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Homebrew 68000-based Computer Build

posted by LaminatorX on Friday February 21 2014, @01:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the I-don't-care,-I'm-still-free.-You-can't-take-the-garage-from-me dept.

demonlapin writes:

"Brian Benchoff at Hackaday has an ambitious new project: a homebrew computer based not on a classic 8-bit processor like the Z80 or 6502, but on the 16-bit Motorola 68000. It's a backplane-based machine with wire-wrapped connections planned. His first summary post is here. Blinkenlights are planned."

[ED Note: With so much commercially available hardware getting more and more locked down, projects like this are a good reminder of what is possible for a dedicated enthusiast.]

 
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  • (Score: 1) by darinbob on Friday February 21 2014, @07:47PM

    by darinbob (2593) on Friday February 21 2014, @07:47PM (#4609)

    While it did not have 8 bit instructions it did have many 16 bit instructions. However for comparison with other CPUs it was considered very compact for its time. 8-bit only machines do often have smaller code, however this is often because the application itself has much more limited use. Ie, to add two 32-bit numbers on an 8-bit machine will take more bytes of instructions than it would on a 68000.

    8-bit computers were really restricted to hobbyists, calculators, peripherals, and stuff like that. Professional general purpose computers at that time were commonly using 16, 32, or even 36 bit CPUs.