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Show HN: CoreTrace, a visual 16-bit CPU simulator
I built a 16-bit CPU simulator that runs entirely in the browser.
You can write assembly, run it, or step through it one instruction at a time while watching what happens inside the CPU.
It shows the registers, memory, flags, ALU, buses, and datapath as the program executes.
You can also set breakpoints, inspect execution cycles, replay previous cycles, and try some example programs.
I built this because I wanted CPU architecture to feel more tangible. Reading about fetch, decode, registers, buses, and the ALU is one thing. Watching an instruction actually move through the CPU is much more interesting.
Try it here:
https://coretrace.srianjaneyam.me/ https://coretrace.srianjaneyam.me/
This is my first Show HN, so I'd really appreciate feedback, especially from people interested in CPU architecture, emulators, or computer architecture education.
- ColdStream 2mo agoI haven't had much time to dive in really deep but it does seem to cover all the core bases. Very cool indeed. Does make it somewhat intuitive which is a great first step. One note to people, don't try to resize the browser once it has started as it will scale in weird ways.
- mr-anjaneyam 2mo ago[dead]
- vunderba 2mo agoNice job. I came across an 8-bit equivalent about a year ago [1]. Switch it from Blocks to Schematic to see a similarly graphically animated component view. Feedback • The problem with using Claude Code (or Codex) is that they don’t have a very good understanding of basic web accessibility standards. I can barely read some of the subtext under the program counter and instruction register, they completely blend into the background completely especially in dark mode. • I’d honestly also get rid of the cyberpunk bloom, or at least provide a way to reduce it. It’s unnecessarily distracting from the learning process. [1] - https://sap-3.com https://sap-3.com
- mr-anjaneyam 2mo ago[dead]