---
title: "Character Set Rotation"
id: 76368
type: "computer_media"
slug: "character-set-rotation"
url: "http://localhost/computer_media/character-set-rotation/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/computer_media/character-set-rotation.md"
published_at: "2026-11-11T08:03:05+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-11-11T08:03:05+00:00"
author: "David Anderson"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/character-set-rotation-1.png"
excerpt: "Rotate the character set a quarter turn at a time, or mirror it, with a compact machine-code routine and a demonstration that prints every orientation."
post_tag:
  - name: "Downloadable"
    slug: "downloadable"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/downloadable/"
  - name: "TS 2068"
    slug: "ts2068"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/ts2068/"
model:
  - name: "Timex/Sinclair 2068"
    slug: "ts-2068"
    taxonomy: "model"
    url: "http://localhost/model/ts-2068/"
genre:
  - name: "Font"
    slug: "font"
    taxonomy: "genre"
    url: "http://localhost/type/font/"
media_type: "Program"
download_url: "https://archive.org/download/timex-sinclair-software-archive/Character%20Set%20Rotation%20%281984%29%28-%29%28TS2068%29%28US%29%28Program%29.zip"
tsrun_member: "Character Set Rotation (1984)(-)(TS2068)(US)(Program)/Character Set Rotation (1984)(-)(TS2068)(US)(Program).tap"
mediadate: "1984"
images:
  - url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/character-set-rotation-1.png"
article_media:
  - id: 19801
    title: "Character Set Rotation"
    type: "article"
    url: "http://localhost/article/character-set-rotation/"
media_type_tags: "Font"
license: false
---

# Character Set Rotation

An 80-byte machine-code routine that rotates the character set 90 degrees counterclockwise, with or without mirror imaging. An initialization routine (USR 64324) copies the ROM characters to RAM at FC00; the rotate routine (USR 64256) turns every character a quarter turn, and POKE 64281,9 before one call adds a mirror image. The demo prints the alphabet in all four rotations and then mirrored.

Only text printed after a rotation changes, because the TS2068 has a bit-mapped display. In the article you enter the bytes with a short INPUT/POKE program and save them as “rotate” CODE; the tape here has that CODE block and the demo, with a two-line loader added in front that loads both. Type RUN after loading.

Published in Syntax June 1984 ([Character Set Rotation](https://timexsinclair.com/article/character-set-rotation/)).

## Source Code

```
   5 CLEAR 64255
  10 LET init=64324
  20 LET rot=64256
  30 LET mir=64281
  35 PRINT "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
  36 PRINT
  40 RANDOMIZE USR init
  50 POKE 23606,0: POKE 23607,251
  55 FOR x=1 TO 4
  60 RANDOMIZE USR rot
  70 PRINT "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
  75 NEXT x
  77 PRINT
  80 POKE mir,9
  90 RANDOMIZE USR init
  95 RANDOMIZE USR rot
 100 POKE mir,1
 105 FOR x=1 TO 4
 110 RANDOMIZE USR rot
 120 PRINT "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
 130 NEXT x
 160 RANDOMIZE USR init
```