Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 30/09/2026Ooh yeah, heres a quick test with the key ring version. Looks pretty snazzy! 020
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 30/09/2026Funnily enough I’m right in the middle of experimenting with AY-on-SAM. I think the Speccy-style AY port addressing (FFFD, BFFD) is clashing with SAM’s MIDI (xxFD). It works if I use other ports (e.g. D0,D8) but perhaps a software translation to SAA might be the way to go! 120
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 22/09/2026I’ve submitted a couple of disks that were missing from World of SAM archive. Issues 4A and 4B of diskzine SCPDU — SAM Coupé Public Domain Update. 050
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 11/09/2026I've added more tunes, *now* it's a jukebox. #RC2014 #SAA1099 #Z80 #50Hz #Click #Clack 163
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 10/09/2026Ben's kits were (pun intended!) delightful. To say I was a bit rusty, well I had to upgrade my gas-powered soldering iron, and actually buy some flush cutters… but the build process went very smoothly thanks in large part to the methodical labeling and good instructions! Pic from August 2020. 170
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 01/09/2026Heh, just the angle. I tried various angles and distances to get a video clip but couldn’t not make it look like a headache machine. 110
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 31/08/2026I’ve got an 8x8 matrix display, but it needs to be multiplexed though so it’s hard to film without a photosensitivity warning 🤩 130
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 31/08/2026Yerzmyey’s Arcane Zone part two played back via E-Tracker v1.2 for SAM Coupé on #RC2014 with Quazar’s #SAA1099P sound card and using a Small Computer Central SC737 interrupt module for 50Hz playback timing. The front panel LEDs are showing SAA channel zero’s amplitude. 🤘🎶 2100
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 26/07/2026Here look, I’ve coaxed SAM Coupé into running SCC’s Small Computer Monitor, and Microsoft BASIC (lifted from the RC2014 ROM). It doesn’t know about SAM’s screen or keyboard (etc) so communication is over serial. (It’s easy enough to output some text to the LCD though) 0142
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 19/07/2026Not yet but it’s on the way. I think they were saying it should be out when the currently in-production (“KS3”) batch of Nexts ship, i.e. hopefully very soon! Quazar does do a Speccy version too, though! 030
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 19/07/2026With your Friendly Neighbourhood @samcoupe.com _everything_ can has RC2014 bus! 😆 181
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 10/07/2026I’ve set SAM’s “any interrupt” vector to point to a custom routine that checks for incoming serial data and then stuffs it into the edit buffer, as if you’d typed it locally. Not very useful, but kind of interesting? 020
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 09/07/2026I’m constantly amazed at how funny and insightful the Low Poly Mess newsletter is. It might be largely about this random man’s kids, but it’s a real highlight of my week. 121
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 09/07/2026I’ve hooked up Tynemouth Software’s 68B50 serial card to SAM. It has its own clock so it’s nicely self contained. I’ve got the basics working, I’ll do more later. (LCD’s not related but I’ve been playing with that too!) #RC2014 #SamCoupé 141
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 29/06/2026Oh that's so familiar. Not "Bug!" (pictured) but something like that. 010
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 19/06/2026Nrr, rrrvrr-rrwrr thrrrrk rrrtz rrr lrrrrd rrrrv rrrrrld shrrrrrrt. 120
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 13/06/2026“Hi there hackers!!” I don’t think I actually have any commercially-sold BASIC games on tape, but you sometimes find surprising things in the BASIC loader. 🪓🤓 010
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 06/06/2026Ah, PLAY and SPECTRUM tokens sit where UDGs T, U normally do, so they are actually *below* the BTRANS token table; byte-aligned to &xxA5 (i.e. RND). The two bytes below that are used by BTRANS to track the length of the BASIC line being processed… so which token you get for PLAY/SPECTRUM will vary! 210
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 05/06/2026Issue 100 of Outlet claims there ought to be a file called DBT.BAS on the SAM System Disk (but I can’t find it!) OUTLET is a great source of BASIC progs but as Brian alludes they are NOT straightforward! All sorts of inventive hacks and POKEs are employed (to great effect) but …not very portable! 120
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 05/06/2026I have put together a SAM Coupé program for importing Spectrum BASIC from disk, including variables, auto-run etc. The translation is based on BTRANS from the MGT Utility Tapes to which I (after hacking it to bits) added variable importing and disk support. 2197
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 25/05/2026I’m a big fan of LBiP tables! My top two are the character set and the memory layout. 🏓 130
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 09/05/2026For the mildly interested: the interesting part was using some SjASMPlus macros and IFDEFs so that one source file can be used to create all three versions. They are mostly the same but the key differences are: start address, print routine, and general vector for calling arbitrary ZX ROM routines. 🤓 010
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 04/05/2026Here's a Your Computer type-in that might help? The TZX is available. RANDOMIZE USR 65195 to get a variables listing. Doesn't do arrays though, but it's good for strings and numbers. (I had to run the BAISC and re-save the machine code to get it to work). spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/27011/... 120
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 21/04/2026Just for fun, I made a SAM Coupé disk for Go-Go Bunnygun. It’s a neat self-contained 48K Spectrum game so all it really needs is a few bytes of machine code to shuffle SAM memory into a suitable configuration (screen at $4000, game at $8000). 041
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 20/04/2026Wowee! 🥅💪 Lots of good stuff there. I have a copy of the Spectrum edition of Micro Enquirer; I even cited the “wolf fence” testing methodology in my honours dissertation! 030
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 17/04/2026I'm having a go at building on macOS. Despite some initial SDL2 issues I managed to avoid being eaten by a grue, but nevertheless I was then swiftly put to death by a troll! 120
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 14/04/2026Character I love and 5 mutuals to do the same @samcoupe.com @jasesdesouza.bsky.social @jamie-b-b.bsky.social @sonicyoda.neocities.org @sloanysoft.itch.io 063
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 12/04/2026Sunday Night MIDI Club I’m sequencing some gnarly basslines tonight🤘 #SID #MIDI #SamCoupé #SNMC 020
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 31/03/2026Upgrade day! My blue box #RC2014 Pro gets a bump from 3.5.0 to 3.6.0. #RomWBW #CPM #ZSystem #Z80 021
Robert @flatduckrecords.co.uk · 27/03/2026The "multicolour" group in ZXDB lists quite a few: spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?group_i... I think a lot of those are simple/static title screens, but a few like Buzzsaw and Complica DX use the effect in-game. (See also Nirvana and Bifrost game engines). 130
![A desktop computer screenshot showing a white-on-black terminal emulator application. The text shown in the terminal window is the boot message generated by RC2014 RomWBW. It is headed by an ASCII-art RC2014 logo, and a comprehensive dump of system information indicating the attached media and so on. The text ends with the prompt: Boot [H=help]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fmi5y56rlk5ok6ggsjrpindp/bafkreiarwqqwl352mr445um7o22hejab7hbmjmagxczvzo2xvpx6pqsgqu)
