MIPSduino Assembler

A modern, high-performance MIPS Assembly development environment featuring the MIPSduino Assembler v2.0 with MicroCoreASM hardware integration.

🚀 What's New in v2.0

• Integrated Toolchain: All utility scripts consolidated into a single powerful MIPSduino CLI.
• MicroCoreASM Ready: Export raw binary files (.bin) for direct loading into hardware.
• Arduino Support: Export C/C++ header files (.h) containing instruction arrays for Arduino/ESP32 projects.
• Enhanced Symbols: Detailed memory address mapping and symbol table analysis integrated into the CLI.
• Premium UI: Clean, colorized terminal output for a better developer experience.
• Performance Optimized: Faster assembly and conversion processes.

📦 Quick Start

Installation

Windows:

1. Download MIPSduino_Setup.exe.
2. Run the installer (it will add MIPSduino to your system PATH).
3. Open a new terminal and type MIPSduino to verify.

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo dpkg -i MIPSduino_2.0.0_amd64.deb

VS Code Extension:

code --install-extension MIPSduino-2.0.0.vsix

Usage

Run MIPS assembly:

MIPSduino run program.asm

Build for MicroCoreASM (Hardware/Arduino):

# Export to all formats (hex, bin, h)
MIPSduino build program.asm

# Export specifically for Arduino
MIPSduino build program.asm -f arduino -o program.h

Show Symbol Table & Addresses:

MIPSduino symbols program.asm

🔌 Hardware Integration Guide (MicroCoreASM)

📟 Using with Microprocessors

To load your MIPS code into a hardware microprocessor or FPGA:

1. Generate Binary: Run MIPSduino build program.asm -f bin.
2. Output: This creates a program.bin file containing raw machine code.
3. Loading: Use your hardware programmer or bootloader to flash this binary directly into the instruction memory (starting at address 0x00400000 by default).

♾️ Using with Arduino

To use MIPS instructions within an Arduino/ESP32 sketch:

1. Generate Header: Run MIPSduino build program.asm -f arduino -o mips_code.h.
2. Include: Copy mips_code.h to your Arduino project folder.
3. Code:

   #include "mips_code.h"
   
   void setup() {
       Serial.begin(115200);
       // Access the instructions
       for(int i = 0; i < program_len; i++) {
           Serial.println(program[i], HEX);
       }
   }

4. Execution: You can now use this array to feed a MIPS emulator or a custom soft-core running on your microcontroller.

🛠️ Development

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8+
• For building: PyInstaller (pip install pyinstaller)

Building from Source

cd mips-toolchain/build
./build.sh

📁 Project Structure

IronCoreAssembler/
├── mips-toolchain/          # MIPSduino Assembler Toolchain Source
│   ├── cli/                 # Redesigned CLI (MIPSduino.py)
│   ├── extension/           # VS Code extension
│   ├── build/               # Build & Packaging scripts
│   └── releases/            # Distribution packages
├── Mars.jar                 # MARS simulator core
├── SYMBOL_GUIDE.md          # Symbol table guide
├── ADDRESS_MAP.md           # Address mapping reference
└── MARS_GUIDE.md            # MARS usage guide

🌟 Features

MIPSduino CLI v2.0

• Run: Execute MIPS Assembly files (CLI or GUI mode)
• Build: Assemble to Hex, Binary, or Arduino-ready C headers (MicroCoreASM)
• Symbols: Integrated symbol table and memory address mapping
• Cross-Platform: Native support for Linux, Windows, and macOS
• Standalone: No Python required after building

VS Code Extension

• ✨ Syntax highlighting for MIPS assembly
• 🚀 One-click execution (Ctrl+Shift+R)
• 🔨 Build command (Ctrl+Shift+B)
• 📝 15+ code snippets for common patterns
• 🎨 IntelliSense and auto-completion

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

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Version: 2.0.0
Last Updated: December 19, 2025
Copyright: MIPSduino Team & Anon Open Source