BLK5 Programmers' Aid?

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:37 pm

I've been thinking about getting some new ROMs for my Ultimate Expander cart, and it would be very handy to have a version of the Programmers' Aid cart that resides in the 2nd half of BLK5. You could then combine the Super Expander and the PA, for example, and still have the full 29K RAM available to BASIC.

I have versions of VICMon that live in all sorts of different locations. Has anyone ever created a BLK5 Programmers' Aid? How difficult a project would it be to create one?

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:49 am

It never occured to me that there could be such benefits to moving Programmer's Aid to BLK5.

I would think that it should be relatively easy to move PA to BLK5 and it seems to me the most logical place to put it would be $B000-$BFFF, just as you said.

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:12 am

I am able to get PA and SuperExpander working together on my VIC with the use of a Cardco six slot cartridge expander. It has dipswitches that allow one to put the cartridge in block 3 or 5. I never realised it was a problem for other people (although in all honestly, I haven't really tested the above setup for conflicts).

I know that I can SYS the programmer's aid cart to start it, and then also call commands from the Super Expander at the same time.

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:38 pm

The point is not to get them to run together. As you said, any cart port expander can do that. What I want to do is get the P.A. running in BLK5. That will leave BLK3 (where the PA normally goes) free for RAM.

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:19 pm

ral-clan wrote:I am able to get PA and SuperExpander working together on my VIC with the use of a Cardco six slot cartridge expander. It has dipswitches that allow one to put the cartridge in block 3 or 5. I never realised it was a problem for other people (although in all honestly, I haven't really tested the above setup for conflicts).

I know that I can SYS the programmer's aid cart to start it, and then also call commands from the Super Expander at the same time.

So what? I can do that with my ultimate expander too... That's not the point.

PA is still in BLK3 and prevents you from having a maximum BASIC RAM extension...

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:46 am

Alan wrote:The point is not to get them to run together. As you said, any cart port expander can do that. What I want to do is get the P.A. running in BLK5. That will leave BLK3 (where the PA normally goes) free for RAM.

Ah yes, that would be useful.

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:59 am

No volunteers to convert Programmer's Aid from BLK3 ($7000-$7FFF) to BLK5 ($B000-$BFFF) ?

Anyone with the talent and a few minutes to spare?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:44 am

I've downloaded ftp://ftp.zimmers.net/pub/cbm/vic20/rom ... s28681.prg which I assume is the version you're referring to. The object code is 4K: from experience (Waterloo BASIC, and Hypra System), it will take me roughly at least 4 evenings to reconstruct the source code - and then produce the $B000 version. Not really only a few minutes.

Michael

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:30 pm

Mike wrote:...it will take me roughly at least 4 evenings to reconstruct the source code - and then produce the $B000 version. Not really only a few minutes.

Well, okay, perhaps I slightly underestimated the real amount of work involved...

After my rantings with the hardware taking more time and money than people think to create, I have to admit I am the victim of my own ignorance here.

My apologies.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:34 am

See this thread how Daniel Kahlin (tlr) converted Omega Race from ROM to RAM expansion using HES Mon. In addition to the regular T command to transfer data blocks, it also has a N command to relocate absolute memory addresses:

http://sleepingelephant.com/v-web/bulle ... .php?t=446

Possibly a disassembler such as Recomment could also be useful, giving a text output for you to work with in a text editor and then assemble together again.