Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

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Frankie
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Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

Full Title: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1)
Year: 1988
Company: Miles Gordon Technology
Author(s):
Type: Utility
Message Language: English
Upload includes: Perfect TZX file of utility, and picture of tape label
Source: From original tape
Filetype: TZX and JPEG
Reason for Upload: uMIA
Note: I've had this tape for some years now, and always wondered what it was. From what I understand it will make you change the colours from the screen to come out in a different colour once printed out. I believe this tape was released together with some of their hardware, and therefore probably never had an inlay. Tape label says its from 1988. One of MGT's releases that year is their 'MGT Vidi-ZX Digitiser', which was a video capture device. I think this program gives you the possibility to change the colours from screen to something else before printing out what you captured with the device. Does that sound crazy? Can't really see any other of their hardware needing this program, and can't believe this was released on its own.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xb8psatc9oaag ... 9.zip?dl=0
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by PeterJ »

That's another odd one [mention]Frankie[/mention]!

I'm assuming by the screen that it's linked to one of their disk drive interfaces but I can find no reference to it anywhere.

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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by druellan »

If I remember correctly, the Disciple has a printer interface, so, yeah, this seems something related to color-printing. The software saves itself on the disc, so, this is perhaps a "disc creator" utility.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ftmouznx8kie3 ... e.scr?dl=1

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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

druellan wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2019 3:45 pm If I remember correctly, the Disciple has a printer interface, so, yeah, this seems something related to color-printing. The software saves itself on the disc, so, this is perhaps a "disc creator" utility.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ftmouznx8kie3 ... e.scr?dl=1

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Could very well be. It does create a file after you've changed the colours. This must have been part of their Plus D package then, I suppose :)
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

The Information PDF file for the MGT Plus D mentions this:

'Printing with any parallel printer can now be accomplished easily and quickly with
the PLUS D's printer capabilities. Even if your printer is not Epson compatible, a
configuration program supplied with the PLUS D will help you to install the correct
control codes for trouble-free printing.'

It also mentions this:

'PRINTER DRIVER: The Disc Operating System has default settings set to Epson
FX-80 compatibility. These settings may be changed to accommodate any parallel
printer, and are stored permanently by the user in his System file using a
customisation program supplied with the PLUS D. The PLUS D recognises all
standard LPRINT and LLIST commands and will also print user-defined graphics. 32
column screen dumps can be output to all compatible printers and A4 size dumps to
printers recognising the ESC * control code.'


Could that be this program they mean by this?
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

In the Sinclair Software Preservation group on Facebook, someone wrote:

'This was software used together with the Disciple/PlusD and their printer offerings to configure how screen colours should map to which colour on the Star LC-10 colour printer.'

He thinks it was sold with the Star LC-10 printer, not the Disciple.

I think its been solved :)
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

I've updated the text file in the dropbox link with the new information :)
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

Frankie wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:10 pm He thinks it was sold with the Star LC-10 printer, not the Disciple.
I think it's far more likely this came with an particular MGT product, rather than a specific Epson-compatible printer.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by druellan »

Yes, I think it is likely to be part of some kind of bundle or sponsorship. This Plus-D brochure shows and mentions a Star printer:

https://sam.speccy.cz/mgt_dos/plus-d_info.pdf
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

StooB wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:33 am
Frankie wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:10 pm He thinks it was sold with the Star LC-10 printer, not the Disciple.
I think it's far more likely this came with an particular MGT product, rather than a specific Epson-compatible printer.
Hmmmm, but those Star printers were from Datel, and wasn’t Miles Gordon Technology a branch or somehow connected to Datel?

They re-released the MGT Plus D drive, so not that impossible that they then released the tape with the printer to make it work with their newer printers. But I’m not sure.

But if it were released with the drive, why then make it on tape? Would be a bit weird, while sending it out on tape with the printer, would be to make it cheaper. But sending it out in a disc drive package on tape, that would be weird, or?
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

MGT sold all their products to Datel to finance the Sam Coupe. Star is a completely separate Japanese corporation.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

Frankie wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:15 pm But if it were released with the drive, why then make it on tape? Would be a bit weird, while sending it out on tape with the printer, would be to make it cheaper. But sending it out in a disc drive package on tape, that would be weird, or?
You could have different types of disk drive connected to the Plus D, so it's easier to get the user to create their own driver disk rather than having to supply 40 track, 80 track, 3.5", 5.25", etc. versions.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

StooB wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:23 pm MGT sold all their products to Datel to finance the Sam Coupe. Star is a completely separate Japanese corporation.
Just saw on WOS that Datel brought out the Star LC200 Colour Printer, so thought they were responsible for the whole series. I'll chenge the text file again :)
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

Frankie wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 10:02 am
StooB wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:23 pm MGT sold all their products to Datel to finance the Sam Coupe. Star is a completely separate Japanese corporation.
Just saw on WOS that Datel brought out the Star LC200 Colour Printer
Another one for the little bugs thread!
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

StooB wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:49 pm
Frankie wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 10:02 am Just saw on WOS that Datel brought out the Star LC200 Colour Printer
Another one for the little bugs thread!
Don’t know. There are many adds from mags where they advertised for it, but they were probably only the distributors in the UK :)
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

Frankie wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 5:40 am
StooB wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:49 pm Another one for the little bugs thread!
Don’t know. There are many adds from mags where they advertised for it, but they were probably only the distributors in the UK :)
Not even that. They were fairly ubiquitous printers although they were mainly aimed at the 16 bit market. In fact, if you look in an Amiga magazine it's hard to find a retailer that doesn't sell them!
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by 8BitAG »

StooB wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 7:54 am
Frankie wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 5:40 am Don’t know. There are many adds from mags where they advertised for it, but they were probably only the distributors in the UK :)
Not even that. They were fairly ubiquitous printers although they were mainly aimed at the 16 bit market. In fact, if you look in an Amiga magazine it's hard to find a retailer that doesn't sell them!
A distributor and retailer is different. They could have had exclusive (or non-exclusive) rights to distribute the printers in the UK, that doesn't mean that other people wouldn't be selling them... that's what distributors do... distribute products to retailers. :)

More evidence needed of the link, though, I would've thought. The MGT tape is at least a slight indication that MGT/Datel had a slightly closer relationship to Star.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

8BitAG wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:13 am The MGT tape is at least a slight indication that MGT/Datel had a slightly closer relationship to Star.
It's not really. There's nothing to link that tape with Star printers other than one persons vague 30 year old memory.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by PeterJ »

I agree with [mention]StooB[/mention] in his comments above.

We must only record evidenced information in ZXDB. This one will sadly remain an unknown.

Finding these MIA titles though is amazing, and long may it continue.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by StooB »

PeterJ wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:43 am We must only record evidenced information in ZXDB. This one will sadly remain an unknown.
Not for long! Here's a review from Format November 1989:

Image

So, designed for the Star LC-10 (or Epson compatibles), but sold on its own.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by PeterJ »

StooB wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:49 am
PeterJ wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:43 am We must only record evidenced information in ZXDB. This one will sadly remain an unknown.
Not for long! Here's a review from Format November 1989:

Image

So, designed for the Star LC-10 (or Epson compatibles), but sold on its own.
Well done sir! Nice job.
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

StooB wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:49 am
PeterJ wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:43 am We must only record evidenced information in ZXDB. This one will sadly remain an unknown.
Not for long! Here's a review from Format November 1989:

Image

So, designed for the Star LC-10 (or Epson compatibles), but sold on its own.
Excellent. Funny stuff is that I've had contact to reviewer Villy Feltman back in the days, as he is from Denmark aswell :D

Will update the Dropbox file with this review :)
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Re: Colour Code Tape (Ver 1) - Miles Gordon Technology

Post by Frankie »

File UPDATED :)
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