Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!jpq From: jpq@laue.ms.nwu.edu (John P. Quintana) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: Search for a Microprocessor Message-ID: <1991Mar5.172506.13449@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> Date: 5 Mar 91 17:25:06 GMT References: <8661.27cc7da1@jetson.uh.edu> <4660006@hpfcdc.HP.COM> Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mr. News) Organization: Northwestern University, Mat. Sci. X-ray Lab Lines: 16 Nntp-Posting-Host: ewald.ms.nwu.edu In article <4660006@hpfcdc.HP.COM> kingdom@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Mike Kingdom) writes: >>Unless this is intended as a learning project, consider using a "toy" >>personal computer... something like a Commodore Vic 20 would be perfect. > >Not only that, but you could pick up an IBM XT motherboard for $30 surplus >to use as the central processor. Then you could do the development on a >PC, test it on a PC, etc, then burn a ROM for the $30 mother board. That >would limit your hardware development and testing to the extra control >devices you were getting from Radio Shack. Just a thought.... If you decide to go this route, you can even get the listing for a ROM bios from simtel since you will need to set up the DMA stuff to do memory refresh. Many ROM bios's will not work if they do not see a keyboard attached. - John