This repo contains a .NET ahead of time compiler targetting the Z80 8-bit microprocessor. The compiler converts managed .NET assemblies into Z80 assembly language which is subsequently assembled using the zmac assembler. To learn more about CSharp-80, see the intro document. Currently there is support for the Trs-80, ZX Spectrum and CPM platforms.

How to use

Install the template:

dotnet new install csharp-80.templates

Create a project:

dotnet new csharp-80 

Or use the project template in Visual Studio:

Build it, if necessary specifying the runtime identifier, if no runtime identifier is specfied it will build for Trs80. Valid runtime identifiers are z80-trs80, z80-zxspectrum and z80-cpm.

dotnet build -r z80-trs80

At this point you will be able to see the z80 assembly in the Hello.lst file. The binary file format depends on the target platform, for Trs80 it's a cmd file, for the ZX Spectrum it's a tap file, and for CPM it's a hex file. You will need to use either real hardware or an appropriate emulator to run the binary file. For Trs80 I recommend using trs80gp which you can simply pass the cmd file to as a parameter:

trs80gp.exe hello.cmd

Samples

You can try the sample applications out online directly here:

• For Trs-80
• For ZX Spectrum

Credits

• SeeSharpSnake written by Michal Strehovský
• CoreRT project from Microsoft
• NativeAOT from Microsoft
• RyuJit just in time compiler from Microsoft
• z88dk z80 development kit
• zmac - Z80 Macro Cross Assembler by George Phillips

Goals

• Idea is to support minimal subset of C# with tiny runtime system and target Z80 processor
• Runtime support for a number of computers including
  • TRS-80 Model I/III
  • ZX Spectrum
  • CPM
• Compile the C# Snake game with minimal modifications
• Have a range of sample applications for classic 8-bit computer programs
• Learn more about AOT and the C# runtime

Current Status

• Compiles a number of sample programs including Snake, Life, Towers of Hanoi, Hunt the Wumpus.
• Bespoke graphics for the TRS-80
• Performance is okay - snake is quite playable. Lots of scope for improvement here
• Allocation on both stack and heap is supported
• No Garbage collection
• Lots of IL opcodes not implemented yet
• Platform support is limited for ZX Spectrum and CPM but text based samples should work fine