ISO...Bootable HEX file to support LOAD & SAVE for XYBASIC

[Barry Hills]

As I understand we need Basic running on top of CP/M to utilize SAVE and LOAD commands in BASIC.  Does someone have a bootable HEX file to share that will allow me to use SAVE & LOAD?  Does not matter if target storage is disk image or paper tape.  THX.

[Tom Lake]

MBASIC (Also called BASIC-80) comes with most versions of CP/M. I believe it's on the images available for the IMSAI8080esp. You can SAVE and LOAD to disks. MBASIC didn't have CSAVE or CLOAD for cassettes.

[udo....@freenet.de]

XYBASIC standalone can save and load from paper tape, I also made a video a while ago that shows this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=512cTkNgH3A

[Tom Lake]

Any BASIC that can LIST a program can LOAD and SAVE to paper tape with my Teletype ASR-33. All I have to do is type LIST (don't hit Enter yet) with the punch off. I then turn on the punch and press Enter.

After the listing is done, either OK or READY is also punched since BASIC prints that after LIST is complete.

The program is listed to the paper and punched into the paper tape. To read it back, I just put the tape in the reader/punch and start the reader. The program is entered just as if I had typed it.

The only minor snag is that I get a Syntax Error when the OK (or READY) that was punched on the tape is read back in. You can ignore it because the entire program is there and operable.

[Barry Hills]

My environment is the ESP32 based 8080 replica and the tape I mentioned is the virtual tape in the GUI.  The XYBASIC that comes installed with the system is a standalone ROM version (actually runs Z80 mode) but without enough of a filesystem to do disk or PTR: IO.  At this point I cannot tell if I already have the parts I need or if I need to compile/build something.  Assuming I have to build something I was hoping others have already done so I could get a pointer a the bootable HEX file that makes all this possible on the ESP32. 

[udo....@freenet.de]

If the XYBASIC ROM that came with your system cannot save/load to the virtual paper tape it is an old version.

A new one that can is available here:

https://github.com/udo-munk/z80pack/tree/dev/imsaisim/roms

XYBASIC doesn't include disk support, but can be build for disk OS's like CP/M. A disk image with a CP/M version

and some example programs is here:

https://github.com/udo-munk/z80pack/tree/dev/imsaisim/disks/library

The disk actually includes 3 versions with different floating point support, binary, BCD and APU accelerated.

For using the APU version you need the latest ESP firmaware including the APU emulation.

[Barry Hills]

Thank you…

The xybasic HEX file you suggested booted and ran fine but behaves exactly like the one I had so SAVE & LOAD to PTR: still did not work.  

Yes, I think I need a CP/M build with BASIC included as you say but I am really hoping to find a bootable HEX file that has everything together for 8080SIM and runs on the ESP32.  

[udo....@freenet.de]

With this xybasic ROM you can save/load to the PTR device, see video linked above. You just say it is not working for you, so my guess is you are doing something wrong, but I don't know what. Maybe you do not connect the PTR device to the computer? Maybe syntax used for save/load commands is wrong?

Try this, follow each step in the video above exactely and tell us at which step your system behaves different from what is shown, that might give us a hint what is wrong.