KLset wrote:
Assemblers, yes! I don't know where to start, really. I've downloaded the emulator by Michal Kowalski (http:/exifpro.com/utils.html) and the syntax is wildly different from the one used on the online editor I've used so far.
Kowalski's simulator (not emulator) is really an integrated development package, consisting of editor, assembler and simulator, the latter which has an optional I/O window that acts like a generic terminal. The object code generated by the assembler can be written into a raw binary file or into a loader file in Motorola S-record or Intel hex format.
The Kowalski assembler conforms to the MOS Technology 6502 assembly language syntax standard with some minor exceptions—it sounds as though the on-line tool you were using is decidedly non-standard. Kowalski's binary radix is non-standard, being
@ instead of the MOS Technology standard
%. Accumulator addressing does not use the
A symbol per the MOS Technology standard; for example, you would write
ROL instead of
ROL A to left-rotate the accumulator.
The assembler has a powerful macro language that I have extensively used to make it possible to assemble 16 bit 65C816 code, with macros and conditional assembly handling the 65C816-unique instructions. I also use the macro functions to generate stack frames for subroutine calls, which could potentially be a tedious and error-prone task in raw assembly language. Macros can also be used to give the feel of a higher level language without sacrificing the succinctness and speed of assembly language. Garth Wilson describes how to do it on
his website.
Where Kowalski's simulator really has an advantage is the built-in simulation of a 6502 environment, making it easy to edit your source code, assemble it and after you fix the errors, run it and see what happens, all in one program. Note that the simulator models the NMOS 6502 or the Rockwell 65C02, not the WDC 65C02 that is in current production. The differences between the WDC and Rockwell versions can be effaced with simple macros.
I developed the firmware for my POC computers, which are 65C816 powered, in the Kowalski simulator. POC V1.1's firmware has over 12,000 lines of source code, which assembles on my PC in about two seconds. Incidentally, the most up-to-date version of the Kowalski simulator is
right here, and is newer than what you downloaded.
Assembler directives are summarized in the attached file. Documentation on the simulator is thin, most of it having been written in Polish. If you decide continue using the simulator ask for help if needed.
Attachment:
File comment: Kowalski Assembler Directives
kowalski_directives.txt [2.59 KiB]
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