Design Goals
- Restrict address space to 128 bytes of RAM by having only seven switches like the original even though unlikely to find physical RAM smaller than 64K
- Use modern, easy to source components
- Make board large enough to use comfortably, small enough to ship cheaply
Stretch Project Goals
- Include expansion points that might make it easier to add a ROM and address more RAM
- Replicate aesthetic of hand drawn traces
Financial Goals
- Sell a few bare PCBs to cover costs of prototypes
- If sufficient interest, try selling a small number of kits
Personal Learning Goals
- Learn basics of electronics
- Learn how to read and draw a schematic
- Learn basics of Kicad
- Work through original OSI 300 manual with completed board and grok how it works
There really is an "art" to hand drawn PCB's. True story: I worked for a company where the PCB designer was a semi-retired commercial/fine artist who graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, who became familiar with PCB design late in his career. His double sided boards were works of art. Surprisingly dense, double sided, and not a single straight trace for a single connection. My manager claimed that his boards could beat the CAD available in the early-mid 80's for passing FCC RF (a real concern back then).