nyukomatic

A ZX Spectrum live-coding tool inspired by Bazematic and Bonzomatic.

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About the project

Like other live-coding tools, nyukomatic combines a code editor and a Z80 assembler, allowing you to see the results of code changes in real time. Unlike Bazematic, which runs in a browser and uses RASM as a compiler, it is a stand-alone native executable (Win/Linux/macOS) and uses SJASMPlus which is more familiar to many Z80 coders in terms of syntax.

Continuing the now established tradition of naming live-coding tools, nyukomatic is named after Nyuk, the organizer of Multimatograf demoparty who held the first ZX Spectrum live-coding event in Russia.

Key Features

• Native cross-platform app (with Windows, Linux and macOS builds available)
• Fast, cycle-accurate Pentagon 128 emulation powered by z80 library
• Sender/grabber network modes with relaying via BonzomaticServer
• Can receive network broadcast data available from Z80 code by reading ports (requires patched Bonzomatic server)
• Integrates SJASMPlus: code is compiled and executed in real time as you type
• Z80 Assembly syntax highlighting

Building nyukomatic on Linux (Debian)

sudo apt install -y libgl1-mesa-dev libfontconfig-dev libxmu-dev libxi-dev libgl-dev libxrandr-dev libxinerama-dev xorg-dev libglu1-mesa-dev libssl-dev
git clone https://github.com/alexanderk23/nyukomatic
cd nyukomatic
git submodule update --init --recursive
mkdir build && cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build .

Usage

nyukomatic can operate in either sender or grabber mode.

• In sender mode, nyukomatic transmits the user's actions (code changes, cursor movements, etc.) to the Bonzomatic server, which then relays them to all grabbers that have the same room and nickname specified in their server URL.

• In grabber mode, input is disabled, and nyukomatic displays the actions of a sender with a matching room and nickname.

By default, the program launches in sender mode without a server connection. You can experiment with the code, but it won’t be transmitted anywhere.

To connect, open the settings window, specify the Bonzomatic server URL in the format:

ws://bonzomatic.example.com/room/nickname/

and click the "connect" button.

Broadcasting port values

nyukomatic supports receiving arbitrary port values over the network from external utilities. These network-transmitted port values can be read in Z80 assembly code using standard instructions.

This enables dynamic code behavior based on external conditions. For example, sending FFT spectrum analyzer data from a microphone input and modifying effect parameters in real-time based on music (similar to shader showdown competitions).

Implementation

1. External Utility Setup:

   • Connect to a Bonzomatic server room using an empty nickname.

   • Send a JSON message containing an array of port-value pairs:

     • Single port: [port_number, value]
     • Value array: [base_port_number, [value_1, value_2, ...]]

     {
         "ports": [
             [ 4783, 42 ], // Single port value
             [ 1019, [1, 2, 3] ] // Array of values (mapped to ports)
         ]
     }

2. Z80 Code Reading:

   • Single port:

     ld bc, port_number
     in a, (c)     ; Value stored in register A

   • Array of ports:
     Each array element maps to base_port_number - (index * 256).
     Use inir for efficient bulk reading:

     ld bc, base_port_number
     ld hl, dest_addr
     inir          ; Reads values sequentially to memory at HL

Example

For this JSON input:

{
    "ports": [
        [ 4783, 42 ],
        [ 1019, [1, 2, 3] ]
    ]
}

Resulting port values (4783 = 0x12AF, 1019 = 0x03FB):

• 0x12AF → 42
• 0x03FB → 1, 0x02FB → 2, 0x01FB → 3

Assembly demonstration:

; Read single value
ld bc, 0x12AF
in a, (c)       ; A = 42

; Read value array
ld bc, 0x03FB
ld hl, 0x4000
inir            ; Writes 0x01, 0x02, 0x03 to addresses 0x4000-0x4002

Acknowledgements

Original projects

• Bazematic: a browser-based ZX Spectrum live-coding environment
• Bonzomatic: a live shader coding tool and Shader Showdown workhorse

Libraries and other included software

• Boost Regex: provides regular expression support for C++
• cxxopts: a lightweight C++ option parser library
• Dear ImGui: a bloat-free graphical user interface library for C++
• FreeType: a freely available software library to render fonts
• GLEW: a cross-platform open-source C/C++ extension loading library
• GLFW: an Open Source, multi-platform library for OpenGL, OpenGL ES and Vulkan application development
• ImGuiColorTextEdit: a syntax highlighting text editor for ImGui
• IXWebSocket: a C++ library for WebSocket client and server development
• json.cpp: a baroque JSON parsing / serialization library for C++
• OpenSSL: an TLS/SSL and crypto library
• rang: colors for your Terminal
• SJASMPlus: a command-line cross-compiler of assembly language for Z80 CPU
• SSE2NEON: A C/C++ header file that converts Intel SSE intrinsics to Arm/Aarch64 NEON intrinsics
• xxhash_cpp: a port of the xxHash library to C++17
• z80: a fast and flexible Z80/i8080 emulator
• zlib: a massively spiffy yet delicately unobtrusive compression library