Tynemouth Minstrel 2 Assembly Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Tynemouth Manuals
  4. Computer Hardware
  5. Minstrel 2
  6. Assembly manual

Tynemouth Minstrel 2 Assembly Manual

Microcomputer kits
Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
Tynemouth
Minstrel
th
2, 3, and 4
Microcomputer Kits
Assembly Guide
Designed and Produced by Tynemouth Software.
Distributed by The Future Was 8 bit.
© 2021 Dave Curran. All rights reserved.

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the Minstrel 2 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel

Related Manuals for Tynemouth Minstrel 2

Summary of Contents for Tynemouth Minstrel 2

  • Page 1 Tynemouth Minstrel 2, 3, and 4 Microcomputer Kits Assembly Guide Designed and Produced by Tynemouth Software. Distributed by The Future Was 8 bit. © 2021 Dave Curran. All rights reserved.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................1 UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS ....................2 ASSEMBLY TOOLS ......................... 3 ........................3 INIMUM OOLS ........................4 DDITIONAL OOLS MINSTREL 2 ASSEMBLY ......................5 ..........................5 ARTS ....................... 9 OARD AYOUT AND SSEMBLY MINSTREL 3 ASSEMBLY .......................27...
  • Page 4 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide APPENDICES APPENDIX A: RESISTOR COLOUR CODES ................85 APPENDIX B: DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS .................87 APPENDIX C: EDGE CONNECTORS ..................89 3 – ZX81 E ..............89 INSTREL INSTREL ONNECTOR – RC2014 B ..................... 90 INSTREL APPENDIX D: ZXPAND COMMANDS ..................93...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide INTRODUCTION Thank you for buying a Minstrel kit. The design of the Minstrel kits recaptures a time in the early days of computing, where it was a rite of passage to build your own computer and then learn to program it.

  • Page 6: Unpacking Instructions

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS IMPORTANT Verify the contents of your kit before starting assembly. The parts list shows all components and the quantities provided. Contact your supplier if you are sure any parts are missing.

  • Page 7: Assembly Tools

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide ASSEMBLY TOOLS Minimum Tools The following minimum tools are required to complete this kit. Tool Description Soldering Iron For safety reasons, we recommend using a soldering stand. Rosin Core Solder Recommendation: 60/40 Tin/Lead for quality and ease of use.

  • Page 8: Additional Tools

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Additional Tools Consider the following additional tools to assist with your build: A continuity checker will help you find breaks in Continuity Checker your connections. Use the multimeter to confirm resistor values if Multimeter colours are challenging to see.

  • Page 9: Minstrel 2 Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide MINSTREL 2 ASSEMBLY Parts List Hardware Part Note Nylon screws Nylon spacers Nylon pillars Mainboard Keyboard Overlay with 4K BASIC keywords Keyboard Overlay with 8K BASIC keywords Capacitors Part Value Note 47pF Axial ceramic.
  • Page 10 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Resistors – All ¼W 5% or Better Band Colours Part Value Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4     75Ω     180Ω   ...
  • Page 11 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Part Type Marking Note Integrated 74LS00 Circuit (IC) 74LS04 74LS05 74LS08 74LS10 74LS32 74LS74 74LS86 74LS93 74LS157 74LS165 74LS365 74LS373 Z80 CPU Zilog Z84C0008PEG or Zilog Z84C0010PEG 62256 32K SRAM 27C256 Pre-programmed EPROM...
  • Page 12 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Other Part Type Note Jack Stereo 3.5mm Jack (signals are wired to tip and sleeve only to allow mono TS or stereo TRS jacks to be used) Phono Jack 2.1mm DC Jack...

  • Page 13: Board Layout And Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Board Layout and Assembly Part placement on the Minstrel 2: Tynemouth...
  • Page 14 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 1. Resistors The following board drawing shows resistor locations. Resistor  Resistor placements showing the letter K between numbers are a compressed notation. The K stands for a decimal point in its value as well as a multiplier of 1,000.
  • Page 15 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 2. Ceramic Capacitors and Diodes The following board drawing shows ceramic capacitor and diode locations. Ceramic Capacitor Diode   Place and solder the components as shown. Ceramic Capacitor Orientation Ceramic capacitors do not have a polarity and may be soldered in either orientation.
  • Page 16 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 3. Unsocketed ICs and Crystal The following board drawing shows unsocketed IC and crystal locations. Unsocketed IC Crystal   Place and solder the components as shown. Integrated Circuit (IC) Orientation Place the components as shown, aligning the IC notch with the notch in the diagram.
  • Page 17 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 4. IC Sockets and Reset Switch The following board drawing shows IC socket and reset switch locations. IC Socket Reset Switch   Place and solder the components as shown. IC Socket Orientation...
  • Page 18 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 5. Transistor, Voltage Regulator, and Electrolytic Capacitor The following board drawing shows transistor, voltage regulator, and electrolytic capacitor locations. Transistor Voltage Regulator Electrolytic Capacitor  Place and solder the components as shown.
  • Page 19 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. Jumpers The following board drawing shows jumper header locations. Jumper Header  Place the components as shown. Jumper Header Orientation Insert the jumper headers as indicated on the board. 2-way header...
  • Page 20 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Video Jumper Settings Configure jumpers across the headers according to the table below. Jumper Group Setting Description Normal : Black Inverse/Normal text on a white The Inverse/Normal jumper sets background. the video mode.
  • Page 21 BASIC (which was supplied on a 8K Pin 26 High (5V) ROM chip) INFORMATION The 8K BASIC is largely ZX81 compatible, however neither the ZX80 or the Minstrel 2 support SLOW mode which is required by some ZX81 software (including most games). Tynemouth...
  • Page 22 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Power Polarity Jumper Settings The jumper block near the power connector sets the polarity of the power input. Jumper Group Setting Description Centre negative, Power used by the optional The power requirements are TFW8b.com...
  • Page 23 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 7. Jacks The following board drawing shows jack locations. Jack  Place and solder the components as shown. Jack Orientation Follow the orientation on the board. Parts should only fit in one direction.
  • Page 24 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 8. Keyboard Assembly Switch placement for the Minstrel 2 keyboard: Assemble the keyboard as follows: a) Insert each switch into the board, aligning as shown below. Do not solder the switches in place yet.
  • Page 25 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide d) Secure the four corners of the overlay with the pillars, as shown below, to ensure all switches are in the correct position. e) Mount the remaining two pillars and screws in the holes at the back of the mainboard.
  • Page 26 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 9. Socketed ICs The following board drawing shows socketed integrated circuit locations. Socketed IC  Integrated Circuit (IC) Pin Preparation Do not remove the ICs from the protective foam until soldering and cleaning are complete.
  • Page 27 Integer BASIC (4K ROM) 1. Connect and power up your Minstrel 2. 2. Press the following keys: The Minstrel 2 substitutes O with PRINT and SHIFT + Y with ” as below: 10 PRINT ” 3. Complete the statement as follows: 10 PRINT ”HELLO WORLD”...
  • Page 28 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. The Minstrel 2 should display the following: 7. To run your program, press the following: 8. If the screen displays “HELLO WORLD” as shown, your Minstrel 2 is working as designed.
  • Page 29 Floating Point BASIC (8K ROM) 1. Connect and power up your Minstrel 2. 2. Press the following keys: The Minstrel 2 substitutes P with PRINT and SHIFT + P as with ” as below: 10 PRINT ” 9. Complete the statement as follows: 10 PRINT ”HELLO WORLD”...
  • Page 30 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. The Minstrel 2 should display the following: 7. To run your program, press the following: If the screen displays “HELLO WORLD” as shown, your Minstrel 2 is working as designed. Tynemouth...

  • Page 31: Minstrel 3 Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide MINSTREL 3 ASSEMBLY Parts List Hardware Part Note Nylon screws Nylon spacers Nylon pillars Mainboard Keyboard overlay Capacitors Part Value Note 47pF Axial ceramic. Usually marked as 47 or 470 47nF Axial ceramic. Usually marked as 47n or 473 100nF Axial ceramic.
  • Page 32 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Resistors – All ¼W 5% or Better Band Colours Part Value Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4     75Ω     180Ω   ...
  • Page 33 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Part Type Marking Note Integrated 74HC00 Circuit (IC) 74HC02 74HC04 74HC08 74HC11 74HC32 74HC74 74HC86 74HC165 74HC251 74HC257 74HC373 74HC393 Z80 CPU Zilog Z84C0008PEG or Zilog Z84C0010PEG 62256 32K SRAM (AS6C62256) 27C256...
  • Page 34 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Other Part Type Note Jack Stereo 3.5mm Jack (signals wired to tip and sleeve only to allow mono TS or stereo TRS jacks to be used) Phono Jack 2.1mm DC Jack Headers...

  • Page 35: Board Layout And Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Board Layout and Assembly Part placement on the Minstrel 3: Tynemouth...
  • Page 36 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 1. Resistors The following board drawing shows resistor locations. Resistor  Resistor placements showing the letter K between numbers are a compressed notation. The K stands for a decimal point in its value as well as a multiplier of 1,000.
  • Page 37 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 2. Ceramic Capacitors and Diodes The following board drawing shows ceramic capacitor and diode locations. Ceramic Capacitor Diode   Place and solder the components as shown. Ceramic Capacitor Orientation Ceramic capacitors do not have a polarity and may be soldered in either orientation.
  • Page 38 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 3. Unsocketed ICs and Crystal The following board drawing shows unsocketed IC and crystal locations. Unsocketed IC Crystal   Place and solder the components as shown. Integrated Circuit (IC) Orientation Place the components as shown, aligning the IC notch with the notch in the diagram.
  • Page 39 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 4. IC Sockets and Reset Switch The following board drawing shows IC socket and reset switch locations. IC Socket Reset Switch (none ZXpand kits only)   Place and solder the components as shown.
  • Page 40 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 5. Transistor, Voltage Regulator, and Electrolytic Capacitor The following board drawing shows transistor, voltage regulator, and electrolytic capacitor locations. PIN 1 Bend legs with pliers at 90 where they narrow. Secure to board with bolt or rivet if desired.
  • Page 41 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. Jumpers The following board drawing shows jumper header locations. Jumper Header  Place the components as shown. Jumper Header Orientation Insert the jumper headers as indicated on the. 2-way header 3-way header Alternatively, fit a wire link for any settings you wish to set permanently.
  • Page 42 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Video Jumper Settings Configure jumpers across the headers according to the table below. Jumper Group Setting Description Normal : Black Norm/Inverse text on a white The Norm/Inverse jumper sets the background. video mode.
  • Page 43 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Slow Mode When enabled, the Minstrel 3 will obey ZX81 style FAST and SLOW commands, which removes the screen flicker present with the ZX80. If disabled, it will run in permanent FAST mode, like the ZX80, and the screen will flicker whenever a key is pressed.
  • Page 44 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Power Polarity Jumper Settings The jumper block near the power connector sets the polarity of the power input. Jumper Group Setting Description Centre negative, Power used by the optional The power requirements are TFW8b.com...
  • Page 45 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 7. Jacks The following board drawing shows jack locations. Jack  Place and solder the components as shown. Jack Orientation Follow the orientation on the board. Parts should only fit in one direction.
  • Page 46 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 8. Keyboard Assembly Switch placement for the Minstrel 3 keyboard: Assemble the keyboard as follows: a) Insert each switch into the board, aligning, as shown below. Do not solder the switches in place yet.
  • Page 47 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide d) Secure the four corners of the overlay with the spacers, and pillar, as shown below, to ensure all switches are in the correct position. e) Mount the remaining two pillars and screws in the holes at the back of the mainboard.
  • Page 48 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 9. Socketed ICs The following board drawing shows socketed integrated circuit locations. Socketed IC  Integrated Circuit (IC) Pin Preparation Do not remove the ICs from the protective foam until soldering and cleaning are complete.
  • Page 49 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 10. Hello World Congratulations on assembling your Minstrel 3! Let's test its operation by running the classic Hello World program. 1. Connect and power up your Minstrel 3. 2. Press the following keys: The Minstrel 3 substitutes P with PRINT and SHIFT + P with ”...
  • Page 50 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. The Minstrel 3 should display the following: 7. To run your program, press the following: If the screen displays “HELLO WORLD” as shown, your Minstrel 3 is working as designed. Tynemouth...

  • Page 51: Minstrel Zxpand Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide MINSTREL ZXpand ASSEMBLY The Minstrel ZXpand is an optional expansion for the Minstrel 3. It adds support to load and save files from an SD card, and provides a 9 way joystick...
  • Page 52 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Resistors – All ¼W 5% or Better Band Colours Part Value Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4     330Ω     10KΩ Semiconductors Part Type...
  • Page 53 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Other Part Type Note 9 way D 9 way D Male Right Angled Male connector Switch Miniature short white tactile 6x6mm Headers 2-way (optional or leave empty) with Jumper Pin Header 2x23 way (used to connect Minstrel...

  • Page 54: Board Layout And Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Board Layout and Assembly Part placement on the Minstrel ZXpand: Assemble the board, starting with the lowest profile parts. CAUTION Starting with lower-profile parts prevents crowding by larger components. Tynemouth...
  • Page 55 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 1. Ceramic Capacitors and Resistors The following board drawing shows capacitor and resistor locations. Capacitor Resistors  Place and solder the components as shown. Resistor Orientation Resistors do not have a polarity and may be soldered in either orientation.
  • Page 56 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 2. Unsocketed ICs and IC Sockets The following board drawing shows unsocketed IC and IC socket locations. Unsocketed IC IC Socket   Place and solder the components as shown. Integrated Circuit (IC) Orientation Place the components as shown, aligning the IC notch with the notch in the diagram.
  • Page 57 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 3. Larger components The following board drawing shows the locations of the larger components. Switch LEDs Voltage Regulator D Sub Connector  Place and solder the components as shown. Reset Switch Orientation Insert the switch into the board, aligning as shown above.
  • Page 58 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 4. Serial Pin Header and Jumpers The following board drawing shows the locations of the pin header and jumpers. Jumper Header Serial Pin Header  Jumper Header Orientation Use the jumper to disable either the ZXpand or the Kempston compatible joystick.
  • Page 59 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Jumper Settings Configure jumpers across the headers according to the table below. Jumper Group Setting Description ZXpand ZXpand is enabled Enabled Use the ZXpand jumper to disable at power-on. (recommended) the ZXpand interface. It can also be...
  • Page 60 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 5. Connect ZXpand to Minstrel 3 The following board drawing shows the connections between the Minstrel ZXpand and the Minstrel 3. A connection can be made using a traditional edge connector (not included with the kit), but it is not recommended.
  • Page 61 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 4. Install a wire link under the board between the "ROM Select" pad on the Minstrel ZXpand and the center pin of the A13 jumper block on the Minstrel 3 as shown below.
  • Page 62 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. Socketed IC The following board drawing shows the PIC microcontroller IC location. PIC Microcontroller IC  Integrated Circuit (IC) Pin Preparation Do not remove the ICs from the protective foam until soldering and cleaning are complete.
  • Page 63 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 7. Power-on Test At power-on, you should see the ZXpand banner at the top of the screen. If not, unplug and recheck all the connections and jumper settings. See Troubleshooting if problems continue.
  • Page 64 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK Tynemouth...

  • Page 65: Minstrel 4

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide MINSTREL 4 ASSEMBLY Parts List Hardware Part Note Nylon screws Nylon spacers Nylon pillars Mainboard Keyboard overlay Capacitors Part Value Note 22pF Axial ceramic. Usually marked 220/220J 47nF Axial ceramic. Usually marked as 47n or 473 100nF Axial ceramic.
  • Page 66 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Resistors – All ¼W 5% or Better Band Colours Part Value Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4     75Ω     470Ω   ...
  • Page 67 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Part Type Marking Note Integrated 74HC00 Circuit (IC) 74HC21 74HC32 74HC74 74HC86 74HC166 74HC245 74HC251 74HC367 74HC574 Z80 CPU Zilog Z84C0010PEG AS6C1008 128K SRAM IDT7132 2K dual-port SRAM ATmega48PA Pre-programmed CRTC microcontroller...
  • Page 68 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Part Type Note Switch Miniature tall blue tactile 6x6mm Miniature short white tactile 6x6mm Piezo AC Not a buzzer or any sounder that has Transducer internal circuitry Headers 2x2-way (or fit wire link in place)

  • Page 69: Board Layout And Assembly

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Board Layout and Assembly Part placement on the Minstrel 4 Tynemouth...
  • Page 70 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 3. Resistors The following board drawing shows resistor locations. Resistor  Resistor placements showing the letter K between numbers are a compressed notation. The K stands for a decimal point in its value as well as a multiplier of 1,000.
  • Page 71 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 4. Ceramic Capacitors and Diodes The following board drawing shows ceramic capacitor and diode locations. Ceramic Capacitor Diode   Place and solder the components as shown. Ceramic Capacitor Orientation Ceramic capacitors do not have a polarity and may be soldered in either orientation.
  • Page 72 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 7. Unsocketed ICs and Crystal The following board drawing shows unsocketed IC and crystal locations. Unsocketed IC Crystal   Place and solder the components as shown. Integrated Circuit (IC) Orientation Place the components as shown, aligning the IC notch with the notch in the diagram.
  • Page 73 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 4. IC Sockets and Reset Switch The following board drawing shows IC socket and reset switch locations. IC Socket Reset Switch   Place and solder the components as shown. IC Socket Orientation...
  • Page 74 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 5. Transistor, Voltage Regulator and Electrolytic Capacitor The following board drawing shows transistor, voltage regulator, and electrolytic capacitor locations. PIN 1 Bend legs with pliers at 90 where they narrow. Secure to board with bolt or rivet if desired.
  • Page 75 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 6. Piezo AC Transducer The following board drawing shows the Piezo location. Piezo AC Transducer  Place and solder the components as shown. Piezo AC Transducer Orientation Observe the polarity of the Piezo AC Transducer. Its label shows the positive terminal.
  • Page 76 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 7. Jumpers and Bus The following board drawing shows jumper header locations. Jumper Header  Place the components as shown. Jumper Header Orientation Insert the jumper headers as indicated on the board.
  • Page 77 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Bus Orientation Align the female side of the bus to the edge of the board. Video Jumper Settings Configure jumpers across the headers according to the table below. Jumper Group Setting Description...
  • Page 78 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide ROM Address Jumper Settings ROM Address Jumpers A14 and A15 set the upper address lines on the ROM chip. If programming your own ROM chip, you can select from multiple ROM images using these jumpers. The 8K ROM images are placed at the bottom of each 16K bock.
  • Page 79 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide ZX80 Clock Jumpers Use these jumpers to select which internal 3.25MHz or 6.5MHz clocks or RC2014 bus clocks are fed to the Minstrel 4 Z80 CPU. The selected clock can also be fed back to the RC2014 bus to drive other cards.
  • Page 80 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Power Polarity Jumper Settings The jumper block near the power connector sets the polarity of the power input. Jumper Group Setting Description Centre negative, Power used by the optional The power requirements are TFW8b.com...
  • Page 81 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 8. Jacks The following board drawing shows jack locations. Jack Electrolytic Capacitor   Place and solder the components as shown. Jack Orientation Follow the orientation on the board. Parts should only fit in one direction.
  • Page 82 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 9. Keyboard Assembly Switch placement for the Minstrel 4 keyboard: Assemble the keyboard as follows: a) Insert each switch into the board, aligning, as shown below. Do not solder the switches in place yet.
  • Page 83 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide d) Secure the four corners of the overlay with the pillar, as shown below, to ensure all switches are held in the correct position. e) Mount the remaining two pillars and screws in the holes at the back of the mainboard.
  • Page 84 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 10. Socketed ICs The following board drawing shows socketed integrated circuit locations. Socketed IC  Integrated Circuit (IC) Pin Preparation Do not remove the ICs from the protective foam until soldering and cleaning are complete.
  • Page 85 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide 11. Hello World Congratulations on assembling your Minstrel 4 As is customary with a Forth system, the first thing to try is the vlist command. 1. Connect and power up your Minstrel 4 2.
  • Page 86 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK Tynemouth...

  • Page 87: Troubleshooting

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide TROUBLESHOOTING Most Minstrel builds work the first time. If your build does not, perform the following checks: Problem Check Basics Check your power supply connects to an active source. Check your cables for loose connections.

  • Page 88: Support

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide SUPPORT Before contacting support,  please go to the Troubleshooting section. If you are experiencing trouble with your kit, contact TFW8B.com support to report any problems at https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/contacts/. Tynemouth...

  • Page 89: Appendix A: Resistor Colour Codes

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide APPENDIX A: RESISTOR COLOUR CODES Use the chart below to understand resistor values based on their colour codes. Colour Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4 Value Value Multiplier Tolerance  Black Brown ...
  • Page 90 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK...

  • Page 91: Appendix B: Device Specifications

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide APPENDIX B: DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS Specification Minstrel 2 Minstrel 3 Minstrel 4 Fast/Slow Mode Memory Video RAM Media Cassette tape Cassette tape / Cassette tape optional SD card Operating Integer BASIC Floating Point...
  • Page 92 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK...

  • Page 93: Appendix C: Edge Connectors

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide APPENDIX C: EDGE CONNECTORS Minstrel 2 and Minstrel 3 – ZX81 Edge Connector The Minstrel 2 and 3 use the same edge connector as the ZX81. Top Pins Bottom Pins D7’ RAMCS D0’...
  • Page 94 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Minstrel 4 – RC2014 Bus There is a full RC2014 bus connector on the side of the board. It can be fitted with a 40-way connector for standard RC40 bus cards, or with a 40-way and 10-way connector enhanced bus.
  • Page 95 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Second row (if fitted) Main row ◯ ◯ Clock 2 Clock 1 BUSACK ◯ ◯ HALT MREQ ◯ ◯ BUSRQ ◯ ◯ WAIT ◯ ◯ IORQ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯...
  • Page 96 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK Tynemouth...

  • Page 97: Appendix D: Zxpand Commands

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide APPENDIX D: ZXpand Commands When the Minstrel ZXpand is enabled, several new commands are added to BASIC. These replace the ZX Printer commands - if you need to use those, the ZXpand will need to be disabled either via its jumper or in software.
  • Page 98 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide LOAD LOAD or LOAD "" Load from cassette as normal LOAD "filename" or LOAD "path/filename" Load a file from SD card in the current directory or path specified. The .o or .p extension can be omitted.
  • Page 99 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide CONFIG CONFIG "V" Display the version number of the ZXpand firmware CONFIG "D=path" Set the current directory CONFIG "D=" or CONFIG "D=/" Change to the root directory CONFIG "J=UDLRF" The joystick port is scanned during the INKEY$ command, select the keys returned for Up Down Left Right and Fire.
  • Page 100 Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide DELETE DELETE "filename.ext" Delete a file – note the .p or .o extension is explicitly required for safety. RESET The reset button on the Minstrel ZXpand board replaces the one on the Minstrel 3 board.

  • Page 101: Appendix E: Memory Maps

    Z80 processor, from 0000-FFFF (0-65535). Minstrel 2 Memory Map The Minstrel 2 memory map matches the ZX80, with 8K ROM and 16K RAM mirrored across the address space using very simple address decoding. All 16K of RAM is available to BASIC, and located where the normal 16K RAM pack would be, where most software would expect it (4000-7FFF).

  • Page 102: Minstrel 3 Memory Map

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Minstrel 3 Memory Map The Minstrel 3 memory map is expanded to include 8K ROM (mirrored in the upper address space) and 32K RAM (mirrored at the top of RAM for the display file).

  • Page 103: Memory Map

    Minstrel 2, 3, and 4th Kit Assembly Guide Minstrel 4 Memory Map The Minstrel 4 memory map includes an 8K ROM and two 1K blocks of RAM for the video system (video and font), which are each mirrored once. Unlike the Jupiter Ace, the CPU has full-speed access to either of the address ranges.
  • Page 105 We haven’t decided on a name yet, but we are almost, but not quite, entirely unlikely to call it...

This manual is also suitable for:

Minstrel 3Minstrel 4

Table of Contents