What is it?

This is the backplane for the Planck 6502 computer system.

A backplane is basically just a passive board that links other boards that provide actual functionality together.

This one is a bit special, because it also contains the reset circuit, an oscillator for the main clock, as well as address decoding to enable or disable slots according to what the code does.

You will need at least two addon cards to make it work: - the CPU board that hosts the 65C02 CPU, RAM and ROM - an output board, either a serial board to communicate over serial or the planned VGA board to output directly to a screen.

Instead of this product, I now recommend you get the complete expandable computer. It will be cheaper than getting the backplane and the minimum two extra boards you will need, as well as giving 2 more expansion slots for experimentation or to buy more expansion cards from my store ;)

Why did I make it?

I made this because I like going back to the roots of computing, but I wanted more performance than what the original 6502 computers offered. They ran at 1 MHZ, whereas this one runs at 12 MHz!

I used a backplane because this allows for easier experimentation compared to a single board with everything on it. You can mix and match boards according to your needs, and maybe why not design and build your own boards!

What does it come with ?

The backplane comes complete with the sockets for the extension boards, the socket for the address decoding chip, and the chip itself, already programmed. Also included in the box are the oscillator, all capacitors, resistors and LEDs you'll need, two push button for reset and NMI, as power switch, a micro usb plug and two small ICs for poweron reset and NMI.

Who is it for ?

This project is not for soldering beginners. It includes surface mount components, and while they can be soldered by hand, you will need at least some soldering experience to be able to build the kit.

Otherwise, if you have an intereset in retro computing but are bored by your commodore 64, I can't recommend this enough.

Some knowledge of 6502 assembly language will also be useful, although it's a fairly simple language with a great community, so it should be quick enough to pickup.