jaxtax / jaxtax is on Nostr

"3080c96825639acce28c5d44352f43c857532c5a8632526c61ad670d447abfd57f0e6e86a3706e963ee7d0a0127beb3d447850b05845d435a336640c26fbd598"

Last Notes

2026-10-26 17:43:16 GMT

I was constantly hunting for the same PAL-2 details: connector pinouts, important RAM locations, and useful monitor ROM entry points. So I turned my notes into a four-page printable quick reference with a 1970s look.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/pal-ii-quick-reference/
#PAL2 #KIM1 #6502 #Retrocomputing
https://image.nostr.build/64592beec54381cf4e2b8c129c5e01b05b88baf83cca3b9863d1550013990f02.jpg

2026-10-23 17:42:06 GMT

I built Tantal, a small compiled language for the MOS 6502, inspired by Action! and developed with Claude Code. It is designed around the real constraints of my PAL-2: predictable code, direct memory-mapped I/O, signal-oriented wait expressions, and no stack-based parameters or local variables. The display example now runs on the physical machine.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/tantal-6502-native-language-claude-code/
#6502 #PAL2 #KIM1 #retrocomputing
https://image.nostr.build/1ea64db3a40070d32a8131a984711e0ee20a6ad942c3e3977c45adfd9c90e03c.jpg

2026-10-17 18:08:20 GMT

CP/M-65 is now running on my real PAL-2 with a directly connected SD card module. The debugging trail included a half-faulty 6532, the wrong RIOT Port A, and a modern SD card that required a patched loader. Claude helped trace the SPI exchange while I watched it on the oscilloscope.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/getting-cpm-65-to-boot-on-pal-2/
https://image.nostr.build/16f6f0f9fc49a1455b313cdc92ea38b690f1d6ef02672fbaa04c330162056d94.png

2026-10-13 08:12:15 GMT

I tested five USB-C-to-UART converters for vintage calculators and my PAL-2 computer. Only two worked directly over USB-C. The other three needed a USB-A adapter chain—apparently because their Type-C implementation omitted the required 5.1 kΩ CC pull-down resistors. The article includes board photos and oscilloscope captures.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/usb-c-uart-converters-tested/
#USBC #UART #Retrocomputing
https://image.nostr.build/bb3b3eff3da48246f0c7a6038277f7b3e00f2125fba010908e4ee14cc592ed33.jpg

2026-10-10 16:32:25 GMT

The PAL-2 lives! After soldering hundreds of joints, my KIM-1-compatible 6502 computer initially greeted me with a dark display. One press of RS later, it was alive. PAP transfers now work reliably with kimload; next up is an SPI SD card module and CP/M-65.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/building-pal-2-kim-1-compatible-computer/
#retrocomputing #KIM1 #6502 #PAL2
https://image.nostr.build/1ce8acafc78eeb2598ca0a99be5ebf09d67d403c051dbed4509b9a673b71e4a2.jpg

2026-10-09 07:56:32 GMT

I’m assembling a PAL-2, a modern incarnation of the KIM-1. Before the real hardware is ready, I added emulated SD card support and CP/M-65 to my KIM-1 simulator. Seeing a CP/M prompt again takes me back to my childhood with a Sharp MZ-821 and its RAM disk.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/cpm-65-comes-to-my-kim-1-simulator/
#RetroComputing #KIM1 #6502 #CPM
https://image.nostr.build/80da070ad6a5d922ee139c0740d519e3a72154c6141fd64c428991bc18149b8a.png

2026-09-23 09:23:15 GMT

Learning the 6502 by Building a KIM-1 Simulator
A PAL-2 kit is on the way, so I built a hardware-faithful KIM-1 simulator in Go to learn the MOS 6502 while I wait.
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/learning-the-6502-by-building-a-kim-1-simulator/
https://blossom.primal.net/265a44fac2232d20698049882c3d73d93fca928e385a232e921e62920382bbfd.png

2026-09-10 13:29:22 GMT

How a tiny Intel N150 machine running ZimaOS became my practical playground for self-hosting, Docker, photos, automation, media, and personal tools...
https://blog.jaxtax.eu/my-small-rebellion-against-everything-as-a-service/

2026-08-21 11:25:25 GMT

My HP-48G+ (and HP-48whatever) is one of my favorite calculators, but transferring files to it was always a hassle - I could never remember my old kermit settings. So I built a simple web app with Claude that just works, first try. Full story: https://blog.jaxtax.eu/hp-48-web-kermit-app/
https://blossom.primal.net/b59d6bce8f5e8e617300ab1bb6bf468d01b5561e92a6de2c058050598cf46b9e.jpg