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I initially wrote a complete tool for DOS.
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In 1993, it was not so common, at least not to my knowledge. Today, it is a common practice, to update firmware, to fix bugs or add features. The idea to be able to change the behaviour of an electronic circuit, just by reprogramming it without using a solder iron, intrigued me.
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Now one was able to design his own chips! I saw the 89C2051 as an ideal replacement for a lot of CMOS/TTL chips. In those days, electronic circuits consisted of numerous CMOS and TTL chips. I was excited to find out that there was a small micro processor that could be erased/reprogrammed without the need to UV erase the EPROM. I found out, that Atmel made the 89C2051, which was a 20 pin chip with flash memory. The 8052 was great but the UV eeproms had to be erased using UV light. I used the 8052AH to show the caller info on an LCD. Because of my work for the PTT i was also able to get caller info, something not available as a service yet. I made a lot of interfaces using PIO, relay, etc. I made some programs for the PTT(now KPN) that were revolutionary at that time.įor hobby purpose i used the 8052AH BASIC programmable processor from Intel. It was easy to master and very intuitive. I found out that a nice BASIC interpreter, which was similar to GW-BASIC, was included in the OS(TOS). That only changed when laser printers became available. Only Dot matrix printers where available at that time. I bought the ATARI just for the purpose of PCB design. When the ATARI came with the 1040ST and an affordable PCB design tool, I bought my first real computer. The Apple II we got later on at the ETS could also be programmed in BASIC. When working at Philips in Hilversum i also worked with an industrial computer that could be programmed in BASIC. I designed a lot of PCB's by hand using ink and later using tape.Īt the ETS(electronic technical school in Amsterdam) we had a Philips main frame with terminals which could be programmed in a simple form of BASIC. Since I was young, I was intrigued by remote control, robots, transmitters, in short, all kinds of electronics.
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