Heathkit Systems in MAME

Github activity

Merged PRs(not yet released)

Bug fixes

• Superset screen saver fixed.

Open PRs(not yet merged)

• Add support for SigmaSoft Interactive Graphics Controller (IGC).
• gp-19 50 line text fix.
• Optimize superset code needed for screen saver.

Heathkit H19

Emulation of the base H19 should be complete and accurate. If you run into any issues, let me know.

Alternate ROMs

• super19 - Super19, ATG Systems, Inc. (Manual) - Works
• superset - Superset, TMSI (Manual) - (mostly working)

Issues

• Screen saver not working(fix merged).
• ultra19 - UltraROM, Software Wizardry (Manual) - Works
• watz19 - Watzman (HUG P/N: 885-1221) ROM (Manual) - Works

Graphic Boards

• gp19 - Northwest Digital System's GP-19 Graphics board (Manual) - (partially working)

Issues

• 49/50 line mode is only showing top half of screen. (Issue found/fixed, but current PR was not accepted.)
• Lower case descenders are missing in 49/50 line mode. (Issue found/fixed, but current PR was not accepted.)
• imaginator - Cleveland Codonics Imaginator I-100 (Manual)
• igc - SigmaSoft and Systems Interactive Graphics Controller (IGC) - (PR up for review)

Issues

• Light pen not supported yet.
• Joystick not supported yet.
• Centronics not supported yet.
• Alternate character set not supported yet.

Plans

• Add support for optional Tektronix 4010/4014 ROM in Imaginator I-100 (if I can get a copy of the ROM).

Heathkit H89

Although I've created 2 other H89 emulators, I'm now focusing on MAME due to its huge user base. This will allow H89 emulation to be available to a much larger group of people.

Current Status

As of release 0.256, the H89 is considered a working system with the addition of the Z-89-37 soft-sectored controller addon board is implemented. Up to 4 floppy disks can be connected to the controller although he standard Heath operating systems (HDOS & CP/M) only support 3 drives.

Alternate ROMs

There are several replacement ROMs to select from for the H89. A ROM with support for the Z-89-37 Soft-sectored controller is needed to boot and use the system with disks. This includes the MTR-90, MMS-84B (or 84A), KMR-100, and the MtrHex-4K.

Note: We do not have documentation for all of the replacement ROMs, so dip switch setting for those are not reflected in MAME. By default the dip switch setting listed in MAME are for the MTR-90, but the user is able to change this to one of the other ROMs with documentation by using the machine configuration and selecting the correct ROM.

• MTR-90 (444-142) Default/Latest ROM provided by Heath
• MTR-88 (444-40) Original ROM supported only Hard-sectored controller and Cassette Interface
• MTR-89 (444-62) Added support for H-47, dropped support for cassette interface.
• MMS-84B Magnolia Microsystems ROM (Manual), supports many of the MMS add-on cards.
• Kres KMR-100 (KMR-100 Manual), Based on Ultimeth ROM plus support for Kres Products
• Ultimeth MtrHex-4K
• MTR-90 (444-84) Heath's first release of the MTR-90 ROM, the replacement part, 444-142, fixed a few minor issues.
• MMS-84A Magnolia Microsystems ROM, don't have documentation for this version, but seems similar to the MMS-84B version

Plans

• Add additional controller/interface cards including Heath's H-88-1, Z-89-47, and Z-89-67.
• Add additional 3rd party add-on cards.
• Add various memory upgrades (MMS 128K, CDR 1M)
• Add replacement CPU boards including DG Super-89.
• Any other ROMs, including SigmaROM(if I can find a copy).

Heathkit H8

I haven't worked much on the H8 emulator, but it is listed as functional and supports cassette tapes. The h37 soft-sectored controller that I implemented for the H89 should be relatively easy to get working with the H8, although I haven't looked closely on what would be needed.

Recent improvements in Heath emulation

• MAME 0.261
  • Added Cleveland Codonics I-100 graphics board option for H19 and H89.
  • New ROMs for the H89: Kres KMR-100 and Ultimeth MtrHex-4k
  • Added machine config options to allow proper ROM dip switch settings in the UI.
  • Fixed Superset text/font and on-screen menu issues.
• MAME 0.259
  • Added machine config options to set CPU speed on H89 and the terminal CPU speed and CRT color on H19 and H89
  • Initial support for SuperSet ROM/board upgrade option
  • Fixed screen output for GP-19 in graphics mode.
• MAME 0.258
  • The terminal logic board (tlb) is now a slot device. This allows the H19 and H89 system to select which variant of the tlb to use with each system without requiring a large number of clones.
  • Initial work to add support for Northwest Digital System's GP-19 Graphics board
  • Fixed the ROM list for the H89. Added working MMS84A & 84B and MTR-90 (444-84)

ROMs Needed for Heath Emulators in MAME

• H8 - h8.zip
• H19 - h19.zip (Updated with Superset and Imaginator I-100 ROMs)
• H89 - h89.zip (Updated with Kres KMR-100, Ultimeth, Superset, and Imaginator I-100 ROMs)