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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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Thread Tools |
9th Sep 2021, 5:06 pm | #61 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,587
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
This is making me a little nervous for MK14man - he was active online until quite recently talking about an AVR port of Karen's PIC14. The last time I expressed concern for his welfare he popped up here, very briefly, and gave us a wave (and then disappeared again) so maybe the same thing will happen this time.
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9th Sep 2021, 5:32 pm | #62 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,587
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
Quote:
I would expect that Tim has grabbed every grabbable thing from the original site and I have offline copies of all the .PDF manuals, etc, as I'm sure most here have. It would be nice to see the site preserved somehow, the content is quite low bandwidth so it could even be hosted on a Raspberry Pi or something like that. The content could do with being updated a little as well, for example with the V2 / SCIOS compatible version of the user manual which Martin L managed to dig up from somewhere. Anyway: I'm drifting. Back to Phil and his progress on PICL. |
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9th Sep 2021, 5:47 pm | #63 | |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
Quote:
twitter.com/mk14man Looks a busy man... Paul Robson is there too... https://twitter.com/mk14man/status/985126733258125337 |
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9th Sep 2021, 7:04 pm | #64 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,364
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
Yes I have a lot archived and exchanged mails with Paul last month so I am sure he will have a copy he can put elsewhere - if you remember he uploaded the Scrumpi 3 emulator to his github.
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9th Sep 2021, 7:18 pm | #65 |
Octode
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,287
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
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15th Sep 2021, 10:30 am | #66 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
Hi, just to say that i'm out of action for a while, had a motorbike accident Friday and I've broken all my ribs, xray consultant says he's never seen a full house before. Back soon all being well with more PICL ideas. Cheers
Phil |
15th Sep 2021, 10:41 am | #67 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,587
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
It says something that even in that state you still came here to keep us updated! Sorry to hear about the accident, best wishes for a speedy(?) recovery.
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15th Sep 2021, 5:49 pm | #68 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,364
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
Indeed - hope you feel better soon sounds like although painful you had a lucky escape.
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15th Sep 2021, 8:30 pm | #69 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,298
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
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29th Sep 2021, 1:25 am | #70 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
I've a soft spot for Karens two-chip marvel and an accident-enforced lay up gave me the opportunity to create a smaller, simpler PICL-specific machine-code monitor to complement NIBL. It takes advantage of the NVRAM swap so (barring a catastrophe!) is permanently in memory ready to go.
My thinking was that for a PICL-resident monitor we need something smaller and simpler than PAGE2.SYS, more along the lines of the old NS Kitbug. One k is enough for quite a capable monitor, and located towards the top of NV memory (at #2C00) it leaves 3k free in page 2 and 4k in page1 – after all, 8k of RAM, 4k ROM BASIC and a resident machine-code monitor is quite a respectable spec for a late 70's computer based on just two chips! I've done some documentation and a loader, all on http://philg.uk and a bit of a demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DpUGntVPQ8 BTW thanks for the good wishes all, still confined to quarters here Cheers Phil |
29th Sep 2021, 9:33 pm | #71 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,364
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
That looks great Phil as you say a pretty useful little machine to play with the main aspects of life on the SC/MP!
Hopefully not too much longer in confinement - get well soon - but, keep making this great stuff. |
30th Sep 2021, 3:21 pm | #72 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
Thanks Tim, I've added a brief 'help' command '?' and added a terminal 'break' to the 'T' command in addition to the existing Sense-B break.
I've updated the archive. As always, these projects do tend to continue long after they're 'finished' so if anyone is actively following this its always as well to check for the latest files. I found the 48Z08 NVRAM is now out of stock at RS, so I've since been using the Maxim DS1225AD which is pretty much identical. I must say I'm getting a lot of enjoyment from Karens PICL design, its so versatile I had a doctors assessment by telephone earlier today, she says it would be weeks yet Cheers Phil PS I'm still seeing SBASM permitting relative-jumps that are actually out-of-range... I have the latest cross file... Last edited by Phil__G; 30th Sep 2021 at 3:39 pm. |
2nd Oct 2021, 2:28 pm | #74 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
I've changed the way the PICL loader is coded to improve the load time:
Original loader with status display: 15m 50s Original without the status display: 5m 45s New loader: 3 minutes! Its much better but still slow, next step would be a 2-stage loader, with a minimal NIBL startup then a M/C loader. Not that it matters that much, barring a runaway, KB+ only has to be loaded once! (assuming NVRAM) The updated loader & doc are on http://philg.uk Not planning any further KitBugPlus updates for the PICL as I'm almost at the self-imposed 1k limit and all the essential commands are there. Its a wrap! Cheers Phil (with nothing better to do...) |
2nd Oct 2021, 9:16 pm | #75 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
This is really just another demo of using the KitBugPlus monitor on the PICL board. The four SC/MP 'Flag' lines have LEDs connected and whilst a 4-element-high character-set is restrictive we can at least have it say "PICL"
Its much more effective 'in the flesh' and doesnt come over very well on Youtube, but no matter, its only a bit of coding fun whilst I'm recovering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmsfXksq5r4 Cheers, stay safe Phil |
2nd Oct 2021, 11:25 pm | #76 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,364
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
ha ha brilliant - you should hook up the Orrery to it to make a display...
http://techlib.com/area_50/Readers/K...cro.htm#Orrery |
3rd Oct 2021, 9:00 pm | #77 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,119
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Re: Karen's PICL - PCB available
I've added an Intel hex loader to the PICL firmware, this is independent of NIBL or the monitor as its pic code in the 877. Consequently it can be used to load anything that will fit, including of course KitBugPlus or any other sc/mp machine-code programs.
You could also load NIBL programs but you'd have to do the 'restore' process discussed a few posts back, its no quicker than the usual console spooling method so I wouldnt bother Hex loading is down the console port so its just a case of 'Send File' from Teraterm. If you're in a rush the character and line delays can be removed for the duration of the hex-load, though for a few seconds it doesnt seem worth the faff, I would always forget to reinstate them for NIBL I'm using San's SBASM and the parameter for Intel hex i: .tf myprog.hex,int,32 If I've caused any confusion with these PICL firmware updates, just for clarity this is the second update, the first implemented the missing DLY instruction and this one adds DLY & the hex loader. Both updates are 99.999% Karens code so any credits are entirely Karen's. The more I use the PICL the more I like it, its so versatile Cheers Phil |