Software for controlling the IO-Link Interface.

When you made a program in OCCAM you work with channels. These channels could be software in a Transputer chip OR hardware to an other Transputer chip. But how you tell the “OCCAM program” that he must connect / send the informatio to a fixed IO-Link at the Transputer. I could not a good feeling about this situation. After reading a lot of artikels I don’t understand.

During building the IO-Link interface around the IMS C011 i get an book in my hands from Ian Graham and Tim King with the name [The Transputer Handbook] I “walk through” and suddenly i read a nice chapter about the command PLACE .. AT ..

This little tekst open my eyes and slowly i understand how to send a value by a specifyed channel to an IO-Link with an inferface connected. So i write my first little program to send a value to my LED-print. Ofcourse this was not good an i get the wrong value on the LED-bord, but WHY ??

So i start debugging. I found that the Link-speed between the Transputer and the IMS C011 Link Interface was different. The Transputer runs on a Linkspeed of 20 Mbit but the IMS C011 was configurated at 10 Mbit. After using my soldering Iron to correct these mistake i do the test again. But now i see even not lit up a LED ?? What’s wrong now ?? Let’s read the datasheet of the IMS C011 again. There is written that there must be a QAck before ther comes an Ack to the Link back to the transputer. After connecting the QValid to the QAck still no burning LED’s ??

After hookup an logic analyser i get very nice information, see line 1. There comes more then 1 pulse each time i send a byte. Slowly i understand, i don’t send a byte, I send an Integer, that are 4 byte’s !! And the last byte is displaid on the LED’s. So after shifting to left by 24 bit’s I get a wanted value on the LED’s.

Now I am also able to run the KITT-light. See the YouTube link below.

KITT light on Transputer

What’s Next, the output is ready, so let’s start to take a look at the input !!

 

 

 

 

Goal and Hardware for RetroChallenge 2019/03.

During the RetroChallenge 2019/03 my goal is to build and program a system to control outputs and read inputs from a transputer system.

For this purpose i buy a couple IMSC011 Link adapters. These link adapters as speciale made for connecting to an Transputer Link for connecting handware. This could be a interface to an computersystem, like an IBM or SUN or VME system for loading software, or to other hardware to control all different thing’s.

In an former RetroChallenge I build an inferface to an ISA-slot for connecting an Transputer to an PC for loading software, and now I want use this same Link adapter in an other modus to connect some LED’s and switches to control and measering.

The datasheet for the IMS C011 could be found on several places on the internet so this is the startpoint of our Challenge. Reading and understanding the datasheets. This Link Adapter could be used in 2 differend modus. The second modus as an businterface, to connect an ISA-bus for example. The first modus is a Peripheral interface modus. Then you have 8 output’s and 8 input’s and fully handshake control. And this is the modus we go to use.

After building a nice little print a have the hardware to start with my project.

RetroChallenge 2019/03

Next month the RetroChallenge 2019/03 start’s,   http://www.retrochallenge.org/    I wil be a partner of this Challenge. My goal is to controll input’s and output’s with a IMSC011 interface chip for the Transputer. A couple year’s ago I buy some of them and now i want to use them to controll some LED’s and read some switches by the language OCCAM from a real transputer.

Happy RetroChallenge 2019/03

Explore the Transputer netwerk by iSpy.

I have to borrow 2 Transputer cart’s with 2 Tranputters on each cart. I look’s me nice to see if I can connect them together to a netwerk and take a look how a program see this. In my situation it is not always easy to connect a monitor, keybord and mouse to the Window’s 98 PC. Or some time’s I want to work from the living room and the computer stands on the zolder. So I decide to work remote on this PC. But then come’s the “big” problem. Find a program to work remote with a Windows-98 PC. After a lot of searching on internet I found the program Radmin. The old server version of Radmin, version 2.1, run on Windows-98. So i installed it en now I can reach my PC with the selfbuild Transputer inferface connected to 4 transputer processors.

Special for exploring the Transputer netwerk there are some worm-program’s. You load them onto the Transputer network and they give a reslut of the connection’s between the different Transputer processor’s on the network. This iSpy program is original from INMOS, but a lot of people have modified this for tehr one. So found on the website http://www.geekdot.com/category/software/transputer-software/ the TTK, The Transputer Tool Kit. This is a collection with test program’s for the Transputer, also some version’s of iSpy are include. When unzipping en starting the iSpy232 I get a very nice result of my 4 transputer’s connecting to the selfbuild ISA cart. The author of some program’s is Andy, Andy Thanks !!

4 Transputers in line

First i put 4 Transputers in line. This show a nice result. The next network was a tree. One link of the Host-Transputer is connected to the ISA-interface and the other 3 links are connected to 3 different Transputers. This is build as follow.

4 Transputer Tree

And give the next result when I start iSpy:

This is a real Transputer netwerk. Oke, now I need a real program to run on it.

On monday 30 Oktober there was a little meeting of the Hackerspace “B+ Westland” at my place. We talk about the result of my work with Transputers, study to a “new purchased” Transputer interface and have a lot of fun.

 

 

Next challenge is to understand the OCCAM toolkit workflow. Normally I work with microcontrollers, in that case you don’s have a compiler, linker, configer and a make program. Just compile and load the program in the microcontroller. Now I must follow a different path. I hope I should understand this.

For me this is the -END- of the Retrochallenge 2017/10. I had this month only a spare time for this to reach my goal. So in the future time I go ahead with Transputers to understand the system and how to program them.

I have a lot of fun to work with Transputers and also with the talk’s with the people around me about Transputers.

 

-This is the END of RC2017/10-

May the tForth be with you.

At an computer meeting of the Compusers group of the HCC (Hobby Computter Club) I meet Albert van der Horts who is a member of the Dutch Forth Usergroup. This Forth Intrested Group have made a version of Forth for the Transputer, called tForth, around the year 1991 – 1995. Albert have done a lot of work on Transputers. On his website: http://home.hccnet.nl/a.w.m.van.der.horst/transputer.html there is a zip-file with al the information, program’s and code to go work with Forth on a Transputer system. I have download the whole stuff and install it on my system with my selfbuild ISA-Transputer interface.

I am not familiar with Forth. It’s not only a computer language but also an development system. And even more then this, it is a whole different way of thinking of working with computers. In fact you maken your one command’s/statemants build from other existing command’s.

I have no experience with Forth but it looks me a nice challenge to try to start tForth on the transputer with my selfbuild interface. I talk to Albert van der Horst and he explain me the way to start the system. So I do, I start the system and now I can program in tForth. This is also working !!

I think it is a long time ago there was a transputer with a running tForth program on it, but the knowledge is stil availble at the Dutch Forth Interest Group’s of the HCC. ( https://forth.hcc.nl/ )  Always nice to visit a regional computer club.

Building my own interface.

The Transputer system fascinted me very much. After that moment I have contact with this man about the Transputer system. And later he aquire more Transputer board’s and i could borrow some. But my problem was that I have NO interface between the Transputerboard’s and a PC so I decide to build one by myself.

In the handbook of the CSA ISA to Transputerlink interface, Transputer Education Kit User Guide, I found a schema of the CSA-Transputer interface. This circuit around the IMSC012 would I build. Instand of the IMSC012 I bought the IMSC011 IC’s with could have the same function and even more. Together with some TTL-ic’s the project come to a nice print.

From the Transputer Education Kit User Guide, CSA.

I connect my IO-Print to the Transputer and start testing my interface. With the famouse 24 byte [Who-you-are program ?] i get as answer AA AA 00 00 back. This is a 32 bit Transputer !! It is working.

Next step is the Mandelbro program, but when I want to run this at 60 % of the picture the program stop’s.

Mandelbrot stops around 60 %

Why ???

Each time I start the Mandelbrot I have the same result. Each time !! This point take me a lot of time to find the problem. After a couple week’s a call my friend with the originel CSA-Interface and I could borrow his system to compare this with my selfbuild system. I use the originel CSA IO interface in my IPC system, use the good working program. At the end I start swapping IC’s between the original CSA IO interface and my self build interface. After a lot of debugging and swapping IC’s i found there was aq new 74LS245 withs was wrong ?? At low speed it was working Oke, but at high speed I get a lot of problem’s. Al the 10 new buy pieces were wrong. So i take a look in my storice and found a old 74LS245. Thisa one works very good so I am happy.

ISA-interface testing

Conclusion: even new IC’s could be wrong.

The Transputerboard I use is a Caplan board with 2 T800 Transputers with each 2 Mb memory.

Now I have a selfbuild ISA to Transputer link interface with is working good. Next step is I to understand the propgram’s, how to program and wordt with OCCAM an the Transputer.

As a member of the Dutch Hobby Computer Club, the section Retro Computers (www.retro.hcc.nl sorry, dutch only) I visit almost there meeting’s. Last meeting at 27 September 2017 we talk a lot about the Transputer systems. We planned to go to work with 4 people at the Transputer system’s. Talking, thinking, study, programming and working. So I am not alone.

How I become intrested in Transputers.

A couple years ago I visit a meeting of the Hobby Computer Club te Hooglanderveen te Holland (The Netherland’s). This was the Artificiel intelligence user group. An person have a question about a system. He want to work with Transputers. He has a ISA-I/O cart for a PC. This cart was a bridge between a program under DOS to a serial link to a Transputer System. He has problem’s to get his ISA-cart working.

I know that I have at home some “old” PC’s with a ISA-slot in it. That PC’s are running under W98 and DOS. So I told this to hime and we talk together about his problem. He want to run some program’s on a PC, connectes by the ISA-interface to his Transputer board’s.

I took his CSA ISA-interface and a copy of the installation book at home and a couple week’s later I have install the ISA-interface include the necessary software. This was the first time a come across a Transputer system.

A Transputer is a vintage computer system build arount 1985 to 1995, invented by INMOS, an company from Bristol, UK. The Transputer has 4 I/O links for communication between Transputers so you can build big Transputer processor networks to distrubuted your program so your problem can be solved by many processors. So you can split your task in smal part’s. Together with the Transputer hardware INMOS construct the language OCCAM, special for parallel programming.

Around that time this hole system was a big invention and was to call: the poor man’s CRAY. A lot of computerpower for a reasonable prise.

 

Picture from website: http://www.conapp.org

 

RC2017/10, Work with Transputers.

Last month’s was a very busy time. I have a lot of job’s to do at home, for work and church.  Also I have made some time for my new project. Make myself familiar with Transputers.

This is also the goal for this month: “Work with Transputers, try to understand how the system is working.”

I have build a ISA to Transputer-link interface. Let’s go to start to work with it.

 

 

End of RC2016/10

This evening some people of the local hackerspace “B+ Westland” visit my place to look at the 4004 project. We have study some assembly code for the 4004. This was very nice.

We have look at the result of my project and we have also study some other project’s from other people.

This is the end of the RetroChallenge 2016/10. I wish I have more progress the last month, but I am still happy with the result. This week I go to make/finish some little program’s to do the challenge for the Roborama-game’s of the Dutch Computer Club next weekend.

Here is my goal not to win, but to do the challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep moving the Intel 4004

Last week i have a very little time so I couls only make some little progress. I have program some little routine’s for the 4004 processor in assembly to make some little demo’s

 

Next week I hope to have some more time so I can work on some bigger programm’s. With this bigger program’s I could run the Roborama challenge on November 5 2016.

I have so much to do in so less time !!

But, during this Retrochallenge 2016/10 I have a lot of fun. Working with the assembly for Intel 4004 processor is a nice challenge for my. I keep going during the next couple month’s.

I would thank’s the organization of the Retrochallenge to motivate me to work on this project.