usotsuki wrote:
I've got a dead Apple ][+ at home...
Be nice if I could build a simple 6502 machine, just to say I can or can't...how does one go about it? :þ
Well, that depends entirely on your exact requirements. I'm also interested in building myself a 65816-based system that is comparable to the Commodore 64 in utility and 'fun factor', but doing so is a rather large task to undertake if I were to undertake the whole thing at once.
For this reason, I'm taking a route that many others have taken: build what basically amounts to a bare-bones, stripped single-board computer equipped with a number of slots, and add the features you want (via the expansion slots) as you need them. My design also includes a serial loop interface, which will serve a similar purpose as Commodore's IEC bus, but will be substantially faster, easier to use, and largely autoconfiguring. It will not, however, be compatible with the IEC bus.
Its default operating system will be Forth, but it will be able to be replaced with anything you want post-boot.