emu8

README

emu8

The 8-bit machine emulator

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emu8 is an open source 8-bit machine emulator written in the Go programming language.

Currently these machine models are supported :

• Sinclair ZX Spectrum 16K and 48K
• Amstrad CPC 464

There are plans to implement more 8-bit machines and models like : ZX80, ZX81, Commodore 64, BBC Micro A/B, MSX1 ...

Installation

To download and build the command line application you can use :

go get github.com/jtruco/emu8

See the requirements section for additional build and dependency instructions.

Requirements

emu8 is mostly programmed using the Go standard library. The core emulator engine can compile in almost all platforms supported by the Go compiler.

The current frontend requires SDL2 (Simple Directmedia Layer library, version 2), and its Go binding package go-sdl2. In order to build this dependency is necessary to install the essential C/C++ building tools and the SDL2 development library.

On Ubuntu / Debian like distributions you can install :

sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install libsdl2-dev

Then you can download and build the binding :

go get github.com/veandco/go-sdl2

For other platforms like Windows or macOS, please refer to the go-sdl2 compiling instructions.

Usage

emu8 is a command line application that uses SDL2 as its user interface.

To run the emulator and load a snapshot file into the machine just type :

./emu8 manicminer.sna

emu8 looks for files in the current working directory. If it fails, then it tries in the following subdirectories by type :

• ./rom : ROM files (*.rom)
• ./snap : Snapshot image files (.sna, .z80, ...)
• ./tape : Tape container files (.tap, .tzx, cdt, ...)

The default machine model is the classic Speccy or ZX Spectrum 48k. To select another machine model use :

./emu8 -m cpc464 blagger.sna

Current supported models are : zx16k, zx48k, and cpc464.

Keyboard accelerators

Once the emulator is running you can control it with the following keys :

• Esc : Exits the application.
• F2 : Takes a snapshot of the machine state and saves it.
• F5 : Resets the machine to its initial state.
• F6 : Pauses and Resumes the machine emulation.
• F7 : Plays and Stops the tape.
• F8 : Rewinds the tape.
• F10 : Exits the application.
• F11 : Toggle full-screen video mode.

Features

General status and main features :

• Written in pure Go.
• Multi-platform desktop support (Linux, Windows, macOS).
• Multi-machine architecture.
• User interface : video, audio and user input.
• Joystick support (only one port by now).
• Video scale2x and fullscreen (beta) support.
• Zip compressed files support.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum ( Status : Release )

The emulation is stable and accurate for the current supported models :

• ZX Spectrum 16k and 48k models supported.
• Zilog Z80 CPU emulation.
• Contended video memory emulation.
• Accurate border and scanline video effects.
• Beeper emulation.
• Snapshot formats supported : SNA, Z80.
• Tape formats supported (read only) : TAP, TZX.
• Kempston joystick support.

Amstrad CPC ( Status : Beta )

The emulation is good, but needs some fixes and audio quality improvements :

• Amstrad CPC 464 model supported.
• Zilog Z80 CPU emulation.
• MC6845 CRTC device emulation.
• Accurate scanline and video timings emulation.
• AY-3-8912 audio device emulation (alpha).
• Snapshot formats supported : SNA.
• Tape formats supported (read only) : CDT.
• Joystick support.

Roadmap

These are the main goals and features for the next versions :

• Web application using WebAssembly and HTML5/Js.
• Support more machines and models.
• libretro core implementation.
• Mobile : native apps for Android & iOS.
• Gui : A cross-platform desktop user interface.
• OpenGL / OpenAL desktop app frontend.

Contributing

emu8 is currently in alpha development stage, and its structure is subject to change frequently.

This is a spare time project. I hope to have a more stable code base in next releases.

License

emu8 is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE file for more details.