Nice Z80+ User manual

NICE®ZSO+
In-Circuit Emulator for
the Z80® Microprocessor
Operation Manual
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~Nicolet

NICE Z80+
User's Guide and Reference Manual
for the Z80 Microprocessor
May 1986
Test Instruments Division
21.5 Fourier Avenue
Fremont, CA 94.539
12.5-0061-0001 Rev. B

COPYRIGHT
COPYRIGHT c 1985 by Nicolet Test Instruments Division. All rights
reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced by any means, nor
translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the
publishers.
LIMITED WARRANTY
Nicolet Test Instruments Division guarantees your emulator against all
defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ninety (90) days from
the date of delivery to the original user. All instruments returned to
Nicolet Test Instruments Division FREIGHT PREPAID during the ninety day
period will be replaced or restored to proper working condition and returned
to the sender without charge. We neither assume nor authorize any
representative or other person to assume for us any other liability in
connection with the sale on any shipment of our products.
NOTE
This warranty does not apply to damage caused by
shipping, negligence, accident, unauthorized repair,
abuse, misuse, or modification; or to inconven-
iences or consequential damages occasioned by the
instrument, or by breach of any expressed or
implied warranty with respect thereto. Further, no
agreement extending or modifying this warranty in
any way whatsoever will be binding upon unless
executed by a duly authorized officer of the
company.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights; you may also have other rights
which depend on local jurisdiction.
We reserve the right to make changes and improvements in our products
without incurring any obligation to similarly alter products previously
purchased.
OUT OF WARRANTY REPAIRS
A flat repair cost will be charged for an out-of-warranty product that is
returned to Nicolet Test Instruments Division. This price includes return
surface freight charges and necessary component replacement.
Method of payment (included with emulator): check, credit card, COD or
purchase order (approved by Nicolet Test Instruments Division).
If a bank card is used, the following information is required:
o Card type (ie. VISA or Mastercard)
o Name as shown on card
o Credit card number
o Expiration date
If requesting COD repair, please so state when returning the unit.

U.S. SERVICE CENTERS
Nicolet Test Instruments Division
.522.5-2 Verona Road
Madison, WI .53711-0288
Tel: [phone]
Twx: 910/286-2737 (NICOLET MDS C)
Fax: [phone]
Nicolet Test Instruments Division
12 New England Executive Park
Burlington, MA 01803
Tel: [phone]
OVERSEAS:
Nicolet Test Instruments Division
21.5 Fourier Avenue
Fremont, CA 94.539
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Nicolet Test Instruments Division
2181 Northlake Parkway, Suite 118
Tucker, GA 30084
Tel: [phone]
Contact your local distributor for the address of Nicolet Service Center nearest you.

NICE Z80+ MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
About NICE, The Z80+ Emulator
Who Uses It
Basic F ea tu res
Functional Capabilities
Command Line Interpreter Characteristics
CHAPTER 2 SET-UP
Terminal
Communications Interface
Installation
CHAPTER 3 COMMAND LINE INTERPREttR
Command Format
Command Parameters
Command Line Prompts
Multiple Commands on One Line
Control Character Functions
Repeat Line Command
Computer Interface to the Command Line Interpreter
CHAPTER 4 OVERVIEW OF OPERATIONS
GO Mode vs QUIT Mode
Special Facts About NICE
CHAPTER .5 GO MODE COMMANDS
SBP -
SBPC-
SEBP-
SDBP-
SC
SEPP-
SDPP-
Breakpoint
Breakpoint Count
Enable Breakpoint
Disable Breakpoint
Clear ALL Software Breakpoints &. Reset Pass Counters
Enable Printpoint
Disable Printpoint
iii
1
1
2
2
3
4
.5
.5
6
7
9
9
9
9
10
10
11
11
13
13
13
17
18
19
21
22
23
24
2.5

NICE Z80+ OPERATOR'S MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
CHAPTER .5 GO MODE COMMANDS (continued)
El Enable Interrupts
DI Disable Interrupts
EB Enable Bus
DB Disable Bus
DR Disable Refresh
ER Enable Refresh
H Hexadecimal Arithmetic
Q Quit
RL Repeat Line
STS
-
Status
z
Sleep
CHAPTER 6 QUIT MODE COMMANDS
A
Assemble into RAM
D
Display Memory
E
Examine Input Port
F Fill
G Go
L
List in Assembler Format
M Move
MT
Memory Test
0
Output
R
Read Intel Hex File
s
Substitute into Memory
SR
Soft Reset
T
Trace
u
Untrace
UP
Upload
v
Verify
x
Xamine
EOR -
Enable Overlay RAM
DOR -
Disable Overlay RAM
..
JV
26
27
28
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
36
37
38
40
42
43
44
45
47
48
50
51
56
56
57
59
61
62
63
65
67

NICE ZBO+ OPERATOR'S MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
CHAPTER 6 QUIT MODE COMMANDS (continued)
PERFORMANCE MONITORING
INDIVIDUAL BUCKET ASSIGNMENTS
EBP-
DBP-
EPP-
Enable Breakpoint
Disable Breakpoints
Enable Printpoints
68
70
72
73
74
APPENDIX A- QUICK REFERENCE COMMAND LIST A-1
APPENDIX B- INTEL HEX FORMAT B-1
APPENDIX C- TARGET SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS C-1
APPENDIX D- SELF TEST FUNCTIONS D-1
APPENDIX E- SAMPLE DOWNLOAD PROGRAM USING THE R COMMAND E-1
APPENDIX F- MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS F-1
v

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT NICE, THE Z80+ EMULATOR
The NICE Z80+ begins a new generation of medium-to-high function emulators. Its
revolutionary compact design provides the following benefits:
o Reduction in Price. NICE's low price finally brings In-circuit emulators
out of the exclusive domain of large-scale operations and into the reach of
computer repair shops and hobbyists.
o Transportability. NICE is only 3i" X .5f" and l" thick. Not only can it be
used in development labs, it can also be a part of the computer technician's
portable repair kit. An RS232 compatible interface allows NICE to hook up
to most terminals and modems for speedy diagnoses.
o Full Speed Emulation with Minimal Target Disturbance. NICE's compact
design means the electronics are closer to the target system than previous
generation emulators. The result is full speed emulation with minimal
target disturbance. The NICE Z80+ includes a Molex connector to tap into
an external power supply with a requirement of approximately IA@ .5.2V.
o Ease of Operation. NICE's streamlined operation is consistent with its
streamlined design. All it takes to get started is replacing the Z80
microprocessor with NICE (either directly or via the 40-pin cable assem-
bly), connecting the terminal to NICE, resetting the target system, and
hitting a carriage return.
I.

WHO USES IT?
NICE is designed to meet the needs of four groups:
o Designers profit from NICE's ability to aid in debugging both hardware and
software. Emulators provide a cost-effective means of integrating hatrd-
ware and software.
o New Product Manufacturers can use NICE to pinpoint potential problems
before beta testing. During the manufacturing, NICE can be used to bring
up virgin CPU cards, then to download and run diagnostics. A more
trouble-free product leads to greater customer satisfaction.
o Computer Repair Technicians can bring NICE along on on-site repair ca.lls,
possibly eliminating the need for in-shop repair. Smaller computer repair
shops can finally afford an emulator because of NICE's low cost.
o Serious hobbyists can even use NICE. Its low cost and high versatility
combine to make it a valuable tool for debugging home systems and
designing custom hardware or software.
BASIC FEATURES
Despite its small size, NICE incorporates most of the features of the less portable
and more expensive emulators.
o Full speed execution up to 8MHZ
o Refresh function maintained at all times
o All 1/0 ports available to user
o All memory addresses available to user
o Three software breakpoints with 8-bit loop counters
o Three software printpoints with 8-bit loop counters
o Sixteen real-time hardware breakpoints
2

o Sixteen hardware printpoints
o Eight Kbytes of overlay RAM hardware
o Interface to user via standard 2.5-pin RS232 terminal connector
o Local or remote operation
o Automatic baud rate detection
o Small size
o Low cost
o High reliability
FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES
NICE can perform the following:
o Execute real time (hardware) breakpoints
o Operate from overlay RAM
o Perform user-definable histogramming
o Display target system memory in hexadecimal and ASCII format
o Display and modify any memory location in target system RAM
o Display and/or modify any Z80 internal register
o Examine any 1/0 port
o Output single or multiple bytes to any 1/0 port
o Perform hexidecimal arithmetic
o Fill a block of RAM with a constant
o Compare one block of memory to another
o Test target system RAM
o Move a block of memory from one location to another
o Read and load an Intel Hex File into target system RAM
o Trace and display all instructions
o Trace and display only specified instructions r~·--··--
\! 0 _.•)
o Upload Intel HEX File to Host
o Disassemble memory into Z80 mnemonics
o Assemble Z80 mnemonics into memory
o Enable/Disable Z80 interrupts in hardware
o Enable/Disable Z80 bus request in hardware
o Enable/Disable Z80 refresh function
3

COMMAND LINE INTERPRETER CHARACTERISTICS
NICE's versatile command line interpreter allows you to perform the following:
o Enter one or more commands on the same line
o Enter a "Sleep" command to delay command execution
o Enter a "Repeat Line" command to repeat execution of the command line
o Erase the previous character on the command line
o Erase the entire command line
Additionally, a printout can be halted, restarted, or aborted.
"·

CHAPTER 2
SET-UP
There are two aspects to setting up NICE for 280 emulation:
1. Setting up the terminal,
2. Establishing the communications interface and installing NICE into the target
system.
TERMINAL
Auto Baud Rate Detection
NICE is equipped with an automatic baud rate detection algorithm that is invoked
whenever NICE is powered up. To determine the proper baud rate, NICE measures
the length of the first start bit transmitted from the terminal. To start automatic
baud rate detection, enter a carriage return following power up. After the baud
rate has been determined, you will see the NICE prompt which, is a greater than
sign()). At this point, you may begin entering commands.
To work with NICE, the terminal must be set to one of the following baud rates:
0
1.50
0 2400
0 300 0 4800
0 600 0 9600
0 1200 0 19.2 k
Terminal Characteristics
To operate with NICE, the terminal must be set up with the following
character is tics:
o Full duplex operation
o Auto line feed on; carriage return disabled
o Line terminator set to either carriage return or line feed
o Destructive space enabled

o 8 bits of data
o Parity disabled
o 2 stop bits
COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE
RS232 Considerations
NICE uses RS232 for communications. RS232 is a standard serial asynchron01t1s
protocol. However, NICE uses only those signals defined in the RS232 specificatio1ras
that are necessary for its operation. While the typical voltage levels for RS232 a1re
+12 and -12 volts, NICE uses +3 and -3volts for the corresponding levels.
WARNING
The +12 and -12 volt signals from the terminal are
clamped to +.5 and 0 volts by diodes inside NICE.
Since excessive current could damage the clamping
diodes and/or custom circuits, be sure that you
only use RS232 compatible devices with NICE.
And never connect NICE to a device capable of
supplying or sinking more than 1.5 mA of current.
Setting up the CommlDlications Connector
Before you configure the pins on the communication cable, determine whether you
will be connecting via the Data Terminal End (DTE) or the Data Computer End
(DCE). The DTE connection is the one most commonly used with NICE. Therefore,
the cable provided is wired for connection to a terminal.
The following list provides the pin numbers, signal names and functions for the
communication cable connector provided with NICE, as well. To connect NICE
directly to a computer, you must rewire the connector to conform to the pin
numbers in parentheses.
PIN 3 (PIN 2) - Received Data, sent from NICE to the CRT terminal.
PIN 2 (PIN 3) - Transmitted Data, sent to NICE by the CRT terminal.
6.

PIN .5 (PIN 4) - Clear to Send. This signal is sent by NICE to the terminal. A high
signal (+.5V) tells the terminal that NICE is ready to accept data. Use of PIN .5
ensures that the terminal will not transmit at a rate faster than NICE can accept.
PIN 20 (PIN 6) - Data Terminal Ready. This signal is sent to NICE by the terminal.
A high signal tells NICE that the terminal is ready to accept data. Use of PIN 20
ensures that NICE will not transmit data faster than the terminal can accept it.
PIN 6 (PIN 20) - Data Set Ready. This signal is sent by NICE to the terminal. A
high signal (+,V) tells the terminal that NICE has been installed and power has been
applied to the target system.
PIN 7 (PIN 7) - Ground, is the return path for the previous signals.
INSTALLATION
To install NICE:
1. Remove the Z80 microprocessor from the target system.
2. Connect NICE, using either the pin plug provided or the short 40 pin cable
connector.
o Whenever possible, use the pin plug. The pin plug reduces signal noise. Use
the 40 pin cable only if you cannot physically attach NICE to the target
system.
o Be sure that pin l of the target system is connected to pin l of NICE.
Otherwise, you may damage NICE's custom circuits.
3. Attach the terminal to NICE using the communication cable provided.
7.

g
4. Users may wish to use their own power supply; the pin-out from the emulator is
as follows. Numbering from right to left as shown in Figure l below.
Pin 1 +.5.2V
Pin 2 Ground
Pin 3 Sync Out {Positive True)
Pin 4 External Break In {Negative True)
Pin .5 Ground
Pin 6 +.5.2V
NB: Pin 4 {Input) A negative true logic signal applied to this pin will cause a
hardware {real time) breakpoint to be performed.
Pin 3 {output) This signal is active 9.5nS {worst case) following detection of the
hardware breakpoint or printpoint address. May be used to initiate or trigger
external hardware such as: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, etc •
.5. Ensure terminal characteristics are set correctly {see Page .5) and apply power
to the system in the following order. First the TERMINAL next the
EMULATOR finally the TARGET SYSTEM.
PINt
Figure 1 Molex Pin
Orientation.

COMMAND FORMAT
CHAPTER 3
COMMAND LINE INTERPRETER
Spaces -- NICE ls controlled by simple one- to three-character commands entered
at the terminal. Spaces are ignored, with one exception: a space must follow a
command when the command is used with a parameter. Character data may be
entered either In upper or lower case.
Multiple Parameters -- When there are multiple parameters in a command, the
parameters must be separated either by commas or by spaces.
Length -- The command line can contain a maximum of 31 characters. The
terminal emits a beep once you have reached the 31-character limit. Any additional
characters typed after the beep replace the last character on the line.
Execution -- NICE executes the commands on the command line when it receives a
terminator character (Line Feed or Carriage Return) from the terminal.
COMMAND PARAMETERS
Certain commands require either alphabetic or numeric parameters. Numeric
parameters must be entered in hexadecimal form, they can be either an 8 bit or 16
bit value, depending on the command.
COMMAND LINE PROMPTS
NICE displays two different prompts depending on the success of the previous
command.
o The OK prompt (>) indicates the previous command was executed properly and
that NICE is awaiting the next command.
o The ERR prompt ( <) indicates the previous command was either entered
Incorrectly or its execution terminated abnormally. The ERR prompt is
9.

displayed in conjunction with an audible warning. A new command may b4~
entered following the arrow.
MULTIPLE COMMANDS ON ONE LINE
NICE will execute several commands entered on the same line. Each command must
be separated by a semicolon.
For example, the following command
D EOOO; P 8000, 8300, AB
causes NICE to e:1eecute the Display memory command followed by the Fill memory
command.
CONTROL CHARACTER FUNCTIONS
Four control codes are used to aid in entering commands and control printout. To
enter a control character, hold down the CTRL key as you hit the indicated letter.
Character
Ctrl-H
Ctrl-U
Ctrl-S
Ctrl-C
10.
l'able 3-1
Control Characters and Their Functions
Function
Performs the same function as the backspace key: Back-
spaces and deletes the previous character.
Erases all the previous characters on the command line and
positions the cursor at the beginning of the command line.
Starts or stops printout at the terminal. If printing, Ctrl-S
stops the printing. If printing ls already stopped, Ctrl-S or
any other character causes printing to resume.
Aborts a printout or terminates a Repeat Line Command.
For printouts, the abort takes place at the end of the next
line of text.

REPEAT LINE COMMAND
The Repeat Line Command (RL) instructs NICE to repeat the command(s) on that
line over and over again.
For example, the following command
D EOOO; F 8000, 8800, AB; RL
causes NICE to execute the Display memory command and Fill memory command
over and over.
NICE only ceases executing the commands on the command line when it receives a
Ctrl-C frorfl the terminal or when the target system is reset.
COMPUTER INTERFACE TO THE COMMAND LINE INTERPRETER
When you communicate with NICE using a computer instead of a terminal, NICE's
response to ASCII characters is not always obvious. The responses which cannot be
easily determined by viewing a CRT are listed below:
o Non-control characters are echoed exactly as received.
o Control characters are not echoed.
o Lower-case characters are converted to upper-case.
o You can terminate a command line with either a Line Feed or a Carriage
Return.
o A Line Feed followed by a Carriage Return signifies that NICE is sending a
new line.
o The response to a backspace (Ctrl-H) is the sequence Ctrl-H, space, Ctrl-
H. (On a terminal, this sequence deletes one character.)
o A Ctrl-U causes NICE to respond with the sequence Ctrl-H, space, Ctrl-H
the number of times necessary to backspace and delete the entire line.
11.

GO MODE VS QUIT MODE
CHAPTER 4
OVERVIEW OF OPERATIONS
NICE has two different states of opera ti on.
In GO mode, NICE executes Z80 instructions at full speed, but only obeys a subset of
its full repertoire of commands. NICE automatically enters the GO mode when you
reset the target system. In QUIT mode, NICE obeys the full set of commands from
the terminal, but it cannot execute instructions at full speed.
Chapters .5 and 6 contain valid GO mode and QUIT mode commands.
When you are not certain of NICE's current mode, you can issue the status command
(~TS M) from either mode. If the bottom line of the display includes the word
"RUNNING," NICE is in the GO mode. Alternatively, depress the "return" key if a
trancated version of the command set is displayed. The Z80 is then in the RUN
mode.
SPECIAL FACTS ABOUT NICE
Because of NICE's compact new design, it behaves somewhat differently from larger
emulators.
Interrupts
NICE has the capability of recognizing Z80 interrupts in the GO mode, but not in the
QUIT mode. In GO mode, interrupts can be enabled or disabled from reaching the
Z80 Microprocessor.
Bus ReqlleSts
NICE only recognizes Z80 Bus Requests when in the GO mode. In the GO mode, you
can use one of the two GO mode commands to enable or disable Bus Requests to
reach the Z80 Microprocessor. When NICE is in QUIT mode, Bus Requests are not
allowed to reach the Z80 Microprocessor.
13.

Memory Refresh
NOTE
If you use NICE in a system that requires continu-
ous access to the memory bus (such as a CRT
controller), you should expect an under run condi-
tion when NICE enters the QUIT mode.
When NICE is in the QUIT mode, the Z80 control lines are cycled so that systems
containing dynamic RAM will not lose data. The Refresh function is always enabled
following power up.
NOTE
If the target system does not have dynamic RAM,
it is a good idea to disable the Refresh function.
This allows NICE to operate 2.5 percent faster.
Memory Requests
When NICE is in the GO mode, memory requests are identical to Z80 memory
requests. When NICE is in the QUIT mode, however, requests are extended.
1/0 Requests
NOTE
The lines which control memory access with NICE
in the target system are active for a longer period
of time than they would be ordinarily. Therefore,
during a memory read, be sure that data from the
target system RAM remains valid for the entire
period as indicated by the Z80 control lines.
When NICE is in the QUIT mode, 1/0 control signals are extended beyond ordinary
duration. As with memory requests, then, be sure that 1/0 read data remains vaHd
for the duration as indicated by the Z80 control lines.
14.