PockEmul 2.10.0 New Release

Dear PockEmul’s fans, we are pleased to announce the new PockEmul release. It will be available in the next few week.
We are in the final testing phase looking for the most obvious bugs.

This new version brings several new models and some new features:

  • New HP-71b package.
  • New Elektronika MK-90 package.
  • New Sharp PC-1211 Simulator (only available for subscribers as a preview because it still have a lot of bugs).
  • IWS-video for the Sharp PC-1500.
  • New Sharp PC-1445 – included in the PC-14xx package.
  • Modules & Features for the HP-41CX package enhanced.
  • Sharp PC-1261/62 LC-3 compiler
  • Virtual Joypad
  • Keyboard Simulator with Kana first integration.
  • Some User Interface enhancement.
  • Bug fixes.
  • Sharp PC-1500 and Tandy PC-2 free models are limited to base memory configuration. CE-150 is not free anymore.
  • Only 64bit release. 32 bit release is not available anymore on Android.

I’m fully aware that it’s been quite a while since version 2.9 was released.

You might be wondering why I don’t publish smaller releases more frequently, each with fewer models, instead of waiting to deliver a larger release with several models at once.
The truth is, I find it difficult to focus on a single model and bring it to completion from start to finish.
Very often, the final imperfections prevent me from reaching the required level of quality, and solving them takes a lot of trial and error before the right solution emerges.

Working on multiple models in parallel helps me maintain both my curiosity and my motivation.

Rather than writing one long post detailing all the new features, I’ll spread the announcements across several posts leading up to the release date—and possibly even after.

Feel free to share your thoughts and feedback in the comments!

Perfect emulation is an infinite quest. Please report us any inaccurate behaviour at contact@pockemul.com 

A message for our longstanding users and subscribers :
PockEmul is a 25 years passion project and a labor of love.
We invite you to share the passion and love for vintage computing.
Help us make history like these computers have done in the not-so-distant past.
Help us shape the future of PockEmul. Spread the word!

LC-3 Compiler User Manual for SHARP PC-1261/PC-1262

This is a compiler for Pocket Computer created around 1987~1988.

  • Compiler and Runtime Library are very compact and can coexist in memory.
    • You can edit, compile, and run source code in memory.
  • A lot of useful instructions for the game.
  • The generated code is small and fast because variables are stored in RAM.

I recently made PockEmul compatible with the LC-3 Compiler for the Sharp PC-1261/1262. It will be part of PockEmul 2.10.0

This required extensive groundwork, as the compiler relies heavily on undocumented features of the SC61860 processor, many of which had not yet been implemented in the emulator.

The compiler enables developers to write programs directly in BASIC, using special instructions, and then compile the code into LM format, all within the pocket computer itself.

It is particularly well-suited for creating fast-paced graphical games.

Originally developed in Japan, the compiler had no existing English documentation available until now.

To address this, I’ve translated the X thread by @poyokoma_danna, which details LC-3 functionalities, and supplemented it with a translation of the official documentation (hiroog/LC3_Compiler: LC-3 Compiler for SHARP PC-1261/PC-1262).

Continue reading “LC-3 Compiler User Manual for SHARP PC-1261/PC-1262”

An SC61860 bug since 25 years

Incredible — a bug in the SC61860 CPU used in classic Sharp devices has been fixed after 25 years!

Usually, a CPU bug is spotted quickly because everything crashes. But this one was a subtle side effect in batch instruction processing.

When I requested a batch of 0xFF, the loop exited without doing anything, instead of executing 256 times.

Turns out, it was just a while () {} that needed to be replaced with a do {} while ().

Now, the LC-3 compiler works correctly — it’s the one that uses 0xFF batches, unlike the standard ROM which never does.

It took me ages to find this bug, I was so convinced my algorithm was solid. obviously, after 25 years of faithful service…

PockEmul OS Requirements

There is one aspect that I have been neglecting since the release of PockEmul, which concerns the minimum OS versions supported by PockEmul.

This needs to change because I have too many issues testing different versions.

So starting from PockEmul 2.10, here are the different platforms that will be supported by PockEmul:

  • Android 8 (API 26) or higher, only on arm64-v8a (64-bit).
    No more 32Bit official release.
    I might release the APK for Android 7.1 and higher on pockemul.com, but without support.
  • iOS 14 or higher, architecture armv8(arm64).
  • Windows 10 (18098 or later), Windows 11 x86_64
  • macOS 11 or higher x86_64

Feel free to share your thoughts.