In this video, I will be building and reviewing one of the most controversial computers ever built. It is the Talking Electronics Microcomp. The Microcomp is the 3-Chip Z80 single-board computer that was to revolutionise the way we use computers in the '80s. But it was a bit of a flop. On top of this, the creator Colin Mitchell seems to have built this computer to 'outdo' one of his own products! The more successful TEC Z80 computer.
I have revised the board and gone through its history of it, building it and how it works. You can now build your own board if you like!
You can now purchase one (or 5) of these boards. Simple order one from PCBWay. https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/The_Talking_Electronics_Microcomp_V2_09a890f8.html
To complement this video, go to the project page at https://github.com/bchiha/microcomp. You will find all the information you need to build your own.
I would like to thank Colin Mitchell and Scott Faulkner for assisting with this build.
00:00 Intro
00:50 History of the Microcomp
02:17 Why did I start this project?
02:52 Designing the board
04:54 Things to note when assembling the board
08:53 Assembling the board
09:41 First look and how to use the computer
10:36 Demonstrating the Lower ROM programs
13:59 Using the onboard Probe
15:24 Initial summary and expandability
17:30 My Upper ROM Code and usage
20:44 My final review
22:49 Thank you and building your own
24:07 A computer "before its time"
Links:
Project Page: https://github.com/bchiha/microcomp
Colin Mitchell's Site: http://www.talkingelectronics.com/te_interactive_index.html
TEC Computer Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tec1z80