Help Uploading Technical Information on Disciple

[disciplePalGuy]

Hi Forum

I’m the author of a document you host at https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1 ... _Interface
Disciple PALS Finally Unveiled (DisciplePals.html), part of https://archive.org/download/World_of_S ... AL-ICs.zip

First, the link appears broken, and second, I’ve updated this document substantially in 2024 to correct errors and also included information on the Plus D.

I've tried to use your add files form https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/zxdb/ad ... _files.php but it can't find the ZXDB ID

Clearly I'm doing something wrong, could someone tell me how to add files to this entry ?

Thanks

[+3code]

Hi,

in "ZXDB existing title/entry (fulltext):" type "disciple interface", a white line will appear where you can click/select the ID.

[disciplePalGuy]

Thank you - that worked, files all uploaded.

[Kiwi]

Thanks for updating the info. I was looking to get the new version but the link looks like it's still pointing to archive.org and can't find the file. Is there any mod magic that needs to happen for the update to become live ?

Thanks.

[+3code]

Is there any mod magic that needs to happen for the update to become live ?

They will be avaliable in the site with the next update. The last was 1st March (viewtopic.php?t=11114) so the next will be soon.

[pavero]

Thanks for updating the info. I was looking to get the new version but the link looks like it's still pointing to archive.org and can't find the file. Is there any mod magic that needs to happen for the update to become live ?

Thanks.

All files you can find temporarily here:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/zxdb/ad ... ter_id=NaN

[Stefan]

Question about this part in the doc:

Page out the Speccy ROM and enable the Disciple RAM / ROM when the Z80 accesses certain memory addresses (0x0001 (*), 0x0008, 0x0066, 0x28E) or an NMI is generated (snapshot button)

The NMI executes a jump to 0x0066 - so why would it need an additional page out?

[disciplePalGuy]

Not quite sure what you mean.
The NMI gets the Z80 to do the jump of the PC to 0x0066, but the Spectrum ROM still needs to be paged out so the Disciple can handle it.

[disciplePalGuy]

Thanks for taking the time to read it, it has been a labour of love and taxed my brain - especially the Disciple ROM/RAM swopping and boot flip flop, never mind reset behaviour.
I've updated version 2.1 of the doc, which includes more clarifications and describes differences between the Plus D and Disciple.
Enjoy, and please continue to ask questions and give me corrections...

[disciplePalGuy]

Question about this part in the doc:



The NMI executes a jump to 0x0066 - so why would it need an additional page out?

Ugh, now I understand what you mean... it doesn't require an additional page out.. it's bad wording in the document. It only looks for location 0x066, not the NMI line

[Stefan]

For some flavour, I had a DISCiPLE, it was a wonderful piece of kit, easing my upgrade path to the SAM Coupé.

At the time I was living in NZ and bought it on our 1987 holiday to The Netherlands at Data-Skip in Gouda, a 5.25" DSDD disk drive was bought in the USA - at Egghead if I recall correctly. Back in NZ I found the ROM in the interface to be non-functional, I think it was a ROM 2.0, luckily Rockfort shipped out a replacement, ah the pre-internet days

[disciplePalGuy]

For some flavour, I had a DISCiPLE, it was a wonderful piece of kit, easing my upgrade path to the SAM Coupé.

At the time I was living in NZ and bought it on our 1987 holiday to The Netherlands at Data-Skip in Gouda, a 5.25" DSDD disk drive was bought in the USA - at Egghead if I recall correctly. Back in NZ I found the ROM in the interface to be non-functional, I think it was a ROM 2.0, luckily Rockfort shipped out a replacement, ah the pre-internet days

Good for Rockfort, that's customer service, I read an article in FORMAT where Alan Miles said he used to answer the phone personally.
My first disk interface was the Plus D and it was, well, almost life changing. I got it for Christmas one year. Not sure when I managed to get my hands on a Disciple, but it was, despite being the older interface, amazing. I don't know why I considered it better than the Plus D at the time, as I had a +2 with inbuilt joystick ports, so that advantage wasn't there for me. Maybe it was just the aesthetics. In the end they are both great interfaces and both taught me a lot. Sadly,one day I managed to unplug the Disciple while the +2 was on, damaging both. The +2 was fixed, but I couldn't get the PAL chips for the Disciple (despite this being late 1980s when companies were still around), so it lay broken for many years.
I saw on the WOS forums some years ago someone was trying to build a disciple clone, but not sure it came to anything. Great to see Plus D clones are plentiful though.

Those were the days...