Emulators of Classic Computers

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Fri Jan 16 17:23:56 2004

> > Unlike classic computers, you can still build tube stuff out of your
> > basement.I have not seen any U-build computer kits, that made real

Then it's high time somebody produced a _real_ computer kit. As in a pile
of standard logic chips (no microoprocessors, no programmed devices, no
FPGAs, although I will allow RAM :-))....

>
> For that reason, I've gone back to spending more time on my far older
> hobbies of electronics and audio and less time with computers, except

Alas I knopw the feeling. I'm spending rather more time fiddling with
other toys (classic cmaeras, for example) too...

> for the applications that I need to use them for.
>
> > computers from TTL. ( IE front pannel, > 4k words of memory, real I/O. )
> > Hal Chamberlin I think had plans for a real computer years ago, but I
> > read that in Kilobuad and am not quite sure.
>
> Somewhere around here, I think that I may have a book from the 1970's
> pertaining to building a computer from TTL... will have to look for
> it. I only recall Byte (an article by Steve Ciarcia?) having
> published an article about building a computer from chips, but I think
> it used a microprocessor... hopefully someone can prove me wrong about
> that.

Steve Ciarcia's bomebrew computers (he did several -- I remember an 8088
system in 5 chips, a sort-of PC compatible, a Z8 board without even
thinking about it) were based on microprocessors. But I do remember a
Byte article on making a homebrew CPU (from TTL). I think it was called
'EGO', and hung off a Tandy 2000.

-tony
Received on Fri Jan 16 2004 - 17:23:56 GMT