SIMH LGP-30 Progress.
B Degnan
billdeg at buzz1.com
Wed Feb 11 12:23:42 CST 2015
On Wed, 11 Feb 2015, B Degnan wrote:
> > via trial and error, and a lot of reading. I believe that loading the
> > bootstrap manually is a must; one cannot use or create tapes
otherwise.
>
> Only if your drum memory loses its contents. I don't know if SIMH has a
> concept of non-volatile main storage (drum, core). And for the LGP-30,
all
> registers are non-volatile, too.
When I fire up the SIMH and check 6300 we have
00000000
If the bootstrap came pre-loaded the first instruction of bootstrap should
be in 6300 and read
10000000
so, no unless the bootstrap is somewhere other than where I think it should
be, memory is completely blank when SIMH is loaded.
> > In order to enter instructions into memory I first learned how to
translate
> > code from the various actual papertape sources, for example...
> >
> > "flexowriter entry"> 6300 P 0000'
> >
> > becomes
> >
> > sim> d -a 6300 10000000
>
> Urks, that's sick... but SIMH should offer the possibility to enter the
> mnemonics and addresses (or anything else since everything is mapped to
> its four bit code) like
> sim> d -a 3w00 p0000 (or d -a 6300 p0000
sim> d -a 3w00 p0000
Invalid argument
The SIMH *should* accept mnemonics ... Believe me I tried EVERYTHING ...
but unless there are hidden command switches you have to convert your code
to machine format. Scoured the entire C source code looking for clues.
:-)
<snip>
> sim> g 3w00
g is not a legal command. You have to tell SIMH to execute with a "SET CPU
[command]"
>
> Anyways, SIMH is not very well suited for machines like an LGP-30 where
> the user interaction with typewriter and console buttons for operation is
> imperative. The SIMH version does officially work, but it is not really
> user friendly in this case.
Tell me about it. I have written to the SIMH user group, so far I have not
received a reply with tips/testing done to verify "officially work"
boundaries.
> But the best would be if you use a drum image with 10.4 (the monitor)
> already loaded, i.e. save the memory contents to a file and reload it on
> the next incarnation of SIMH (there's a "START" drum containing 10.4 in
my
> simulator package, and an "ACT5" drum with preloaded ACT-V and
> subroutines, these may be usable in SIMH, but I don't know).
>
> > repertoire. The hardest part is finding ways to enter Flexowriter key
> > input via a modern keyboard, using SIMH commands.
>
> By using a simulator that offers the right frontend to the user (i.e.
keys
> and buttons as required by the machine operations) *g*
>
> Christian
Christian....I am going to keep at it and then script a bootstrap that will
load in SIMH, or convert tapes to SIMH format so they can be imported. I
can see why you did what you did with your simulator. Makes a lot of sense
to use function keys.
Here is the bootstrap I am working to complete. I need to find equivalents
to the Flexowriter commands, I have finished the memory insert commands,
please send suggestions if you have them.
sim> [first cpu fill c6300 in IR?]
sim> d -a 6300 10000000
sim> d -a 6301 01000000
sim> d -a 6302 11016305
sim> d -a 6303 10000000
sim> d -a 6304 01000000
here is where I need to experiment, the code below is my first attempt:
6305 (skip)
6306 10106300
6307 10000000
6308 01000000
6309 (skip O.G.W.C flexo keys, still need to convert)
6310 00016346
6311 11116326
6312 10106322
6313 00000000
6314 10100000
6322 10116313
6323 11006309
6324 11016346
6325 10106307
6326 000wwwwj (entered into by flexowr., need to convert)
6346 0gwc0000 (entered into by flexor, need to convert)
Bill
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