Emulator Framework

Question

Are there any good open source frameworks for developing computer system emulators? I am particularly interested in something written in Python or Java that can reduce the effort involved in developing emulators for 8-bit processors (e.g. 6502, 6510, etc.).

Answer 1

Isn't the 6510 in the C64? You might be able to make use of the java libraries that emulate c64 code

http://www.dreamfabric.com/c64/

http://www.jac64.com/jac64-java-based-c64-emulator.html

If you aren't afraid of C++ try this general purpose one:

http://cef.sourceforge.net/index.php

Answer 2

You may want to check out VICE, which can emulates a variety of Commodore 8-bit computers: "the C64, the C64DTV, the C128, the VIC20, almost all PET models, the PLUS4 and the CBM-II (aka C610)". That includes 6502, 6510 and 8502 processors. VICE is released under GPL and is written in C.

Answer 3

I've developed a complete emulator for the MIX machine (Knuth's imaginary computer from TAOCP) in Perl a few years ago. The source code is well documented and the simulator is runnable, so one can practice with examples. It wasn't too difficult and I don't recall needing any special framework. The machine's registers are just state variables in the simulator, and the rest is interpreting instructions and changing this internal state.

Do you have more specific questions? Perhaps it will then be easier to point you in the right direction.