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Post by Jeff Ledger on Jun 21, 2006 9:29:37 GMT -5
I've had an idea kicking around for a while and I'm curious what the response would be.
Would there be interest in a "modern" retro-style computer?
Many of the people I know play with retro computers for both the nostalgia and because they provide a simpled playground for experimenters. I've been looking a several micro controller packages and related IC's and it looks like a kit could be assembled if someone took the time to create it and document it.
Initial abilities would include":
Use of modern 104 keyboard for input various I/O functions & serial I/O PAL/NTSC or LCD display Speech Synth & Sound
I'd like to use something like this to teach my own children computer theory and basic electronics.
Anyone interested other than myself?
Jeff
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Post by Golan Klinger on Jun 21, 2006 11:44:41 GMT -5
Have you seen the XGameStation? I bought one a few years ago back, mostly out of curiosity, and I've had a lot of fun with it. Granted, designing and building a simple 8bit computer from scratch would probably be more educational, more fun and better for parent-children bonding. In my case though, it's (way) beyond my capabilities.
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Post by Robin Harbron on Jun 21, 2006 12:04:35 GMT -5
I'm really only interested in another platform (XGameStation, or Jeff's idea) for what it does that another existing platform doesn't already do. Or, what can we learn from it that we couldn't learn elsewhere.
The XGameStation really interested me, but the end product was just a shadow of what the project had initially promised. I think it was MagerValp who said it was just an Atari 2600 on steroids, and I agree with him. If I wanted to go that direction, I'd just work on the 2600, and make a game that a couple hundred gamers would love to try, while fullfilling a childhood dream.
Jeff's idea certainly has a lot of potential for education - the designing and building, and then the initial basic OS stuff would be fantastic (if not overwhelming). But after it's together and running, it has little further to teach that couldn't be done on the e.g. C64, and then it has the added benefit of being useful to other C64 users.
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Post by Golan Klinger on Jun 21, 2006 13:40:17 GMT -5
I think it was MagerValp who said it was just an Atari 2600 on steroids, and I agree with him. That's a fair assessment. I bought it on a whim to fool around with and I don't regret it. With that being said, if someone is looking for a learning tool they're better off with a 64. More and better documentation and the price is hard to beat. I have a rudimentary understanding of hardware design and I would like to learn more. I'm not sure how much would could be learned from assembling a kit but I'm game. A friend of mine designed and built his own 8bit computer and I remember how much fun he had. His design is, uh, well, quirky. It's amazing how much of a designer's personality comes through in the design. Anyway, I'm very interested both for myself and as gifts for my nieces and nephews.
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Post by Jeff Ledger on Jun 21, 2006 14:27:59 GMT -5
What I have in mind is something along the lines of a breadboard kit that could be soldered together or even constructed on a large solderless protoboard. I've found chips that handle everything from programmable logic to sound, video, etc. With a little engineering a modern expermenters computer could be assembled readily.
I'm seriously considering the project as it looks like a lot of power could be packed into a few chips.
The Xgamestation looks like a pre-fab computer which can be programmed to play games, while I'm thinking of something along the lines of a simpler microcomputer which would require some assembly and a basic understanding of the logic bus and simple serial interfacing.
I'm still working out the details, but it looks like $100 would make a good starter system.
Jeff
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Post by knoeki on Jun 22, 2006 0:27:52 GMT -5
I think that cbmeeks (metroid classic/lemon64/Retro Computers) has already started something like this... look here/knoeki
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Post by thurstan on Jun 22, 2006 11:47:08 GMT -5
cbmeeks computer looks good. i like his enthusiasm
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Post by cbmeeks on Jun 23, 2006 13:19:21 GMT -5
Thanks guys! I actually have much more updated than the B/W PIC pictures I have on the website. I guess I need to update more? Here are some pictures of various projects using SX52's and SX28's. galaxy.signaldev.com/hardware/gpu/Those include my crude VGA/SRAM gpu and my 200+ color NTSC GPU. :-) -cbmeeks RETRO COMPUTERS eblarg.com/bbs/retroMETROID eblarg.com/bbs/mc
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mike3
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by mike3 on Jul 1, 2006 17:36:10 GMT -5
Hi.. Jeff I would be interested in that kind of thing If I and my Grandson could learn ... about internal Computer In's and Out's.. some simple programing AND hardware..and lead us to... like being able to add on drives .. cards or interfaces to access and control out side devices.. learn how OS works with the hardware... etc count us in... by the way My first Computer was a Home built kit ,, A ZX-81 ... and some home brew .. 13k memory... using some 6116's.... another question in the schematic of the Max 233 RS232 interface.. the cap. is it just a 1 uf or is it a electro..? >>>>>>Regards.... Mike
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Post by gmoon on Jul 6, 2006 7:48:38 GMT -5
Although not a stand-alone computer, this has real potential for educational uses: www.64hdd.com/projects/hardware/c64-cpld.htmlCPLD is in the same vein as FPGA, etc (but the programming is persistent.) You're creating your own logic gates in hardware. (Of course, if simplicity is the goal, why not just use a simulator to create your "retro-style" computer?)
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Post by kaos116 on Jul 8, 2006 12:36:00 GMT -5
Hey Jeff, I had been playing with this idea for a few months now. I quickly realized it's way over my head in writing any basic interperter or OS. I am more of a hardware guy with Microchips PICs. Programming them in MPASM to do data collection, simple user control interfaces with 20x4 lcd outputs, or interfacing with PC's or MACs. The project I started a while back has morphed. I was hoping to design a new 'retro' that you could plug in a CF card and emulate some other system ie. C64, AppleII etc. Where the project has turned is to the 'Cosmac ELF' clone (my avatar pic). It's using a PIC microcontroller and you are programming it one memory location at a time in binary. It still has a lot of work left before I would release even an alpha version of the code and then I don't see it being of much interest to anyone but hard core techies. 2 seven segement displays with 1 led is a far cry from even pong.
But I am all for a new retro!!!!
Todd
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