Unix running on a Z80. Amazing! It's so smooth, too. I first heard about Fuzix in relation to a port to the RP2040. At first I couldn't see the point, but I'm becoming increasingly intrigued.
I don't think you need the CTC. You can do my favourite 'no timer' hack. Set the second SIO port that is unused up to a low baud rate and to interrupt when the transmit completes. Now every time you write a character it'll bug you again a while later. You can calculate the speed from the shift rate (remembering start and stop bits), or just use a scope to tune it.
Martin Heermance Yes, Fuzix is based upon UZI (UNIX for Z80), so you could maybe call it a UNIX derivative, but it definitely isn't Linux as it share no source code with it. It's put together by Alan Cox who used to be a Linux kernel maintainer though. Got a couple of other RC2014 projects I need to complete in the works, but want to give this a go soon!
Amazing work, I'm going to be ordering a few of your broads from osh park. Very curious about the cpu board your using in your Rc2014. Are the details for it hidden on your blog somewhere?
Do you happen to know of any kits that have a Shugart FDC interface on one side, and a USB on the other? I kinda want to put my old floppy drives into use by using that, and I kinda want to have them semi-portable. I've been looking for such a solution for many years now, but all I do, is finde one roadblock after another.
Are there any detailed instructions or pointers you can give on how to build your port of FUZIX for the RC2014? The documentation included with the build isn't the most clear on the pre-reqs, and the buildall script fails horribly :-P
Did you build that case? What matrerial is that? I have a wierd lpx motherboard with k5 processor and getting a case for it is alsmost impossible so I thought I'll create my own.
The case is laser-cut acrylic. I designed it in Inkscape and had it made at Ponoko. It's one big flat sheet when it arrives. The acrylic sheets they cut can be pretty big, so I'd think you could easily design and have something fabbed. For me, I've mostly moved on to 3D printing instead of outsourcing the laser cutting, but for larger items, and for anything you want to be optically clear, laser cut acrylic is still a good option.
There are vintage video video boards that people have designed, though most of the designs have seemed somewhat involved. It's something I'd like to try at some point.
Something I would love to see, but haven't got the patience to make, is a 32bit computer made with 4 (or maybe a 64 bit made with 8), of the fastest Z80 processors. What would be really wild is if it could run windows XP, Vista, or 7!! It would be slow as hell, but still amazing! :-)
My next project is going to be to build an Xi 8088 (www.malinov.com/Home/sergeys-projects/xi-8088), based on Sergey Kiselev's design. While Sergey's design is an 8088, I would think an 8086 (or 286, 386, etc) would be possible.
FUZIX has a profile for the Zeta 2 already, which is a Z80 single board computer. The Zeta 2 uses a 16550 UART for serial communication, whereas the RC2014s I demoed use a SIO/2 or ACIA. So my first task was to replace the UART driver with a SIO/2 or ACIA driver. I was also lacking a few other peripherals, such as the Real Time Clock, so I disabled those. My fork of FUZIX is at github.com/sbelectronics/FUZIX and has any custom changes I required.
Please build 8086 kit, I wish to buy the sdk8086 but the only source is from India, I am nervous to use credit card online for Indian website, so I did not. Hopefully if you make a lot, you would sell them. Thanks.
This is a reply to an old post...but...The Intel processors such as 8080 or 8085 had a SUBSET of the opcodes in the Z80. So if the software running on the Z80 was developed for the Z80 it may not run on the 8085. The Z80 also had registers that the 8085 did not have.
Hello, I like your projects and really wan to reproduce them but without firmware images of the EPROM, no chance! Most people have a PC without Z80 development kits and I know that it is very diffucult to make these old software run without detailed knowledge on emulators, assemblers and debuggers. Z80 is not an ARM Cortex with JTAG interface, ready to run in C. ( I have written my own Z80 monitor in C with SDCC but no chance to use it with the RC2014 boards. So if you really want to help, can you provide EEPROM images, e.g of CPM and Fuzzix?
Wow, this is really cool! This inspired me to start looking more into the Z80. I want to build a Z80 computer like that one day too.
Remarkably fast machine. Seemed to have no problem running Unix.
Superb work! Just finished building your Ram/Flash card - now waiting for my programmer to arrive!
Unix running on a Z80. Amazing! It's so smooth, too. I first heard about Fuzix in relation to a port to the RP2040. At first I couldn't see the point, but I'm becoming increasingly intrigued.
I don't think you need the CTC. You can do my favourite 'no timer' hack. Set the second SIO port that is unused up to a low baud rate and to interrupt when the transmit completes. Now every time you write a character it'll bug you again a while later. You can calculate the speed from the shift rate (remembering start and stop bits), or just use a scope to tune it.
Really awesome
I'd be interested to see what an FRAM board could do as a stand in for the ROM/RAM board.
I thought Fusix just looked like Linux, but wasn't actually Linux.
Martin Heermance Yes, Fuzix is based upon UZI (UNIX for Z80), so you could maybe call it a UNIX derivative, but it definitely isn't Linux as it share no source code with it. It's put together by Alan Cox who used to be a Linux kernel maintainer though. Got a couple of other RC2014 projects I need to complete in the works, but want to give this a go soon!
You're right, and I should have known better! I've corrected the video title, but I can't edit the video itself.
smbakeryt No worries, but thanks for the correction.
it is even less Unix to me .
smbakeryt
You've forgotten to edit the description of the video, itself. It's editible too, you know.
Would it be possible to a get an a rom file or a quick tutorial on how to create one.
Worth a sub, well done!
Amazing work, I'm going to be ordering a few of your broads from osh park. Very curious about the cpu board your using in your Rc2014. Are the details for it hidden on your blog somewhere?
It was because of this video I ordered an RC2014, and some goodies from osh park. I want to have a play with FUZIX :D
Do you happen to know of any kits that have a Shugart FDC interface on one side, and a USB on the other? I kinda want to put my old floppy drives into use by using that, and I kinda want to have them semi-portable. I've been looking for such a solution for many years now, but all I do, is finde one roadblock after another.
Are there any detailed instructions or pointers you can give on how to build your port of FUZIX for the RC2014? The documentation included with the build isn't the most clear on the pre-reqs, and the buildall script fails horribly :-P
Where in the hell did you find a 4 line vfd?
Nice video! And your VFD looks beautiful, where did you got it?
Cool video
FUSIX is not Linux, it is a Unix R7 with some system V enhancements.
Did you build that case? What matrerial is that? I have a wierd lpx motherboard with k5 processor and getting a case for it is alsmost impossible so I thought I'll create my own.
The case is laser-cut acrylic. I designed it in Inkscape and had it made at Ponoko. It's one big flat sheet when it arrives. The acrylic sheets they cut can be pretty big, so I'd think you could easily design and have something fabbed. For me, I've mostly moved on to 3D printing instead of outsourcing the laser cutting, but for larger items, and for anything you want to be optically clear, laser cut acrylic is still a good option.
@@smbakeryt Thank you!
VGA Chip Parallax Propeller P8X32A-D40!
What keyboard are you using? The clicky sound it's the one I'm looking for. Thank you
Check out WASD keyboards. They use Cherry MX switches, some of which have the click you seek.
Could you add CGA or something to your RC2014?
There are vintage video video boards that people have designed, though most of the designs have seemed somewhat involved. It's something I'd like to try at some point.
That would be awesome. I'm tempted to buy a RC2014 and add a FPGA adapter so I can emulate peripherals.
Something I would love to see, but haven't got the patience to make, is a 32bit computer made with 4 (or maybe a 64 bit made with 8), of the fastest Z80 processors.
What would be really wild is if it could run windows XP, Vista, or 7!!
It would be slow as hell, but still amazing! :-)
can you uild one more? regards from sweden
Is it possible/worth it to build an intel 8086 pc?
Also can you explain how you modified fuzix to work on your rc2014? I'm building a custom z80 machine and it would be awesome if it ran linux.
My next project is going to be to build an Xi 8088 (www.malinov.com/Home/sergeys-projects/xi-8088), based on Sergey Kiselev's design. While Sergey's design is an 8088, I would think an 8086 (or 286, 386, etc) would be possible.
FUZIX has a profile for the Zeta 2 already, which is a Z80 single board computer. The Zeta 2 uses a 16550 UART for serial communication, whereas the RC2014s I demoed use a SIO/2 or ACIA. So my first task was to replace the UART driver with a SIO/2 or ACIA driver. I was also lacking a few other peripherals, such as the Real Time Clock, so I disabled those. My fork of FUZIX is at github.com/sbelectronics/FUZIX and has any custom changes I required.
Please build 8086 kit, I wish to buy the sdk8086 but the only source is from India, I am nervous to use credit card online for Indian website, so I did not. Hopefully if you make a lot, you would sell them. Thanks.
Can this project be ported to an 8051?
This is a reply to an old post...but...The Intel processors such as 8080 or 8085 had a SUBSET of the opcodes in the Z80. So if the software running on the Z80 was developed for the Z80 it may not run on the 8085. The Z80 also had registers that the 8085 did not have.
this is also true of the 8051
Hello,
I like your projects and really wan to reproduce them but without firmware images of the EPROM, no chance! Most people have a PC without Z80 development kits and I know that it is very diffucult to make these old software run without detailed knowledge on emulators, assemblers and debuggers. Z80 is not an ARM Cortex with JTAG interface, ready to run in C. ( I have written my own Z80 monitor in C with SDCC but no chance to use it with the RC2014 boards. So if you really want to help, can you provide EEPROM images, e.g of CPM and Fuzzix?
look in his GitHub repository, which he links to in his blog page in the corresponding RC2014 blog posts
fuzix is not linux nor unix
"etsy" ?
no one likes a show off. jk thanks for sharing..
Retrocomputing? It's generating more refuse for the sake of generating refuse. The planet has it enough already.
I bet you're fun at parties.