SYM-1 Basic

One of the early Microsoft 6502 Basic versions, made for the SYM-1.
Two versions were made. The first came as two 4K ROMS, V1.1 as one 8K ROM. ROM ID BAS 023-0025A.
The tri-goniometric functions, an option at startup are documented in the Basic manual as hex dump or on page 27 in the Technotes
There were two versions of the BASIC ROMs available.

  • A two ROM set (part numbers 02-0019-01 and 02-0020-1). These went into sockets U21 and U22 respectively.
  • A single ROM (part number 02-0058 A/B). This went into socket U21. It’s 8K and it’s position dependent. It fits in from $C000 to $DFFF.

The 8k Basic has tokens but no code for the trig functions. There’s an application note which invites you to type in the hex and save to tape the approx 512 extra bytes needed. See page 27 of the tech notes.

The 1981 manual shows the correct jumpers for an 8K ROM in U21. The 1978 manual shows the correct jumpers for two 4K ROMs in U21 and U22

BASIC Manual second printing.

ROM binaries

BXT_1200 is just 1285 useful bytes, and then filled with FF. It contains the strings PERFECT MATCH!, COMPARE ERROR AT, CHECK SUM ERROR! and INVALID DELETE RANGE!

BXT_0200 is a full 4k bytes, and contains these strings:
FOUND LOADING SEARCHING FOR SAVING CALL STIME EDIT PAGE TRACE CHAIN EXEC PAGE EXTENDED SYM-BASIC BY JOHN W. BROWN COPYRIGHT (C) 1980 SATURN SOFTWARE LIMITED

SYM-1 Monitor

SYM-1 monitor

The SYM-1 monitor, Supermon, is described in the Reference manual
Written by Manny Lomas, of TIM and RAP fame.

Two versions of the monitor were shipped, Version 1.0 and Version 1.1.
Version SY1.1, the second release of Supermon, is described in a separate manual.

Appendix M describing the version 1.1 Monitor enhancements and listing.

The ROM contains Supermon, the machine monitor, the audio cassette functions and the boot ROM function (vectors and such are cleverly loaded into RAM by some hardware tricks with protected RAM at upper memory.

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SYM-1 MOD-68 MOD-69

MOD-68, MOD-69, SYM-1/68, SYM-1/69

The MOD-69 and MOD-68 replace the 6502 with a Motorola 6809 or 6802 CPU on an adaptor board and the Monitor is replaced  with a new ROM with a new Supermon.


Scans from Synertek Products Guide.

There were also SYM-1’s available with the Motorola processor 6802 : SYM-1/68 and 6809: SYM-1/69.

SYM-1/69 SYM-1 supplement manual
ROM of MOD 69, 2-9002-129 MOD 69 Hi 2-9002-12 MOD 69 Lo
PROM 82S129 of MOD 69 (2103 marked IC in photos below



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SYM-1 Manuals and Ref cards

SYM-1 manuals

Reference manual second printing August 1978
Reference manual third printing June 1979
Technical Notes, April 1979
Circuit Diagram SYM-1
SYM-1 Theory of Operation Hardware by Robert Peck
SYM-1 Theory of Operation Monitor by Robert Peck
Hardware manual
Microprocessing fundamentals,
SYM-1 Seminar workbook,
Raymond N. Bennett and John Stockdale, 12/1/79
First Book of KIM-1 for SYM-1

Reference cards

Seawell

Seawell produced many KIM-1/SYM-1/SIM 65 boards. Here some advertisements frion the 6502 User notes.




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Brutech BEM

A Dutch company, producer of many 6502 and more industrial hardware, BEM was the name one of their product lines.

Brutech Electronics Microsytems – B.E.M

Gebroeders Bruyn, Vinkeveen. Small company, custom made electronics and standard microprocessor boards and systems aimed at industry and hobbyist.
During my years with Radio Bulletin we often worked with Brutech, and I visisted their office/manufacturing plant in Vinkeveen several times. The BEM-bus became the standard bus for expansion at Radio Bulletin after the first BEM-1 card was connected to the KIM-1 by Dick de Boer. Brutech specialized in the beginning on the KIM-1/VIM/SYM-1 expansion cards, later on they made their own CPU cards and besides the 6502 CPUs like the 6809 were available.

BEM-1 card, as used in the KIM memory expansion article November 1977
The BEM bus
Brutech sold the VIM-1 and SYM-1, with their cards as expansions.
Review in Radio Bulletin November 1978
Brutech sold also the PC100, the Siemens OEM version of the AIM 65. Again the expansions could be used, same bus.
Review in Radio Bulletin August 1980
The AIM 65 and KTM-2 packaged as the Samson system,. the BEM-4 memory card, the SYMP universal programmer.
Review in Radio Bulletin November 1980
BEM RTC1 card, advert in the RB CB Special 1980
BEM-Impact 1000, a BEM-bus based development system, review in Radio Bulletin Oktober 1980
BEM Eurocard system, article by C.J. Bruyn, on the BEM bus, BEM-MON-1 (a TIM 6530 004 system!) and other cards

Micro-gebeuren november 1977, BEM-1, other BEM cards
Micro-gebeuren April 1980, BEM-PSIO-1 USART card, BEM-AD3, BEM-AD4
Micro-gebeuren Mei 1980, BEM-6 16/32K EPROM card
B.E.M. SBC4D(2) 6809 based CPU card on the BEM bus


MAiS, a system for airtraffic control, developed around the BEM SBCD4 and a custom card.


As editors of the magazine Radio Bulletin we had many conversations with them and wrote articles about their products.

For the KIM-1 and SYM-1 they had many products, some based on the so called BEM bus (DIN 31 pin connector), some as addons to the 22/44 edge connector of the KIM-1.
I stilll own this 4K RAM card:




BEM SBC4 in MAIS box
An example of a 6809 CPU board in a custom industrial application. Bought front eh HCC Forth UG in 2004.


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HDE card cage, floppy drive

Hudson Digital Electronics Inc

Known by advertisments in the KIM-1/User Notes.


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Books for the 6502: KIM-1 and more

KIM-1, AIM-65, SYM-1 and other 6502/65C02/65C816 related books.

A mix of English, German and Dutch books.

On my bookshelf I have quite a collection of books on the 6502 family.

Note that manuals and books that come with systems are shown on the pages of the corresponding system!

How to Build a Computer-controlled Robot (with a KIM-1)
Tod Loofbourrow
Microprocessor Systems Engineering
R.C. Camp, T.A. Smay, C.J. Triska
AIM 65 System 65 parts
6502 Software Gourmet Guide and Cookbook
6502 Users Manual
AIM 65 Laboratory Manual And Study Guide
Anwendunsgbeispiele fûr den Microprozessor 6502
Microprocessor_Fundamentals KIM-1
Best of Micro Volume 1 1978
Best of Micro Volume 2 1979
Best of MICRO 3, AIM 65 SYM-1 KIM-1 part June 1979 May 1980
Compute’s Machine Language for Beginners
Compute’s The Second Book of Machine Language
Programming a Microcomputer 6502
Programmieren von Mikrocomputern CPU 6502 (Skriptum)
How to Build a Microcomputer .. and really Understand It!
Mikrocomputer ohne Ballast
Micro Principles KIM-1 user guide chapter 8
Digitaalschakelen met de KIM-1
6502 Assembly Language Programming
6502 Programmieren in ASSEMBLER
Microcomputer Experimentation with the MOS Technology KIM-1
6502 Machinetaal Subroutines
6502 Assembly Language Subroutines
Microcomputer experimentation with the AIM 65
Machine Language Programming Cookbook part 1
Machine Code for Beginners
Microcomputer Systems Principles Featuring the 6502 KIM
Beyond Games: System Software for your 6502 Personal Computer
Assembly Language Programming
Using 6502 Assembly Language
6502 Machine Code for Humans
Programming the 65816 including the 6502, 65C02 and the 65802
Programming the 65816 including the 6502, 65C02 and the 65802
Forth Programming
Programming the 65816
Programming and Interfacing the 6502 with Experiments
Synertek 1981-1982 Data Catalog
Synertek DataBook 1983
Third Book of OSI
TSC 6502 Games Package 1
TV Typewriter Cookbook
Zaks 6502 Anwendungen
6502 Games
6502 Applications
Advanced 6502 Programming
Fortgeschrittene 6502 Programmierung
Programmierung des 6502
Programming the 6502
6502 Applications book
Programmeren van de 6502
Microprocessor Interfacing Techniques
Microprocessor Concepts and Applications
Publisher: Lab-Volt
6502 Assembler-Kurs fĂĽr Beginner
6502 Machine Code For Beginners
A low-lvel language for use on the MOS 6502 Microcomputer
6502 Microcomputer Programmierung
Programmieren in Maschinensprache 6502
The Giant Handbook of Computer Projects
First Book of KIM
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
First Book of KIM-1 for SYM-1
Rockwell ProduktĂĽbersicht in deutsch
Rockwell Microelectronic Data Devices Catalog 1979
1981 Rockwell Electronic Devices Division Data Book
1984 Rockwell Data Book
1985 Rockwell Data Book
1987 Rockwell Controller Products Databook

SYM-1 1541 DOS

A DOS for the SYM-1, based upon the Commodore 1541 System

See also

The DOS was sold by Ronald A. Jordan in 1984, who sold this DOS thru his company, Jordan & Associates. This 1541 DOS system was sold as object code on a cassette tape. For an additional fee he would burn an EPROM as well as provide the object code on cassette tape and for still another an additional fee, he would provide the source code on cassette tape.
The 1541 physical interface was also provided by Jordan and consisted of a very simple box with one 7416 hex inverter chip with the mating connectors for the SYM and Commodore 1541 Disk Drive.
The Commodore 1541 disk drive was affordable, around $300 in 1983. A logical choice at the time therefore, since the serial IEC bus is so easy to operate on a small 6502 SBC and the whole DOS included in the drive itself, avoiding a DOS for the SBC. Disadvantages of course are the slow IEC bus and nowadays the vintage character of the 1541 drive. Since there are alternative ‘1541 compatible drives made by hobbyist, with an SD as storage it is still interesting to add this to a SBC (SD2IEC, Pi1541 etc).

On this page all available information is collected about this 1541 DOS.

The information on the 1541 DOS is from these websites:

Added by me are the sources of the 1541 DOS, the scanned version was lost long ago on teh page of Dallas.. But I did keep a copy. In 2006 the source has been typed in by me in normal 6502 assembly.

The 1541 DOS package consists of a manual, a tape with 1541 DOS code and optionally a hardware interface tot the IEC of the Commodore 1541 and also optional source code on tape.

The 1541 DOS code is made up of interfacing code for the IEC bus, and integration for the Monitor, Basic and RAE. The fuctcionality is limited to showing directories, loading and saving memory, but no data file support. It ix possible to give to the 1541 drive ‘special’ commands, e.g. format a drive. More than one drive is supported.

Hardware

The interface is simple, just an open collector TTL IC, 7416, 3 inputs and 3 outputs of the VIA 6522 to the IEC serial bus ATN, DATA and CLOCK and RESET

See also:

Software

Part is interface to the IEC bus (bit banging), the other parts are linking to Monitor, RAE and Basic.
Functionality offered:

Downloads

Original 1541 DOS documentation
(cleaned up, complete)
1. SYM 1541 DOS Manual
2. Hardware interface circuit Design
3. Source of 1541 DOS, RAE Basic Monitor driver
4. Crossreference of software
5. Contents of Utility Disk
Cheat-Sheet.pdf DOS 1541 short userguide for SYM-1, Monitor, RAE, Basic
1541DOS_OBJ_PTAPE.TXT DOS 1541 code for address $7000 (see notes below)
1541DOS 9000.txt DOS 1541 code for address $9000 (see notes below)
1541dos.bin 1541 DOS binary for address $9000
sym1541.asm 1541 DOS in TASM format (typed in from listing, not tested yet!)
1541DOS_RAE.txt 1541 DOS in RAE format

Note

The object code assembled to run at $7000 is in SYM paper tape format. Note this code is assembled to run at $7000 but will load into $1000 from the paper tape load. The object code assembled at $9000 is also in SYM paper tape format. Same rules apply for loading etc.

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SYM-Physis The SYM-1 Users’ Group newsletter

Published from issue 0 September 1979 until the last issue 17 Winter 1983

SYM-Physis Issue 0
SYM-Physis Issue 1
SYM-Physis Issue 2
SYM-Physis Issue 3
SYM-Physis Issue 4
SYM-Physis Issue 5-6
SYM-Physis Issue 7
SYM-Physis Issue 8
SYM-Physis Issue 9
SYM-Physis Issue 10
SYM-Physis Issue 11
SYM-Physis Issue 12
SYM-Physis Issue 13-14
SYM-Physis Issue 15
SYM-Physis Issue 16
SYM-Physis Issue 17