This post describes how to get your Mac talking to your PAL-1 in order to send MOS papertape format ascii files via minicom to your PAL-1 and run them. Future installments will go into more detail, from the ground up.

Preliminaries

  • a PC (in this case, I’m using a Mac, running Mojave)
  • macports (homebrew might work, but support for older oses is suspect)
  • a PAL-1 (get one here)
  • a 7 volt 1 amp (or 2 amp) DC power supply w/ 2.5mm x 5.5mm tip
  • a DB-9 gender changer
  • a USB 2.0 to Serial (9-Pin) DB-9 RS-232 Converter Cable, Prolific Chipset
  • to install the Prolific USB2Serial driver (get it here)
  • to install minicom (sudo port install minicom)
  • a MOS file (to be described below)

Create a MOS file

vi test.mos
;030200A90C0000BA
;0000010001

Configure minicom

Configure minicom by editing the configuration file (or use the interface):

sudo vi /opt/local/etc/minirc.dfl

# add to file
# Machine-generated file - use "minicom -s" to change parameters.
pu pprog9           ascii-xfr -dsv -c10 -l100
pu port             /dev/cu.usbserial
pu baudrate         1200
pu bits             8
pu parity           N
pu stopbits         1
pu updir            /Users/wsenn/pal
pu downdir          /Users/wsenn/pal
pu rtscts           No

Connect the PAL-1

Attach gender changer to the serial connector, attach the USB2Serial cable to that and to the USB connector of your Mac. Attach power to the PAL-1. Press RS.

Start minicom and connect to PAL-1

$ minicom

press enter

one

Send a file to the PAL-1

  • Press L
  • Press CTRL-A S

  • select ascii for the Upload dialog

    two

  • locate and select your test.mos file

    three

  • you will briefly see progress

    four

  • type 0200 space and enter a few times to see the changes to memory

    five

Run the program

To run it, be sure to initialize 17FA/FB to 00 1C and 17FE/FF to same, then, type 0200 space and G to run the code. When it’s done, type 00F3 space to see the contents of the A register (0C).

six

That’s it. Success. I know it’s not a very sophisticated program (it just loads 0C into the A register), but this demonstrates the moving of a tape file into ram on the PAL-1, so celebrate!

post added 2022-12-02 14:40:00 -0600