ZXnet

Digital VT220-Z

The VT220-Z (aka VT22Z) terminal was produced by the Australian division of Digital Equipment Corporation. Compared to the VT220 on which it was based, it adds:

• Multiple pages of scrollback
• VT132-compatible block mode

From the outside, it looks no different from a regular VT220:

This one lived at GNS Science in Lower Hutt until the 20th of December 2008. It has a little bit of screen burn, but it isn't obvious while running. It has an amber CRT.

There isn't a lot of information in general about this model. Just a single reference on Google Groups stating the model was designed for the New South Wales Department of Health and then made generally available. And a YouTube video from Digital Diggings demonstrating the VT220-Z. If you have additional information about this model of VT220, send an email to david at this websites domain (without the www bit).

Rear Connectors and switches

1. Power Switch
2. Voltage Select Switch
3. Fuse Holder
4. Power Input Connector
5. CompositeVideo Output (BNC)
6. Communications port ("EIA Host Port Connector")
7. RS422 Port ("20mA Host Port Connector")
8. Printer Port (serial)
9. Keyboard Port

See this image (from the installation guide) for the ports labeled on the image.

Scrollback

The terminal supports a few pages of scrollback. You can scroll back (pan down) one line with Shift+Down, or an entire screen with Shift+Right. Shift+Up and Shift+Left do the reverse.

The SU and SD control sequences also work for panning the screen. For example, printf '\x1b[24T' will scroll up one screen.

Interestingly, the scrollback is not read-only; the host can modify it if its on screen. So applications could use SU/SD as a kind of primitive version of Paging. Without documentation, I've no idea if this is intentional behaviour or not.

Images

Images of the terminal are available here.

VT220-Z-specific Documentation

At a minimum, this terminal had a specific Programmer Pocket Guide (EK-VT22Z-HR), and probably a dedicated Owners's Manual and perhaps Programmer Reference Manual. Unfortunately none of these are available online and the manuals I received with my VT220-Z are just the normal non -Z VT220 manuals.

If you have any of the VT220-Z manuals, please arrange to have them scanned and put online.

General VT220 Documentation

• EK-VT220-IN-001 VT220 Installation Guide (manx)
• EK-VT220-PS-001 VT220 Pocket Service Guide (manx)
• EK-VT220-PS-003 VT220 Pocket Service Guide (manx)
• EK-VT220-RM-001 VT220 Programmer Reference Manual (manx)
• EK-VT220-RM-002 VT220 Programmer Reference Manual (manx)
• EK-VT220-TM-001 VT220 Technical Manual (manx)
• MP-01732-01 Rev. B VT220 Terminal Assembly Field Maintenance Print Set (manx)

Links to manx pages are provided where available