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1. Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:20 UTC Paolo Amoroso

   I bought this awesome homebrew Z80 single-board computer:

   https://hackaday.io/project/159973-z80-mbc2-a-4-ics-homebrew-z80-computer

   It was mostly an impulse buy but there are other motivations I explained here:

   https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/i-bought-a-z80-mbc2-homebrew-computer

   #sbc #z80 #retrocomputing

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:15 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I'm playing with UCSD p-System, one of the operating systems that come with the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer. Here's a demo program that plots a sine wave.

     The menu system is easy, but I'm not sure I understand how to go back one level. Pressing Q works most of the times but not all. I tried ESC, Backspace and a few more keystrokes without success.

     #retrocomputing #z80 #sbc

     Bernie repeated this.
   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:15 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     This is pretty cool: the Serial USB Terminal Android app on chromeOS on my ASUS Chromebox 3. The terminal is running a CP/M 3.0 session on a Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer connected to the Chromebox via serial USB.

     #retrocomputing #android #chromeos

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:16 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I'm having a lot of fun playing with the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer.

     To document what I learn, I'm publishing to my blog a series of posts with updates, resources, code, tips, videos, and more on my journey to explore the device. These posts are grouped here, where new ones will show up:

     https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/tag:z80mbc2

     #retrocomputing #z80 #sbc

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:17 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     8bitnews featured my Z80-MBC2 projects in issue 55. This is so cool, many thanks to the editors Jan and Bastian!

     8bitnews.io is my favorite retrocomputing newsletter.

     https://8bitnews.io/archive/2022-07-01/happy-birthday-atari

     #retrocomputing #z80 #sbc

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:17 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I created a YouTube playlist about the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer.

     The videos are screencasts demonstrating various features of the device and my projects with it, such as feature walkthroughs, running programs, programming sessions, and so on. So far there are only a handful of videos, but I'll publish more.

     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdrSRFPEwMupuDpNmOkXyObBNtkAb-b2K

     #retrocomputing #z80 #sbc

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:17 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I posted some notes on porting to CP/M, building, and running an Intel 8080 Assembly demo on the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer. The demo is an ASCII animation of a twirling bar.

     https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/porting-a-twirling-bar-demo-to-cp-m

     #retrocomputing #assembly #z80

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:18 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     In this Minicom terminal emulation session, an Intel 8080 Assembly hello world demo runs under CP/M on a Z80 homebrew computer.

     Nothing fancy, but for me it's an incredible personal achievement. I assembled the demo's 8080 source with an assembler I wrote myself. I posted a bit more about the project here:

     https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/a-hello-world-assembly-demo-running-on-the-z80-mbc2

     #z80 #assembly #retrocomputing

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:18 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     Playing with the Z80-MBC2 is a fun retrocomputing project. So here are the obligatory vintage cool-retro-term screenshots of this Z80 homebrew computer running CP/M 3.0 and a couple of games.

     #retrocomputing

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:18 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I've been using the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer for over a week, so I posted my early impressions about the device, its value and potential, and the issues I'm facing.

     https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/z80-mbc2-first-impressions

     #retrocomputing #z80 #sbc

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:18 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I ported to CP/M my Intell 8080 Assembly demo of a twirling bar animation.

     Here is the demo running under CP/M 3.0 on the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer. The Minicom session controlling the Z80 board is in the Crostini Linux container of chromeOS on my Chromebox.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyh4_6kPShQ

     #retrocomputing #cpm #sbc

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:19 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     I finally received the Z80-MBC2 Z80 homebrew computer and connected it via USB serial to my Chromebox (at right in the photo).

     So far the Z80 device is not recognized neither under Chrome OS, nor Android, nor Linux. I'm investigating.

     #sbc #z80 #retrocomputing

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:19 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     It works!

     I made chromeOS detect the Z80-MBC2 Z80 computer connected via USB by... re-plugging the board. In the screenshot, see the Z80-MBC2 booting up CP/M 3.0 in a Minicom session under Crostini Linux. More details here:

     https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/success-with-connecting-the-z80-mbc2-to-chromeos

     Time to play with this awesome little gadget. The "Z80 inside" logo alone is worth the product.

     #sbc #z80 #retrocomputing

   • Paolo Amoroso (amoroso@mastodon.technology)'s status on Sunday, 07-Aug-2022 01:35:20 UTC Paolo Amoroso

     in reply to

     The Z80-MBC2 kit I ordered is being assembled. Still a few days until it's shipped, then I should receive it in a week or so.

     Can't wait to play with this Z80 homebrew computer.