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Soft158: The Complete CPC 464 OS Firmware Specification

2020-06-07T14:20:03Z

Fbn: add Weblink: SOFT158 CPC464 Firmware (Archive.org)

[[Image:Soft158.jpg|thumb|right|Frontpage]]

== Information ==

{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| Title:
| SOFT 158: The Complete CPC 464 Operating System Firmware Specification
|-
| Authors:
| Bruce Godden, Locomotive Software
|-
| Publisher:
| Amsoft
|-
| Year:
| 1984
|-
| Pages:
|
|-
| ISBN:
|
|}

== Soft 158 (OCRed from Kevin Thacker) ==

'''Caution''' - some sections/appendices are '''missing''' here!

* [[Media:S158frnt.pdf|SOFT 158 Title]]
* [[Media:S158pref.pdf|SOFT 158 Preface]]
* [[Media:S158se05.pdf|SOFT 158 Section 5 (The Graphics VDU)]]
* [[Media:S158se07.pdf|SOFT 158 Section 7 (The Sound Manager)]]
* [[Media:S158se09.pdf|SOFT 158 Section 9 (Expansion ROMs, Resident System Extensions and RAM Programs)]]
* [[Media:S158se10.pdf|SOFT 158 Section 10 (Interrupts)]]
* [[Media:S158se11.pdf|SOFT 158 Section 11 (Events)]]
* [[Media:S158se12.pdf|SOFT 158 Section 12 (The Machine Pack)]]
* [[Media:S158ap04.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 4 (IV) (Function Keys and Expansion Strings)]]
* [[Media:S158ap05.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 5 (V) (Inks and Colours)]]
* [[Media:S158ap07.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 7 (VII) (Text VDU Control Codes)]]
* [[Media:S158ap09.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 9 (IX) (The Programmable Sound Generator)]]
* [[Media:S158ap10.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 10 (X) (Kernel Block Layouts)]]
* [[Media:S158ap11.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 11 (XI) (The Alternate Register Set)]]
* [[Media:S158ap12.pdf|SOFT 158 Appendix 12 (XII) (The Hardware)]]

== Contents ==
<pre>1 - The Firmware.
1.1 The Hardware.
1.2 The Division of the Firmware.
1.3 Controlling the Firmware.
1.4 Jumpblocks.
1.5 Conventions.
1.6 Routine Documentation.
1.7 Example of Patching a Jumpblock.

2 - ROMs, RAM and the Restart Instructions.
2.1 Memory Map.
2.2 ROM Selection.
2.3 The Restart Instructions.
2.4 RAM and the Firmware.

3 - The Keyboard.
3.1 Keyboard Scanning.
3.2 Key Translation.
3.3 Characters from the Keyboard.
3.4 Shift and Caps Lock.
3.5 Repeating Keys.
3.6 Breaks.
3.7 Function Keys and Expansion Tokens.
3.8 Joysticks.

4 - The Text VDU.
4.1 The Text VDU Coordinate Systems.
4.2 Streams.
4.3 Text Pen and Paper Inks.
4.4 Text Windows.
4.5 The Current Position and the Cursor.
4.6 Characters and Matrices.
4.7 Character Output and Control Codes.

5 - The Graphics VDU.
5.1 Graphics VDU Coordinate Systems.
5.2 The Current Graphics Position.
5.3 Graphics Pen and Paper Inks.
5.4 Graphics Write Mode.
5.5 Graphics Window.
5.6 Writing Characters.

6 - The Screen.
6.1 Screen Modes.
6.2 Inks and Colours.
6.3 Screen Addresses.
6.4 Screen Memory Map.

7 - The Sound Manager.
7.1 The Sound Chip.
7.2 Tone Periods and Amplitudes.
7.3 Enveloping.
7.4 Sound Commands.
7.5 Sound Queues.
7.6 Synchronisation.
7.7 Holding Sounds.

8 - The Cassette Manager.
8.1 File Format.
8.2 Record Format.
8.3 Bit Format.
8.4 The Header Record.
8.5 Read and Write Speeds.
8.6 Cataloguing.
8.7 Reading Files.
8.8 Writing Files.
8.9 Reading and Writing Simultaneously.
8.10 Filenames.
8.11 Cassette Manager Messages.
8.12 Escape Key.
8.13 Low Level Cassette Driving.

9 - Expansion ROMs, Resident System Extensions and RAM Programs.
9.1 ROM Addressing.
9.2 The Format of an Expansion ROM.
9.3 Foreground ROMs and RAM Programs.
9.4 Background ROMs.
9.5 Resident System Extensions.
9.6 External Commands.

10 - Interrupts.
10.1 The Time Interrupt.
10.2 External Interrupts.
10.3 Nonmaskable Interrupts.
10.4 Interrupts and Events.
10.5 Interrupt Queues.

11 - Events.
11.1 Event Class.
11.2 Event Count.
11.3 Event Routine.
11.4 Disarming and Reinitialising Events.

12 - The Machine Pack.
12.1 Hardware Interfaces.
12.2 The Printer.
12.3 Loading and Running Programs.

13 - Firmware Jumpblocks.
13.1 The Main Jumpblock.
13.1.1 Entries to the Key Manager.
13.1.2 Entries to the Text VDU.
13.1.3 Entries to the Graphics VDU.
13.1.4 Entries to the Screen Pack.
13.1.5 Entries to the Cassette Manager.
13.1.6 Entries to the Sound Manager.
13.1.7 Entries to the Kernel.
13.1.8 Entries to the Machine Pack.
13.1.9 Entries to Jumper.
13.2 Firmware Indirections.
13.2.1 Text VDU Indirections.
13.2.2 Graphics VDU Indirections.
13.2.4 Keyboard Manager Indirections.
13.2.5 Machine Pack Indirections.
13.3 The High Kernel Jumpblock.
13.4 The Low Kernel Jumpblock.

14 - The Main Firmware Jumpblock.

15 - The Firmware Indirections.

16 - Kernel High Entries.

17 - Low Entries to the Kernel.

Appendices
I Key Numbering.
II Key Translation Tables.
III Repeating Keys.
IV Function Keys and Expansion Strings.
V Inks and Colours.
VI Displayed Character Set.
VII Text VDU Control Codes.
VIII Notes and Tone Periods.
IX The Programmable Sound Generator.
X Kernel Block Layouts.
XI The Alternate Register Set.
XII The Hardware.

</pre>

== Adverts ==

<gallery>
File:ACU840809-002.jpg|Soft157 and Soft158 Advert (ACU 8/9-1985)
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[Soft158A: DDI-1 Firmware - The Complete CPC 464 DOS ROM Specification]]
* [[Soft968: CPC 464/664/6128 Firmware]]
* [[BIOS Functions]]
== Weblinks ==
* [https://archive.org/details/CPC464_Firmware_1984_AMSOFT SOFT158 CPC464 Firmware] (Archive.org)
[[Category:Books]]

Print

2020-05-24T19:46:49Z

Fbn: remove 'Schematics', 'Technical docs', 'Category: CPCWIKI'

Print

2020-05-23T20:09:10Z

Fbn: add 'Additional Manuals', different order

Amsoft SOFT Numbers

2020-05-23T19:38:12Z

Fbn: add SOFT258

[[Category:CPC History]][[Category:Definitions]]
SOFT Numbers used by [[AMSOFT]].

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|SOFT111 ||[[Teach Yourself Amstrad Basic - A Tutorial Guide - Part I]]
|-
|SOFT155 ||[[Pascal (HiSoft 4T)]]
|-
|SOFT156 ||[[Teach Yourself Amstrad Basic - A Tutorial Guide - Part II]]: More Basic
|-
|SOFT157 ||The Concise CPC464 BASIC Specification
|-
|SOFT158 ||[[Soft158: The Complete CPC 464 OS Firmware Specification|The Concise CPC464 Firmware Specification]]
|-
|SOFT158A ||[[Soft158A: DDI-1 Firmware - The Complete CPC 464 DOS ROM Specification]]
|-
|SOFT159 ||A guide to CP/M (2.2)
|-
|SOFT160 ||Guide to Logo
|-
|SOFT258 ||[[:File:Schneider_CPC464_Firmware_Handbuch.pdf|Das komplette CPC464 Betriebssystem Firmware Handbuch]]
|-
|SOFT925 ||Introducing Pascal
|-
|SOFT968 ||[[Soft968: CPC 464/664/6128 Firmware]]
|-
|SOFT971 ||Guide to CP/M Plus
|-
|SOFT981M ||[[:File:Amstrad Computer User8507 006.jpg|Amstrad Computer User T-Shirt]]
|-
|(SOFT-5001)||[[ACU Issue 01 (Aug/Sep 1984)|CPC464 User, Issue 1, Aug/Sep 1984]] (c) Amstrad/Amsoft (would have been SOFT-5001, but didn't have a printed SOFT number)
|-
|(SOFT-5002)||[[ACU Issue 2, 1984|CPC464 User, Issue 2, Oct/Nov 1984]] (c) Amstrad/Amsoft (would have been SOFT-5002, but didn't have a printed SOFT number)
|-
|SOFT-5003 ||[[ACU Issue 1, 1985|Amstrad CPC464 User, Issue 3, Jan/Feb 1985]] (c) Amstrad/Amsoft
|-
|SOFT-5004 ||[[ACU Issue 3, 1985|Amstrad CPC464 User, Issue 4, March 1985]] (c) Amstrad/Amsoft
|-
|... ||...
|-
|SOFT-5014 ||[[ACU Issue 1, 1986|Amstrad Computer User, Issue 14, January 1986]] (c) Amstrad/Amsoft
|-
|SOFT-5015 ||[[ACU Issue 2, 1986|Amstrad Computer User, Issue 15, February 1986]] (c) Amstrad Computer User (no longer published by AMSOFT, but this issue still has an Amsoft-style SOFT number)
|-
|}

Note: Further SOFT numbers (for games/utilities) are found on the [[AMSOFT]] page.