homebrew 'puter project (was: 8008?

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: homebrew 'puter project (was: 8008?
>   From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
>   Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 12:13:15 -0800
>     To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>On 11/16/2005 at 1:34 PM Allison wrote:
>
>
>>Unless it gets crazy I tend to do that.  Create a parallel interface with
>>a protocal to talk over it to a slave and let the slave do the grunt work.
>>Did that back around 81 for the first time using 8085 and 8035 and found
>>it nice to have a limited IO on the host yet get good performance.  Now
>>with AVR, PIC and others it's pretty reasonable.  Just let it interrupt 
>>the host when there's something for it or when done. 
>
>Of course, since a PC has all of the I/O support needed, one could simply
>let it be the I/O servicer.
>
>That way, if a problem with the homebrew box came up, the homebrew hardware
>could be emulated on the PC.  One could even cut down on construction and
>debugging time by simply sticking the necessary components into a
>prototyping PCB, skipping the nasty wiring stage just adding an illuminated
>LED on the board (blink if you want) and emulate the whole lashup on the
>PC.
>
>Sort of like sitting behind the wheel of a car with the engine turned off,
>saying "vroom, vrooooom".
>
>:)
>
>--Chuck

;)

I reject that for only one reason.  The PC is too big and power hungry.
I'm up for gutting an old laptop and using the battery, keyboard and 
display.  Oh and the hinge.  :)

Allison