Spectrum Analyser – Colourclash

2024-02-08 01:55:58

Spectrum Analyser is a instrument that’s designed to assist reverse engineer ZX Spectrum video games & applications.

It’s a mixture of an emulator, debugger & interactive disassembler. Applications are loaded and run within the emulator and their state might be inspected utilizing the instruments supplied.

These instruments embrace:

Disassembler
Debugger
Graphics viewer
Body hint
Reminiscence diff
IO analyser

Different options embrace:

Interactive annotation: labels, capabilities & feedback
Watch window
Format reminiscence as Byte, Phrase, Char Map, Bitmap and many others.
Breakpoints: break on code execution, reminiscence entry, NMI, IRQ, IN & OUT
Totally annotated Sinclair ROM
Self modifying code help
Automated code detection
Automated information detection
Poke help
Skoolkit import and export
Character graphic reminiscence search instrument
Z80 instruction informational tooltips
RZX help
128k Spectrum suitable

How does it work?

The standard technique to reverse engineer software program is to manually decide which areas of the pc reminiscence are code or information. A disassembler can then be used to supply an meeting itemizing of the code reminiscence bytes. One technique to obtain that is to look at the code working by a debugger. This may be gradual work – though some wonderful instruments exist to assist with this course of, reminiscent of IDA Pro or Ghidra. This course of might be partially automated by utilizing an execution hint file. This may help verify which areas of reminiscence are code if we all know they’ve been executed.

Spectrum Analyser goals to automate as a lot of the guide course of as potential. It has an emulator inbuilt, which implies it might mechanically detect which reminiscence places are code when these places are executed. The extra you play the sport, the extra code it can uncover.

Nonetheless, Spectrum Analyser could be very a lot interactive. You’re free to manually mark up areas of reminiscence as code in case you favor – with no need to execute the code in query. You do not want to inform Spectrum Analyser the place the code ends – solely the place it begins. It’ll use static code evaluation to work out the place the code terminates.

Beginning Off

If you open a sport for the primary time Spectrum Analyser will begin from a clean slate. On this state, all reminiscence places will likely be formatted as byte information. That is the default state of reminiscence that hasn’t been executed.

This is identical reminiscence after this system has been executed. Spectrum Analyser has set the reminiscence to code and added labels for capabilities along with department vacation spot labels.

These labels can then be renamed when you determine what the code is definitely doing.

You possibly can then add feedback to the disassembly.

Screenshots

Listed below are some motion pictures of Spectrum Analyser. For finest outcomes you could must obtain the photographs and think about them full display or open them in a seperate tab.

Acknowledgements

This program was constructed utilizing the excellent Chips emulator library by Andre Weissflog, the emulation within the analyser is completed utilizing this library: https://github.com/floooh/chips
For the UI, DearImGui is used (https://github.com/ocornut/imgui) which is no doubt one of many best items of open supply software program. With out it not solely would the UI take for much longer however engaged on it might even be exceedingly boring.

Spectrum Analyser incorporates a full disassembly of the Sinclair ROM. This was potential due to the skoolkit disassembly completed by Richard Dymond. https://skoolkit.ca/disassemblies/rom/

Tutorial

Need assistance getting began utilizing Spectrum Analyser, or simply wish to see the way it works? Here’s a tutorial. This doesn’t cowl every part however it can get you began.