Well, the search for a 6502 type kit could be endless, sad to say but true. Consider how many products have been designed around the 6502 since the release of the chip.
Not to throw cold water on the initial post, but taking a closer look at the links (and others also noted similar concerns):
- Ben Eater's offering has been beaten to death here... so no need to start again on it
- The PE6502 - nice overall setup, but are they still making it?
- Smarty Kit - kind of pricey, as it's a very fancy breadboard offering (and a PCB version. Once you build it, then what?
- PAL-1 - Another take on a KIM type clone, which requires the 6532 chip, not easily available and low clock speeds are it. Also not currently available.
- Vicky Twenty - sorry, this is not a kit. This is replacement PCB for the ending cost reduced Commodore Vic-20. You need the Vic-20 ROMs and the 6560/6561 Video chip to make it work... plus the Vic-20 keyboard. Buy a working Vic-20, done.
- The Dodo... I remember when that was being done... nice bit of kit overall.
The problem with most of these kits, is they basically attempt to recreate an early retro machine, hence they have most, if not all, of the same limitations from the early days. If they're using vintage parts as well, they suffer from poor availability and very low clock speeds as well... and very small memory footprints. Not that there's anything wrong with the approach, but is that really advantageous based on what can be done with the current WDC W65C02S and other current parts??
I think the majority of folks that arrive here are in the process of trying to design and build a 6502 based system.... many know what their goal is, others no clue and fishing for a starting point. Others think they know what they want, but armed with little to no knowledge are trying to create a monster system by cut & paste from multiple disparate designs, which obviously doesn't work.
I think the biggest problem with attempting to come up with a simple (6502) kit gets down to, what can it do out of the box (so to speak), what else can someone do with it, and/or can it be easily expanded to add more hardware to make it more useful... understanding that, what might be useful to one end-user could be completely meaningless to another end-user. This becomes more of the issue that prevents a common entry level system that most might find enjoyable and possibly learn enough to make it worthwhile and then want to do more... which leans into becoming a hobby.
The basic advice I would give to a newbie is simple...
- First, it's not going to be as simple or as cheap as you think.
- Second, be prepared to get some test equipment, assembly tools and a programmer at a minimum.
- Third, if you don't know what you want initially, look at what others have created for ideas.
- Fourth, if you want to have a working project on the first try, use a proven design and build it (or possibly buy one from the person who designed it if possible).
Just getting started, learning to solder (if you don't already know how), acquiring some tools and test equipment and gaining some basic knowledge and skills will take time. Having a working system to start with will allow you to do some programming and get more involved with the overall process. Then you can possibly add more hardware and write the software to make it work, or branch out and design and build something of your own, once you understand more about a working system and why it works.
Again, just my $0.02, which, with current inflation, seems more like $0.002
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
