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https://github.com/timendus/thumby-silicon8
An interpreter for CHIP-8, SCHIP and XO-CHIP in MicroPython for the Thumby playable keychain by TinyCircuits
https://github.com/timendus/thumby-silicon8
chip-8 emulator interpreter micropython schip thumby tinycircuits vm xo-chip
Last synced: 2 months ago
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An interpreter for CHIP-8, SCHIP and XO-CHIP in MicroPython for the Thumby playable keychain by TinyCircuits
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/timendus/thumby-silicon8
- Owner: Timendus
- License: gpl-3.0
- Created: 2021-11-28T22:49:42.000Z (about 3 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2022-09-09T12:20:55.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2023-08-02T06:47:07.439Z (over 1 year ago)
- Topics: chip-8, emulator, interpreter, micropython, schip, thumby, tinycircuits, vm, xo-chip
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 1.75 MB
- Stars: 7
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
[](https://ko-fi.com/T6T0DOOWP)
# Silicon8 for Thumby
**Silicon8 for Thumby** is an interpreter for the CHIP-8, SCHIP and XO-CHIP
programming languages. It allows you to run games made for those platforms on your [Thumby](https://thumby.us/).
**[CHIP-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIP-8)** is an interpreted programming
language, going back to the '70s. It was initially used on the COSMAC VIP and
Telmac 1800 8-bit microcomputers and was made to allow video games to be more
easily programmed for and shared among these computers. In 1990 CHIP-8 saw a
revival in the form or **SCHIP** on HP-48 graphing calculators, and in more
recent years the **XO-CHIP** extension has given it more colours, memory and
better sound. Many people still write new software for this platform, not in the
least at the yearly [Octojam](https://itch.io/jam/octojam-8).
As such, there is an impressive library of programs and games available for
CHIP-8 and friends. And we can now run almost all of them on Thumby too! 👾🕹
_Note: Runs faster and with less flicker on hardware_
Due to the limited computing power and low screen resolution of CHIP-8, I
thought this is a great fit for the Thumby, and also a testament of how far
computers have come. What was once the pinnacle of computer gaming for hobbyists
now runs easily on a cheap keychain, with pixels and memory to spare 😄
(The original [Silicon8](https://github.com/Timendus/silicon8) is written in Go,
and targeted mainly at WebAssembly. It can be [run in your web browser
here](https://timendus.github.io/silicon8/). This version of it is a port to
MicroPython for the Thumby playable keychain.)
## Caveats and warnings
This is my first experiment with MicroPython and the Thumby, so it's probably an
inefficient mess in the eyes of a "real" MicroPython developer. But this is a
fun learning project for me 😄
There are a couple of small known issues, [see below](#known-issues) if you run
into trouble.
## Installation
Silicon8 is in the Thumby "Arcade". You can install it with a couple of clicks
by going to [arcade.thumby.us](https://arcade.thumby.us).
However, the arcade sometimes glitches out, in which case you follow the steps
below to install Silicon8 manually on your device.
Get the MicroPython files from this Github repository if you know your way
around git or download the ZIP file for the latest version on the [releases
page](https://github.com/Timendus/thumby-silicon8/releases). Put the `*.py`
files in `/Games/Silicon8` on your Thumby using the [Thumby Code
Editor](https://code.thumby.us/):
1. Connect your Thumby, wait for the file system tree to load
2. Right-click on "Games" in the file system tree and select "New folder"
3. Type in `Silicon8` and press Enter
4. Click "Upload" at the bottom of the file system panel, select all the `.py`
files from [`/Games/Silicon8` in this repository](./Games/Silicon8)
5. Select `/Games/Silicon8` as the destination path ("Final Path") on the Thumby
and click "Ok"
6. Continue below to add some actual games
### Getting CHIP-8 ROMs into Silicon8 for Thumby
CHIP-8 ROMs should be placed on your Tumby in the `/Games/Silicon8/chip8`
directory. To get you started, you can copy the games in this repository to your
device:
1. Right-click on "Silicon8" in the file system tree and select "New folder"
2. Type in `chip8` and press Enter
3. Click "Upload" at the bottom of the file system panel, select all the `.ch8`
and `.ch8.json` files from the [`/Games/Silicon8/chip8` folder in this
repository](./Games/Silicon8/chip8)
4. Select `/Games/Silicon8/chip8` as the destination path ("Final Path") on the
Thumby and click "Ok"
5. Disconnect and reboot your Thumby, you should now see "Silicon8" in the menu.
Starting it should show you all the game ROMs you copied.
6. Select a ROM file and start playing!
You can quit a running CHIP-8 ROM and return to the Silicon8 menu at any time by
holding down the key combination `LEFT`, `A` and `B`.
#### Adding more CHIP-8 ROMs
You can put any `*.ch8` file in your CHIP-8 ROMs directory and it will be picked
up by Silicon8. You can find many ROMs on the Internet and in particular on the
[CHIP-8 Archive](https://johnearnest.github.io/chip8Archive/). If you want to,
or if you need to change the controls or interpreter type, you can add a JSON
file with the same name but an added extension `.json` (so `somegame.ch8` would
become `somegame.ch8.json`) to configure your ROM.
The JSON config file accepts this structure:
```json
{
"name": "The Classic Game of Pong",
"link": "https://a-link-to.some/info/if-available",
"desc": "A short and clear description of the game and its controls",
"type": "SCHIP",
"keys": {
"up": 1,
"down": 4
}
}
```
All fields are optional. Valid options for `type` are `AUTO` (default), `VIP`,
`SCHIP` or `XOCHIP`. Valid options for the keys are `up`, `down`, `left`,
`right`, `a` and `b` for all the buttons on the Thumby. The numeric values are
the corresponding keys to be pressed on the CHIP-8 keypad (0 - 15).
## Known issues
The interpretation of CHIP-8, SCHIP and XO-CHIP should be pretty close to the
originals. However, there are a few issues to be aware of. If you find issues
that are not described below, please [file an
issue](https://github.com/Timendus/thumby-silicon8/issues/new).
### Display limitations
Due to the small screen size and the limited colours of the Thumby, Silicon8 for
Thumby is currently limited to `lowres` mode (64x32 pixels) in monochrome. If
your ROM uses `hires` mode, the central 72x40 pixels will be shown and the rest
discarded, which doesn't make for great gameplay. When using XO-CHIP's four
colour mode, only plane 1 will be rendered to the screen.
I have some ideas on how to improve this in the future, but I will need to play
with the physical hardware some more to see if those ideas are feasible.
### Sound limitations
The Thumby has a very simple speaker. Silicon8 uses it for the CHIP-8 beeper
sound. The full XO-CHIP audio capabilities are not (yet) supported though.
The current Thumby library does not expose the speaker in a more complicated way
than setting a frequency and a duty cycle. You can, however, bypass the library
and talk to the pin directly. Implementing XO-CHIP audio on this low a level
will be a bit of a chore, that I have not yet felt like doing 😄🎶
### Speed
This interpreter is not particularly fast in the Thumby emulator. It's a lot
faster, and quite playable, on the actual hardware though. If you have any ideas
or suggestions on how to boost the speed, please let me know. An issue or pull
request on this repository will get my attention.
### Type "AUTO"
Like the original Silicon8, Silicon8 for Thumby has a mode "AUTO" that tries to
auto-detect the right interpreter type. This doesn't always correctly identify
SCHIP and XO-CHIP programs when they do rely on quirks for those platforms, but
don't use any of the features of those platforms. You can easily work around
this issue by specifying the interpreter type explicitly in the JSON config
file that corresponds to your wrongly detected ROM.
## Screenshots from the emulator
 
 
 