Tools for 80C188 processor

Would an old DOS version of Turbo C be any good to you? You can download TC V2 for free from

It has 8088 compiler and debugger but no simulator that I am aware of.

Hi Although the 188 is similar to the 8086 family, it does include some 286 instructions( besides the special registers ). Still, most '86 disassemblers should work. I suspect that the code, outside of the boot code, is normal '86 code. This would mean that most any of the normal free disassemblers found on the net should work. RE is a lot of work. Coding styles make it difficult to simply feed code through a disassembler and come up with meaningful code. It usually take many passes of refining code, tables and data. Good luck Dwight

You might try looking for a used copy of the Paradigm 5.0 (I beleive) toolset. It includes a compiler, assembler and remote debugger. It will connect to your target 188 through a serial port after some fiddling with installation of the driver for the serial port on the target. I found a copy of Paradign 5.0 on the net for very little money. This tool includes a derivative of the Borland C/C++ compiler and debugger. Be careful when you buy, there is also another version of Paradigm made for a specific target board, I forget its name. Make sure you don't buy that one, get the real package targeted for ANY 188/186.

Good luck

Long ago, I wrote both a disassember and a simulator for the 80186 (actually, I wrote them for the 8086, but the extra instructions for the 80186 were very easy to add). Both are now freely available, along with their source code.

The disassembler is CODEGEN, available at

It's limited to code that is either: 1) code and data share a single 64K segment or 2) code and data each have their own 64K segment so it may or may not be useful for your purpose, but give it a try.

The simulator is VIM, available at

It does not have limits on the memory models it can handle.

If you have problems with either program, send me some email.

Bill