Appendix F: The 65C816 Processor

Table Of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Compatibility with the 65C02
  3. Registers
  4. Status Flags
  5. 16 bit mode
  6. Address Modes
  7. Vectors
  8. Instruction Tables

Overview

This document is a brief introduction and quick reference for the 65C816 Microprocessor. For more details, see the 65C816 data sheet or Programming the 65816: Including the 6502, 65C02, and 65802.

The WDC65C816 CPU is an 8/16 bit CPU and a follow-up to the 65C02 processor. The familiar 65C02 instructions and address modes are retained, and some new ones are added.

The CPU can optionally operate in 16-bit mode, extending the utility of math instruction (16-bit adds!) and the coverage of .X and .Y indexed modes to 64KB.

Zero Page has been renamed to Direct Page, and Direct Page can now be relocated anywhere in the first 64K of RAM. As a result, all of the Zero Page instructions are now “Direct” instructions and can operate anywhere in the X16’s address range.

Likewise, the Stack can also be relocated, and the stack pointer is now 16 bits. This allows for a much larger stack, and the combination of stack and DP relocation offer interesting multitasking opportunities.

Compatibility with the 65C02

The 65C916 CPU is generally compatible with the 65C02 instruction set, with the exception of the BBRx, BBSx, RMBx, and SMBx instructions. We recommend programmers avoid these instructions when writing X16 softwware, using the more conventional Boolean logic instructions, instead.

Registers

Notation Name Description
A Accumulator The accumulator. It stores the result of moth math and logical operations.
X X Index .X is mostly used as a counter and to offset addresses with X indexed modes
Y Y Index .Y is mostly used as a counter and to offset addresses with Y indexed modes
S Stack Pointer SP points to the next open position on the stack.
DB or DBR Data Bank Data bank is the default bank for operations that use a 16 bit address.
K or PBR Program Bank The default address for 16 bit JMP and JSR oprerations. Can only be set with a 24 bit JMP or JSR.
P Processor Status The flags.
PC Program Counter The address of the current CPU instruction

.A, .X, and .Y can be 8 or 16 bits wide, based on the flag settings (see below).

The Stack Pointer (.S) is 16 bits wide in Native mode and 8 bits wide (and fixed to the $100-1FF range) in Emulation mode.

.DB and .K are the bank registers, allowing programs and data to occupy separate 64K banks on computers with more than 64K of RAM. (The X16 does not use the bank registers, instead using addresses $00 and $01 for banking.)

Status Flags

The native mode flags are as follows:

nvmx dizc e

n = Negative
v = oVerflow
m = Memory width (0=16 bit, 1=8 bit)
x = Index register width (0=16 bit, 1=8 bit)
d = Decimal Mode
i = Interupts Disabled
z = Zero
c = Carry
e = Emulation Mode (0=65C02 mode, 1=65C816 mode)

In emulation mode, the m and x flags are always set to 1.

Here are the 6502 and 65C02 registers, for comparison:

nv1b dizc

n = Negative
v = oVerflow
1 = this bit is always 1
b = brk: set during a BRK instruction interrupt
d = Decimal Mode
i = Interupts Disabled
z = Zero
c = Carry

Note the missing b flag on the 65C816. This is no longer needed in native mode, since the BRK instruction now has its own vector.

The e flag can only accessed via the XCE instruction, which swaps Carry and the Emulation flag.

The other flags can all be manipulated with SEP and REP, and the various branch instructions (BEQ, BCS, etc) test some of the flags. The rest can only be tested indirectly through the stack.

When a BRK or IRQ is triggered in emulation mode, a ghost b flag will be pushed to the stack instead of the x flag. This can be used to test for a BRK vs IRQ in the Interrupt handler.

16 bit mode

The 65C816 CPU boots up in emulation mode. This locks the register width to 8 bits and locks out certain operations.

If you want to use the ‘816 features, including 16-bit operation, you will need to enable native mode. Clearing e switches the CPU to native mode. However, it’s not as simple as just setting a flag. The e flag can only be accessed through the XCE instruction, which swaps the Carry and Emulation flags.

To switch to native mode, use the following steps:

CLC  ; clear the Carry bit
XCE  ; swap the Emulation and Carry bit

To switch back to emulation mode, set the Carry flag and perform an XCE again.

SEC  ; Set Carry
XCE  ; and push the 1 into the Emulation flag.

Once e is cleared, the m and x flags can be set to 1 or 0 to control the register width.

When the m flag is clear, Accumulator operations and memory reads and writes will be 16-bit operations. The CPU reads two bytes at a time with LDA, writes two bytes at a time with STA, and all math involving .A is 16 bits wide.

Likewise, whenn x is clear, the .X and .Y index registers are 16 bits wide. INX and INY will now count up to 65535, and indexed instructions like LDA addr,X can now cover 64K.

You can use REP #$10 to enable 16-bit index registers, and REP #$20 to enable 16-bit memory and Accumulator. SEP #$10 or SEP #$20 will switch back to 8-bit operation. You can also combine the operand and use SEP #$30 or REP #$30 to flip both bits at once.

And now we reach the 16-bit assembly trap: the actual assembly opcodes are the same, regardless of the x and m flags. This means the assembler needs to track the state of these flags internally, so it can correctly write one or two bytes when assembling immediate mode instructions like LDA #$01.

You can help the assembler out by using hints. Different assemblers have different hinting systems, so we will focus on 64TASS and cc65.

64TASS accepts .as (.A short) and .al (.A long) to tell the assembler to store 8 bits or 16 bits in an immediate mode operand. For LDX and LDY, use the .xs and .xl hints.

The hints for ca65 are .a8, .a16, .i8, and .i16

Note that this has no effect on absolute or indirect addressing modes, such as LDA $1234 and LDA ($1000), since the operand for these modes is always 16 bits.

To make it easy to remember the modes, just remember that e, m, and x all emulate 65C02 behavior when set.


Address Modes

The 65C816 now has 24 discinct address modes, although most are veriations on a theme. Make note of the new syntax for Stack relative instructions (,S), the use of brackets for [24 bit indirect] addressing, and the fact that Zero Page has been renamed to Direct Page. This means that $0001 and $01 are now two different addresses (although they would be the same if .DP is set to $00.

Mode Syntax Description
Immediate #$12 Value is supplied in the program stream
Absolute $1234 Data is at this address.
Absolute X Indexed $1234,X Address is offset by X. If X=2 this is $1236.
Absolute Y Indexed $1234,Y Address is offset by X. If Y=2 this is $1236.
Direct $12 Direct Page address. Operand is 1 byte.
Direct X Indexed $12,X Address on Direct Page is offset by .X
Direct Y Indexed $12,Y Address on Direct Page is offset by .Y
Direct Indirect ($12) Value at $12 is a 16-bit address.
Direct Indirect Y Indexed ($12),Y Resolve pointer at $12 then offset by Y.
Direct X Indexed Indirect ($12,X) Start at $12, offset by X, then read that address.
Direct Indirect Long [$12] 24 bit pointer on Direct Page.
Direct Indrect Long Y Indexed [$12],Y Resolve address at $12, then offset by Y.
Indirect ($1234) Read pointer at $1234 and get data from the resultant address
Indirect X Indexed ($1234,X) Read pointer at $1234 offset by X, get data from resultant address
Indirect Long [$1234] Pointer is a 24-bit address.
Absolute Long $123456 24 bit address.
Absolute Indexed Long $123456,X 24 bit address, offset by X.
Stack Relative Indexed $12,S Stack relative.
Stack Relative Indirect Indexed ($12,S),Y Resolve Pointer at $12, then offset by Y.
Accumulator (implied) Operation acts on .A
Implied Target is part of the opcode name.
Relative Address (8 bit signed) $1234 Branches can only jump by -128 to 127 bytes.
16 bit relative address $1234 BRL can jump by 32K bytes.
Block Move #$12,#$34 Operands are the bank numbers for block move/copy.

Vectors

The 65816 has two different sets of interrupt vectors. In emulation mode, the vectors are the same as the 65C02. In native mode (.e = 0), the native vectors are used. This allows you to switch to the desired operation mode, based on the operating mode of your interrupt handlers.

The Commander X16 operates mostly in emulation mode, so native mode interrupts on the X16 will switch to emulation mode, then simply call the 8-bit interrupt handlers.

The vectors are:

Name Emu Native
COP FFF4 00FFE4
BRK FFFE 00FFE6
ABORT FFF8 00FFE8
NMI FFFA 00FFEA
RESET FFFC
IRQ FFFE 00FFEE

The 65C02 shares the same interrupt for BRK and IRQ, and the b flag tells the interrupt handler whether to execute a break or interrupt.

In emulation mode, the 65C816 pushes a modified version of the flags to the stack. The BRK instruction actually pushes a 1 in bit 4, which can then be tested in the Interrupt Service Routine. In native mode, however, the flags are pushed verbatim, since BRK has its own handler.

There is also no native RESET vector, since the CPU always boots to emulation mode. The CPU always starts at the address stored in $FFFC.

Decimal Mode

When the d flag is set, the CPU operates in Decimal mode. In this mode, a byte is treated as two decimal digits, rather than a binary number. As a result, you can easily add, subtract, and display decimal numbers.

While in Decimal mode, the lower nibble of a byte contains the 1s digit, and the upper nibble contains the 10s digit. Each nibble can only contain value from 0-9, and addition will wrap from 9 to 0. Subtraction works similarly, wrapping down from 0 to 9.

SED enables Decimal mode. At that point, ADC and SBC will perform base-10 addition and subtraction. CLD clears Decimal mode and returns to binary mode.

When adding, the Carry bit will be set if the result is 100 or greater. The total result can never exceed 199, so two digits plus Carry is all that is needed to represent values from 0 to 199.

If you perform an ADC with the Carry bit set, this will add an extra 1 to the result.

Examples

Operation .A Result Notes
ADC #$01 $09 $10
ADC #$01 $99 $00 Carry is set, indicating 100.

When subtracting, the Carry bit operates as a borrow bit, and the sense is inverted: 0 indicates a borrow took place, and 1 means it did not.

Operation .A Result Notes
SBC #$01 $10 $09 Carry is set, indicating no borrow.
SBC #$01 $00 $99 Carry is clear, indicating a borrow.

In the second example ($00 - $01), the final result was $99 with a borrow.

Note that the n flag tracks the high bit, but two’s complement doesn’t work as expected in Decimal mode. Instead, we have to use Ten’s complement.

Simply put, $00 - $01 gives you $99. So when working in signed BCD, any value where the high digit is 5-9 is actually a negative value. To convert negative values to positive values for printing, you would subtract from 99 and add 1.

For example: the integer -49 is $51 in BCD. 99 - 51 + 1 = 49. You’d print that as -49.

Instruction Tables

Instructions By Opcode

x0 x1 x2 x3 x4 x5 x6 x7 x8 x9 xA xB xC xD xE xF
0x BRK ORA COP ORA TSB ORA ASL ORA PHP ORA ASL PHD TSB ORA ASL ORA
1x BPL ORA ORA ORA TRB ORA ASL ORA CLC ORA INC TCS TRB ORA ASL ORA
2x JSR AND JSL AND BIT AND ROL AND PLP AND ROL PLD BIT AND ROL AND
3x BMI AND AND AND BIT AND ROL AND SEC AND DEC TSC BIT AND ROL AND
4x RTI EOR WDM EOR MVP EOR LSR EOR PHA EOR LSR PHK JMP EOR LSR EOR
5x BVC EOR EOR EOR MVN EOR LSR EOR CLI EOR PHY TCD JML EOR LSR EOR
6x RTS ADC PER ADC STZ ADC ROR ADC PLA ADC ROR RTL JMP ADC ROR ADC
7x BVS ADC ADC ADC STZ ADC ROR ADC SEI ADC PLY TDC JMP ADC ROR ADC
8x BRA STA BRL STA STY STA STX STA DEY BIT TXA PHB STY STA STX STA
9x BCC STA STA STA STY STA STX STA TYA STA TXS TXY STZ STA STZ STA
Ax LDY LDA LDX LDA LDY LDA LDX LDA TAY LDA TAX PLB LDY LDA LDX LDA
Bx BCS LDA LDA LDA LDY LDA LDX LDA CLV LDA TSX TYX LDY LDA LDX LDA
Cx CPY CMP REP CMP CPY CMP DEC CMP INY CMP DEX WAI CPY CMP DEC CMP
Dx BNE CMP CMP CMP PEI CMP DEC CMP CLD CMP PHX STP JML CMP DEC CMP
Ex CPX SBC SEP SBC CPX SBC INC SBC INX SBC NOP XBA CPX SBC INC SBC
Fx BEQ SBC SBC SBC PEA SBC INC SBC SED SBC PLX XCE JSR SBC INC SBC

Instructions By Name

ADC AND ASL BCC BCS BEQ BIT BMI BNE BPL
BRA BRK BRL BVC BVS CLC CLD CLI CLV CMP
COP CPX CPY DEC DEX DEY EOR INC INX INY
JMP JML JSL JSR LDA LDX LDY LSR MVN MVP
NOP ORA PEA PEI PER PHA PHB PHD PHK PHP
PHX PHY PLA PLB PLD PLP PLX PLY REP ROL
ROR RTI RTL RTS SBC SEC SED SEI SEP STA
STP STX STY STZ TAX TAY TCD TCS TDC TRB
TSB TSC TSX TXA TXS TXY TYA TYX WAI WDM
XBA XCE

Instructions By Category

Category Instructions
Arithmetic ADC , SBC
Boolean AND , EOR , ORA
Shift ASL , LSR , ROL , ROR
Branch BCC , BCS , BEQ , BMI , BNE , BPL , BRA , BRK , BRL , BVC , BVS
Test BIT , TRB , TSB
Flags CLC , CLD , CLI , CLV , REP , SEC , SED , SEI , SEP
Compare CMP , CPX , CPY
Interrupt COP , WAI
Inc/Dec DEC , DEX , DEY , INC , INX , INY
Flow JMP , JML , JSL , JSR , NOP , RTI , RTL , RTS , WDM
Load LDA , LDX , LDY
Block Move MVN , MVP
Stack PEA , PEI , PER , PHA , PHB , PHD , PHK , PHP , PHX , PHY , PLA , PLB , PLD , PLP , PLX , PLY
Store STA , STP , STX , STY , STZ
Register Swap TAX , TAY , TCD , TCS , TDC , TSC , TSX , TXA , TXS , TXY , TYA , TYX , XBA , XCE

ADC

Add with Carry

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
ADC #$20/#$1234  imm        69  3-m 3-m         nv....zc .
ADC $20          dir        65  2   4-m+w       nv....zc .
ADC $20,X        dir,X      75  2   5-m+w       nv....zc .
ADC $20,S        stk,S      63  2   5-m         nv....zc .
ADC $1234        abs        6D  3   5-m         nv....zc .
ADC $1234,X      abs,X      7D  3   6-m-x+x*p   nv....zc .
ADC $1234,Y      abs,Y      79  3   6-m-x+x*p   nv....zc .
ADC $FEDBCA      long       6F  4   6-m         nv....zc .
ADC $FEDCBA,X    long,X     7F  4   6-m         nv....zc .
ADC ($20)        (dir)      72  2   6-m+w       nv....zc .
ADC ($20),Y      (dir),Y    71  2   7-m+w-x+x*p nv....zc .
ADC ($20,X)      (dir,X)    61  2   7-m+w       nv....zc .
ADC ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  73  2   8-m         nv....zc .
ADC [$20]        [dir]      67  2   7-m+w       nv....zc .
ADC [$20],Y      [dir],Y    77  2   7-m+w       nv....zc .

ADC adds the accumulator (.A), the supplied operand, and the Carry bit (0 or 1). The result is stored in .A.

Since Carry is always added in, you should always remember to use CLC (Clear Carry) before performing an addition operation. When adding larger numbers (16, 24, 32, or more bits), you can use the Carry flag to chain additions.

Here is an example of a 16-bit add, when in 8 bit mode:

CLC
LDA Addend1
ADC Addend2
STA Result1
LDA Addend1+1  ; Reads the high byte of the addend
ADC Addend2+1  ; (the +1 refers to the *address* of Addend, not the value)
STA Result1+1  ;
done:
; the final result is at Result1

Flags:

Overflow vs Carry

The CPU detects addition that goes past the 7 or 15 bit boundary of a signed number, as well as the 8 bit boundary of an unsigned number.

In 8-bit mode, when you add two positive numbers that result in a sum higher than 127 or add two negative numbers that result in a sum below -128, you will get a signed overflow, and the v flag will be set.

When the sum of the two numbers exceeeds 255 or 65535, then the Carry flag will be set. This bit can be added to the next higher byte with ADC #0.

CLC
LDA #$7F
ADC #$10
BRK

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


AND

Boolean AND

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
AND #$20/#$1234  imm        29  3-m 3-m         n.....z. .
AND $20          dir        25  2   4-m+w       n.....z. .
AND $20,X        dir,X      35  2   5-m+w       n.....z. .
AND $20,S        stk,S      23  2   5-m         n.....z. .
AND $1234        abs        2D  3   5-m         n.....z. .
AND $1234,X      abs,X      3D  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
AND $1234,Y      abs,Y      39  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
AND $FEDBCA      long       2F  4   6-m         n.....z. .
AND $FEDCBA,X    long,X     3F  4   6-m         n.....z. .
AND ($20)        (dir)      32  2   6-m+w       n.....z. .
AND ($20),Y      (dir),Y    31  2   7-m+w-x+x*p n.....z. .
AND ($20,X)      (dir,X)    21  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
AND ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  33  2   8-m         n.....z. .
AND [$20]        [dir]      27  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
AND [$20],Y      [dir],Y    37  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .

Perform a logical AND operation with the operand and .A

AND compares each bit of the operands and sets the result bit to 1 only when the matching bit of each operand is 1.

AND is useful for reading a group of bits from a byte. For example, AND #$0F will clear the top nibble of .A, returning the bits from the lower nibble.

Truth table for AND:

Operand 1: 1100
Operand 2: 1010
Result:    1000

Flags:

See also: ORA, EOR

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


ASL

Arithmetic Shift Left

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
ASL              acc        0A  1   2           n.....zc .
ASL $20          dir        06  2   7-2*m+w     n.....zc .
ASL $20,X        dir,X      16  2   8-2*m+w     n.....zc .
ASL $1234        abs        0E  3   8-2*m       n.....zc .
ASL $1234,X      abs,X      1E  3   9-2*m       n.....zc .

ASL shifts the target left one place. It shifts the high bit of the operand into the Carry flag and a zero into the low bit.

See also: LSR, ROL, ROR

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BCC

Branch on Carry Clear

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BCC LABEL        rel8       90  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Jumps to the target address when the Carry flag (c) is Zero.

BCC can be used after add, subtract, or compare operations. After a compare, c is as follows:

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BCS

Branch on Carry Set

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BCS LABEL        rel8       B0  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Jumps to the target address when the Carry flag is 1.

BCC can be used after add, subtract, or compare operations. After a compare, c is as follows:

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BEQ

Branch on Equal.

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BEQ LABEL        rel8       F0  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Jumps to the target address when the Zero flag is 1. While this is most commonly used after a compare (see CMP ) operation, it’s also useful to test if a number is zero after a Load operation, or to test if a loop is complete after a DEC operation.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BIT

Bit Test

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BIT #$20/#$1234  imm        89  3-m 3-m         ......z. .
BIT $20          dir        24  2   4-m+w       nv....z. .
BIT $20,X        dir,X      34  2   5-m+w       nv....z. .
BIT $1234        abs        2C  3   5-m         nv....z. .
BIT $1234,X      abs,X      3C  3   6-m-x+x*p   nv....z. .

Tests the operand against the Accumulator. The ALU does an AND operation internally, setting z if the result is 0.

When m=1, n and v are set based on the value of bits 7 and 6 in memory.

When m=0, n and v are set based on the value of bits 15 and 14 in memory.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BMI

Branch on Minus

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BMI LABEL        rel8       30  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Jumps to the specified address when the Negative flag (n) is set.

n is set when ALU operations result in a negative number, or when the high bit of an ALU operation is 1.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BNE

Branch on Not Equal.

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BNE LABEL        rel8       D0  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Jumps to the target address when the Zero flag is 0. While this is most commonly used after a compare (CMP) operation, it’s also useful to test if a number is zero after a Load operation, or to test if a loop is complete after a DEC operation.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BPL

Branch on Plus

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BPL LABEL        rel8       10  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Jumps to the specified address when the Negative flag (n) is clear.

n is clear when ALU operations result in a positive number, or when the high bit of an ALU operation is 0.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BRA

Branch Always

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BRA LABEL        rel8       80  2   3+e*p       ........ .

Jumps to the specified address.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BRK

Break

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BRK #$20         imm        00  1   8-e         ....di.. .

Perform a break interrupt. The exact behavior changes slightly, based on whether the CPU is in native or emulation mode. (e is 1 in emulation mode.)

Since the Program Counter is incremented

In emulation mode:

  1. .PC (Program Counter) is incremented by 1 byte.
  2. If the CPU is in Native mode, the Program Bank is pushed to the stack.
  3. .PC is pushed onto the stack.
  4. .P (flags) is pushed to the stack. (the b bit, bit 4, is set to 1.)
  5. The d (Decimal) flag is cleared, forcing the CPU into binary mode.
  6. The CPU reads the address from the IRQ vector at $FFFE and jumps there.

An IRQ is similar, except that IRQ clears bit 4 (b) during the push to the stack. So an Interrupt Service Routine can read the last byte on the stack to determine whether an emulation-mode interrupt is a BRK or IRQ.

On the X16, the IRQ services the keyboard, mouse, game pads, updates the clock, blinks the cursor, and updates the LEDs.

In native mode:

  1. .PC is incremented by 1 byte.
  2. .X (Program Bank) is pushed the stack
  3. .PC is pushed to the stack
  4. .P (flags) is pushed to the stack
  5. The d (Decimal) flag is cleared, forcing the CPU into binary mode.
  6. The CPU reads the address from the BRK vector at $00FFE6 and jumps there.

Since the Native Mode has a distinct BRK vector, you do not need to query the stack to dispatch a BRK vs IRQ interrupt. You can just handle each immediately.

The RTI instruction is used to return from an interrupt. It pulls the values back off the stack (this varies, depending on the CPU mode) and returns to the pushed PC address.

RTI

See the Vectors section for the break vector.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BRL

Branch Long

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BRL LABEL        rel16      82  3   4           ........ .

BRL is a 16 bit branch instruction, meaning assembly creates a relative address. Unlike BRA and the other branch instructions, BRL uses a 16-bit address, which allows for an offset of -32768 to 32767 bytes away from the instruction following The BRL.

Of course, due to wrapping of the 64K bank, this means that the entire 64K region is accessible. Values below 0 will simply wrap around and start from $FFFF, and values above $FFFF will wrap around to 0.

Since this is a relatve branch, that means code assembled with BRL, instead of JMP, can be moved around in memory without the need for re-assembly.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BVC

Branch on Overflow Clear

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BVC LABEL        rel8       50  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Branches to the specified address when the Overflow bit is 0.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


BVS

Branch on Overflow Set

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
BVS LABEL        rel8       70  2   2+t+t*e*p   ........ .

Branches to the specified address when the Overflow bit is 1.

A branch operation uses an 8 bit signed value internally, starting from the instruction after the branch. So the branch destination can be 126 bytes before or 128 bytes after the branch instruction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CLC

Clear Carry

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CLC              imp        18  1   2           .......c .

Clears the Carry bit in the flags. You’ll usually use CLC before addition and SEC before subtraction. You’ll also want to use CLC or SEC appropriately before calling certain KERNAL routines that use the c bit as an input value.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CLD

Clear Decimal

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CLD              imp        D8  1   2           ....d... .

Clears the Decimal flag, returning the CPU to 8-bit or 16-bit binary operation.

When Decimal is set, the CPU will store numbers in Binary Coded Decimal format. Clearing this flag restores the CPU to binary operation. See Decimal Mode for more information.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CLI

Clear Interrupt Flag

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CLI              imp        58  1   2           .....i.. .

Clears the i flag, allowing interrupts to be handled.

The i flag operates somewhat non-intuitively: when i is set (1), IRQ is suppressed. When i is clear (0), interrupts are handled. So CLI allows interrupts to be handled.

See [BRK}(#brk) for more information on interrupt handling.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CLV

Clear Overflow

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CLV              imp        B8  1   2           .v...... .

Overflow is set when the result of an addition operation goes up through $80 or subtraction goes down through $80.

CLV clears the overflow flag. There is no “SEV” instruction, but overflow can be set with SEP #$40.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CMP

Compare

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CMP #$20/#$1234  imm        C9  3-m 3-m         n.....zc .
CMP $20          dir        C5  2   4-m+w       n.....zc .
CMP $20,X        dir,X      D5  2   5-m+w       n.....zc .
CMP $20,S        stk,S      C3  2   5-m         n.....zc .
CMP $1234        abs        CD  3   5-m         n.....zc .
CMP $1234,X      abs,X      DD  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....zc .
CMP $1234,Y      abs,Y      D9  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....zc .
CMP $FEDBCA      long       CF  4   6-m         n.....zc .
CMP $FEDCBA,X    long,X     DF  4   6-m         n.....zc .
CMP ($20)        (dir)      D2  2   6-m+w       n.....zc .
CMP ($20),Y      (dir),Y    D1  2   7-m+w-x+x*p n.....zc .
CMP ($20,X)      (dir,X)    C1  2   7-m+w       n.....zc .
CMP ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  D3  2   8-m         n.....zc .
CMP [$20]        [dir]      C7  2   7-m+w       n.....zc .
CMP [$20],Y      [dir],Y    D7  2   7-m+w       n.....zc .

Compares the Accumulator with memory. This performs a subtract operation between .A and the operand and sets the n, z, and c flags based on the result. The Accumulator is not altered.

You can use the Branch instructions (BEQ, BNE, BPL, BMI, BCC, BCS) to jump to different parts of your program based on the results of CMP. Here are some BASIC comparisons and the equivalent assembly language steps.

; IF A = N THEN 1000
CMP N
BEQ $1000

; IF A <> N THEN 1000
CMP N
BNE $1000

; IF A < N THEN 1000
CMP N
BCC $1000

; IF A >= N THEN 1000
CMP N
BCS $1000

; IF A > N THEN 1000
CMP N
BEQ skip
BCS $1000
skip:

; IF A <= N THEN 1000
CMP N
BEQ $1000
BCC $1000

As you can see, some comparisons will require two distinct branch instructions.

Also, note that the Branch instructions (except BRL) require that the target address be within 128 bytes of the instruciton after the branch. If you need to branch further, the usual method is to invert the branch instruction and use a JMP to take the branch.

For example, the following two branches behave the same, but the second one can jump to any address on the computer, whereas the first can only jump -128/+127 bytes away:

short_branch:
CMP N
BEQ target

longer_branch:
CMP N
BNE skip
JMP target
skip:

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


COP

COP interrupt.

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
COP #$20         imm        02  2   8-e         ....di.. .

COP is similar to BRK, but uses the FFE4 or FFF4 vectors. The intent is to COP is to switch to a Co-Processor, but this can be used for any purpose on the X16 (including triggering a DMA controller, if that’s what you want to do.)

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CPX

Compare X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CPX #$20/#$1234  imm        E0  3-x 3-x         n.....zc .
CPX $20          dir        E4  2   4-x+w       n.....zc .
CPX $1234        abs        EC  3   5-x         n.....zc .

This compares the X register to an operand and sets the flags accordingly.

See CMP for more information.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


CPY

Compare Y Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
CPY #$20/#$1234  imm        C0  3-x 3-x         n.....zc .
CPY $20          dir        C4  2   4-x+w       n.....zc .
CPY $1234        abs        CC  3   5-x         n.....zc .

This compares the Y register to an operand and sets the flags accordingly.

See CMP for more information.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


DEC

Decrement

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
DEC              acc        3A  1   2           n.....z. .
DEC $20          dir        C6  2   7-2*m+w     n.....z. .
DEC $20,X        dir,X      D6  2   8-2*m+w     n.....z. .
DEC $1234        abs        CE  3   8-2*m       n.....z. .
DEC $1234,X      abs,X      DE  3   9-2*m       n.....z. .

Decrement .A or memory. The z flag is set when the value reaches zero. This makes DEC, DEX, and DEY useful as a loop counter, by setting the number of iterations, the repeated operation, then DEX followed by BNE.

z is set when the counter reaches zero. n is set when the high bit gets set.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


DEX

Decrement .X

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
DEX              imp        CA  1   2           n.....z. .

Decrement .X The z flag is set when the value reaches zero. This makes DEC, DEX, and DEY useful as a loop counter, by setting the number of iterations, the repeated operation, then DEX followed by BNE.

z is set when the counter reaches zero. n is set when the high bit gets set.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


DEY

Decrement .Y

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
DEY              imp        88  1   2           n.....z. .

Decrement .X The z flag is set when the value reaches zero. This makes DEC, DEX, and DEY useful as a loop counter, by setting the number of iterations, the repeated operation, then DEX followed by BNE.

z is set when the counter reaches zero. n is set when the high bit gets set.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


EOR

Exclusive OR

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
EOR #$20/#$1234  imm        49  3-m 3-m         n.....z. .
EOR $20          dir        45  2   4-m+w       n.....z. .
EOR $20,X        dir,X      55  2   5-m+w       n.....z. .
EOR $20,S        stk,S      43  2   5-m         n.....z. .
EOR $1234        abs        4D  3   5-m         n.....z. .
EOR $1234,X      abs,X      5D  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
EOR $1234,Y      abs,Y      59  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
EOR $FEDBCA      long       4F  4   6-m         n.....z. .
EOR $FEDCBA,X    long,X     5F  4   6-m         n.....z. .
EOR ($20)        (dir)      52  2   6-m+w       n.....z. .
EOR ($20),Y      (dir),Y    51  2   7-m+w-x+x*p n.....z. .
EOR ($20,X)      (dir,X)    41  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
EOR ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  53  2   8-m         n.....z. .
EOR [$20]        [dir]      47  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
EOR [$20],Y      [dir],Y    57  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .

Perform an Exclusive OR operation with the operand and .A

EOR compares each bit of the operands and sets the result bit to 1 if one of the two bits is 1. If both bits are 1, the result is 0. If both bits are 0, the result is 0.

EOR is useful for inverting the bits in a byte. EOR #$FF will flip an entire byte. (This will always flip the low byte in .A. To flip both bytes when m is 0, you would use EOR #$FFFF.)

Truth table for EOR:

Operand 1: 1100
Operand 2: 1010
Result:    0110

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


INC

Increment

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
INC              acc        1A  1   2           n.....z. .
INC $20          dir        E6  2   7-2*m+w     n.....z. .
INC $20,X        dir,X      F6  2   8-2*m+w     n.....z. .
INC $1234        abs        EE  3   8-2*m       n.....z. .
INC $1234,X      abs,X      FE  3   9-2*m       n.....z. .

Increment .A or memory

Adds 1 to the value in .A or the specified memory address. The n and z flags are set, based on the resultant value.

INC is useful for reading strings and operating on large areas of memory, especially with indirect and indexed addressing modes.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


INX

Increment .X

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
INX              imp        E8  1   2           n.....z. .

Increment the X register.

The following routine prints a null-terminated string (a should be 1.)

LDX #$0
loop:
LDA string_addr, X
BEQ done
JSR CHROUT
INX
BRA loop
done:

See [INC}(#inc)

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


INY

Increment .Y

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
INY              imp        C8  1   2           n.....z. .

Increment the Y register.

See [INC}(#inc)

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


JMP

Jump

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
JMP $2034        abs        4C  3   3           ........ .
JMP ($2034)      (abs)      6C  3   5           ........ .
JMP ($2034,X)    (abs,X)    7C  3   6           ........ .

Jump to a differnent address in memory, continuing program execution at the specified address.

Instructions like JMP ($1234,X) make it possible to branch to a selectable subroutine by setting X to the indesx into the vector table.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


JML

Jump Long

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
JML $FEDCBA      long       5C  4   4           ........ .
JMP [$2034]      [abs]      DC  3   6           ........ .

Jump to a differnent address in memory, continuing program execution at the specified address. JML accepts a 24-bit address, allowing the program to change program banks.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


JSL

Jmp to Subroutine Long

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
JSL $203456      long       22  4   8           ........ .

This is a 24-bit instruction, which can jump to a subroutine located in another program bank.

Use the RTL instruction to return to the instruction following the JSL.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


JSR

Jump to Subroutine

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
JSR $2034        abs        20  3   6           ........ .
JSR ($2034,X)    (abs,X)    FC  3   8           ........ .

Jumps to a new operating address in memory. Also pushes the return address to the stack, allowing an RTS insruction to pick up at the address following the JSR.

The RTS instruction returns to the instruction following JSR.

The actual address pushed to the stack is the before the next instruction. This means that the CPU still needs to increment the PC by 1 step during the RTS.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


LDA

Load Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
LDA #$20/#$1234  imm        A9  3-m 3-m         n.....z. .
LDA $20          dir        A5  2   4-m+w       n.....z. .
LDA $20,X        dir,X      B5  2   5-m+w       n.....z. .
LDA $20,S        stk,S      A3  2   5-m         n.....z. .
LDA $1234        abs        AD  3   5-m         n.....z. .
LDA $1234,X      abs,X      BD  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
LDA $1234,Y      abs,Y      B9  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
LDA $FEDBCA      long       AF  4   6-m         n.....z. .
LDA $FEDCBA,X    long,X     BF  4   6-m         n.....z. .
LDA ($20)        (dir)      B2  2   6-m+w       n.....z. .
LDA ($20),Y      (dir),Y    B1  2   7-m+w-x+x*p n.....z. .
LDA ($20,X)      (dir,X)    A1  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
LDA ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  B3  2   8-m         n.....z. .
LDA [$20]        [dir]      A7  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
LDA [$20],Y      [dir],Y    B7  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .

Reads a value from memory into .A. This sets n and z appropriately, allowing you to use BMI, BPL, BEQ, and BNE to act based on the value being read.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


LDX

Load X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
LDX #$20/#$1234  imm        A2  3-x 3-x         n.....z. .
LDX $20          dir        A6  2   4-x+w       n.....z. .
LDX $20,Y        dir,Y      B6  2   5-x+w       n.....z. .
LDX $1234        abs        AE  3   5-x         n.....z. .
LDX $1234,Y      abs,Y      BE  3   6-2*x+x*p   n.....z. .

Read a value into .X. This sets n and z appropriately, allowing you to use BMI, BPL, BEQ, and BNE to act based on the value being read.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


LDY

Load X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
LDY #$20/#$1234  imm        A0  3-x 3-x         n.....z. .
LDY $20          dir        A4  2   4-x+w       n.....z. .
LDY $20,X        dir,X      B4  2   5-x+w       n.....z. .
LDY $1234        abs        AC  3   5-x         n.....z. .
LDY $1234,X      abs,X      BC  3   6-2*x+x*p   n.....z. .

Read a value into .Y. This sets n and z appropriately, allowing you to use BMI, BPL, BEQ, and BNE to act based on the value being read.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


LSR

Logical Shift Right

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
LSR              acc        4A  1   2           n.....zc .
LSR $20          dir        46  2   7-2*m+w     n.....zc .
LSR $20,X        dir,X      56  2   8-2*m+w     n.....zc .
LSR $1234        abs        4E  3   8-2*m       n.....zc .
LSR $1234,X      abs,X      5E  3   9-2*m       n.....zc .

Shifts all bits to the right by one position.

Bit 0 is shifted into Carry.; 0 shifted into the high bit (7 or 15, depending on the m flag.)

Similar instructions:; ASL is the opposite instruction, shifting to the left.; ROR rotates bit 0 through Carry to bit 7.;

+p Adds a cycle if ,X crosses a page boundary.; +c New for the 65C02;

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


MVN

Block Copy/Move Negative

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
MVN #$20,#$34    src,dest   54  3   7           ........ .

This performs a block copy. Use MVN when the source and destination ranges overlap and dest < source.

Copying anything other than page zero requires 16-bit index registers, so it’s wise to clear m and x with REP #$30.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


MVP

Block Copy/Move Positive

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
MVP #$20,#$34    src,dest   44  3   7           ........ .

This performs a block copy. Use MVP when the source and destination ranges overlap and dest > source.

Copying anything other than page zero requires 16-bit index registers, so it’s wise to clear m and x with REP #$30.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


NOP

No Operation

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
NOP              imp        EA  1   2           ........ .

The CPU performs no operation. This is useful when blocking out instructions, or reserving space for later use.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


ORA

Boolean OR

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
ORA #$20/#$1234  imm        09  3-m 3-m         n.....z. .
ORA $20          dir        05  2   4-m+w       n.....z. .
ORA $20,X        dir,X      15  2   5-m+w       n.....z. .
ORA $20,S        stk,S      03  2   5-m         n.....z. .
ORA $1234        abs        0D  3   5-m         n.....z. .
ORA $1234,X      abs,X      1D  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
ORA $1234,Y      abs,Y      19  3   6-m-x+x*p   n.....z. .
ORA $FEDBCA      long       0F  4   6-m         n.....z. .
ORA $FEDCBA,X    long,X     1F  4   6-m         n.....z. .
ORA ($20)        (dir)      12  2   6-m+w       n.....z. .
ORA ($20),Y      (dir),Y    11  2   7-m+w-x+x*p n.....z. .
ORA ($20,X)      (dir,X)    01  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
ORA ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  13  2   8-m         n.....z. .
ORA [$20]        [dir]      07  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .
ORA [$20],Y      [dir],Y    17  2   7-m+w       n.....z. .

Perform a Boolean OR operation with the operand and .A

ORA compares each bit of the operands and sets the result bit to 1 if either or both of the two bits is 1. If both bits are 0, the result is 0.

ORA is useful for setting a specific bit in a byte.

Truth table for ORA:

Operand 1: 1100
Operand 2: 1010
Result:    1110

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PEA

Push Absolute

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PEA $2034        abs        F4  3   5           ........ .

PEA, PEI, and PER push values to the stack without affecting registers.

PEA pushes the operand value onto the stack. The literal operand is used, rather than an address.

This seems inconsistent with the absolute address syntax, as PEA and PEI follow their own syntax rules.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PEI

Push Effecive Indirect Address

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PEI ($20)        (dir)      D4  2   6+w         ........ .

PEI takes a pointer as an operand. The value written to the stack is the two bytes at the supplied address.

Example:

; data at $20 is $1234
PEI ($20)
; pushes $1234 onto the stack.

The written form of PEI is inconsistent with the usual indirect mode syntax, as PEI and PEA follow their own syntax rules.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PER

Push Effective PC Relative Indirect Address

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PER LABEL        rel16      62  3   6           ........ .

PER pushes the address relative to the program counter. This allows you to mark the current executing location and push that to the stack.

When used in conjunctin with BRL, PER can form a reloatable JSR instruction.

Consider the following ca65 macro:

.macro bsr addr
per .loword(:+ - 1)
brl addr
:
.endmacro

This gets the address following the BRL instruction and pushes that to the stack. See JSR to understand why the -1 is required.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHA

Push Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHA              imp        48  1   4-m         ........ .

Pushes the Accumulator to the stack. This will push 1 byte when m is 1 and two bytes when m is 0 (16-bit memory/.A mode.)

An 8-bit stack push writes data at the Stack Pointer address, then moves SP down by 1 byte.

A 16-bit push writes the high byte first, decrements the PC, then writes the low byte, and decrements the PC again.

In Emulation mode, the Stack Pointer will always be an address in the $100-$1FF range, so there is only room for 256 bytes on the stack. In native mode, the stack can be anywhere in the first 64KB of RAM.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHB

Push Data Bank register.

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHB              imp        8B  1   3           ........ .

The data bank register sets the top 8 bits used when reading data with LDA, LDX, and LDY.

This is always an 8-bit operation.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHD

Push Direct Page

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHD              imp        0B  1   4           ........ .

Pushes the 16-bit Direct Page register to the stack. This is useful for preserving the location of .D before relocating Direct Page for another use (such as an operating system routine.)

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHK

Push Program Bank

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHK              imp        4B  1   3           ........ .

Pushes the Program Bank register to the stack. The Program Bank is the top 8 bits of the 24-bit Program Counter address.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHP

Push Program Status (Flags)

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHP              imp        08  1   3           ........ .

The CPU writes the flags in the order nvmx dizc. (e does not get written to the stack.)

Note: the 6502 and 65C02 use bit 4 (x on the ‘816) for the Break flag. While b does get written to the stack in a BRK operation, bit 4 in .P always reflects the state of the 8-bit-index flag. Since the flags differ slightly in behavior, make sure your Interrupt handler code reads from the stack, not the .P bits, when dispatching a IRQ/BRK interrupt.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHX

Push X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHX              imp        DA  1   4-x         ........ .

Pushes the X register to the stack. This will push 1 byte when x is 1 and two bytes when x is 0 (16-bit index mode.)

An 8-bit stack push writes data at the Stack Pointer address, then moves SP down by 1 byte. A 16-bit stack push moves the stack pointer down 2 bytes.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PHY

Push Y Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PHY              imp        5A  1   4-x         ........ .

Pushes the Y register to the stack. This will push 1 byte when y is 1 and two bytes when y is 0 (16-bit index mode.)

An 8-bit stack push writes data at the Stack Pointer address, then moves SP down by 1 byte. A 16-bit stack push moves the stack pointer down 2 bytes.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PLA

Pull Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PLA              imp        68  1   5-m         n.....z. .

Pulls the Accumulator from the stack.

In the opposite of PHA, the PLA instruction reads the current value from the stack and increments the stack pointer by 1 or 2 bytes.

The number of bytes read is based on the value of the m flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PLB

Pull Data Bank Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PLB              imp        AB  1   4           n.....z. .

Pull the Data Bank register from the stack.

In the opposite of PHB, the PLB instruction reads the current value from the stack and increments the stack pointer by 1 byte.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PLD

Pull Direct Page Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PLD              imp        2B  1   5           n.....z. .

This pulls a word from the stack and loads it into the Direct Page register.

That value can be placed on the stack in several ways, such as PHA, PHX, or PEA.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PLP

Pull Prgram Status Byte (flags)

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PLP              imp        28  1   4           nvmxdizc .

This reads the flags back from the stack. Since the flags affect the state of the m and x register-width flags, this should be performed before a PLA, PLX, or PLY operation.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PLX

Pull X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PLX              imp        FA  1   5-x         n.....z. .

Pulls the X Register from the stack.

In the opposite of PHX, the PLX instruction reads the current value from the stack and increments the stack pointer by 1 or 2 bytes.

The number of bytes read is based on the value of the x flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


PLY

Pull Y Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
PLY              imp        7A  1   5-x         n.....z. .

Pulls the Y Register from the stack.

In the opposite of PHY, the PLY instruction reads the current value from the stack and increments the stack pointer by 1 or 2 bytes.

The number of bytes read is based on the value of the x flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


REP

Reset Program Status Bit

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
REP #$20/#$1234  imm        C2  2   3           nvmxdizc .

This clears (to 0) flags in the Program Status Byte. The 1 bits in the will be cleared in the flags, so REP #$30 will set the a and x bits low.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


ROL

Rotate Left

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
ROL              acc        2A  1   2           n.....zc .
ROL $20          dir        26  2   7-2*m+w     n.....zc .
ROL $20,X        dir,X      36  2   8-2*m+w     n.....zc .
ROL $1234        abs        2E  3   8-2*m       n.....zc .
ROL $1234,X      abs,X      3E  3   9-2*m       n.....zc .

Shifts bits in the accumulator or memory left one bit. The Carry bit (c) is shifted into bit 0. The high bit (7 or 15) is shifted into c.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


ROR

Rotate Right

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
ROR              acc        6A  1   2           n.....zc .
ROR $20          dir        66  2   7-2*m+w     n.....zc .
ROR $20,X        dir,X      76  2   8-2*m+w     n.....zc .
ROR $1234        abs        6E  3   8-2*m       n.....zc .
ROR $1234,X      abs,X      7E  3   9-2*m       n.....zc .

Shifts bits in the accumulator or memory right one bit. The Carry bit (c) is shifted into the high bit (15 or 7). The low bit (0) is shifted into c.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


RTI

Return From Interrupt

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
RTI              imp        40  1   7-e         nvmxdizc .

This returns control to the executing program. The following steps happen, in order:

  1. The CPU pulls the flags from the stack (including m and x, which switch to 8/16 bit mode, as appropriate.
  2. The CPU pulls the Program Counter from the stack.
  3. If the CPU is in native mode, the CPU pulls the Program Bank register.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


RTL

Return From Subroutine Long

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
RTL              imp        6B  1   6           ........ .

This returns to the caller at the end of a subroutine. This should be used to return to the instruction following a JSL instruction.

This reads 3 bytes from the stack and loads them into the Program Counter and Program Bank register. The next instruction executed will then be the instruction after the JSL that jumped to the subroutine.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


RTS

Return From Subroutine

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
RTS              imp        60  1   6           ........ .

Return to to a calling routine after a JSR.

RTS reads a 2 byte address from the stack and loads that address into the Program Counter. The next instruction executed will then be the instruction after the JSR that jumped to the subroutine.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


SBC

Subtract With Carry

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
SBC #$20/#$1234  imm        E9  3-m 3-m         nv....zc .
SBC $20          dir        E5  2   4-m+w       nv....zc .
SBC $20,X        dir,X      F5  2   5-m+w       nv....zc .
SBC $20,S        stk,S      E3  2   5-m         nv....zc .
SBC $1234        abs        ED  3   5-m         nv....zc .
SBC $1234,X      abs,X      FD  3   6-m-x+x*p   nv....zc .
SBC $1234,Y      abs,Y      F9  3   6-m-x+x*p   nv....zc .
SBC $FEDBCA      long       EF  4   6-m         nv....zc .
SBC $FEDCBA,X    long,X     FF  4   6-m         nv....zc .
SBC ($20)        (dir)      F2  2   6-m+w       nv....zc .
SBC ($20),Y      (dir),Y    F1  2   7-m+w-x+x*p nv....zc .
SBC ($20,X)      (dir,X)    E1  2   7-m+w       nv....zc .
SBC ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  F3  2   8-m         nv....zc .
SBC [$20]        [dir]      E7  2   7-m+w       nv....zc .
SBC [$20],Y      [dir],Y    F7  2   7-m+w       nv....zc .

Subtract a value from .A. The result is left in .A.

When performing subtraction, the Carry bit indicates a Borrow and operates in reverse from addition: when c is 0, SBC subtracts one from the final result, to account for the borrow.

After the operation, c will be set to 0 if a borrow took place and 1 if it did not.

When m is 0, this will be a 16 bit add, and the CPU will read two bytes from memory.

Since there is no “subtract with no carry”, you should always use SEC before the first SBC in a sequence, to ensure that the Carry bit is set, going into a subtraction.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


SEC

Set Carry

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
SEC              imp        38  1   2           .......c .

Sets the Carry bit to 1

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


SED

Set Decimal

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
SED              imp        F8  1   2           ....d... .

Sets the Decimal bit to 1, setting the CPU to BCD mode.

When Decimal is set, the CPU will store numbers in Binary Coded Decimal format. Clearing this flag restores the CPU to binary operation. See Decimal Mode for more information.

In binary mode, adding 1 to $09 will set the Accumulator to $0A. In BCD mode, adding 1 to $09 will set the Accumulator to $10.

Using BCD allows for easier conversion of binary numbers to decimal. BCD also allows for storing decimal numbers without loss of precision due to power-of-2 rounding.

An add or subtract (ADC or SBC) is required to actually trigger BCD conversion. So if you have a number like $1A on the accumulator and you SED, you can convert .A to $20 with the instruction ADC #$00.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


SEI

Set IRQ Disable

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
SEI              imp        78  1   2           .....i.. .

Sets i, which inhibits IRQ handling. When i is set, the CPU will not respond to the IRQ pin. When i is clear, the CPU will perform an interrupt when the IRQ pin is asserted.

The i flag operates somewhat non-intuitively: when i is set (1), IRQ is suppressed. When i is clear (0), interrupts are handled. So CLI allows interrupts to be handled and SEI blocks interrupt handling.

See BRK for a brief description of interrupts.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


SEP

Set Processor Status Bit

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
SEP #$20/#$1234  imm        E2  2   3           nvmxdizc .

Reset Program Status Bit

This sets (to 1) a flag in the Program Status Byte. The operand value will be loaded into the flags, so SEP #$30 will set the a and x bits high.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


STA

Store Accumulator to Memory

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
STA $20          dir        85  2   4-m+w       ........ .
STA $20,X        dir,X      95  2   5-m+w       ........ .
STA $20,S        stk,S      83  2   5-m         ........ .
STA $1234        abs        8D  3   5-m         ........ .
STA $1234,X      abs,X      9D  3   6-m         ........ .
STA $1234,Y      abs,Y      99  3   6-m         ........ .
STA $FEDBCA      long       8F  4   6-m         ........ .
STA $FEDCBA,X    long,X     9F  4   6-m         ........ .
STA ($20)        (dir)      92  2   6-m+w       ........ .
STA ($20),Y      (dir),Y    91  2   7-m+w       ........ .
STA ($20,X)      (dir,X)    81  2   7-m+w       ........ .
STA ($20,S),Y    (stk,S),Y  93  2   8-m         ........ .
STA [$20]        [dir]      87  2   7-m+w       ........ .
STA [$20],Y      [dir],Y    97  2   7-m+w       ........ .

Stores the value in .A to a memory address.

When m is 0, the value saved will be a 16-bit number, using two bytes of memory. When m is 1, the value will be an 8-bit number, using one byte of RAM.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


STP

Stop the Clock

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
STP              imp        DB  1   3           ........ .

Halts the CPU. The CPU will no longer process instructions until the Reset pin is asserted.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


STX

Store Index X to Memory

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
STX $20          dir        86  2   4-x+w       ........ .
STX $20,Y        dir,Y      96  2   5-x+w       ........ .
STX $1234        abs        8E  3   5-x         ........ .

Stores the value in .X to a memory address.

When the flag x is 0, the value saved will be a 16-bit number, using two bytes of memory. When x is 1, the value will be an 8-bit number, using one byte of RAM.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


STY

Store Index Y to Memory

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
STY $20          dir        84  2   4-x+w       ........ .
STY $20,X        dir,X      94  2   5-x+w       ........ .
STY $1234        abs        8C  3   5-x         ........ .

Stores the value in .Y to a memory address.

When the flag x is 0, the value saved will be a 16-bit number, using two bytes of memory. When x is 1, the value will be an 8-bit number, using one byte of RAM.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


STZ

Store Sero to Memory

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
STZ $20          dir        64  2   4-m+w       ........ .
STZ $20,X        dir,X      74  2   5-m+w       ........ .
STZ $1234        abs        9C  3   5-m         ........ .
STZ $1234,X      abs,X      9E  3   6-m         ........ .

Stores a zero to a memory address.

When m is 0, the value saved will be a 16-bit number, using two bytes of memory. When m is 1, the value will be an 8-bit number, using one byte of RAM.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TAX

Transfer Accumulator to Index X

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TAX              imp        AA  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the contents of .A to .X.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TAY

Transfer Accumulator to Index Y

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TAY              imp        A8  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the contents of .A to .Y.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TCD

Transfer C Accumulator to Direct Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TCD              imp        5B  1   2           n.....z. .

This copies the 16-bit value from the 16-bit Accumulator to the Direct Register, allowing you to relocate Direct Page anywhere in the first 64K of RAM.

This is one of the times that the 16-bit Accumulator is called .C, as it always operates on a 16-bit value, regardless of the state of the m flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TCS

Transfer C Accumulator to Stack Pointer

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TCS              imp        1B  1   2           ........ .

This copies the 16-bit value from the 16-bit Accumulator to the Stack Pointer, allowing you to relocate the stack anywhere in the first 64K of RAM.

This is one of the times that the 16-bit Accumulator is called .C, as it always operates on a 16-bit value, regardless of the state of the m flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TDC

Transfer Direct Register to C Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TDC              imp        7B  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the value of the Direct Register to the Accumulator.

This is one of the times that the 16-bit Accumulator is called .C, as it always operates on a 16-bit value, regardless of the state of the m flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TRB

Test and Reset Bit

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TRB $20          dir        14  2   7-2*m+w     ......z. .
TRB $1234        abs        1C  3   8-2*m       ......z. .

TRB does two things with one operation: it tests specified bits in a memory location, and it clears (resets) those bits after the test.

First, TRB performs a logical AND between the memory address specified and the Accmulator. If the result of the AND is zero, the z flag will be set.

Second, TRB clears bits in the memory value based on the bit mask in the accmulator. Any bit that is 1 in .A will be changed to 0 in memory.

So to clear a bit in a memory value, set that value to 1 in .A, like this:

; memory at $2000 contains $84
LDA #$80
TRB $2000
; memory at $2000 now contains $04, and z flag is clear

; memory at $1234 contains $20
LDA #$01
TRB $1234
; memory at $1234 contains $20 and z flag is set
; because $20 AND $01 == 0.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TSB

Test and Set Bit

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TSB $20          dir        04  2   7-2*m+w     ......z. .
TSB $1234        abs        0C  3   8-2*m       ......z. .

TSB does two things with one operation: it tests specified bits in a memory location, and it clears (resets) those bits after the test.

First, TSB performs a logical AND between the memory address specified and the Accmulator. If the result of the AND is zero, the z flag will be set.

TSB also sets the bits that are 1 in the accumulator, similar to an OR operation.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TSC

Transfer Stack Pointer to C accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TSC              imp        3B  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the Stack Pointer to the 16-bit Accumulator.

This is one of the times that the 16-bit Accumulator is called .C, as it always operates on a 16-bit value, regardless of the state of the m flag.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TSX

Transfer Stack Pointer X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TSX              imp        BA  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the Stack Pointer to the X register.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TXA

Transfer X Register to Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TXA              imp        8A  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the value in .X to .A

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TXS

Transfer X Register to Stack Pointer

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TXS              imp        9A  1   2           ........ .

Copies the X register to the Stack Pointer. This is used to reset the stack to a known location, usually at boot or when context-switching.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TXY

Transfer X Register to Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TXY              imp        9B  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the value in .X to .Y

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TYA

Transfer Y Register to Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TYA              imp        98  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the value in .Y to .A

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


TYX

Transfer Y Register to X Register

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
TYX              imp        BB  1   2           n.....z. .

Copies the value in .Y to .X

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


WAI

Wait For Interrupt

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
WAI              imp        CB  1   3           ........ .

Stops the CPU until the next interrupt is triggered. This allows the CPU to respond to an interrupt immediately, rather than waiting for an instruction to complete.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


WDM

WDM

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
WDM              imm        42  2   2           ........ .

WDM is a 2 byte NOP: the WDM opcode and the operand byte following are both read, but not executed.

The WDM opcode is reserved for future use and should be avoided in 65C816 programs.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


XBA

Exchange B and A Accumulator

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
XBA              imp        EB  1   3           n.....z. .

Swaps the values in .A and .B. This exchanges the high and low bytes of the Accumulator. XBA functions the same in both 8 and 16 bit modes.

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]


XCE

Exchange Carry and Emulation Flags

SYNTAX           MODE       HEX LEN CYCLES      FLAGS   
XCE              imp        FB  1   2           .......c e

This allows the CPU to switch between Native and Emulation modes.

To switch into native mode:

CLC
XCE

To switch to 65C02 emulation mode:

SEC
XCE

[Opcodes] [By Name] [By Category]