Custom Chips: Test any digital circuit in your browser with Wokwi

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

I had a lot of fun making this and, to me, the custom chips feature takes simulation with Wokwi to the next level because there's almost nothing I do that doesn't involve some kind of sensor, storage or specialized processing working alongside the MCU. And I've only just begun looking into how to use this as a way to inject input and otherwise do testing... pretty cool :)

[@awaitingthetrumpetcall4529]

This guy is gifted. He types while talking. Writing code is as natural as talking for him. I want to build a triple half H bridge and write a driver for a sensorless brushless motor but I only have a dual trace scope. It would be great if I could start my design on a simulator first.

[@jimmyraconteur]

he's a paid actor. he's just reading a script

[@awaitingthetrumpetcall4529]

@@jimmyraconteur Maybe so but he 'still' has the ability to type and talk while looking at the camera. An average person can't do that. The guy is intelligent. You can't take that from him. Unfortunately for me Wokwi doesn't simulate the Parallax Propeller micro controller so I have to stick with breadboarding.

[@richardlynneweisgerber2552]

you can build an inexpensive multiplexor to turn your dual into however many you can fit readably.

[@awaitingthetrumpetcall4529]

@@richardlynneweisgerber2552 Thank you! I found a tutorial to help get me started.

[@richardlynneweisgerber2552]

@@awaitingthetrumpetcall4529 Cool, I was not sure if I had rid myself completely of the tirade I was on in your post. With some others in several areas that were talking out their butt so much today. I was a bit concerned maybe some of that taint may have been subliminal in my vague response. Thank You!

[@hsmptg]

I am speechless! I was already a great fan of Wokwi (since the videos where you emulated the espressif ISA), but with this "custom chips" functionality the sky is the limit. Great job!

[@Wokwi]

Thank you! What are you using Wokwi for?

[@hsmptg]

​@@Wokwi I suggest my university students Wokwi so they can test their MCU projects at home without the need to have the real devices with them. Besides that my university (Porto/Portugal) with another 3 (from Spain, France and Italy) are involved in an European project (DECEL) related with "real remote labs" where we are thinking in using Wokwi. If you want, we could talk about this later.

[@DFX2KX]

I discovered Wokwi a day or two ago and honestly I've been having a blast just messing around with things. Even for someone like myself who's just a tinkerer, the ability to make a custom chip is a *great* way to learn how I2C and SPI work. Heck, considering the documentation's out there, making a whole 6502 would be hypothetically doable. this function reminds me of Logisim, if anyone here remembers that old software.

[@Wokwi]

6502? oh yeah!

[@DFX2KX]

@@Wokwi (not saying *I* could do that of course, my C skills are garbage.) Y'all get a tip of the hat from me for the documentation you have too. only the touch half of the ILI9341 has alluded me.

[@Wokwi]

@@DFX2KX Thanks! What project are you working on?

[@samvivi7]

this guy is unreal! are you kidding me ?? how do you brain this fast !!!! Thank you for the intro and to Wokwi. hope to be able to do what you do (maybe in 10 years lol).

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Hello Sam! It's true, I've been doing this a good while now, but I'll gladly admit that a smidgen of editing is involved, hah. I don't want to bore you, so I take the time to think about what's going to happen beforehand, and chop out most of the inevitable typos. I hope the video, and wokwi, help get your creative juices flowing and will be useful additions to your toolkit. Cheers

[@jerobarraco]

thanks a lot! this is so cool. just what i wanted. im a developer and dont have the tools (and dont want to buy them) but i wanted to play with some electronics. specifically the z80. the custom chip is crazy amazing. awesome video and explanation, super clear voice and speech, even a non-native like me could understand. thanks also for not having music images or noises that distracts. also great edition to cut the excess. thanks!

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Thanks a lot for the great feedback, Jerónimo. I'm still (and may always be) trying to find the right pace, and best way to present stuff... I know I cut the fluff and want to keep it interesting but, even if in english, I still hope it will be accessible to a global audience. Thanks again, have fun with the sim--it really is a good way to explore and go very deep quickly, without the cost and messing around with physical devices. Cheers!

[@SaltMineRanch]

awesome breakdown. i just found wokwi. i was wondering how this process looked, and here's a video :) thanks a lot.

[@Wokwi]

You're welcome :) What project are you working on?

[@vinxmod793]

Best Video have viewed this year. Perfectly explained while shows the possibilities using Wokwi. Well Done! Thank you for making this video.

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Wow, thank you for that awesome feedback! It was my pleasure and am really glad you found it informative :)

[@60pluscrazy]

Wokwi, dream come true 🎉

[@daviddickey9832]

Wow this is great! So many possibilities!

[@Wokwi]

Oh yeah!

[@Uncle-Duncan-Shack]

Very nice, thanks for doing this video. This certainly opens the door for lots of creativity!

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Thanks for the feedback Duncan! Enabling creativity is what I'm all about 😀

[@antonkavaler2749]

Спасибі за ще один хороший огляд! Єдине: маленька одруківка в назві відео: ''Я там Катя?", хоча це надало цікавої ''фарби'' назві цього фільму.

[@ColinRichardson]

Oh man, how didn't I know about this 3 years ago...

[@Wokwi]

What happened 3 years ago?

[@ColinRichardson]

@@Wokwi I had a lot of time at home I could have used to further my knowledge in all this stuff.. Instead, I got frustrated with not being able to receive parts in a timely manner..

[@xxportalxx.]

​@@Wokwihahaha forgetting the global pandemic are we?

[@mich4u]

Is there a way to make voltage level converter? I mean one on transistors. We would have lv1, lv2, vcc3v3, gnd, lv3, lv4, hv4, hv3, gnd, vcc5v hv2, hv1. I think I know how to do it to make it work one way (using example code for inverter) but how to make it work both ways?

[@gtcollection6933]

The host mentions "Keycad" in the video. Guess I'll eventually need this in my learning journey, where can I get this tool? Search result sends me to a mechanical engineering tool, I'm so confused.

[@Wokwi]

That's KiCad

[@sidjay7644]

This is just brilliant

[@Wokwi]

Thank you!

[@xfxox]

i like SimulIDE, free one and pretty sophisticated

[@Wokwi]

Yeah!

[@cralx2k]

AMAZING...Love it....thanks

[@miloskoutny2078]

Thank you, very nice demo! Is there any chance to see some of demonstrated components (4511) among standard wokwi components ? (Maybe something similar like a small otp memory (e.g. MCM5304) allowing a quick insertion of the data pattern like a kind of universal decoder alternative/replacement).

[@Wokwi]

Thanks! Yeah, a PROM would be a good use case for the Custom Chips API. We hope that the API would make it possible for users to create their own parts, based on their unique needs. There are several examples of projects using custom chips along with other parts - check out the links at the bottom of the getting started page in Wokwi Chips API documentation.

[@Reburned32]

When you type, and same time talking, while casual, looking to camera, you look like you play symphony with piano 😁😉 i envy your skills soooo much🤗

[@richardlynneweisgerber2552]

Are any of these simulators capable of allowing user to stick the Boolean Algebra equation(s) of one's design, then spit out the schematic?

[@sestv4085]

Hi, I want to create a simulation module that requires components such as a 12V battery and a capacitor. How can I add these in Wokwi?

[@osmanpasha_diy]

It sounds very cool, but seems to rely heavily on things that don't relate to real-world device, i.e. how you code the chip. So if the project works in the Wokwi, it doesn't guarantee it will work in metal, and if it doesn't work in Wokwi, it might still for in metal. Also, is there a public repository, so that everyone doesn't need to reinvent a 7-segment driver IC?

[@Inertia888]

I'm getting the same feeling about this. It does appear to be an exercise in writing code, with extra steps. If I have to build the thing at my workbench, to confirm that it works, and when it does, or does not, do what I expect, I will still have the (n="did I get that code right?") variable. And that dang variable can be multiple equations. But, the possibility of having the opportunity to play around with hundreds of pieces of hardware, that I can't afford to buy, is a very satisfying dream… So, I'm going over to play around and see how it feels at my fingertips, because the concept is amazingly attractive. I could see myself paying for a much more sophisticated simulator, if the software end of it had earned the trust of the community. Or, better yet, WOKWi finds its sea-legs, and I get a little more confidant with software. Maybe we can grow together. It would be a tool that I would be using the heck out of, if I knew I could certainly trust the output, or if I absolutely, loved to code. Which I do not.

[@whac-a-robot]

I am trying to make an analog read circuit for custom circuit. Is it possible to do it? The value(0-255 or 1024) should be printed in the chip console.

[@helderalmeida3993]

simple great tutorial! keep doing it...

[@EEWorkshop]

Thanks for doing this video. Do you have a plan for emulating a monochrome P10 led matrix with hub12 interface?

[@Wokwi]

No specific plans for this part at the moment, but it should be possible to simulate using a custom chip (look at the Framebuffer API in the custom chips docs). Implementing brightness by detecting PWM can be a bit tricky and resource intensive for large matrices.

[@ErikBongers]

Hmmm...malloc() to a local variable within a function, the pointer not even returned? And then used in other functions? Looking inside the actual project code, it seems that the malloc() of the state struct is assumed to be the FIRST allocation in the user memory. So...don't do a malloc PRIOR to allocating the state struct or all the other functions will look at the wrong data. I wonder, would it be that more expensive to have a cleaner API?

[@Wokwi]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the API! Actually, the API doesn't assume the state struct is the first allocation of in the user memory. Behind the scenes, Custom Chips use WebAssembly. Wokwi recreates the WebAssembly VM whenever you restart the simulation, starting from a clean state. Therefore, there's no need to free the chip state memory - custom chips are only created when the simulation starts, and everything is destroyed as soon as you stop the simulation. I hope this makes sense!

[@markharrington5826]

How do you set the VCC and GND pins with attributes

[@wailrimouche1171]

I think relying on an API that mimics the terminology and structure of VHDL or Verilog would be very convenient.

[@Wokwi]

Thanks for the feedback! Do you have a specific use case in mind? or just in general?

[@wailrimouche1171]

@@Wokwi personaly I intend to use it for quick SIL testing as I prototype. And I know VHDL so it'd be nice to have a tranferable skill.

[@Wokwi]

@@wailrimouche1171 That makes sense. There's a limited support for Verilog, e.g. wokwi.com/projects/371755521090136065 VHDL is not likely to happen any time soon. Also, the C-based chips usually simulate faster than Verilog, so for most use cases, C is probably a better choice.

[@qwertyuiop-ux6jk]

Hello, Thanks for the great video, I have stupid question can I build any custom chip as powerful as esp32 in WOKWI? Thank you again.

[@Wokwi]

👍 in theory - yes, in practice that would take months work and there'll be some limitations (performance will probably not be great, custom chips do not support internet connectivity at the moment, etc). What's your use case?

[@ramziebreek6482]

man ! u r genius

[@oleks2023]

hello, great project, is there plans for golang for chip definition and tinygo for firmware?

[@Wokwi]

Thanks! Not plans at the moment, but chips are compiled as Web Assembly, so in theory it should be possible to create chips with golang. As for firmware - check out Wokwi for VS Code, where you can load any binary firmware, so you can compile a firmware in TinyGo and load it into the simulator.

[@PabloJab2023]

Does custom chip work on pico p?

[@kubectlgetpo]

Wow. This needs to be posted to reddit arduino

[@Wokwi]

Thanks! Feel free to post it there :)

[@zilog1]

I wonder if i can get the Z80 working in it :D

[@Wokwi]

We wonder too!

[@Dhruv.Wadhwa]

wow! neat video and sim tool

[@markharrington5826]

No capacitors ?? Why have they not included this component ?

[@thanoslampropoulos8132]

I suppose because it simulates a clean digital "world" where all values are only low or high.

[@PRINCE-pt5gx]

I want to work with Mq135 should I use custom chip for it.....?? Name mq135 for Air Quality Monitoring

[@Wokwi]

Depending on how you want to use it, just a simple switch may be enough to simulate it (if you only use the digital input), or a potentiometer (if you only use the analog input). Otherwise, you can also create a custom chip to simulate both at the same time.

[@baili8654]

wokwi is wonderful， but web simulation is a little slow， why there is not an exe file running in windows or linux

[@RajveerSingh-vf7pr]

Like the guy with Swiss accent said, Hac and features like led has very low current to glow... Or reverse polarity burns the ICs or at least not let them work...

[@Wokwi]

Magic smoke simulation

[@RajveerSingh-vf7pr]

@@Wokwi hell yeah... Common Mr white...

[@AiFilmGen]

thanks a lot!

[@akioasakura3624]

We cookin up a 4004 in this one 🔥🔥😂😂

[@Wokwi]

4004? 🤩

[@sammykibwana2949]

Absolute Sir ! Your Great! Can you give the Way How to SIMULATORE the cip PT2314 , SI4703, and LCD ILI9486 no touch pls Sir i Need ti realizze my project

[@Wokwi]

Shall we open a page for custom chip requests? So people like you can say which chips they are interested in and perhaps other users will create them

[@sammykibwana2949]

@@Wokwi Okay Sir I'll do It ,grazie

[@realryder2626]

Can you add valves or is it stricly digital?

[@Wokwi]

The simulation engine is digital, with limited analog support. You may be able to simulate a valve with analog control using the pin_adc_read API.

[@realryder2626]

@Wokwi thanks. I had a similar program a while back, but it wasn't near as good as this. I have to look into it 😃

[@xxportalxx.]

​@@realryder2626I think this is great for what it's for, I'd say you're better off leaving the analog side of the circuit to spice and the like, rather than mix the analog and digital (it's good practice to keep them physically isolated in the real world anyway). If you're using valves as logic devices you can model the digital logic sepperate to the analog circuit modeling, which honestly makes it a lot easier to work through than treating it as one giant analog monstrosity haha.

[@durairaj5747]

hello man greetings do you have any ideas regarding ade7758 chips?

[@Wokwi]

Looks like it'd be possible to simulate it using the Custom Chips API

[@badrakhariunchimeg1031]

M.2 (or NVMe) SSDs are storage devices, not RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is a type of volatile memory that is used by your computer to store and quickly retrieve data that is actively being used or processed. It's much faster than traditional storage devices, including M.2 SSDs. Using an M.2 SSD as RAM is not practical due to the fundamental differences in how RAM and storage devices work: Speed: RAM is significantly faster than even the fastest storage devices. RAM is designed for ultra-fast access to data, while storage devices like M.2 SSDs are optimized for high-capacity storage and sequential read/write operations. Volatility: RAM is volatile memory, meaning it loses its data when the power is turned off. It's optimized for quick read and write operations but is not suitable for long-term storage. SSDs, on the other hand, are non-volatile and designed to store data persistently. If you need more RAM for your computer, you typically have to physically install additional RAM modules on the motherboard. The use of storage devices as virtual RAM (via pagefile or swap space) is a common practice, but it's not a substitute for physical RAM because the speed of storage is orders of magnitude slower than RAM. If your computer is struggling with memory-intensive tasks and you've already maxed out the RAM, you might want to consider upgrading your RAM or optimizing your software usage rather than attempting to use an M.2 SSD as virtual RAM. 10% is mine please

[@tsclly2377]

as an ad-on, for paying customers, add on a chip supplier data base and market portal; new (with chip place of origin) and used (ditto, as so many come from China). Your logical area of development then would be into hardware for setting and soldering on chips and board chip removal for the used market. Further hardware would be automated chip testers. Grinding up chip is so anti-productive from at the very least the energy perspective. I see this tool as a good start to get the electronic cottage industry going.

[@tobeyko]

Just found out about Wokwi, and I am going down a rabbit hole here, trying to find out if I can run golang on this, since golang can now compile to WASM

[@Wokwi]

Interesting! Take a look at TinyGo, it might fit better than the standard golang compiler

[@tobeyko]

@Wokwi yeah, I think I'm just trying to find out how it could be done. I will write an article on it if I find a way, but if there is one already, please send 😅

[@Wokwi]

@@tobeyko no article yet, you'll be the first

[@jonasfelipe777]

Please, make a video about the UART functions of the wokwi API. ( Could you create videos about all the structures and functions of the full API?)

[@MrAlFuture]

Brilliant!

[@Wokwi]

Thanks!

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Glad you liked! Have a few more in the pipe, I'll try to keep it shiny and interesting: hoping to get one out not tooo long after the holidays.

[@zyroxiot9417]

Good job. 👍🏼🇧🇷

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Thanks! I hope life is good in Brazil and the weather's better than up here.

[@PreludeSon]

Wow, this is so cool. Also, how the heck does this guy speaking and coding with his eyes close? 😄😄😄

[@Wokwi]

🤔

[@putyavka]

Such level of coding ease and understanding of doing thing reveals he is definitely a developer of this service. Good job! But how is the quality of these custom chips being checked? How can one be sure it functions properly and fully corresponds to real equivalent of the chip? Otherwise it's just a useless toy.

[@blvckbytes7329]

So all software-based state machines are just yet another useless toy because they're not implemented by etching oxide layers on silicon? Ouch, I guess we need to throw out all computers then. What a bummer that there are no such things as unit- and integration-tests...

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Thanks! That's a good question and one I've considered as well. The fact is, unless you had some formal spec or other model to check against, I'm not sure how to best address this. The second video ("Building a custom I2C chip for Wokwi simulation", kzbin.info/www/bejne/eITCpoenr5itn80 ), is a full walk-through of a real world chip and the approach I took was to dive into the datasheet and then check my understanding with an actual physical chip. Don't know how I could do much better in circumstances like that, but if you have any ideas I'm game to try them out.

[@putyavka]

@@PsychogenicTechnologies Yeah, that's it. "Test + real device" section of your video should be performed for a model of every single chip that will be published for users (ideally manufacturer should be involved in this process). Don't get me wrong, your tools is awesome but as I sad I can't really trust the simulation until it's components were tested in the real world. I hope they will. Thanks for your work and happy prototyping ;)

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

@@putyavka Yes, I hear you, and agree--and, wow, if we could get manufacturers involved that would really be the best (they all have some way of precisely defining and, I assume, modelling the IC behaviour)... but some want an NDA just to see a blasted datasheet, so good luck on that! For wokwi, I think it's really a question of the old "fast, good, cheap: choose 2" tradeoffs... Personally, I think it'd be awesome to get contributions from everyone, and have it self-correct (a bit) a la wikipedia and other crowd-sourced materials. Would that guarantee reliability? Definitely not, but it's a nice set of trade-offs: everyone gets access, lots can be produced, it's "mostly good"... If it's mission critical to someone, well... they have a mission, so maybe also have the motivation and resources to invest in validating the components they use are being modeled correctly? Maybe a way to share the fact that, yes, *I* validated this and to my knowledge it's good so, if you trust me, then you can reasonably trust module X (a web of trust type thing)... I dunno. Finally, I'm not privy to the internals or all the plans for Wokwi... Uri might have more info on this. In any case, I much appreciate the comments and ideas: these things would be important to address for serious/pro use cases. Thanks!

[@GantengPermanen]

thanks bro

[@mrashad219]

Have I just found electronics Jesus? Electro Jesus?

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Your own personal electro Jesus. hah, well 'tiz the season :)

[@doylepatterson4376]

Interesting and Great Info ( Your Hair is Attractive).

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

Glad you enjoyed, I hope it opens up new avenues of experimentation and dev (and... why thank you, Doyle!)

[@doylepatterson4376]

My old friend Jackie Gleason, used to say, " If you got it , why not flaunt it." Hahaha

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

@@doylepatterson4376 hahawesome! Merry xmas/holidays, see you on the other side :)

[@KeesHessels]

i have a feeling that guy has done some C++ before...

[@hinz1]

Lol, highly advances 4511 breakout board, have fun with simulation of mixed signal stuff. 4511 is a few lines in VHDL/ghdl sim.

[@ronfinale820]

I can't code this fast, let alone talk while coding. May I could if I grow my hair long, too. LOL.

[@jeffhulett4194]

I assume you can’t simulate a PIC micro, doesn’t surprise me, no one simulates PIC chips.

[@Wokwi]

True, we don't simulate PIC - we let users vote on what we should simulate, and no one even proposed PIC as an option 🙂 However, there are some alternatives that can simulate PIC chips, such as PICSimLab and Simulide.

[@unpuppyable-clips]

its been a year

[@davariz]

Odeio esse cara! Ele fala como se fosse facil como andar de bicicleta! rsrsrsrsrs

[@PsychogenicTechnologies]

hah, desculpe por isso. É verdade: não mostro quanto tempo demorou para adquirir conhecimento... ver-me tropeçar seria um vídeo triste (e longo). Experimente e dê um tempinho e ele estará pedalando para você… qual era a expressão: “as melancias vão se ajustar naturalmente ao passeio de carruagem”? Saúde!

[@stevec5000]

He lost me at designing his own chip! LOL

[@ronalerquinigoagurto555]

Val kilmer

[@MoxxMix]

Your face is redundant while on working area.

[@zbigniewrichard8291]

The moment you started typing code like a mad woman/man? you lost everybody's interest in term of simplicity about Wowki.

[@kittykidsdoapham3473]

Thank you very much. ❤❤❤ THANKS GOD AND THE VIRGIN MARY AND SAINT JOSEPH. ❤❤❤❤❤ Happy thanksgiving to Wokwi and your family and Everyone. ❤ 25.11.2023 ❤ 7h18 ❤ 14.12.2023

[@tertia0011]

Woke simulator for hippies is not for former Soviet Union Советская Армия technicus-elektronstik.

[@AiFilmGen]

thanks a lot!