STD BUS with Z80

R

Thread Starter

Rosendo

I need to make some software changes to an old STD BUS system. I know some Z80 programming. Where can I buy the software for my PC to modify the program? Do I need hardware? thanks!!
 
C

Curt Wuollet

If it's a STD 80 with a Z80 There are free Z80 assemblers and other tools available as leftovers from the CPM days. I found a bunch of Z80 tools in a flashback some time last winter when someone donated a Sanyo CPM machine. But much
depends on what you are trying to do. What do you want to do? C or FORTH or BASIC are about the highest level languages supported on a Z80. Z80 assembler was the last assembler I actually liked. i808X stuff abounds as well.
If it's a STD 32 much of the programming is similar to PC stuff.

In either case Google will put you in touch with die hard fans of the technology. Put the processor board vendor and model in the search window and be amazed at how many folks like the STD bus machines. It was a contender for the system bus in my PC compatible PLC form factor platform, but the connectors and backplane real estate were too expensive. It had all the other features I like for industrial use.

Regards

cww
 
Is the STD Bus system Z-80 based?

Is the program on a floppy drive, hard drive, or in ROM?

If a floppy or hard drive, is it running an Operating system? CP/M is the likely suspect.

You can find z80 software (and emulators) for free around the internet.

Some good sources have disappeared, but you should still be able to find some.

What is the STD bus system used for, if I may ask?

Rufus
 
B

Bob Peterson

The STD bus systems I worked on ran on proms. Liekly you will need a prom burner for whats likely an obsolete prom that may not even be available anymore. You will also need some kind of compiler (maybe C) to create the hex files
to download into the STD bus computer. You would also need the original source code to modify.

Can you tell us just what this is? it might be simpler and much more cost effective to just scrap it and start over.

Bob Peterson
 
R

Robert Scott

Your options are determined by what documentation you have on the old system - it's processor board, it's I/O boards, it's system configuration, and mostly, it's current source code. If you don't have the source code, you cannot make "changes". You can only re-develop the entire application from scratch, based on whatever functional specs you have. If you do have source code in C or assembler, there are several Z80 embedded compilers you can get. However, not all embedded compilers are interchangeable. If you are using old source code, it would be best if you can get the compiler for which that source code was written. As for hardware, if the system is based on embedded DOS, you may be able to load a new program directly through the development system (which may be as simple as a serial port). If the program exists in EEPROMs, then you will have to get a device programmer.

Robert Scott
Real-Time Specialties
Embedded Systems Consulting
Ypsilanti, Michigan
 
thank you all for your answer.

This STD BUS controls a machine used to test Motors. The company that developed that machine disappear already. Now we need to make some changes to the program. We don't have the source programs. The programs are in ROM. So I think is going to be tought. I proposed to change the STD bus for a PC Computer and use a new program to control the machine (programming in C++ or Visual Basic). Using of course all the hardware as possible. But my boss wants to take a last chance to use the same equipment. I am going to try in google. Thanks.
 
Top