4 releases
Uses new Rust 2024
| new 0.1.4 | Feb 8, 2026 |
|---|---|
| 0.1.3 | Jan 16, 2026 |
| 0.1.2 | Jan 16, 2026 |
| 0.1.0 | Jan 7, 2026 |
#158 in Hardware support
385KB
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SLoC
m68k-rs
A safe, pure Rust implementation of the Motorola 68000 family CPU emulator.
Strong for both low-level hardware-accurate emulation and high-level emulation (HLE).
Features
- Complete CPU family support: M68000, M68010, M68020, M68030, M68040, and variants (EC/LC)
- Zero dependencies: Pure Rust with no external runtime dependencies
- Safe Rust: No unsafe code blocks
- FPU emulation: Full 68881/68882/68040 floating-point unit support
- MMU emulation: 68030/68040 PMMU with table walks and transparent translation
- HLE-ready: Built-in trap interception for High-Level Emulation
- Extensively tested: Validated against multiple industry-standard test suites
Quick Start
Add to your Cargo.toml:
[dependencies]
m68k = "0.1"
Basic Usage
use m68k::{CpuCore, CpuType, AddressBus, StepResult};
// Implement your memory bus
struct MyBus { memory: Vec<u8> }
impl AddressBus for MyBus {
fn read_byte(&mut self, addr: u32) -> u8 {
self.memory.get(addr as usize).copied().unwrap_or(0)
}
fn write_byte(&mut self, addr: u32, val: u8) {
if let Some(m) = self.memory.get_mut(addr as usize) { *m = val; }
}
fn read_word(&mut self, addr: u32) -> u16 {
u16::from_be_bytes([self.read_byte(addr), self.read_byte(addr + 1)])
}
fn write_word(&mut self, addr: u32, val: u16) {
let bytes = val.to_be_bytes();
self.write_byte(addr, bytes[0]);
self.write_byte(addr + 1, bytes[1]);
}
fn read_long(&mut self, addr: u32) -> u32 {
((self.read_word(addr) as u32) << 16) | self.read_word(addr + 2) as u32
}
fn write_long(&mut self, addr: u32, val: u32) {
self.write_word(addr, (val >> 16) as u16);
self.write_word(addr + 2, val as u16);
}
}
fn main() {
let mut cpu = CpuCore::new();
cpu.set_cpu_type(CpuType::M68000);
let mut bus = MyBus { memory: vec![0; 0x10000] };
// Set up vectors: SSP at 0x1000, PC at 0x400
bus.write_long(0, 0x1000);
bus.write_long(4, 0x400);
// Write a NOP instruction at 0x400
bus.write_word(0x400, 0x4E71);
cpu.reset(&mut bus);
loop {
match cpu.step(&mut bus) {
StepResult::Ok { cycles } => println!("Executed: {} cycles", cycles),
StepResult::Stopped => break,
StepResult::AlineTrap { opcode } => println!("A-line trap: {:04X}", opcode),
StepResult::FlineTrap { opcode } => println!("F-line trap: {:04X}", opcode),
StepResult::TrapInstruction { trap_num } => println!("TRAP #{}", trap_num),
StepResult::Breakpoint { bp_num } => println!("BKPT #{}", bp_num),
StepResult::IllegalInstruction { opcode } => println!("Illegal instruction: {:04X}", opcode),
}
}
}
High-Level Emulation (HLE)
Intercept traps for OS emulation or debugger integration with CPU/bus access:
use m68k::{AddressBus, CpuCore, HleHandler};
struct MacToolbox;
// All methods in HleHandler are optional (default return is false).
// Return `true` to indicate the HLE handled the trap (suppressing the hardware exception).
// Return `false` to let the CPU take the standard hardware exception.
impl HleHandler for MacToolbox {
// Optional: Intercept A-line traps (0xAxxx)
fn handle_aline(
&mut self,
cpu: &mut CpuCore,
bus: &mut dyn AddressBus,
opcode: u16,
) -> bool {
println!("A-line trap: {:04X} at PC=0x{:08X}", opcode, cpu.pc);
// ... implement HLE logic ...
true // Handled: do NOT take the standard Line-A exception
}
// Optional: Intercept TRAP #n instructions
fn handle_trap(&mut self, _cpu: &mut CpuCore, _bus: &mut dyn AddressBus, trap: u8) -> bool {
// Example: Only intercept TRAP #0, let #1-15 go to real hardware vectors
if trap == 0 {
println!("OS Call (TRAP #0)");
true // Handled
} else {
false // Not handled: CPU will take exception vector 32+n
}
}
// Optional: Intercept F-line traps (coprocessor instructions)
fn handle_fline(&mut self, _cpu: &mut CpuCore, _bus: &mut dyn AddressBus, opcode: u16) -> bool {
println!("Generic Coprocessor instruction: {:04X}", opcode);
true // Handled
}
// Optional: Intercept BKPT #n instructions
fn handle_breakpoint(&mut self, _cpu: &mut CpuCore, _bus: &mut dyn AddressBus, bp: u8) -> bool {
println!("Breakpoint #{}", bp);
true // Handled
}
// Optional: Intercept ILLEGAL instructions (0x4AFC)
fn handle_illegal(&mut self, _cpu: &mut CpuCore, _bus: &mut dyn AddressBus, opcode: u16) -> bool {
println!("Illegal instruction: {:04X}", opcode);
false // Not handled: CPU will take illegal instruction exception
}
}
fn emulate(cpu: &mut CpuCore, bus: &mut impl AddressBus) {
let mut hle = MacToolbox;
let result = cpu.step_with_hle_handler(bus, &mut hle);
}
Choosing an Approach
| Method | Best For | Behavior on Trap |
|---|---|---|
step() |
Debuggers, Analyzers, Custom Control | Returns a StepResult variant (e.g., AlineTrap). The CPU does not take the exception automatically. If you do nothing, it acts like a NOP. You must manually call cpu.take_exception(...) if you want standard behavior. |
step_with_hle_handler() |
OS Emulation (Mac/Amiga/Atari) | Calls your HleHandler callback. If it returns true, execution continues. If it returns false, the CPU automatically triggers the standard hardware exception (stacks frame, jumps to vector). |
Use step() when you need full control over the execution loop or are building a debugger that needs to pause on every event.
Use step_with_hle_handler() when implementing a high-level emulator (like a Macintosh or Amiga emulator) where you want to patch specific system calls but otherwise let the guest OS run normally.
Supported CPU Types
| CPU | Description |
|---|---|
M68000 |
Original 68000 (24-bit address bus) |
M68010 |
68010 with virtual memory support |
M68EC020 |
68020 embedded controller (no MMU) |
M68020 |
Full 68020 with 32-bit address bus |
M68EC030 |
68030 embedded controller (no MMU) |
M68030 |
Full 68030 with on-chip MMU |
M68EC040 |
68040 embedded controller (no FPU/MMU) |
M68LC040 |
68040 lite (no FPU) |
M68040 |
Full 68040 with FPU and MMU |
SCC68070 |
Philips SCC68070 variant |
Validation & Testing
This emulator has been rigorously validated against multiple industry-standard test suites to ensure correctness:
SingleStepTests (m68000)
The SingleStepTests project provides exhaustive per-instruction test vectors derived from real hardware and cycle-accurate emulators. Our test suite runs all 101 instruction categories with thousands of test cases each, covering:
- All addressing modes and operand sizes
- Edge cases for condition codes (CCR/SR)
- BCD arithmetic (ABCD, SBCD, NBCD)
- Multiply/divide overflow handling
- Exception frame generation
Musashi Reference Implementation
We validate against Musashi, the gold-standard M68000 emulator used in MAME and countless other projects. Our integration tests:
- Execute complete Musashi test binaries
- Verify register state, memory contents, and exception handling
- Cover 68000 through 68040 instruction sets
Cross-CPU Verification
Additional test suites verify behavior across CPU generations:
- 68040 FPU tests: Floating-point transcendental functions, rounding modes
- MMU translation tests: Table walks, TTR matching, fault handling
- Privilege tests: User/supervisor mode transitions, TRAP behavior
- Exception tests: Double-fault detection, address error frames
Test Coverage
tests/
├── singlestep_m68000_v1_tests.rs # 101 instruction test files
├── musashi_tests.rs # Musashi integration suite
├── cross_cpu_tests.rs # Multi-generation verification
├── m68040_tests.rs # 68040-specific features
├── mmu_fault_tests.rs # MMU and exception handling
├── hle_interception_tests.rs # Trap handler API tests
└── fixtures/
├── m68000/ # SingleStepTests submodule
└── Musashi/ # Musashi reference submodule
Architecture
m68k/
├── core/ # CPU core, registers, execution loop
├── dasm/ # Disassembler
├── fpu/ # 68881/68882/68040 FPU emulation
└── mmu/ # 68030/68040 PMMU emulation
Key Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
CpuCore |
Main CPU state and execution |
CpuType |
CPU model selection enum |
AddressBus |
Trait for memory/IO implementation |
HleHandler |
Trait for HLE interception |
StepResult |
Instruction execution result |
CpuCore::is_stopped() |
STOP state check |
CpuCore::is_halted() |
Double-fault halt check |
Performance
The emulator is designed for correctness first, with performance as a secondary goal. Typical use cases (classic computer emulation, game console emulation) run at many multiples of original hardware speed on modern CPUs.
License
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:
- All tests pass:
cargo test - No clippy warnings:
cargo clippy -- -D warnings - Code is formatted:
cargo fmt
Acknowledgments
- Musashi - Reference implementation and test fixtures
- SingleStepTests - Exhaustive instruction test vectors
- The M68000 Programmer's Reference Manual