F18A programming, info, and resources

[matthew180]

You will have to unlock the F18A before you can use any of the enhanced color capabilities.  You can set T80 mode while the F18A is locked, but it is restricted to the original T80 functionality, i.e. one FG/BG color for all the tiles.

 

Once you unlock the F18A, you can then use the enhanced T80 features.  I'm sure some examples of doing this have been posted, let me see if I can find one.  Also note that when the F18A is unlocked, poorly written software can corrupt the VDP registers.  Also, if you use console routines you will have to follow the console rules for the VDP, as Lee pointed out already; that is why you had to put a copy of VR01 into memory location >83D4.

[GDMike]

Just fyi only, I am currently happy with Text mode only as post #697 suggests, but in the future I will be hitting color management a bit harder in my quest. 

And the current program using only text isn't complete yet, maybe by E.O.Y., of course I'm very happy with the F18A. It's just a learning curve I've got to carve out, like I had with learning SAMs.

[+RXB]

RXB 2021 has CALL POKER(vdp-register-number,value) this was increased for using the F18 from RXB.

Register number allows 0 to 63 registers.

The value ranges from 0 to 255.

 

          Programs
 
          This sets text mode.              | >100 CALL POKER(7,244,1,240)
          This is a delay loop.               | >110 FOR L=1 TO 500 :: NEXT L
          This sets multi color mode      | >120 CALL POKER(1,232)
          This is a delay loop.               | >130 FOR L=1 TO 500 :: NEXT L
          This sets bit map mode.         | >140 CALL POKER(0,2,1,2)
          This is a delay loop.               | >150 FOR L=1 TO 500 :: NEXT L
          This sets normal XB mode.     | >160 CALL POKER(0,0)

 

I do not know the values to make the F18 work for modes so will wait for people using BETA of RXB 2021 to tell me.

[+TheBF]

1 hour ago, RXB said:

RXB 2021 has CALL POKER(vdp-register-number,value) this was increased for using the F18 from RXB.

Register number allows 0 to 63 registers.

The value ranges from 0 to 255.

 

          Programs
 
          This sets text mode.              | >100 CALL POKER(7,244,1,240)
          This is a delay loop.               | >110 FOR L=1 TO 500 :: NEXT L
          This sets multi color mode      | >120 CALL POKER(1,232)
          This is a delay loop.               | >130 FOR L=1 TO 500 :: NEXT L
          This sets bit map mode.         | >140 CALL POKER(0,2,1,2)
          This is a delay loop.               | >150 FOR L=1 TO 500 :: NEXT L
          This sets normal XB mode.     | >160 CALL POKER(0,0)

 

I do not know the values to make the F18 work for modes so will wait for people using BETA of RXB 2021 to tell me.

You could try plugging these ones in Rich.   

I got them from TurboForth and tried them in my system with a color change.  It comes up in 80 columns with black on cyan text.

\ HEX values 
       04   \ VR1
       70   \ VR2
       03   \ VR3
       E8   \ VR4
       01   \ VR5
       06   \ VR6
       00   \ VR7
       17   \ VR8
       88   \ VR9
       00   \ VR10
       00   \ VR11
       00   \ VR12
       94   \ VR13
       10   \ VR14
       00   \ VR15

 

[+RXB]

5 minutes ago, TheBF said:

You could try plugging these ones in Rich.   

I got them from TurboForth and tried them in my system with a color change.  It comes up in 80 columns with black on cyan text.

\ HEX values 
       04   \ VR1
       70   \ VR2
       03   \ VR3
       E8   \ VR4
       01   \ VR5
       06   \ VR6
       00   \ VR7
       17   \ VR8
       88   \ VR9
       00   \ VR10
       00   \ VR11
       00   \ VR12
       94   \ VR13
       10   \ VR14
       00   \ VR15

 

Hex values or Decimal?

Will give it a try after I convert them

 

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by RXB
missing text

[+RXB]

Ok there is a issue you are changing to 80 column and XB has only a 40 column editor and I get a error as you would expect.

This also changes the memory map so of course crashes anything in XB as you have moved tables needed for XB to function.

 

I think you could use the F18 as long as you do not try to move memory around much after all XB has to have places coded to be used.

I was thinking you could do things like sprite commands or color pallets using CALL POKER as long as you do not make huge memory changes.

Edited December 3, 2021 by RXB

[Tursi]

5 hours ago, RXB said:

Ok there is a issue you are changing to 80 column and XB has only a 40 column editor and I get a error as you would expect.

This also changes the memory map so of course crashes anything in XB as you have moved tables needed for XB to function.

 

I think you could use the F18 as long as you do not try to move memory around much after all XB has to have places coded to be used.

I was thinking you could do things like sprite commands or color pallets using CALL POKER as long as you do not make huge memory changes.

Yeah, it seems like a tricky thing to use, but never underestimate how tricky someone can be with the right tool!

 

One nice effect of this is the ability to use the GPU from RXB, which could be used to accelerate all sorts of things. Just POKEV the program into VDP somewhere safe, then POKER to start it. Since XB doesn't have access to the extra 2k of GPU memory, you could even just POKEV your program into video or character memory and then let the GPU move it out of the way by itself. (Actually, in character memory I guess you could even just CALL CHAR it ).

 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Tursi

[+TheBF]

18 hours ago, RXB said:

Hex values or Decimal?

Will give it a try after I convert them

 

 

Would there be any point in giving RXB a HEX() function?  (Like INT() but accepts HEX integer text)

It's pretty ham dandy in other languages.  

[+RXB]

5 hours ago, TheBF said:

Would there be any point in giving RXB a HEX() function?  (Like INT() but accepts HEX integer text)

It's pretty ham dandy in other languages.  

We'll see what you can do with this:

 

 

 

RXB 2021 BETA.zip

[+TheBF]

1 hour ago, RXB said:

We'll see what you can do with this:

RXB 2021 BETA.zip 8.57 MB · 3 downloads

Man that is a lot of system. Well done.

 

I see the CALL HEX() but I was wondering about something like this:

CALL PEEK(-31878,N) ! normal  XB

CALL PEEK(HEX(837A),N) ! Better XB

I don't know if you can create functions as extensions to the language versus sub-programs. 

I'm clueless about XB internals.

[+RXB]

22 minutes ago, TheBF said:

Man that is a lot of system. Well done.

 

I see the CALL HEX() but I was wondering about something like this:

CALL PEEK(-31878,N) ! normal  XB

CALL PEEK(HEX(837A),N) ! Better XB

I don't know if you can create functions as extensions to the language versus sub-programs. 

I'm clueless about XB internals.

Yea I have CALL HEX in RXB but working on a change so you can do VAL(">FEAD") using hex values just like XB3 does.

And may add it to other things down the line.

 

Example is like CALL PEEK(">A9BC",N) would use convert to -22084 thus all inputs could be either Decimal or Hex.

This would allow CALL LOAD, LINK, or most things to be either Decimal or Hex.