Backplane 5 motherboard for RC2014 mini - Z80 Homebrew Computer
Backplane 5 motherboard for RC2014 mini - Z80 Homebrew Computer

I just received my RC2014 Pro computer kit. It was well packaged in a box about the size of a book. Everything inside is organized and well protected. It is not just a box of parts. The kit is totally complete. I was surprised that there is even a compact flash memory card included. That is quite an expense part. The kit would have still been a good value without the memory chip. Now it is on to construction.

Ordering and delivery was a dream - despatch was almost instantaneous, and arrived safely in Austria a few days later. I'd say this kit is not for the novice. You need to figure out quite a few component placements and values for yourself with the aid of the mostly comprehensive documentation on the RC2014 website, and definitely aren't walked through construction step by step. Figuring things out is part of the fun anyway, right?

That said, construction is not difficult due to the modular nature of the computer. Some boards are trickier than others and the backplane is an excellent exercise in soldering practice as it involves about 600 joints, but once it's done you have a beautiful little machine that drips with potential for fun Z80-mungous fun. I mean, it runs CP/M and you can play Zork on it. How cool is that?

It would be nice to have a proper addressable video card in order to play with graphics, but other than that pretty much everything you need is right here.

The 512k ROM 512k RAM RomWBW Module for RC2014 is a very good kit, well thought out and easy to put together.

Thank you Semachthemonkey

I'm glad I finally treated myself to this kit, despite not yet having ironed out the issues I was having with my entirely unrelated Spectrum clone build. For a fully-functional 8-bit micro, the RC2014 is pretty simple, very reminiscent of the Z80 breadboards we built when I was a youth. All required parts were supplied, instructions were clear, and the modular design makes for a kit you can build when you've got spare cycles and still feel like you're making progress. Worked first time I powered it up, and I feel like design and quality are key contributors to a successful build. I had some difficulties with the optional Raspberry Pi terminal module, which were largely due to USB keyboard compatibility -- the vendor was friendly and helpful, and there's a useful RC2014 community out there, too. I've already collected a handful of optional and 3rd party modules and a 3rd party backplane to build, too, when I get some more of that spare time.