MACHINE CODE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM FOR YOUR TIMEX SINCLAIR 1000 Turn your Timex Sinclair 1000 or Sinclair ZX81 into a high-speed, machine-code development system. MARK W. LATHAM By now you may have seen dozens of Timex Sinclair 1000)Sinclair ZXB7 add-on projects in various electronic magazines. It not surprising considering that at one time, Timex was shipping 100,000 units a month, While some people are content to fool around with whatever they cen hook up to the back of the unit, others have bought real keyboards and extra RAM, hoping to turn their computers into real business or entertainment machines. if you've ever used a Timex Sinclair 1000 (which welll simply call a TS 1000 from here on), you know that speed keeps that computer from serving any useful Purpose. You could take a short nap while the computer is Ioading even a 16K program from cassette. ‘Once it’s loaded, you run into the other speed problem—execution time. Thats because the ZB0A CPU spends most of its time updating the video, and, let’ face it, the BASIC is too slow, even in the FAST mode. The simplicity of the TS 1000, which is one of its, virtues, is 850 its downfall if you own a TS 1000 and want to tum it into @ useful device, why not consider the following: 1) run high- speed machine-language level programs and, 9) store those programs in EPROM. This project, 8 machine-code-development-systern/ EPROM-programmer, will let you do just that. With it, You can use your TS 1000 to load joragrams from EPROMS, and program EPROMS with data anywhere in the RAM. You will be able to store and recall 4K bytes Of battery-backed-up external CMOS RAM. Also, the unit can bbe disconnected from the 75 1000 and used to emulate en EPROM for a different microprocessor. You will be able to use the EPROM programmer as a general VO port, each line of which is monitored by LEDS. The LED's are great if you are just learning machine language commands. Of those lines, 90 are available for inputioutput, while four others are Configured as output-only lines capable of sinking 500 mA each. All those lines are available through @ socket in the back of the unit and, if you hook them up with a test clip, you will have a five-volt, multi-channel logic monitor with both LED and on-screen viewing. Best of all, the whole EPROM /O system operates under machine-lenguage leve! software control, which is, of course, steved in EPROM. System architecture The unit is interfaced to the TS 7000 with an 8255 PPI (parallel peripheral interface) VO port. We could have ‘Ueated the program socket as a memory space accessed directly by the Z80A, but then we would have had to insert many wait states during the program pulse. Unfortunately there is no way the CPU can refresh dynamic RAM during waits so that option is out. ‘What we must do then is create a second bus system 4s shown in Fig. 1, the schematic diagram. Gates IC1-c and IC2-c allow the Z80A to access the 8955 when A7 and iowa are low. (A7 is included to ensure that there will be no erroneous writes to the 8955.) If we leave the 82558 AQ and Al lines set for all VO operetions, the computers monitor system won't crash during /O operations regardless of whether the: ‘computer isin the fast or slow mode. The A4 and AS lines of the Z80A are used to control the 82558 A@ and Al inputs, 80, in hexcidecimal, the VO addresses will ‘be O3H, 93H, and 33H. The 8955 has three eight-bit ports, one of which is bit-addressable. Port € (PB4—-PB7) will function as the secondary bus control outputs. Port B (PBO-PB7) will function as the data VO port, and ports C (PC3- PCO) and A (PA@-7) will function 3s acidress outputs ©-11, respectively. (The reason PC3-PCD are used in reverse 25 AD-AS is twofold; that both simplifies circuit ‘board layout and arranges the bus and LED's for use as 4 logic monitor, as you will see later) When the 8955 is reset (either by the computer or on power up) all the ports are Configured as inputs. Any time those ports are changed from inputs to outputs, or vice-versa, all the port registers are reset. That presents ¢ problem for the contro! lines in our secondary bus system because those lines must remain high (set) until a memory access is desired. Transistors QI-Q# are used to alleviate that problem. If a ports input or output is low, the corresponding transistor output is high, holding the control line secure. If the data in the CMOS RAM is of no importance, then those transistors may be used as high current outputs, capable of sinking up to 500 mA each, The CMOS RAM, IC9 and ICI, and the CMOS one- of eight decoder, IC7, provide 4K of data storage for program saving and ROM emulation. The decoder ANUARY 1985 — ComputerDigest 7FIG. \—COMPLETE SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM. Reference the diagram carefully while reading the text, as it helps clarify some of the more-complicated points. 8 ComputerDigest — JANUARY 1985JANUARY 1985 — ComputerDigest 9FIG. 2-FULL-SIZE CIRCUIT BOARDS are provided here for those readers who desire to duplicate the boards from scratch, Note that the main board is shown in @ and the display board in b. The boards are double-sided; the side shown here is the component side. sv inenes >| ke 2 inenes >| a 6 PARTS LIST Resistors 05, D6—1NO14 All resistors are 1/4 watt, 5% ‘DBi—ABI5I 1.5-amp, 50 volt, diode bridge R1—220 ohms Q1-Q18—MPSAI3- R2-R4, R32-R35, R37, R3E-A43—12,000 ohms R5-R7—18 ohms R8—47 ohms R9-R31—270 ohms R36, R47—39,000 R38—1 megohm F44—56,000 ohms F45—10,000 ohms, potentiometer, PC mount R46—2.2 ohms, Capacitors C1-C4, C7, C13—0.1)F, ceramic dis C5—100uF, 16 volts, miniature radial electrolytic C6, C11—10uF, 16 volts, miniature radial electrolytic C8—470uF, 16 volts, miniature radial electrolytic C9-220,1F, 35 volts, miniature radial electrolytic C10—2200j.F, 25 volts, miniature axial electrolytic, Ct2—t0pF, ceramic disc ‘Semiconductors Di-D4—1N4001 reads FANGS (PCT) and ATI to select the appropriate memory IC, Those three ICS are powered by either the five-volt supply through D1 or the lithium three-volt 10 ComputerDigest — JANUARY 1985 LED1, LED6-LED9, LED!¢-L8D17, LED22-LED25— ted LED, XC5S6R or equivalent LED 2—yellow LED, XCS56Y or equivalent LEDS-LEDS—tnicolor LED, XC5491 or equivalent LEDI0-13, 18-21—XC556G ICt—74L810 tripe 3-input Nano gate IC2—74L$27 triple 3-input No gate 1C3P8255 programmable peripherial interface IC4—1C8—74L8240 ociai buffer IC7—74HC198 3 to & decoder/multinlexer IC8—2716 EPROM ICo—723N positive adjustable regulator IC10, IC11—HMe116LP-4 CMOS static RAM 1C12—780S §-vot! tequlaior Miscellaneous Ti—12VAC, 1-amp, walhplug transformer P1—coaxial power plug JI—coaxial power jack St-9PDT switch boattery through D2. Pin 6 of the decoder monitors the five-volt supply and disables the RAM when the power is offFIG, 3--THE SOLDER SIDE OF BOTH BOARDS (the main boards shown in a; the display board in b) is given here, also full size. Both boards can be etched at once and then cut apart, 4-1/4 INCHES: a S2—SPST switch S3—DPDT switch, center-otf Hi—50-centact,right-angle header H2—26-contact header PROGRAM SOCKET—24-pin ZIF socket with extender pins (or wire wrap socket) PC boards, IC sockets, enclosure, hardware, ribbon cable, caid-edge connector, DB-25 connector, etc. ‘The following are available from Wildonics Comput- er Technologies, P.O. Box 1763, Boise, ID, 83701: Complete kit of all parts including power supply, all connectors, lithium battery, PC boards, and case (does NOT include 2716 EPROM with Operating Sys- tem), $149.95; 2716 EPROM with Operating System, $19.95; set of drilled and etched PC boards only $19.95; Assembled and tested unit with Operating Sysiem Software, $219.95. Shipping, handling and insurance, $3.00 for EPROM with software or PC boards only. $6.00 for complete kit or assembled unit. With $3 set for mic and the 8255% ports al configured as inputs, a secondary CBU can directly access the CMOS RAM through the proceam socket. ef ances sf b Setting $2 for mic simply omties the RANE end the RONG: lines and bypasses Vpp-blocking diode D5 Resistors R38 and R39, and transistor Q8, which normally act as an inverter for the RESET signal, hold the 8255 reset if the EPROM-/O unit is used apart from the 7X81 during a mimic operation. ‘When $3 is set to paoceam, the outtout of the Vop switching regulator IC9, is connected to the appropriate EPROM V/O pin. we (PC7) contiols the regulator’ output by sourcing the base of the regulator's current limiting transistor For thet application, that transistors emitter is connected to ground. Capacitor C12 is connected to the frequency-response in to slow the Vpp ise and fall times. Diodes D3 and D4 and capacitors C8 and CY act as a voltage doubler to provide 30 volts at 60 MA to the regulators input. All the bus lines can be monitored with the display bboard, Three 74152405, IC+IC6, power the LEDS. Red LEDS (LED6-LE09, LEOT4 LEDIT, anc LED22-1ED25) are Used for the the address lines and the LEDS for the date lines (LED10-LED'3 and \ED18-LEDI7) are green. Those LEDs will ight when the corresponding ‘bus lines are high or high-impedance. The yellow LED (LED9) will light if the WieVer line is tow. Whille we are out of soace, we're not our of things to say. We'll finish up next month <{p> JANUARY 1 —ComputerDigest 11