Category: AsmBook

(Updated August 4, 2024) Table of Contents Moving Data The Assembler Breakdown Features Errors Moving Data

(Updated November 22, 2024) Table of Contents Moving Data Simple Math Overflow Compare and Branch Features Errors Moving Data While this is a 16-bit addressable space, we can only perform operations 8 bits at a time because our registers are also 8-bit wide. As such, working with 16-bit or 32-bit quantities means some code repetition. … Read More “Chapter 4 – The Basics” »

(Updated October 13, 2024) Table of Contents Programs The Assembler Breakdown Features Errors Programs Let’s take a 10,000-foot tour. Our IDE has a form of compiler called an assembler. That is because it assembles the mnemonics, addresses, names, and such for a given CPU and translates it to machine code. Whereas a compiler translates a … Read More “Chapter 3 – The Assembler” »

(Updated July 16, 2024) Table of Contents Physical Details Registers Instructions Addressing Modes Physical Details The MOS 6502 was originally released as a 40-pin dual-inline package (DIP-40) in both plastic and ceramic. The pins connect to locations inside the packaging and onto the CPU die with tiny filaments. Each pin represents a signal in the … Read More “Chapter 2 – Basic CPU Architecture” »

(Updated August 3, 2024) Table of Contents What is and IDE? An Example What is an IDE? An Integrated Development Environment, or IDE, is typically a graphical user interface with an editor, compiler, debugger, and much more at your fingertips. During the 6502 era, the idea of having a full-featured development environment was unheard of. … Read More “Chapter 1 – The IDE” »

(Updated June 7, 2024) Table of Contents Starting Out With Old Tech The MOS 6502 References Starting Out With Old Tech The tech we’re talking about here is the MOS 6502. Why choose an old CPU such as this? Well, it’s a good place to begin since the CPU is so primitive that we can … Read More “Chapter 0 – Where to Begin?” »

(Updated August 3, 2024) This textbook follows a few basic teaching paradigms, which are as follows: Constructivism – the premise that learning occurs through the physical building (construction) of solutions. Therefore, this is a project-based approach. Throughout this textbook, there are two primary subplots. During what would be considered the first half of the semester … Read More “Introduction” »

March 2025 When I first began teaching, I knew nothing about how people learn, save one person – myself. The way I learned was nearly never the same as how others learned. So, after a couple of decades of honing my craft, I decided it was high time I invested in myself. My masters work … Read More “Acknowledgements” »