I’ve been looking for a decent project to get my teeth into on the Spectrum Next. Apart from my Next Z80 library routines, I’ve dabbled with a few demos, and considered writing a drawing package similar to Deluxe Paint. But on the whole have felt rather unenthusiastic about starting that project. Last week inspiration hit me. I’ve already started porting the Z80 version of BBC Basic (by R.T.Russell) to my homebrew Z80 computer, the BSX. …
I received my Pico a day or so after it was announced, and felt a little bit like a mule with a spinning wheel at first – was there a project I could start on this that would also serve as an introduction to key parts of the hardware, and could be completed in a few days. I was interested in the PIO feature of the Pico – this is a cut down core in …
So far I’ve been able to test the 6510 CPU using a NOP tester circuit on a breadboard, the 4164 DRAM chips using a £20 Arduino-based DRAM tester by Stephen Vickers, and the logic chips using my trusty TL866II+ EPROM programmer. Which got me thinking. Is there an easy way to test whether the PLA I’d removed from my C64 was working or not. Like the MOS logic chips, these have a reputation for failing. …
