Zeal 8-bit Computer complete edition is finally here! 3D printed enclosure available!
Designed by Zeal8bit in China
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A modern 8-bit computer, powered by a real Z80 processor. Not a microcontroller, nor an emulator!
Zeal 8-bit Computer complete edition is finally here! Enjoy a modern retro-computing experience thanks to Zeal 8-bit Computer and its unique VGA video card! The project Zeal 8-bit Computer started i…
Read More…Enjoy a modern retro-computing experience thanks to Zeal 8-bit Computer and its unique VGA video card!
The project Zeal 8-bit Computer started in early 2021. Its goal is to make a complete homebrew 8-bit computer that keeps the same simplicity of retro microcomputers, like the Commodore 64 or the ZX Spectrum, while providing more recent features like VGA graphics, TF card support or NOR flash storage.
This complete pack represents the first finalized version of Zeal 8-bit Computer, it contains the Zeal 8-bit Computer motherboard, based on a real Z80, the Zeal 8-bit Video board, based on an FPGA, and a 3D printed PLA or white resin case(optional).
The project has already gathered a community of more than 100 people in the Discord server. Feel free to join the community to get support, to propose some ideas, to help with the software or simply to discuss with people passionate about retro-computing and Zeal 8-bit computer.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zeal8bit
Discord: https://discord.gg/CtyGsSkzDY
Github: https://github.com/Zeal8bit
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeal8bit.
If you want to learn more on Zeal 8-bit computer project, you can check the dedicated Tindie page. There, you will find more info about the specifications, the features, the components and the software.
You can also refer to the official documentation for the technical details of the hardware: docs.zeal8bit.com
You will also find some explanations and details on my official website and my Youtube channel Zeal8bit
To get more info about the Zeal 8-bit Video Board, you can check the official Getting started guide, or the the dedicated Getting Tindie Page.
By ordering this product, you will get:
Please note that the following is not included: USB Power supply, required for powering the whole computer. A 5V phone charger is enough. USB-to-UART adapter, not strictly required, convenient if you need to transfer data from/to another computer
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Zilog Z80 @ 10MHz |
| MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) | ~1.45 |
| Primary Read-Only Memory (ROM) | 256KB (NOR Flash), upgradeable up to 512KB, flashable from the bootloader |
| Secondary Read-Only Memory (ROM) | 32KB (I²C EEPROM), writable from Zeal 8-bit OS |
| Memory (RAM) | 512KB |
| Logical address space size | 64K (16-bit) |
| Physical address space size | 4MB (22-bit) |
| Keyboard interface | PS/2, compatible with 104-key keyboards |
| Real-Time Clock | ✓ |
| Inputs/Outputs | User port: including I²C, UART, and GPIOs; Extension port; Video card connector; PS/2 port |
| Peripherals | Game controllers, video cards, audio cards, keypads, cartridges, compact flash, ... |
| Dimensions | 15mm x 10mm (5.91 in x 3.94 in) |
| Power input | 5V, 500mAh through USB-C |
| Features | Details | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Video | Resolutions | 640x480, 320x240 |
| Color depth | 16-bit, RGB565 | |
| Video RAM | ~80KB of internal memory, no need for external RAM! | |
| Memory | 128KB of mapped memory (check memory mapping below) | |
| Text mode | 80x40 characters, wrapped when scrolled 40x20 characters, showing hidden characters when scrolled | |
| 16 colors per character, for both foreground and background, taken from a palette | ||
| 8x12px per character | ||
| Font Table of 256 characters, 12 bytes per characters, customizable at runtime | ||
| Hardware cursor, scroll, wait-on-newline support | ||
| Graphics mode | Virtual resolution of 1280x640, only 640x480 or 320x240 can be visible at once | |
| Hardware scrolling to show hidden parts | ||
| Color palette (RGB565 colors) usable as a single 256-color palette or 16 16-color palettesPalette customizable at runtime | ||
| 16x16px tiles, 8bpp or 4bpp | ||
| 640x480px resolution, 40x30 tiles visible on screen320x240px resolution, 20x15 tiles visible on screen | ||
| Up to 256 different tiles on screen at the same time in 8bpp mode (256-color palette)Up to 512 different tiles on screen at the same time in 4bpp mode (16 16-color palette) | ||
| One background layer, one foreground layer with transparency in 8bpp modeSingle layer in 4bpp mode | ||
| Sprites | 128 hardware sprites, up to 40 sprites per scanline | |
| 16x16px tiles, taken from the same tileset than the other layers | ||
| Flip X and flip Y supported | ||
| Can be hidden behind foreground layer in 8bpp mode | ||
| Can be partially hidden in the screen borders | ||
| Audio | PSG | 4 voices |
| Each voice can generate triangle waves, sawtooth waves, squares waves or noise | ||
| Sample table | 256-byte sample table to generate arbitrary sound | |
| Configurable sample rate | ||
| SPI | TF Card | Interface up to 25MHz, configurable |
| Hardware FIFO | ||
| Miscellaneous | Recovery mode, to be able to upgrade the firmware from the 8-bit computer | |
| Modular memory mapping thanks to configuration registers | ||
| Hardware v-blank interrupt line | ||
| Hardware general purpose interrupt line (unused for now) |
The computer comes pre-installed with the latest version of Zeal 8-bit OS, which is 100% open-source and entirely written in assembly. Check the official Github page for more info: https://github.com/Zeal8bit/Zeal-8-bit-OS.
The computer also comes pre-installed with the latest version of Zeal 8-bit Bootloader, which is also 100% open-source and entirely written in assembly. It lets you boot different operating systems, without the need to reflash the ROM (NOR Flash).
Moreover, it also lets you reflash the ROM and the Video Board firmware (FPGA) without the need for any external flasher!
Check the official Github repository of Zeal 8-bit Bootloader project.
Here are some of my Youtube videos show the capabilities of the video board:
The project has already gathered a community of more than 100 people in the Discord server. Feel free to join the community to get support, to propose some ideas, to help with the software or simply to discuss with people passionate about retro-computing and Zeal 8-bit computer.
You can choose your favorite custom 3D printed case
Buy with confidence.
Our Tindie Guarantee protects your purchase from fraud. Learn More
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