ICU64 for Frodo Redpill v0.1.8 - Released

Download the new version here.
(also download the latest update 2022.01.08)

New features of Frodo Redpill:
- Multiple independent instances
- Preferences > Redpill > 'Extra Shared RAM' option
- CPU boost
- .hack file format (for data injection and boost control)
- drag'n'drop files: .fpr .hack
- improved REU emulation
- Window/Display management:
  - [F11] toggle window frame
  - [Ctrl+RMB+drag] move window
  - [RMB+drag] move all windows of all instances
  - [Alt+arrows/Home] control screen offset in smaller viewports

New features of ICU64:
- Multiple independent instances
- memory view:
  - view [6] : Changed values
  - view [7]/[Ctrl+F] : Find values (in current map layout)
  - extras [F4] : added REU view (if enabled)
  - Extra Shared RAM @ DE00..DEFF of MMIO (if enabled)
  - selection [LMB+drag] > [Ctrl+C/V] : copy/paste via clipboard
  - status bar [F10] : added current cell coordinates
- code painter:
  - [New]&[Clear] (to reduce close & reopen of this tool)
- instruction logger:
  - [Break New]&[PC only] (to locate easier first time executed code)
- .NET API:
  - peek/poke renamed as Peek/Poke
 

  

Multiple Instances

You can start multiple -independent- instances of ICU64 & Frodo Redpill that are totally isolated. However, to utilize some parallelism, you can optionally enable the 'Extra Shared RAM' (in Frodo > Preferences > Redpill) that provides 256 bytes of extra RAM (at DE00..DEFF in MMIO). This RAM is common among all the Frodo instances that have this option enabled. Be aware that this shared pipeline has max bandwidth only 256 bytes/frame = 12.5KB/s and latency = ±1 frame (I'm working to improve these...). The previous 'unlocked' instances (where the whole RAM and COLORRAM both shared) is still available; just start the emulator holding the [SHIFT] key.

 
CPU Boost

The 'CPU Boost' feature is a clock multiplier (a turbo) for the CPU of the C64. The rest of the chips (VIC,SID,CIAs) operate in the original speed and preserve the real-time features of the system. It is similar to the turbo switch of the SuperCPU for the real hardware, but in Frodo Redpill boost is controlled automatically by a .hack file. For example, say you have a 3D game that calls its -slow- rendering routine with an instruction like:
      1204 JSR 3120
    1207 ...
If you create a .hack file that contains:
    +1204    ; enable boost when 1204 is executed
    -1207    ; disable boost when 1207 is executed
and drop this file inside the emulator, then the routine at 3120 will be executed 63 times faster! I think you get the idea...

Note that every time you apply a .hack file, the boost map of the emulator resets. You can use this to turn off the boost feature without restarting the emulator or editing your .hack file; just keep an empty 'foo.hack' file around and drop it to the emulator anytime you want to turn off boost globally.

The .hack file format

A .hack file is a text file with a simple syntax, that simplifies the application of patches to a running C64 software, and also controls the boost of the C64 CPU. A command in a .hack file starts with a single symbol:
    #    comment
    ;    comment too
    :    poke
    +    boost on
    -    boost off
After a poke or boost command follows a hex address, and in the case of poke it follows an array of hex byte values that can expand in multiple lines. Some examples:

    # this is a comment  ; this is a comment too
    :400 08 05 0c 0c 0f  ; poke some bytes at $0400 $0401 ...
    :2d020 00            ; make border black (MMIO @ 2xxxx)
    +1800                ; turn on boost at $1800 (x63)
    -1860                ; turn off boost at $1860 (x1)


.NET API

To avoid some issues, the peek[]/poke[] functions renamed as Peek[]/Poke[], and the sample code for the Mathematica has updated too.

 
Enjoy!

ICU64 for VICE 3.x v0.1.3 - Released

A long awaited update of the ICU64 for the VICE 3 emulator is ready for download. While I'm still working for the v0.2, the new features of this release are trying to reduce the gap from the more feature rich ICU64 for Frodo. Among the unique features of this version, the new .icu file format, is more generic and can be used with bigger success with other emulators also. Please, read carefully the new instructions about how to install and run, and thank Sebastian who pushed me for this release. For any bug/issue/question post a comment or send me an email.

Update 2023.07.27: Download support for VICE 3.7 

Known issues

• symptom: memory view '1' (cpu events) shows no events (all cells are black)
  cause: icu64 failed to connect to the emulator automatically when it started
  fix: press ALT+F5 in icu64 to connect to the emulator manually
  

ICU64 for VICE 2.3 v0.1.2 - Released

An update of the ICU64 for the VICE emulator is available for download (you also need the VICE 2.3 emulator). There are no new features, only better functionality. My goal is to inject the REDPILL into the VICE, so more features could be supported in the future. I'm working on it...
(see the included readme file for instructions)

Note for programmers:
This time I modified the VICE source code to fix the bank issues of the memmap feature (the mod is here).

EDIT: I forgot to fix the zoom-out crash bug that occurs in the 64-bit versions of Windows. A patch is available in the download page.

ICU64 for Frodo Redpill v0.1.5 - Released

Eventually, after 3 years, a new version of ICU64 is ready for download. Several bugs and issues have fixed, additional functionality and features have added. Note however, that this version is not the one that I was working on the last years (i.e. v0.2). This is only an update of the initial release, where I have paste as much code as I could from v0.2 without corrupting the functionality. My goal is to make the raster view equally significant with the memory (matrix) view, so the development is being continued...

Report any bug/issue/request in the comments or via e-mail.

Good hack!

ICU64 for VICE 2.1

It was asked by many, so here it is:

ICU64 for VICE 2.1 

Requirements:

- a PC with Windows XP and .NET Framework 2.0
- the WinVICE 2.1 emulator

Have fun! 
(Read the included README.TXT for the installation instructions)

NOTE
In this version ICU64 operates as a common debugger over the x64 process. This approach reduces the features that can be supported, in comparison to the Frodo Redpill version. But since it is slightly newer, it has some more functionality and some bugs are fixed. The notable addition is a simple 'memory scanner'.

Also, this version can be connected with other C64 emulators. However, the procedure to do this is a little hard, for safety reasons.

The included file 'x64mm.exe' comes from a recompilation of the VICE 2.1 source code with the -memmap option. (The source code is NOT altered this time, in contrast to the Frodo version). With this option, the x64 tracks the memory accesses made by the CPU (unfortunately with some issues: some RAM accesses reported incorrectly by the x64 as ROM accesses).

I hope that the VICE team will notice the possibilities, so that one day they fully expose the C64 virtual machine to the external applications.

First Release of ICU64 and Frodo Redpill

After the first public preview of ICU64, the hacking tool that provides real-time view and edit of the C64 internals, here is the first public version: 

ICU64 / Frodo Redpill v0.1

You can now experience the hacker's view of the Commodore 64!


(the above video is also available at vimeo)

Requirements:
- a fast PC with Windows XP and .NET Framework 2.0
- the Frodo v4.1 emulator

NOTE

It is still a prototype, and it is missing a lot of functionality and user guidance. This software is intended for advanced users.