CHIP-8 Emulator Development Roadmap⌗

Phase 1: Research and Planning⌗

  1. Study CHIP-8 Architecture

    • CPU and memory layout
    • Instruction set
    • Display and input handling
    • Timer system

  2. Gather Resources

    • Technical documentation
    • Test ROMs
    • Existing implementations for reference

Phase 2: Core Implementation⌗

  1. Set Up Project Structure (1-2 days)

    • Create repository
    • Set up build system
    • Implement basic project structure

  2. Implement Memory and Registers (1-2 days)

    • 4KB memory
    • 16 8-bit registers
    • Stack implementation
    • Program counter

  3. CPU Implementation (3-5 days)

    • Fetch-decode-execute cycle
    • Implement all 35 opcodes
    • Unit test each instruction

Phase 3: I/O Systems⌗

  1. Display Implementation (2-3 days)

    • 64x32 monochrome display
    • Sprite drawing system
    • Screen clearing

  2. Input System (1-2 days)

    • Implement 16-key hexadecimal keypad
    • Key press and release handling

  3. Timer Implementation (1 day)

    • Delay timer
    • Sound timer

Phase 4: Testing and Refinement⌗

  1. Test Suite Development (2-3 days)

    • Create/find test ROMs
    • Implement logging for debugging
    • Add error handling

  2. Performance Optimization (1-2 days)

    • Ensure correct emulation speed
    • Optimize critical paths if necessary

Phase 5: Final Touches⌗

  1. UI Improvements (2-3 days)

    • Add pause/resume functionality
    • Implement save states (optional)
    • Add ROM loading interface

  2. Documentation (1-2 days)

    • Write README
    • Document code
    • Create user guide

Estimated Timeline⌗

  • Total time: 2-3 weeks
  • Additional time may be needed for debugging and refinement
  1. Cowgod’s CHIP-8 Technical Reference
  2. Matthew Mikolay’s CHIP-8 Reference
  3. David Winter’s CHIP-8 emulation documents
  4. CHIP-8 Wikipedia page

Useful Tools⌗

  1. Debugger/disassembler for CHIP-8 ROMs
  2. SDL or GLFW for graphics and input handling
  3. Version control (Git)