Retro Assembly Language

Started by Steve Elliott, August 02, 2020, 23:28:13

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iWasAdam

We gonna do this trip together then???  ::)

What dev system/language/ide's are you looking at?

Steve Elliott

#31
Yep hopefully pick up tips and advice from each other.

I've looked at a few Youtube videos, some based on old skool Spectrum and some that are more Next specific.

ZEsarUX as a possible Next Emulator (v8.1 is stable v8.2 is beta).  CSpect is another Next Emulator.

Spin is a standard ZX Spectrum Emulator and includes an Assembler.

ChibiAkumas is a bit of an Assembly Language Wiz and has lots of videos, some general some on Next features using assembly.

Darryl has also got some good videos up on Z80 Assembly Language and Next BASIC (including moving hardware sprites about in BASIC).  He really should use Next BASIC Procedures though! lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpQCEwk2U9w&t=51s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gHlMpO8gqw&t=255s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSvYYZ1au_Y&t=5s
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Steve Elliott

#32
You can download a copy of the Next Manual from here:

https://www.specnext.com/zx-spectrum-next-user-manual-first-edition/

I'm going to connect my Next via VGA rather than a HDMI cable though because some of the old games/demos used special timing tricks which don't work on HDMI, and Tilemap modes work better with VGA:

https://www.specnext.com/tilemap-mode/
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Steve Elliott

#33
The Next KickStarter has now made £900,000, so more free goodies to come!   ;D

[edit]
It seems Cspect produces a smoother scroll in emulating a Next than ZEsarUX.  Try the parallax scroll demos to see on Windows (ZEsarUX is multi-platform).

The Parallax Scroll Demo is using the Next's Copper Chip apparently.



Win11 64Gb 12th Gen Intel i9 12900K 3.2Ghz Nvidia RTX 3070Ti 8Gb
Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

Steve Elliott

Win11 64Gb 12th Gen Intel i9 12900K 3.2Ghz Nvidia RTX 3070Ti 8Gb
Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

MikeHart

When do you have to pay? When the kickstarter ends?

Steve Elliott

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Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

MikeHart

Wish it would have been december. Oh well.

Steve Elliott

#38
A shame Mike, but on the first Kickstarter a few pulled out and others took on their pledge later on.  They've now passed a million pounds, so another stretch goal met.
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Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

iWasAdam

Bloody ell  :o Good for them...

Steve Elliott

#40
Yes good luck to them.  There have been plenty of companies trying to cash in on the Sinclair Spectrum legacy many of us grew up with.

But attempts for the ZX Spectrum recreation have been very shady...Then the hugely popular C64 emulator with full sized working keyboard, to now the hardware recreation FPGA that recreates actual hardware cloning with 100% software and hardware peripheral compatibility to the original ZX Spectrum machine.  I still have my original Speccy, although non functional, so good to replace it with one with a decent keyboard.

But as well as running the original machine BASIC, there's a modern version with Procedures and access to the hardware sprites and all the other extra co-processors.  But I aim to get into assembly language this time around and see what I can achieve with it's updated hardware.  It's what could have been if the Speccy had evolved, now with similar tech to an Amiga.  Such as turbo modes, 3 sound chips, hardware sprites, hardware scrolling, copper chip, Raspberry pi co-procesor and 256 colour modes.

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Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

Steve Elliott

#41
Well all the stretch goals have been met for Spectrum Next with 3 weeks to go on Kickstarter (currently £1,208,337) the original goal (£250,000) met in 5 minutes.  They've needed to add another stretch goal at £1.5 million, although I'm not sure if that will happen, but 3 weeks to go so who knows?

The stretch goals that interest me have been met - double the RAM, full colour manual, bigger SD Cards and power switch.  When it eventually arrives I'll be like a kid at Christmas all over again unboxing my ZX Spectrum...Next...Plus the hardware recreated 'personalities' like the BBC Micro and Amstrad through FPGA.
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Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

Steve Elliott

#42
...
Win11 64Gb 12th Gen Intel i9 12900K 3.2Ghz Nvidia RTX 3070Ti 8Gb
Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

Steve Elliott

#43
Sod it I'm back in with 10 days to go and £1,354,756 raised on Kickstarter.  I know I would have kicked myself not having the opportunity to have a working ZX Spectrum once again (my very first computer) to go with the working original C64 I have, no emulation here.  All-be-it one with a much better keyboard over the rubber key original, SD Card storage, that can plug into modern HDMI devices or VGA screens too (and I've managed to aquire some CRT's) plus the improved graphics and sound in Next Mode - and that Raspberry Pi Zero inside for extra processing, yet 100% compatable with the original ZX Spectrum software and hardware peripherals.  The manual tells me there are higher resolutions so that could expand the screen window, and I just know I'll have a lot of fun with the Speccy Next, tinkering with it.   :D
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Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb
Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600
Win10/Linux Mint 16Gb 4th Gen Intel i5 4570 3.2GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2Gb
macOS 32Gb Apple M2Max
pi5 8Gb
Spectrum Next 2Mb

col

I'm in too :)

I'll need to brush up on my z80 and with the emulator. Got about a year lol.
https://github.com/davecamp

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