My BCPL environment for the W65C265SXB is progressing. Last night I got the initialisation of the CH376 working and I'm about ready to write the code to open a file, read it into memory and start the interpreter.

I realised last night that it might be worth simplifying the interpreters set of extension functions at some point. The python code base that is based on adds opcodes for file access but using a CH376 all I ready need is some pseudo opcodes to access the UARTs and a timer. Everything else can be written in terms of these in BCPL. That would also be a stepping stone towards a 32-bit word version of the interpreter and porting TRIPOS (the portable BCPL based operating system).

When I get something working I'll make the Github repository public. With a few tweaks the code could be ported to a 65C816 system provided it has some extra RAM, a spare UART/ACIA, a spare timer and a CH376 module.

This and another of my hardware projects (a PDP8e emulator) are based on technology that is as old as I am, almost to the year but incorporate a modern twist.

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Andrew Jacobs
6502 & PIC Stuff - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/
Cross-Platform 6502/65C02/65816 Macro Assembler - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/dev65/
Open Source Projects - https://github.com/andrew-jacobs

Sounds good - looking forward to it.

( The CH375 and CH376 are discussed in the following thread: CH375B USB Mass Storage Controller )

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In 1988 my 65C02 got six new registers and 44 new full-speed instructions!
https://laughtonelectronics.com/Arcana/ ... mmary.html

On that model of the module the two NC? pins are connected. When the jumper on the top row (P_S) is between GND and TXD the module operates in parallel mode and the 'S' pins are not used. When the jumper is between TXD and NC? the 'S' (Serial) pins become RXD, GND, TXD.

I have a more elaborate module with an SD card holder which breaks out the parallel, serial and SPI pins. There is also a simpler USB only board where the serial pins are RXD,TXD,GND with TXD & GND jumped for parallel mode and used individually for serial.

TXD and RXD are expressed from the module's point of view.

_________________
Andrew Jacobs
6502 & PIC Stuff - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/
Cross-Platform 6502/65C02/65816 Macro Assembler - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/dev65/
Open Source Projects - https://github.com/andrew-jacobs

BitWise, I am playing with a CH376. Did the CH376 code make it into a repository and did you connect to it using a VIA?

I've made the repository public. I got as far as mounting a disk then realised than one open file wasn't going to be enough. I could use the sector read/write commands and implement my own filing system but I don't have the time at the moment. The code is here

https://github.com/andrew-jacobs/w65c265sxb-bcpl16

_________________
Andrew Jacobs
6502 & PIC Stuff - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/
Cross-Platform 6502/65C02/65816 Macro Assembler - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/dev65/
Open Source Projects - https://github.com/andrew-jacobs

BitWise, thank you that looks good. I will be using the parallel interface but your implementation really distills the core information for the protocol.

I have a BBC book "BCPL for the BBC Microcomputer - User Guide" by Chris Jobson and John Richards from 1983. It looks like it is unopened.

Maybe it is finally time to crack it open.

Cheers,
Derek

I bought Martin Richards book on BCPL as a teenager. I was rather amused that you get to 'Advanced facilities' in chapter three.

I used it on the BBC Micro to write a few programs and ROMS.

_________________
Andrew Jacobs
6502 & PIC Stuff - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/
Cross-Platform 6502/65C02/65816 Macro Assembler - http://www.obelisk.me.uk/dev65/
Open Source Projects - https://github.com/andrew-jacobs

I did a huge amount of BCPL on the Beebs in the mid 80's. Great big factory automation PhD type project involving many Beebs, Econet and shared filing systems, separate 6502 based boards (designed by me) as "PLCs" - the "arduino" of that day for me. Fantastic stuff and I'm still fond of BCPL.

Currently implementing a cintcode interpreter on my Ruby 816 system with the aim to be able to compile the compiler and produce a fully stand alone development system. (Not Tripos though - well, not initially) I can currently run the old Beeb BCPL ROM and development environment on my Ruby 6502 without any real issues though although due to the ways the editor uses BBC Micro function keys, it's not as good as it could be (so I wrote my own editor)

Cheers,

-Gordon

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--
Gordon Henderson.
See my Ruby 6502 and 65816 SBC projects here: https://projects.drogon.net/ruby/

It is an interesting language. Looking at the documentation I note that BCPL is highly word-centric, but those pesky "bytes" seem to have wormed their way into the specification (as they have a nasty habit of doing). Would it be worth the effort to attempt an implementation on a word-addressed architecture, or would it be likely destined to fail before it even got off the ground?

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Got a kilobyte lying fallow in your 65xx's memory map? Sprinkle some VTL02C on it and see how it grows on you!

Mike B. (about me) (learning how to github)

Word-based works - see the recent one page computing adventures.
http://anycpu.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=480