Using TI-83 assembly language with a Mac

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Using TI-83 assembly language with a Mac

To use TI-83 assembly language, you need a Z-80 assembler that
runs on a Mac; the only one I know of is one called caz.  There
are two versions of caz available in the ticalc Mac archives at
http://www.ticalc.org/pub/mac/.  One is in the file "GENAU2.HQX";
the other is in the file "CAZ.SIT.HQX".  For the TI-83, you need
"CAZ.SIT.HQX" (and you should also get "CAZ-ENGLISH.DOC").


The original caz did not allow an origin greater than 7FFFh, while
the TI-83 requires an origin of 9327h.  Christian Taylor, who
ported "CAZ.SIT.HQX" to the Mac, has modified it to allow for an
origin greater than 7FFFh.  Also, he has given it a nicer Mac
interface.


To use caz to create an assembly language program on the TI-83:


(1) Use SimpleText or TeachText or any word processor to type in
    your program.  Notes:
    (a) caz is case-sensitive, and the include files "ti83asm.inc"
        and "tokens.inc" are very inconsistent with capitalization
        ("_CLRLCDFULL", but "_clrScrnFull", but "newline"), so you
        have to watch how you capitalize.
    (b) In the file "ti83asm.inc", you have to change the symbol
        "Ld" to something else, such as "LLd", or caz confuses it
        with the LD instruction (I think).
    (c) If you use both include files, caz's symbol table
        overflows.  I include just "ti83asm.inc", and copy what I
        need from "tokens.inc".


(2) Save your program as a TEXT file.


(3) Run caz, specify that you want Intelhex Format output (in the
    Options menu), and assemble your program.


(4) Open the Intelhex output file (it is a TEXT file).  Strip off
    the colon, the first 8 digits and the last 2 digits from each
    line.  Delete the last line.  Select all, copy.


(5) In Link-83, make a new (empty) program window, and paste.  At
    the end, add


           End
           0000  (or whatever)
           End


    Do not press "Return" after the last End.


(6) Send it to your calculator, write a program that calls your
    assembly language program, and cross your fingers.


Christian is working on giving caz a TI-83 output option, so that
steps 4 and 5 of the procedure described above won't be necessary
(in step 3 you would just specify that you want TI-83 Format
output).


------------------------------------------------------------------
Evan Romer                                   Susquehanna Valley HS
sv_golden@SUNYbroome.edu                          Conklin NY 13748