Sinclair ZX80 / ZX81 / Z88 Forums

This prompted me to dust off my ZXBlast which was still at firmware rev. 0.9

PokeMon - may I PM you about the procedure to update the USB controller manually? The Zeddy I was using to update the controller with ZXMUPD21.rom wasn't the most stable as it turns out...

I will check if this upgrade process can be more stable when adapting the hardware. Stay tuned.

Hi there again! After some time not using the ZXBlaster unit, I found out that the expansion board doesn't work anymore. The ZX81 powers up normally without the board; besides, once the ZXBlast is plugged and the ZX81 powered on afterwards, the video screen appears to be blank (no "K" cursor at the bottom of the screen).

I believe that it might be in an intermediate state regarding the reprogramming of both SST chip and Altera CPLD as well, with the USB method some time ago. How could I reprogram the CPLD chip to bring back the expansion board to life again? I have an Altera USB Blaster, but no board/adapter/interface for programming the CPLD itself. In my own lack of knowledge, any suggestion would be really appreciated.

Is the ZXblast still available anywhere?

The first version is not available any more, but it's creator PokeMon is working on an update with fewer bugs. However as this is a hobby project, real life has the first priority. So patience is a virtue.

Vorticon wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 12:40 pm Is the ZXblast still available anywhere?

I just asked that question after reading about them!

I probably need to stop buying all of Pokemon’s keyboards and ZX8-CCBs so he has time to look at them.