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Dynabyte Basic Controller expansion schematic

syzygy

syzygy

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I found the attached schematic in a pile of papers and thought someone, somewhere, might find it interesting. Has a 1980 date.
Dynabyte BC2 expansion schematic.jpg


I do remember the computer; Z80 based and had an onboard eprom burner and some other nice feature...

dynabyteBC.jpg
 
While browsing some recently archived disks (from a batch of TRS-80 MIII floppies), I ran across this asm code which I had written in 1981 for a Dynabyte Basic Controller

Dynabyte BC BYTE1978-Jul-pg64.jpg

I don't remember much about this computer. It was in the Lab when I got there in Grad school and nobody was using it for much of anything. I wrote a ISR for a couple of running clocks for some such project. I actually think I was helping someone else with their project. I had done similar with the MIII.

I have NEVER seen one of these for sale. In retrospect, it was sort of an 8052 AH-Basic board on steroids with a Z-80.

I wonder how I got the code (which seems to be TRS-80 EDT/ASM) across.

Please no criticisms on the lack of code efficiency or elegance - I was just focused on getting it to work :) and to my credit, I can see what I was doing some 43+ years later and likely 40 years since the last time I wrote a Z-80 program (even though it is pretty simple).


Code: 
00100   ;*************************************************
00110   ;
00120   ;      60 HZ. RTCSR (DBL)
00130   ;
00140   ;*************************************************
00150           ORG     3000H
00160   FLAG0   EQU     0FE80H  ;ZIBL TIE TO FLIP/FLOP
00170   PULSE   DEFB    0       ;60HZ HEARTBEATS
00180   ;HOLDING CELLS FOR CLOCK1 (KEEP THE ORDER!)
00190   ONOFF1  DEFB    1       ;SET TO OFF
00200   TNTHS1  DEFB    0       ;CLOCK VALUES
00210   SECS1   DEFB    0       ;     "
00220   MINS1   DEFB    0       ;     "
00230   ;CELLS FOR ASCON1 (KEEP ORDER!)
00240   TENS1   DEFB    0       ;TENS DIGIT
00250   ONES1   DEFB    0       ;ONES DIGIT
00260   ;HOLDING CELLS FOR CLOCK2 (KEEP THE ORDER)!
00270   ONOFF2  DEFB    1       ;SET TO OFF
00280   TNTHS2  DEFB    0
00290   SECS2   DEFB    0
00300   MINS2   DEFB    0
00310   ;CELLS FOR ASCON2 (KEEP ORDER!)
00320   TENS2   DEFB    0
00330   ONES2   DEFB    0
00340   ;ASCON1-S/R TO CONVERT N(<100!) TO TWO
00350   ;ASCII DIGITS RETURNED IN TENS1 & ONES1
00360   ;NUMBER IS IN A (BASHED). ONES1 & TENS1
00370   ;ARE SET TO ZERO ON THE CALL. 'A' MUST
00380   ;B@LESS THAN 100!!!
00390   ASCON1  PUSH    AF      ;SAVE NUMBER
00400           XOR     A       ;ZERO A
00410           LD      HL,ONES1        ;POINT TO ONES1
00420           LD      (HL),A  ;ZERO IT
00430           DEC     HL      ;POINT TO TENS1
00440           LD      (HL),A  ;ZERO IT
00450   ;NOTE HL IS LEFT POINTING TO TENS1
00460           POP     AF      ;GET NUMBER
00470   SBT1    SUB     0AH     ;LESS THAN 10?
00480           JP      P,AGN1  ;IF NO DO IT AGAIN
00490           ADD     A,3AH   ;CONVERT ONES1
00500           PUSH    AF      ;SAVE ONES1
00510           LD      A,(HL)  ;GET TENS1
00520           ADD     A,30H   ;CONVERT IT
00530           LD      (HL),A  ;PUT TO TENS1
00540           POP     AF      ;GET ONES1
00550           INC     HL      ;POINT TO IT
00560           LD      (HL),A  ;PUT IT THERE
00570           RET             ;ALL DONE
00580   AGN1    INC     (HL)    ;RECORD THE SUBTRACT
00590           JR      SBT1    ;GO BACK
00600   ;
00610   ;ASCON2 IS THE SAME AS ASCON1 (DIFFERENT CELLS)
00620   ASCON2  PUSH    AF
00630           XOR     A
00640           LD      HL,ONES2
00650           LD      (HL),A
00660           DEC     HL
00670           LD      (HL),A
00680           POP     AF
00690   SBT2    SUB     0AH
00700           JP      P,AGN2
00710           ADD     A,3AH
00720           PUSH    AF
00730           LD      A,(HL)
00740           ADD     A,30H
00750           LD      (HL),A
00760           POP     AF
00770           INC     HL
00780           LD      (HL),A
00790           RET
00800   AGN2    INC     (HL)
00810           JR      SBT2
00820   ;FINISHED WITH ASCON2
00830   ;
00840   ;THIS IS THE RTCISR (NOTE ADR FOR INT VECTOR)
00850   START   PUSH    AF      ;SAVE ALL REGS EXCEPT
00860           PUSH    BC      ;THE PRIMES (ADD LATER?)
00870           PUSH    DE
00880           PUSH    HL
00890           PUSH    IX
00900           PUSH    IY
00910   ;MULTIPROGRAMMING ROUTINES TO BE INSERTED HERE!
00920           XOR     A       ;ZERO A
00930           LD      (FLAG0),A       ;TURN OFF THE F/F
00940           LD      HL,PULSE        ;POINT TO HEARTBEATS
00950           INC     (HL)    ;RECORD THE TICK
00960           LD      A,6     ;TENTH UP?
00970           CP      (HL)
00980           JR      NZ,DONE ;NO CARRY-SKIP CLOCKS
00990   ;NOTE-'DONE' WILL BECOME THE REST OF THE SWITCHING
01000   ;ROUTINE EVENTUALLY.
01010           LD      (HL),0  ;ZERO PULSES
01020           LD      HL,ONOFF1       ;CLOCK1 ENABLE
01030           XOR     A       ;ZER0   A
01040           CP      (HL)    ;IS IT ENABLED?
01050           JR      NZ,CLCK2        ;IT'S NOT
01060   CLCK1   LD      HL,TNTHS1       ;POINT TO TENTHS
01070           INC     (HL)    ;RECORD IT
01080           LD      A,0AH   ;TIME TO CARRY?
01090           CP      (HL)
01100           JR      NZ,CLCK2        ;NO CARRY-NO DISPLAY
01110           LD      (HL),0  ;ZERO TENTHS
01120           INC     HL      ;POINT TO SECS1
01130           INC     (HL)    ;RECORD THE TICK
01140           LD      A,3CH   ;TIME TO UPDATE
01150           CP      (HL)
01160           JR      NZ,DIS1 ;NO-CARRY UPDATE THE DISPLAY
01170           LD      (HL),0  ;ZERO SECS1
01180           INC     HL      ;POINT TO MINUTES
01190           INC     (HL)    ;RECORD THE TICK
01200   ;DONE WITH THE CLOCK1 SERVICE NOW UPDATE
01210   ;THE DISPLAY
01220   DIS1    LD      A,(MINS1)       ;GET MINUTES
01230           CALL    ASCON1  ;CONVERT IT
01240           LD      HL,(TENS1)      ;GET THE DIGITS
01250           LD      (0FB59H),HL     ;PUT IT ON THE SCREEN
01260           LD      A,(SECS1)       ;GET SECONDS
01270           CALL    ASCON1  ;CONVERT THEM
01280           LD      HL,(TENS1)      ;GET DIGITS
01290           LD      (0FB5BH),HL     ;PUT IT ON THE SCREEN
01300   ;FINISHED WITH CLOCK1
01310   ;
01320   ;COMMENTS FOR CLCK2 ARE THE SAME AS FOR CLCK1
01330   CLCK2   LD      HL,ONOFF2
01340           XOR     A
01350           CP      (HL)
01360           JR      NZ,DONE
01370           LD      HL,TNTHS2
01380           INC     (HL)
01390           LD      A,0AH
01400           CP      (HL)
01410           JR      NZ,DONE
01420           LD      (HL),0
01430           INC     HL
01440           INC     (HL)
01450           LD      A,3CH
01460           CP      (HL)
01470           JR      NZ,DIS2
01480           LD      (HL),0
01490           INC     HL
01500           INC     (HL)
01510   ;DIS2 HAS THE SAME COMMENTS AS DIS1
01520   ;BUT THE SCEEN LOCATIONS ETC. ARE DIFFERENT
01530   DIS2    LD      A,(MINS2)
01540           CALL    ASCON2
01550           LD      HL,(TENS2)
01560           LD      (0FB79H),HL
01570           LD      A,(SECS2)
01580           CALL    ASCON2
01590           LD      HL,(TENS2)
01600           LD      (0FB7BH),HL
01610   ;FINISHED WITH CLCK2
01620   ;
01630   DONE    LD      A,1
01640           LD      (FLAG0),A       ;ENABLE F/F
01650           POP     IY      ;RESTORE REGISTERS
01660           POP     IX
01670           POP     HL
01680           POP     DE
01690           POP     BC
01700           POP     AF
01710           EI
01720           RET
01730   ;ALL DONE (NOTE 'RET' <> 'RETI' ALSO NO 'IM2'
01740   ;
01750   ;INITIALIZATION FOR THE RTCISR
01760   ;EXECUTE INIT WITH A ZIBL 'LINK' BEFORE USING
01770   ;E G. LINK(#INIT)
01780           LD      HL,START        ;START OF RTCISR
01790           LD      (0EH),HL        ;INT7 VECTOR
01800           EI                      ;TURN ON THE INT
01810           LD      A,1
01820           LD      (FLAG0),A       ;TURNON THE F/F
01830           RET                     ;BACK TO BASIC!
01840   ;
01850   ;**************************************************
01860           END     START
01870   ;FINAL WORKING COPY 10/8/81  *****
 
I would very much like to find a rom dump or assembler listing for zibl itself, the basic interpreter. Did a dynabyte basic controller board ever surface, did anyone take a backup of the rom please?
I've spent many hours digging to no avail.
Thanks - Phil
 
Yes, one surfaced on the bay just recently - the first one I have ever seen! I did think long and hard and did not bid. It was not sold but has not been relisted.

I really did want one because I had used it for a time...but sanity prevailed. I have two other retro Z-80 projects to get to (an Altos and a Master controller). BTW: Both have 2708s that I have to read to see if they are viable...and I plan on using your Arduino 2708 reader project...I don't need the 12V battery part as I plan on just using a PS with 5v and 12v...so thank you for that as it will be very useful.
 
syzygy said:
Yes, one surfaced on the bay just recently - the first one I have ever seen! I did think long and hard and did not bid. It was not sold but has not been relisted.

I really did want one because I had used it for a time...but sanity prevailed. I have two other retro Z-80 projects to get to (an Altos and a Master controller). BTW: Both have 2708s that I have to read to see if they are viable...and I plan on using your Arduino 2708 reader project...I don't need the 12V battery part as I plan on just using a PS with 5v and 12v...so thank you for that as it will be very useful.
Click to expand...
I wonder if we could persuade the seller to dump the roms - this seems to be a unique opportunity!
Re 2708s, remember the power rail sequencing is key - doesnt matter how slowly you apply the power rails as long as its in the right order, power up and down :)
Many thanks - Phil
 
I've just tried searching 'completed listings' but found nothing, maybe its because I'm in the UK though I did used ebay.com rather than ebay.co.uk
 
Phil_G said:
I wonder if we could persuade the seller to dump the roms - this seems to be a unique opportunity!
Click to expand...
You can try but I just looked at his other auctions and none are for similar items. Maybe whoever ended up with it (if it is gone) might be the better possibility for an EPROM dump.

The full pic set is available if you click the link for the "original" listing - not sure how long those last.

The 1.5K opening bid was beyond what I could justify. Not sure whether he sold it otherwise or ?? It actually does look nice. Only the part under the red plastic is the basic controller. So, whomever, built their own case and added a PS (I presume) and a nice KB. The board had its own video out (mono as I recall). The board also had its own EPROM burner, but I remember a tech at the time telling me they were blowing up 2716s and had to have an after market fix [funny how I so clearly remember these absolutely trivial incidents. I also remember kludging the power supply to get better resolution for the RTC and I bet I have that somewhere (again trivial). I also could have sworn that I had a copy of the ZIBL commands, but I can't find it at the moment.

I know from reading that Dynabyte was a legitimate player in higher level computers and this was their only entry into a controller AFAIK. It was not terribly popular and did not last long, again AFAIK.

How did you come to be interested in it?

Phil_G said:
Re 2708s, remember the power rail sequencing is key - doesnt matter how slowly you apply the power rails as long as its in the right order, power up and down
Click to expand...
You know, I raised my eyebrows when I first read that in your project text but when I looked at some datasheets, they were saying similar...datasheets or somewhere else, but your warning was not the only place I read that, so I took it to heart and will make note of that. I will let you know how it goes.
 
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syzygy said:
How did you come to be interested in it?
Click to expand...
I've an SC/MP book by Robert Dehaviland (?) which is largely based on NIBL, but he mentions a Z80 version several times - as a huge NIBL fan this intrigued me. I'd love to do a ZIBL machine!
Its ZIBL itself I'm looking for... the Dynabyte board is very nice but way beyond my budget!
 
Phil_G said:
I've an SC/MP book by Robert Dehaviland (?) which is largely based on NIBL, but he mentions a Z80 version several times - as a huge NIBL fan this intrigued me. I'd love to do a ZIBL machine!
Its ZIBL itself I'm looking for... the Dynabyte board is very nice but way beyond my budget!
Click to expand...

Yeah, they described it as a superset of NIBL in an advert...
BYTE Vol 03-07 1978-dynabyte advert segment.jpg

It does sound like a compelling project. I will keep my eye out for any reference to an eprom dump but I found nothing at all either.
 
I designed the Basic Controller when I was President of Dynabyte. I appreciate everyone's interest. I no longer have any Dynabyte hardware. It didn't survive the divorce and moves and births and deaths. My last two Basic Controllers and several 5000 series Dynabyte S100 computers were stolen when I moved from Woodside to my ranch around 2002. They were all mint...

Mike Watts
 
dynabyte said:
I designed the Basic Controller when I was President of Dynabyte. I appreciate everyone's interest. I no longer have any Dynabyte hardware. It didn't survive the divorce and moves and births and deaths. My last two Basic Controllers and several 5000 series Dynabyte S100 computers were stolen when I moved from Woodside to my ranch around 2002. They were all mint...

Mike Watts
Click to expand...
Glad to here from you and, alas, a tragic theft

Ahh, the stories you must have! If you get the inkling, please share.

For others, here is a link to a brief history of Dynabyte.
 
I could tell stories until everyone keeled over...
:)

One small point: ZIBL came before NIBL. When I was at National Semi I specified the COPS microcontroller family. It was the last thing I did at NSC before I went to Coherent Radiation, where I created the first laser bar code scanner. The money I made from the scanner at Coherent was enough to buy a large spread in Woodside and found Dynabyte, the first company I ever built.

I designed the Basic Controller a bit each day as I ate breakfast at the Stagecoach. I drew the schematic on a roll of butcher paper that I carried around. I specified ZIBL and had Bob Shepardson write it for $50,000. Later on, he felt he had underpriced it. The Basic Controller was essentially a side project. Our main activity was memory boards and then S100 bus systems. But we wound up selling a ton of Basic Controllers.

After the Basic Controller was successful, the guys at NSC wanted to license ZIBL. I declined, but suggested they have Bob Shepardson write a skinny version of it that would be more suitable for the COPS family, and that became NIBL.

Mike Watts
 
syzygy said:
I found the attached schematic in a pile of papers and thought someone, somewhere, might find it interesting. Has a 1980 date.
View attachment 1261268


I do remember the computer; Z80 based and had an onboard eprom burner and some other nice feature...

View attachment 1261269
Click to expand...
I think this was designed by Hank Skawinski. Those are his initials in the upper right corner - HMS.

I'm not sure if this was an "application support" project for customers or if we built it and sold it as an add-on. I think it was most likely the former....

Mike Watts
 
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Really good info and thank you. I wish I had kept all the documentation.

BTW I looked at the ebay link again and that one sold for $2400. Do you remember if you sold the keyboard and PS with Basic Controller?
 
Is there any possibility for someone in the USA to contact the buyer and beg for the roms to be dumped? I dont know if you can do that on ebay.
After reading so many references to it, I would dearly love to see ZIBL.
@mike, in the interests of history and nostalgia, would you be ok with that or do you still consider it proprietary?
Cheers - Phil
 
syzygy said:
Really good info and thank you. I wish I had kept all the documentation.

BTW I looked at the ebay link again and that one sold for $2400. Do you remember if you sold the keyboard and PS with Basic Controller?
Click to expand...
We did. We sold all kinds of add-ons. I'm pretty sure we even offered a monitor.
 
Phil_G said:
Is there any possibility for someone in the USA to contact the buyer and beg for the roms to be dumped? I dont know if you can do that on ebay.
After reading so many references to it, I would dearly love to see ZIBL.
@mike, in the interests of history and nostalgia, would you be ok with that or do you still consider it proprietary?
Cheers - Phil
Click to expand...
I feel nothing proprietary about it. Go for it!

If you give me the eBay name of the buyer I can try to talk him into it. Maybe my connection to the Basic Controller will be persuasive....

Mike Watts
 
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Maybe I should port it to an ESP32 - then we could make sing;e-board controllers that could be programmed in Basic - some version of ZIBL. Imagine what we could do with megabytes of RAM and ROM! :-)

Since it is in Z80 machine language, the porting might take a bit of work...

Mike Watts
 
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