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Z80 assembler

Gary C

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Joined
May 26, 2018
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Lancashire, UK
Anyone recommend an assembler for Z80 with a windows editor and maybe a built in emulator to test code ?

I have been using https://www.asm80.com/ and it does everything but I would prefer to have it based on the PC and save the files on the PC and also sometimes it goes a little awry.
 
If not using asm80, I use ZMAC (http://48k.ca/zmac.html) and the Altairz80 implementation of SIMH for the emulator.

I may have made a slight 'tweak' to the ZMAC sources to assemble some code I had - there was an incompatibility between my Z80 source code and an extended feature of ZMAC if I remember correctly.

ZMAC is written in 'C' and you get the source code for it to mess about with...

I have also written my own NASCOM emulator - so I also use ZEAP under NASSYS-3 running on my NASCOm emulator and then run the resultant code on my NASCOM emulator. Sad really :)!

Equally sad (...) is ZASMB - which is a Z80 assembler written in Z80 assembler. It can assemble itself - so can be run under the same emulator that you are testing your code out on.

The thing to consider about your emulator is what I/O features you need. The AltairZ80 emulation is somewhat limited in this respect (if I remember correctly).

Of course, there are plenty of 'true' Z80 assemblers that will run under CP/M (on an emulator itself).

It all depends on what you want to do...

You could always run the Z80 assembler on your TRS80 of course! That was how a certain company developed the firmware for the SENSION.

Cross32 is also a very nice meta assembler. I converted the SENSION firmware source code from the TRS80 over to a PC running Cross16 (at the time). https://www.mpeforth.com/software/cross-32-meta-assembler/

Dave
 
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Dave,

yes i suppose the TRS80 could be used :) but in the end, a windows environment is hard to beat and the web based ASM80 is almost perfect to create and test code quickly as I make EPROMs to test my Osborne.

Ideally it would be perfect to have it as a download to run locally as I keep loosing source code and the github signup requirements seems a bit intrusive. What I don't want is a text/EMACS then command line type of assembler if I can avoid it.

I suppose ASM80 is what I will use and it even produces Intel hex directly which my programmer needs.
 
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If you want the flexibility of source code under Win32, zmac seems to be a logical choice. I think another criterion is the scale of your project. Is it large, needing a relocating loader and linkage editor? If so, that may eliminate a lot of candidates. Before the PC, Microsoft's package of M80, L80 and LIB80 was pretty hard to beat for Z80 under CP/M.

Now, quick--someone find me a Rockwell PPS-4 assembler that runs on 64 bit Linux. :)
 
Thanks you two.

I will try your suggestions.

At the moment all I am doing is writing code to fault find an Osborne 1, so the only I/O port it uses is the one to change memory maps.
 
Sticking with online ASM80 at the moment as I like the ability to one click into the emulator to test the code does what I expect and produces intel hex directly which my programmer insists on.
 
Now, quick--someone find me a Rockwell PPS-4 assembler that runs on 64 bit Linux. :)
In 1988 I started to program a 6502 assembler, written in Turbo Pascal. It has been extended to be able to compile Z80, 6800 and, momentary testing it, 6809. It also compiles under Free Pascal Compiler, which is available for Windows and Linux.
Unfortunately the syntax is a bit divergent from the syntax of a lot more known assemblers. Reason: it is based on the one of Hypra Assembler, a 6502 assembler of the German magazine 64'er for the Commodore 64. It simply meant that In was able to use all programs that I had developed on my C64. OK, in time I have added directives like "org" but not many.
The advantage of my assembler: the source code is free. If interested, just ask me.
 
I used zDevStudio on my Win10 machine. Seems to do all I need it to do, and the assembled programs work, so, what's not to like..... That said, the website listed in About does not list the program. I found it at https://sourceforge.net/projects/zdevstudio/. And there is a Linux version as well. I'm not sure what 'Pasmo' is though. Hmmmmm

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