News
Overview
Virtual Nascom
Gallery
Nascom Repository
Pictures
Links
Mirrors
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News
The Old News have move to a separate page.
Overview
Hi and welcome to the Nascom home page.
The Nascom (1 and 2) were computer kits from the UK based Nasco,
later Lucas, around the Z80 processor, sold in the early 1980s. This
remarkable piece of hardware contained:
- a real keyboard (picture
of the keyboard [141 KB]),
- a 4 MHz Z80A processor,
- 1 KB static RAM (extendable to 8 KB, or 16 KB with more work),
- 2 KB Monitor (NAS-SYS 1),
- 8 KB Microsoft Basic,
- a 48x16 video interface, to attach to a standard TV,
- serial in/out, selectable between cassette tape, RS-232, or current loop
20 mA for teletype writers (picture
of the I/O connectors [163 KB]).
The Nascom computers were very useful for learning about microcomputer hardware and,
through complete documentation, also learning system programming. All electronic
schematics, datasheets of special components and the complete source code
of the monitor were available from the beginning.
The purpose of this page is to gather as many Nascom resources as possible
and to make them available. If you have Nascom resources you would like
to make available, please do not hesitate to send them to
- Tommy Thorn (change "_AT_" to "@") or
- Constantin Olbrich (change "_AT_" to "@")
, and they will find their way to this page. Don't be shy about
including auxiliary details, such as the story behind the game,
manual, etc.
You can support the Nascom Repository with:
- binary images
- original documents OCR'ed or simply scanned
- sampled tapes: 22 kHz, 8-bit, mono
The Nascom Respository is looking for:
- A JavaScript Nascom emulator, for use on this site
- The "Keys of Kraal" game
- OCR'ed versions of the INMC newsletter, 80 Bus Journals or other Nascom magazines.
- NAS-DOS 2
- NAS-PEN disk version
- Mushroom 4K Basic.
- ZEAP 2.2 Assembler disk version.
- Nas-Net Manual and Software.
- Hi-Soft Nasnem Disassembler.
- any Nascom software or documents not presented here!
Virtual Nascom and VNascom
There are many Nascom emulators available today, but at the genesis of this web site
there was none. Need thus begat Virtual Nascom, a fully portable Nascom emulator
distributed in source form. The primary site is
the Virtual Nascom git repository.
VNascom is an alternatively emulator written by Constantin for Windows. The latest version is
Virtual Nascom Version 3.1 for DOS/Win9x/ME.
The current version has bit level correct screen output and complete
keyboard emulation. It run all the programs We've tried, which includes
most games available. New in Version 3.1: CP/M Version 2.2 runs on
standard Nascom screen as well as on the AVC.
Hans Rietveld contributed a front-end
for Vnascom.
A new Nascom 2/3 emulator version 1.2 in Java written by Richard Espley is available.
VNascom Gallery
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PACMAN
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One of the best Nascom games.
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GALAXY ATTACK
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1981 by South East London Software.
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BLUE LABEL SOFTWARE PASCAL
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1981 by Blue Label Software. If there are any software classics for Nascoms, this is one of the bests.
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Digital Research CP/M 2.2 on Nascom 3
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CP/M 2.2 on a Nascom 3 with screen editing 1982.
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The Nascom Repository
A Nascom file (extention *.NAS) can be uploaded with the "L" monitor
command. Your Nascom creates such a file with a connected PC over the serial
line with the following two commands at the Nas-Sys prompt:
- X ..................... enable RS232 output
- T aaaa bbbb .... creates a listing from aaaa to bbbb for in format "L".
Your PC Terminal Program needs the following communication parameters:
1200 7/E/1 as 1200 Baud, one stop bit even Parity and 7 data bits.
Mike Fox offers this tip on
How to
automatically Read NAS files into a Nascom (open the linked
zip file for more information).
Utilities for the PC written in Microsoft QBASIC (MS-DOS, Win9x,
Windows NT):
- NAS2ROM.BAS Converts a NAS file to ROM file (binary image) for creating an EPROM.
- ROM2NAS.BAS Converts a ROM file to a NAS file for uploading over the serial line to a NASCOM
- CAS2NAS.BAS Converts a CAS file to a NAS file.
- NAS2CAS.BAS Converts a NAS file to a CAS file.
Unix utilities
- nas2rom.c Converts a NAS file to to ROM file (binary image) for creating an EPROM.
Nascom Emulators:
Nascom CP/M disk images and ROM's:
Nasdos & CP/M Disk Images:
Nasdos Applications:
D-DOS (by D. R. Hunt):
Nascom magazines:
- INMAC News Issue 1.
- INMAC News Issue 2.
- INMAC News Issue 3.
- INMAC News Issue 5.
- INMC 80 NEWS issue 1 (June .. August 1980).
- INMC 80 NEWS issue 2 (September 1980 .. Januar 1981).
- Micropower Volume 1 Number 1 (August 1981).
- Micropower Volume 1 Number 2 (September 1981).
- Micropower Volume 1 Number 3 (November 1981).
- Micropower Volume 1 Number 4 (December 1981).
- Micropower Volume 2 Number 1 (February 1982).
- Micropower Volume 2 Number 2 (April 1982).
- Best of INMC News (August 1981).
- Here a gem, courtesy of Paul Wiliams and John Hunt. A couple
of short hardware articles from Wireless World 1977 - 1979, by Mr C. D.
Shelton and NASCO Ltd on microcomputer design. The hardware in these is
identical to Nascom 1, and it arrears that somewhere in the
business/design setup that Mr Shelton had an arrangement to publish the
Nascom 1 design.
Interesting though that part 4 came out in Feb 1978, as
this puts part 1 in about Nov 1977 - so it seems the design was being
published at about the same time that the Nascom 1 was being first produced?
Open source doesn't seem to be a modern invention then.
Paul provided parts 4 & 5 of the series, while John provided the
remainder and converted Paul's to space saving PNG format. Thank you both.
- Nov 77:
1,
2,
3,
4.
- Dec 77:
1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
- Jan 78:
1,
2,
3.
- Feb 78:
1,
2.
- Aug 78:
1,
2,
3.
- Jan 79:
1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
- From C&VG, 3 type-ins games for Nascom-2
(Missing pages are full-page advertisements):
"The Invaders"
(1,
2,
3,
4),
typed in by Lex Landa — thanks,
"Nimbot" (
1,
2,
3,
4,
5), and
"Anti Grav Flier" (
1,
2,
3).
- Practical
Computer Nov 1981: TRS-80 to Nascom
Nascom Manuals and Books:
Schematics, Proms and Character Generator EPROMS:
Data sheets of special components:
Monitors for Nascom1 to Nascom3:
Assemblers, Disassemblers and Debuggers:
Programming Languages:
Text Processors, Databases and Spreadsheet Programs:
Games:
Programs in NASCOM Basic for loading with the basic command CLOAD:
Assembler programs written for ZEAP 2.x for loading with the ":" and "R" command :
Pascal programs written in BLS/Nascom Pascal for loading with the "L" command :
Programs for the Radio Amateur :
CP/M programs, bios versions:
Hardware Drivers (currently not supported in VNascom):
Pictures
Here are some of the pictures of the Nascom:
Acknowledgement
Words of thanks goes to:
- Dennis Wray for the Nascom 2k Tiny Basic and Nasbug T2 fixes.
- Jean-Claude Pesce for new scans.
- Robert Gill for a lot of Micropower magazine.
- John Hunt for much work on the Wireless World articles.
- Mike Fox for scanned INMAC News issues and program loading tips, and much more.
- Robert Gill for a lot of Micropower magazine.
- Mikael Pontén for a CD with POLYDOS and Lucas CP/M 2.2 V3.2.
- Paul Williams, for a glimpse of the history behind Nascom.
- Richard Espley for a copy of the AVC manual, the NAS-SEMBLER
manual, many Nasdos applications, the Level 9 adventures and the Nascom
2/3 emulator in Java.
- Steve Drinkwater for the INMC news magazine.
- Robert Gill for the Xtal Basic manuals.
- Richard Hodson for the Hisoft 12K Basic manuals, code and the INMC magazine.
- John Parry for the V&T Assembler.
- John Parkin for the Z2 Editor/Assembler manual.
- Lars Jonssen for the Compression Assembler manual.
- Paul Chapman, the author of the ZEAP Assembler.
- Peter Brendel for some Basic games.
- Jesper Hansen for BLS Pascal 1.0.
- Alain Gibaud for the 8k tape basic and ZEAP 1.1 and documentation for both.
- Terry Carter for the LogicSoft Relocator manual.
- Lex Landa for typed in version of Nimbot and Invaders.
- Roger Scott for the Chess graphics rom and D-DOS documentation.
- Knut Syvertsen for INMC scans and NASBUG T4 and HOBBIT V2 manuals.
Links to other Nascom related sites
Mirrors
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![picture of the keyboard [141 KB]](pics/NASKBD.JPG){kind=link}
![picture of the I/O connectors [163 KB]](pics/NASBACK.JPG){kind=link}
