Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Everything Else => Topic started by: USSEnterprise on July 27, 2006, 12:21:25 pm

Title: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: USSEnterprise on July 27, 2006, 12:21:25 pm
Any suggestions for a somewhat easy time learning the godawful programming language known as microprocessor assembly? I need to learn it for robotics, as our lead programmer dropped out.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: AtomSmasher on July 27, 2006, 12:27:46 pm
Oh, that sucks.  I had to learn mac assembly back in school, it definately sucked.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: JoeJoe97 on July 27, 2006, 04:28:19 pm
What microprocessor?  x86? 

In college we had a number of courses on the Motorola 68HC11.  We also had one x86 course as well.  I think once you get used to the ways of assembly, you might appreciate the simplicity of it.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: lokki on July 27, 2006, 04:38:56 pm
try Art of Assembly language (assume x86)


http://webster.cs.ucr.edu/

You can buy the book or down load the book in various formats.


Great tutorial..


Good luck
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: USSEnterprise on July 28, 2006, 01:52:35 pm
Anyone have an Apple II system or C64 I can practice on? I know I could go with emulators, but I'd rather work on the real thing.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: ChadTower on July 28, 2006, 01:54:50 pm

I have a bunch of TI99s I'm going to part with soon.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: lokki on July 28, 2006, 02:05:24 pm
What CPU will you be using?
6502?
6510?

If it is this family then haev you checked out

http://www.6502.org/ tons of stuff there. (including some pretty good tutorials)

I hate to say this but an emulator would probably be an easier solution.



Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: thebrownshow on July 28, 2006, 03:24:26 pm

I have a bunch of TI99s I'm going to part with soon.

Dude, if you have Hunt the Wumpus I totally call dibs.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: ChadTower on July 28, 2006, 03:30:21 pm

I'd be surprised if I don't.  I have stacks TI99 stuff straight from the TI labs.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: RayB on July 29, 2006, 07:34:59 pm
USS: There are many flavors of ASM.  As was asked above, which CPU?

ASM is pretty easy. It's mostly all about moving and comparing data.

Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: Dervacumen on July 29, 2006, 09:13:35 pm
I've got two books on 6502 assembly lang. I was about to send to ebay.  If you're interested let me know.  I'll send them your way.
Learning ASM is pretty straightforward, really.  It took me about 4 weeks to do the basic stuff.  The hardest part was getting your head around loading a bunch of registers with data when normally you just type =2+4.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: USSEnterprise on July 30, 2006, 11:33:27 am
Its certainly not the 6502. Its a BASIC stamp processor. Apparently, our old programmer was integrating ASM into the PBASIC to program the robot
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: lokki on July 30, 2006, 12:35:49 pm
Then why where you asking for Apple or c64(6502 and 6510 machines)?
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: USSEnterprise on July 30, 2006, 03:19:16 pm
I was assuming that all assembly is basically the same. An I incorrect?
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: Grasshopper on July 30, 2006, 03:43:35 pm
I was assuming that all assembly is basically the same. An I incorrect?

No, each processor family is completely different.

You'd better hope it's not the 6502 as programming that chip is very hard work. From memory (it's been a long time since I did any assembly programming) I believe it only had three 8 bit registers for doing calculations and one 16 bit register for addresses.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: ChadTower on July 30, 2006, 06:41:23 pm

On the bright side, if it is 6502, he'll be able to write games for the 2600 and the NES.

Seriously, seriously doubt it would be 6502.

Basically, he can't begin to research it until he knows what processor it is.  Then he needs to ask RISC or CISC and begin to learn accordingly.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: lokki on July 30, 2006, 08:08:25 pm
Yes, assembly varies greatly from one CPU to another.
It would be easier if you knew the family of the CPU that you need to use.

Also there are compilers out there that can take c code (which may be easier to learn than assembly but not much) and convert it to assembly.


Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: USSEnterprise on July 31, 2006, 08:17:36 pm
BS2SX is the processor I am working with.
Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: rockhopper on July 31, 2006, 11:51:01 pm
I'm pretty sure you can't use assembly with the bs2sx, as that package includes an interpreter that only accepts pbasic commands.

if you meant the sx chip by itself, there is a heap of info on

http://www.parallax.com/sx/downloads.asp (http://www.parallax.com/sx/downloads.asp)

including info on learning and using assembly.

Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: RayB on August 03, 2006, 04:04:43 pm
I was assuming that all assembly is basically the same. An I incorrect?

They are the same in theory, but the mnemonics differ.

Title: Re: I need to learn ASM by December
Post by: ChadTower on August 03, 2006, 04:32:07 pm

Yep, in theory, you can separate them into RISC and CISC and then study how to use either.

The command set and specific mechanics would differ but you can move from one CPU to another in the same category much easier than you can to one of the other.