PalmOS on FisherPrice Pixter Toy

Summary

rePalm Photo Album(constantly updated) Table of Contents Blog-style updatesBLOGDec 5, 2025 - PixterGetting started with PixterInitial Slow Pixter Color BringupThe Worst ARM SoC I've Seen YetPixter MemoriesPixter DisplaysMaking Pixter IrDA workGetting and Flashing the Pixter CartsPixter PolishBattery StateARM7 quirksWhat exactly does ARM7 do with PC[1] in ARM mode?Pixter MultimediaSome More Pixter PolishPixter ResultsNov 2, 2025 - summary of what you missedThe original article about the start of the projectPalmOS Architecture (and a bit of history)HistoryModules? Libraries? DALs? Drivers?Towards the first unauthorized PalmOS portSo what's so hard?ROM formats are hardSo write a DAL and you're done!Minimal DALDrawing is hardTheft is a form of flattery, right?Meticulously-performed imitation is also a form of flattery, no?Virtual SD cardWhich device ROM are you using?So you're done, right? It works?Towards the first pirate PalmOS deviceA little bit about normal PalmOS 5.x devices, their CPUs, and the progress since...ARMv7MMy kingdom for an ARM!But what if we try?We need hardware, but developing on hardware is ... hardCortexEmu to the rescueWaaaah! You promised real hardwareUm, but now we need a kernel...Need a kernel? Why not Linux?So, uh, what about all that pesky ARM code?The ARM code still was a problemYou do not mean...?But isn't writing an emulator in C kind of slow?So, is it fast enough now?You do not mean...? (pt2)Just in time: thisJITs: how do we start?Parlez-vous ARM?2 Thumbs do not make an ARMA JIT's job is never overLDM and STM, may they burn in hell forever!How LDM/STM work in ARMHow LDM/STM work in Thumb2But wait, there's more ... painTranslating LDM/STMSlightly less hellish instructionsConditional instructionsJumps & CallsTranslating a TUAnd if the TC is full?Growing upThe Cortex-M0 backendWhy this is insaneThe basicsFault dispatchingIs PACE fast enough?Those indirect jumps...A special solution for a special problemAny 68k emulator...But, you promised har...