This discussion provides a comprehensive guide on writing MIPS assembly code to convert a decimal number to its hexadecimal equivalent. The key algorithm involves rotating the decimal number 4 bits to the left, masking the result with 0xf, and adjusting the value to obtain the corresponding ASCII character. The provided MIPS code effectively demonstrates this process, including user input and output of the hexadecimal result. A correction is noted regarding the use of 'li $v0, 10' instead of 'la $v0, 10' for program termination.
PREREQUISITESStudents and developers working with MIPS assembly language, particularly those interested in low-level programming and numerical conversions. This discussion is also beneficial for anyone seeking to enhance their understanding of bitwise operations and ASCII manipulation.
# Write a MIPS code that asks the user for decimal number
# Convert it to hex and print the result
.data
prompt: .asciiz "Enter the decimal number to convert: "
ans: .asciiz "\nHexadecimal equivalent: "
result: .space 8
.text
.globl main
main:
la $a0, prompt
li $v0, 4
syscall
li $v0, 5
syscall
move $t2, $v0
la $a0, ans
li $v0, 4
syscall
li $t0, 8 # counter
la $t3, result # where answer will be stored
Loop:
beqz $t0, Exit # branch to exit if counter is equal to zero
rol $t2, $t2, 4 # rotate 4 bits to the left
and $t4, $t2, 0xf # mask with 1111
ble $t4, 9, Sum # if less than or equal to nine, branch to sum
addi $t4, $t4, 55 # if greater than nine, add 55
b End
Sum:
addi $t4, $t4, 48 # add 48 to result
End:
sb $t4, 0($t3) # store hex digit into result
addi $t3, $t3, 1 # increment address counter
addi $t0, $t0, -1 # decrement loop counter
j Loop
Exit:
la $a0, result
li $v0, 4
syscall
la $v0, 10
syscall