76 lines
No EOL
3.5 KiB
Markdown
76 lines
No EOL
3.5 KiB
Markdown
# Chip8 Emulator
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Chip8 emulator written in [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) (1.83.0) for learning and educational purposes.
|
|
|
|
In turns inside your Terminal and the code can be easily modified to run in other envionments.
|
|
|
|
See it in action:
|
|
|
|
### Space Invaders
|
|
|
|
[](https://asciinema.org/a/694431)
|
|
|
|
### Pong
|
|
|
|
[](https://asciinema.org/a/Q7TCN6e1V2y2Vfm2tCiCSzsAd)
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## About Chip8
|
|
|
|
CHIP-8 is an interpreted programming language and a simple virtual machine designed primarily for running on 8-bit microcomputers and other systems in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Created by Joseph Weisbecker for RCA's COSMAC VIP microcomputer, CHIP-8 was intended to make programming more accessible by providing a higher-level language that could abstract away the complexities of direct hardware manipulation.
|
|
|
|
The CHIP-8 architecture features a straightforward design:
|
|
|
|
CPU: It uses a 16-bit address space and has 16 8-bit registers (V0-VF), where VF often serves as a flag register. Instructions are 2 bytes long, allowing for 35 possible opcodes.
|
|
Memory: There are 4KB (4096 bytes) of RAM, with the first 512 bytes reserved for the interpreter itself, leaving 3584 bytes for programs and data.
|
|
Display: A 64x32 pixel monochrome display where each pixel can be either on or off.
|
|
Input: It handles input through a 16-key hexadecimal keypad.
|
|
Timers: Two timers (delay and sound) decrement at 60 Hz, providing simple timing mechanisms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHIP-8 games and programs were typically small, often fitting within the limited memory constraints, and included classics like "Pong", "Space Invaders", and "Tetris" adaptations. The simplicity of CHIP-8 has made it a popular choice for educational purposes, teaching fundamentals of computer architecture, programming, and emulation. Modern emulators and interpreters for CHIP-8 exist on various platforms, including web browsers, allowing enthusiasts to run and even develop new games for this vintage system. This has kept CHIP-8 relevant as a tool for understanding basic computing concepts and low-level programming.
|
|
|
|
## How is this project organized
|
|
|
|
The project is written in Rust and it's organized in the following modules:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
.
|
|
├── Cargo.lock
|
|
├── Cargo.toml
|
|
├── LICENSE
|
|
├── proprietary_roms # Roms which I have no permission to share here.
|
|
├── README.md
|
|
├── roms
|
|
│ ├── 1-chip8-logo.ch8 # Chip8 Logo Test ROM
|
|
│ ├── 3-corax+.ch8 # Corax+ Instructions Test ROM
|
|
│ └── ibm-logo.ch8 # IBM Logo Test ROM
|
|
├── src
|
|
│ ├── display.rs # The screen / display module.
|
|
│ ├── emulator.rs # The emulator logic which emulates the CPU.
|
|
│ ├── input.rs # The input logic.
|
|
│ ├── instruction.rs # The instruction decoding logic.
|
|
│ ├── main.rs # The main file. This is the entrypoint.
|
|
│ ├── sound.rs # The sound module.
|
|
│ └── stack.rs # A stack implementation.
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Resources
|
|
|
|
I've used the following resources to implement the project:
|
|
|
|
- https://tobiasvl.github.io/blog/write-a-chip-8-emulator/
|
|
- https://github.com/Timendus/chip8-test-suite
|
|
|
|
and got inspired by other people's code when I was confused by an instruction.
|
|
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
Made with ❤️ by [NucuLabs.dev](https://blog.nuculabs.dev)
|
|
|
|
Follow me on 🦋 or 🐘 and let's chat:
|
|
- BlueSky: [@nuculabs.dev](https://bsky.app/profile/nuculabs.dev)
|
|
- Mastodon: [@nuculabs](https://mastodon.social/@nuculabs) |