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Z80-MBC2: 4ICs homemade Z80 computer

8MHz Z80, 128kB banked RAM, RTC, Disk on SD, Basic and Forth interpreters, CP/M 2.2 and 3, cross Assembler and C (SDCC) toolchains

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The Z80-MBC2 is an easy to build Z80 SBC (Single Board Computer).

It is the "evolution" of the Z80-MBC (https://hackaday.io/project/19000-a-4-4ics-z80-homemade-computer-on-breadboard), with a SD as "disk emulator" and with a 128KB banked RAM for CP/M 3 (but it can run CP/M 2.2 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).


* * HARDWARE OVERVIEW * *

The needed ICs for the "base system" are:

  • Z80 CPU CMOS (Z84C00) 8Mhz or greater
  • Atmega32A
  • TC551001-70 (128kB RAM)
  • 74HC00

If you want the 16x GPIO expansion (GPE option) add a MCP23017 too.

The schematic and the BOM are attached in the Files section. The MCU Atmega32A is used as universal I/O subsystem, as Eeprom, and as reset and 4/8MHz clock generator for the Z80 CPU.
Inside the Atmega32A it is flashed an Arduino bootloader taken from here, and it is possible to use the Board Manager of the Arduino IDE to "import" it.

Flash the Arduino bootloader at first (with the method you prefer), next you can upload the IOS "sketch" (the I/O Subsystem that interacts with the Z80 bus and "virtualizes" the EEPROM and all the peripherals seen by the Z80 CPU) using Arduino IDE.

You can use the on board ICSP port J3 (also called ISP port) to write the bootloader, but remember to disconnect any other connector when using it. Also both SD and RTC modules (if present) must be removed from the board when the ICSP port is in use.

As clock source for the Z80 CPU it is used the 16MHz Atmega32A oscillator, so the "external 16MHZ osc." bootloader variant must be chosen when flashing the bootloader from the Arduino IDE!.

The 74HC00 is used as RS flipflop to stop the Z80 CPU during I/O operation, giving the needed time to the Atmega32A to interact with the Z80 bus, and as part of the MMU.

Note that...

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S220718-R190918_IOS-Z80-MBC2.zip

The sketch for the IOS (with the needed libraries). Unzip into a folder and open the .ino file (with Arduino IDE). IOS is required for CP/M 2.2, CP/M 3.0 and QP/M 2.71 (the SD module is mandatory).

Zip Archive - 38.29 kB - 10/11/2018 at 16:54

Download

SD-S220718-R191018-v1.zip

The content of the microSD needed to run CP/M 2.2, CP/M 3.0 and QP/M 2.71 with IOS S220718-R190918

Zip Archive - 2.67 MB - 10/11/2018 at 16:53

Download

STARTREKV2.BAS

The famous game Super Startrek kindly debugged by a RetroBrew Computer Forum user. Play with Caps-Lock activated! Now the animation works...

bas - 20.18 kB - 08/07/2018 at 16:32

Download

TREKINST.BAS

Instructions for STARTREKV2.BAS

bas - 6.80 kB - 08/04/2018 at 21:48

Download

Examples with Basic.txt

Some examples showing the new "Virtual I/O Engine" with the stand-alone 8K Basic interpreter.

plain - 4.07 kB - 07/31/2018 at 20:57

Download

View all 10 files

  • 1 × See the file "A040618 BOM v2.ods" in the FILES section.

  • uTerm preview: a VT100 terminal for the Z80-MBC2...

    Just4Fun • 12/28/2018 at 10:16 • 0 comments

    Currently working on a VT100 terminal with VGA out and  PS/2 keyboard with a power supply (for the Z80-MBC2 too). It has a "transparent" USB-TTL adapter connector, so you can upload firmware or load an Intel-Hex file (with iLoad) while the card is inserted. Both the "mixed" power supply situations (USB-TTL adapter not powered from USB but Z80-MBC2 powered and vice-versa) are managed. The video terminal is based on the ChibiTerm (https://hw-by-design.blogspot.com/2018/07/low-cost-vga-terminal-module-project.html).

    Stay tuned...


    Working on a new revision (A071218-R250119):

  • Overclocking the Z80-MBC2...

    Just4Fun • 11/02/2018 at 09:51 • 0 comments

    Because the Mighty Core gives the chance to choice a 20MHz bootloader, I've decided to try to "overclock" the Atmega32A using a 20MHz quartz:

    You don't need others HW changes, just use a 20MHz quartz instead of a 16MHz one. The Z80 clock speed will be at 10MHz.

    You have to select the "20MHz external" option in the "Toos" menu of Arduino IDE before flashing the 20MHz bootloader:


    Of course you need to load the sketch again (using the "20MHz external" option). IOS will display the new clock speed:


    Remember that using a 20MHz quartz you are out of the Atmega32a specifications (the Atmega32a is rated at 16MHz max.), so you are in a "grey area" where things "may works"...

  • CP/M 3 up and running on the Z80-MBC2!

    Just4Fun • 10/11/2018 at 06:58 • 0 comments

    With the last IOS revision and the corresponding SD files "pack" there is one more option: the CP/M 3.0!

    With CP/M 3.0 it is possible use the 128KB banked RAM to have a wider user area (TPA) for programs and a more "evoluted" OS.


    TWO VERSIONS

    Just as example of how it is easy with CP/M 3.0 manage multiple configurations, I've done also a "non-banked" 64KB version. The switch from one version to the other can be done simply running a batch from the console itself.

    I've prepared two simple batch files to do that. From drive A: the command:

    submit sys64

    will set the 64KB "non-banked" version and then reboot the system.

    To activate again the 128KB "banked" version give the command (from drive A:):

    submit sys128

    NEW DISKDEFS FILE

    To use cpmtools or cpmtoolsGUI with the virtual disks of the CP/M 3.0 environment, you must update the DISKDEFS definition file (from the SD in the folder <SD>/cpmtools/) and use the "z80mbc2-cpm3" entry for all the 16 disks:

    Please note that for the CP/M 3.0 environment all the 16 virtual disks have the same structure and for this there is only one entry for all the CP/M 3.0 virtual disks.


    AUTOEXEC

    The AUTOEXEC switch for CP/M 3.0 works in a different way from the CP/M 2.2 and QP/M 2.71 implementations.

    Now there is a custom utility (AUTOEXEC) that checks the IOS flag and sets the exit code accordingly (using the BDOS function 108). This allow to use the CP/M 3.0 batch conditional execution (see the CP/M 3 Programmer Guide par. 1.6.3) to run any wanted command or program based on the status of the IOS AUTOEXEC flag.

    I've prepared an example using an other CP/M 3.0 feature, the "PROFILE.SUB" batch that is automatically executed at cold boot (if it exists). To activate it (in the drive A:) rename the file PROFILE.SU as PROFILE.SUB with the command:

    ren profile.sub=profile.su

    Now you can see how it works setting the AUTOEXEC flag on or off with the IOS "Select boot mode or system parameters" menu.

  • QP/M 2.71 up and running (with IOS multi-boot management...)!

    Just4Fun • 09/17/2018 at 18:26 • 0 comments

    With the last IOS revision and the corresponding SD files "pack" there is an interesting alternative to CP/M developed by MICROCode Consulting that supports also file timestamping, and it is 100% CP/M 2.2 "compatible".
    MICROCode Consulting has released the original installation files and all the documentation in their site with the "restricted usage" condition, that means free for non-commercial use and for personal use only.

    To enable timestamping (see upper screenshot) you need to install the optional RTC module.
    I suggest to read the QP/M documentation for the various commands (see the Downloads section in their site).


    AUTOEXEC

    The QP/M uses for the batch file the .QSB extension. So the AUTOEXEC file is now renamed AUTOEXEC.QSB. To enable the AUTOEXEC execution after the cold boot change the corresponding state to ON from the usual IOS boot selection menu. In the drive A: there is an example of AUTOEXEC.QSB file ready to run.


    IOS MULTI-BOOT MANAGEMENT

    Now the IOS has a new entry (8) in the boot menu to manage the OS multi-boot configuration:

    Each OS is associated with a set of virtual disks called "Disk Set", and changing the "Change Disk Set..." entry (8) will switch all the virtual disks of his "environment".

  • CP/M 2.2 up and running on the Z80-MBC2!

    Just4Fun • 09/08/2018 at 18:24 • 0 comments

    The new IOS is out, and the CP/M 2.2 OS with it, and 16 disks are available (from A: to P:), each 8Mbyte large.

    With IOS (not for IOS Lite) the SD module is mandatory to run not only CP/M 2.2 but also for the stand-alone Basic and Forth interpreters. You need a microSD card (FAT16 and FAT32 are both supported) to store the content of the SD zip file, retaining the directory structure.

    Pay attention on how the modules are inserted because their positions are fixed and absolutely not swappable (see the upper photo).

    To add, extract or delete files inside a virtual disk (virtual disks filenames on SD are "DS0Nxx.DSK", where "xx" is the disk number) it is possible use the cpmtools or cpmtoolsGUI utilities, with the diskdefs file in the \cpmtools directory of the SD zipped file.

    I suggest to use  cpmtoolsGUI (only for Windows) because is very easy.

    Unzip it into a folder and put the diskdefs file in the same folder.
    Select "z80mbc2-d0" only for disk 0, and "z80mbc2-d1" for the others (disk 1 - 15):

    NOTE: use cpmtoolsGUI only to add, extract or delete files inside a virtual disk. Not try to create new virtual disks files with cpmtools or cpmtoolsGUI because further processing is required for a valid virtual disk file.

  • How use the ICSP port with the USBasp programmer under linux to burn the bootloader

    Just4Fun • 07/27/2018 at 15:57 • 0 comments

    A cheap and easy way to burn the Arduino bootloader is to use an USBasp programmer that is commonly available:

    The USBasp is also capable to give the power to the "target" using the VCC pin, but remember to check that the JP1 jumper is set to provide 5V to the target (as shown in the photo).

    Please note that the pinout of the USBasp is a little different from the "standard" ICSP (os ISP) pinout:


    In the previous picture it is possible see that pins 4 (TXD) and 6 (RXD) are not at GND as expected  by the standard ICSP port, and pin 3 is not NC.

    See the following picture showing the standard 10 pin ICSP pinout:


    So you must consider this when connecting the USBasp to the 6 pins ICSP port (J3) on the Z80-MBC2 (see the schematic):

    To avoid problems I suggest to use as GND pin 10 of the USBasp connector, and connect the other pins (VCC, MISO, MOSI,SCK, RST) accordingly.

    An handy way to connect the USBasp to the 6 pin ICSP port (J3) of the Z80-MBC2 could be to use a commonly available "10pin to 6pin" adapter like this:


    but you cannot use it "as is" because its internal connections are done for a "standard" ICSP port, and we have seen that the USBasp connector differs from the standard one.
    The schematic of the adapter shows that isn't compatible "as is" with the UABasp connector:


    To use it is a good idea isolate the pins 4, 5 and 6 cutting the trace on the PCB of the adapter that connects those pins together, and then check with a tester.
    In the following photo are shown the three cuts (thin red lines inside the green "circle") to do:


    BURNING THE BOOTLOADER FROM ARDUINO IDE:

    To easily burn the bootloader follow these "quick and dirty" steps (tested on a linux Mint OS with Arduino IDE 1.8.5):

    STEP 1: Connect the 10 pins connector of the USBasp programmer to the 6 pins ICSP port (J3) of the Z80-MBC2 (using wires or a modified adapter as discussed before);

    STEP 2: Verify carefully that any other connector of the Z80-MBC2 is not used, and verify that both the SD and RTC modules (if present) are removed from the board;.

    STEP 3: Only at this point connect the USB side of the USBasp programmer to an USB port of your workstation;

    STEP 4: Open a "terminal" window on your workstation and go to the directory where there are the Arduino IDE executables, and get the root privileges with the command:

    sudo su

    then run the Arduino IDE with the command:

    ./arduino

    STEP 5: Because Arduino IDE is running as the root user it is necessary re-install the "core" for the Atmega32. Open the Board Manager as you already did (anyway  the guide is here). Note that you must do this step only the first time you execute the Arduino IDE as root;

    STEP 6: Now from the Tools menu of Arduino IDE select "Atmega32" as "Board", "16 MHz external" as "Clock", and "USBasp" as "Programmer". Then you can burn the right bootloader (without playing with the FUSE setting) selecting "Burn Bootloader" from the same "Tools" menu.

    All done!

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georgedb wrote 2 days ago • point

Sorry, one more: can a 1N5819 be used instead of the 1N5817? When I look here [https://www.vishay.com/docs/88525/1n5817.pdf], I see slightly different parameters, and possibly the most important, slightly different forward voltages...

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 2 days ago • point

I think yes...

  Are you sure? yes | no

georgedb wrote a day ago • point

Will give it a try once I have received the components I don't have, and will report here.

  Are you sure? yes | no

georgedb wrote 2 days ago • point

What a great project! I looked at the BOM, and there are quite a few components I already have. I tried to find (European) replacements for Q1/2 (2N2907), but failed. I guess this transistor is not critical in terms of parameters? Can any PNP transistor with the same pinning be used in this place, or are there specific parameters that play a role? And/or, does anybody know a good (European) replacement?

What I got in my parts bin: BC213, BC516, BC557, BC558, BC560C, ZTX213, ZTX550, ZTXC551

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 2 days ago • point

Hi, you can use any "generic" PNP transistor. BC557 / BC558 will do the job...

-> NOTE: Check on the datasheet if they have the same pins placement!!! <-

  Are you sure? yes | no

georgedb wrote 2 days ago • point

Perfect, thnx for your help! Always better to use what I already have ;-)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Peabody1929 wrote 4 days ago • point

I built a second system.  It is up and running just fine with a HM628128ALP-7 SRAM as well.  To test the board I booted CP/M and ran MBASIC.  I opened the "Examples with Basic" on my PC, copied the USER LED BLINK example and pasted it into Tera Term at the MBASIC prompt.  This is a very easy way to get a program into the system.  Then I did SAVE "BLINK",A to put the app into the SD Card disk file.  RUN executed the app and blinked the LED.  All in all, it took about a minute the run the app to test the LED.  Very nice!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Linker3000 wrote 02/09/2019 at 13:55 • point

Just FYI, the board works fine with HM628128ALP-7 SRAM and should also be OK with AS6C1008-55PCN.

  Are you sure? yes | no

asorc wrote 02/07/2019 at 16:15 • point

Hello,

Let's see if some of you have had the same or a similar issue. So, I do not have a way to upload sketches in windows 7, but I do have a raspberry pi model b. Therefore, I use it to upload hex files to a blank atmega32a. I compile the sketches with the mightycore library, wire, etc. in windows 7, using arduino ide, and then take the hex files to burn them with the raspberry pi to the atmega32a using six wires and the GPIO connections of the raspberry pi. The result I get when I set up the computer to power it on and start the serial monitor of arduino ide, is that the IOS led starts to blink, but at a quite slow rate, and when I open the terminal, nothing happens. Has any of you had a similar problem? I uploaded a hex file that has the bootloader included according with its name, but I do not know if everything has gone really well, apparently avrdude tells me so, or if any IC is damaged. Thanks to all, in advance.

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jmarik wrote 02/07/2019 at 21:16 • point

Are the fuses set correctly? I used CF, D9.

  Are you sure? yes | no

asorc wrote 02/07/2019 at 22:24 • point

I don't remember which ones come in the configuration of avrdude, because I have not touched anything else appart from the GPIO pins I use. I will have a look at it.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Linker3000 wrote 02/09/2019 at 14:09 • point

Confirming the fuses (CF D9). 

I ended up using a TL866 programmer because I could not get ICSP/USBASP to work. When I went back to basics later, I found that one of the wires in the ribbon cable I was using between the USBASP and the board header was open circuit! I only discovered this later when I could not get serial comms to work using the same cable! It's always the 'little things'!

  Are you sure? yes | no

asorc wrote 7 days ago • point

Are these fuses the high and the low respectively? What about the lock byte?

I see there are different settings. I have seen the boards.txt of mightycore library, but It is not entirely clear to me which fuses It burns.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Frank N. Stein wrote 02/08/2019 at 09:00 • point

I used "optiboot_flash_atmega32_UART0_115200_16000000L.hex" with

High Byte 0xD6
Low  Byte 0xAF
Lock Byte 0xCF

and it works very well...


  Are you sure? yes | no

asorc wrote 02/08/2019 at 12:48 • point

Thanks for showing me where the problem is mostramos likely to be. I am checking the avrdude.conf file, in the m32 section, and I see some subsections memory lfuse, memory hfuse and memory lock, and below, without a write option, memory signature, memory calibration. 

Definitely I have to get more knowledge. I guess these are some default values I can change there or externally, without modifying this. I have seen ways to do It with avrdude. I will have a look at it.

Thanks, any help is very very welcome. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Frank N. Stein wrote 02/06/2019 at 13:27 • point

Hi, has anyone managed to send files with Kermit, Xmodem, Qterm or similar via the console interface? I have tried different versions of Kermit (with Terraterm on the PC side) that should have worked - unfortunately without success...

Z80-MBC2 does not support hardware handshaking, but Kermit should also work without it... :-(

Any help is appreciated!

  Are you sure? yes | no

RWDEANE wrote 4 days ago • point

Currently there is  probably a bug in the z80mbc2 serial handling. An earlier message states that xmodem needs hw handshaking but this is untrue if configured correctly. Xmodem for RC2014 works by default without handshaking using console con: rather than more specific hardware access, I have used that on several flavours of rc2014 computer. I would expect the same version of xmodem to work on z80mbc2. Xmodem is expected to work to the same port that the serial terminal console is using (i.e. the one CON:)

Generic Kermit should work if the system bios supports IOBYTE (it does on rc2014) but I've never tried that on a one serial port system. It is possible that use of Kermit to con: would conflict with use on the same con: for the system console. If Z80MBC2 supported Xmodem and CPM BIOS IOBYTE then I would try Kermit to see how it behaves.

I believe Qterm makes too much detailed access to hw ports which are not virtualised in Z80MBC2 so Qterm cannot work. It may be possible that someone has made a more generic patch for Qterm, but again only worth considering when Xmodem is known to work.

It would really turn Z80MBC2 into an ace system if it supported Xmodem, currently that is blocking me from giving the system a higher star rating.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Michael Fong wrote 01/22/2019 at 07:43 • point

vt100 card is a great addition.  If you're looking at doing another revision, I wonder if you'd consider some additional mounting holes at each corner of the card for horizontal mounting? Then you could mount it in a flat rectangular box.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/22/2019 at 08:46 • point

Hi, there are already two more holes for horizontal assembling... they aren't exactly on the corner, but a little more internal.

I'm "running" an other addition board, uCom (https://twitter.com/Just4Fun_J4Fun/status/1083675698412249089) that shares same dimension and holes position...

  Are you sure? yes | no

Michael Fong wrote 01/22/2019 at 11:31 • point

Ooopppsss sorry didn't see them. Nice!  My friend and I really looking forward to building it.

Great work :-)

  Are you sure? yes | no

RWDEANE wrote 01/21/2019 at 21:48 • point

I've just launched my Z80MBC2 with CPM3. I like it! I had a problem initially in getting the software into the atmega32 via serial or ISP. My serial didn't support DTR. Took me a while to figure out that I need to hold shift while starting upload in Arduino IDE via ISP, otherwise I just get another upload of MightyCore bootloader.

Now I'm looking for a version of XMODEM with generic CPM3 support of CON: so that I can upload and download files within CPM3 via the single serial connection. Does anyone know of an xmodem version that works for this?

Any chance of a Z80MBC3 design with a second serial port ?  :) And faster?

  Are you sure? yes | no

RWDEANE wrote 01/22/2019 at 08:08 • point

I am told that the xmodem from the cpm section on foxhollow.ca (popular with RC2014) works unmodified on cpm3 but I cannot get it to work under  z80mbc2 with cpm3. Can anyone else get it to work? I've only tried so far under cpm3.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/22/2019 at 08:48 • point

Hmmm, I don't know... may be... it's too early to think about a  Z80-MBC3...

  Are you sure? yes | no

Frank N. Stein wrote 01/24/2019 at 13:59 • point

First of all (@Fabio): MANY, MANY THANKS FOR THIS FANTASTIC PROJECT!

And then: 

It looks like XMODEM needs a hardware flow control. (see "tera-term-serial-port.png" at Foxhollow) - ...and unfortunately this is not implemented in this Arduino! :-( In addition, RTS/CTS must be connected to the USB/RS232 converter and SJ2 must be shorted with a solderblob. )

I don't think we need a Z80-MBC3 for that...

An additional serial interface would be great! Would it be possible to use a SC16IS750 (or similar) on the I2C bus??

I LOVE MY LITTLE Z80-MBC2!!! :-)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/25/2019 at 07:26 • point

Thanks!

SC16IS750: Yes, but you need to modify accordingly the IOS FW and the OS (CP/M)...

  Are you sure? yes | no

RWDEANE wrote 4 days ago • point

The right version of Xmodem does not require hardware handshaking, the version on foxhollow can work to con: and not require hardware handshaking. I use it on several flavours of rc2014 inc Bill Shen's ZZ80CF (see Retrobrew under Plasmo)

  Are you sure? yes | no

georgedb wrote 01/19/2019 at 11:19 • point

Very cool, what a great project! Bought a PCB via an auction, now a scavenge hunt for the parts ;-)

I still got two (huge) 8" floppy disk drives, what would be needed to connect those (the 24V power supply has already been taken care of)?

A lot of Z80 info and other retro processors as well as some related projects can also be found on the website of Grant Searle. RC2014 is another website with interesting info on Z80 retro computing.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/22/2019 at 08:50 • point

There is no chance to connect a physical floppy disk, unless you design a proper controller and modify accordingly the IOS FW and the OS (CP/M)...

  Are you sure? yes | no

thumper109 wrote 01/19/2019 at 06:58 • point

Just got mine working and I love it. Thanks for such a cool little Z80. Magic.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/19/2019 at 08:30 • point

Thanks so much! More has to come...  :)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Bartosz Makara wrote 01/01/2019 at 17:14 • point

Hi, I have three questions:

1. I've copied the content of the SD-S220718-R191018-v1.zip archive to the MicroSD card. This system boots up and I was able to change CP/M 2.2 to QP/M 2.71. But how can I change to CP/M 3.0? I don't know which disk image to choose.

2. Is there any tool like CPMTools for Linux? I don't have a Windows system here.

3. The blue User-LED is not lightning up on my board at any time, even when I press the User-Button. Is this correct?

Thanks again for this project! :)

  Are you sure? yes | no

yeti wrote 01/02/2019 at 06:17 • point

@2: http://www.moria.de/~michael/cpmtools/ ... look if your distribution already has it.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Bartosz Makara wrote 01/02/2019 at 11:35 • point

Thank you! My question was really unnecessary. The official Linux Mint repository has the "cpmtools" included.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/02/2019 at 08:43 • point

@1: Enter into the "select boot mode..." menu, press 8 and then press any key (not ESC)  repeatedly until you select the wanted OS, then press CR to activate.

@3: Try USERLED.BAS example.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Bartosz Makara wrote 01/02/2019 at 11:42 • point

@1: OK this was much easier than I've imagined. Thank you, this works! :D
@3: Although I've listed the disk image files and seen the USERLED.BAS I haven't tried it till now. I've started it and it tells me the LED is blinking but it isn't. I will solder another one on the board maybe it was broken before I've soldered it. Thanks again!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 01/02/2019 at 11:52 • point

@3: check the led polarity too...

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frank maertin wrote 12/21/2018 at 20:47 • point

Got  my 5  pcb's today. Does anybody needs one?

Shipping only to Germany. 1 Toshiba RAM, ATMEGA and Z80 are also avialable, if needed.

  Are you sure? yes | no

SupraJames wrote 11/25/2018 at 22:05 • point

Just want to share something I’ve found tonight. I had an ESP8266 module in my collection and using esp-link (https://github.com/jeelabs/esp-link) my Z80-MBC2 is on my wireless network and I can play with it from anywhere using telnet - and even remotely reset the board and re flash the Arduino part via a web page. It’s beyond cool! Just connected the ESP8266 instead of the USB serial module.

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villaromba wrote 11/26/2018 at 09:58 • point

Interesting concept, had a read on jeelabs and thought I would give it a go. The ESP8266 is only a few dollars from Aliexpress as well - so well affordable !!!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Just4Fun wrote 11/25/2018 at 10:12 • point

Thanks guys..!

BTW: Currently I'm "playing" with a new "thing":

https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org/forum/index.php?t=msg&th=223&goto=560555&#msg_5605

Stay tuned.... :)

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John wrote 11/23/2018 at 22:15 • point

Thank for a great project. Been wanting to run CP/M on a real Z80 now i have it :)

Regards

Jman 

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asorc wrote 11/23/2018 at 20:28 • point

Hello, 

I ordered 5 pcbs and I've received them today. I am looking at the layout guide, and I have a question about the legend which says 10 k 8. What does it mean? What's that? I've read something about SIP. But I do not know what's that. Could anyone help me? Thanks a lot  in advance. 

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villaromba wrote 11/23/2018 at 20:58 • point

You'll find in the Bill of Materials (In Files section) the parts list.

The SIP used is 8 x 10k resistors in a Single Inline Package (SIP) with a common pin for all 8 resistors making 9 pins in total. They are also called a Resistor Array Network.

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Jeff Davis wrote 11/24/2018 at 02:14 • point

I made a google docs BOM with corrections and longer item descriptions: https://drive.google.com/open?id=145w-IAsDimTIEjg6kTirIJTWtZTU7UPEflaH5Kcza1Q

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asorc wrote 11/24/2018 at 13:33 • point

Thanks a lot. I've read about resistors array later on. I do not have much knowledge... Btw, I have around 1n5819 instead of 1n5817, and 2n3906 instead of 2n2907. Could I use them?

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Just4Fun wrote 11/25/2018 at 10:06 • point

Yes, you can do it for both the components. The 2N3906 must be in TO-92 package, so the pins are in the right place...

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SupraJames wrote 11/23/2018 at 17:21 • point

I am pleased to show my first proper Z80 assembler program. It's a memory tester, which might be useful in the homebrew world. It does bank switching so we can test almost all the 128k which the Z80-MBC2 has, except for the little area where the program runs!

Just paste the .hex into iLoad to give it a go, or look at the source.

Comments? https://github.com/SupraJames/z80-mbc2

  Are you sure? yes | no

villaromba wrote 11/23/2018 at 22:11 • point

Nice one, just ran a quick mem test - perfect!! Will check out monitor late weekend ....

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SupraJames wrote 11/13/2018 at 21:51 • point

i noticed that the old MBC was using the serial port at 38400 baud but the new one is 9600 only. Is there a technical reason for that?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Jeff Davis wrote 11/14/2018 at 08:47 • point

I changed the avr ios program's serial from 9600 to 38400, compiled and uploaded to the avr, and it seems to run just fine (played startrek), which makes sense since the serial port is handled by the avr cpu. 9600 just feels more retro I think since the terminal draws a lot faster at 38400.

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nemfield wrote 11/11/2018 at 21:05 • point

Hi. I have read through this (mostly) and it looks like fun.  I live in Ontario Canada and if anyone has a spare PCB I'd appreciate it. I can paypal you for the cost. Thank you.  Gabe (nemfield@gmail.com).

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nemfield wrote 11/11/2018 at 22:33 • point

OK. Replying to my own comment. I ordered 5 boards. I used China Post. I'm in Canada. when I get them I'll share them for postage costs to others near me. I advice you do NOT use DHL. Here in Canada they always add some silly brokerage fee and hold you hostage unless you pay it. They are a great service, but do not come clean on all charges.

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/11/2018 at 22:35 • point

That's basically their business model...

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Bartosz Makara wrote 11/12/2018 at 09:35 • point

I'm living in Germany and when I'm ordering from outside the EU I'm always trying not to choose DHL because I know I have to pay some extra fees. It's terrible! If you order ar PCBway you can also choose E-Packet. I think this is a little bit faster than China Post and costs only a little bit more. And I've never had any problem with extra costs with this shipping way.

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Bartosz Makara wrote 11/11/2018 at 13:59 • point

Hello, I have two questions about the used parts where I am not completly sure about.

1. question: The "user LED" should be a 2.7V version or higher but what about the voltage of the other five LEDs? Since nobody else asked this here I'm pretty sure I've overseen some information or simply I'm too stupid. :D

2. question: The two tactile switches used in the schematics are per default closed and interrupt the ground line, right? Or do I have to use a reversed switch version? The more I'm trying to get it the less I'm sure about this. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

villaromba wrote 11/11/2018 at 20:13 • point

Q1: ther 5 LEDs aren't 'critical' but if you want to keep to the original design I've copied below from the BOM. (In FILES)

D1  LED-3MM  HALT Red
D11 LED-3MM SD Red
D2 LED-3MM  DMA White
D3 LED-3MM  IO_OP White
D4 LED-3MM  IOS Green
D5 LED-3MM  USER Blue

Q2: The 2 switches are normally open (standard tactile switch!) as per the schematic. Depress switch to operate.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Bartosz Makara wrote 11/12/2018 at 09:33 • point

Oh great, thank you very much! :)

I knew I'm overlooking something!

  Are you sure? yes | no

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