Writing Z80 assembly, 4 decades later:-)

2026-05-17 | original

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Why This Matters

This article highlights a nostalgic yet innovative project where a developer successfully implements 3D graphics rendering on the ZX Spectrum 48K+ using Z80 assembly. It demonstrates how vintage hardware can still be pushed to perform complex tasks, inspiring both retro computing enthusiasts and modern developers to explore creative solutions within hardware constraints.

Key Takeaways

Shows the potential of vintage hardware for complex graphics tasks.
Provides a practical guide for cross-compiling and running Z80 assembly code.
Encourages innovation by adapting modern concepts like 3D rendering to limited systems.

The backstory

It all begun with the Speccy - the ZX Spectrum 48K+, to be precise.

I got it when I was 13 years old - the best gift ever:

3D tinkering

An entire career has passed since then.

And one of the habits I picked up along the way, was fooling around in my free-time with SW-only 3D graphics.

In fact, a few years ago, I ported the main logic into an ATmega328P microcontroller, implementing "points-only" 3D rendering, and driving an OLED display via the SPI interface... at the magnificent resolution of 128x64 :-)

The challenge - run it on the Speccy

So the path to even more useless tinkering was clear:

I just HAD to make this work for the Speccy, too! :-)

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Explore topics: z88dk zx spectrum atmega328p fuse emulator 3d graphics