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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment. |
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20th May 2021, 7:54 pm | #201 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,265
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Just put an emulator on the pi and you don’t even need to do any woodwork
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20th May 2021, 8:48 pm | #202 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,485
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
I've been watching this thread with interest but as I have never seen the machine in question I am mostly in read mode for the moment.
Probably the simplest way to add a keyboard to a Triton which does not have one is to take a USB PC keyboard connected to a Raspberry Pi, write some Python which watches for keypresses on the USB keyboard and have that code output the Triton equivalent keycodes from the GPIO ports as parallel data + strobe - much like Tim actually did, although I think he chose to use optocouplers to keep the modern hardware electrically separated from the Triton with its potentially fragile antique components. As far as I can see Tim and a colleague have also designed a convincing looking replica hardware keyboard with a 40-pin PIC as the key scanner / output encoder. Gerald, the problem you are trying to solve, is that to get the original keyboard which was used with an original Triton working? |
20th May 2021, 11:17 pm | #203 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
The best outcome would be to have both the Triton with its original keyboard working.
The PI option could be good quick fix to get going with some coding |
21st May 2021, 6:41 am | #204 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Derby, UK.
Posts: 7,735
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
If you want to interface the Raspberry Pi GPIO to the Transam Triton and use its (USB) keyboard to simulate keypresses on the Triton keyboard, most of the work has already been done in the emulator. It will already be translating whatever comes from the keyboard into whatever pattern of zeros and ones the Triton OS's keyboard-reading routine is expecting to see, ready to present them when the emulated processor tries to read the keyboard. All you have to do is paste that code into a program of your own that will use the GPIO on the Raspberry Pi to present those bits to the real Triton as though they had come from a real keyboard. It actually connects to the same place; so the mod is totally reversible, if and when you ever get your real keyboard fixed.
If the developers are still about, it would be worth contacting them first, though; in case they have already done exactly that in the course of getting a real machine up and running!
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If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments. |
21st May 2021, 11:45 pm | #205 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
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21st May 2021, 11:56 pm | #206 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,362
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
You will find my post on how I adapted the MK14 programmer for the Triton on #89 of this thread which covers the actual device...
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...=151851&page=5 |
22nd May 2021, 12:11 am | #207 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
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22nd May 2021, 9:53 am | #208 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,485
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
A minor correction, the post Tim is referring to is actually his post #98 of that thread (not #89).
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22nd May 2021, 10:09 am | #209 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,362
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Oops KO
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22nd May 2021, 10:13 am | #210 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
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22nd May 2021, 10:15 am | #211 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,362
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
I have not tried it as yet as I have been distracted on the H8 restoration - I will give it a go this weekend now I have a way to load the Hex data over the keyboard serial port.
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22nd May 2021, 7:16 pm | #212 | ||
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Quote:
I see you posted so information here on the H8 look's an interesting project. Have you got the 8" Floppy Disk system running ? The reason I asked about invaders, is did you see my post regarding the VDU mod on the Triton ? Quote:
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22nd May 2021, 10:18 pm | #213 | |||
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,362
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
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24th May 2021, 1:48 am | #214 | ||
Octode
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.
Posts: 1,394
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Quote:
I later had a good look at that 8080 Wiki page. And found that the comment about it not being designed for a complete computer system was at the end in an unverified sources / might need improvement section. So I don't think it really applies too much. Although some 8080 limitations may have led to alternatives being used - like $360! 1974 launch cost, vs previous 8008's $120. By 1975 - when $25 6502 was released (Causing, also released in 1974, 6800 to drop from $175 to $69) - the 8080 was still $180. But must have eventually dropped to 6502 prices, with all the other manufacturers of it. And 8080 still used initial enhancement-only FET's NMOS process, requiring same -5V & +12V of PMOS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMOS_logic The Motorola 6800 had initially-used on-chip voltage inverter/doubler for single +5V operation, but eventually used Depletion-load NMOS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depletion-load_NMOS_logic for faster / smaller single-rail operation, that 6502 then Zilog Z80 had started with. The 8080's requirement for extra support IC's - especially the 8228 Bus Interface, as well as 8224 divide-by-9 two-phase clock generator/driver, also meant the 8080 wasn't quite a complete processor system and extra cost for these was required. This has a good summary of early processors back to 4004 http://www.cpushack.com/CPU/cpu1.html But were some famous 8080 computers, like Altair 8800 etc. - As listed here: https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/8080/index.html What is probably most surprising is that the ETI Nov'78 issue / Transam launched this Triton project using the > 4yr old 8080. - Maybe Triton design was actually now a few years old. Although a year before a similar project in the UK for the 6502: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compukit_UK101 When the rather-improved 8085 'replacement' had been released the year before in 1977. Although not many computers used that either, from those listed at: https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/8085/index.html - Probably because the rather-better Z80 had been released in 1976, taking over from the 8080 as it directly-ran the code of, as well as being much-enhanced. So the 8085 update was really too late. And there were already computers released using the Z80, like the Nascom-1 in 1977 and the Exidy Sorcerer in '78 (My School had some of these in a cupboard, with 35T disk drives that they never used / got gaven away to someone I knew. And ended-up with some bits myself, that unfortunately got stripped down trying to make drives work on a BBC). Even it wasn't until 1980 that ZX80 appeared. This is a good list of early Microcomputers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...microcomputers - However, no Triton, so ,maybe should be added! Plus possibly this one, if CP/M was ever released for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...s_running_CP/M - Maybe not too late, as now an open-source CP/Mish but it's only currently on the Z80: http://cowlark.com/cpmish/index.html So might have to play with an emulator: https://hackaday.com/2020/07/23/port...sics-anywhere/ And a few other websites just on the 8080: https://uk.pcmag.com/opinion/38374/c...-pc-revolution https://hackaday.com/2019/06/15/back...he-intel-8080/ http://www.cpu-collection.de/?l0=co&l1=intel&l2=8080 http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/d...icroprocessor/ https://www.elprocus.com/know-about-...icroprocessor/ Last edited by ortek_service; 24th May 2021 at 2:17 am. |
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27th May 2021, 9:44 am | #215 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Quote:
I was sent this video of the Invaders game not working from a Triton fan in the USA (space-invaders video) its strange the score line is displayed ok be the rest is scrambled. |
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27th May 2021, 9:58 am | #216 | |
Octode
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.
Posts: 1,394
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Quote:
You need access Ask for access, or switch to an account with access. Learn more - It was showing I was logged-into my Google account, and there was a box to add comments / a request access button, but not sure if you intended on people having to request access. |
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27th May 2021, 10:04 am | #217 | ||
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Quote:
No forgot to change permissions should work now |
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31st May 2021, 5:41 pm | #218 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,362
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
OK after fixing the 00 checksum bug (post 87) in my version of the PI Uploader (https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...=151851&page=5) I managed to get the full INVADERS.HEX file loaded...
If you just run with G 1602 it crashes but, an INT 0 reset and start again you can play with [ and ] for left and right and ESC for fire... |
1st Jun 2021, 3:09 pm | #219 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Liphook, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 125
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
Quote:
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1st Jun 2021, 8:24 pm | #220 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,362
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Re: The Transam Triton Personal Computer
The checksum can vary depending on what generates it - on cksum (under Linux) of the binary it is
sum len name 203220964 1601 invaders |