68000 single-board retro-computing project
Designs and code related to the Motorola 68000 microprocessor.
Building the project hardware
- Order the board
- Order the parts from the bill of materials (BOM)
- Order the two FT232 USB -> serial breakout boards
- Order the chip sockets:
| Layout | Qty | Width (inches) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIP-8 | 1 | 0.3 | For the 555 |
| DIP-14 | 17 | 0.3 | For a lot |
| DIP-16 | 8 | 0.3 | For even more |
| DIP-24 | 2 | 0.6 | Double width: for serial interface |
| DIP-28 | 8 | 0.6 | Double width: for RAM & ROM |
| DIP-64 | 1 | 0.9 | Triple width: for CPU. |
The DIP-64 can be a little hard to obtain, you could cut DIP-40 sockets to same effect. However, it's inadvisable to directly solder the CPU directly to the board. If the heat damages the chip, there's 64 pins to de-solder.
- Solder in the sockets. Applying some soldering flux can be of great help: the IC soldering pads are tiny, mainly to save space on the board.
- Solder in the rest of the components
- Flash the ROM chips
- Fit all ICs into their sockets
- Connect power (preferably through a lab bench power supply)
- Connect a PC to the board through USB
- Watch it boot
- Have some retro-computing fun!