This is an emulator for the Kosmos CP1 "Computer Praxis" experimental kit that was sold in german-speaking Europe in the early 80s of the last century.
The Kosmos CP1 was intended to introduce children to programming. To do so, it used a virtual machine with a very simple machine language. Programs were written in Assembler, and then had to be manually translated to op-codes. The computer was accompanied by a pretty good manual that not only explained the virtual machine, but also contained a well written introduction to the inner workings of a computer.
Unlike other programs, kosmos-cp1 does not only simulate the Kosmos CP1's virtual machine, but is a cycle-exact emulation of the underlying hardware (an Intel 8049 and an Intel 8155). Therefore, you'll get the "full" CP1 experience, and can also run the demo programs described in the manual, "9 RUN" and "8 RUN".
The current version emulates the following components:
- CP1 base unit
- CP3 memory extension
- CP5 universal input/output interface
The CP2 cassette interface is not emulated yet, but memory can be read from and written to files.
For your convenience, the emulator comes with an integrated assembler for CP1's assembly language. If you ever wrote assembly code (and I bet you did if you're interested in this emulator :-) ) you will have no problems understanding the syntax. Also, a lot of the sample programs from the manuals are included.
You can find scans of all the manuals at http://www.retrozone.ch/cp1/
sudo apt install build-essential cmake qt6-base-dev qt6-svg-dev nsis
Optionally, if you're using a Gnome desktop:
sudo apt install qt6-gtk-platformtheme adwaita-qt6
On the command line:
cmake . -B build/Release -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cd build/Release
make -j$(nproc)
Alternatively, if you want a debug build, just run this:
cmake . -B build && cd build && make -j$(nproc)
To compile the binary on Windows, you need Qt. When installing, make sure that you also install the included MinGW C++ compiler.
If you also want to build the installer, then you need NSIS 3 as well.
The easiest way to build the binary and installer is to run build_win_release.bat
in a command shell. You might need to adjust the QT_HOME variable in the script
to match the Qt version installed on your system, as well as the NSIS_HOME variable
to point to your NSIS installation.
NOTE: Make sure that the path to the source directory DOES NOT CONTAIN SPACES. If it does, MinGW's Resource Compiler will be confused :-/
After starting the Kosmos CP1 emulator, you'll see the "Panel" window that shows the display and controls of the CP1 main unit, as well as the LEDs and switches of the CP5 universal I/O interface.
In the "Windows" menu, you can choose other windows as well:
- The "CPU" windows containing:
- The disassembly of the Kosmos CP1's EEPROM,
- the complete state and memory of the main Intel 8049,
- the complete state and memory of the main unit's 8155, and finally
- the complete state and memory of the CP3's 8155.
- An "Assembler" window that you can use to write programs in CP1 assembly language.
The emulator will start in "trace execution" mode. This means that the state is constantly updated in the CPU window, with quite a large impact on the speed of the emulated system. You can turn this off with the checkbox in the toolbar.
Also, the CPU window features a simple debugger that lets you single-step through the exection, set breakpoints (double-click on the disassembly line), and break on certain instructions (currently only MOVX).
Not a lot to say about that. It tries to reproduce the actual CP1 as closely as possible (and looks IMHO way nicer than the simulators out there :-) ).
TODO write something up
TODO write something up
- The UI uses Fugue Icons by Yusuke Kamiyamane (http://p.yusukekamiyamane.com/)
- The keyboard font seems to be "Newhouse DT Black" or "Pragmatica Black Regular". However, "Helvetica" is close enough. The bundled fonts are