Forgot how much fun it is code something in assembly...
I basically did a basic little maze rogue thingy and using z80 to draw screen UDGs from map data.
Nothing earth-shattering but still fun!
Loved Z80, probably could not code anything in it nowadays but it loved it for its clarity back in the day. MC68000 is a close second in my book too.
Ld a,a
Long long ago
Yes, I loved 68k too. Made a screensaver that actually accellerated the computer with about 30%. Grafic card shared memory and bus with CPU on the Atari and when the Falcon came, the high-res, high-color modes really made the computer crawl :-)
Still miss the instant resolution change possible at that time. How come it takes 1-2 seconds to switch resolution on PC hardware with CPU and grafic cards so much faster than an 8 MHz 16/32-bit computer?
Never tried Z80 - 6510 and ARM was my assembler systems of choice.
I used Z80 BITD on my Amstrad CPC after I worked out that Locomotive BASIC (while excellent) was very slow. I couldn't tell you a single thing about it now (Z80 or CPC BASIC!). Same as all the other languages I've used over the years; I move on and quickly forget everything. It's strange because when I'm using any language, I know it pretty intimately. I'm sure it's all in my brain somewhere, and I do often think about coding something for the CPC again, but I just don't have the time to really focus on re-learning that stuff again. Unfortunately. :( I'd love to see AquaVenture and B'lox! on CPC one day...
Having made 3 games in Z80 (and two more almost finished) I can only agree that it's a hugely rewarding language to code in. So much fun.
I also played around with 68000 back when I had an Amiga and would love to make a game for that processor some time. The big problem is just finding the time to do it. :doubt:
Started learning Z80 on my CPC Plus using HiSoft DevPac which came free on amstrad action.
But get exited when Longshot from Logon Systems released this code
org &8000
di
ld b,&bc
ld hl,sequence
ld e,17
.seq
ld a,(hl)
out (c),a
inc hl
dec e
jr nz,seq
ei
ret
.sequence
defb &ff,&00,&ff,&77,&b3,&51,&a8,&d4,&62,&39,&9c,&46,&2b,&15,&8a,&cd,&ee
Which unlocks the unlockable Asic Chip.
Got a 386sx 25/ Borland Turbo Assembler and a teach yourself x86.
Wouldn't know where to start now, but have used the knowledge to reverse/patch exe,s
I am very surprised how much I can recall of Sinclair BASIC and system variable poke locations...
I did some z80 on computer and electronics course (many years ago) where we used pluggable PCB boards,resistors,LEDs and z80 chips and coded them directly...also good fun...like adult Lego.
Yes just I'm learning in some free time the Z80 ASM for the Amstrad Cpc, really it's very very fun and easy, I rebember when I was a child, I ear something about ASM, but seems in those times this was for very MACHO men :D :D
Now looking some webs and reading a very very good trining of Amstrad Semanal, a 80's Magazine in Spain really it's easy and most inAmstrad, it's have a firmware really really powerfull, basically it's something similar to GLbasic, put a bit of code and call to functions( the firmware routines) and you can do very interesting things...
I must admit that I miss the old 8/16 bit computer fixed systems. 2 books stand out that you just dont see today...
The Amstrad CPC Firmware Manual
It had a everything from BIOS calls to circuit diagrams of the main board. You could build your own CPC is was so detailed.
The Complete Spectrum ROM Disassembly ( ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/books/CompleteSpectrumROMDisassemblyThe.pdf ).
This was a disassembly of the ZX Spectrum BIOS, very handy to see how ZX things worked and how a BIOS actually works.
This kind of openness allows a programmer to get to know the machine at a level you just dont see any-more. Which is a pity, because it was great fun.
Used the amstrad manual to add a tape drive as the connection was removed in 6128plus model, also made the Atari St mono sound stereo by cutting the YM output track short on the board and soldering a 3.5mm jack to it.worked great for chip sound but distorted on digi samples.
bigsofty if you need the Firmware ,about Amstrad is this...
If you want conserve your eyes you can download a .pdf
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/tech/cpc/cpc-firmware/
About done a Amstrad from zero with the electrnic scheme it's practically impossible, because Amstrad have some "custom chips" like the video Chip, this it's impossible to get today , but really find an Amstrad or Spectrum the cost only it's between 15 to 60 Euros...
In spectrum happends something similar you can't find the ULA, was a custom chip for Sinclair, but some very smart guys done inverse enginenering of this chp, and you can done a clone of a sinclair, in fact I have one, but at today I can't do works (Come short circuit in the PCB heat a lot some components)
Sure Hark0 can comment something , he's collaborating in an Spectrum running into a FPGA's, it's like emulation but better, the sysitem it's really cool you can put the 3 models of spectrum , with a Hard drive (SD memory) and the size it's something like a Raspberry or more little .... the good point the device it's cheaper and do the same like a real Spectrum.
Thanks Mentalthink but I still have my original CPC Firmware Manual on my shelf. Looking at the online Cantrell version its got a lot of stuff missing, no diagrams for example, about 60 pages, where as my original firmare manual is over 300 pages. :S
Well done on your hardware mods Paul. Tough decision on the ST though, better chip-tunes or mod music, I'd go for the ST chip-tunes every time IMHO.
Quartet was the only good mod style player for the Atari St i can remember,most games didnt use samples. Most demos had one digi screen per disc., however my quick fix was putting the sound jack into the amp and pulling it out slightly causing the left and right channels to mix. I I was probably about 14 at the time cutting components out of working and broken electrical things.
Even made a speech synthesiser in school from a magazine diagram. Sending data to the SPO256 chip using the OUT command. chip stolen from my sister speak and spell.
loved them tinkering days,
The simplest tinkering I did with my Atari STE was soldering a single-lead cable to a paper-clip and pushing it into the analog port and running the cable in front of my keyboard. Then I wrote a small screensaver that reacted to the fluctuating analog signal and blacked out the screen as soon as the interference was gone. Humans hovering their hands above the keyboard made real high interference in that cable for some reason, sort of the antenna on a radio when you touch it, except you didn't need to touch it at all.
Sadly I couldn't get the same result in assembler, only had a proof of concept in STOS basic. When I used assembler, the signal didn't change at all so I guess I was on the wrong address or something else in STOS caused the interference together with the human.
Never used my ST for anything except running demos,got it for £20 from a friend who had everything.
Also my other friend used his for STOS programming and written this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGHQ70MZwgc
I know he lost most of his code but I had a copy so I youtubed it years ago
Hated STOS at the time because I used to write stuff on the amstrad and he would copy it and make it better.
Amstrad rasters in z80 (3 days work ) vs stos dedicated raster command ( 5mins work), then he got the 3D extensions and it was game over.
me late here! :O
Behold my borrowed...nevergavitback manual of COLOR EDTASM , assembler for motorola 6809 in brazillian portuguese.
Notice the rich colors of age corrosion on the more used parts of the sume.
I think it is a pirate book of that manual, it has this cheap xerox look and really bad re-framing.
Look at those fonts!
not pirate version i suspect - I have seen similar poorly published manuals in the past!! :)
A lot of software houses did not product commercial quality manuals for their apps
Bit have to say those FONTS are special!!
Looks like it was printed on old Oki dot matrix or dare i say something even older!!!
9-Pin Printing technology
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/OKIData_Microline_320.jpg)
Can't beat a good 9 pin printer.
My first was a colour Star LC200, ready to print in 5 seconds from cold start.
My latest Canon MG6350 can take 7 min to warm, no good if you need a print quickly.
.
For my last year in high school I wrote a program in Qbasic that printed them Record of Achievement forms,(UK school thing)
using printer commands it would double strike or quad strike the same letters making the ink darker.my cheap school could not afford new ribbons .
still have the source code printed with the Star LC200..
Does any one remember networking Archimedes, think it was called Econet, anyway always remember sending chr$(7) to different terminals in the adjacent room pissing off the class.
Ah, memories :-) I still have my Star somewhere. I bought cheap pirate ribbons for it. The ink was much better than the original expensive ink which turned brown after just one or two years. And yes I did the double and tripple-strike too to save ink :-)
At my first job we had a 9-pin matrix printer that had three or four heads each doing a small part of the page. Think it was A2 or A3 size ribbon paper, magazine had space for 4000 pages. It had it's own room with sound-proof doors but you still could hear when someone started a big run :-)
One of my first memories of getting an if-statement wrong in RPG/400 code. Only print changes became "Print all except the changes..." Ended up with a nice 5cm pile of paper on my desk a few minutes later.
I still have a good amount of those papers...they were great for drawing.
Within the ´symphony' a computer used to produce, these type of printers sure have their spot. :good:
You still can't beat a dot matrix printer for listings IMHO. Pricd a new one up last year out of interest, damn there expensive now! :blink:
Omg Star printers takes me back!
I used to sell and repair them long with all other types of Char and Line printers
Remember Wide-carriage 136 columns I think?
Kyoceras etc