Stephen C Cousins

2,911 orders since Sep 20, 2018

Stowmarket, Suffolk, United Kingdom

Ships from United Kingdom.

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Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (4.96)

Documentation: (4.89)

Shipping: (4.89)

Communication: (4.91)

All Reviews

Vassilios | Oct. 3, 2023

SC114 feedback

For SC114 RCBus-40pin Z80 SBC/Motherboard Kit

Very happy with this motherboard kit. Arrived quickly, securely packaged; excellent documentation on website and superb support by Steve. Kit easy to build and using SCM adds a lot of value to the board.

David | Oct. 1, 2023

I'm Obsessed with Small Computer Central!

For SC717 RCBus-80pin Z80 PIO Module Kit

The seller is an amazing computer architect with cutting edge designs. The kits are straight-forward, thoroughly documented, and extremely fun to solder together. I could easily spend much more on Lego and end up with no computers at the end of the project, haha.

I keep coming back for both backplanes and peripherals as previous builds lead me to deeper understanding, unlocking the skill to use new modules. The PIO module is no exception to the modernized, streamlined, and extraordinarily well thought out collection of tools represented by Small Computer Central.

The fact that I can only solder each board one time means I'll be coming back for almost every component available just for meditative solder projects; and I'm sure I'll have similarly glowing reviews for all of them, given my experience with the systems so far.

As I mentioned to the seller, the latest models in the SC700 and SC500 lines have silk screens that are pretty much completely self-documenting at this point; improving on earlier models like the SC140, an already magnificent Z180 SBC build for the Z50Bus backplanes.

David | Sept. 28, 2023

Don't leave home without it!

For SC716 RCBus-80pin Z80 SIO/2 Serial Module Kit

The silkscreen on this board really makes it stand out, as everything you need to see is clearly labeled. There is a high level of versatility that allows you to customize if and how you want your serial device to interface with the RCBus backplane. This strikes me as useful for projects where other peripherals may need to take advantage of a serial connection.

I've used RC2014 Extended Bus SIO/2 modules in the past and, while they function the more or less the same, the extra configurability of this 80-pin model and its well thought-out jumper options really impressed me.

David | Sept. 28, 2023

My favorite standalone Z80 module design yet.

For SC706 RCBus-80pin Z80 CPU Module Kit

The included clock and optional clock footprints are very much appreciated on this otherwise simple design. Reduces the need for a dedicated clock module but still allows for the use of one. Very fun design!

David | Sept. 28, 2023

The most informative power module I've met.

For SC526 Power and Reset Card Kit for Z50Bus

With four status lights and multiple power supply options, I find myself surprised at how much information it can provide about the system. Two lights are unlit during normal operation, but may become lit in certain error situations, which is useful when debugging dense assembly language or cryptic C code. I plan to collect all of SCCs power modules as I round out my collection.

David | Sept. 28, 2023

Maximum Versatility!

For SC707 RCBus-80pin Paged Memory Kit

This is the most advanced revision of a paged memory module I've seen, with a tremendous feature set and software controllable paging ports. I am in love with SCC designs! I've been able to port my favorite CollapseOS to SCC computers using this module.

David | Sept. 16, 2023

Maximum Interoperability!

For SC517 Modular Backplane Kit RC2014 to Z50Bus

This backplane is a must-have if you're working with multiple designs. The Z50Bus and RCBus 80-pin standards are long-needed conventions that really empowers the community to create interoperable hardware and drivers. I am ecstatic to have this board which gives me full access to every piece of hardware I own from every modular computer I own.

David | Sept. 16, 2023

Another excellent backplane by SCC!

For SC723 RCBus-80pin Backplane Kit

I really love this little backplane. It's perfect for a compact, z180 system with a small footprint yet complete feature set. Very easy to assemble.

Mogens | July 19, 2023

Excellent Z80 computer

For SC720 RCBus-80pin Z80 RomWBW CP/M Motherboard

This kit is an excellent, classic Z80 computer! It runs lots of software, including standalone BASIC and FORTH, two machine code monitors, and the classic OS’es CP/M 2.2, Z-System, and CP/M 3 - aka CP/M Plus.

Shipping is fast, and the kit arrives neatly packaged in a very compact cardboard box/envelope. Steve’s kits are always very high quality, and this one is no exception. I have bought and built several of the SC kits before and never had any issues. I also think the price of this board makes it a very good deal.

The package includes a parts list in print, and on the website, you will find all the detailed documentation you need for building and using this kit. You must add the power supply and a Compact Flash (CF) card yourself, otherwise, everything is in the package. You can run the board without the CF, but then you have no external storage. I have successfully tested a cheap micro SD to CF card adapter on the board, so that could be an option for you too.

I would say that you need “moderate/intermediate” soldering skills to build this kit; it’s not at all difficult, but there are many solder joints to do. If you follow the detailed assembly guide carefully, step by step, you won’t get lost in the process. Also, the PCB has a very nice layout, labeled with much detail as to which part goes where which is very helpful.

I like the RCBus which is compatible with RC2014 but adds enhancements. So there are lots of expansion boards compatible with the SC720, both from Steve and other sources as well. I like the use of a voltage regulator, providing a stable power supply for the board. The small LEDs with housing are a nice detail, adding to the good looks of the board.

In terms of software, the SC720 is well supported by two user-selectable flash ROMs, one with an excellent Monitor and BASIC, and the other one with RomWBW, which is a powerful set of tools, including CP/M. This software has been around for quite some time, and is very mature, stable and high quality; everything (HW+SW) is open source, thank you - this is great work crafted by some very enthusiastic people, highly appreciated. I mostly run CP/M 3 from Compact Flash, which just happens to be my personal preference.

The SC720 hardware and software offer many features, all integrated into one motherboard. If you like computing like in the ‘70s and ‘80s this is a good buy.

Conclusion: Highly recommended, high-quality kit!

Mleo | May 12, 2023

Easy to build, well documented kit

For SC130 RCBus-40pin RomWBW CP/M Computer Kit

I've been building kits for over a half century. Started with the venerable Heathkits and continued from there. This has to be the best engineered and documented kit I've ever laid my hands on. Ships in less than two weeks from the UK to the US, thanks to reliable Royal Mail.

Points to watch.
1) Care must be taken in bending the pins of the ICs so they snap into the sockets. Not so easy when you're a senior and your hands are not as steady as they once were.
2) USB ports on some laptops may not supply enough current to power the board reliably. Some Thinkpad models are notorious for this.
3) Be careful to supply 5v and only 5v through the barrel jack. 9v or 12v will damage the ICs and render the board inoperable. I made this mistake and had to replace chips, one by one, in order to restore the board to full function.

Richard | May 5, 2023

Purchased for a Minstrel 4D

For SC129 Digital I/O Module Kit for RC2014

I bought this as an expansion module for a Minstrel 4D.

Easy to assemble and worked first time.

Usual quick delivery and high quality product for this vendor.

Ricky | April 5, 2023

Great Prototype module!

For SC115 Breakout Module Kit for RC2014

Very easy to assemble. This is very versatile board that allows you to learn a lot about I/O, decoding, and programming.

Fernando | March 6, 2023

Great kit and great service

For SC126 RCBus Z180 SBC/Motherboard Kit

The SC126 is one of the best kits you can get if you want to start playing with a CP/M and a Z80 in general (ok, it's a Z180 and it only makes a lot of things simpler). It has everything you could ask for and then something extra, like the 8 diagnostic LEDs. Stephen did a great job designing it, and his attention also shows in the kit itself. It was neatly packed, the PCB labels are clear and helpfull and the instructions provided in his website are clear and thorough. I am now playing with a Z80 again after 35 years and it feels great.

Braden | Feb. 28, 2023

Really nice little backplane. Well thought out.

For SC513 Modular Backplane Kit for Z50Bus

This kit was well-packaged, complete, and the documentation on how to put it together was top notch. Really nice stuff, very impressive.

I was surprised in the end at how small a system can be. It's a cute little backplane that is exactly as functional as it needs to be. The DS1233 power-on reset chip is a nice added touch.

Braden | Feb. 28, 2023

Makes an otherwise complicated assembly easy

For SC504 Compact Flash Interface Kit for Z50Bus

This kit was well-packaged and complete. It includes the CompactFlash holder daughtercard.

It all went together very nicely, although it was a bit of a pain to have to remove the key on the CompactFlash connector. I ended up stabbing my finger with my Xacto knife.

But it's a nice slick little kit that takes the physical complexity out of dealing with the CF module. The address jumpers are nicely placed and offer nice flexiblity. And he makes a lot of nice software available online for getting going with the card.

Be sure and read Steve's notes online about high-speed CF cards.

Braden | Feb. 28, 2023

Great kit, excellent seller communication

For SC517 Modular Backplane Kit RC2014 to Z50Bus

This kit was well-packaged, complete, and the documentation on how to put it together was top notch. Really nice stuff, very impressive.

Braden | Feb. 28, 2023

Nice little kit

For SC510 Prototyping Card Kit for Z50Bus

This kit was well-packaged and complete. Simple board, but just what I needed. No assembly docs for this one, but none are needed since it's so simple. The rest of the docs are all there.

Braden | Feb. 28, 2023

Just the thing for solderless breadboard prototyping.

For SC512 Prototyping Breakout Card Kit for Z50Bus

This kit was well-packaged, complete, and the documentation on how to put it together was top notch. Really nice stuff, very impressive.

This is a well-thought-out card that makes it easy to prototype other modules on a breadboard, without having to worry about the interface logic. You can just use Dupont wires to jumper from this card to your breadboard.

Graham | Feb. 5, 2023

Excellent kit with great instructions

For SC126 RCBus Z180 SBC/Motherboard Kit

Total quality kit, super-well organised, and very clear. Stephen has obviously spent a great deal of thought, time and effort into every aspect of the kit from packaging, design, PCB layout/silkscreen, information, and documentation.
Spent a really fun day assembling the SC126, and am now computing like its 1983 :)

Edgar | Dec. 15, 2022

Great kit, fun to build and tinker with

For SC126 RCBus Z180 SBC/Motherboard Kit

I built this kit and I am enjoying it a lot! I have added a Pico VGA terminal and it is standalone now. I am teaching my kit how to program BASIC with it and he thinks it is funny :)

Very nice that it has the 8 leds built in which we can access via BASIC, I will use an expansion pcb to build some push buttons :)

Zachary | Nov. 15, 2022

Stands up to newbie beatings!

For SC510 Prototyping Card Kit for Z50Bus

This was the first prototyping board of any kind I have ever used and it was almost as easy as a breadboard! I used it to re-implement the RC2014 Picoterm board in a Z50 bus form factor and it worked first try. The board held up well to me needing to solder and de-solder repeatedly and all of the holes were centered and aligned. The only hiccup I ran into was that the markings saying which rows/columns were ground/5v were small and there were several times I soldered wires into them without realizing I had connected them to 5v or ground. I suspect that this is more from my inexperience than the fault of the card, and the picture in the listing and documentation showing which spots are 5v/ground is unambiguous and easy to read. Highly recommend!

Zachary | Nov. 15, 2022

Works well, with software that can use it!

For SC521 Z80 SIO Card Kit for Z50Bus

This card was a little harder to test than the others I had got for my system. Both ports showed up in RomWBW properly configured right away and the MODE program recognized both of them too but things like the TALK program had no way to interact with it. Having never used CP/M before I didn't realize that it didn't have the COM1, COM2, etc. naming convention that DOS had and instead has fixed names like TTY and UL1. Since I had gotten the Z180 processor card (SC503) that already had two serial ports on it I couldn't see a way to assign either port to one of the above names or use them directly. The documentation lists it as compatible with the SC503 but does specify that the software must be compatible to use the extra serial ports, so I thought I must just need to find some of that software.

This was a somewhat difficult hiccup to google because there's not a lot of information on CP/M and extra serial ports to begin with and none of the words involved in this problem are that unique. I eventually found a few threads on the google user group retro-comp that pointed me to a CP/M program called qterm that could use the higher numbered serial ports. The numbering for the serial ports under RomWBW is called their HBIOS unit number and appears when you start the computer. Once this program was configured and running they worked effortlessly.

A steep learning curve comes with the territory though and it works very well! I have it wired into a small board with a MAX232 chip to connect it to a RS232 device and it plays nice with that as well. Very satisfied and highly recommend!

Zachary | Oct. 4, 2022

Pretty Blinky Lights

For SC506 Digital I/O Card Kit for Z50Bus

This card is very straightforward, when the description says this card is easily controlled from programs or basic it means it! A single byte in memory can operate all of the inputs and outputs. Putting the card together was almost just as straightforward, and it was packaged and shipped securely. The LEDs are bright without being eye-searing, and it even comes with a test button as part of the board.

Zachary | Oct. 4, 2022

Excellent & Fun Computer Kit

For SC591 Z180 RomWBW CP/M Computer Kit for Z50Bus

I wanted to build a CP/M computer and package it all into a case with a terminal and selected this one to do it with. This was my first really complex soldering project and was worried about being out of my depth but the instructions, board, and packaging of supplies was clear and easy to follow. The only hiccup I ran into was that my cheap soldering iron didn't seem to output enough heat to easily solder the ground leads on the power plugs and it took some finessing to get an acceptable solder joint on them. Everything else joined cleanly and without issue, and this was with lead-free solder!

When turning it on for the first time it didn't do anything but that's because I forgot to set the jumpers! There is only a handful and the kit came with a printout describing the most common options for the included software. After putting these on it turned on first try and went straight to the software select menu. It has a version of RomWBW included that has a bunch of options. I was most interested in CP/M but the other options are nice, the machine language monitor in particular is great for testing since it only takes a few keystrokes to blink LEDs. CP/M works as expected and immediately detected the SD card. Getting it formatted took some effort but that's the name of the game with CP/M.

Documentation is all online on a website and it is worth it to read through, its not terribly long but it gets to the point and has everything you would want to know. No mystery jumpers or ambiguous headers! Lastly, I ran into some difficulties connecting this to a hardware terminal and the creator very kindly helped me narrow down the issue to a logic level shifter I was using. 11/10 communication.

Overall this was a great kit that made a beautiful computer. Highly recommend!

Huw | Sept. 13, 2022

Superb kit

For SC131 Pocket-sized Z180 RomWBW CP/M computer kit

This was great fun to put together, I built it over three evenings taking my time particularly in making sure the components that line up with case cut-outs were well positioned. The documentation is first rate, the design itself is very well thought-out, and the various test steps (from using a meter to watching the behaviour of the LEDs) build confidence as you go. There are some slightly fiddly parts around getting the board to fit into the case; if you have a dremel-type tool then it's a breeze to remove the required case pillar and shave away plastic to add a fraction more headroom for the SD card reader, though the "official" method of using a drill and cutters/knife would work too. I'd recommend this kit to any intermediate solderer/builder who wants a compact, attractive and well-specified Z80 system.

Randall | Aug. 17, 2022

Great board for adding functionality to my RC2014.

For SC145 RCBus-40pin Compact Flash Module Kit

Great simple kit that worked perfectly after building it.

Even got CP/M installed and running beautifully on it.

Great work again from Stephen.

Randall.

Randall | Aug. 17, 2022

Awesome little Z80 kit.

For SC114 RCBus-40pin Z80 SBC/Motherboard Kit

Great simple Z80 retro computer that was easy to build and a joy to get going.

It was as lucky door prize for retro computing fair we held in out local city and the eventually winner was excited to get it and learn about the world of Z80 computers.

Once more a beautiful bit of retro computing design.

Randall.

Ed | July 3, 2022

Not quite powerful enough to take you to the moon

For SC591 Z180 RomWBW CP/M Computer Kit for Z50Bus

Good stuff. I chose green because it is the most retro of all the colours. Clear instructions and no surprises during assembly meant I could bunk off work and put this together in an afternoon, plug in my SD card with FUZIX on it, and it all Just Works.

If I had a suggestion it would be, since there is a choice of backplanes and the module spacing varies, maybe it would make sense to include the module spacers with the backplane kit rather than with the card kits.

Terry | June 10, 2022

Bloody marvelous and great fun!

For SC503 Z180 Processor Card Kit for Z50Bus

Another excellent product from Stephen.

I think I've purchased pretty much every computer he's created. I look forward to more offerings!

William | June 7, 2022

Great kit and well documented

For SC130 RCBus-40pin RomWBW CP/M Computer Kit

I really enjoyed putting this together and, to my surprise, it worked on first power on! That is not a credit to my skill but rather Stephen's excellent documentation and build guide. You can build this in an evening and be running CP/M applications, just like the old days, in no time. I'm still figuring out the mechanics with the SD card and getting applications from around the web. I'm (re)learning lots! Shipping to Canada was reasonable and fast.

Mike | May 8, 2022

Blown Away: Fantastic Kit!

For SC130 RCBus-40pin RomWBW CP/M Computer Kit

Stephen, THANK YOU! The board is beautiful. The documentation is so amazing (even little "watch out!" tips. The kit was really easy to put together. Maybe an hour? It booted the first time! Within an hour I had WordStar up and running! So much fun. I have to admit, my CP/M skills are all but gone. But it was fun to reacquaint myself. Thank you for such an amazing kit at a really impressive price point. This is going to be a part of a display piece, featuring the 3 big early computer influences for me: Timex-Sinclair ZX80, your CP/M board (I had a Sanyo... doubt I'd find THAT!) and a PDP/8 (https://www.tindie.com/products/obso/pdp-8-replica-kit-the-pidp-8/). I learned so much from this project! Sill am!

Andy | May 7, 2022

great kit!

For SC203 RCBus Modular Z180 Computer Kit

The kit is fantastic, but what is really good is the help from Steve, who is totally patient and skilled. thank you!

Nicholas | April 27, 2022

Steller Kit

For SC126 RCBus Z180 SBC/Motherboard Kit

I've built a few of the Z*80 retro kits from various folks, and I have to say the kits of Stephen's I've built (SC126 + SC131) have been the best experience by far. Things that are awesome about his kits:

* Immaculate, sturdy and complete packaging. Very few parts floating around loose in bags, nothing missing.
* Great quality pcbs: very clear footprint labels and part numbers/values for every part.
* Great assembly instructions, including lots of multimeter tests along the way so you catch your soldering errors sooner rather than later.
* Tons of documentation via. his website.
* Helpful & quick tech support.

IMHO If you are going to pick a first Z*80 kit to build, his are the best.

The only suggestions I have for the SC126's successor would be:
* Label the pins on at least one of the headers for easier development / probing.
* Allow enough space around at least one of the ROMs to solder a ZIF socket directly to the. board. (though stacking the ZIF sockets works fine too)
* Unify the power busses - so that when you are powering via FTDI, you can still use the toggle switch.

David | April 26, 2022

Components for RC2014 and Z50Bus!

For Components for RCBus, RC2014 and Z50Bus

SC301 - Serial to USB adapter with cables, does exactly what it suppose to do, but a tad tricky to read the pin-outs!

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