Signetics 2650 & 2636 programming

• 
  Signetics 2650 & 2636 programming

  for second-generation
  video game consoles.

A guide to programming the family of video game consoles based on the Signetics 2650 microprocessor and 2636 Programmable Video Interface

• Introduction

Reference

• Console Hardware

System architecture ― Clock generation ― Processor ― Memory map ― PVI ― Sound circuits ― Hand-controller circuits

• 2650 processor

Registers ― Program Status Word ― Reset ― Interrupts ― Instruction set ― Addressing modes

• 2636 programmable video interface

PVI registers ― Objects ― Score ― Background grid ― Sound ― Analogue to digital conversion

Tutorials - system elements

• Getting started
     WinArcadia ― Assembler ― Debugger
• Objects
     Programming objects
• Score
     Score programming ― WinArcadia PVI monitor & memory editor
• Programming colours
     Colour registers ― Colour codes
• Background grid
     Grid programming ― Bar extensions
• Sync to VRST
     Testing VRST ― Moving an object
• Sync to Object completion
     Detect object completion ― Reprogram objects ― Creating shapes, WithCarry, and Rotate
• Object collision
• Sound
     Sound
• Keypad and console buttons
• Joysticks
• Interrupts

Tutorials - game elements

• Speed and animation
• Sound effects
• Music

Tutorials - programming techniques

• BCD arithmetic
     BCD ― Decimal adjust ― Incrementing the score
• Indexed branching
     BXA and BSXA ― Creating a state machine

How did they do that?

• Leapfrog screen programming
• Super Space Interton game, specifically the terrain
• Games that use interrupts

Tutorial code

• Tutorial code - Contains the hardware definitions
• Getting started - An introduction to using WinArcadia
• Objects
• Score
• Programming colours
• Background grid
• Sync to VRST
• Sync to object completion
• State machine
• Interrupts

Appendices

• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Analogue TV
• 2650 cheat sheet
• 2636 cheat sheet
• Background worksheet
• Development systems
• WinArcadia
• Pi2650
• PVI audio frequency chart

• Contributions

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