AlcorBIOS & AlcorPC

[Fizyk]

You put the C library wherever you have the ZC compiler. It doesn't hae to be in a separate folder or anything, you just need to write correct paths in your #includes.
To create a cartridge, you only need to wire a CPU to the data plug. Just click with the wire tool on the cartridge, then on the CPU and it's ready (unless something changed in Wire recently, I haven't played GMod for some time). I don't think you have to choose any input or output at all.

[ben1066]

2 month bumb, blimey, but i think a tutotial to make your jwn programmes would be good, i couldn't do it though. on a side note this seems to be a great replacement for the somewhat abandoned wireos

[ben1066]

fizyk how about updating the make your own tutorial

[Niko]

@ben1066: use the edit button,this is not an instant messanger!

By the way i made a better looking AlcorPC than this phx plate .Had some problems with building but Fizyk helped me and it works .

PC is ready to use,just install Alcyone.It's in adv dupe but I recommend downloading it from GWCD SVN (go to gwcd.wireos.com),because this version might be outdated in some time.

EDIT : BIOS is outdated in this dupe,get the newest BIOS from GWCD SVN!

Pics:
1. It didn't work yet
2. Ras testing his virus which deletes the kernel file
3.,4.,5. Pictures of my AlcorPC

[ben1066]

you outdid my redesign :P
btw what server was that

[ben1066]

I get this error,
----> ZyeliosASM compiler - Version 2.0 (SVN REV 0/900) <----
-> ZyeliosASM: Compiling...
-> ZyeliosASM: Pass 1
-> ZyeliosASM: Pass 2
-> Error at line 54: Expected number or a valid label
-> ZyeliosASM: Compile aborted: fatal error has occured

[Fizyk]

Update bump!

Since about a week ago, my BIOS has DLL support. Yes, that means you can write libraries of functions and dynamcally load and unload them! The documentation is in the first post - I added two sections about writing and using DLLs, and a section about interrupt 37, which allows you to use the functions in the DLLs.

You can download the BIOS with DLL support from the GWCD SVN (link in the first post). It also changes the memory layout a bit, so I suggest you download the dupe of the PC instead of building your own. The attachments in the first post are outdated, so don't use them until I say they are updated

I uploaded some example programs to the GWCD SVN too. There is a graphics DLL, for use with the digital screen. When you fdump it to /dlls/graph.dll, you will be able to use the programs in "Flags" folder - they are 5 programs, drawing flags of 5 countries (they are the countries I was asked to make when I was on the HP server ).
Just fdump the DLL, the programs, connect a digital screen to device slot #1, launch a program and enjoy

[Nikita]

That's hot! Testing now.

Judgement: Yay! Needs a help command though. Maybe even documentation.txt in the root directory :P

I would be really happy if you decided to use my Video Master too

Edit: Actually, I think I'll make a VM dll myself. Got to tweak a few things there: Add transparency, make it use high-speed memory instead of ports, add performance adjustment. Is it a good idea to give it a 64/128 cell memory chip to cache the commands, so the CPU doesn't need to use ports or wait for it to be ready, like now?

Edit2: Fizyk, have a look at this: I've got VM working with high-speed interface and made an untested DLL. I have no clue if there is any more magic that I should know of but here is the code:

VMdraw.dll

db programsize

db 5
db txt_VMqueue, VMqueue   //VMqueue(n) - cache can hold n commands
db txt_VMselect, VMselect //VMselect(n) - select device port n.
db txt_VMdraw, VMdraw //VMdraw(Code, IP1, IP2, IP3, IP4)
db txt_VMpps, VMpps //VMpps(n) - pixels per second
db txt_VMready, VMready // X = VMready() - returns number of free
                        // slots in the command queue

txt_VMqueue:
db 'VMqueue', 0

txt_VMdraw:
db 'VMdraw', 0

txt_VMpps:
db 'VMpps', 0

txt_VMselect:
db 'VMselect', 0

txt_VMready:
db 'VMready', 0

VMp1: //adress of the video master IO cache
db 0

VMp2: //Cache queue index
db 0

VMp3: //Cache queue size
db 50

VMqueue:
    
    push ebp 
    mov ebp,esp
    add ebp,4
    mov eax,ss:#ebp
    mul eax, 5
    mov #VMp3, eax
    pop ebp
    retf

VMloop1restart:
mov eax, 0
jmp VMloop1
//will loop until a slot becomes available

VMdraw:
    mov eax, #VMp2
    mov fs, #VMp1
    VMloop1:
        cmp eax, #VMp3
        jnl VMloop1restart
        mov ecx, #eax
        add eax, 5
        cmp ecx, 0
        jne VMloop1
    sub eax, 5 //in my loop there is +5 even if this pos is good
    push ebp 
    mov ebp,esp
    add ebp,4
    mov ecx,ss:#ebp         // Code
    inc ebp
    mov fs:#eax, ecx
    inc eax
    
    mov ecx,ss:#ebp          // IP1
    inc ebp
    mov fs:#eax, ecx
    inc eax
    mov ecx,ss:#ebp          // IP2
    inc ebp         
    mov fs:#eax, ecx
    inc eax
    mov ecx,ss:#ebp          // IP3
    inc ebp          
    mov fs:#eax, ecx
    inc eax
    mov ecx,ss:#ebp          // IP4
    inc ebp         
    mov fs:#eax, ecx
    inc eax
    mov #VMp2, eax
    pop ebp
    retf
            
VMloop2add:
inc ecx
jmp VMloop2

VMready:
    mov eax, 0
    mov ecx, 0
    mov fs, #VMp1
    VMloop2:
        mov ebx, fs:#eax
        cmp ebx, 0
        je VMloop2add
        add eax, 5
        cmp eax, #VMp3
        jl VMloop2
    // ecx becomes number of command slots ready
    retf

VMpps:
    push ebp 
    mov ebp,esp
    add ebp,4
    mov eax,ss:#ebp
    div eax, 67
    fint eax
    mov fs, #VMp1
    mov fs:#5, eax
    pop ebp
    retf

VMselect:
    push ebp 
    mov ebp,esp
    add ebp,4
    mov ebx,ss:#ebp
    inc ebx
    mov eax, 30
    int 32
    mov #VMP1, eax
    pop ebp
    retf

Here is how it works: You wire the Video master v1.1 or higher to a digital screen of any resolution through Scr input. The CmdCache and Data should both be wired to a separate memory chip with 16 bytes of memory or more. A data plug can be wired to that chip too.

Then a program should call VMselect to choose the device port that it should use. VMqueue is how much commands fit into the queue (a queue exists for the sole purpose of storing the commands while the Alcyone can go on with it's business and not care about VM after it gives it the command). VMpps is a performance function - it chooses how much pixels per second a screen can display (warning: high values may burn your E2 chip).

So there is a function VMdraw, which simply feeds the command and 4 params into the VM, while handling the queue stuff.
My thread about Video Master should show you all kinds of commands and their params available.

I bet this DLL needs some fixing that's beyond my current understanding of Alcyone or zASM.

Edit 3: edited the code a little to make for sensible calls.

[Fizyk]

Yeah, there is a bit of magic you missed. You can't just pop the arguments from the stack, because they are "covered" with the return address for retf - so when you try to pop the arguments, you are actually popping the address at first.

To avoid that, you can use the EBP magic. It's done like that:

some_function:
push ebp
mov ebp,esp  //now ebp points to the top of the stack - the first free place

//inc ebp  - now it would point to the pushed value of ebp...
//inc ebp - ... first part of the return address ...
//inc ebp - ... second part ...
//inc ebp - ... finally the last pushed argument

//So we do:
add ebp,4  //now ebp points to the last argument

mov eax,ss:#ebp  //copy the argument to eax (we use ss to actually use the stack, not some random part of the memory)...
inc ebp  //...and increase ebp to make it point point at the previous argument
//...etc, etc.

//function body

pop ebp  //restore ebp from the stack
retf

[Black Phoenix]

Fizyk, don't forget about RSTACK opcode you can use