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FORTH on the MPF-IP - Part 2
02/13/2022 at 23:47 • 0 commentsHere is my 2nd MPF-IP FORTH video; this time, we are taking a closer look at FORTH, and continue our exploration with do... loops, if else then, and write an iterative version of the factorial function - stay tuned for the next video!
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News from @x48x4b - machine & Sargon chess code
02/13/2022 at 23:44 • 0 commentsI got another message from @x48x4b regarding his Microprofessor and the Sargon chess program; he writes:
"This is my machine from the 1980ies, in today's working condition: https://www.mycloud.ch/s/S00E8C2E8289DDE0E50B95028DFF9DB989ABBE58C10 It is an MPF-IP with the stock accessory boards IOM-MPF-IP and EPB-MPF-IP and 16k RAM. On the bread board section, I have installed an additional PIO, 4 motor drivers and 2 A/D converters. This was done in the 1980ies, to be used withe my Fischertechnik robot. Today, the accessory boards can occasionally be found on Ebay. The Sargon code for my MPF-IP is here: https://www.mycloud.ch/s/S007B47874D00053B738BFE0EA9720BCA96DFA769F "
I take the freedom to post hist machine here - what a setup!! A dream Microprofessor: -
FORTH on the MPF-IP - Part 1 (FORTH Basics)
02/06/2022 at 19:14 • 0 commentsAlright, that took a while... confident by now enough in my knowledge of the FORTH I am to attempt to present & demo it :-)
This is part 1 of ~ 3 parts that I am planning. Originally, I only wanted to define a recursive "factorial" word! That took me down the rabbit hole - from dictionaries, immediate words, over defining to compiling words - finally, I managed to implement CALL as well as DOER/MAKE. It'll take 2 more videos until we get there.
For now, here are the basics: FORTH background & history, installation, documentation & book, comments on meta-programming and "Forth in Forth", the stack, RPN (Reverse Polish Notation), HP calculators, simple user-defined words. Enjoy and stay tuned to hear more about this ingenious "alien" programming language on the MPF-IP!
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x48x4b is running Sargon Chess on his MPF-IP!
02/03/2022 at 19:46 • 0 commentsVery cool info from @x48x4b - he ported the classic Sargon Chess to his MPF-IP as a Covid project. Just quoting his messages from the chat; this is too cool to be forgotten and left unnoticed in the chat, so turning this into a Log entry. @x48x4b wrote:
"An MPF-IP (with accessory boards) can be used to run a chess program, to see how, check out the following mkv-video (watch it on VLC):
https://www.mycloud.ch/s/S000DB711BCA0EE2949ADD0A240A68026A2650D987D
I had to modify the memory organisation and took out the video section. The original Sargon was installed on a Wavemate Jupiter III. This had a Z80. But e.g. it had a video board, which my MPF does not have. Instead I wrote a routine to direct the output to the serial interface. What I did not change at all are the chess algorithms. My current version uses x1d2d bytes excluding stack. I will tidy it up and post it somewhen.
It is the original IOM-MPF-IP experimental board from Multitech with a 8250 UART, a Zilog CTC and a bread board area. There are also sockets to add 3x2 kByte static RAM and other stuff. I purchased it in the 1980ies to drive my Fischertechnik Robot. Later the MPF-IP and the IOM-MPF-IP were stored away for more than 35 years on our attic. In the Corona lock down time, I reactivated it to have some fun. The reactivation turned out to be challenging because some of the chips had to be replaced, and some of the electrical contacts were bad. The goal of the project was to run the original Sargon chess program from Dan and Kathe Spracklen, which actually succeeded."
Looking forward to the code being released!Sadly, my 2 MPF-IPs only have 4 KBs of SRAM each, and no expansion boards besides the printer. I just ordered some SRAM chips. Maybe I am going to build my own extension board with additional SRAM, speech synth, and UART. Will see! But first I need to get the Forth videos out... soon!
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MPF-IP BASIC Demo - Prime Numbers on the MPF-IP!
01/22/2022 at 23:35 • 0 commentsMy next video about the MPF-IP is online! This time, I am demonstrating the BASIC by computing prime numbers with the sieve of Erastosthenes. Also, I pulled the cassette recorder from the garage, so this is going to be fun too. Next, I am comparing the MPF-IP's BASIC performance with the ZX-81, running the same program. Which machine is going to be faster - ZX81 or MPF-IP?
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Attention - Your MPF-IP BASIC ROM IMAGE from the Internet is bad!
01/19/2022 at 19:26 • 6 commentsPreparing for my demo video of the MPF-IP BASIC, another Microprofessor MPF-IP enthusiast I was chatting with on another forum just complained that his BASIC wouldn't print properly beyond 18 characters, and that certain BASIC statements documented in the manual don't work (SON, SOFF).
I said, what do you mean? My BASIC just works fine, no issues with the printer, and SON / SOFF work flawlessly!
He then pointed me to the BASIC ROM image he was using:
https://electrickery.hosting.philpem.me.uk/comp/mpf1/doc/MPF-IPlusBasicROM.zip
I grabbed it and burned an EPROM, and indeed - this version must be a prior version and has these issues! For printouts, you'll have to limit yourself to 18 characters per line, else your printout looks as follows:
Now, my original BASIC ROM is indeed working fine, has SON / SOFF, and printing works fine beyond 18 characters:
Seems the MPF-IP BASIC got a major update. There is no obvious version number encoded in the ROM image (at least not in ASCII).
Comparing the ROMs a bit, I see that they even omitted the READY prompt in order to accommodate the patches and SON & SOFF... the new version goes to 0x1ff8, whereas the "buggy" version has 0x1ff3 as last address. So a few bytes more. They really used almost all of the 8 KBs in the 2764!
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Major hardware upgrade to my MPF-1B - CTC & PIO arrived!
01/18/2022 at 23:58 • 0 commentsLooking at my MPF-1B pictures and videos you may have noticed that my MPF-1B didn't have the (optional) Z80 CTC and Z80 PIO installed. They just arrived! Plugged them in and keyed in Experiment 15 from the Experiment Manual: Clock 2 with CTC Interrupt Mode 2, and it worked!
https://electrickery.hosting.philpem.me.uk/comp/mpf1/doc/MPF-1_experimentManual.pdf
Good to know that I didn't get fake chips this time - I was skeptical, because they look like new. Phew!
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First MPF-IP video online!
01/18/2022 at 00:30 • 0 comments