Fpp Support Library

Summary

The FPP Support Library is a collection of routines designed to facilitate floating-point I/O and mathematical calculations for users of the Digital Equipment Corporation Floating Point Processor (FPP). It acts as an interface between the FPP hardware and the user's code, simplifying programming by handling hardware interfacing, formatting, and complex math functions.

The library is modular, meaning the FPP Assembler only loads the specific routines requested by the user, rather than the entire library. The routines are organized into three primary units:

• Nucleus: Monitors the FPP, handles special conditions (such as division by zero, exponent/fraction overflows, and instruction traps), and provides options for interrupt or non-interrupt-driven operation. It can also include an optional, fully buffered Teletype I/O handler.
• Format Conversion: Provides routines to convert between ASCII text and floating-point format (E, F, and P formats), allowing for the display and printing of numerical data.
• Mathematical Functions: Includes 22 distinct mathematical routines, such as trigonometric, logarithmic, and exponential functions, which can be used independently of the Nucleus.

The guide assumes the user is familiar with the FPP hardware and the FPP Assembler. It includes detailed instructions for implementing these routines, provides programming examples, and contains comprehensive documentation on library constants and assembly customization.