Super NES Programming/Super FX tutorial

Introduction

The SuperFX is a custom 16-bit RISC processor with a special bitmap emulation function designed for the Super NES. It was designed to bring rudimentary 3D capabilities to the SNES. Programming for it is done with special Super FX assembly language. Each SuperFX title uses a combination of standard SNES assembly code with specially compiled SuperFX assembly routines coded as binary data in the cartridge. It can run in parallel with the SNES under certain conditions. Each SuperFX cartridge has on-board RAM which the SuperFX chip uses as a frame buffer and for general purpose operations which it can share with the Super NES.

Existing titles

The SuperFX chip was used in 8 released SNES games, in Star Fox 2 (unreleased) and in multiple tech demos; 2 of which binaries are available.

Title	SuperFX Version	ROM Size	Work RAM Size	Save RAM Size
Starfox/Starwing	Mario Chip	8 MBit	256 KBit	None
Dirt Racer	GSU-1	4 MBit	256 KBit	None
Dirt Trax FX	GSU-1	4 MBit	512 KBit	None
Stunt Race FX	GSU-1	8 MBit	512 KBit	64KBit
Starfox 2	GSU-1	8 MBit	512 KBit	64KBit
Vortex	GSU-1	4 MBit	256 KBit	None
Voxel(demo)	GSU-1	3 MBit	512 KBit	None
Powerslide(demo)	GSU-1	3 MBit	512 KBit	None
DOOM	GSU-2	16 MBit	512 KBit	None
Yoshi's Island	GSU-2-SP1	16 MBit	256 KBit	64KBit
Winter Gold	GSU-2	16 MBit	512 KBit	64KBit

Theory of Operation

A SuperFX co-processor.

The SuperFX is a co-processor for the SNES CPU. The SuperFX's task is to execute complex mathematical calculations much faster than the SNES and to generate bitmap pictures for simple 3D rendering of SuperFX games. The SuperFX and SNES processors share access to a common Work RAM and Game pak ROM bus. Only one of the SuperFX or SNES CPU may access the game pak ROM and RAM at any time, controlled by special registers. The flow of the SNES and SuperFX accessing the data busses is an art in optimizing the program's efficiency.

The RAM inside the SuperFX cart is different from battery backup RAM - it can be used for storing results of calculations, for storing a SuperFX program, for storing bulk data or for storing a PLOT picture the SuperFX is generating. There is 256 Kib (32KiB) or 512 Kib (64 KiB) of RAM.

The SuperFX can process instructions in 3 ways: reading them from game pak RAM, from the gamepak ROM (reading straight out of the ROM chip), or via a special 512 byte instruction cache.

It is possible for the SuperFX to run in parallel with the SNES CPU when using the 512 byte instruction Cache. It involves loading a program in, and then setting the SuperFX to start its work. The 512 byte cache is in general 3x faster compared to running the program in the game pak RAM or ROM. The SuperFX can interrupt the SNES CPU after it finishes processing.

When using the special bitmap functions of the SuperFX it's possible to quickly load the bitmap out of the gamepak into the SNES Video RAM and display it on the screen. The SNES by default is a tile and sprite based console - pixel based scene construction used in 3D rendered games is very inefficient with stock SNES hardware. In SuperFX games such as DOOM, Starfox/Starwing and the like, the SuperFX is rapidly painting pixel based scene bitmaps onto the game pak RAM and then throwing it into the SNES VRAM for graphics display many times per second.

Hardware revisions

There are 3 different hardware revisions of the SuperFX. All revisions are functionally compatible in terms of instruction set but support different ROM sizes.

• MARIO Chip - which stands for Mathematical Argonaut Rotation Input Output. The first release of the SuperFX chip and was only used with Starfox/Starwing. There are two versions of the chip - one with a direct PCB die bonded/epoxied setup and one with a standard chip carrier package.
• GSU-1 - the release used on most SuperFX games in a standard chip carrier package. Functionally identical to MARIO Chip. Supports maximum 8Mbit (1 Megabyte) ROM size.
• GSU-2 - used on the final 3 SuperFX games, supports the full 16 Megabit (2 Megabyte) ROM size.

• 
  MARIO chip (Packaged)
• 
  MARIO chip (Epoxied)
• 
  GSU-1
• 
  GSU-2
• 
  GSU-2 SP1

Registers

The SuperFX registers are mapped from $3000-$32FF. Some are 16-bit; some are 8-bit. The explanation of each register is shown in this section. $3100-$32FF is the Instruction Cache.

Overview

The Super FX chip has 16 general-purpose 16-bit registers labeled R0 to R15 plus 11 control registers. Additionally, a memory space from $3100-$32FF forms the instruction cache

Register	Address	Description	Access from SNES
R0	$3000	default source/destination register	R/W
R1	$3002	pixel plot X position register	R/W
R2	$3004	pixel plot Y position register	R/W
R3	$3006	for general use	R/W
R4	$3008	lower 16 bit result of lmult	R/W
R5	$300A	for general use	R/W
R6	$300C	multiplier for fmult and lmult	R/W
R7	$300E	fixed point texel X position for merge	R/W
R8	$3010	fixed point texel Y position for merge	R/W
R9	$3012	for general use	R/W
R10	$3014	for general use	R/W
R11	$3016	return address set by link	R/W
R12	$3018	loop counter	R/W
R13	$301A	loop point address	R/W
R14	$301C	rom address for GETB, GETBH, GETBL, GETBS	R/W
R15	$301E	program counter	R/W

Control Registers

Name	Address	Description	Size	Access from SNES
SFR	$3030	status flag register	16 bits	R/W
	$3032	unused
BRAMR	$3033	Backup RAM register	8 bits	W
PBR	$3034	program bank register	8 bits	R/W
	$3035	unused
ROMBR	$3036	rom bank register	8 bits	R
CFGR	$3037	control flags register	8 bits	W
SCBR	$3038	screen base register	8 bits	W
CLSR	$3039	clock speed register	8 bits	W
SCMR	$303A	screen mode register	8 bits	W
VCR	$303B	version code register (read only)	8 bits	R
RAMBR	$303C	RAM bank register	8 bits	R
	$303D	unused
CBR	$303E	cache base register	16 bits	R

Instruction Cache

Name	Address	Description	Size	Access from SNES
1	$3100	First byte of instruction cache	8 bits	R/W
2	$3101	Second byte of instruction cache	8 bits	R/W
...	...	...	8 bits	R/W
...	...	...	8 bits	R/W
512	$32FF	Five hundred and twelfth byte of instruction cache	8 bits	R/W

SFR Status Flag Register

The SFR is a very important register. It controls branching within the SuperFX after evaluating a calculation and can determine the status of the SuperFX when accessed from the SNES CPU.

Bit	Description
0	-
1	Z Zero flag
2	CY Carry flag
3	S Sign flag
4	OV Overflow flag
5	G Go flag (set to 1 when the GSU is running)
6	R Set to 1 when reading ROM using R14 address
7	-
8	ALT1 Mode set-up flag for the next instruction
9	ALT2 Mode set-up flag for the next instruction
10	IL Immediate lower 8-bit flag
11	IH Immediate higher 8-bit flag
12	B Set to 1 when the WITH instruction is executed
13	-
14	-
15	IRQ Set to 1 when GSU caused an interrupt. Set to 0 when read by 658c16

BRAMBR Backup RAM Register

Used to allow protection of the SRAM inside the Game Pak. This should be set to 0(write disable) normally, and 1(write enable) when saving the game.

Bit	Description
0	BRAM Flag (0 = write disable, 1=write enable)
1	Not Used
2	Not Used
3	Not Used
4	Not Used
5	Not Used
6	Not Used
7	Not Used

PBR Program Bank Register

When the SuperFX is loading code it references the PBR register to specify the bank being used. The LJMP instruction is the general method used to change this register.

Bit	Description
0	A16 Address Select
1	A17 Address Select
2	A18 Address Select
3	A19 Address Select
4	A20 Address Select
5	A21 Address Select
6	A22 Address Select
7	A23 Address Select

ROMBR Game Pak ROM Bank Register

When using the ROM buffering system, this register specifies the bank of the game pak ROM being copied into the buffer. The ROMB instruction is the general method used to change this register.

Bit	Description
0	A16 ROM Address Select
1	A17 ROM Address Select
2	A18 ROM Address Select
3	A19 ROM Address Select
4	A20 ROM Address Select
5	A21 ROM Address Select
6	A22 ROM Address Select
7	A23 ROM Address Select

CFGR Config Register

Controls the clock multiplier and interrupt mask.

Bit	Description
0	Not used
1	Not Used
2	Not Used
3	Not Used
4	Not Used
5	MS0 (0=standard,1=high speed)
6	Not Used
7	IRQ (0=normal, 1=masked)

Note: If set to run at 21.477 MHz through the CLSR flag(1), MS0 flag should be set to 0.

SCBR Screen Base Register

This register sets the starting address of the graphics storage area. It is written to directly, rather than through a specific instruction.

Bit	Description
0	A10 Screen Base Select
1	A11 Screen Base Select
2	A12 Screen Base Select
3	A13 Screen Base Select
4	A14 Screen Base Select
5	A15 Screen Base Select
6	A16 Screen Base Select
7	A17 Screen Base Select

CLSR Clock Register

Controls the clock frequency of the Super FX chip.

Bit	Description
0	CLSR, 0=10.738 MHz, 1=21.477 MHz
1	Not Used
2	Not Used
3	Not Used
4	Not Used
5	Not used
6	Not Used
7	Not used

SCMR Screen Mode Register

This register sets the number of colors and screen height for the PLOT graphics acceleration routine and additionally controls whether the SuperFX or SNES has control of the game pak ROM and work RAM.

Bit	Description
0	Color Mode MD0
1	Color Mode MD1
2	Screen Height HT0
3	Game pak Work RAM Access - RAN (0=SNES,1=SuperFX)
4	Game pak ROM Access - RON (0=SNES,1=SuperFX)
5	Screen Height HT1
6	Not used
7	Not used

Screen Height Truth Table

HT1	HT0	Mode
0	0	128 pixels
0	1	160 pixels
1	0	192 pixels
1	1	OBJ Mode

Color Mode Truth Table

MD1	MD0	Mode
0	0	4 colors
0	1	16 colors
1	0	Not used
1	1	256 colors

VCR Version Register

Can read out the version of the SuperFX chip in use with this register

Bit	Description
0	VC0
1	VC1
2	VC2
3	VC3
4	VC4
5	VC5
6	VC6
7	VC7

RAMBR Game Pak RAM Bank Register

When writing between the game work RAM and the Super FX registers, this register specifies the bank of the game pak RAM being used. The RAMB instruction is the general method used to change this register. Only one bit is used to set the RAM bank to $70 or $71

Bit	Description
0	A16 ($70 when 0, $71 when 1)
1	Not Used
2	Not Used
3	Not Used
4	Not Used
5	Not Used
6	Not Used
7	Not Used

CBR Cache Base Register

This register specifies the address of either the game pak ROM or work RAM where data will be loaded from into the cache. Both the LJMP and CACHE instructions are accepted ways to change this register

Bit	Description
0	- (0 when read always)
1	- (0 when read always)
2	- (0 when read always)
3	- (0 when read always)
4	A4
5	A5
6	A6
7	A7
8	A8
9	A9
10	A10
11	A11
12	A12
13	A13
14	A14
15	A15

Memory Map

From Super NES CPU point of view

Super FX Interface: Mapped to $3000-$32FF, in banks $00-$3F and $80-$BF
Game ROM: Mapped to 2MiB from $0000-$8000. Mirror mapped from bank $40:$0000, stored in 32KiB blocks.
Game Work RAM: Mapped to 128KiB starting from bank $70:$0000. 8KiB mapped from $6000 in each of bank $00-$3F. RAM mirror is in banks $80-$BF.
Game Save RAM: Mapped to 128KiB from bank $78:$0000
SNES CPU ROM: 6MiB ROM is mapped from bank $80:$8000

From Super FX point of view

Game ROM: Mapped to 2MiBfrom $0000-$8000. 2MiB mirror mapped from bank $40:$0000 onwards, stored in 32KiB blocks. Other memory locations viewable from the SNES should not be addressed.
Game Work RAM: Mapped to 128KiB starting from Bank $70:$0000.
Note: The Super FX accesses memory through three bank control registers: Program Bank Register(PBR), ROM Bank Register (ROMBR) and RAM Bank Register

Instruction Set

The SuperFX instruction set is different from the Super Nintendo's native instruction set. It allows faster, more sophisticated 16-bit mathematical functions and includes some specific graphics manipulation functions.

Some instructions can be assembled as a single byte. This is where both the instruction(nibble) and argument(nibble) are co-joined into the same storage byte. This allows for faster execution and also greater instruction density. These are important objectives when designing a co-processor. One such instruction is ADC, which starts as $5 and takes an argument of one of the 16 general purpose SuperFX registers($0-$F).

Quite a few instructions require an ALT instruction to be executed before the opcode. This modifies the behavior of the same opcode to perform a slightly different operation. There are 3 possible ALT codes - ALT1($3D), ALT2($3E), and ALT1+ALT2($3F). In the table below, the specific ALT code is listed for each instruction.

Most instructions rely on pre-defined pointers for the locations of calculation variables. These are the FROM, TO and WITH instructions. The TO and FROM commands specify the general purpose register that is the variable, and the calculation result respectively. WITH defines both of the variable/result in the same command. The variable and result are known as the source and destination registers respectfully.

Instruction Set Table

Instruction	Description	ALT(Hex)	CODE(HEX)	ARG	Length(B)	B	ATL1	ALT2	O/V	S	CY	Z	ROM	RAM	Cache	Classification	Note
ADC	Add with carry	3D	0x5	Rn	2	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
ADC	Add with carry	3F	0x5	#n	2	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
ADD	Add	None	0x5	Rn	1	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	3	3	1	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
ADD	Add	3E	0x5	#n	2	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
ALT1	Set ALT1 mode	None	0x3D	/	1	/	1	/	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Prefix Flag Instructions
ALT2	Set ALT2 mode	None	0x3E	/	1	/	/	1	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Prefix Flag Instructions
ALT3	Set ALT3 mode	None	0x3F	/	1	/	1	1	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Prefix Flag Instructions
AND	Logical AND	None	0x7	Rn	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Logical Operation Instructions
AND	Logical AND	3E	0x7	#n	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	6	6	2	Logical Operation Instructions
ASR	Arithmetric Shift Right	None	0x96	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	*	*	3	3	1	Shift Instructions
BCC	Branch on carry clear	None	0x0C	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BCS	Branch on carry set	None	0x0D	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BEQ	Branch on equal	None	0x09	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BGE	Branch on greater than or equal to zero	None	0x06	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BIC	Bit clear mask	3D	0x7	Rn	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	6	6	2	Logical Operation Instructions
BIC	Bit clear mask	3F	0x7	#n	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	6	6	2	Logical Operation Instructions
BLT	Branch on less than zero	None	0x07	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BMI	Branch on minus	None	0x0B	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BNE	Branch on not equal	None	0x08	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BPL	Branch on plus	None	0x0A	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BRA	Branch always	None	0x05	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BVC	Branch on overflow clear	None	0x0E	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
BVS	Branch on overflow set	None	0x0F	e	2	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
CACHE	Set cache base register	None	0x02	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3-4	3-4	1	GSU Control Instructions
CMODE	Set Plot mode	3D	0x4E	/	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Plot/related instructions
CMP	Compare	3F	0x6	Rn	2	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
COLOR	Set plot color	None	0x4E	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Plot/related instructions
DEC	Decrement	None	0xE	Rn	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
DIV2	Divide by 2	3D	0x96	/	2	0	0	0	/	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
FMULT	Fractional signed multiply	None	0x9F	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	*	*	11 or 7	11 or 7	8 or 4	Arithmetic Operation Instructions	Cycles Depends onCFGR Register
FROM	Set Sreg	None	0xB	Rn	1	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Prefix Register Instructions
GETB	Get byte from ROM buffer	None	0xEF	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3-8	3-8	1-6	Data Transfer From game pak ROM to register	Cycles varies due to ROM buffer
GETBH	Get high byte from ROM buffer	3D	0xEF	/	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6-10	6-9	2-6	Data Transfer From game pak ROM to register	Cycles varies due to ROM buffer
GETBL	Get low byte from ROM buffer	3E	0xEF	/	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6-10	6-9	2-6	Data Transfer From game pak ROM to register	Cycles varies due to ROM buffer
GETBS	Get signed byte from ROM buffer	3F	0xEF	/	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6-10	6-9	2-6	Data Transfer From game pak ROM to register	Cycles varies due to ROM buffer
GETC	Get byte from ROM to color register	None	0xDF	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3-10	3-9	1-6	Data Transfer From game pak ROM to register	Cycles varies due to ROM buffer
HIB	Value of high byte of register	None	0xC0	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Byte transfer Instructions
IBT	Load immediate byte data	None	0xA	"Rn, #pp"	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Data Transfer / Immediate data to register
INC	Increment	None	0xD	Rn	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
IWT	Load immediate word data	None	0xF	"Rn, #xx"	3	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	9	9	3	Data Transfer / Immediate data to register
JMP	Jump	None	0x9	Rn	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
LDB	Load byte data from RAM	3D	0x4	Rm	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	11	13	6	Data Transfer From game pak RAM to register
LDW	Load word data from RAM	None	0x4	Rm	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	10	12	7	Data Transfer From game pak RAM to register
LEA	Load effective address	None	0xF	"Rn, xx"	3	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	9	9	3	Macro Instructions
LINK	Link Return Address	None	0x9	#n	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
LJMP	Long jump	3D	0x9	Rn	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
LM	"Load word data from RAM, using 16 bits"	3D	0xF	"Rn, (xx)"	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	20	21	11	Data Transfer From game pak RAM to register
LMS	"Load word data from RAM, short address"	3D	0xA	"Rn, (yy)"	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	17	17	10	Data Transfer From game pak RAM to register
LMULT	16x16 signed multiply	3D	0x9F	/	2	0	0	0	/	*	*	*	10 or 14	10 or 14	5 or 9	Arithmetic Operation Instructions	Cycles Depends on CFGR Register
LOB	Value of low byte of register	None	0x9E	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Byte transfer Instructions
LOOP	Loop	None	0x3C	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	"Jump, Branch and Loop Instructions"
LSR	Logical shift right	None	0x03	/	1	0	0	0	/	0	*	*	3	3	1	Shift Instructions
MERGE	Merge high byte of R8 and R7	None	0x70	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Byte transfer Instructions
MOVE	Move word data from Rn' to Rn	None	0x2n1n'	"Rn, Rn'"	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Data transfer register to register
MOVES	Move word data from Rn' to Rn and set flags	None	0x2nBn'	"Rn, Rn'"	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Data transfer register to register
MULT	Signed multiply	None	0x8	Rn	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3 or 5	3 or 5	1 or 2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions	Cycles Depends on CFGR Register
MULT	Signed multiply	3E	0x8	#n	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	6 or 8	6 or 8	2 or 3	Arithmetic Operation Instructions	Cycles Depends on CFGR Register
NOP	No operation	None	0x01	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	GSU Control Instructions
NOT	Invert all bits	None	0x4F	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Bitwise Operation Instructions
OR	Bitwise OR	None	0xC	Rn	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Bitwise Operation Instructions
OR	Bitwise OR	3E	0xC	#n	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Bitwise Operation Instructions
PLOT	Plot pixel	None	0x4C	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3-48	3-51	1-48	Plot/related instructions	Cycles varies due to RAM buffer and program
RAMB	Set RAM data bank	3E	0xDF	/	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Bank Set/up Instructions
ROL	Rotate left through carry	None	0x04	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	*	*	3	3	1	Shift Instructions
ROMB	Set ROM Data bank	3F	0xDF	/	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6	6	2	Bank Set/up Instructions
ROR	Rotate right through carry	None	0x97	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	*	*	3	3	1	Shift Instructions
RPIX	Read pixel color	3D	0x4C	/	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	24-80	24-78	20-74	Plot/related instructions
SBC	Subtract with carry	3D	0x6	Rn	2	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
SBK	"Store word data, last RAM address used"	None	0x9	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3-8	7-11	1-6	Data Transfer From register to game pak RAM
SEX	Sign extend register	None	0x95	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Byte transfer Instructions
SM	Store word data to RAM using 16 bits	3E	0xF	"Rn, (xx)"	3	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	12-17	16-20	4-9	Data Transfer From register to game pak RAM	Cycles varies due to RAM buffer and program
SMS	"Store word data to RAM, short address"	3E	0xA	"Rn, (yy)"	3	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	9-14	13-17	3-8	Data Transfer From register to game pak RAM	Cycles varies due to RAM buffer and program
STB	Store byte data to RAM	3D	0x3	Rm	2	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	6-9	8-14	2-5	Data Transfer From register to game pak RAM	Cycles varies due to RAM buffer and program
STOP	Stop processor	None	0x00	/	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	GSU Control Instructions
STW	Store word data to RAM	None	0x3	Rm	1	0	0	0	/	/	/	/	3-8	7-11	1-6	Data Transfer From register to game pak RAM	Cycles varies due to RAM buffer and program
SUB	Subtract	None	0x6	Rn	1	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	3	3	1	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
SUB	Subtract	3E	0x6	#n	2	0	0	0	*	*	*	*	6	6	2	Arithmetic Operation Instructions
SWAP	Swap low and high byte	None	0x4D	/	1	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	3	3	1	Byte transfer Instructions
TO	Set Dreg	None	0x1	Rn	1	/	/	/	/	/	/	/	3	3	1	Prefix Register Instructions
UMULT	Unsigned multiply	3D	0x8	Rn	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	6 or 8	6 or 8	2 or 3	Arithmetic Operation Instructions	Number of cycles depends on CONFIG register
UMULT	Unsigned multiply	3F	0x8	#n	2	0	0	0	/	*	/	*	6 or 8	6 or 8	2 or 3	Arithmetic Operation Instructions	?
WITH	Set Sreg and Dreg	None	0x2	"Rn, ?"	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Prefix Register Instructions	?
XOR	Bitwise Exclusive Or	3D	0xC	Rn	2	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Bitwise Operation Instructions	?
XOR	Bitwise Exclusive Or	3F	0xC	#n	2	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Bitwise Operation Instructions	?

Sreg and Dreg

For certain instructions, the Sreg and Dreg must be specified before the instruction is run. The Sreg is the "Source Register" and the Dreg is the "Destination Register" - each specified as one of the 16 general purpose registers. Use of the TO, FROM, and WITH instructions specifies the Sreg and Dreg.

Bitmap Emulation

The Bitmap Emulation function is one of the major acceleration functions of the SuperFX. It allows a pixel based shading approach within frame buffer as opposed to a tile based approach in the SNES VRAM. For 3D rendering operations, a fast pixel by pixel shader is necessary. The SuperFX provides the framework to plot individual pixels to the frame buffer fast, and then transfer the plotted picture to the SNES VRAM.

Fast Multiply

The SuperFX has 4 multiplication instructions.

• MULT - Signed 8 bit x Signed 8 bit, with Signed 16 bit result in Dreg.
  
• UMULT - Unsigned 8 bit x Unsigned 8 bit, with Unsigned 16 bit result in Dreg.
  
• LMULT - Signed 16 bit x Signed 16 bit, with Signed 32 bit result - MSB in Dreg, LSB in R4
  
• FMULT - Signed 16 bit x Signed 16 bit, with Signed 32 bit result.
  

The MULT/UMULT instructions are faster than the LMULT/FMULT instructions.

Compiling SuperFX routines

Whilst SNES assembly language programs can be compiled using a regular 65c816 compiler, the SuperFX assembly language requires a custom compiler. The original compiler used on existing SuperFX games has not been released outside the closed development community.

An open source compiler called sfxasm is available for compiling SuperFX programs.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/sfxasm/

Once compiled, SuperFX programs are included in the SNES assembly language program as a binary library. The SNES program then directs the SuperFX to use the precompiled program packed into the ROM.

Using the SuperFX in a SNES program

When the SNES boots up with a SuperFX game, the SuperFX chip is idle and you don't need to do anything to start the normal SNES routine of loading the ROM and executing code. When the SNES has booted, performed some startup routines and generally is ready, then the SuperFX can be activated in your program. Note, for emulators to support SFX instructions, the $FFD6 byte in the header must be $13, $14, $15, or $1A. The $FFD5 byte should be $20.

Initializing

The SuperFX chip should be initialized before running code. This includes setting the basic config registers.

• SCBR

• SCMR

• CFGR

• CLSR
  

Choosing the execution mode

As mentioned before, code can be loaded into the Super FX in 3 different ways - from ROM, game pak RAM and also the 512 byte cache. Depending which way you want to go, there is a slightly different procedure.

• The advantage of the ROM mode is simplicity at the cost of stopping the SNES CPU while SuperFX is processing.
  
• The advantage of the RAM mode is to be able to run a large SuperFX program whilst the SNES CPU is already busy, but at the cost of having to write the program into Game PAK RAM before running.
  
• The advantage of the Cache mode is to run a small program 3 times faster than ROM or RAM modes and additionally while the SNES is busy with both the ROM and game pak RAM, but at the cost of loading the program into cache memory before the execution process.
  

Setup - ROM Mode

1. Setup the Program Bank Register(PBR) for where the SFX program starts.
2. Program the program counter (R15) in the SuperFX.
2. Give the SuperFX exclusive access to the ROM by setting the RON flag in the SFR register.

Setup - RAM Mode

1. Transfer the program from ROM into game pak RAM using copy routines.
2. Setup the Program Base Register(PBR) for where the SFX program starts.
3. Write to the SuperFX program counter (R15).

Setup - Cache Mode

1. Transfer the program from ROM into Cache RAM ($3100-$31FF) onwards using copy routines. The programs need to be in blocks of 16 bytes each otherwise the SuperFX will not execute the instructions surplus to a 16 byte segment. This also applies for tiny programs under 16 bytes - to get around this, write something into the 16th byte($310F)
2. Write to the SuperFX program counter (R15), this is usually 0.
3. The SuperFX program will execute independently of the SNES until it hits a STOP instruction. When it finished, depending if the SFR config interrupt is set, it will generate an interrupt(RTI instruction) on the SNES. If the interrupt is masked then the SuperFX will go to idle mode and wait for the next command from the SNES to start execution.

Starting processing

Processing starts when the SuperFX notices that the SNES has written to its program counter register (R15).

Stopping processing

The SuperFX can be stopped in one of two ways - by executing a STOP instruction in the SuperFX's program, or from the SNES by writing a "0" to the GO flag in the SuperFX's SFR register.

Interrupt on stop

The SuperFX calls an RTI instruction when it reads a SuperFX STOP instruction. It is possible to mask the interrupt by setting the IRQ bit in the SFR register. If interrupt is not masked, to figure out if it is a screen blanking interrupt or the Super FX, check the IRQ flag bit in the SFR register.