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

6502 PRIMER: Building your own 6502 computer.

68k nano: A minimal single-board computer based on the venerable “Texas Cockroach” Motorola 68000 16/32-bit microprocessor.

8 Bit Stack: Home of the Z80 Playground - The Z80 Single Board Computer.

A Turing Machine: My goal in building this project was to create a machine that embodied the classic look and feel of the machine presented in Turing’s paper. I wanted to build a machine that would be immediately recognizable as a Turing machine to someone familiar with Turing's work.

Adam74: Adam74 is a small ASCII terminal intended for hobbyist 8-bit computers. It has a simple, vintage-style interface: 7 pins for 7-bits of ASCII data and another “strobe” pin to tell the Adam74 to add the character to its buffer and display it. Special control characters allow cursor movement, etc. Additionally, inverted text is supported as well.

Agon light™: Agon light™ is a unique combination of instant-on microcomputer and standalone microcontroller, which allows you to control your projects from the convenience and immediacy of a BASIC prompt, without the need for a host PC or sketch compilation.

Build a 6502 computer: Learn how computers work by building and programming a computer with the classic 6502 microprocessor.

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!

CERBERUS 2080™: CERBERUS 2080™ is an amazing multi-processor 8-bit microcomputer: a fully open-source project available for anyone to peruse, build, modify, extend, have fun with, write software for, or commercialize. You owe me nothing but an acknowledgment of original authorship, should you choose to use it. And yes, CERBERUS has both BASIC and FORTH interpreters available for both of its two CPUs (Z80 and 65C02).

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.

Core64: Core64 is an Interactive Core Memory electronic kit. Draw! Learn! Hack!

Digirule 2 & 2A: The Digirule 2 can be likened to a computer similar to the Altair 8800 built into a 20cm ruler. it is essentially an 8-bit programmable binary computer with a simple instruction set that let’s you add, subtract, AND, OR, XOR, shift, check buttons, check the status of flags etc. so you can make some cool little programs that can be stored even when power is turned off by using the in-built flash memory.

DREAM 6800 Archive Site: The “DREAM-6800” was a popular build-it-yourself single-board micro-computer which I designed in 1978. The project was published in Electronics Australia magazine in 1979. The DREAM was a ridiculously simple hobby computer with 2K bytes of memory that played game programs on a TV. The 1KB EPROM (1024 bytes!) contained a simple interpretive programming language known as “CHIP-8”, devised by Joe Weisbecker of RCA Labs. I developed a CHIP-8 interpreter to run on the Motorola 6800 processor. CHIP-8 originally ran on the RCA_COSMAC VIP board.

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

Electron tube New Automatic Computer: Ena.Computer, a tube computer for the 21st century. Built just for the fun of doing it, with a blind faith due to my total misjudgement of the project's complexity. The Ena.Computer is a modern, general purpose, 8 bit computer, with the usual 12 bit address and data buses plus the unusual current demand of 200 Amps. A computer that is both competent and dangerous.

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.

GameTank: The GameTank is an open source 8-bit retroconsole that YOU can build, and build games for. Similar in spirit to fantasy consoles like the Pico-8 or TIC-80, the GameTank is set apart by its implementation as a physical hardware device first, followed by an emulator second. Games are written in assembly, or a mix of C and assembly. The special hardware features of the GameTank - such as the Sprite Copy mechanism and the Audio Coprocessor - streamline the process of writing fun and richly animated games.

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.

Homebrew 8088: This web page is dedicated to my 8088 Motherboard project. The Motherboard is built to be generally PC XT compatible. The schematics and source code can be found on my GitHub page.

Jeroen Brinkman's MERCIA Relay Computer: MERCIA means Mijn Eenvoudige Relais Computer In Aanbouw, or My Simple Relay Computer Under Construction. It is a Dutch acronym for a project that started in June 2014 and aims to make a working and transportable relay computer. MERCIA is special, because it is entirely build out of relays and passive components (diodes, dipswitches, resistors and capacitors). No chip-based memory is used, the memory only consists out of diodes and capacitors or dip-switches. MERCIA will be implemented on nine panels. Each pair of panels - except the ROM panel - can be closed like a book and transported safely.

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.

Minimal UART CPU System: I've built my own Computer from scratch - using nothing but TTL chips, because, well, why not? I wanted a CPU that is easy to understand, fun to build and powerful enough to allow for programming educational stuff and little games on it. Ah, and by the way - it should be as simple as possible - sort of the “Simplest Usable Personal Computer”. This repo provides you with everything you need to follow my one-and-a-half-year journey down this rabbit hole. Besides running some video game classics, this little DIY CPU is capable of parsing arbitrary mathmatical expressions and performing floating point calculations in single (32-bit) precision. And it comes with an SSD file system, too, since it uses it's own FLASH IC as permanent SSD storage.

Monster Floppy Disk Controller (Monster FDC): ISA floppy disk controller card that supports up to 8 floppy drives.

MyNOR: This page is about MyNOR. MyNOR is a single board computer that does not have a CPU. Instead, the CPU consists of discrete logic gates from the 74HC series. This computer also has no ALU. Only a single NOR gate is used to perfom all computations such as addition, subtraction, AND, OR and XOR. This computer is not fast, it is rather slow. MyNOR can only perform 2600 8-bit additions per second, although it is clocked at 4 MHz. This is because everything is done in software. MyNOR has only a 32 kB ROM for program storage, but this is more than enough. The very slim microcode occupies only 9 kB, the remaining 23 kB are used for the application program.

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.

Novasaur Retrocomputer: Can you browse the Web using pre-1980 TTL logic and memory speeds? The goal of this project is to demonstrate how. Internet connectivity is via an era-appropriate RS232 interface. The machine is upward compatible by a decade to support currently available keyboard and video interfaces (PS/2 and VGA). The video includes a native text mode capable of displaying 80-columns and bitmapped color graphics for retro gaming.

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.

Pineapple ONE: 32 bit RISC-V homemade CPU out of discrete components. This is basically a “modern” CPU made out of hardware, that was available in the early days of semiconductors (This means that there is no FPGA or any microcontroller on board, apart from this, I could use whatever integrated circuits I could find).

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.

SCOPETREX: Vector Gaming on Your Oscilloscope! Have you ever wanted to buy a Vectrex, but you can't afford the high prices on auction sites? Do you already have a hoard of Vectrexes, but want another one? Well now you can build your own!

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!

Talos ES™: Talos ES™ is a mini-computer built only with standard, discrete logic (74-series chips) and featuring a custom RISC CPU. It's meant for education and entertainment.

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 Amethyst Colour Video System: The 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.

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!

uChip Simple VGA Console (uSVC): uSVC is a simple, do-it-yourself game console that allows you to create and play retro-style 8-bit games with standard USB controllers and keyboards. It comes as a kit, and all you need to assemble it are basic, through-hole soldering skills. In fact, all you really need is a soldering iron and some solder wire.

V20-MBC: The V20-MBC is an easy to build V20HL (full static CMOS version) or 80C88 CPU SBC (Single Board Computer). It follows the same “concept” of the Z80-MBC2 (https://hackaday.io/project/159973), with a SD as “disk emulator” and up to 1024KB RAM. 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) programmed with Arduino IDE. It is compatible with the uTerm (https://hackaday.io/project/165325) and uCom (https://hackaday.io/project/165709) boards.

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-MBC: This is the Z80-MBC (Mobile Breadboard Computer), a mini 4MHz Z80 64kB RAM system with Basic and Forth interpreters, CP/M 2.2, QP/M 2.71, Assembler and C toolchains. 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 with a single command (like in the Arduino IDE). More, it can be easily expanded and it has an “Arduino heart” using an Atmega32A as an “universal” I/O emulator, and can be used and powered with a tablet or smartphone too…

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.