The use of a meta-assembler to design an M code interpreter on AMD2900 chips

Abstract

There have been several machine designs using microproprammed control which interpretively execute intermediate code such as P code and earlier version such as POPS. The recently announced Modula language uses M code as an intermediate language This paper describes how an AM-DAM2900 bit slice aechitecture was used to implement the interpretive execution of M code. The microcontrol is microprogrammed using the standard AMD AM2900 microfunctions to execute the M code. The design was tested using a meta-assembler which proved to be very helpful in debugging the microprogramming. The meta-assembler is briefly described. It is always difficult to convince others about ones in house specially designed meta-assembler but we discuss the meta-assembler and how we use it in the hope that the material concerning the M code is of interest even if the meta assembler is too detailed to follow. machines.