Implementing a clear room Z80 / ZX Spectrum emulator with Claude Code - Adafruit Blog

TL;DR

Salvatore Sanfilippo, known as antirez, has developed a "clean room" emulator for the Z80 microprocessor and the ZX Spectrum, along with an emulator for CP/M. This approach emphasizes building the emulator from scratch based on high-level specifications rather than reverse engineering existing software. Antirez drafted a markdown document outlining the emulator's goals, such as executing complete instructions at once and accurately tracking clock cycles, which is particularly important for mimicking the ZX Spectrum's memory access behaviors.

Why This Was Curated

The article provides a practical guide to implementing a Z80/ZX Spectrum emulator, which is highly relevant for software developers interested in hardware and embedded systems. It is accessible and actionable, with clear specifications and a focus on implementation details, making it a strong fit for the audience.