NOT A is false.

AND

A AND B

A AND B has the value true, only if A and B

are both true.

A AND B has the value false if either A or B

is false.

A OR B

A OR B has the value true if either A or B or

both are true.

It has the value false if both are false.

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TRUTH TABLES

The following tables are called TRUTH TABLES. They illustrate the results of the previous

logical operations with both A and B given for every possible combination of values.

TRUTH TABLE FOR “NOT” FUNCTION

NOT A

TRUTH TABLE FOR “AND” FUNCTION

A AND B

TRUTH TABLE FOR “OR” FUNCTION

A OR B

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Note that T = TRUE and F = FALSE.

Example:

INPUT A,B,C

IF A=B AND B=C THEN PRINT “A=B=C”

IF (NOT A=B) OR (NOT B=C) THEN 50

END

PRINT “A=B=C IS FALSE”

END

RUN

? 10

?? 5

?? 7

(pick a number)

A=B=C IS FALSE

Moreover AND, OR, and NOT can be used to manipulate numerical values. These operations

are based on binary numbers with 1 and 0 representing TRUE and FALSE respectively.

For example:

NOT 1=-2 [1=binary 00000001 and -2=binary 11111110, so it just changes the 1 to 0 and

0 to 1. In other words, TRUE(1) changed to FALSE(0) and FALSE(0) changed to TRUE(1).]

OR 13=15 [6=binary 00000110 and 13=binary 00001101, so, with reference to the OR truth

table, 6 OR 13 =15=binary 00001111]

AND 13=4 [6=binary 00000110 and 13=binary 00001101, so with reference to the AND truth

table, 6 AND 13=4 binary 00000100]

INPUT

Line # INPUT “(optional character string)”; variable 1, variable 2,....

INPUT allows the user to type in the value of a variable at the time the program is RUN.

If an optional character string is used, this message will be printed before the question

is asked. The type of data to be INPUT varies according to the type of the variable.

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Examples:

35 INPUT AMOUNT

140 INPUT “WHAT IS YOUR NAME”;NAME$

LET

Line # LET variable = variable expression

The variable expression is calculated and the result is stored under the variable. The word

LET is optional.

Examples:

40 LET SUM=A+B+C

25 LET AMOUNT=PRICE-DISCOUNT

LIST

LIST (optional line number)

LIST is used to display the active program. If the optional line number is omitted, the

program will be displayed from the first line-on. If the line is longer than 20 characters,

you must use Right Arrow key to move to the right. To continue the LISTING press the

ENTER key. To discontinue the LISTING press the SHIFT and BREAK keys.

Examples:

LIST

LIST 50

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NEW

NEW erases all program lines from the active program area.

Line # PRINT expression and/or character string

The PRINT statement is used to produce output on the display panel. The PRINT command

will print one or several items - either expressions or strings. Each item in the list should

be separated by a comma or a semicolon.

Example:

80 PRINT NAME$; “IS COMING”

230 PRINT “SUM=”; A+B+C

READ AND DATA

When it is necessary to enter a lot of information or data into the computer, using the

INPUT statement can be very time consuming. To help out, use the READ and DATA

commands.

Example:

10 DATA 10,60,70,80,90

20 READ A,B,C,D,E

30 PRINT A;B;C;D;E

RUN

10 60 70 80 90

The READ statement consists of a list of variable names with commas between each

variable.

The DATA statement consists of a list of expressions separated by commas. These

expressions can be either numeric or strings. The READ statement makes the computer

look up the value of its variables from the DATA statement. When the computer goes

to READ first it will assign the first expression from the DATA list. The next time it goes

to READ it will assign the second value and so on. If the READ runs out of DATA you

will get “? OUT OF DATA ERROR.”

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RESTORE

If you want to use the same data later on in the program, you can do so by using the

RESTORE statement.

Example:

10 DATA 1,3,8,9

20 READ A,B,D

30 RESTORE

40 READ X,Y

50 PRINT A;B;D

60 PRINT X;Y

70 END

RUN

1 3 8

1 3

The RESTORE command makes subsequent READ statements get their values from the

start of the first DATA statement.

Example:

10 REM FIND AVERAGE

20 DATA 0.125,3,0.6,7

30 DATA 23,9.3,25.2,8

40 S=0

50 FOR I=1 TO 8

60 READ N

70 S=S+N

80 NEXT

90 A=S/8

100 PRINT A

RUN

9.52813

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REM

Line # REM text

REM is used to add comments in your program which are ignored when the program is

RUN.

Example:

10 REM**GUESSING GAME**

20 REM TEST OF SORTING

RUN

RUN tells the computer to begin to perform your program beginning with the lowest statement

number.

STOP ... CONT

Line # STOP

CONT

The STOP command halts the RUNNING of a program at that line. This is helpful for

debugging. To CONTINUE at the next line after the STOP command, type CONT directly

without a line number.

Example:

800 STOP

APPENDIX

EXAMPLE PROGRAMS

MOONWEIGHT

10 PRINT “Weight on the Moon”

20 INPUT “Your Weight in Lbs.” ; WEIGHT

30 MOONWEIGHT = WEIGHT /6

40 PRINT “Your moon weight would”

50 PRINT “be” ; MOONWEIGHT; “pounds.”

60 PRINT “Wow”

RUN

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ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS

10 PRINT “Rock, Paper, Scissors”

20 PRINT “Type in P, R, S”

30 INPUT “and see if you win. ->”; ANSWER$

40 PRINT “You :” ; ANSWER$;

50 MYGUESS = INT (RND (0)*(3) + 1)

60 IF MYGUESS = 1 THEN PRINT “ Me : Rock”

70 IF MYGUESS = 2 THEN PRINT “ Me : Paper”

80 IF MYGUESS = 3 THEN PRINT “ Me : Scissors”

90 INPUT “To play again press Y : ”; AGAIN$

100 IF AGAIN$ = “Y” OR AGAIN$ = “y” THEN 20

110 END

RUN

CANDY KISSES

10 PRINT “How many candy kisses”

20 PRINT “would equal your”

30 PRINT “weight if each kiss”

40 PRINT “weighed one ounce”

50 INPUT “Enter your weight.” ; WEIGHT

60 INPUT “Enter a guess.”;GUESS

70 AMOUNT = WEIGHT *16

80 DIFF = ABS (AMOUNT-GUESS)

90 PRINT AMOUNT; “kisses will”

100 PRINT “equal your weight.”

110 PRINT “You were ”; DIFF; “off.”

120 IF DIFF= 0 THEN PRINT “Wow that was right on!”

130 END

RUN

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LIFE

10 PRINT “If an average life”

20 PRINT “span is 70 years”

30 PRINT “Then how many”

40 PRINT “generations would have”

50 PRINT “lived in 2000 years?”

60 INPUT “Enter a guess.”;GUESS

70 AMOUNT = INT (2000/70)

80 DIFF = ABS (AMOUNT-GUESS)

90 PRINT “The answer was ” ;AMOUNT

100 PRINT “You were ”; DIFF

110 PRINT “generations off.”

120 END

RUN

THE COOLEST PERSON

10 PRINT “Enter the coolest”

20 INPUT “person you know”;COOL$

30 FOR COUNT = 1 TO 50

40 PRINT COOL$;“ is super cool!”

50 NEXT COUNT

60 END

RUN

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THE FORTUNE TELLER

10 DIM N$(5)

20 PRINT “The Fortune Teller”

30 INPUT “Are you a boy or a girl” ;S$

40 INPUT “Pick a number between 2-5”; NUMBER

50 FOR COUNT = 1 TO NUMBER

60 IF S$ = “boy” OR S$=“BOY” THEN 70 ELSE 90

70 INPUT “Enter a girl’s name”; N$ (COUNT)

80 NEXT

85 GOTO 110

90 INPUT “Enter a boy’s name”; N$ (COUNT)

100 NEXT COUNT

110 Y= INT (RND (NUMBER))

120 TG$ = N$ (Y)

130 PRINT “The person of your”

140 PRINT “dreams is ” ; TG$

RUN

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LEARN SCHEDULE

10 DIM WEEK$(6)

20 DIM EVENT$(6)

30 DATA “SUNDAY”,“PLAY TIME”

40 DATA “MONDAY”,“LEARN ECOLOGY”

50 DATA “TUESDAY”,“LEARN ENGLISH”

60 DATA “WEDNESDAY”,“LEARN MUSIC”

70 DATA “THURSDAY”,“LEARN HISTORY”

80 DATA “FRIDAY”,“LEARN GEOGRAPHY”

90 DATA “SATURDAY”,“PLAY FOOTBALL”

100 REM(*)LIST(*)

110 FOR W=0 TO 6

120 READ WEEK$(W)

130 READ EVENT$(W)

140 PRINT WEEK$(W),EVENT$(W)

150 NEXT W

999 END

RUN

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MAD LIB’S

10 REM * MAD LIB’S *

20 PRINT “Mad Lib’s”

30 INPUT “Adjective”; A1$

40 INPUT “Verb”; V$

50 INPUT “Adverb”; A2$

60 PRINT “Once upon a time”

70 PRINT “there was a ”; A1$

80 PRINT “dog that decided to”

90 PRINT V$; “ ”; A2$;“ down the”

100 PRINT “hill to fetch its”

110 PRINT “bone.”

120 END

SECRET NUMBER

REM **Secret Number**

10 NO = RND(100)

20 PRINT “Hi! I’ve got a secret number”

30 PRINT “between 1 and 100.”

40 INPUT “Guess it by typing a number”; ANSWER

50 IF ANSWER = NO THEN GOTO 200

60 IF ANSWER > NO THEN GOTO 100

70 PRINT “No! The secret number is bigger.”

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80 GOTO 40

100 PRINT "No! The secret number is smaller."

110 GOTO 40

200 PRINT "Yes! The number is "; NO;"."

210 END

RUN

PATTERN PICTURE

10 CLS

20 REM **DRAW A PICTURE**

30 FOR Y=0 TO 7

40 X= 50+Y

50 PSET X,Y : X=X+1

60 IF X<70-Y THEN GOTO 50

70 NEXT

80 FOR Y=8 TO 15

90 X=50+15-Y

100 PSET X,Y : X=X+1

110 IF X<55+Y THEN GOTO 100

120 NEXT

130 REM REVERSE THIS PICTURE

140 FOR X=49 TO 70

150 FOR Y=0 TO 15

160 IF PGET(X,Y)=0 THEN PSET X,Y ELSE PRESET X,Y

170 NEXT

190 END

RUN

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TWINLKE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

10 REM Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

20 DATA 62,62,19,19,10,10,19,30,30,36,36

30 DATA 50,50,62,19,19,30,30,36,36,50

40 DATA 19,19,30,30,36,36,50,62,62,19,19

50 DATA 10,10,19,30,30,36,36,50,50,62

60 FOR I=1 TO 42

70 READ F

80 SOUND F,20

90 NEXT I

100 END

RUN

THE MUSIC NOTE VALUE TABLE

High

Octave

126

190

114

178

100

164

158

147

138

131

128

Low

Octave

254

242

232

226

215

206

199

196

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THE ASCII CODE TABLE

Decimal

Value

Printable

Character

Decimal

Value

Printable

Character

Decimal

Value

Printable

Character

(Space)

‘ (Accent)

“

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

‘ (Apostrophe)

(

)

[

{

;

]

}

_ (Under score)

(THE ERROR)

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THE ERROR MESSAGES

CANNOT CONTINUE

An attempt is made to continue a program that:

1. Has halted due to an error.

2. Has been modified during a break in execution, or

3. Does not exist.

DIVISION BY ZERO

A division by zero is encountered in an expression, or the operation of involution results

in zero being raised to a negative power.

EXTRA IGNORED

More than one parameter is entered to ‘INPUT’ command.

ILLEGAL DIRECT

A statement that is illegal in direct mode command. Example: INPUT

ILLEGAL FUNCTION CALL

A parameter that is out of range is passed to a math or string function. This error may

also occur as the result of:

1. A negative or unreasonably large subscript.

2. A negative or zero argument with LOG.

3. A negative argument to SQR.

4. A negative mantissa with a non-integer exponent.

5. An improper argument to MID$, LEFT$, RIGHT$.

MISSING OPERAND

The operand of some commands are missed.

NEXT WITHOUT FOR

A variable in a NEXT statement does not correspond to a previously executed unmatched

FOR statement variable.

OUT OF DATA

A READ statement is executed when there are no DATA statements with unread data

remaining in the program.

OUT OF MEMORY

A program is too large, had too many FOR loops or GOSUB, too many variables, or

expressions that are too complicated.

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OUT OF STRING SPACE

String variables have caused BASIC to exceed the amount of free memory remaining.

OVERFLOW

The result of a calculation is too large to be represented in the number format. If underflow

occurs, the result is zero and execution continues without an error.

REDIMENSIONED ARRAY

Two DIM statements are given for the same array, or a DIM statement is given for an

array after the default dimension of 10 has been established for that array.

REDO

A string is assigned to a numeric variable during the execution of the INPUT command.

RETURN WITHOUT GOSUB

A RETURN statement is encountered for which there is no previous unmatched GOSUB

statement.

STRING FORMULA TOO COMPLEX

A string expression is too long or too complex. The expression should be broken into

smaller expressions.

STRING TOO LONG

An attempt is made to create a string more than 255 characters long.

SUBSCRIPT OUT OF RANGE

An array element is referenced either with a subscript that is outside the dimensions of

the array or with the wrong number of subscripts.

SYNTAX ERROR

A line is encountered that contains some incorrect sequence of characters (such as

unmatched parentheses, misspelled command or statement, incorrect punctuation, etc.)

TYPE MISMATCH

A string variable name is assigned a numeric value or vice versa; a function that expects

a numeric argument is given a string argument or vice versa.

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CHAPTER 8: CALCULATOR

The Calculator function turns the PRECOMPUTER POWER PAD™ PLUS unit into a

calculator with a 14-digit memory. The number keys and the 19 specially marked keys

in the second and third rows of the keyboard are used in the Calculator activity. To clear

the screen, use the

key at the top right of the keyboard.

BASIC CALCULATOR OPERATIONS

The basic calculator symbols are:

Addition:

Subtraction:

Multiplication:

Division:

USING THE MEMORY FEATURES:

To input a number to memory:

To recall a number from memory:

To add a number to the number in memory:

To subtract a number from the number in memory:

Example:

Input

Display

23 + 45 + 78

M =146

23+45+78_

M =146

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Input

Display

34 - 78

M=146

34-78

=-44

M=102

34-78_

M=102

23 - 6 + 9

M=102

23-6+9

=26

M=76

23-6+9_

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

The Calculator has special function keys located on the second and third rows of the

keyboard. Always press the function key first when using it in a problem and then enter

the numbers it is to operate on.

Aim

Operation

Display

Square root of a number

sqrt 9

= 3

Square of a number

sqr

= 9

The constant e to the power

of the entered number.

exp

= 7.38906

(e=2.718282)

LN function

100

In 100

= 4.60517

log 10 function

100

log 100

= 2

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TRIGONOMETRY FUNCTIONS

All the trigonometric functions can take two forms of input-radians and degrees. If you

just type in a number, the Calculator assumes the number is in radians. To enter a number

in degrees, press the degree sign

after inputting the number.

Function

Operation

Display

SINE

sin 60

= -0.30481

SINE

sin 60°

= 0.866025

COSINE

cos 60

= -0.952413

COSINE

cos 60°

= 0.5

TANGENT

ARC TANGENT

tan 60

= 0.32004

tan 60°

= 1.73205

atn 60

= 1.55413

atn 60°

= – – E – –

(atn 60°

produces an error)

(3.1415927)

π(Constant)*

*This special constant can be entered into any problem by using this key.

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CHAPTER 9: TIME LIMITS