A multipurpose card that emulates ROM and RAM. The ROM content is loaded from the SD card, as well as single-part programs in machine code stored in the CAS format. Below I provide a complete guide on how to make own Flexi Card.
Update on the Sord m5 clones article
Added few more images of Samsung(Goldstar) FC-150 and specified mutual cartridge compatibility.
More info here: https://dlabi.cz/klony-sord-m5/#Goldstar-FC
Sord m5's clones
Although the Sord m5 was not as popular as the ZX Spectrum, several of its clones were created during its era which spread under various names beyond the continent of Japan. Let's introduce them one by one.
Updated Sord driver in offcial MAME branch
I am happy to inform you that the improvements I have made to the already obsolete Sord emulator have been added to the official MAME distribution, specifically to version 0.171. Compared to the current
version it can now emulate EM-5 32kB, 64kBi, 64kBF and 64kRX memory modules. This allows you run programs that was not working due to lack of RAM. For this reason, another slot for
cartridges was added
so that the memory can be "inserted" together with one of the Basics. Then there was added a modification called Brno according to the place of origin, which contains a CP-M with a 1MB RAM ramdisk. I intend to constantly improve this driver, if time allows. Unfortunately, after the official version was released I realized that I forget to add support for uploading LST files. If you need this function, download my version, which already contains this feature.
Sord M5 programs library II.
Další várka programů, tentokráte to bude krmivo pro disketovky nebo alespoň emulátory disketovek. Dlouho jsem přemýšlel jaký formát zvolit, aby byl univerzální. Nakonec rozhodl program na vytváření Amstradovských disket nazvaný CPCDiskXP (seženete ho tady ), který umožňuje velice pohodlně programy do image přidávat nebo z image ukládat na PC. Navíc formát který jsem zvolil přečte nejenom Mess, ale i CP/M bez úprav. Pokud tedy použijete CPCDiskXP a budete chtít být také kompatibilní, vyberte formát PCW/+3DOS – Double Side – 80 Tracks – 64Dir. Entries 720Kb. Každopádně CP/M i Mess zvládne i jiné formáty, je to tedy jen na Vás který použijete.
Improved SordM5 for Mess
After a long pause here on the blog, I decided to share my own Sord build for Mess. Compared to the original official version, my brother and I added a few interesting features to the emulator. To prevent the new functions from being confused with the original, we have created a new mode named m5p_lzr. Below are some of the new features
- 64kBi and 64kRx memory support
- F-block type support in tape recording
- "Windows" starts by default, a menu that allows you to quickly launch the most used programs. According to the modification of Mr. Stuchlík and LZRsoft
- ROM containing BI, BG, BF, MSX1.C and CPM
- support for two 3.5 ″ floppy drives. Support for the original FD5 has been removed.(wasn't working)
- added QuickLoad support, for loading programs directly into memory. I will add the m5q format specification later.
26/09/2014 version 1.1
- added support for creating and writing dsk image disks (CPC EXTENDED) - probably it will still be quite buggy
Tools for working with the CAS files
I have created a few programs for working with CAS files for Sord (castool is part of MESS). CAS is a short for CASsette format used in the Mess emulator. It is actually a binary file, as it was actually recorded on a tape in the form of an audio signal.
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bin2cas.exe 1 7 downloads |
Sord utils | 28/01/2024 | Download |
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cas2bin.exe 1 8 downloads |
Sord utils | 28/01/2024 | Download |
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castool.exe 1 11 downloads |
Sord utils | 28/01/2024 | Download |
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m5wav2cas.exe 1 13 downloads |
Sord utils | 28/01/2024 | Download |
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Sord revival_v1.0.rar 1 11 downloads |
Sord utils | 28/01/2024 | Download |
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sord_revival.rar 1 11 downloads |
Sord utils | 28/01/2024 | Download |
Netradiční vytváření programů pro Z80
Nedávno jsem potřeboval vytvořit jednoduchou utilitku pro Sorda v assembleru a protože klávesnice Sorda není to pravé ořechové pro vkládaní textu, napadlo mě jak to udělat pohodlněji.
Na stránce clrhome.org/asm/ je možno psát program v assembleru Z80, následně ho online zkompilovat a uložit na disk. To je přesně to co potřebuji. Pak pomocí malé utilitky bin2cas vytvořím CAS soubor, který již mohu nahrát do MESSu a program vyzkoušet. Samozřejmě že složitější program bude lepší vyvíjet přímo na Sordu v nějakém assembleru s debugerem, ale pro jednoduší prográmky mohu jen doporučit.
Ukázka jednoduchého programu v assembleru
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
#define PRINT 1063H .org $B000 ;program start address ld b,0 ;max number of characters ld HL, Message call PRINT ; Displays the string ret Message: .db "Hello world!",0 |
Sord M5 programs library
My collection of programs for Sord, I'll digitize some more in time. They are in CAS format, which is the native format for MESS now MAME.Unlike the WAV format it is in a few kilobytes size. But I have to say that programs requiring 64kB RAM module will not work in old MESS, because in MESS you can't disconnect MONITOR ROM and cartridge programmatically and the program can't handle that. Therefore use the improved version here or newer MAME here
Please note that I am not the author of these programs. If the actual authors would mind me offering them here, please email me and I will remove them from the site.
All programs have been moved here
Můj první počítač
We all started with computers somehow, someone forced someone with enthusiasm. I can say that I fell for them as a boy and since I was born at '80, I started with 8 bits as there was nothing else. My brother and I longed for the ZX Spectrum, but Santa gave us unknown to us at the time Sord M5 původem z Japonska. Přestože se Sord prodával tehdy jen v Tuzexu nebo v bazarech, ukázalo se že nebyl v tehdejším Československu až tak neznámý počítač. Dokonce existoval i klub Sordistů veden pod Svazarmem 602 , který čítal desítky členů. Někteří z nich dokázali vylepšovat Sordíka např. o zvýšení RAMKY na 64kB (v základu měl Sord 4kB), RAMdisk, vytvořili tehdy u 8bitů vzácný řadič 3,5″ floppy mechaniky a převedli spousty her z příbuzného systému MSX nebo naprogramovali emulátor her ze ZX Spectra. Mimo těchto aktivit vznikal nízkonákladový tištěný klubový skoro mesíčník, zdroj velmi cenných informací. Protože jsem objevil podobný blog I will only publish the missing numbers here. As I do not have permission to publish these documents and therefore, if it would bother the authors, I will remove them immediately. But I think it would be an eternal pity let their efforts fade into the abyss of history. At least for me, the Sord M5 was and remained a matter of the heart, and I doubt I'll ever sell it to anyone.
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