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Old 20th Apr 2022, 9:37 pm   #1
Michael Haardt
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Join Date: May 2021
Location: Titz, Germany.
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Default Source code for NIBL recovered

Hello,

finally I finished recovering the source code for NIBL. There are three versions: The one published in Dr. Dobbs, the one distributed as ROM and NIBL-E. You get get them from:

http://www.moria.de/tech/scmp/software/

The way NIBL-E was changed and the mention of 300 patches makes me think the binary ROM was patched, so this is the first chance to look at source diffs.

Michael
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Old 21st Apr 2022, 11:43 am   #2
Phil__G
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Default Re: Source code for NIBL recovered

Thanks for that Michael, I will study that later. I've recently re-read the Dr Dobbs article so your work is very timely! In the "Mystery Book" there is a section on relocating NIBL, but it lists only 27 changes. Perhaps NIBL-E was substantially modified beyond just relocation?
Cheers
Phil
Attached Files
File Type: pdf nibl_relocation_baud.pdf (2.75 MB, 50 views)
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Old 21st Apr 2022, 3:25 pm   #3
Phil__G
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Default Re: Source code for NIBL recovered

Spotted a typo in "readme.txt" in the nibl.tar.gz file Michael,
"NIBL-19761217.asm: Source for published NIBL ROM with minimal changes
for assembling with asl. Communication runs at 50 baud with a SC/MP II
@ 4 MHz. Characters are echoed with the MSB set"
That sounded odd so I checked the NIBL-19761217.asm source, & its 110 baud (at 4mhz), not 50

In the Elektor NIBLE source, PUTC and GECO are 110 at 2mhz
Cheers
Phil

Last edited by Phil__G; 21st Apr 2022 at 3:37 pm.
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Old 21st Apr 2022, 7:01 pm   #4
Michael Haardt
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Default Re: Source code for NIBL recovered

Thanks for the fix, I changed that. I also include that PDF, which I never saw before. What is the "Mystery book"?

The Elektor article on NIBL-E describes a different startup behaviour and there is a tiny function at the end which returns to NIBL the way a machine language function does to allow returning from Elbug to NIBL, but other than that I did not see much besides the relocation itself. Now you have the source and can compare it yourself.

I did not yet adapt the NIBL-E source comments to the code changes, feel free to send any changes.

Michael
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Old 21st Apr 2022, 7:51 pm   #5
Phil__G
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Default Re: Source code for NIBL recovered

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Haardt View Post
I also include that PDF, which I never saw before. What is the "Mystery book"?
I took the PDF photos from the "Mystery book" in the thread https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=189202
which it transpired was "How to design, build & program your own advanced working computer system"
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