Here comes a big update of my DIY 'Minimal UART Computer', a machine built around a serial interface just from a handful of logic ICs, RAM and FLASH memory. For it's size, simplicity and self-imposed limitations, it's got double the processing power of a Commodore C64 or Apple II. It's mission is to be a fun learning platform for understanding computers on a fundamental level.
● Manual: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nIM-WRrVe7SzYY-DS1jcVHC4TCuIhlQ6LCHnZnEml7k/edit?usp=sharing
● The Minimal UART Computer has a dedicated hardware serial 'Minimal Terminal': https://github.com/slu4coder/Minimal-Terminal but can also be operated via a USB-to-serial breakout board and a terminal emulation (e. g. Tera Term) of cause.
OVERVIEW:
● Textbook 'Von-Neumann' architecture, 8-bit data bus, 16-bit address bus
● 64 instructions (conditional branching, subroutines, stack and word operations)
● 32KB RAM, 32KB SSD with file system (format, load, save, dir, delete, defrag, ...)
● Adjustable UART I/O (7 data bits, 2 stop bits, 9600bps – 500000bps)
● Adjustable CPU clock speed (single step – 8MHz)
● Processing power ~1.1Mips @ 8MHz comparable to 2x Commodore 64 or 2x Apple II
● Clear(est?) and simple(st? – you judge!) design
● ALU with 2 data registers A & B
● 3 flags (zero, negative, carry)
● 24 control signals
● Only 30(!) 74HCxx logic ICs, RAM and FLASH (an ATmega328p is used as a variable clock generator)
● NEW: Blinkenlights ;-)
● Operating system wiht native assembler and editor
● Games and demos (Tetris, Mandelbrot)
● Cycle-exact emulator, cross-assembler (Win64 and Linux)
I hope you find this information useful, educational or otherwise interesting. I'd love to hear about your build, so meet me on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXYQcMpUBT3aaQKfmAVJNow
This is a free and non-commercial project. I am in no way associated with any activies selling this as a product. Any such activity represents a license violation. Individual licenses apply for hardware and software parts. Please refer to the appropriate documentations for detailed licensing information.
See https://github.com/slu4coder/Minimal-64x4-Home-Computer for a more feature-rich alternative.
Have fun!
Do you like this project and want to give something back? Thank you so much for your support! https://www.paypal.me/carstenherting