XS Computer One - Apple 1 Replica Project

About

This project is an attempt to build a working replica of the Apple-1 computer, made in 1976 by Steve Wozniak and released by Apple Computer Company, now Apple, Inc.

Only about 200 units of this computer were made. Today, only about 60 units still exists, and less than 10 are known working.
They are sometimes sold at auctions, for record prices. In 2012, one was sold for $671,000.

To my knowledge, three replica projects exists:
Replica-1 by Vince Briel, Mimeo-1 by Mike Willegal, and Obtronix by Steve Gabaly.

The last two are exact replicas, while the first one uses actual components with a different motherboard layout.

So this project will be (hopefully) a fourth one.

I decided to build my own replica from scratch, including the PCB design, as it's a very nice occasion to learn about electronics.
As a programmer, I sometimes feel frustrated not to know more about this... ; )

Roadmap

There's of course no real roadmap yet, as I'm currently learning as I go. The project will surely takes a huge amount of time, so don't expect results too soon.

Here are the actual project parts:

#	Part	Status	Description
1	Learn	In progress	Learn as much as possible on electronics, as I'm completely new to this.
2	Test		Experiment with a few basic PCB and components.
3	Component Identification	Done	Get the original component specification from the original schematics and documentation.
4	Component Purchase	In progress	Purchase components or find alternatives if they are not available anymore.
5	ROM		Find a way to get the original ROM and have it built somehow.
6	Prototype		Get a prototype working on a breadboard.
7	PCB Design		Design the final PCB, as close as possible to the original Apple-1, and have it printed.
8	Mounting		Mount all components on the motherboard.

Tools & Equipment

Here are the tools I'll use for this project:

Manufacturer	Part No.	Details	Alternative	Quantity	Found	Status
B&K Precision	DP 21	Logic Probe / 20 MHz - 30 Ns	N/A	1	Yes	-
Fluke	87-V	True RMS Digital Multimeter	N/A	1	Yes	-
Global Specialties	PB-105T	Breadboard	N/A	1	Yes	-
Power Bright	VC500W	120 V / 220 V Voltage Transformer	N/A	1	No	-
Weller	WECP-20	Soldering Station	N/A	1	No	-
Weller	7881	Desolder Pump	N/A	1	Yes	-
Kester	24-6040-0027	Solder / 60/40 - 0.79 mm	N/A	1	Yes	-
ArcOne	G-FLY-A1101	Safety Goggles	N/A	1	Yes	-
CadSoft	EAGLE	PCB Design Software	N/A	1	Yes	-

Note: Any equivalent tool may be used.

Documentation

I'm using the original schematics and original Apple-1 photos in order to identify the components and build the PCB.
The original Apple-1 Operation Manual is included in the repository.

Bill Of Materials

The complete list of the Apple-1 components can be found in the BOM.md file.

When the components are still available for purchase, links are provided (Mouser Electronics).
For vintage components, valid alternatives may be provided. In such a case, I try to find components that look the same as the original.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find alternative for all components, so your best option to find those parts is on sites like eBay. Note that rare/vintage components can be expensive.

Schematics

Here's a schematic of motherboard layout, with all components.
Note that the components' size is not respected, and their position is not always totally correct, but it's still better than looking at original pictures for quick component identification:


Repository Infos

Owner:			Jean-David Gadina - XS-Labs
Web:			www.xs-labs.com
Blog:			www.noxeos.com
Twitter:		@macmade
GitHub:			github.com/macmade
LinkedIn:		ch.linkedin.com/in/macmade/
StackOverflow:	stackoverflow.com/users/182676/macmade