[HN Gopher] Show HN: A Sinclair ZX81 retro web assembler+simulator
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Show HN: A Sinclair ZX81 retro web assembler+simulator
Lots of fun to do. I would have not taken the time without the
speedup provided by Claude.
https://andyrosa.github.io/Sinclaude/simulator.html
Author : andromaton
Score : 71 points
Date : 2025-08-11 00:44 UTC (22 hours ago)
| SanjayMehta wrote:
| I still have my zx-81, it powers up but the keyboard membrane is
| long gone. Learnt z80 assembly on it. Good times.
| stephbu wrote:
| Yeah me too in 1982, using the Melbourne House Z80 reference,
| aged a young 10 years old. Working with POKE and no macro-
| assembler, I wrote mnemonics then translated them to machine-
| code by hand. A baptism of fire that to this day that I've not
| forgotten.
|
| This book was the ignition that changed my life...
| https://archive.org/details/z-80-reference-guide-alan-tullya...
| rwmj wrote:
| Cover art to die for too!
| YZF wrote:
| I have my ZX-81 (with the 16KB expansion pack) and my ZX-
| Spectrum (with a microdrive). I think they're in working
| condition though they haven't been powered up like in 30+
| years.
| JdeBP wrote:
| Watching the retrocomputing enthusiasts, apart from obvious
| things like water damage, it seems that the first thing that
| one always has to check before attempting to power up is
| capacitors. A generalism true for all old electronics, rather
| than Sinclair-specific.
| actionfromafar wrote:
| And always assume the C64 power supply will fry the
| computer. It fails over time by raising the output voltage.
| rwmj wrote:
| Don't just plug it in! The power supply and/or VRM can fail
| in ways that deliver bad voltages to components. You might
| want to watch some of Lee's[1] videos first on how to bring
| up a ZX81 safely, or ask in his discord community for more
| help.
|
| [1] https://www.youtube.com/@MoreFunMakingIt/videos
| pjmlp wrote:
| That is why my Timex 2068 has never left the box since
| around 1990.
|
| Better admire for what it was and use an emulator instead.
| boomlinde wrote:
| ZX Renew sells replacement membranes for PS12 if you want to
| get it in working order.
| empressplay wrote:
| Cool stuff! My first computer was the Timex Sinclair 1000 (when I
| was 6). Good times!
|
| We did something similar for the Apple II, to compile Merlin
| assembly into a running emulator instance:
|
| https://paleotronic.com/merlinplus/
| pjmlp wrote:
| Looks nice, however on laptop screens not all buttons are
| visible, it took a while to discover I could scroll to find
| "Assemble and Run".
| GPerson wrote:
| Can you say what parts Claude was used for to speed this up?
| xnorswap wrote:
| My guess is most of it? This commit message for example sounds
| very much like a Claude result: Add Space
| Invaders game implementation in assembly language -
| Implemented the core game logic including player movement,
| missile firing, and invader behavior. - Added collision
| detection for missiles and bombs. - Included game state
| management for win/lose conditions and restarting the game.
| - Created functions for drawing game elements on the screen and
| handling keyboard input. - Defined constants and
| variables for game configuration and state tracking.
|
| That last one in particular is exactly the kind of update you
| get from claude, it doesn't sound very human. "Constants and
| variables" eh? Not just constants or variables, but constants
| and variables.
|
| Helpful, but not. Detailed, but not.
| GPerson wrote:
| Fast / slow mode breaks "Space Invader" by the way.
| jlundberg wrote:
| For people interested in the ZX community, be sure to check out
| the ZX Spectrum Next (ks3 ending within a week):
|
| https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectru...
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(page generated 2025-08-11 23:01 UTC)