BridgeZX 1.0 — Twin Spectrum

BridgeZX 1.0 — Twin Spectrum

English

BridgeZX 1.0 adds an experimental Spectrum Next server alongside Classic and
replaces the Windows-only client with one Qt desktop application for Windows,
macOS and Linux. Both Spectrum targets are available as separate packages.

What is new

• Two Spectrum servers: Classic ZX (BRZX + BRZX.BIN) and Spectrum Next
  (BRZXN + BRZXN.BIN).
• Qt desktop clients: native release packages for Windows x64, Linux x86_64,
  Apple Silicon Mac and Intel Mac.
• Destination directories: start the server as
  .brzx [port] [directory] or .brzxn [port] [directory].
• Remote autoupdate: validated payload updates for Classic and Next with
  staged boot, first-probe commit and backup recovery.
• Better queues: files and folders, drag and drop, sorting, per-file
  acceptance/rejection, total progress, speed and ETA.
• New Spectrum UI: 64-column queue, current-file progress, CRC result and a
  final files/errors/size/time/speed summary.
• Faster hardware paths: inline CRC on Classic; 28 MHz operation and a
  guarded 230400-baud data mode on Next.
• Stronger recovery: hardened ESP parsing, cancellation, network autowakeup,
  filesystem checks and transactional update rollback.

Downloads

Use	Asset
Classic ZX server	BridgeZX-1.0-ZX.zip
Spectrum Next server (experimental)	BridgeZX-1.0-Next.zip
Windows x64 client	BridgeZX-1.0-Windows-x64.zip
Linux x86_64 client	BridgeZX-1.0-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz
Apple Silicon client	BridgeZX-1.0-macOS-arm64.zip
Intel Mac client	BridgeZX-1.0-macOS-x86_64.zip
Classic in-app update payload	brzx.bin
Next in-app update payload	brzxn.bin

Upgrade notes

Install both Spectrum files for the first 1.0 upgrade. Classic and Next
payloads are not interchangeable. Future payload updates can be sent remotely
after the matching 1.0 loader is installed.

For later updates, start the Spectrum server, enter its IP in the desktop app,
open About BridgeZX by clicking the BridgeZX banner, and choose Check
Updates. The app downloads and verifies the matching payload directly from
the latest stable GitHub release.

The old PowerShell client is replaced by the Qt client. Linux on Debian,
Ubuntu or Mint requires libxcb-cursor0. Desktop packages are unsigned/not
notarized: use More info → Run anyway in SmartScreen, or Control-click the
macOS app and choose Open. The per-file limit remains 2 MiB.

Full details: CHANGELOG.md ·
Setup: README.md

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Español

BridgeZX 1.0 incorpora un servidor Spectrum Next experimental junto a Classic y
sustituye el cliente exclusivo de Windows por una única aplicación Qt para
Windows, macOS y Linux. Ambos destinos Spectrum están disponibles en paquetes
separados.

Novedades

• Dos servidores Spectrum: ZX clásico (BRZX + BRZX.BIN) y Spectrum Next
  (BRZXN + BRZXN.BIN).
• Clientes Qt de escritorio: paquetes nativos para Windows x64, Linux
  x86_64, Mac Apple Silicon y Mac Intel.
• Directorios de destino: inicia el servidor con
  .brzx [puerto] [directorio] o .brzxn [puerto] [directorio].
• Autoupdate remoto: actualización validada para Classic y Next, arranque
  por etapas, confirmación tras el primer sondeo y recuperación desde backup.
• Mejores colas: archivos y carpetas, arrastrar y soltar, ordenación,
  aceptación/rechazo por fichero, progreso total, velocidad y ETA.
• Nueva interfaz Spectrum: cola de 64 columnas, progreso activo, resultado
  CRC y resumen final de ficheros/errores/tamaño/tiempo/velocidad.
• Rutas hardware más rápidas: CRC integrado en la recepción Classic;
  ejecución a 28 MHz y modo de datos protegido a 230400 baudios en Next.
• Recuperación reforzada: parser ESP, cancelación, reactivación por red,
  comprobaciones de archivos y rollback transaccional de actualizaciones.

Descargas

Uso	Asset
Servidor ZX clásico	BridgeZX-1.0-ZX.zip
Servidor Spectrum Next (experimental)	BridgeZX-1.0-Next.zip
Cliente Windows x64	BridgeZX-1.0-Windows-x64.zip
Cliente Linux x86_64	BridgeZX-1.0-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz
Cliente Mac Apple Silicon	BridgeZX-1.0-macOS-arm64.zip
Cliente Mac Intel	BridgeZX-1.0-macOS-x86_64.zip
Payload de autoupdate Classic	brzx.bin
Payload de autoupdate Next	brzxn.bin

Notas de actualización

Instala los dos archivos del Spectrum al actualizar por primera vez a 1.0.
Los payloads Classic y Next no son intercambiables. Las actualizaciones
posteriores del payload pueden enviarse por red una vez instalado el loader
1.0 correspondiente.

Para actualizaciones posteriores, inicia el servidor Spectrum, introduce su IP
en la aplicación, abre About BridgeZX pulsando el banner de BridgeZX y elige
Check Updates. La aplicación descarga y verifica el payload correspondiente
desde la última release estable de GitHub.

El cliente Qt sustituye al antiguo cliente PowerShell. En Debian, Ubuntu o Mint
requiere libxcb-cursor0. Los paquetes no están firmados ni notarizados: usa
Más información → Ejecutar de todas formas en SmartScreen, o haz Control-clic
sobre la app de macOS y elige Abrir. El límite se mantiene en 2 MiB por fichero.

Detalles completos:
CHANGELOG.md ·
Instalación:
READMEsp.md

BridgeZX 0.5.3

BridgeZX 0.5.3

• Server DOT command reduced from 6939 to 6380 bytes.
• CRC-16 updater switched to compact bitwise implementation.
• Removed visually invisible bracket font exceptions and redundant transfer info refresh work.
• Windows client version bumped to 0.5.3 and rebuilt.

Artifacts:

• brgzx: divMMC/esxDOS DOT command.
• BridgeZX.exe: Windows PC client executable.

BridgeZX v0.5.2

BridgeZX v0.5.2

This is the public repository catch-up release. The GitHub repo was still close to the original AY/bit-bang public drop; v0.5.2 publishes the current BridgeZX line: modular Z80 server, divMMC/ZX-Uno UART path, current Windows PowerShell client, bundled client build, and updated docs.

Major server update

• Replaced the old monolithic wifi.asm / AY UART server with the current modular server:
  • boot.asm
  • modules/net.asm
  • modules/display.asm
  • modules/ui.asm
  • modules/crc.asm
  • modules/esxdos.asm
  • drivers/divmmc.asm
• Added server/Makefile with make all, make dot, and make clean.
• Switched release binaries to the current names: brgzx and brgzx.bin.
• Removed obsolete AY-era server files from the active tree.

Transfer and protocol reliability

• Current LAIN/SnapZX-compatible transfer framing.
• Multi-file batches over one TCP connection.
• CRC-16 per file, with explicit server ACK before the client advances the queue.
• Hardened malformed +IPD length handling.
• Bounded server IP parsing from ESP AT responses.
• Bounded UART startup flush to avoid hanging forever on noisy RX.
• Cleaned up ACK prompt handling and UART status read path.

Windows client update

• Published the current flat PowerShell module layout instead of the old client/code/ layout.
• Updated build.ps1 to generate and syntax-check BridgeZX_FINAL.ps1 from the current modules.
• Added the active client changelog.
• Updated icon/resource handling.

Client features now in the public repo

• Multi-file and folder drag/drop queue.
• Queue reorder support.
• 8.3 filename collision handling.
• Connection probing and monitoring pause.
• Overall batch progress, ETA, transfer speed, taskbar progress, and title-bar progress.
• Dark owner-drawn UI with clearer sent/current/pending states.
• IP history, last directory, and window-position persistence.

Client hardening

• Queue advances only after a real server ACK.
• ACK text is accumulated across split TCP reads.
• 0x06 ACK is scanned across the whole receive buffer.
• Queues over 255 files are rejected before transfer.
• Active probes are cancelled before sending, avoiding ESP socket contention.
• Cancel during final success grace no longer reports a completed transfer as cancelled.
• Older config files load safely under StrictMode.
• ACK timeout reduced from 120 seconds to 15 seconds for faster failure after server-side rejects.

Documentation

• Rewrote English and Spanish READMEs for the current brgzx DOT-command flow.
• Updated client README with current build/run commands.
• Expanded CHANGELOG to describe the real public jump from 0.1.0 to 0.5.2.

Assets

• brgzx: esxDOS DOT command. Copy to /BIN and run .brgzx.
• brgzx.bin: raw server binary.
• BridgeZX_FINAL.ps1: bundled Windows PowerShell client.

Verification

• make all in server/: 0 errors, 0 warnings.
• powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\client\build.ps1: Sintaxis OK.

"The Synapse"

Release v0.1.0: "The Synapse"
BridgeZX has officially landed. This release marks the first stable milestone of the project, establishing a robust, asynchronous client-server link between the modern PC world and the ZX Spectrum via Wi-Fi.

This version focuses on stability, user experience, and visual feedback, earning its name from the new "Matrix-style" binary noise effect that visualizes data flow on the Spectrum's border.

🌟 Key Highlights
Asynchronous Client-Server Architecture: The Spectrum acts as a dedicated server, handling buffer management, SD writing, and UI updates asynchronously to ensure CPU stability during transfers.
"The Matrix" Visual Feedback: The border now flashes with binary noise during transfer, providing hardware-level confirmation of UART activity.
Dual Operation: Run it as a seamless Dot Command (.bridgezx) integrated into esxDOS, or as a standard binary (.bin) via BASIC loader.

🚀 What's New
🖥️ Server (ZX Spectrum / Z80)
Stability Overhaul: Implemented a critical Stack Pointer (SP) reset at the start of the receive loop, fixing the "infinite loop" crash on server restarts.
Smart Screen Wiper: New video initialization routine (LDIR based) that aggressively clears old BASIC listings and attribute artifacts for a clean UI.
Data Integrity: Full CRC-16 verification for every packet. Corrupted files are rejected instantly.
Safety Limits: Added pre-flight checks for free disk space and a 2MB file size cap to protect the SD filesystem.

💻 Client (Windows)
Standalone Executable: The client is now a single, portable .exe with zero dependencies (no Python or external scripts required).
Embedded Resources: Application icon and logo are embedded directly into the binary.
Multi-File Queue: Drag & drop support with a queue system to transfer multiple files (TAP, TRD, SCR, etc.) in one session.
Smart Auto-Discovery: The client proactively probes the Spectrum IP and indicates status via traffic-light logic:

🔵 Blue: Port open, Handshake pending.
🟢 Green: Ready to transfer.
🟡 Yellow: Port closed / Unreachable.

Collision Handling: Automatically renames duplicate filenames in the queue to prevent overwrites.

📦 Installation
Server: Copy the bridgezx file (no extension) to the /BIN folder of your SD card, or the directory with both BRIDGEZX.BAS and BRIDGEZX.bin.
Client: Download BridgeZX.exe to your PC.

Usage:
On Spectrum: Type .bridgezx or run BRIDGEZX.BAS from the NMI file browser.
On PC: Launch the client, enter IP, drop files, and hit "Send All".

📜 Credits
Author: M. Ignacio Monge Garcia
Original Concept: Alex Nihirash (LAIN)