A PDP-8 emulator program

ABSTRACT

The clean, simple, and elegant architecture of the classic PDP-8 makes it an ideal candidate for studying concepts in computer organization. The PDP-8 emulator program allows a user to write, edit, assemble, debug, trace, and execute PDP-8 machine code and PDP-8 assembler language programs. With it, the user can obtain a feel for the PDP-8. The PDP-8 emulator program includes a simple built-in text editor which is used to write and edit PDP-8 assembler language programs, an assembler to translate these programs into PDP-8 machine code, and a virtual PDP-8 engine upon which to execute the code. PDP-8 code can be executed from a debug screen display that allows the user to observe the contents of registers and memory as the code executes or code can be executed using an I/O interface that requires user-written PDP-8 I/O routines. This article provides an introduction to both the PDP-8 architecture and PDP-8 assembler language and discusses how to use the PDP-8 emulator program. The PDP-8 emulator program runs under MS-DOS in a command window.

REFERENCES

• 1: C. Gordon Bell , A. C. Newell, Computer structures: Readings and examples (McGraw-Hill computer science series), McGraw-Hill Pub. Co., 1971
• 2: C. Gordon Bell , John E. McNamara , J. Craig. Mudge, Computer Engineering; A DEC View of Hardware Systems Design, Butterworth-Heinemann, Newton, MA, 1978
• 3: Gerrit A. Blaauw , Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1997
• 4: Digital Equipment Corp. 1973. PDP-8/e, PDP-8/m & PDP-8/f Small Computer Handbook - PDP-8 Handbook Series. Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard, MA.
• 5: Digital Equipment Corp. 1975. Introduction to Programming - PDP-8 Handbook Series. Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard, MA.
• 6: George D. Kraft , Wing N. Toy, Mini-Microcomputer Hardware Design, Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, 1979
• 7: Shelburne, B. 2001. A PDP-8 Emulator User's Manual. Custom published, Wittenberg Univ., Springfield, OH.
• 8: Stallings, W. 2000. Computer Organization and Architecture. 52th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
• 9: Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Structured computer organization (3rd ed.), Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1989

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.1 PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURES
      C.1.0 General

Additional Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.0 GENERAL

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.6 SIMULATION AND MODELING
      I.6.5 Model Development

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.2 HISTORY OF COMPUTING
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.1 Computer Uses in Education

General Terms:
Design

Keywords:
Computer architecture simulator, education