Z80 CP/M SBC design project

Did this just come through a timewarp from the 1970s?

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Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
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I am using KiCad for the PCB in this electronics design project.

All the parts are available from suppliers and it is made with basic electronics tools such as VOM, 25 watt soldering iron, etc.

This is a current project being done in the classic single board computer style.

Thanks!

Andrew Lynch

UK

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Why?

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Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
http://www.theconsensus.org/ - A UK political party
http://www.onetribe.me.uk/wordpress/?cat=5 - Our podcasts on weird stuff

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It is fun. It is a hobby. It is a chance to share with others of similar interests.

It is a opportunity to educate people about home brew computing and the history of computing electronics.

Thanks!

Andrew Lynch

Possibly the most successful DIY SBC project was the Micromint SB-180 described back in the 1980's (I built one and it was a great little machine). This used an enhanced Z80 (Hitachi HD64180)and there may still be parts and software available.

See

:Hi! : :I am working on a low cost Z80 CP/M single board computer electronics :design project. Recently, I had PCBs made for the group and several :people have successfully built their own SBCs. It is a simple :diskless SBC which boots CP/M and uses RAM/ROM drives. : :The SBC is essentially complete although software development is :continuing and some builders are making their own peripherals. I am :working on an ECB bus backplane for peripheral expansion. The plan is :to make a bus monitor and then a Disk IO board. : :All software, hardware, and design information is free and publically :available. I am using Google Groups to host the project and you'll :need to get a Google account to join. If you are interested, please :join us at: : :

: :Thanks! : :Andrew Lynch

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Because it's there? ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Because burning your finger when you slip with a 25 watt soldering iron is a right of passage, while trying to burn your finger by making all the flops in your fpga eval board flip constantly is just being stupid.

I have designed too many Z80 boards for it to seem like fun.

--
Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
http://www.theconsensus.org/ - A UK political party
http://www.onetribe.me.uk/wordpress/?cat=5 - Our podcasts on weird stuff

What about burning your finger because you grabbed some tinned copper wire instead of solder?

--
Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
http://www.theconsensus.org/ - A UK political party
http://www.onetribe.me.uk/wordpress/?cat=5 - Our podcasts on weird stuff

Real men don't use boutique chips like Z80, but only standard TTL for building a computer:

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Frank Buss, fb@frank-buss.de
http://www.frank-buss.de, http://www.it4-systems.de

Are those 74181's? THAT'S CHEATING!!! You have to do it with nothing but

7400's. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

7400's! Real Engineers only use transistors, which they make themselves from various types of sand they find around their property.

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Hi!

The SB180 and P112 are great projects. Unfortunately both are out of production and PCBs are not available.

Hopefully, the P112 may come back someday but I think the SB180 is gone for good unless a miracle happens.

Maybe you could build your own P112, assuming you can assemble a PCB with SMT components, if you could extract the PCB layout.

I have no idea where you'd get the information on the SB180 for your own PCB but you'd still have the unavailable component problem (SMC FDC9266)

The N8VEM SBC is a lot simpler than either of those projects but its strength is that all its components, including the PCB, are available right now.

In addition, all the N8VEM hardware and software information is available so hobbyists can build their own if they would like -- even place manufacturing orders.

Making the project fully "open" should permanently solve (I think) the problem with non-available parts which has plagued similar projects.

My goal is to add to the N8VEM SBC with an ECB backplane and an ECB bus monitor so people can design their own peripherals using low cost and available components.

Thanks! Have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch

tems.de

Actually, please let me restate that line above...

I don't educate anyone about anything. I don't presume to be an expert.

Providing people the opportunity to build their own home brew computer from scratch allows them to educate themselves.

I can't think of a better way to learn about computing in depth than building your own working system.

Thanks! Have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch

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I suppose, in theory, what you propose is *possible* but it would require a rather *large* PCB.

Have fun with your project! :-)

Andrew Lynch

Reminds me about the Tektronix 4032 terminal I used to have. No chips with more than 16 legs. And it did have a nice bell sound, not some silly beep.

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Programmeren in Almere?
E-mail naar nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)

I've mentioned before that gEDA's PCB (mostly) supports boards up to a quarter mile across.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go dig up some copper ore out back!

Yes, this is a good idea, if you like it, and looks like your Z80 system works. But for some people in this newsgroup it is a bit boring, because they have built such systems 20 years ago.

What about something more novel? The first personal computer was something new. Something new for this century would be a (nearly) zero-energy computer, e.g. built with reversible logic. In theory computation doesn't need power, if no information is destroyed and converted to heat. This can be implemented with Fredkin gates.

I assume modern CPUs already uses adiabatic switches. E.g. a driver needs some nJ for switching and is more than 6 times more efficient than standard logic:

With Fredkin gates in theory there is no power dissipation. E.g. with optical switches it is possible to achieve fJ:

Of course, as a hobby it is not possible to do some hardware research in this field, but what about implementing a full computer with Fredkin gates as a software emulation? You will learn a lot about computing in depth and when some quantum computers provides enough reversible gates, your design could be used for operating it. For me something like this would be much more fun than rebuilding vintage computers :-)

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Frank Buss, fb@frank-buss.de
http://www.frank-buss.de, http://www.it4-systems.de

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Hi Frank,

Well, no one is stopping you from starting your own project in this area. What you describe is not for me as it sounds a lot like my day job.

I actually *enjoy* rebuilding vintage computers. Like I said earlier, it is a hobby.

It is supposed to be fun. I enjoy making Z80 SBCs so the N8VEM SBC is a fun hobby. That's all.

If anyone is interested in a home brew Z80 CP/M SBC project just stop by the N8VEM website or contact me offline.

I am not trying to convince anyone of anything or change anyone's mind. I am just letting you know it is available.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch