MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ Project Template for Assembly Programming

NOTE: This repository is no longer actively maintained; it is here for people who prefer to work with wla-dx. I have created a new template that uses ASxxxx instead. I think ASxxxx is the superior assembler/linker to wla-dx, so YMMV.

This is a simple project template for creating a program on a MSX cartridge.

Find more informations about MSX cartridges on the MSX Wiki.

Here is the list of tools you need to use this repository:

• CMake
• make
• wla-dx
• Glasgow Haskell Compiler

Usage

Simple use git to clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/georgjz/msx-cart-project-template.git msxcart
cd msxcart
cmake -S . -Bbuild
cmake --build build

This will create a ROM file called msx-cartridge-template in the build/ directory. You can load this ROM into a MSX emulator. You can change the ROM file name by modifying line 6 of the Makefile.

The resulting ROM file will be a simple 16KB ROM. To change this, modify src/include/MemoryMap.inc to fit your needs.

Refer to CMakeLists.txt and src/CMakeLists.txt to see how to add additional sources and include directories.

After all source files are assembled by wla-z80, a simple Haskell script found in tools/generatelinkfile.hs will generate the necessary link file to link the final ROM.

Example Code

The example code is very simple at the moment. I plan to add something a bit more complex in the future. The code in src/Main.s will simply call the BEEP ($00c0) function from the MSX BIOS.

You can test it with OpenMSX:

openmsx -cart build/msx-cartridge-template

After the loading screen, you should hear a short beep sound. After that, the machine will continue with it's normal start up routine.

Contribution

I'm a total newbie when it comes to MSX development, so any kind of feedback, bug reports, pull requests, etc. is highly appreciated and encouraged!

Resources and Links

Here's a list of useful links to resources about MSX programming:

• The MSX Wiki has tons of informations, down to the memory maps of individual MSX machines.
• Néstor Soriano aka Konamiman has several repositories relating to MSX and Z80 programming, including this excellent MSX2 Technical Handbook how the MSX works.
• A complete list of all the functions in the MSX BIOS.