I received the second batch of production boards and parts, so the kit is back in stock on Tindie. Meanwhile, I figured I should write down what the plans are, especially for the l-star.org website. See "after the break" for some ideas I'm working on.

First of all, I've been working some tutorials for owners (or those who want to follow along at home) to learn how to "write their own computer" using the C language:

• The first tutorial/demo proposes a basic framework that defines types and macros to get started, and generates a clock signal "as fast as possible" and lets you observe how the 65C02 reset sequence works
• The second tutorial/demo shows how to run a separate cog that presents part of the Propeller's hub memory to the 65C02
• The third tutorial/demo shows how the PIA of the Apple 1 can be emulated in C, and loads the ROM from Vince Briel's Replica 1 to make the L-Star into an Apple 1 emulator.

The code for the above is already on Github here, but I'm still working on the text that will be posted on the website soon.

Future Tutorials

I'm thinking the next tutorials should be:

• How to convert time-critical code into inline assembler, and how to use a Propeller timer as clock generator.
• How to use the SRAM chip.
• How to implement emulation of memory-mapped (text) video, and how to emulate a matrix keyboard, culminating into an emulator of the Ohio Scientific Challenger C1P (also known as the Superboard II or UK-101).
• How to implement a virtual storage device using the EEPROM.
• How to make up your own system, maybe running Forth.

Future Hardware

I have several ideas I want to work on in the hardware area:

• Commodore PET emulator: this is what I originally intended the project to do, but it would need a way to generate interrupts at 60Hz or 50Hz and I'm trying to think of a way to do that without adding extra hardware.
• Acorn Atom (a.k.a. Hob-bit computer) emulator; this should also be possible without extra hardware.
• An expansion board with 24 (or more) tactile switches and six or eight 7-segment displays to emulate a Kim-1 or Elektor Junior
• A "Pro" version for advanced experiments: this would probably be a version of the board that doesn't have the I/O and jumpers on board; it would have a right-angle connector for expansion, which would plug into a new passive motherboard (or simply an IDC connector on a ribbon cable) to connect to multiple expansion boards. Or, going slightly further, something resembling RC2014 but perhaps using card edge connectors.
• A "Pro 16" version that uses a 65C816 instead of a 65C02 and has (say) 4MB of static RAM and runs faster while the CPU is not accessing the Propeller. This could perhaps be used to emulate the Mensch Computer or simply to run Fuzix. You know, just for giggles.
• A modification to use a PIC microcontroller instead of a Prop Plug to connect it to a host system. This would eliminate the FTDI controller, the one and only chip in the design that's not available in a DIP package, and would make it easier to put the system into an enclosure.

Are You Still Reading?

I have disappointingly little time to get all this stuff done, and I hope owners and enthusiasts will step up to help some day. Whether you have a kit or not, if you've read through the documentation and you can think of something you want (me) to do with the L-Star, or if you would like to propose any ideas for expansion boards or software projects, let me know!