Simulating a Machine from the 80s
3 days ago
- #retro-computing
- #Fahivets-85
- #emulation
- The author read a book on the history of computing in Ukraine, which inspired them to simulate the Fahivets-85, their first childhood computer.
- They developed an emulator in Web Assembly capable of running a simple game called 'Rain', which involves catching raindrops and avoiding cacti that turn into demons.
- The emulator's development involved 43 commits, including adding CPU command specifications, decoding logic, and integrating keyboard and display functionalities.
- AI assistance was used to generate Go code implementations and tests based on CPU command specifications.
- Key milestones included debugging the bootloader code, implementing an IO controller for keyboard integration, and adding a monochrome display to visualize output.
- The emulator was extended to support loading programs in .rks format, leading to the successful execution of the 'Rain' game.
- A bug in the parity bit calculation was fixed, resolving an issue where raindrops fell in the same location.
- The author expressed joy at seeing the first results and shared the emulator with friends, despite remaining issues with sound and other games.