From 0559fd86e450e9798b9203f1bad42008f665860b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jeff Parsons Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2016 16:04:20 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Updated VT100 blog post --- _posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md | 21 +++++++++++++-------- 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md b/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md index 3cd46b0c1..da68b88dc 100644 --- a/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md +++ b/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md @@ -14,12 +14,16 @@ Summer has been filled with distractions, but I've finally begun making headway Unlike other VT100 emulators, this isn't simply an emulation of VT100 protocols. It's a simulation of the VT100's 8080 CPU, running the original [VT100 Firmware](/devices/pc8080/rom/vt100/) inside the [PC8080](/modules/pc8080/) -CPU emulator, along with other key components that the CPU interacts with to drive the display, keyboard, and serial port. +CPU emulator, along with other essential components that the CPU interacts with to control the display, keyboard, and +serial port. -It's not fully operational yet, but as you can see below, major pieces are falling into place, including a test screen that -displays most of the VT100 font variations, built on-the-fly from the original VT100 Character Generator ROM, and LEDs that -respond to the firmware's commands. When the VT100 "powers on", it briefly displays a "WAIT" message as it processes the -VT100's Non-Volatile RAM (NVR), and then it spins, awaiting further stimulus. +Most of the VT100's (non-AVO) functionality should be operational now. The VT100 screen is initialized with a test +image that displays most of the VT100 font variations, built on-the-fly from the original VT100 Character Generator ROM. +Once the VT100 "powers on", it should clear the screen and briefly display a "WAIT" message as it processes its Non-Volatile +RAM (NVR). When you see a blinking cursor, it's ready to use. Press the SET-UP key to configure the terminal, just as you +would an original VT100 terminal. + +For even more fun, check out the [Dual VT100 Terminals](/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/dual/) demo. {% include machine.html id="vt100" %} @@ -52,9 +56,10 @@ keys. The following keys have special meaning inside SET-UP Mode: The initial goal for the simulation is to provide a virtual terminal that can communicate with other PCjs machines and provide a realistic serial communication experience, all from the comfort of your web browser. -There's still plenty of debugging to do, because while DEC's Technical Manuals were excellent, they were -not comprehensive; there are no commented source-code listings, for example, like those that IBM used to provide in their -early Technical Reference manuals, so we have to [create our own](/devices/pc8080/rom/vt100/). +Eventually, I would also like to recreate a fully commented source-code listing for the [DEC VT100 ROMs](/devices/pc8080/rom/vt100/). +DEC's [VT100 Technical Manuals](/pubs/dec/vt100/) are excellent, and they provide an enormous amount of hardware detail, +but they are a bit light on certain programming details, and there are no firmware listings like those those that IBM provided +in the early IBM PC Technical Reference manuals. Check out the [VT100 Debugger Configuration](/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/debugger/) for additional information about VT100 internals and links to other technical resources.