A quick note on serial loading and saving..
Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 10:51 amFolks, the question has come up- how do you load programs, or save programs, with a PE6502?
Right now (while we're still working on other interfaces, like the Compact Flash harddrive, and a tape drive interface) we'll have to use the serial interface. This is OK, because it works well!
TeraTerm (or any other terminal program of your choice- but we use TeraTerm so we can pass along the proper settings) can be used to send a program into the PE6502.
You can send already written programs, or programs you get from friends. You can also write code in a text file, and send this as well- I've done this with a few bubblesort BASIC programs.
Here's how the programs go into the proper spot in memory: If the program you're sending is in machine code (like the MicroChess program,) each line has the memory address of where to put the code. You must be in the monitor program (-aka- "WozMon", which is what is running at power on) to load a machine code program, and the program sent from TeraTerm is just as if you had a robot type the whole program in super fast.. I.E., the monitor can accept a memory address, then contents to store at that location.. For a BASIC program loaded from TeraTerm, you'll have to be in either BASIC interpreter, and then the program listing is entered by TeraTerm instead of the keyboard. BASIC automatically handles where to put the program in RAM for you.
The same interface works for Saving (sending a program from the PE6502 to TeraTerm) as well. For BASIC, you'd simply ensure the serial connection was up/TeraTerm connected, and then list the BASIC program. Then copy that listing from the TeraTerm output screen, and save to a text file. You can do the same with a machine code program too; for example, to list a machine code program from address location $400 to $4FF, type at the WozMon prompt (and afterwards press enter): 400.4FF
This will list the contents of RAM in that address range, which you can copy from TeraTerm and put into a text file.
Hope this helps!
Right now (while we're still working on other interfaces, like the Compact Flash harddrive, and a tape drive interface) we'll have to use the serial interface. This is OK, because it works well!
TeraTerm (or any other terminal program of your choice- but we use TeraTerm so we can pass along the proper settings) can be used to send a program into the PE6502.
You can send already written programs, or programs you get from friends. You can also write code in a text file, and send this as well- I've done this with a few bubblesort BASIC programs.
Here's how the programs go into the proper spot in memory: If the program you're sending is in machine code (like the MicroChess program,) each line has the memory address of where to put the code. You must be in the monitor program (-aka- "WozMon", which is what is running at power on) to load a machine code program, and the program sent from TeraTerm is just as if you had a robot type the whole program in super fast.. I.E., the monitor can accept a memory address, then contents to store at that location.. For a BASIC program loaded from TeraTerm, you'll have to be in either BASIC interpreter, and then the program listing is entered by TeraTerm instead of the keyboard. BASIC automatically handles where to put the program in RAM for you.
The same interface works for Saving (sending a program from the PE6502 to TeraTerm) as well. For BASIC, you'd simply ensure the serial connection was up/TeraTerm connected, and then list the BASIC program. Then copy that listing from the TeraTerm output screen, and save to a text file. You can do the same with a machine code program too; for example, to list a machine code program from address location $400 to $4FF, type at the WozMon prompt (and afterwards press enter): 400.4FF
This will list the contents of RAM in that address range, which you can copy from TeraTerm and put into a text file.
Hope this helps!