Howdy...

Spend some time converting an old project to the W65C816SXB board.
I managed to get it to play Game of life on my old 24x24 LED display...
The LED display is controlled by 9 MAX7219 LED controllers that is interfaced using the VIA.
The shift register in the VIA is used rather than bit banging the data with IO ports, this allows for a better shift out rate.
This one was used in another 6502 project so it wasn't to hard to convert, just had to make sure the code compiled on the WDC compiler.

High Res Picture of the setup,
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alamorobotics/W65C816SXB-Game-Of-life/master/Game_Of_Life_01.jpg

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg5X4eiIO24

The code is on Github if you want to have a look at it...
https://github.com/alamorobotics/W65C81 ... me-Of-life

Neat looking LED board. I have a fondness for LED arrays having built several of them.

Nice!

Thanks guys...

Got a video uploaded to YouTube...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg5X4eiIO24

This is awesome.

That is very interesting, great really. Are you absolutely required to use the WDC compiler? I mean, if you can handle a plain binary file, then FASM might be the way to go. It has a fantastic macro engine, and there is even a special version (fasm g) designed specifically for creating new instruction sets. I'm using it right now to write test/OS code for a fantasy 32-bit 65c02 processor I came up with for an x86 assembly retro console project. All that aside, it was actually very easy to design the macro instructions so that you are able to write source code like ordinary 6502/816 assembly (actually you can make it any way you want). After that you have the full power of FASM, an awesome assembler which is itself written in pure assembler. There are several super IDEs out there that work just fine with FASM.

Just an idea, I guess. It's like all I hear from everyone is how bad the WDC IDE is -- and I, too, gave up on it in about 15 of the longest minutes ever -- yuck. Why not roll your own? If it's an idea you might have an interest in, PM me and I'll help get you started, maybe even work on the macro engine with/for you. I know of one turnkey 6502 engine already, and it was very easy for me to take that and expand on it. BTW, the only reason I didn't run with a 32-bit '816 in my project was because of the cumbersome SR mode selection mechanism.

It just seems like it should be easier to create the software so that you can focus on what you're obviously very good at -- exploiting '816 hardware.

Edit:
After a PM with Garth, I think it's a good idea to explain my use of the word "cumbersome" above. I love the 65816 and wish there was a 32-bit version out there, but after 20 years of programming the SuperCPU in hardware and emulation I do have a negative opinion about certain aspects. From our conversation:

Howdy...

I'm not sure you need the WDC compiler, it recently drove me nuts for two days so I think it's time to look into something else...
I had a piece of code like this,

Which didn't work and I could not figure it out until I started to look into what address is actually used.
Turns out that the offset is not added since I put a space in between SID_BASE and the offset.
So I changed the code to,

This piece of code works fine and the offset is added as expected...

Right now I'm trying to get used to the WDC compiler and the Atom editor...
The recommended editor is Ultra Edit which is only free for 30 days and then cost $80.
However switching out the editor in the IDE means that the editor does not launch properly, the editor launches but it does not open the file...

I don't think the problem would be to switch out the compiler, it's probably more of a question on how to get the debugger working in your own IDE by launching your code and allowing debugging...

Maybe ditch the WDC IDE and call their compiler and debugger separate works better, I think that is what BitWise is doing...

Let me read up on Fasm and see if it can be used...

I didn't need any explanation ... I was over here nodding my head in agreement as I was reading that sentence. It's not a feeling I can easily justify to others, but it's my feeling nonetheless.

Mike B.

Thanks Barry... it is hard to explain to people sometimes, isn't it? For example, the VICE emulator handles the 65816 SuperCPU very well, but they have not yet figured out a solution to '816 disassembly and it's no priority for them at all to fix; it's just a clusterflog all around. You just don't know exactly what mode a subroutine is in until you're into it -- sometimes too far. Then it's disassembly by hand and that's always a real drag. I had to do that to RE the hidden SuperCPU boot code before I got my hands on the IDA 65816 plugin. I made so many mistakes doing it by hand..... Glad (relatively speaking ) I'm not alone.

Alamorobotics:

I'll definitely agree that UltraEdit is really something, but for free IMO the way to go is Notepad++ (NPP). It has the Scintilla editor, runs a cli from the toolbar (for your batch file, etc), has a host of very cool plugins, and through the years I have customized it so that I can work in 65x and x86 simultaneously (GoAsm, FASM, 64tass) in side by side windows AND built-in console, complete with the highlighted syntax and all. I am happy to share the syntax files and how to get it just right for assembly. There is even a portable version. I don't know what I would do without it. Well... yes I do -- become a real crabass.

It's an ideal working environment (for me at least).

Please start a new thread and share with us! I'm still stumbling around in the dark-ages over here. Oh, and I love free!

Mike B.

Cool! Good job.

_________________
x86?  We ain't got no x86.  We don't NEED no stinking x86!

I mostly resolved that issue in Supermon 816 by maintaining state information on any REP and SEP instructions that are encountered during disassembly. It's not perfect, but as long as some basic procedure is followed, immediate mode instructions will correctly disassemble.


I tried out NPP, but ended up purchasing UltraEdit—and did not regret doing so. As is not totally untypical of free software, idiosyncrasies can (do, in the case of NPP) get in the way of productivity and the zero price turns out to not be such a great deal. UE has a very logical user environment and reflects the thinking of a professional software developer. I can't say the same thing about NPP.

As for the WDC IDE, I purchased it as well and after several hours of fighting with it, concluded that it was a time-waster and removed it from the system.

_________________
x86?  We ain't got no x86.  We don't NEED no stinking x86!

I am curious to know in more detail what is meant by the statement. For example, what sort of idiosyncrasies get in the way of productivity?

Howdy...

I saw that the Atom editor had some specific plug ins for 6502 editing and gave it a try.
It seem to me that you need to read the whole manual to customize it and I'm not prepared to do that...
I'm about to give up on Atom, there does not seem to be a fix for the "copy/paste" feature.
The feature is that you loose all your tabs unless you specifically paste in a special way...

I've been using Notepad++ for about three years but never customize it.
I like it and I think it's about time I make some effort to learn how to customize it.

Anyhow, this original thread was about the 24x24 LED display and an old project I converted to the W65C816SXB board.
I would like to continue discuss editors but I think we need a new thread for that...

Perhaps a new topic on editors should be started instead of hijacking this one.

_________________
x86?  We ain't got no x86.  We don't NEED no stinking x86!