Commodore BASIC 2.0

A lot of fun with binary numbers can be had by printing them to the screen. This is a quick post to show how to do that with Commodore BASIC 2.0. This is a follow up to Quick Post: XOR in Commodore BASIC 2.0.

We’ll be using both of these in upcoming posts, so it’s good to have them handy.

5 REM PRINT ALL 8 BIT NUMBERS IN BINARY
10 FOR N= 0 TO 255
20 FORI=7 TO 0 STEP-1
25 B=0
30 IF N AND 2^I THEN B=1
40 PRINTMID$(STR$(B),2);
50 NEXT
60 PRINTN
70 NEXT

This prints all the numbers from 0 to 255 in binary. It’s a little slow, but it’s easy to understand and fun to watch.

Rockwell International was a powerhouse of the 1970s and 80s.

The Rockwell AIM 65 computer, also known as the Advanced Interactive Microcomputer 65, is an early microcomputer produced by Rockwell International in the late 1970s. It was essentially a development system, intended primarily for engineers, educators, and hobbyists, and was named for its built-in alphanumeric keyboard and LED display.

The AIM 65 was built around the 6502 microprocessor, the same chip used in popular systems like the Apple II, Commodore PET, and Atari 2600. The AIM 65 was designed as a single-board computer, with the processor, memory, input, and output all integrated into one circuit board.

Modern and retro mix

One of my favorite peices of retro clone hardware is Bob Corsham’s KIM-1 Clone. I’ve featured it many places like the 6502 speed series.

I have the latest model of this board, and he made an interesting design choice. It actually has an FTDI chip on board and you use that via USB to connect via a modern computer with an FTDI driver. This is very convenient for working with a modern computer, but then eliminates the ability to use a real serial port.