Microprocessor virtualisation

by david 14. April 2010 22:19

On one of my web-wanderings I discovered a piece of software called VMLAB. It allows you to build a virtual prototype of a microprocessor circuit, without any actual hardware! Very cool.  Even better - it's freeware.  This had to be downloaded and tried out :-)

Since I have recently been messing about with HD44780 compatible LCD displays, I couldn't resist trying that.  So here is an example I knocked up:

Virtual LCD and microprocessor in VMLAB

Not bad ... an ATmega168 driving an HD44780 compatible LCD all done virtually, without all that mucking about with actual hardware.  I did try sending some user defined characters to the virtual LCD, but that didn't seem to work, maybe that was pushing it.

About the author

David
I'm a C# developer having worked with .Net since it was in beta.  Before that I mainly worked in C and C++.  I have been developing commercial software for more than 20 years.  I also mess around with microprocesors, but that's just for fun.  I live near Cambridge, England and at the moment I'm contracted to one of the departments at Cambridge University.