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PBJ Wordpak/Wordpak II: Difference between revisions
Created page with "This was a cartridge that provided a monochrome video out with up to 80x24 text to a second monitor connected directly off the cartridge. It could patch both extended and disk basic to work with its video output. This was helpful for text-heavy applications such as word processing and programming. Additionally, one could create custom fonts using a 8x8 or 8x10 (for the Wordpak II) pixel matrix. The Basic patches provided a screen editor, some additional keyboard functio..." |
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This was a cartridge that provided a monochrome video out with up to 80x24 text to a second monitor connected directly off the cartridge. It could patch both extended and disk basic to work with its video output. This was helpful for text-heavy applications such as word processing and programming. Additionally, one could create custom fonts using a 8x8 or 8x10 (for the Wordpak II) pixel matrix. | This was a cartridge that provided a monochrome video out with up to 80x24 text to a second monitor connected directly off the cartridge. It could patch both extended and disk basic to work with its video output. This was helpful for text-heavy applications such as word processing and programming. Additionally, one could create custom fonts using a 8x8 or 8x10 (for the Wordpak II) pixel matrix. One could also set other video modes - the 32 character wide screen was good for porting TRS-80 Model 1 programs. | ||
The Basic patches provided a screen editor, some additional keyboard functions, and control codes. | The Basic patches provided a screen editor, some additional keyboard functions, and control codes. | ||
Latest revision as of 22:35, 22 March 2026
This was a cartridge that provided a monochrome video out with up to 80x24 text to a second monitor connected directly off the cartridge. It could patch both extended and disk basic to work with its video output. This was helpful for text-heavy applications such as word processing and programming. Additionally, one could create custom fonts using a 8x8 or 8x10 (for the Wordpak II) pixel matrix. One could also set other video modes - the 32 character wide screen was good for porting TRS-80 Model 1 programs.
The Basic patches provided a screen editor, some additional keyboard functions, and control codes. The cartridge worked with a SY6845E chip (a clone of the MC6845, itself a clone of the HD46505), some onboard RAM, a character generator, and some addressing and latching logic.
The cartridge could be operated with the following memory-mapped registers:
- $FF98 read as a status register, or written to select the register for the 6845 chip.
- $FF99 to write a value to the selected register
- $FF9B is read or written as the display memory latch (after setting registers 18 and 19 appropriately then selecting register 31).
- $FF9C (WordPak II only) could switch between the WordPak II output (poke 64 to this location) or the computer output (poke 0 to this location). The WordPak II had an input plug so one could route the normal video out through the cartridge giving this software switch control, so one didn't have to swap cables by hand if one had a single monitor.
See manual linked below for register list and typical initialization. Registers could modify resolution, cursor types, etc.
Having separate video memory made for a much simpler interface doable with a cartridge, but also meant the software was more complex: changing a single character on screen required 5 writes, a status read, and then the final write.
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