I am using EAGLE to draw schematic diagrams of the CPU. The reason I chose EAGLE was simple – everyone uses it, it is free (or inexpensive under non-profit license), and has a rich component library. Also, most PCB manufacturers accept EAGLE files, and if not, there are many scripts to output gerber files. So, if ...
I have been collecting various stuff I will need to build the computer for some time already. As I am still struggling to complete the microcode assembler (I keep changing my mind on various microcode word structures back and forth), I decided to take a little brake and share photos of what I have gathered. ...
My 1631D logic analyzer and digitizing oscilloscope arrived yesterday. I bought it on US eBay a few weeks ago for as little as $70 (plus $40 shipping to Poland). The thing scared me at first with all the cables, buttons and… its size – it takes one third of my desk! Also, my wife looked ...
I bought some HP 4N54 hexadecimal displays some time ago at a surplus store. I plugged them into my breadboard just to check them and they all worked fine so I will use them as my debug displays when I start construction. This device fits the purpose very well for a couple of reasons. First ...
I will be using 74LS181 ICs for my 16-bit ALU and I bought some today in a local hobby store. I decided to give a try with this little breadboard setup. It’s not really a CPU but it was fun. The inputs are set by the DIP switch. Switches 1-4 set the A input and ...
