diff --git a/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md b/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..ec6ee1d4e --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2016-08-03-the-vt100-terminal.md @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: The VT100 Terminal +date: 2016-08-03 18:00:00 +permalink: /blog/2016/08/03/ +machines: + - type: pc8080 + id: vt100 + debugger: true + config: /devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/machine.xml +--- + +Summer has been filled with distractions, but I've finally begun making headway on a +[DEC VT100 Terminal](/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/) simulation. + +Unlike other VT100 emulators, this isn't simply an emulation of VT100 protocols. It's a simulation of the terminal'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 UART. + +It's not operational yet, but as you can see below, pieces are starting to fall into place, including a test screen that +displays most of the VT100 font variations, built on-the-fly from the original VT100 Character Generation ROM, and LEDs that +respond to the firmware's commands. When you start the simulation, it briefly displays a "WAIT" message as it processes the +VT100's Non-Volatile RAM (NVR), and then it spins, awaiting further stimulus. + +The initial goal for the simulation is to provide a virtual serial terminal that can communicate with other PCjs machines +and provide a realistic serial terminal experience, all from the comfort of your web browser. + +In the interim, there's still a lot 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. I also plan to increase the resolution of the font rendering, so that the characters +look more like the original VT100's, with its discrete glowing dots. + +{% include machine.html id="vt100" %} + +*[@jeffpar](http://twitter.com/jeffpar)* +*Aug 3, 2016* diff --git a/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/README.md b/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/README.md index a2444b765..55db7b862 100644 --- a/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/README.md +++ b/devices/pc8080/machine/vt100/README.md @@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ DEC VT100 Terminal This is a work-in-progress emulation of another 8080-based machine: the VT100 Terminal. Unlike other VT100 emulators, this is not simply an emulation of VT100 protocols. It is a simulation of the entire -machine, running the orginal [VT100 Firmware](/devices/pc8080/rom/vt100/) inside the [PC8080](/modules/pc8080/) CPU emulator. +8080-based machine, running the original [VT100 Firmware](/devices/pc8080/rom/vt100/) inside the [PC8080](/modules/pc8080/) +CPU emulator. {% include machine.html id="vt100" %}