PC utilities KIM Simulator Convert hex etc

To aid in the handling of KIM-1 program and dataformats I have written some programs for Windows and Linux (Raspberry Pi), sources included.

Convert 8 bit hex formats
KIM-1 simulator
Pascal-M cross compiler
KIM Tape WAV to BIN conversion
KIM Tape Convert BIN and BIN to WAV
KIMPaper
KIMPoser Tape Convert hex to WAV online

All programs come with source (Free Pascal Lazarus), compiled for Windows but thanks to Freepascal and Lazarus also compiled and tested on Linux (Ubuntu and Raspberry PI OS).

Convert 8 bit hex formats

A general purpose utility to convert common 8 bit hex and binary formats, such as Intel HEX, Motorola S records, MOS Papertape, hex format, and binary files.
Version 2.9, June 2024. Define assembler output and bugfix MOS papertape format, PRG Commodore file format, TIM papertape format

Convert8bithexformat source files (Freepascal Lazarus).
Convert8bithexformat Setup for Windows, Executables for Ubuntu and Raspberry PI OS
Available formats:
– BIN binary, raw data, no formatting, no information on start address.
– HEX formatted as hex numbers raw data, no start address included.
– IHEX Intel hex 8 bit format, multiple memory block, start address included.
– PAP MOS Technology papertape format, multiple memory blocks, start address included.
– SREC Motorola 8 bit S record, contiguous memory block, start address included.
– A1hex Apple Woz monitor hex format, start address included.
– KIM Tape as used in the KIM-1 Simulator as emulation of audio tape files.
– assembler formatted bytes as .byte or your prefix text
– PRG files (binary with start address)
– TIM papertape format (MOS Papertape with simple end record)

KIM-1 Simulator

6502/65C02 CPU emulation, disassembler, TTY, KIM-1 keypad and LEDs.

See the KIM-1 Simulator page for more information.

KIM Paper

Note that the Conver8bitHexFormat program is also capable of converting to and from Papertape format from many more formats.
Originally written for the launch of the MicroKIM, an older version is on the support CD.

When you attach a serial device like the teletype or a modern PC with Hyperterminal you can use the KIM monitor of the KIM-1. One of the functions is loading from and saving to a papertape device on the teletype. Now since this is a way to load and save data as a textfile this is in fact quite useful.
The Micro-KIM triggered me to modernize my conversion utility for MOS Technology papertape format dating from 1983, VAX/VMS and Turbo Pascal. A Windows and a commandline/console version are available.

KIMPAPER for Windows

A program for Windows to convert between papertape and binary format.

Windows setup KIMPAPER
Sources (Freepascal Lazarus, build also on Linux)

KIMPAPER V1.1 for DOS

Not too modern, but handy, a commandline utility. Does exactly the same as the Windows program KIMPAPER. Runs fine in a commandline DOS box. Can also be compiled for Linux with Freepascal. In the KIMPAPER DOS archive the program, source and information on the program and papertape format can be found.

C:\MICROKIM\kimpaper
KIM-1 MOS Technology BIN papertape format conversion utility, Hans Otten, 2007 v1.1

Syntax is:
KIMPAPER [-[b|p] filename [startaddress]
C:\MICROKIM\kimpaper -h
KIM-1 Mos Technology BIN papertape format conversion utility, Hans Otten, 2007 v1.1
Syntax is: KIMPAPER [-[b|p|h] filename [startaddress] first parameter switches
-h help
-p convert to papertape
-b convert to binary
second parameter (first if no parameters, assumed binary to papertape)
name of file to convert
.BIN for binary, forces conversion to PAPertape
.PAP for papertape, forces conversion to BINary
third parameter (assumed 0000 if not present)
startaddress for BIN to papertape conversion
Files of type .BIN wil force conversion to papertape.PAP
Files of type .PAP wil force conversion to binary .BIN

Examples:
C:\MICROKIM\kimpaper mastermind.bin 0200
KIM-1 Mos Technology BIN papertape format conversion utility, Hans Otten, 2007 v1.1
C:\MICROKIM>kimpaper mastermind.pap
KIM-1 Mos Technology BIN papertape format conversion utility, Hans Otten, 2007 v1.1
Start address 0200 in file mastermind.BIN

Convert KIM tape to text


KIM Tape to Text is a utility to convert between binary format of a KIM-1 tape dump to a DOS text file.
The KIM tape dump is a binary file and is just a dump of part of the memory of the KIM-1.
This binary file can be a text file as used in editors Micro Ade or CW Assm/TED.
By using the tape write routine in the KIM-1 one can write an audio file on cassette.
When this audio file is captured on a PC as WAV file (22K, mono) this can be converted back to a binary memory dump with ED’s Utility KIMTape
These text files can be converted to DOS text files with this utility.

First open the binary file. If this is recognized as Micro Ade or CW Moser format, the Save as text file can be used.

Windows program.
Full source for Freepascal and Lazarus, no Windows dependencies. Compiled on 64 bits Windows 10 as 32 bit application.

Note on detection of assembler editor type
1. Micro Ade file must start with CR: when present this is Micro Ade
line nr follows 2 byte
line ends with $0D
file ends with $40
2. Assm/Ted by CW Moser starts with line number $10 $00
end of line is high bit set
There may be rare situations that a file starts with a $0D or a different line nr. You can force CW Mose detection by changing this to a sequence of $10 $00 $0D and if necessary blanks $20 to make it consistent. If in doubts: use an editor that shows the file in hex (Ultra Edit, or the free Notepad ++, Text editor PRO) and study the tape file.

Methods to get the binary file out of a Junior or KIM-1.
Read the record tape into a binary with Ed’s KIMTAPE conversion *see below). It is MS-DOS and runs fine in VDOS (https://www.vdos.info/) or DOsbox (slow).
Make a note of start address as shown by KIMTAPE.
Non-printing ASCII characters are filtered out of the resulting text file.

KIM Tape Convert WAV to BIN and BIN to WAV

Not my program, but so handy!

KIMTAPE v0.5 – tape conversion utility for KIM-1 and SYM-1 (2004-05-17) Local copy of http://dxforth.mirrors.minimaltype.com/#kimtape)

KIMTAPE allows programs stored on cassette tape to be decoded to a program file. It handles both MOS Technology KIM-1 and Synertek SYM-1 tape formats including HYPERTAPE. The reverse process – converting a program file to an audio wavefile is also possible, allowing one to produce perfectly regenerated cassettes. KIMTAPE works with 8-bit mono WAV, VOC or RAW audio files recorded
at 22050 samples per second.

Download: kimtap05.zip (MS-DOS) It is MS-DOS and runs fine in VDOS (https://www.vdos.info/) or DOSbox (slow).

The binary files in the KIM-1 program archives have been reproduced, from the original cassette recordings, with the tool KIMTAPE on a PC in a DOS box. See Eds DX-Forth and Utilities Page for this and other nice programs.
This program also makes it possible to reproduce the original cassette recordings that can be read by a KIM-1.

The files were made as follows: The KIM-1 cassette audio was connected to the PC audio input and (with e.g. Audacity) recorded as a wave file (mono 22KHz).
For example: qchess.wav
The wave file was then converted with KIMTAPE to a binary file (the exact content of of the KIM-1 memory when recorded).
And the KIMTAPE utility then displays load address (for example and tape ID

c:\kimtape qchess.wav qchess.bin
KIMTAPE version 0.5 17-May-04
infile: qchess.wav
outfile: qchess.BIN
Program 01 address 0200 checksum OK xxxx bytes done

This .bin file (any extension is fine!) is NOT a wave file! It contains the exact content of the KIM-1 memory when recorded. The size is exactly the number of bytes as stored in the memory of the KIM-1 and much smaller than the wave file. This binary file can be converted back to a wave file with KIMTAPE or converted to a papertape file with KIMPAPER:

C:\kimtape -M -A0200 -D01 -B2 qchess.bin qchess.wav 

As you can see: you have to specify the load address and the program ID. The B parameter indicates hypertape speed (2 here, slow)
The resulting wav file should be acceptable for the KIM-1. It is (as I have tested) acceptable as input for KIMTAPE!

All command parameters can be seen by typing KIMTAPE without parameters:

Pascal-M Cross compiler

Executables of cross compiler, workflow, sources, command line utilities.

post

KIM-1 Software

On this page my collection of KIM-1 software in binary format , manuals and articles, from my tapes and scanned paper archives and user contributions.
Most require an expanded KIM-1 with RAM memory above $2000, 16K recommended. Of course the Micro-KIM and the Corsham KIM Clone and the PAL-1 with memory expansion have enough horsepower to run this.
See the page for useful programs to convert binaries to papertape etc.
Not all have been tested, some use non-standard TTY I/O routines, so study, test, experiment and have fun!


KB-9 and KB-6 are the name used for the Microsoft Basic for the KIM-1. One of the 6502 family of early interpreters by the then called Micro-soft company. KB stands for KIM Basic, the 6 and 9 for the precison of digits.
See here for the page about the KIM-1 binary versions , articles, listing, sources and build-and-enhance- it-yourself version.



Forth

The FORTH language 6502 FIG-FORTH

Binary Forth original, start at 2000
FORTH assembler sources, 6502, 65C02
FORTH assembler sources, 6502, 65C02 in ASSM/TED format, Elektor Junior binaries
Fig-FORTH 6502 manual
Fig-FORTH Manuals May 1979


KGN COMAL

COMAL is an interpreted structured language. A version for the KIM-1, Junior and DOS65 is available, distributed by the KIM Gebruikers Club Nederland as KGN COMAL.
See the KGN COMAL page for binaries and documentation.


MICRO-ADE assembler/editor

Updated October 2022

MICRO-ADE was the working horse for many KIM-1 users, the small and powerful assembler/editor/disassembler written by Peter Jennings, Microware.
Manual and program are placed here with permission by Peter Jennings to the KIM Club (thank you Peter for this and for a great program!)
A letter sent by Anton Muller, KIM User Club the Netherlands, to Peter Jennings, thanks Peter for the scan!

In August 2021 I (Hans Otten) typed in the source of MICRO-Ade from the listing in the manual, the output is binary compatible with the binaries I saved from tape and are tested on the KIM-1.
The result is a source identical (in standard MOS Technology assembler format) to the listing and binary identical to the page image. I also made new high quality scan of the manual and the listing.
Micro Ade program source and binary
Scanned manual
Scanned listing

Read in the KIM KENNER archive the source of the enhancements (text by S.T. Woldringh o.a.)
The KIM club enhanced Micro Ade to version 8. Download here the binary with a 2 page command summary.
MICRO-ADE V8


Q-Chess for the KIM-1

Q-Chess 1.0 is a chess program for the KIM-1, from around 1980. The programs requires a memory expansion of 8K at $2000.
The chess board is displayed at a TVT-6 (Don Lancaster) video display alongside the KIM LED Display and Keypad.
In 1981 Fer Weber, a member of the Dutch KIM User Club published an adaptation to use the program with a (video)terminal attached to the KIM TTY interface in the Dutch magazine the KIM Kenner Issue 17.
Binaries on tape and the documentation of Q-Chess were acquired in 1981 from Fer.
In March 2025 Hans Otten translated the source of the adaptations from Dutch to English in TASM format and checked the binary output to the binaries saved from tape.
This makes Q-Chess playable again!

Q-Chess User’s Guide
Q-Chess binaries
Adaptations by Fer Weber on Q-Chess for TTY
Source of adaptations by Fer Weber to Q-Chess


Usurpator Chess for the 6502

AIM 65 and KIM-1 versions, with binaries and sources in modern 6502 assembler.

Usurpator Chess for the 6800 and 6502, a book by H.G. Muller
The book, with source listings for 6800 and 6502
Programs with sources ready to run for AIM 65 and KIM-1



TKChess Computerschaak Theo Kortekaas for the KIM-1

Theo Kortekaas, a member of the Dutch KIM User Club, published in the club magazine the KIM Kenner, Issue 11 and 20, a chess program for the standard unenhanced KIM-1.
The program files are from audio cassette digitized wave files from 1982. for keypad and LED display.

TK Chess Program for the standard KIM
TKChess binaries and wave audio files
TKChess scanned listing
The 1K program with enhancements not in the binaries



Microchess for the KIM-1

Updated November 2021

MICROCHESS for the KIM-1. Another Peter Jennings Microware product. Runs on a standard KIM-1. Control via LED displays and hex keypad. Quite a commercial success, many sold!

Wave files of tape and binaries, dump of my cassette files
Assembler source and binaries, typed in by me in 2021, binary identical to tape
Original manual (from the reseller The Computerist) scanned by me
Original manual by Peter Jennings
Manual in HTML format
Article on upgrading/extending Microchess, Compute II Issue 1, pdf format
Article on upgrading/extending MICROCHESS, Compute II Issue 1, html format
Upgrade/extending assembler source and binaries, typed in by me in 2021
More chess openings, Fer Weber 1978

Microchess has been adapted for the Elektor Junior by Sjaak de Wit, sjelabs.nl.
Description of the adaptation
Source and binary of Microchess for the Elektor Junior


6502 Macro Assembler and Text Editor CW Moser

CW Moser ASSM/TED Assembler and Text Editor binaries: original, KIM-1, Elektor Junior
Manual scanned in PDF format

Sources of CW Moser for 65C02 and Junior binaries
Color version of later manual
Dissecting C. W. Moser’s ASSM_TED, Compute! Issue 11
Commodore PET version of the manual
Graphics Drawing Compiler for PET and SYM manual
Fast cassette interface for ASSM/TED by CW Moser
Universal 6502 Memory Test PET, Apple, Sym and Others, Compute! Issue 1


KIM Tape Copy v1.1

kim tape copy v11 KIM Tape Copy v1.1, copy all files on a KIM cassette. Uses two recorders attached as shown in the Micro Ade manual.
Source in Micro Ade format
Listing of Tape Copy


H14 printer and parallel keyboard routine


The Heathkit H14 printer is a simple matrix printer with a serial interface. This routine allows to use this printer via two pins at the free 6530 PIA port, see circuit diagram. Resistors are 2k2 ohm.
H14 printer and parallel keyboard input assembler source
Listing and circuit diagram


Printing disassembler

In 1982 I wrote/composed a program to have disassembled code on paper, with page numbers. The whole story, with the old binary and source, and a recent update can be found on this page.


Reactie

Time your reaction. Standard KIM-1 LED display and keypad. Source included.


First Book of KIM sources

The First Book of KIM-1 in PDF format
The First Book of KIM-1, part in text format
The First Book of KIM-1 in HTML format
Sources of The First Book of KIM-1 in source and papertape format,
Jeff Tranter
Software from First Book of KIM in binary, audio (Wave) and papertape format, by Dave Willams.


KIM Venture

A (tiny) Colossal Cave adventure for the KIM-1 by Bob Leedom


HEXPAWN

HEXPAWN, a game for the KIM-1 by Robert Leedom


Baseball

Baseball, a game for the KIM-1 by Robert Leedom


Telefonbuch Hobbycomputer #1 Herwig Feichtinger

Telefonbuch Hobbycomputer #1 Herwig Feichtinger


Pascal-M

Pascal-M: A full (1978) Pascal P2 descendent compiler system for the KIM-1.
See the School of Wirth pages for more information, including sources and binaries


Pocket calculator for the KIM-1

Siep de Vries Westvries Computing The Netherlands 1977
Simple calculator (integer 6 digits positive) + – / *
I/O via TTY or keypad/LED display, the same method as used by the KIM-1 monitor.
Two versions (scans included):
a special publication from the first days of the KIM Club in a traditional 6502 assembler and a later version for the Micro ADE assembler editor.
Sources included of both versions (TASM 32),with resulting listing and papertape and Intel hex files.
As close to paper original, changes due to assembler quirks.
Download here Sources, papertape, listings, original scans
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Elektor Elektuur Junior

The Junior computer design was published by Elektuur/Elektor from 1980 on. It was published in a series of magazine articles, four books and several so called paperware A4 booklets. And the ESS Elektor Software Services for the ROMs.
Loys Nachtmann designed and developed the Junior Computer, G.H. Nachbar did the Dutch translation of the German books. The 4 Junior books were translated into English, German, Spanish, Italian and French.

The Junior design is in fact heavily inspired by the hardware of the KIM-1 (or you can call it a copy!), the floppy disk interface design is a copy of the Ohio Scientific floppy disk interface design. Though I am not aware of copyright claims by MOS Technology/Commodore or Ohio Scientific, the inspiration is clearly visible.

It was delivered as a kit by shops or could be be built from the PCB’s (and later the ROMs) sold by Elektuur. Many hobbyists have build one, it was cheap and well documented.
Later extended with video card and an adapted version of the 8K KB9 Basic and even a disk operating system (Ohio Scientific DOS OS65D V3).

Articles in the Elektuur magazine and books (1-4), a 6522 book in the same series, in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish were published.

Quickly adopted by the Dutch KIM Gebruikers Club because it was so close to the KIM-1. In the later days the number of Junior Computer users exceeded the KIM-1 users and changed the nature of the club from professional users to a hobby club. It also led to the DOS65 operating system for the Elektuur 6502 CPU board

The magazine Elektuur (the Dutch name) and Elektor (the name in the rest of teh world surprised us in 1980 with the publication of a build-yourself 6502-based SBC. It is a design in the tradition of the KIM-1 and SYM-1: a hexadecimal keyboard, six hexadecimal led displays and KIM-1 compatible tape format.
Many Junior Computers were built, either from the PCB made by Elektuur and separate components or as a complete kit. And after we (Anton Muller and me) sent a letter to the Elektuur magazine that got published about the KIM Gebruikers Club, many hundreds Junior users joined the club.
Developments after the Junior design was published in Elektuur led to the EC65(K) (see the Elektor Computing books) and the KIM Club DOS65, documented on this page.

What you can find here:


Radio Bulletin

The dutch magazine Radio Bulletin (RB, RB Electronics) has a long history, going way back to the early years of electronics. The name was derived from what electronics meant for amateurs in these days: building radios yourself.
It was published by Uitgeverij de Muiderkring, a publishing company in the Amroh group of companies.

The magazine was published in large volumes in the years 1970-1985, due to the popularity of do-it-yourself electronics and audio. Also the beginning of the microprocessor revolution was adequately covered and the great years of the hobbycomputers 1980-1990 were contributing to the success. Besides the magazine Uitgeverij de Muiderkring published many books on electronics. After 1990 the success faded and the magazine left the mass market and stopped in 2003. The publishing company Uitgeverij de Muiderkring, together with Amroh, went bankrupt in 2002 (I lived closely to the last location and saw the empty offices when passing by).

In 1977 Dick de Boer joined the staff of RB and introduced the readers to microprocessors and in particular the 6502 and the KIM-1. Also the KIM Gebruikers Club and the HCC were founded that year and RB started to write articles about all this exciting new developments!
I was then already a freelance writer about electronics but Dick made me study the microcomputer such as the KIM-1 and made me join the KIM
Gebruikers Club and the HCC (member 760 member). Dick de Boer, his successor Paul de Beer and me (Hans Otten) and others wrote many articles about the KIM-1 and related 6502 based systems for Radio Bulletin. Especially Dick wrote good introduction articles and developed sophisticated hardware and software like a graphical display. After leaving the magazine he became a software engineer and helped me also to my first job as software engineer in 1980. Me and Paul de Beer concentrated more on expanding 6502 systems like the KIM-1 with memory (RAM, ROM) and I/O cards like PIA, VIA and ACIA and mass-storage such as the Mini Digital Cassette Recorder. The bus of this expansion system was the so called BEM-bus.

I did translate a book Computer Interfaces by Owen Bishop for de Muiderkring to dutch. A scanned version is presented here.

All these articles are downloadable here, as they describe my publishing history and my KIM-1 system, designs by us of which the prints sold quite well. As you can see in the long list of articles the KIM and the 6502 played a major role in the microprocessor revolution starting in 1977 and lasting until 1987 for me.

What you see about Amroh, Uitgeverij de Muiderkring and Radio Bulletin is:

Selection of my and others articles 1977 – 1987 in Radio Bulletin
the RB Specials
the Cosmicos 1802 CPU based system by H.B. Stuurman, book and articles
some bits about the long history of Radio Bulletin
Elektronica ABC, the diy magazine

See also:

– Dr Blan articles on Step-by-Step radios
– Step by Step radio by Amroh