Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Demo of loading PALM machine code into a physical IBM 5110 (made in year 1978) using the KBD5110 serial keyboard interface.

Additional details here:
https://voidstar.blog/ibm-5100-palm-assembler/

This PALM assembly is over 1300 lines and compiled to 1538 bytes.

The serial interface took 36 seconds to transfer this binary into the IBM 5110's DCP memory. This works out to a transfer rate of about 400 baud (or a person typing this in at about 500 word per minute, which would blow up their keyboard).

Application demo includes:
- output a given string
- 32-bit (two register) main-loop counter
- WASD keyboard input handling
- 1-9 and 0 keyboard input and a representation of binary conversions
- invoking the CRT beeper at varying delay times in response to keypresses

The source code is here:
github.com/voidstar78/5110VEMU/blob/version2/bin/sample7_outc.asm

All of this same PALM code would run on an IBM 5100, only the data values for the keyboard scan codes and screen "symbol codes" would be different.