After completing the minimal implementation, I expanded the memory using an external static RAM. This modification creates around 40K of usable space - five times more than the "standard" 8K model originally sold. As my soldering had been a little suboptimal to date, I took the opportunity to replace the…
My first goal was to use the Cyclone II FPGA to build a minimal 4K replica. I made up a small circuit board to attach the resistors necessary for the PS/2 keyboard interface and video output. Once I'd figured out how to install and use the Quartus II software (The…
There are three computers responsible for my eventual career in software. The Compukit UK101 is one of the three, ranking alongside the first computer I used (a Research Machines 380Z at Friesland school) and the first I owned (a Sharp MZ-80K). The UK101 is an interloper amongst the Z80 based…
The BASIC 10 liner competition for 2022 is open for entries until Sunday 26th March. This year I've submitted a Sharp MZ-80K program in the PUR-80 category called 'Attributed to Newton'. It's based on a nonsense game my eldest daughter invented some years ago to annoy and confuse her parents.
Over the last couple of weekends I've moved the code I converted to work on the RC2014 onto the MZ-700. Apart from some general tidying up, I've made a few changes to the input and output subroutines. The input subroutine still doesn't check that the values entered are sensible (30th…
Winter can be a dismal time in the UK. At least we're now a few days past the winter solstice, so the mornings and evenings are starting to get brighter. Well, just about! So to pass the time until it's fit to be out in my Caterham again I searched…
The days between Christmas and the new year are always quiet. The weather has been miserable and I'm not feeling particularly inspired to carry on with a brick breaker game I started a couple of months ago, so I thought I'd have a go at the final Advent of Code…
I recently acquired a second Sharp MZ-700 that was in a rather poor state. I had no idea whether or not it could be salvaged when I bought it, but I thought it might be fun to try. A secondary reason for buying it was to experiment with alternatives to…