Too Cool For 8-bit Retro? Try 1-bit Gaming
While the world has been racing for bigger and larger little bit counts for CPUs, there are often these that buck the trend. Think about the venerable Motorola MC14500B, a 1-little bit CPU, no kidding. [Usagi Electric] created up a pc dependent on a single of these chips applying a breadboard but has considering that pulled it apart to use the breadboard for other points. So this time, he’s made a lasting model on a PCB and established a very simple match to exhibit it off. You can see the outcome in the video underneath.
Effectively, the chip experienced one particular bit in the datapath. It did not have any memory, but it did have a way to feed it 4-bit recommendations, and, as you could possibly guess, there have been 16 alternatives for directions. The chip was meant to switch industrial controllers exactly where even a PLC may well be overkill, and evidently, it did see some use in the authentic earth.
The board was produced to appear like a period-ideal board. There are thick and curvy traces, widely divided, and there’s no solder mask, either. The finished board appears to be excellent and could easily go for a 1970s-era enhancement board. There were a number of difficulties with the unique board, but it all labored out in the close.
We know the minor CPU confirmed up on at least a person academic board. Though you may possibly imagine acquiring a compact CPU is a downside, it is not if you are making an attempt to establish it applying tubes.
