where did you learn to program the Kenbak-1

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SomeComputerNerd

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Jun 12, 2022, 6:05:03 PM6/12/22
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It seems as though there are no resources to learn to program the kenbak-1. 

famousd...@gmail.com

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Jun 12, 2022, 6:28:40 PM6/12/22
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Pretty much all the resources for programming the Kenbak-1 are here on this forum, and on this page: https://adwaterandstir.com/operation-kenbak/

Specifically, the scans of John Blankenbaker's original documentation.

There are also a few sites out there with information, but it's mostly the same.  www.kenbakkit.com and kenbak-1.net (which unfortunately seems to have disappeared.) 

SomeComputerNerd

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Jun 13, 2022, 10:20:57 AM6/13/22
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thanks.

MICHAEL GARDI

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Jun 20, 2022, 11:27:20 AM6/20/22
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You might want to have a look at my KENBAK-1 reproduction. Of particular interest, part of this project is an IDE written in Python that includes a built in assembler and debugger. A great way to learn  KENBAK-1 coding in an interactive manner.

Mike

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MICHAEL GARDI

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Jun 20, 2022, 11:49:21 AM6/20/22
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You might want to check out my KENBAK-1 reproduction which uses an IDE programmed in Python that includes an assembler and debugger. I really enjoyed using the IDE to write KENBAK-1 programs. (https://hackaday.io/project/178787-25-scale-kenbak-1-personal-computer-reproduction). The IDE can be run on any computer. It has a built in virtual console so you do not need to build the reproduction to use it.

Mike

On Mon, Jun 13, 2022 at 10:21 AM SomeComputerNerd <cantrel...@gmail.com> wrote:
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mgas1237

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Jun 27, 2022, 2:36:05 PM6/27/22
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I'm enjoying learning to use the Kenbak. The serial terminal and the online emulator have been a great way to try new stuff but Mike's IDE is awesome! I struggled a bit with the window being too big to use the console but Mike quickly spotted the issue. I needed a higher resolution monitor. 1920x1080 is the minimum size you should try and I was using a slightly smaller, older one. Even at 1920 the console is still mostly obscured but its workable. I'm running it on a Pi4 with a fresh Buster (Legacy) build. If you have not tried it, you should. You won't be disappointed.

I'm a bit curious why the main memory map index locations are shown in Decimal and the actual values in Hex. The Kenbak is Octal based and it seems like it would have made more sense to use Octal for the index locations and the actual memory values.  Also the build window on the top left shows the output location as Decimal (128) but the memory dump on the lower right with the scroll wheel shows it on Octal (200). I was always taught not to mix units but maybe Mike can chime in and clear up these observations for us non-programmers  :)

Scott

MICHAEL GARDI

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Jun 28, 2022, 8:48:01 AM6/28/22
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Hey Scott, 

Thanks for the kind words.

The memory addresses on all of the panels are shown as decimal because that just felt more comfortable to me. The main memory map is in hex to save space otherwise each memory location would have to have been 3 digits. The other panels show the memory addresses in multiple formats. It would be pretty easy to change if another scheme appeals to you. 

Mike


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