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Transputer software today

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Theo

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May 8, 2020, 10:35:28 AM5/8/20
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Recent activity on this group has got me interested in Transputers - they
seem like an interesting corner of doing (for their time) high performance
compute. I keep being reminded of them as we have a Rohde and Schwartz
vector network analyser that announces 'booting Transputers' as it powers up
into some kind of DOS - I've never taken it apart, but did wonder if it ran
some kind of DOS emulator on top of the Transputers...

Anyway, I'm not really very familiar with what's out there, so I have a
question: What kind of software exists for Transputers at the present time?
I'm not talking toolchain compilers and stuff, but 'application' code, to do
something useful.

For example, I know there's Mandelbrot and ray tracing code out there, but
are there any other kinds of compute? Any big Occam programs about?

There was HeliOS, but does any applications software exist to run on top of
it?

For those messing about with transputers today, what are you running on
them?

I gather applications like the ISDN modem and our network analyser are likely
very closed source, but I wonder if there is much in the way of open source
Transputer software out there?

Thanks
Theo

Arachide

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Jul 15, 2020, 4:58:37 AM7/15/20
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Le 08/05/2020 à 16:35, Theo a écrit :

> I gather applications like the ISDN modem and our network analyser are likely
> very closed source, but I wonder if there is much in the way of open source
> Transputer software out there?
>
> Thanks
> Theo
>

Hi Theo,

I adapted a little RayTracing program for my transputers. You can find
it at the very bottom of this page:

https://gtello.pagesperso-orange.fr/transputer.htm

Guillaume.

Mike B.

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Jul 16, 2020, 10:12:53 AM7/16/20
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Hi Theo

> but did wonder if it ran
> some kind of DOS emulator on top of the Transputers...

The transputer network controls the analog modules.

From ZVRE.PDF

4.3.3 Processor Structure
In addition to a 586 CPU, the network analyzer also comprises three 32-bit transputers T805 and one 16-bit transputer T225. Two DSPs are provided for digital signal processing. The 586 CPU handles the complete data exchange with the peripheral devices, such as e.g. keyboard entry, display of the softkeys and operation via IEC bus. Irrespective of this, the transputers control the measurement run, consider correction factors and represent the trace on the display. For this purpose, the transputers receive the current instrument settings from the 586 CPU via a link adapter, which constitutes the connection between the ISA bus of the CPU board and a transputer link of the T805 on the graphics board (in the following referred to as GTP = graphics transputer). The T225 on the graphics and the two T805 on the Measurement Control Unit (MCU) are coupled to the GTP via further transputer links. The T225 exclusively serves as interface between the GTP and the chip set for the graphics.

As far as I know - there is and was no DOS emulator for transputers.

-Mike
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