The Really Old-School Company Launches Rosco_m68k, the Retro Motorola-Powered Single-Board Computer
Powered by a Motorola 68010, the rosco_m68k is designed to be friendly to both beginners and seasoned hackers alike.
Ross Bamford's Really Old-School Company has launched a new single-board computer designed with the vintage computing enthusiast in mind: the rosco-m68k, based around Motorola's 68010 processor.
"The rosco_m68k is a self-build Motorola 68k computer designed for experimentation, education and hacking," Bamford writes of the design. "Featuring a 68010 16/32-bit processor running at 8MHz, 1MB RAM, 16kB ROM and advanced IO capabilities thanks to the on-board MC68901 Multi-Function Peripheral, the rosco_m68k is easy to build and lots of fun to hack on.
"And with our open source serial firmware, Easy68K-compatible IO and simple starter projects for your own code, the rosco_m68k is ready to run your programs just as soon as you've soldered it up!"
In addition to the CPU, ROM, and RAM, the rosco-m68k includes five interrupt-capable general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins, two on-board interrupt-capable timers, an expansion connector which supports both newly-designed hardware and peripherals made for the original MC6800 family, and bundled example programs along with quick-start source code.
"The rosco_m68k is designed to be easy to solder, and no special skills or equipment are needed! All-through-hole design, only basic soldering skills required. 4-layer PCB so there's plenty of space around components, no fiddly bits. High-quality solder mask and tented vias reduce the risk of hard-to-spot bridges. Fully-socketed option at checkout to eliminate the risk of heat-damage to the ICs."
The rosco_m68k is available in a variety of forms, from a bare PCB to a full kit of parts - though, Bamford warns, shipments of kits including the CPU are delayed after stock was discovered to be counterfeit. Whichever version is purchased, buyers will also need a USB to serial adapter, USB to Dupont power cable, multimeter, EEPROM programmer if pre-programmed ROM and glue logic parts aren't included, and optionally a microcontroller, breadboard, and logic analyser.
More information on the SBC can be found on the rosco_m68k Hackaday.io project page, while design files and source code are available under permissive licences on the project's GitHub repository. The kit itself can be purchased from The Really Old-School Company's Tindie store, starting at $40 PCB-only and rising to $139 for a full kit of parts plus bundled USB to serial adapter.