0xlax / CHIP8-emulator

CHIP8 Emulator written in C (with SDL)

CHIP-8 Emulator using SDL

Introduction

This project is a CHIP-8 emulator implemented in C using the SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) library. The emulator allows you to run and play games designed for the CHIP-8 system on your computer.

Prerequisites

Before you can build and run the emulator, make sure you have the following prerequisites installed on your system:

1. C Compiler: You need a C compiler to compile the emulator code. Popular options include GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) for Linux and MinGW-w64 for Windows.

2. SDL Library: Download and install the SDL library, which provides a set of tools for graphics, audio, and input handling. Make sure to get the appropriate version for your operating system.

Explanations

1. Emulator Structure: The emulator consists of multiple components, including the CHIP-8 interpreter, memory management, input handling, and graphics rendering. Each component plays a vital role in emulating the CHIP-8 system accurately.

2. CHIP-8 Interpreter: The CHIP-8 interpreter is responsible for executing CHIP-8 instructions and emulating the behavior of the original system. It interprets the opcodes fetched from memory and performs the necessary operations accordingly.

3. Memory Management: The emulator needs to manage the memory of the CHIP-8 system. It includes allocating memory for the interpreter, program ROMs, and system RAM. The memory management component ensures that the correct memory regions are accessed during the emulation process.

4. Input Handling: To interact with the emulator, it should support input handling. SDL provides convenient functions to handle keyboard input. You can map the keyboard events to the CHIP-8 keypad and allow users to control the emulator effectively.

5. Graphics Rendering: SDL simplifies the process of rendering graphics in the emulator. You can use SDL's functions to draw pixels and update the screen buffer according to the CHIP-8 display. By refreshing the display at regular intervals, you can provide users with a visual representation of the CHIP-8 system.

Building and Running the Emulator

To build and run the emulator, follow these steps:

1. Install the necessary prerequisites mentioned above.

2. Download the emulator source code.

3. Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory containing the source code.

4. Compile the code using the appropriate compiler command. For example, with GCC, you can use the following command: gcc -o emulator main.c chip8.c -lSDL2.

5. If the compilation is successful, an executable file (e.g., emulator or emulator.exe) will be created.

6. Run the emulator by executing the generated executable file. You may need to provide additional command-line arguments, such as the path to the CHIP-8 ROM file, depending on your implementation.

7. Enjoy playing CHIP-8 games on the emulator!

Resources

Here are some useful links and resources you can refer to for further understanding and enhancing your CHIP-8 emulator:

1. CHIP-8 - Wikipedia: Provides an overview of the CHIP-8 system, its architecture, and its instruction set.

2. Lazy Foo' Productions SDL tutorials: Offers comprehensive tutorials on using SDL for graphics, input, and audio in C/C++.

3. How to write an emulator (CHIP-8 interpreter): A step-by-step guide to building a CHIP-8 emulator, explaining the core concepts and implementation details.

4. CHIP-8 Technical Reference: A technical reference for the CHIP-8 system, providing detailed information about the opcode behavior and system architecture.