What is it?

A set of 9 boards to build the MSX2014, see my project on Hackaday. 6 are my own design. This set includes OS boards for the AY module, TMS module and Keyboard.

Why did you make it?

I believed that I could build a real-hardware MSX1-compatible computer using RC2014 as a starting point. See my Hackaday logs for details.

What makes it special?

The modular design has the advantage of being modular, so there are many options within the MSX2014 project, plus the option to use many of the add-on RC2014 modules or design further modules for this computer using the RCBus. It's not the most compatible way to build an MXS, plus it's MSX1-compatible. For MSX2 or MSX2+ compatibility, see Dino's yellow-board MSX project or the Omega MSX project. But it does have the modularity and RC2014-compatibility. If you already have a backplane-based RC2014 then you already have some of what you need. This selection of boards includes the tape module and cartridge module. This means that you can boot into BASIC and load / save your own programs or load .cas files (to/from real tape or pc/phone playing wav). You can burn a cartridge ROM and use the cartridge module to load games and programs instantly. Some caveats to note:

• This project uses Ed Brindley's R6 YM/AY module, and J B Langston's TMS9918A module, I'm supplying these boards (and selling the assembled modules separately) with the kind permission of these gentlemen.
• This is not the most compatible or the cheapest way to build an MSX computer, but it does have the advantages already mentioned
• To complete the project using these PCBs you will need some chips that are no longer in production. The TMS video chip is still easy and cheap to get. The 82C55A has only recently gone out of production so there's still plenty of stock. The YM/AY is not so easy. You can find them reasonably easily but they're not likely to be new chips even if the seller claims so.
• See my other listings for AY module, PPI module and TMS module, assembled and tested.
• This set of boards includes a board for the keyboard from the Omega project which gives you a very nice mechanical keyboard that works beautifully with this project. I have developed a USB keyboard adaptor which may be cheaper than building a mech keyboard but does use a microcontroller and has some compromises on the keystrokes (eg F9 and F10 are used for select and stop). Talk to me if you're interested in that option.
• The project requires a RC2014 backplane. It's possible to use a standard (non-enhanced) RC2014 backplane. The pictures show the computer built using an 8-slot backplane. This is only possible if using my 'spacesaver' clock/CPU/reset module instead of separate CPU and clock modules. And it doesn't allow for the cartridge and tape modules to remain plugged in at the same time. (You'll only use one or the other at any one time). So a 12-slot 'Pro' backplane is better. If you don't have a backplane, both of these are available from z80kits.com
• You will need a ROM programmer for the BIOS/BASIC ROM and any cartridge ROMs that you want to use.