Preface about assembler emulator
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The Emulator

In the 1994 I started to develop a C64 emulator for PC in the free time. In that periods I had a 286 PC, so the speed of emulation would be the main porpoise, because I think that with 16Mhz I must emulate a CPU of 1Mhz, the graphics, ...
But it was possible to develop an emulator for a 286? (at that time I don't known that there's emulators, and some of them can go in 286 with little speed down.
So, I try to check how fast was the cpu emulation:

  1. I write a (more incomplete) M6510 object oriented Pascal emulation: too slow!
  2. I write a M6510 object oriented Pascal emulation with all code replaced by assembly language: little better
During this point I find a real emulator that goes in the 286 (the C64S) and than other that go in 386 machine. So I decide to use total assembler for making the emulator (assembler is the my preferred language): the C++ language that I think to use after the previous test was erased (I look for C for implementing the graphics more faster that with Pascal).

I write the M6510 emulation cycle based (well, an operation is made in a cycle, the eventually other are sleep cycle) using IRQ clock timing.

Yes, the other use polling to emulate vic and cpu, but I was thought that, even if now I use a 286 to develop the emulator, when it will be finished I had a more powerful computer, so the timing will be accurate.
Note that this features was done with the documentation that I had in that time (some commodore manuals); vic and 64doc article, undocumented opcodes,... I never known their existence. In fact, even if the cpu is timing clocked at 1Mhz, the graphics (line by line) is done at the full speed of cpu, without cycles.
This choose was done because I think that when I will have a powerful computer, I will find documentation for making Vic cycle exactly, and I can test them, because with the 286 if we use true Cpu timing, the vic was slow (or vice versa).

After making the M6510 emulation I try to emulate the Vic. The main porpoise for me was to emulate the border like in the Commodore, so 320*200 int 10h mode was not to used. But fortunately, I had a copy of Xlib 4.0, so I decide to use Mode X 360*240 (I did not know how mode X works, but in the Xlib there's the free source code).
I use 3 memory pages:

  1. The Main 360*240 for Commodore output screen
  2. The Second 360*240 for emulation option panels
  3. The rest of graphic for a split screen for drawing the Commodore/PC keyboard.
Well, the keyboard in the split screen was the better idea that I could be thought: if you use an actually emulator, which keys is the - or = or ... Well you must see the documentation, and if you want to write the special commodore graphics chars you must see the commodore keyboard layout.

The emulation of Vic use 24/25 chars, scrolling (even if the 38/40 was not inserted because I not had more time, the Vic emulation is done with a high quantity of macro code, so this step was very simple to insert) and all graphics mode.
Sprites? No, I had no more time.

Cia emulation: very little.
SID emulation: nothing.
Joystick emulation: none.

The Utilities

Even if the emulator was the main project, I had write more code that will be useful for the emulator.

  1. A 6510 disassembler with automatic comment (I use this for disassembly the Kernal and Basic, and all the assembler code I need to study)
  2. Some assembler utility for reading the tape cassette
Well, the reading of Kernal and Basic ROM, and the my C64 programs from the tape was an strong result.
I had build a PC to Commodore RS-232 converter (using an Italian kit). Then I had loading the Kernal, Basic, and the Char from the Commodore to the PC.
But first, for the tape, I had manually build a connector for PC RS-232 to Commodore Tape Datassette, then I try to understand how the readed bits means.
Nothing for me.

cable

So, one day I manually copied (from the screen) the byte code of Turbo Tape utility program, and then I started to study its assembler code, because the Kernal Commodore routine for reading from tape was too difficult to understand from my Kernal disassembly.
With this I read Turbo saved program, and because I understand how a program can be written to a tape, I was able to read the Commodore format without using the Kernal disassembly. Then I had write other utility for reading some commercial cassette that I had. The format of the readed files are proprietary, and it is supported by the actual Java Commodore emulator.
Why other files formats?
Because one porpoise of the emulator was to reproduce even the tape loading as in the Commodore. Well, if you think that a emulator fast loader is to use always, then you have never loading the "Last Ninja 2" cassette. Nice graphics and sound too during the loading...
Another features of the emulator was to reproduce the cartridge, but that support was never added.

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