NOTE: This is a verbatim quote of the original SUPER-CHIP release notes as published by Erik Bryntse on 1991-05-16 in ⎋ comp.sys.handhelds
It is quoted as is for historic reference, typos where fixed. Clarifications are annotated by [NOTE: …] inserts like this. This is the fixed version and official v1.0 after a prerelease version was accidentally released as v1.0 about an hour earlier.

SUPER-CHIP v1.0 #

… a modified version of the CHIP-8 game interpreter originally made by Andreas Gustafsson.

S-CHIP offers:

full screen resolution in new extended screen mode
downward compatibility (you can run your old CHIP games)
faster execution in extended mode
a larger 16x16 sprite available
new, larger fonts for scores
you can pass information to and from a S-CHIP program
programmable exit from the S-CHIP interpreter possible
no need to turn off the clock
it will always start

What can this mean to the next generation of CHIP games?

Higher resolution and faster action.
One can make a strategy game in RPL with combat parts programmed in S-CHIP. When one of the players has won the combat, the S-CHIP program can exit and pass the results on to the main RPL program.
High score screens etc can be done in RPL and the action parts in S-CHIP.

Description of new functions #

Hex	Chipper	Description
`00FF`	`DB` `#00,` `#FE`	Turn extended screen mode ON, enabling higher speed and full screen (64x128) resolution. Default is OFF.
`00FE`	`DB #00, #FF`	Turn extended screen mode OFF.
`00FD`	`DB #00, #FD`	Exit from S-CHIP environment
`DXY0`	`DRW VX, VY, 0`	Draw 16x16 pixels sprite from `[I]` at `VX`, `VY`. Sprite is stored in 32 bytes, 2 bytes per row with leftmost byte last.
`FX30`	`DB #FX, #30`	Points `I` to 10-byte sprite for the digit in `VX` (0..9).
`FX75`	`DB #FX, #75`	Store `V0..VX` in RPL user flags (`X<=7`)
`FX85`	`DB #FX, #85`	Read `V0..VX` from RPL user flags (`X<=7`)

The “Chipper” column is the necessary commands for the Chipper assembler written by Christian Egeberg. I highly recommend this program!

For a description of the standard CHIP instructions, refer to the original CHIP-48 documentation or the documentation of Chipper. These should be available at funic.funet.fi for anonymous ftp.

User instructions #

Download the string at the end of this posting to your HP. Run ASC-> and store the result as SCHIP.

To run a CHIP game put the program string on level one and press SCHIP.

Additional information #

I will download the source code to funic.funet.fi as soon as possible.

I expect YOU to write a new, fantastic, super game for S-CHIP!

Please let me know what you think of the new features, and if you have more ideas.

Thanks to Andreas Gustafsson for a well written and documented program!

Copyrights, etc #

Below is the original copyright message for CHIP-48 v2.25

Noncommercial distribution allowed, provided that this copyright message is preserved, and any modified versions are clearly marked as such.

The program makes use of undocumented low-level features of the HP48SX calculator, and may or may not cause loss of data, excessive battery drainage, and/or damage to the calculator hardware. The author takes no responsibility whatsoever for any damage caused by the use of this program.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

The modifications from CHIP v2.25 to S-CHIP v1.0 is made by

Erik Bryntse