amine Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) I made a simple Basic program for controlling the Buggy with interfave A on Mo5 thomson computer. https://youtu.be/MCHaaqll480?si=olrjSXahVNb4Vd2a Edited February 25 by amine Quote
maehw Posted February 25 Posted February 25 15 minutes ago, amine said: I made a simple Basic program for controlling the Buggy with interfave A on Mo5 thomson computer. https://youtu.be/MCHaaqll480?si=olrjSXahVNb4Vd2a That's great! Are you willing to share the code and explain? Is it like controlling the direction by key presses? Quote
amine Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) 21 hours ago, maehw said: That's great! Are you willing to share the code and explain? Is it like controlling the direction by key presses? Yes it allows you to control in real time your buggy by pressing your keyboard direction keys. //The first 4 lines are for initialization &H read the adress in hexadecimal// 1 POKE &H A7F3,0//swith data register to direction setting // 2 POKE &H A7F2,63 // set inputs and outputs lines // 3 POKE &H A7F3,4 // switch data register to level setting// 4 POKE &H A7F2,0 //reset data register levels// 10 PRINT "HELLO" 11 PRINT "ENTER A DIRECTION KEY" 20 A$=INKEY$ //this create a input variable// 30 IF A$=" " THEN 20 //loop on the key press// 40 IF A$ =CHR$(11) THEN POKE &H A7F2,10 //up key is is number 11, values poked depend on your interface A configuration here 10 is 8 + 2 meaning output 1 and 3 // 41 REM "FORWARD" 42 FOR T =1 TO 100 :NEXT T 43 POKE &H A7F2,0 // move for 1 sec and stop change the value 100 for the precision control// 50 IF A$=CHR(10) THEN POKE &H A7F2,5 // down key is number 10// 51 REM "BACkWARD" 52 FOR T =1 TO 100 :NEXT T 53 POKE &H A7F2,0 60 IF A$=CHR$(8) THEN POKE &H A7F2,8 //left key is number 8// 61 REM "LEFT" 62 FOR T =1 TO 100 :NEXT T 63 POKE &H A7F2,0 70 IF A$=CHR$(9) THEN POKE &H A7F2,2 //right key is number 9// 71 REM "RIGHT" 72 FOR T =1 TO 100 :NEXT T 73 POKE &H A7F2,0 74 IF A$="A" THEN POKE &H A7F2,0 // if key A is pressed interface A outputs are turned off// 80 GOTO 20 //loop for ever// Damn I really feel now like a MIT computer scientist 🤔 Edited February 26 by amine Quote
Toastie Posted February 25 Author Posted February 25 4 hours ago, amine said: Mo5 thomson computer That is quite a nice machine, I never heard of! And it runs MS BASIC 1.0 - I love the PEEKs and POKEs! This is really very interesting - so in France they also had a dedicated "school computer" as they had in Sweden - The Compis (and most probably elsewhere, but in Germany, if I am not mistaken). And @evank has to update his website Thank you very much for sharing! All the best Thorsten Quote
amine Posted February 26 Posted February 26 (edited) 18 hours ago, Toastie said: That is quite a nice machine, I never heard of! And it runs MS BASIC 1.0 - I love the PEEKs and POKEs! This is really very interesting - so in France they also had a dedicated "school computer" as they had in Sweden - The Compis (and most probably elsewhere, but in Germany, if I am not mistaken). And @evank has to update his website Thank you very much for sharing! All the best Thorsten I updated the code with precision control, pushing a key will trigger a FOR loop by changing the length of it you can control how far the buggy will move for each key press. It is not yet a PWM but by inserting some machine code in a data field we can do it. I think one should try with an Led and a speaker first. If I can change the speed of the buggy I want a Guinness world record. Edited February 26 by amine Quote
Toastie Posted February 26 Author Posted February 26 7 hours ago, amine said: It is not yet a PWM but by inserting some machine code in a data field we can do it. That would be super nice. 6809 machine code ... And there is even an emulator for the MO5: https://www.roug.org/retrocomputing/emulators/mo5 I have some BASIC code for simulating (very) slow "PWM" as done in the TCLogo machine code. It works, but as said, it is way too slow. Well, in DOSBox-X, I can crank up the speed of QBasic considerably ;) All the best Thorsten Quote
evank Posted February 26 Posted February 26 On 2/24/2026 at 8:26 PM, Gunners TekZone said: Oh, well... I need to actually get my Apple and/or Pocket PC connection to my existing Interface-A, before I start worrying too much about finding another affordable one. I can hook you up. I'll send you a private message. On 2/25/2026 at 11:56 AM, Toastie said: That is quite a nice machine, I never heard of! And it runs MS BASIC 1.0 - I love the PEEKs and POKEs! This is really very interesting - so in France they also had a dedicated "school computer" as they had in Sweden - The Compis (and most probably elsewhere, but in Germany, if I am not mistaken). And @evank has to update his website Thank you very much for sharing! All the best Thorsten I already updated it to include Compis ... several months ago. :) https://www.brickhacks.com/2.php One of these days I'll get around to uploading a table of all known-working systems with 9750 and their various nuances. I already made the table, just need to do some work on my website. It's waaaaaaay overdue. Quote
Toastie Posted February 26 Author Posted February 26 47 minutes ago, evank said: I already updated it to include Compis ... several months ago. :) Oh my, sorry! I totally wrongly assumed, @amine is PEEKing and POKEing around in BASIC 1.0 because there was no LEGO software for it ... Your website is so unbelievably helpful in referencing and identifying all the various 8-bit systems a) endorsed by TLG and b) all the systems you summoned in reply to your challenge. a) being much more important to me, as I find this really fascinating: What countries chose what route to get into school computing, and at what effort, cost, and - "success". All the best Thorsten Quote
amine Posted February 27 Posted February 27 (edited) 11 hours ago, Toastie said: Oh my, sorry! I totally wrongly assumed, @amine is PEEKing and POKEing around in BASIC 1.0 because there was no LEGO software for it ... Your website is so unbelievably helpful in referencing and identifying all the various 8-bit systems a) endorsed by TLG and b) all the systems you summoned in reply to your challenge. a) being much more important to me, as I find this really fascinating: What countries chose what route to get into school computing, and at what effort, cost, and - "success". All the best Thorsten Working on a 8bit computer is so satisfying. ASMR experience guaranteed. No boot time to wait, the computer is quiet , the keyboard is sweet, recording is on audio k7. Everyone should have this kind of machine at home. Heaven on earth !!! I am going to update my program today. I should have made many instructions on the same line using : not using new lines. The buggy is more responsive and the program is shorter. I am going to put the push button detection as well if I can make it work. Soon we will get a line follower from 1980 back in track for the 2026. You can change the speed without pwm just by charging the lengh of the steps. Use FOR T=1 to 1 or 10 or 100. Edited February 27 by amine Quote
amine Posted February 27 Posted February 27 (edited) Here is the updated program More responsive with a sensor detection, and speed control possible. You can change the speed without pwm just by charging the lengh of the steps. Use FOR T=1 to 1 or 10 or 100. The first 4 lines are for initialization &H read the adress in hexadecimal// 1 POKE &H A7F3,0//swith data register to direction setting // 2 POKE &H A7F2,63 // set inputs and outputs lines // 3 POKE &H A7F3,4 // switch data register to level setting// 4 POKE &H A7F2,0 //reset data register levels// 10 PRINT "HELLO" 11 PRINT "ENTER A DIRECTION KEY" 20 A$=INKEY$:B=PEEK(&H A7F2) //this create a input variable and check the sensor state// 30 IF A$=" " AND B=0 THEN 20 //loop on the key and sensor press, this is a wait until // 40 IF A$ =CHR$(11) THEN POKE &H A7F2,10:FOR T=1 TO 100:NEXT T:POKE &HA7F2,0 //up key is is number 11, values poked depend on your interface A configuration here 10 is 8 + 2 meaning output 1 and 3 // 41 REM "FORWARD" // move for 1 sec and stop change the value 100 for the precision control// 50 IF A$=CHR(10) THEN POKE &H A7F2,5:FOR T=1 TO 100:NEXT T:POKE &HA7F2,0 // down key is number 10// 51 REM "BACkWARD" 60 IF A$=CHR$(8) THEN POKE &H A7F2,8:FOR T=1 TO 100:NEXT T:POKE &HA7F2,0 //left key is number 8// 61 REM "LEFT" 70 IF A$=CHR$(9) THEN POKE &H A7F2,2:FOR T=1 TO 100:NEXT T:POKE &HA7F2,0 //right key is number 9// 71 REM "RIGHT" 74 IF A$="A" THEN POKE &H A7F2,0 // if key A is pressed interface A outputs are turned off// IF B=64 THEN POKE &H A7F2,5:FOR T=1 TO 1000:NEXT T:POKE &HA7F2,0 // if sensor is pressed go back for 3 seconds 80 GOTO 20 //loop for ever// Line follower is next on the line !!! The algorithm of the line folower is If the sensor see the white table then move forward If the sensor see the black tape then turn https://youtube.com/watch?v=BFAx3TDKs00&t=378&feature=shared Edited February 27 by amine Quote
maehw Posted February 27 Posted February 27 Hi everyone, thanks for providing more code and explanations. I've now taken a look into LEGO TC logo. Also thanks @evank for the reference guides for both Interface A and B! Can someone please guide me how to use the emulator on https://archive.org/details/LEGO_TC_Logo? How can I navigate a page (e.g. "TURTLE")? It seems that the cursor only moves in the lower part (the "command center" as it's called IIRC.. maybe mixing it up with the name of the input field in ControlLab though). Cheers Mäh Quote
amine Posted February 27 Posted February 27 50 minutes ago, maehw said: Hi everyone, thanks for providing more code and explanations. I've now taken a look into LEGO TC logo. Also thanks @evank for the reference guides for both Interface A and B! Can someone please guide me how to use the emulator on https://archive.org/details/LEGO_TC_Logo? How can I navigate a page (e.g. "TURTLE")? It seems that the cursor only moves in the lower part (the "command center" as it's called IIRC.. maybe mixing it up with the name of the input field in ControlLab though). Cheers Mäh This is what I figured out so far. On apple2ts emulator Altgr +F flip card for edit procedure AltGr +U going to top windows AltGr +D going to bottom windows AltGr +6 delete project Quote
maehw Posted February 27 Posted February 27 12 minutes ago, amine said: This is what I figured out so far. On apple2ts emulator Altgr +F flip card for edit procedure AltGr +U going to top windows AltGr +D going to bottom windows AltGr +6 delete project Perfect, thanks! Alt + U/D does the trick on the MacBook I am currently working on. Cheers! Have a nice weekend everyone Quote
Toastie Posted February 27 Author Posted February 27 1 hour ago, maehw said: Have a nice weekend everyone You too! Quote
Toastie Posted March 1 Author Posted March 1 10 minutes ago, Gunners TekZone said: To me, this is about learning the workings design and building process, with what I have on hand, more so than just slapping existing parts in. So there are at least two of us! I do see and do it the exact same way you are choosing: Either I get the (as "Unobtanium categorized") items, such as 9771 for very low money + S&H of course, or I will take the "trail and error, error, error ... success!" route. OK, success may not be the final result, but for sure the learning curve took steep inclines! And that is all what counts. AI may be of help - or maybe not. I recently got so much nonsense regarding "reset button for a C64" from Google's AI - it was telling. Old and swiftly emerging stuff (back in the days, as the C64, Apple II, and other systems - heck, that was the >fun<!) seems not to be the realm of AI. I prefer the human brain guided search when it comes to old stuff. You know the arbitrary diversions, deep dives, just for fun searches. And yes, the "what I have at hand approach" is another rewarding experience. 3D printing? Sure. But maybe there is a scrap part somewhere? Buying the perfect fit part for some task? Sure. But maybe a used part, having the functionality, will do? With some mod, or apparently less nice look? Sure. However, it depends on perspective: Used parts generally look good to me ... Just keep posting what you are either struggling with or you have accomplished. Or you are searching for. I am in. All the best Thorsten Quote
maehw Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Hi everyone! I've got a question about LEGO TC logo. There's the `talkto` (short `tto`) command to select the output port(s) to be operated on (switched on/off, flash, etc.). The reference manual states: "There are nine outlet ports (A, B, C, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)". In my understanding A/B/C can be used bi-polar, e.g. to attach motors whose direction can be changed (`rd`, `setodd`, `seteven`) -- i.e. enabling to turn them CW and CCW. And ports 0-5 can be used in a uni-polar fashion, e.g. switching motors only on and off. When I use the LEGO TC logo Apple //e emulator, I get the error message "Can't use adjacent ports" for `tto 0` and `tto 1` (or `tto "0` and `tto "1`) while the other outlet port names work fine. Is that a bug or is there a reasonable explanation for that? Cheers Mäh Quote
evank Posted March 3 Posted March 3 @maehw your understanding is correct. Can you show us your full code? Quote
maehw Posted March 3 Posted March 3 4 hours ago, evank said: @maehw your understanding is correct. Can you show us your full code? I wasonly entering those commands directly into the lower part. On the 'TURTLE' page if that is relevant — but actually without explicitly executing procedures from that page. Quote
Toastie Posted March 3 Author Posted March 3 8 hours ago, maehw said: When I use the LEGO TC logo Apple //e emulator, I get the error message "Can't use adjacent ports" for `tto 0` and `tto 1` (or `tto "0` and `tto "1`) while the other outlet port names work fine. Is that a bug or is there a reasonable explanation for that? Hmm - that seems to be a bug? When I use either TCLogo within the DOSBox-X emulator or directly on my IBM XT with 9771 card, I don't get that error. At least not, when I type "tto 1" then "on" and then "tto 0" and "on" in direct mode. Does this lead to the error you mentioned in your post? Best Thorsten Quote
amine Posted March 5 Posted March 5 (edited) On 3/3/2026 at 7:14 PM, maehw said: I wasonly entering those commands directly into the lower part. On the 'TURTLE' page if that is relevant — but actually without explicitly executing procedures from that page. On the turtle page you shouldn't use the talk to primitives because there are already prewriten procedures to move the turtle. I think it is TFD for turtle forward plus the time in tenth of seconds. https://youtu.be/PZuiDuDywHw?is=nnlBi6n9QZ1Yd5B7 Edited March 5 by amine Quote
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