In this post, I build a Micro 8088, a new XT compatible single board computer designed by Sergey Kiselev Previously I’ve built the RC-2014, Zeta 2, and Xi 8088, so when this new Micro 8088 design form Sergey Kiselev became available, I jumped at the chance to build this one too. In function, the Micro …
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8-Bit ISA EMS Board / Flash Disk Board
In this post, I create an 8-bit ISA board that can be used either as expanded memory (EMS) or as a flash disk: Motivation The motivation for this project came from a Boca Start Card that I owned back in the late 80s or early 90s. The Boca Start Card was one of the first …
Read MorePS2-TTLSerial Adapter for RC2014 and MIDI
In this post, I build a PS/2 Keyboard to TTLSerial Adapter Motivation The original reason for this project is that I wanted to build a standalone RC2014 with keyboard and display. There is an official RC2014 serial keyboard, but I find it a little inconvenient for my big fingers and poor eyesight. I have plenty …
Read MoreRaspberry Pi Midi Hat / Building a Raspberry Pi Midi Jukebox
In this post, I build a Midi Hat and Jukebox using the Raspberry Pi Motivation I picked up a Roland SC-55 to use with my retrocomputer setup recently, and I figured it would be cool to turn the thing into a standalone midi jukebox, so that no “computer” is required. I also figured this would …
Read MoreVintage MIDI: Roland MT-32, Roland SC-55, HardMPU, and an Xi 8088
In this post, I build a HardMPU board and use it to add midi capability to my Xi 8088 home built PC Background Midi stands for “music instrument digital interface”, and is a relatively simple protocol for controlling musical instruments. A midi controller can be a computer, or a keyboard, a sequencer, or any other …
Read MoreDIY ISA Game Control Adapter with Parallel IO
In the post, I build an ISA Game Control Adapter with some optional Parallel IO. [No video yet; not sure I’m going to do one, but here’s the picture] Motivation My Xi 8088 homebuilt PC is running a little short on slots, so I wanted to combine the functions of a game control adapter and …
Read MoreCTS256A-AL2 Text-To-Speech Board
In this post, I buld a board that uses the CTS256A-AL2 text to speech and SP0256A-AL2 speech synthesizer chips: Why? “Why? ” seems like a good question to ask. I’ve been working with vintage speech synthesizer ICs lately, and you see the CTS256A-AL2 appear on eBay from time to time. The CSS256A-AL2 is not a …
Read MorePorting from Vonage to Google Voice, 2017
I thought I’d share my experience. I basically followed what other people suggested, Purchase an AT&T pay-as-you-go sim card kit (https://www.att.com/cellphones/prepaidphones/sim-card-kit-phone-prepaid.html). During the ordering process there will be an option to port a number to the sim card. Select that option and enter your Vonage details. You’ll need to know your Vonage Account Number (this …
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