UPDATE: Beta v0.2 has been released, and can be downloaded here (from the Cemetech Archives).


So I thought I might as well announce my first serious calculator project, even though it's probably of little use to anyone other than myself or in my current situation, though.

This project (which I have not yet named) is a suite of 68k programs and computer programs to allow someone to write a program in Z80 Basic (83+/84+) on a TI-89 (or other 68k calculator), using the text editor. The program is then tokenized on the calculator, and then can be sent to a computer to be converted to an 8xp file. This is not an interpreter for Z80 Basic for 68k calcs, nor is it an emulator or a debugger- you cannot actually run the programs on the 68k calculator.

Why? Well, you might remember that my link port broke on my old TI-83 Plus, and I haven't yet gotten a new Z80 calculator. So for the time being, I'm limited to WabbitEmu or my Titanium, and while I can still write assembly programs and test them with WabbitEmu, I'd much rather write Basic programs (both Axe and regular Basic) on an actual calculator. And true, the 89's keyboard is just different enough from the 83+'s to make entering text annoying, but it's better than nothing.

And while chronomex (Duncan Smith of ticalc.org) is working on a Z80 emulator at the moment, by the time it's finished I might actually have an 84+. And since I'm learning C and needed to work on something that actually did something, I decided to work on it. This will probably be obsolete when Duncan Smith's emulator comes out- indeed, as I said, it might be obsolete before then, as I don't know how many people would actually need something like this.


So that's why. Now, as for the how:

There will be three different programs involved (technically, four depending on how you count).

One, a 68k Basic program (that I have named token8x), installs a custom toolbar with all the 83+ (and 84+, when I look them up) tokens. This can then be activated by pressing 2ND - HOME on a 89, and accessed from anywhere on the calc, including the Text Editor. This is mostly finished.

Using this, you would write programs in the Text Editor, save them as a text file, and then use a 68k C program to tokenize the text file into an application variable with the tokens in hex format. This is mostly finished in that it works, but there is other stuff I'd like to add in the future.

Then, the appvar can be sent to a computer, where you would use a suite of Python programs to extract the tokens and save them in 8xp format. This is probably complete (short of supporting other calculators)


Here are some screenshots, of the dialog menu and of the custom toolbar. All screenshots are from TiEmu, nothing has actually been done on calc... and as you might be able to tell from the name of the program, all it does is "ClrHome".

It is nice to see some new stuff for 68k calculators even if with limited use.
But hopefully, is really useful for you and maybe you can give us some z80 TI-BASIC in the future.

It is true that doing something oncalc is more familiar to some of us, so there is hope other people pick and use it.
I liked to hear about the z80 emulator in 68k. Although I know there is Gameboy emulator...

Too bad about your calculator link port. I give you a hint if you want assembly programs on it: http://asmtools.omnimaga.org/asmunsquisher/
More useful to little programs. See by yourself but in the case of doubt of what it does, ask me.

Have fun doing your suite.

Sounds cool. I, for one, can put it to use, since I have both an 84+SE and an 89T.

Sounds really neat What kind of programs are needed to convert it into a 8xp?

Something like Kerm's BinPac8x, probably. Depending on how BinPac8x works, I suppose it might be possible to use it rather than write something else. It takes binary files and outputs and 8xp file, which means it writes the hex data to an 8xp file, adding in all the formatting and everything. I have hex data, so... I'll have to test BinPac8x.

I'm using Romain Lievin and Tim Singer's file format and link protocol guide as a reference for both parts of the project- it documents all the 83+ tokens.

Sounds cool. I, for one, can put it to use, since I have both an 84+SE and an 89T.

Well, you can- I just don't know that you would have to. Maybe if you need the advanced mathematics functions of the 68k but want to work on some 83+ program?

This project reminds me a bit of GTC, the on-calc C compiler. It's very cool, but the only possible use (in my mind) would be programming in 68k C when you don't have a computer handy. (I installed it anyway, though).

Very interesting and unique...I can't wait to see how it goes!

Nice. The only thing you need to realize is that the 85 and 86 stored untokenized code

Hm... I'm unsure. I didn't know that about the 68k series, btw.
Yeah, best to finish what you started first.

Interesting. Those who want to make 83+ BASIC games but mostly have access to a 68k should definitively find this useful

Just make sure to convert the program there aren't too many dependencies to install, though. I heard some people complain about how a software used a different Python version than another and I remember having troubles with GTK too, with two softwares using different versions, forcing me to install/uninstall them back and forth, depending of which software I needed