Category: MPF-1b

RCR2020/04 has begin

Last weeks there are new developments around the RetroChallenge. Mark Sherman restart the RetroChallenge with succes. http://mwsherman.com/RCR/2020/04/  So we can do our job again. 

Now it begin.

In the year 1999 i follow a course at [Dirken opleidingen], a technical education institute located at Arnhem, the Netherlands. This course was a part of mine change in work area. Before this course I was working in the greenhouse industri as a grower / owner of a greenhouse complex in Westland, the Netherlands. I sold my greenhouse and have done a 1 year technical education at [Dirksen opleiding] to become a technical service enginer. After this course a become a job as service enginer in the greenhouse computer installations.

But during this year of courses I also do the course [Microcomputer] and [Microcomputer interface technics]. For this course we use a singelboard computer to learn assembly programming and to understand the microprocessor technics. This singel board computer was the Microprofessor-1b. About the MPF-1b, and how to program this I will work in thes RCR2020/04.

The MPF-1b is a singelboard computer build around the Z80 microprocessor. It is build around 1981 in England by the company MultiTech Industrial Corp, now Flite, but the MPF-1b is still in production and available: http://flite.web-feet.co.uk/micro-controllers

On internet is also a lot of information available about the MPF-1b, http://electrickery.xs4all.nl/comp/mpf1/

RetroChallenge 2019/10 –> 2020/04

I have send my Participation of the RC2019/10 to the judge, Michel. My subject is to program and load the Z80 MicroProfessor-1B from a W10 computer/laptop.

The MicroProfessor-1B is a Single Board Computer with a Z80 processor, a hexidecimal keypad and a 6*7segments display. In the 80’s – 90’s It was a great learning system to understand the working of microprocessors and programming. The program you type in on the keypad. The program’s you could store on a casette tape and also restore from an casette tape. Later there where Z80 assembylers so you can type your program on a PC and then send to the MPF-1B. These assembylers works under DOS and send the binaire file by the COM-/printerpoort to the MPF-1B. Nowday these programs are not working and the most computers have no COM-/printerpoort so when we whant to program our MPF-1b we need an other solution.

Let’s program and load our MPF-1B Z80 by a W10 computer/laptop is my goal for the RC2019/10.

The RetroChallenge 2019/10 is moved to next spring. So the next RetroChallenge is in 2020/04.