Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Turbine – 16-bit CPU Architecture and Emulator built in C

Github: https://github.com/errorcodezero/turbine

Turbine is a 16-bit CPU architecture and emulator written in C. It provides developers with tools to design and simulate a custom 16-bit processor, making it useful for those studying computer architecture, building… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

1H1
Homebrew 16bit CPU from 74HC logic with C compiler and Unix-like OS▲192
This is a 16bit CPU+Minicomputer from pure 74 series logic. It has user/kernel modes, virtual memory, prioritized IRQ's and DMA. It has a full C compiler and a unix-like OS. It's still in development.
2023 · sol-1.org · its alternatives →
2
I wrote my own RTS game engine in C▲1,102
An OpenGL RTS game engine written in C. Contribute to eduard-permyakov/permafrost-engine development by creating an account on GitHub.
2021 · github.com · its alternatives →
3
Homemade 32-bit CPU and OS (2015) [video]▲253
2016 · youtube.com · its alternatives →
4
Open-source engine running Gemma 4 26B in 2 GB RAM on any M-series Mac▲919
Hi HN, I built a specialized inference engine for running 4-bit Gemma 4 26B-A4B-IT on any M-series Mac using about 2 GB of RAM. It is called TurboFieldfare and is written in Swift and Metal. I have always adored on-device AI. It feels like magic that you can run a powerful NN on your Mac or iPhone. So I wanted to push the limits a bit and run a model whose weights don’t fit in memory. The model’s 4-bit quantized weights occupy roughly 14 GB, which makes running it with conventional inference tools almost impossible on an 8 GB or even 16 GB Mac once the OS, applications, and KV cache are…
Jul 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
5
My x86 emulator written in JavaScript▲765
Run KolibriOS, Linux or Windows 98 in your browser
2013 · copy.sh · its alternatives →
6
8-bit CPU simulator in C▲67
A digital logic simulation written in C. Contribute to rzscheck/logic development by creating an account on GitHub.
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
7
A small virtual machine written in C▲212
"interesting" VM in C. Let's see how this goes. Contribute to tekknolagi/carp development by creating an account on GitHub.
2014 · github.com · its alternatives →
8
MyraOS – My 32-bit operating system in C and ASM (Hack Club project)▲247
Hi HN, I’m Dvir, a young developer. Last year, I got rejected after a job interview because I lacked some CPU knowledge. After that, I decided to deepen my understanding in the low level world and learn how things work under the hood. I decided to try and create an OS in C and ASM as a way to broaden my knowledge in this area. This took me on the most interesting ride, where I’ve learned about OS theory and low level programming on a whole new level. I’ve spent hours upon hours, blood and tears, reading different OS theory blogs, learning low level concepts, debugging, testing and working on…
Oct 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
9
RISC-V core written in 600 lines of C89▲190
32-bit RISC-V CPU in ~800 lines of C89. Contribute to mnurzia/rv development by creating an account on GitHub.
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
10
I built an 8-bit CPU simulator in Python from scratch▲72
I built a tiny 8-bit CPU simulator in Python to better understand how computers work at a low level. It visualizes registers, memory, and instructions in real-time, so you can actually see each operation as it happens. You can write simple assembly code and watch how the CPU executes it step by step. The project is mainly for learning and experimentation, but I’d love feedback or ideas for improvement.
Oct 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
11
A 16-bit Forth machine written in VHDL▲80
Yet Another Forth Core... Contribute to inforichland/yafc development by creating an account on GitHub.
2014 · github.com · its alternatives →
12
Netmind Power▲272
Hi HN, We just opened public access to Qwen3‑Coder‑480B‑A35B‑Instruct via a REST/SDK API. Why it might be interesting: - Fully open-source (Apache‑2.0): https://github.com/QwenLM/Qwen3-Coder - 480B params (35B active MoE), long context up to 1M tokens with YaRN - Matches Claude Sonnet/GPT‑4o on SWE-Bench Verified (81.6%) - Free tier: 100K tokens/month
2023 · netmind.ai · its alternatives →
13
A nibble-oriented CPU in Verilog to build a scientific calculator▲119
The core question: how did HP's scientific calculators actually work at the gate level? That rabbit hole led to building one from scratch. The architectural decision everything else follows from: a decimal calculator should store numbers as BCD — one decimal digit per 4-bit nibble. A standard byte-oriented CPU (Z80, 6502) fights that layout constantly. So I designed a small custom CPU in Verilog where 4 bits is the natural data width and memory is nibble addressable. What the project covers: - Custom CPU: Harvard architecture, 12-bit ISA, 8-state execution FSM, hardware stack guard with a…
May 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
14
A DOS-like hobby OS written in Rust and x86 assembly▲207
To try it out, simply build the project yourself from source, or use attached bootable ISO image of the system (in Releases on Github) and run it in QEMU. https://blog.vxn.dev/rou2exos-rusted-edition
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
15
We built an 8-bit CPU as 2nd year EE students▲108
Hi! me and my friends together built an 8 bit CPU implemented in Logisim purely from scratch. The control unit of this system does not implement the generic microcode ROM or any kind of RAM. This was made purely from discrete logic gates and coded the system to run different programs. key features: Custom 16-instruction Harvard ISA, 8-bit fixed format, 4 general purpose registers Hardwired control unit built entirely from AND/OR gate logic matrix Dual-phase clocking to eliminate race conditions Bootstrap Control Unit that cold-boots via ROM-to-RAM transfer Early-exit conditional…
Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
16
Prometeo – a Python-to-C transpiler for high-performance computing▲166
An experimental Python-to-C transpiler and domain specific language for embedded high-performance computing - zanellia/prometeo
2021 · github.com · its alternatives →
17
CPU simulator in 60 lines of code▲60
Simple CPU model written in 60 lines of C with 8 registers and basic instructions - wkoszek/cpu60
2015 · github.com · its alternatives →
18
Bit Serial CPU▲99
A bit-serial CPU written in VHDL, with a simulator written in C. - howerj/bit-serial
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
19MT
My Turbo Pascal compiler in JavaScript▲101
2013 · teamten.com · its alternatives →
20
Drogon – A C++14/17 based high performance HTTP application framework▲189
Drogon: A C++14/17/20 based HTTP web application framework running on Linux/macOS/Unix/Windows - drogonframework/drogon
2019 · github.com · its alternatives →
21
A 2D game engine in under 1000 lines of C▲98
A top-down 2d game engine, written from scratch in under 1000 lines of C. Development of the game based on this engine is streamed on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ryanpcmcquen - ryanpcmcquen/basque
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
22RP
R8 Processor▲96
2017 · hasaranga.com · its alternatives →
23AR
A RISC-V core in Racket▲122
2021 · guillaume.baierouge.fr · its alternatives →
24
H2 Forth CPU▲120
A Forth CPU and System on a Chip, based on the J1, written in VHDL - howerj/forth-cpu
2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

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