TRS-80 News

"CYB 2600" has provided some additional software! Thank you!

Lawrence Kesteloot has completed a very unique upgrade to this TRS-80 Tool: AI MCP. He writes that the new routine:

Runs an MCP server on stdin/stdout, which lets an AI assistant drive a TRS-80 directly. The assistant can boot a ROM, type at it, run it for an exact number of clock cycles, and inspect the screen, memory, and registers. The machine stays running between requests, so the assistant can explore interactively instead of guessing.

You don’t run this command yourself. Your AI tool starts it for you, so what you do is tell that tool about it.

The MCP can:

• boot — start a machine, either with the stock Basic ROM or with a .cmd file that replaces the ROM.
• load_program — load and start a program file on the running machine.
• type — type text at the keyboard, waiting until the ROM has taken every key.
• key — press or release a single key and leave it that way, for programs that care whether a key is held down.
• run — run for a number of clock cycles or emulated seconds.
• step — single-step the CPU.
• run_until_pc — run until the program counter reaches an address.
• run_until_screen — run until some text appears on the screen, and report how long it took. This is how you time a Basic program.
• screen — read the screen as text.
• read_memory, write_memory, registers.
• search_memory — find a byte sequence, for locating code in ROM.
• disassemble — disassemble straight out of memory, ROM included.
• profile_pc — run for a while and report where the program counter spent its time, as a histogram of the hottest addresses.
• call_routine — call a machine-language routine with chosen registers and report exactly how many clock cycles it took, the way another program calling it would see it.

You can find the instructions at https://www.my-trs-80.com/tool/#mcp.

Download the updated TRS-80 Tool at https://www.my-trs-80.com/tool/#installation.

Source is available at https://github.com/lkesteloot/trs80/tree/master/packages/trs80-tool

Gabor Kepes has developed Planet Makruk for the HT-1080Z. It works on the TRS-80.

You can find more information about it at https://gaborkepes.itch.io/planet-makruk

Issue Information:

Date:	September 2026
Pages:	78
Blurb:	In this issue, George and Peter Phillips release details of their latest version (2.5.8) of trs80gp. Ian Mavric has details of the speakers for the forthcoming T.A. 2026. He also warns us that it’s tough times ahead for retro-computer lovers. Check-out page 11 if you’re interested in some U.K. hardware bargains. Randy Kindig starts a series transcripts of ‘Floppy Days’, with episode 8, part 1. E.T. Fonehume has a BASIC one-liner displaying a Kaleidoscope. Egotiz Campo reports on the latest Basgue, TRS-80 Tournament. Vince Otten supplies part 7 “Double Trouble” of his series “The Power of the ROM”. In the regular feature ‘The Way We Were’, there’s an interesting software upgrade for the System80/Video Genie’s. There’s a couple of interesting finds in ‘Surfin the Net’. And finally, there’s the latest puzzle in our ‘Countdown’ series.

Table of Contents

George and Peter Phillips have updated their awesome TRS80GP emulator to v2.5.8. Changes are:

New Features:

• MX-70 now has printer sound effects on Mac.
• Disk summary has option to show likely empty sectors
• Command line -im disksummary and -im disksummarye output disk image summaries

Bug Fixes:

• Reset FDC on Model I reset button press
• Model 4P defaults to having hires Tandy graphics
• FreHD always given short file names on Windows even when it refuses
• Don't force cursor off when directly loading /CMD files
• File Utility was crashing on Model 2 systems under MacOS

You can download it at http://48k.ca/trs80gp.html

Alex Mota has written a utility to identify which memory blocks are occupied on a Model I

Egbert Schroeer has lt me know that he has gotten CalvaDOS reconstructed and running on a real physical Genie III

You can see his write-up at https://github.com/Egbert-Azure/TCS-Trommeschlaeger-Genie-IIIs-CalvaDOS

Claude continues to amaze me. I had the below software as "Can't figure it out". It turns out that Info Cras needed a "Security Disk" and Test Bank System kept rebooting because was looking for protection on the disk.

Claude examined the files, determined the protection, and built not only a cracked file, but also built the associated DMK's with the required security so that a crack wasn't neccessary. The below include all those, including its analysis; for those who are curious.

I have updated the Software Search expanded results page to include the text of an ad applicable to the product, if available. This is also a searchable field.

The team behind the Android TRS-80 emulator has pushed a brand new version of the TRS-80 app with a new and streamlined UI

You can find it at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.puder.trs80

R Pickett was kind enough to provide the missing PC-3 Service Manual!

I have updated the Software Search results page to permit for the same expanded results as are shown on the category results page, so now you can choose between the single line and the expanded when getting results.

Tandy Assembly is coming up! Here's what the organizers have to say

Well, it’s less than 2 months until Tandy Assembly 2026 folks (Oct 2 - Oct 4, 2026 in Cincinatti)! The speaker schedule is booked, the Friday Tech Track track classes are all assigned and the planning is proceeding on target. If you’re not aware, we’re at a new venue this year just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Very convenient to the airport for those that fly in…in fact, we’re at the airport!
The new venue is also quite a bit larger so you can have multiple tables this year if you plan on exhibiting or becoming a vendor. For vendors, we have some new rules that you need to follow so please be aware of that. See the website for details.
More details will follow as the show date approaches so please watch your inbox.
If you have not yet registered, please do so soon so that we have a good idea of how much space we will need to configure at the venue.
Remember, all exhibitors, sponsors and Tech Track attendees will be invited to the Friday night onsite dinner. Others can attend the dinner for $20 additional cost.
Send any questions to this email address.
Take care and we’ll see you in October!

To get more information, visit the Tandy Assembly Web site

The manual for the Exatron MM-800 64K RAM Board was found!

If you are bored, or want to help out the site, visit the categorization project page and categorize some of the archive! You can jump to various pages, or a random one, a letter of the alphabet, or search. Do as much or as little as you want!

Update: Thanks for everyone who has submitted! Only 26,752 more to go!

Quentin Barnes has released GW2DMK for the Mac.

You can find it at https://github.com/qbarnes/gw2dmk/releases/tag/v0.5.1.

Lawrence Kesteloot has released an updated copy of his trs80tools, now new version 2.8.12, with updates to the disasm command as follows:

• The input file is detected by its contents, not the filename extension, so that FLT, DVR, and OV? files will be treated like CMD files.
• CAS and WAV files can be disassembled directly. If multiple programs are on the cassette, only the first will be disassembled.
• The --full flag now no longer causes jump targets to be disassembled. The assumption is that all code is sequential.

You can download it for the Windows, Mac, and Linux at https://www.my-trs-80.com/tool/#installation.