µKenbak-1: Mindless serial port program

[Frank P.]

To christen Tom C's new µKenbak-1 assembler, and given an idea by C64 C64's link to these files, I submit "Das Blinken Lights" on steroids for those of you who've added a serial port (which makes the µKenbak-1 sooooooo.... much easier to work with). In addition to the blinking LEDs on the front panel, a VT-100 compabible terminal or terminal program on the serial port will display a changing random pattern (a VT-100 screen saver, if you will) on 858 simulated "LED"s (VT-100 diamonds). Hit any key to stop and restore terminal to normal text mode. I wish it would run faster, but hey... it's a Kenbak-1 after all.

Note TeraTerm users: If you're using the "portable" version of TeraTerm, you need to manually install the font file TSPECIAL1.TTF from the TeraTerm directory if you haven't already (just drag the file into the Fonts control panel); otherwise the diamonds won't be diamonds. PuTTY apparently has this font built-in.

EDIT: Updated attachments to version 2.1 (offset alternate rows).

[Frank P.]

BTW, I tried this using "screen" and "cu" under Ubuntu on Windows and, while it generally works, the diamond symbols just display as boxes. I guess I don't know how to install a VT-100 graphics font into "screen".

screen -T vt100

TERM=vt100; export TERM

cu -l /dev/ttyS1 -s 38400

[Frank P.]

I just updated the files in the top post to a new version that offsets alternate rows on the display to produce more "interesting" random patterns (I didn't like the diamonds from the TeraTerm font touching each other.)

[John Kennedy]

Frank - I got your script uploaded - it works :-)

Ok, now to port FORTH to the KENBAK-1! (jk)

[Frank P.]

Also give the (slightly more useful) serial port Adding Machine a try (not the top one, but the V1.1 version near the end).

[fcpr...@gmail.com]

Since Google has "improved" this board by making it impossible to edit my original post, I'm repeating it here for version 2.2 of SerialBlinkenLights. Version 2.1 is broken by the 22May2021 version of the µKenbak-1 firmware; version 2.2 will work with either the new or old firmware.

To christen Tom C's new µKenbak-1 assembler, and given an idea by C64 C64's link to these files, I submit "Das Blinken Lights" on steroids for those of you who've added a serial port (which makes the µKenbak-1 sooooooo.... much easier to work with). In addition to the blinking LEDs on the front panel, a VT-100 compabible terminal or terminal program on the serial port will display a changing random pattern (a VT-100 screen saver, if you will) on 858 simulated "LED"s (VT-100 diamonds). Hit any key to stop and restore terminal to normal text mode. I wish it would run faster, but hey... it's a Kenbak-1 after all.

Note TeraTerm users: If you're using the "portable" version of TeraTerm, you need to manually install the font file TSPECIAL1.TTF from the TeraTerm directory if you haven't already (just drag the file into the Fonts control panel); otherwise the diamonds won't be diamonds. PuTTY apparently has this font built-in.

EDIT: Updated attachments to version 2.2 (Replace SHRB instruction because of April 2021 & earlier F/W bug, now fixed).

Since Google has also "improved" this board by making certain file extensions unacceptable, I've added the extension .txt to each of the 3 attachments. You need to remove the .txt extensions once you download them (thank Mr. Google).

[fcpr...@gmail.com]

Let me be clear on one thing... version 2.1 of this program was always broken, but the error was being hidden by a bug in the firmware, so it appeared to work. Once the corrected firmware is uploaded, the error is exposed, and thus the need for version 2.2.