Thank you for your help, SO I can just wire the decoder right to a digital pin?..the way my board is built my inputs are decoded....like a=xby(61953)..I don't have the decoder going right to the processor...it goes to an 8255 first. So as I have heard if I try to do it in basic I am just spinning my wheels so to speak? I have to do it in assembler. I am using the paulmon assembly monitor. I am not that good with assembler yet but I guess I will have to learn. I would appreciate some source code to look at as this is my own project for my own ammusement...I do not have much to work from. Thank you for your help Simon