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Hello

6 messages · 2003-02-02 → 2003-02-19 · Yahoo Group era · View archive on archive.org

Participants: joe schmoe, aralbrec, Alvin, Jarek Adamski, Scott A. Rossell

Preserved from the Timex/Sinclair 2068 Yahoo Group (2001–2019), which is no longer online. Text reproduced from the archive.org archive; email addresses masked.

Messages

1. Hello

aralbrec · Sun, 02 Feb 2003 06:54

I've recently rediscovered my ts2068 after a few years of
neglect -- a couple of moves and real life will do that --
and I wandered back into a number of t/s sites to see if
things were still going.  I'm glad to see I still recognize
a few names in the archives (hello! :-).

I was just curious as to how active the 2068 still is.
Is ZQA still a going concern and are there any other
groups active?

What has gripped my attention most recently is a nearly
ANSI-C cross compiler targetting various z80 machines,
including the Spectrum.  I've been writing a game library
for use with the compiler that targets the Spectrum as
well as the ts2068's various video modes.  I've started
to use that to write C programs targetting the ts2068.

BTW, I thought I'd also take this opportunity to plug the
compiler and the library :)

http://z88dk.sourceforge.net/

http://justme895.tripod.com/main.htm
(my very basic website; the documentation
is till a bit rough)

I look forward to hearing about any other projects all
of you may have cooked up!

Alvin

2. Re: [ts2068] Hello

joe schmoe · Sun, 2 Feb 2003 16:54:

incredible...happy '03 to ya...
Central Fla T/S U.G.

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3. Re: [ts2068] Hello

Alvin · Tue, 04 Feb 2003 13:03

joe schmoe wrote:
> 
> incredible...happy '03 to ya...
> Central Fla T/S U.G.

We must be the last two men standing :-).  How many
surviving members do you have in your group?

I was playing around with mouse drivers for some
Spectrum mice (Kempston and AMX) and I have to say
they make a huge difference when you're moving
a pointer around on screen.

That got me to thinking.  I don't think any mice
were ever released for the 2068 by anyone. I had
a quick look at the 2068 joystick connector.  There's
a +5v, gnd, strobe pin and 5 data lines available.
That's enough to connect a mouse.  To connect a
serial PC mouse, you could probably get away with
a small PIC microcontroller to handle the serial
interface and convert the data to information that
can be read from the 2068's joystick port.  Add a
MAX232 to do level conversion.

I searched the web and found that a C64 guy had
done exactly this in exactly the same way I
had in mind (a PIC + MAX232):

http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/documents/projects/interfaces/mouse/Mouse.html

Plug your serial PC mouse into one end of the
module and connect the other end of the module
to the joystick port.

A ts2068 software driver would look like this:

/************************************
; Mouse Joystick Timex Left
;
; exit : a = h = y coord 0..191
;        l = x coord 0.255, hi-res: carry set adds 256
;        e = 11111MRL active low button press
; used : af,bc,de,hl

.SPMouseJoyTimexLeft
   ld d,2                     ; d = left joystick
   call SPmousetimex
   ret

;
; Local Statics
;

.xcoord
IF DISP_HIRES
   defw 256
ELSE
   defw 128
ENDIF

.ycoord
   defb 96

.datain
   defs 5


; Reads mouse data through joystick port.
; It is assumed that the attached mouse peripheral will send 5 data
nybbles in
; sequence:  buttons, dxl, dxh, dyl, dyh.
;
; Buttons:  1xxxxMRL   1 = sync bit, MRL = middle right left button
active low
; dxl    :  0xxxDDDD   DDDD = least significant four bits in dx, 2's
complement
; dxh    :  0xxxDDDD   DDDD = most significant four bits in dx, 2's
complement
; dyl    :  0xxxDDDD   DDDD = least significant four bits in dy, 2's
complement
; dyh    :  0xxxDDDD   DDDD = most significant four bits in dy, 2's
complement
;
; The X and Y movements are deltas; this subroutine keeps track of
absolute
; mouse position.  Once the mouse data has been read, the mouse
peripheral
; should zero its delta data.
;
; enter:  d = joystick port (1 or 2)

.SPmousetimex
   di
   call SPtmxsetup            ; set up for joystick read

.loop1
   ld a,d
   in a,($f6)                 ; read nybble
   cp $80
   jr c, loop1                ; keep reading until the sync bit is seen

   ld b,5
   ld hl,datatin
.loop2
   ld (hl),a                  ; store 5 items in datain array
   inc hl
   ld a,d
   in a,($f6)
   djnz loop2
   ei

   ld hl,datain
   ld a,(hl)
   or $f8
   ld e,a                     ; e = buttons = 11111MRL
   inc hl
   ld a,(hl)
   inc hl
   rld
   ld b,(hl)                  ; b = 2's complement dx
   inc hl
   ld a,(hl)
   inc hl
   rld
   ld c,(hl)                  ; c = 2's complement dy

   ld a,(ycoord)
   add a,c
   jp nc, yokay               ; a carry probably indicates moving
through top of screen
   xor a
.yokay
   cp 192
   jp c, yinrange
   ld a,191
.yinrange
   ld (ycoord),a              ; a = new y coord

   ld hl,(xcoord)
   ld c,b
   ld b,0
   bit 7,c
   jp z, posdx
   dec b                      ; bc = signed dy
   add hl,bc
IF DISP_HIRES
   bit 1,h
   jp z, xokay
ELSE
   jp nc, xokay
ENDIF
   ld hl,0
   jp xokay
.posdx
   add hl,bc
IF DISP_HIRES
   bit 1,h
   jp z, xokay
   ld hl,511
ELSE
   jp nc, xokay
   ld hl,255
ENDIF
.xokay
   ld (xcoord),hl
IF DISP_HIRES
   rrc h                      ; set carry if x > 255
ENDIF
   ld h,a                     ; new y coordinate
   ret
***********************/

The board shown on the webpage would need only minor
modification to work with the 2068.  The PIC program
would have to be rewritten to follow the procedure
in the driver above.

I wouldn't mind a cheap mouse for my 2068.  Any other
takers?  Does anyone else here have the skills / tools
to build the boards and program the PIC?


Alvin

4. Mice (Re: Hello)

Jarek Adamski · Mon, 10 Feb 2003 01:13

Hi!

--- In [email], Alvin <aralbrec@i...> wrote:
> I wouldn't mind a cheap mouse for my 2068.  Any other
> takers?  Does anyone else here have the skills / tools
> to build the boards and program the PIC?
The easiest way to connect PC mice is to use 8251A chip
with 76.8kHz oscillator (RC with adjusted R should be OK)
and MAX232. Plus address decoder (74LS138) and one
inverter (can be a transistor) for interrupts.

My solution "to do" is a 8951 based PC keyboard
controller with mouse interface, converting PC mouse
movements to Kempston Mouse ports status.

Yarek.

5. Re: [ts2068] Hello

joe schmoe · Wed, 19 Feb 2003 09:09

how many surviving members?..lol   Eric Johnson is
still here in central florida....he's my guru.
he used to do warrantee repair work for Timex in the
early days he has lots of parts and connectors..Now he
helps me with PC problems.
neil

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6. RE: [ts2068] Hello

Scott A. Rossell · Wed, 19 Feb 2003 14:20

I still keep an eye on the group, but just for nostalgic sake.  I miss
the old 2068 days...A LOT!  But, don't get me to complainin'.  

-----Original Message-----
From: joe schmoe [mailto:[email]] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 9:10 AM
To: [email]
Subject: Re: [ts2068] Hello

how many surviving members?..lol   Eric Johnson is
still here in central florida....he's my guru.
he used to do warrantee repair work for Timex in the
early days he has lots of parts and connectors..Now he
helps me with PC problems.
neil

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Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day
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TS2068 / TC2068 · Joysticks & controllers