zx spectrum assembler

[ninogenio]

i was just wondering if there was a half decent zx spectrum assembler for the pc that any of you guys know of. i picked up some machine coding books for it but i really cant be bothered converting assembly instructions by hand to opcodes and poking them to memory. what i would like is to have a tool either that ran in an emulator or in win32 that done the conversion for me.

cheers.

[Jim]

You need to be downloading a Spectrum emulator like Spin or Spectaculator and finding some assembler software for them.
Start here http://www.worldofspectrum.org/
Which book have you got?

[ninogenio]

cheers jim,

i got a bundled 128k +2 spectrum with intoducing spectrum machine code by ian sinclair which seems to be geared more at the entry level which suits me fine. and machine code applications for the zx spectrum by david laine which is a little more advanced.

ive downloaded a few assembler's z80 zeus being my fave but all of the emus ive tried wont let me quit out the asm editor back to basic to test my code they just lock up and ive got to do a reset.

id really like to be able to code specy stuff on the pc but if i have too ill see if i can pick up an old assembler for my 128.

[Jim]

Should work, where in memory are you trying to edit stuff?

Jim

[ninogenio]

wow i just tried out spectaculator and its really really good.

the problem im having is that the assemblers dont like the 128k in 48k mode they work perfectly.ive not started to write anything yet but im going to soon. whats the best assembler you have yoused jim and did it work ok on the 128k?

[Jim]

Sorry Nino, I'm pretty sure I did all my Z80 coding on paper and assembled it by hand - I still remember many of the opcodes!

Jim

[ninogenio]

np jim i geuss assembling it by hand will just have to do for me. is that how the good old games of the past were made? i mean just by folks working in basic either with an asembler that uses up even more valuable memory or by assembling the code by hand.

[Jim]

I think Lords of Midnight was all done on cassette - a couple of kb of routines on each one - and then all joined together at the end, so the assembler wouldn't have 'wasted' any space as it was never included in the final package.  But I really don't know what assembler program was used (I'm pretty sure there was an assembler used, it wasn't done on paper).  But you'd have to search WoS for assemblers - they've got a massive archive of that kind of thing.  Do a search and see how it works for you in Spectaculator.

Jim

[ninogenio]

i just found a little assembler that runs on the pc and drops out .sna its called Z80 (.sna) Assembler i got it from wos.

ill still keep an eye out for a decent assembler that runs inside the emulator but for now this should be fine.

cheers jim!

[Jim]

ZX Spin has a built-in assembler
http://www.markb.org.uk/zxspin/

Jim

[ninogenio]

very cool cheers jim!