https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/An occasional whimsical blog for new users of Feersum Technology retrocomputers and peripherals. 2026-03-30T13:08:44+01:00 Ant Skelton https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/ Jekyll © 2026 Ant Skelton /beast_user/assets/img/favicons/favicon.ico /beast_user/assets/img/favicons/favicon-96x96.png 2026-03-30T00:00:00+01:00 2026-03-30T01:29:27+01:00 https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/posts/your-name-in-lights-part-ten/ Ant Skelton

Last time, we got a simple scrolltext that can scroll any text the user enters working. This time we’re going to add a bit of bling and resurrect our brightness wave, and hopefully we’ll see that machine code has the power to make it more impressive than our BASIC effort. To move forward, I’m going to assume that you’ve got SLIDE.COM on the B: drive of your ‘Beast, and that you have the co...

2026-03-29T00:00:00+00:00 2026-03-30T11:29:52+01:00 https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/posts/your-name-in-lights-part-nine/ Ant Skelton

Last time, we sort out font decoding and managed to display some basic strings based on user input. This time, we’re going to get the rudimentary scrolltext working, building on the stuff we’ve already looked at. To move forward, I’m going to assume that you’ve got SLIDE.COM on the B: drive of your ‘Beast, and that you have the corresponding PC utility installed somewhere in your PATH on y...

2026-03-28T00:00:00+00:00 2026-03-30T11:29:52+01:00 https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/posts/your-name-in-lights-part-eight/ Ant Skelton

Last time, we got a grounding in the fundamentals of machine code programming and managed to turn some LEDs segments on. This time around there’s a bit less theory and a bit more practical - in fact, it’s a double header! We’re going to cover the same ground as two of the earlier BASIC examples - such is the efficiency of machine code! To move forward, I’m going to assume that you’ve got SL...

2026-03-27T00:00:00+00:00 2026-03-26T22:36:59+00:00 https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/posts/your-name-in-lights-part-seven/ Ant Skelton

Last time, we got a fancy scrolltext with brightness effects working, but were underwhelmed by its lack-lustre performance. Angry and tearful, we turned our red-rimmed eyes to the heavens and swore a dreadful oath to find a better way. That quest starts here! We are going to learn Z80 assembly language programming, which is about the most fun you can have with your ‘Beast. My cunning plan is...

2026-03-26T00:00:00+00:00 2026-03-30T11:29:52+01:00 https://blowback.github.io/beast_user/beast_user/posts/your-name-in-lights-part-six/ Ant Skelton

Last time, we get a basic scrolltext working and were able to scroll any message of our choosing. We’re going to be building on that foundation here, so if you skipped earlier parts or are still a little shaky on the fundamentals you might want to go back and read them again. To move forward, I’m going to assume that you’ve got SLIDE.COM on the B: drive of your ‘Beast, and that you have th...