A Linux machine is likely to run the Python graphics generator, or a full emulation of an 8-bit micro, far faster than a real 8-bit computer. This makes it a great way of developing and debugging programs far faster.

To optimise speed on a real 8-bit machine, remember that floating-point maths and trigonometry are hard work for 8-bit micros. There will be a lot of this in 3d graphics. Minimising this will be a test of your programming skills!

Install the Prerequisites

Open your Linux Mint terminal and install socat alongside the Python libraries:

In a bash shell:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install socat python3-pip
pip3 install pygame pyserial
sudo apt install python3-serial
sudo apt install python3-pygame

Open a bash shell and start the virtual communication ports

Run this command in a dedicated terminal window. It creates two linked virtual ports (/tmp/vtty0 and /tmp/vtty1).

socat -d -d pty,link=/tmp/vtty0,raw,echo=0 pty,link=/tmp/vtty1,raw,echo=0

Open another bash shell and start the graphics server

python3 graphics_server.py

Open another bash shell and start the 3d graphics generator

python3 3d_generator.py