What is it?

This RC2014 compatible board provides a Z80 CPU, 512KB of bankable RAM, and RTC in a single slot. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the z80ctrl board (also available in my store), which provides bootloader, debugger, and I/O device services to the Z80 CPU on this board.

Why did you make it?

I put together this kit based on J.B. Langston's design (and with his blessing) because I wanted to make this card more accessible to those not willing or able to source the parts themselves.

What makes it special?

The most compelling aspect of this board is that it provides 512K of RAM on a consolidated board with the Z80 CPU, plus a RTC! By consolidating these features into your board, you RC2014 backplane has more open slides for other boards.

Special Notes

This board is intended for use with the z80ctrl board and consolidates a Z80 CPU, 512KB of bankable RAM, and RTC in a single slot. This board is not usable without the z80ctrl board to initialize the RAM and serve as a bridge from the Z80 to the RTC.

The following parts are included in this kit:

It's important to note that his kit does not include a battery for the RTC. If you wish to install one, a 1216 coin battery is recommended.

This card works in combination with the z80ctrl board (available here). This board, like the z80ctrl, requires a RC2014 extended bus backplane to work. Note that the RC2014 Pro backplane does not by default connect the user lines on the extended bus. This board requires the user lines connected for the RTC to work properly. If you have the RC2014 Pro backplane, you will need to add sockets for the user lines. Other backplanes that fully populate sockets for the user lines, such as Stephen Cousins's SC112, will work great with this card. Alternatively, you can chose to not install the RTC chip and thus not require the user lines on the backplane.