Difference between revisions of "Almost as Simple as Possible (8-bit CPU)"
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I was toying around with the idea of starting a series of PCB's putting the different modules together. This idea was/is attractive to me but the problem is that the old TTL/CMOS logic chips are getting quite expensive and some are hard to get. | I was toying around with the idea of starting a series of PCB's putting the different modules together. This idea was/is attractive to me but the problem is that the old TTL/CMOS logic chips are getting quite expensive and some are hard to get. | ||
| − | + | Fortunately, a third option presented itself, when I got my hands on a [[Colorlight-I5]] [[FPGA]]. | |
Revision as of 04:32, 22 November 2022
About 6 years ago (at the time of writing), Ben Eater started a series of Youtube videos (see here, where he is building a very simple (but complete) 8 bit computer on a breadboard using almost exclusively discrete logic chips. Since then, this simple design has attracted a huge following and a lot of people have developed something similar. It has even gotten to a point where the original design has gotten itself a name - most people call it SAP-1 (Simple as Possible) although I don't think Ben Eater ever used that name himself.
I can not stress enough how big an inspiration those videos has been to me (and if you have not watched them, quit reading this page and go watch them now) and ever since watching them I have wanted to build one myself. However, I absolutely hate breadboards with a vengeance, so building SAP-1 on a breadboard was for me never a real option.
I was toying around with the idea of starting a series of PCB's putting the different modules together. This idea was/is attractive to me but the problem is that the old TTL/CMOS logic chips are getting quite expensive and some are hard to get.
Fortunately, a third option presented itself, when I got my hands on a Colorlight-I5 FPGA.