Signetics 2650 & 2636 programming

A guide to programming the family of video game consoles based on the Signetics 2650 microprocessor and 2636 Programmable Video Interface

 * Introduction

Reference

 * Console Hardware
 * System architecture ― Clock generation ― Processor ― Memory map ― PVI ― Sound circuits ― Hand-controller circuits


 * 2650 processor
 * Registers ― Program Status Word ― Reset ― Interrupts ― Instruction set ― Addressing modes


 * 2636 programmable video interface
 * PVI registers ― Objects ― Score ― Background grid ― Sound ― Analogue to digital conversion

Tutorials - system elements

 * Getting started  WinArcadia ― Assembler ― Debugger
 * Objects  Programming objects
 * Score  Score programming ― WinArcadia PVI monitor & memory editor
 * Programming colours  Colour registers ― Colour codes
 * Background grid  Grid programming ― Bar extensions
 * Sync to VRST  Testing VRST ― Moving an object
 * Sync to Object completion  Detect object completion ―  Reprogram objects ― Creating shapes, WithCarry, and Rotate
 * Object collision
 * Sound  Sound
 * Keypad and console buttons
 * Joysticks
 * Interrupts

Tutorials - game elements

 * Speed and animation
 * Sound effects
 * Music

Tutorials - programming techniques

 * BCD arithmetic  BCD  ―  Decimal adjust  ―  Incrementing the score
 * Indexed branching  BXA and BSXA  ―  Creating a state machine

How did they do that?

 * Leapfrog screen programming
 * Super Space Interton game, specifically the terrain
 * Games that use interrupts

Tutorial code

 * Tutorial code - Contains the hardware definitions
 * Getting started - An introduction to using WinArcadia
 * Objects
 * Score
 * Programming colours
 * Background grid
 * Sync to VRST
 * Sync to object completion
 * State machine
 * Interrupts

Appendices

 * Glossary
 * Bibliography
 * Analogue TV
 * 2650 cheat sheet
 * 2636 cheat sheet
 * Background worksheet
 * Development systems
 * WinArcadia
 * Pi2650
 * PVI audio frequency chart
 * Contributions
 * Welcome — Local manual of style — Wiki snippets — Contributors