2010-07-29T23:25:43Z Peter Dassow Copyright 2010, Peter Dassow SPHPBLOG Vince Briel developed already a lot of other interesting things like a working Apple I replica and a KIM replica (of course 6502 based, not 8080 or Z80).
Now he had a brilliant new idea ... building an Altair replica (with an emulated 8080 cpu based on an ATMEL AVR) ... I was a bit sceptical because an ATMEL CPU isn't a number cruncher monster, but it seems to work - hopefully at least with the speed of the original machine.
Also, I am curious about running CP/M on that machine, did not see any comment so far about it.


Here are the specifications:

Emulated 8080 run at speed or faster than original
32K RAM with BASIC loaded at power up (still in the works may have to load from SD card)
VGA or composite TV video output to a monitor
PS/2 keyboard
SD card slot to load/store software through terminal section
Battery option (not tested, may not work well with so many LED’s)
Diode circuit protection for battery/DC input.

Very nice design also, because you do not need an external terminal, just a VGA monitor and a PS/2 keyboard. Hopefully this project will get finished with a full success.
If anybody has seen screenshots from the working system (screen with CP/M or BASIC...), let me know where...]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry100508-210000 2010-05-08T00:00:00Z 2010-05-08T00:00:00Z
And the page with the Startrek BASIC game will be more interesting than ever ;-)

Please take a look also at the commercial video with William Shatner at Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUEI7mm8M7Q
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVX5cyMOGAk
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry100308-210000 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z
Also, it's easy to transfer program binaries to the device with the help of a PC... you can play previous recorded WAV files with a sound card, and connect the cassette interface to the PC's audio output. But it's also possible to convert the files to real binaries (e.g. for disassembling).
At the moment I am looking for the interface, PC-1500 accessories are much easier to obtain compared to the previously introduced PC-1211, so it should not take too long to get it.

It's a bit bulky, but this doesn't matter ( it's still smaller then a modern Netbook ;-) ).

A specialized web site is http://www.pc1500.com/ ... a lot of software downloads are there.

The mentioned program for the PC is located at http://pocket.free.fr/html/soft/soft_e.html

Interesting interface to connect a Commodore 1541 to a Sharp PC-1500:
http://www.tramsoft.ch/sharp_erweiterun ... loppy_1500

More technical details (in german):
http://www.duensser.com/pc_pc1500spec.htm
---
The later PC-1600 was 100% Z80 compatible due to the additional build in SC7852 (=Z80) CPU.]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry091218-200000 2009-12-18T00:00:00Z 2009-12-18T00:00:00Z Unfortunately it had only 1424 BASIC steps (implemented with 3 4KBit RAMs.... still wondering how this could work), so not too much for larger projects.

This is my own one:


Remarkable also is the rare yellow LCD display (later this intensive yellow color can't be found anymore).

One of the successors of this first Pocket Computer was the PC-1500, which owns - guess what - a Z80 compatible CPU - perfect to program it also in assembly language.

Unfortunately the Assembly language for the above mentioned PC-1211 was never published, so any kind of extension or graphics can't be programmed on a PC-1211 :-(

See also at vintagecalculators.com for more info (link below).
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry091128-190000 2009-11-28T00:00:00Z 2009-11-28T00:00:00Z http://www.z80.eu/transfercpm.html .
But I forgot to mention how to get able to use or prepare a PC.
I took my (mentioned in a blog entry before) Compaq Portable II to use Uniform for the file transfer on CP/M diskettes. This works really reliable and flawless.
But.
My old Compaq Portable II didn't has Internet access (of course not).
The newer Quad Core PC is "legacy free", means no serial, no parallel port, and of course no diskette drive.
The ideas about connecting my modern Quad Core PC with the old Compaq Portable via network (cable) doesn't work, because even if you want to use NETBEUI protocol (instead of TCP/IP) on a Windows XP PC, this is not easy (problematic protocol installation).
Best and most success bringing way: Take a virtual machine (e.g. Virtual PC or VMWare), install MS-DOS 6.22, MS-DOS Addon for Workgroups OR Netware Lite, and do NOT try to integrate such old network protocols on your modern PC.
Then try to install MS-DOS Addon for Workgroups OR Netware Lite also on your older PC (e.g. my Compaq Portable II).

Even the above described solution is not running reliable.
So I decided to take a much more simpler approach.
I buyed on Ebay a Parallel Port driven CD-ROM drive (Freecom Portable), installed the MS-DOS drivers on my old Compaq, and 'voila' I was able to access (data) CD-ROMs on my Compaq also.
Burning a CD/RW or a CD-ROM is much easier nowadays, and I have the data always online, even if my modern PC is OFF.
Also, I can directly access my Walnut Creek CD, too.

So think about it, choose the easy way instead of the more sophisticated, but ugly way ;-)
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry091119-210000 2009-11-19T00:00:00Z 2009-11-19T00:00:00Z
Number one - a Compaq Portable (with an Intel 8088 CPU):


Number two - an IBM PC Portable (Type 5155, with an Intel 8088 CPU):


Number three - a Compaq Portable II (with an Intel 80286 CPU, AT compatible):



Number four - a Compaq Portable III (also with an Intel 80286 CPU, AT compatible):

Most innovative, with a Gas Plasma Screen, really portable.
Picture shows Windows 3.0 running ;-)

My favorite portable PC here - NUMBER 3 !
Still fast enough for Word for DOS 5.5, reliable, and artless ;-)

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ONE ?
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry090907-210909 2009-09-07T00:00:00Z 2009-09-07T00:00:00Z
See for more info my new page at http://www.z80.eu/microshell.html


Also, during my investigations about the above mentioned microshell, I found a Norton Commander alike program on a czech web page, called NIPSOFT Commander.
Seems to be very sophisticated, unfortunately I am not able to translate czech language into english.
It was created for the MZ-800 CP/M 2.2 clone, but I guess it will run on any CP/M 2.2, may be somebody have to modify the screen control commands - sources included !

See for more info at http://www.scav.ic.cz/download/MZ-800/M ... /PROGS/NC/


P.S.: If somebody is able to translate the man page, plz give me an info.

Addendum (14-July): It will definitely not run on a plain vanilla CP/M 2.2, because the MZ-800 had an specially adapted and in parts completely rewritten CP/M 2.2 clone.
Also, there is no source code available, that makes this harder ;-(]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry090712-220000 2009-07-12T00:00:00Z 2009-07-12T00:00:00Z http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/01/s100/

Don't miss that article, regardless of the fact that it's nothing really new told, but I am convinced that it make appetite to get your own S100 bus soon ;-)
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry090528-220000 2009-05-28T00:00:00Z 2009-05-28T00:00:00Z And as far as I can found any kind of info, this computer wasn't selled in europe.
It looks similar to a Kaypro or a Philips P2000 (not the colors, but the concept), and it has also a 4 MHz Z80A inside. Also, the disk capacity was similar to the Kaypro 4 ... 380KB per drive. Like the Philips P2000, there was also a 8088 coprocessor card available.

For more information, just visit this very informative pages, which were hosted from Gaby Chaudry also:

http://www.zorba.z80.de/
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry090423-220000 2009-04-23T00:00:00Z 2009-04-23T00:00:00Z Then I was looking what the site offers also.
And I was surprised that somebody implemented already a two pane file copier/renamer/deleter/executer (= like the Norton Commander for DOS/Windows or later the Midnight Commander for Linux represents).
See http://www.kc85.susowa.homeftp.net/inde ... &id=68

It's implemented with the help of submit (it does not do everything by calling CP/M APIs, but it looks still awesome, also because of using colors for different info windows of course.
So shame on me that I didn't finish my own project :-(

But I will do it this year, with the help of longer holidays for sure.
]]> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry090318-122427 2009-03-18T00:00:00Z 2009-03-18T00:00:00Z