Implementing 10PRINT on the TI-92 calculator using TI-BASIC. Also covers Python versions on the Numworks and TI-nspire calculators.

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.

Exploring the elegant maze generator from Compute! magazine (December 1981). A line-by-line breakdown of how this classic BASIC algorithm works.

Writing code to validate Pilish text—prose where word lengths match the digits of Pi. Implementations in Julia and Commodore BASIC.

Evaluating vintage computers for NaNoWriMo 2022: VIC-20, Plus/4, Commodore 64, and PET. Word processing on 8-bit machines with SpeedScript and other tools.

Adding integers with hundreds of digits using string manipulation in Commodore BASIC. When your numbers are too big for Wolfram Alpha.

Implementing 64-bit arithmetic in 6502 assembly to solve the wheat and chessboard problem. Handling numbers too large for standard calculators on 8-bit machines.

Visualizing the poor randomness of RND() on the Commodore 64 and 128 compared to the PET and Plus/4. Clear patterns emerge when you plot the output.

Adding green and amber screen colors to the MiniPET 40/80 replica using a cheap monochrome VGA color adapter from Tindie.

Solving the classic 100 door problem with visual output on multiple vintage systems: VIC-20, C64, PET, Atari, and Color Maximite.

How to load and run Commodore 64 BASIC programs on a PET. Working around the PET’s lack of program relocation.