RC6502-Apple-1-Replica/README.md
2017-11-16 08:55:15 +01:00

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RC6502 Apple 1 Replica

I've been spending a lot of time lately working on extensions to the excellent RC2014 machine, check out the official web page at http://rc2014.co.uk if you're not familiar with it. Unquestionably, a lot of fun!

Armed with the knowledge from building that kit I decided to attempt to create one myself, lack of knowledge when it comes to circuit design and pcb layout aside shouldn't be a problem right? Not as long as you enjoy tinkering with stuff.

The RC6502 is that kit, and since I wasn't yet born at the time and therefore did not own one I decided to create a working replica of the Apple 1 computer. The original schematics are readily available on the Internet - as is also an excellent book on the topic; Apple 1 Replica Creation, Back to the garage by Tom Owad.

I've been documenting the build process of the various components on my blog at https://hvetebolle.blogspot.no/p/rc6502.html, but be warned that it's in my native language (Norwegian) so this might not be anywhere close to readable for most people. For those of you relying on English as a language, and don't want to try out Google Translate, the essence of it is that it is now a fully functional Apple 1 replica computer!

RC6502 Computer

Modules

Like the RC2014 I've decided to keep things very modular with each card more or less doing one simple thing, easier to wrap ones head around as a beginner and a lot easier to understand when troubleshooting - also a lot cheaper to upgrade or replace since you don't need to replace the entire thing, just the specific board. Note that I haven't decided on designing my own backplane, mainly because the RC2014-version works really well (see RC2014 tindie page for ordering) and I've already got it.

In order to use the RC6502 you'll need the following modules:

Optional modules:

If you want your own fabricated versions of the modules in the form of PCBs to own and and assemble yourselves, there are quite a few options avaiable though I tend to use Seeed Studio since they are a reasonably priced option with affortable shipping to Europe. Zip up the contents of each modules export folders and give them that to get an estimate.