Rumbledethumps' Picomputer 6502 Gets a Major Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W Upgrade, Adds Wi-Fi Connectivity

Pseudonymous maker and vintage computing enthusiast "Rumbledethumps" has announced a major upgrade for their Picomputer 6502 retro-styled build-it-yourself microcomputer: a drop-in upgrade that adds Wi-Fi connectivity, courtesy of a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W microcontroller board.

"The RP6502 Interface Adapter W (RIA W) is a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W running the RP6502-RIA-W firmware," Rumbledethumps explains of the upgrade. "The RIA W provides all the features of the RP6502-RIA plus integrated wireless services. [This] means your 6502 can be connected to the internet. With this update, you can do something you probably haven't done in 30 years: connect to a BBS [Bulletin Board System]."

Rumbledethumps' Picomputer 6502 started life as a breadboard build before later being upgraded to single-board computer status, designed as a Commodore 64-inspired project for vintage computing fans and powered by the combination of a MOS Technology 6502 — in the form of Western Design Center's modern equivalent, the W65C025 — and a Raspberry Pi Pico board with its RP2040 dual-core microcontroller as an "interface adapter," plus a second to act as an optional graphics card if desired.

It's this Raspberry Pi Pico-powered "RP6502 Interface Adapter (RIA)" which Rumbledethumps has upgraded, taking the original firmware and porting it to the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W. While that also increases its CPU performance and available memory, there's a more important feature that makes the upgrade worthwhile: the presence of a Wi-Fi radio.

This, Rumbledethumps explains, can connect the Picomputer 6502 to a local Wi-Fi network and, from there, to the internet. While you're not going to be able to run a web browser on the gadget, you can synchronize the system clock and emulate a modem connection — meaning you can "dial in" to internet-connected bulletin board systems and chat like it's the 1980s all over again.

The RP6502-RIA-W is detailed on the Picocomputer 6502 website; instructions on building a Picocomputer 6502 or upgrading an existing unit to the RP6502-RIA-W are also available on the same site.