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AeroX2 authored and urish committed Oct 25, 2024
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111 changes: 100 additions & 11 deletions projects/tt_um_aerox2_jrb8_computer/docs/info.md
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# Overview

## How it works
This project is an 8-bit computer I originally designed in Logisim Evolution, which I am now porting to TinyTapeout for manufacturing. Below is the computer’s general architecture as shown in Logisim Evolution; however, certain modifications were made to ensure compatibility with VHDL and TinyTapeout.

This is a 8 bit computer I made a long time ago in Logisim Evolution, which I have now decided to port to Tinytapeout and getting manufactured.
There is a little bit more information about how the CU works and the instructions supported but don't expect much
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZVZw_Kt-KQHER0Wr5ty7JpUEeox_284Mih4rwE16FVM/edit?usp=sharing
![architecture](architecture.png)

## How to test
The primary change includes the addition of a B register, alongside adjustments to enable ROM and RAM communication via SPI. Detailed information on these modifications is provided below.

The input pins and the output pins have been assigned respectively to the ui_in and uo_out respectively. As for the uio_in/out that needs to be configured with a SPI RAM and a SPI EEPROM.
The computer supports the following operations:

The computer should start immediately once the clk starts driving it.
### Register Operations

## External hardware
The computer features four main registers: `a`, `b`, `c`, and `d`. It supports:
- Moving (`mov`) data between all registers.
- Comparing (`cmp`) values between registers, or between a register and a constant (0, 1, -1, or 255).
- Jumping (`jmp`) to labels and performing conditional jumps (`=`, `!=`, `<`, `<=`, `>`, `>=`) and relative jumps.

(check info.yaml for pins)
- SPI RAM
- SPI EEPROM
### ALU Operations

The ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) offers the following operations:
- Bitwise NOT (`~`) and negation (`-`).
- Increment (`+1`) and decrement (`-1`).
- Addition (`+`) and subtraction (`-`).
- Multiplication (`*`) and division (`/`).
- Bitwise AND (`&`) and OR (`|`).
- Signed mode operations and a carry flag for extended 8-bit addition/subtraction.

### Memory and I/O

- Load data from ROM into a register.
- Load data from RAM into a register.
- Save data from a register to RAM.
- Read from the input (`in`) port.
- Write to the output (`out`) port.

# Testing the Computer

The computer doesn't have any start signal and will begin read from the SPI ROM as soon as the clock signal (`clk`) starts ticking.

For examples of programs and a basic assembler, please see this repository (https://github.com/AeroX2/tt06-jrb8-computer/). \
Clone the repository and use the assembler with the following command:

```bash
python3 ./example_programs/assembler.py
```

A file dialog will open, allowing you to select a `*.j` file.

### Sample Program: 8-bit Fibonacci Sequence

Below is a simple 8-bit Fibonacci program in the custom `J` format (`fibonacci.j`):

```assembly
:start
load rom a 1
load rom b 0
:repeat
// Store the previous in c register
mov a c
// a = a + b
opp a+b
// This also corresponds to the carry flag being set
// So jump to start if a+b has overflowed
jmp < start
// Output the value to the output pins
out a
// Restore the previous value in b register
mov c b
jmp repeat
```

This program, when assembled, translates to the following hexadecimal format:

```hex
d0 01 d1 00 02 6c 33 00 00 f4 08 36 00 04
```

For a comprehensive guide on assembler instructions and their corresponding hex codes, refer to this document (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZVZw_Kt-KQHER0Wr5ty7JpUEeox_284Mih4rwE16FVM/edit?usp=sharing). \
You can also look at `roms/cu_flags.csv` in the `tt06-jrb8-computer` repository

The input register or the `i` register is mapped to `ui_in`\
The output register or the `o` register is mapped to `uo_out`

### Memory Mapping

To load data into the ROM, place it at offset 0. The address space is divided as follows:

- **ROM (Program Data):** 0x0000 to 0xFFFF
- **RAM:** 0x10000 to 0x1FFFF

#### RAM Addressing

RAM addressing is handled through two registers:

- **`mpage` Register:** Controls `0x1**00`
- **`mar` Register:** Controls `0x100**`

# External Hardware Requirements

External SPI storage is required for this computer, with mappings compatible with spi-ram-emu (https://github.com/MichaelBell/spi-ram-emu/). The following `uio` mappings are used:

```yaml
uio[0]: "cs rom"
uio[1]: "mosi"
uio[2]: "miso"
uio[3]: "sck"
```

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