bloderxd

bloderxd / kotlin-cpu

Public

16-bit CPU emulator in Kotlin

bloder.iocpu-from-scratch-part-1
10
0
100% credibility
Found Apr 02, 2026 at 10 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
Kotlin
AI Summary

An educational 16-bit CPU emulator in Kotlin with a simple assembler and sample programs to demonstrate how processors work.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discover the CPU emulator

You stumble upon a fun blog series explaining how computers' brains work from scratch.

2
📖 Read the stories

You enjoy the two blog posts that teach the basics of CPUs in simple terms with pictures.

3
💻 Open the emulator

You launch the ready-to-run program on your computer to play with a tiny virtual computer.

4
⭐ Pick and run a sample

You choose one of the example programs like a loop or function call, and hit run to see it come alive.

5
🔍 Watch it step by step

You see the registers change, memory update, and instructions execute one by one with debug messages.

6
✏️ Try your own ideas

You write a simple list of instructions using everyday commands like add or jump, then run it.

🎉 Understand the magic

You now get how a computer fetches, decodes, and runs code, feeling like you built a mini brain!

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Star Growth

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AI-Generated Review

What is kotlin-cpu?

kotlin-cpu is a 16-bit CPU emulator built in Kotlin, paired with a lightweight assembler for loading custom programs. It simulates a complete 16-bit CPU architecture: 64KB RAM, eight general-purpose registers, ALU for arithmetic and bitwise ops, load/store memory access, conditional branches, jumps, calls, and a downward-growing stack. Developers get an embeddable runtime to execute assembly code via a simple loader, with optional step-by-step debugging and sample programs for testing ALU ops, loops, and control flow.

Why is it gaining traction?

It pairs the emulator with two detailed blog posts demystifying 16-bit CPU design from basics to full fetch-decode-execute. The custom 16-bit CPU instruction set covers essentials like ADD/SUB/SHL, immediates, and PC-relative branches without bloat, plus ready samples for quick experiments versus starting from Logisim or Verilog. Kotlin's conciseness makes it a snappy alternative to heavier 16-bit CPU GitHub repos or Excel sims.

Who should use this?

Comp arch students prototyping a 16-bit CPU instruction set or ALU logic. Hobbyists building retro games needing a Kotlin CPU emulator for 16-bit logic like Minecraft redstone sims. Educators running live demos of 16-bit CPU max RAM limits, stack ops, or branches in JVM apps.

Verdict

Grab it for educational 16-bit CPU emulator experiments—clean ISA and samples make it instantly usable despite 10 stars and 1.0% credibility score. Still early; expect to tweak for production, but strong README and blogs ease onboarding.

(178 words)

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