4chipZ80: Z80 system using ATmega as IO/boot controller. 4 chips total.

74hc595/AmethystThe Amethyst is a retro-styled “home computer” built around an Atmel ATmega1284 microcontroller. It features composite (NTSC) video output with both high-color and high-resolution modes, mono audio output, and a full-travel mechanical keyboard. It includes a full-featured implementation of the powerful Forth programming language, with graphics and sound commands, debugger, and screen editor. A single USB Type-B cable provides 5V power as well as serial communication with a PC. Amethyst is compatible with the Optiboot (Arduino) bootloader, and new firmware may be uploaded to it without a specialized programming device.

Build an 8-bit computer from scratch: I built a programmable 8-bit computer from scratch on breadboards using only simple logic gates. I documented the whole project in a series of YouTube videos and on this web site.

Build your own Acorn Atom: Based on the “classic” components like a 6502 CPU, 6522 VIA, 8255 PPI but modernized with CPLD's for decoding purposes, 128kB RAM, 32 kB rom and of course the AtoMMC2 and GODIL integrated. At the end of 2014 this new designed main board was completely operational. And it fits into the original case of the classic Atom.

CB2 microcomputer: Perhaps, the cheapest and easiest to build opensource microcomputer in the world!

Commander X16: The 8-Bit Guy Commander 16 project.

Computadora Didáctica SinapTec (SPA): ¿Qué es la Computadora Didáctica SinapTec? Es una computadora de 8 bits con arquitectura Von Neumann. No tiene microprocesador, está totalmente construida a partir de sencillos circuitos integrados de la serie 7400 (no utiliza circuito integrados complejos como la ALU 74181). Puede direccionar hasta 64kB, pero está construida con una memoria RAM estática de 32kB. Actualmente le he conectado un teclado PS2 y puede generar una señal de Video PAL en blanco y negro de 168×192 pixeles.

Easy Z80: An easy to build Zilog Z80 based single board computer.

FabGL: ESP32 VGA Controller and Graphics Library. This is a VGA Controller, PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse Controller, Graphics Library, Audio Engine, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Game Engine and ANSI/VT Terminal for the ESP32. This library works with ESP32 revision 1 or upper.

Geoff's VT100 Terminal Kit: Kit includes PCB and parts to build ASCII terminal that uses conventional PS/2 keyboard and VGA screen.

Gigatron - TTL microcomputer: The Gigatron TTL microcomputer is a minimalistic retro computer. It is special in its own oddball way, because it has absolutely no complex logic chips in it, not even a microprocessor! Instead, its CPU is built out of a handful of classic 7400-series ICs, colloquially known as the TTL logic series. In the Gigatron these simple chips not only form a CPU, but this CPU in turn performs all tasks that normally require dedicated peripheral chips. Despite its simple and small design, the Gigatron works as an 8-bit single-board microcomputer that you can play video games with.

LiNC 80: Homebrew Z80 computer kit.

LM80C: This repo contains schematics, code and other stuff that you can use to realize my project of building a Z80-based homebrew computer as a sort of “back to the old, good, days of 8-bits systems”. Project main page: LM80C.

N8VEM Homebrewing project: In 2006, Andrew Lynch published his Single-Board CP/M design with the intention to involve others in a collective homebrewing project. The N8VEM (named after his ham radio license) is expandable with add-on cards and soon, an informal collaborative effort emerged around a Google mail group. A web site was set up to share the hard- and software that began to be produced. Builders with a wide range of skills got involved – from well-known systems designers to absolute beginners that bought Andrew’s $20 circuit board to explore CP/M.​

Nibbler 4 Bit CPU: Nibbler is a 4 bit CPU built from standard 7400 series logic chips – individual counters, registers, buffers, and gates. It’s an educational example of a simple CPU that’s easy to understand and build, but still capable of running games and other interesting programs. Nibbler is built using wire-wrapping on a 5 x 4 inch (127 x 102 mm) perfboard. The CPU contains 17 chips in total.

olduino | An arduino for the first of us: An Olduino is a retro-Arduino. It uses a processor from the early days of computing but adds hardware and software so it can function like an arduino and use some arduino add-on shields. The Olduinos is more limited than an Arduino but that is part of the fun. The 1802 Olduino is based on the RCA COSMAC 1802 processor, and the Olduino/Z is based on the Zilog Z80. I have notions of doing one based on the IBM 360/20 from 1964.

RetroBrew Computers Wiki: Welcome to the RetroBrew Computers (RBC) website/wiki. This site is a place for hobbyists, tinkerers, and makers of all types to share information and designs for homebrew computers. Many of the designs have a “retro” flair, but computers of all types are welcome here!

RC2014: RC2014 is a simple 8 bit Z80 based modular computer originally built to run Microsoft BASIC. It is inspired by the home built computers of the late 70s and computer revolution of the early 80s. It is not a clone of anything specific, but there are suggestions of the ZX81, UK101, S100, Superboard II and Apple I in here. It nominally has 8K ROM, 32K RAM, runs at 7.3728MHz and communicates over serial at 115,200 baud.

SBC-85: 8085 Single Board Computer System.

Single Board Relay Computer "Trainer": The Single Board Relay Computer (or Relay Trainer) is a computer whose CPU is made out of electromechanical relays (like Konrad Zuse's Z3 from 1941), but with memory and front panel interface built from modern semiconductors (like the 1970s and 80s single board “trainer” computers, such as the KIM-1).

Small Computer Central: This website is about retro computer technology from the late 70s, the 80s, and even the 90s. It is not about genuine commercial computers of that era, but about building with old technology. If you fancy creating an 8-bit computer or running CP/M, then there are lots of projects here to look at. Most have comprehensive documentation and freely available design files. Some are even available as complete kits at Tindie.

SmartyKit: Apple I-compatible computer construction kit for geeks to understand how computers work. Build and have fun!

The 1802 Membership Card Computer: The Membership Card is a reproduction of the original Popular Electronics Elf computer, repackaged to fit in a pocket-sized Altoids(R) tin. It is entirely built with 1980's parts and technology. It uses only common low-cost through-hole parts (no custom ICs or surface-mount assembly). To use it, you don't need a modern PC, or megabytes of proprietary software. Now you can learn about computers right from the ground up, and really understand how they work!

The Alice Project: The Alice Project is a collection of smaller projects that are supposed to teach us about hardware and system software.

The Altoid 8800: Could we have built an 8080 microcomputer, like the famous Altair 8800, but in a pocket-sized package? No modern parts; no PICs or Atmels or other modern micro “wizard behind the curtain” to make it work. It's got to be built with vintage parts and through-hole technology; just as it would have been back then. It has to be user programmable; not simply running a fixed program like the HP-35. And, it's got to have a real front panel, like the Altair with its classic switches and blinkie-lights! I set out to try.

The Colour Maximite: The Colour Maximite is a small and versatile single chip computer running a full featured BASIC interpreter with 128K of working memory and eight colours on a VGA monitor. It will work with a standard PC keyboard and because the Maximite has its own built in SD memory card and BASIC language you need nothing more to start writing and running BASIC programs.

The Z80 Mem­ber­ship Card: A Classic Retrocomputer Kit from the 1980's. The Z80 Membership Card – An Altair in an Altoids tin!

Z20X Open-Source Computing System: Z20X is a simple expandable DIY computing system, built around the eZ80 microprocessor. I chose eZ80 due to its native simplicity and full backward code compatibility with the great and very popular Z80 and Z180. The design goal of Z20X is to offer a good DIY/LIY (Do-It-Yourself/Learn-It-Yourself) kit for system built with through-hole components, simple enough for assembly and learning in deep details, but without the constraints of using only old technology ICs. In order to maintain full exposure to technical details, the system also avoids using secondary MCUs or programmable logic, and sticks only with true hardware solutions.

Z80-MBC2: The Z80-MBC2 is an easy to build Z80 SBC (Single Board Computer).It is the “evolution” of the Z80-MBC, with a SD as “disk emulator” and with a 128KB banked RAM for CP/M 3 (but it can run CP/M 2.2, QP/M 2.71 and UCSD Pascal too). It has an optional on board 16x GPIO expander, and uses common cheap add-on modules for the SD and the RTC options. It has an “Arduino heart” using an Atmega32A as EEPROM and “universal” I/O emulator (so a “legacy” EPROM programmer is not needed). It is a complete development “ecosystem”, and using the iLoad boot mode it is possible cross-compile, load and execute on the target an Assembler or C program (using the SDCC compiler) with a single command (like in the Arduino IDE).

Z80 Single Board Computer SBC (ITA): A partire da questo articolo viene illustrata la realizzazione di un computer per applicazioni embedded utilizzando un microprocessore storico e che tuttora viene ancora utilizzato nel campo dell'automazione industriale, lo Zilog Z80.