Tindie

For SC128 Modular Backplane Kit for Z50Bus

Built as described ... well, something like that. Switched on - yes, I had to think about setting the jumpers and you should do that beforehand - but it works.
Hats off, because there is a lot of work in development, documentation and so on - and criticizing is quick. Very good job - what I can say about everything I bought here.
Gerd

Stephen | March 17, 2020

Very happy 😃

Excellent quality kit that went together with no problems. Highly recommended................................................................

Stephen | March 15, 2020

Great computer kit, highly recommended.

Product: Perfect for an easy-to-implement CP/M system. Single board design minimises the amount of soldering. High performance (by CP/M standards). Not so good if you need maximum expansion possibilities, but two expansion slots still provides a reasonable amount of leeway.
RomWBW is included which means bringing up a new system is very simple.

Shipping: Shipped the next day, small package sent through normal mail. Took about a week to reach Switzerland.

Documentation: The best!

Communications: First class. Steve Cousins helped me sort out several problems via his website email.

Vincenzo | March 13, 2020

Top-quality kit at an unbeatable price

For SC202 Boards for a flexible Z80 computer

The SC126 is one of the best amateur retrobrew kits available today. You get the full monty pack: a very high-quality kit, excellent documentation and build instructions (available from the constructor's website), and a quite powerful and extensible Z180 machine, which can run CP/M and FUZIX. And all of that at a very reasonable price, compared with all the other RC2014-compatible kits. Stephen is a very kind person, and replies to emails promptly.

This is probably not a kit for total beginners at soldering, since there are a few hundreds through-hole pins to solder, but it's definitely a very good option as your second project.

Matthew | March 9, 2020

Excellent Boards.

Easy to understand and easy to read. Good Durable builds for each board. Going to be a blast to build. Thank You!

George | March 4, 2020

A very excellent microcomputer

Everything was working perfect. The documentation was very detailed.
It reminds me my first single board microcomputer which was build around the SC/MP chip in 1980's
Thank you Steve!

Bill | March 3, 2020

SC130 RomWBW CP/M Computer Kit for RC2014

This amazing kit is a creation of Stephen Cousins.

In my opinion, the best that's available in it's class. It has a micro SD card for storage, enabling the user to read & write files to & from it.
You can run programs directly from the card with no issue.

The PCB has a small footprint. The kit is excellent for beginner (with supervision), to intermediate soldering ability. All components are through hole.
There is excellent documentation for parts checking included with the kit, with excellent documentation online.

Lastly, it is excellent value for money. Mine worked first go & I've been enjoying it's use ever since.

I highly recommend this kit.

Cheers & great job Stephen !!!

Bill

Francis | Feb. 25, 2020

Wonderful kit, documentation and support

This kit quality level is the highest you can imagine from a hobbyst. Documentation for assembling is precise and exhaustive, and Stephen is always willing to help.

To put this respectable and powerful Z-80 derivative computer in a nice case, I replaced the power LED and button and the 8 status LEDs by header pins so I could have them on the front panel linked by simple Dupont wires. This is something you could decide before assembling if you want to avoid unsoldering them afterwards, especially the power button. On the other hand, this kit is so inexpensive that you could also consider buying another one!

Be sure to check the tests Stephen has put in his assembling instructions. There are no difficult solder points, but they are quite numberous so patience and calm will be your allies rather than excitation and speed, which will come when you first power the computer on.

This kit gives you a complete and powerful retro computer with a lot of possibilities and peripherals. Be sure to check Stephen site for his design tutorial series, and the LCD and I2C code examples that fit this computer perfectly and open perspectives.

The 2 sockets could be a limit for you, although the SC126 is already fitted with what is generally using 4 or 5 sockets on a classical RC2014 computer. Should you need more sockets, Stephen has a choice of backplane boards which can expand the SC126.

I choosed Spencer Owen's PiZero Terminal (look for this on Tindie)to have a keyboard and an HDMI screen, but this kit can talk to any computer terminal software right off the box.

Probably my best buy since I started to learn electronics 4 years ago.

Daria | Feb. 15, 2020

Wow! ... Fantastic product and great documentation!

For SC116 3-slot Backplane Kit for RC2014

I was not let down at all by this economical yet quality computer kit. It's very functional, easy to build and works a treat. Love the balance of features and the low cost! I ... love this little machine and it's got fantastic documentation behind it to not only help you assemble and troubleshoot, but to operate and expand. I would _highly_ recommend this computer kit for anyone interested in getting started in the retrobrew scene.

Thanks for making this and for giving us such a fantastic kit Steve!! <3

Cheers~

Stephen | Feb. 14, 2020

All you need for small system

I used it with Karl Brokstad's Z180 Micro Kit to produce a fully functioning system with one spare slot. I'll eventually fill that slot with a digital I/O board to get some switches and winky lights.

Not much else to say: it's just a cut down version of the other backplanes, and just as good.

Timothy | Feb. 7, 2020

A well thought out, fun kit.

I bought this as hands-on introduction to Z80-ish programming, CP/M, and peripheral integration. It was also a way to play with Wordstar and other programs I dimly remember. With serial ports, I2C and SPI SD card interfaces pulled out to headers, I think the system has more than enough expansion slots to add other functions. I made Rotten Snow's "Storage Module using Compact Flash (for RC2014)" -- also available on Tindie -- for CF expansion and it works fine with this motherboard.

The board is a nice 2-layer PCB with white silk-screening for parts placement. I really like that the chip and component positions are also appear on the bottom silkscreen. The bottom print also includes the pin-outs for the RAM and flash chips as well as the assorted serial I/O headers. Those a nice touches. Assembly was straightforward and the kit included a number of straight and angled headers, leaving some build options available. The parts-count was spot-on and you'll end up with some spare headers.

Getting the board running was relatively pain-free. Setting the configuration jumpers caused the most concern and needed a number of passes through the manuals. That's just the trade-off between simplicity and flexibility. I think Stephen opted to leaving options open for users. The system is pretty well documented and it's easy to find the schematic, board layout, various manuals and software sources. There is also a user forum for this. I'm slowly working my way through the ROM options and monitors...

Nice job, Stephen!

James | Feb. 7, 2020

Both style boards were perfect...

For Modular Backplane Boards for RC2014

They are complete with all the configuration options needed to utilize the USR pins on the back plane. The build was trivial in complexity. The documentation leaves no gaps for building and configuring the card.

Colin | Feb. 7, 2020

A quality and professionally produced kit.

For SC103 RCBus-40pin+ Z80 PIO Module Kit for RC2014

This kit is extremely comprehensive in every detail, components, peripheral options, hardware and pcb all of excellent quality and complete.
The build instructions and other related documents are professionally written and very easy to follow giving a fully operational CP/M - z180 computer.
Coupled with the well supported ROMWBW firmware the result is a powerful combination.
This has been for me a very satisfying build project and enjoyable experience.

James | Feb. 7, 2020

SC103 is an excellent Z80 PIO Card

The address decoding is tight - no issues with overlapping io addresses. The ability to configure IM2 behavior is greatly appreciated. The documentation leaves no gaps for building and configuring the card. The example is so generous in detail, pictures and source code as to make other provider support pale in comparison.

Oscar | Jan. 17, 2020

Fantastic kit!

I really enjoyed putting this together. It is simple, you can't really go wrong. But I did go wrong anyway (I soldered stuff on the wrong side of the PCB) and Steve sent me a replacement PCB within a day. But back to the kit itself, it is pretty much the ultimate CP/M computer in terms of performance. It's even plenty fast enough to run the unix-like fuzix, with multi-user multitasking. thanks to the RC2014-style expansion connectors, there's plenty of scope for adding more hardware fun.
Great design, I don't think you'll find a more attractive Z80/Z180 machine anywhere. If you have any interest in the Z80 or CP/M, this is the kit to get.
I did a more thorough review here: http://obsolescenceguaranteed.blogspot.com/2020/01/sc130-perfect-cpm-computer-kit-at-50.html

Mark | Dec. 30, 2019

Great kit - a lot of fun!

The last time I built a kit was in my childhood (which was more than a few years ago) so I was a bit apprehensive. The instructions were remarkably clear. The circuit board very well laid out. The periodic tests instilled a lot of confidence. The best part? It arrived in the mail Friday evening, I sat down Saturday morning and by that evening I had a working cp/m machine right out of the 1980s! Everything worked exactly as advertised. Amazed that this cost as little as it does when compared to other z80 kits out there. Really an amazing value.

Wondering what others are doing for cases?

Stephen | Dec. 22, 2019

Straightforward, well designed, configurable.

For SC112 Modular Backplane Kit for RC2014

Also easy to build and with excellent documentation.

Some stuff to make up 100 characters (stupid rule, by the way).

Didier | Dec. 16, 2019

nice product

Nice product, but the second sdcard is not working which make the board usuable alone
RC2014 is nice but seems to be mostly from UK

It's out of the question to buy a products from outside the European Union, with more taxes and more expensive shipping
it is time to have an EU alternative to UK products

some RC2014 boards are already overpriced more than 100€ for a rom/ram board is a rip off

Craig | Dec. 16, 2019

I love it!

I had my kit built in a few hours; within an hour of it being up it was running fuzix.
Thanks to Stephen Cousins for the well designed and documented machine, and to Christopher David Farrar for the write up:
How to create an sd card for booting fuzix on an sc126

In linux do the following steps:

Drop the two image files into a directory or on the desktop.
I chose desktop.

Bring up a bash command prompt.

Change to directoy where you have placed following files:

- c126-0.3.ide
- s32m.z80

enter commands:

sudo dd if=sc126-0.3.ide skip=2 of=/dev/sdb conv=notrunc,fdatasync status=progress

sudo fdisk /dev/sdb

Once in fdisk do the following steps:

- list partitions with p command
- delete any partitions with d command
- create new partition with n command
- specify partition 1 - default
- specify 2048 starting block - default
- specify +64mb or let rest of sd card be used
- change partition type with t command
- specify partition 1 - default
- specify partition type 7e
- write changes to disk and exit with w command

if you create a 64mb partition above instead of using rest of card, you can add
other partitions like a fat16 or fat32. The fuzix should ignore them.

Once back in bash do the following:

enter command:

sudo dd if=fs32m.z80 of=/dev/sdb1 conv=notrunc,fdatasync status=progress

You are finished!!!!! :D

Ramon | Dec. 2, 2019

The best kit i have.

Easy to solder (i am 50, and the "new" smd formats are dificult without magnifier, but this was really easy (1 hour and half aprox)

The board is really fast running Z80 code.

Now i want to port MPM to this board.

Karl Albert | Nov. 27, 2019

Super digital I/O Module

Just another brilliant product from SteveC. Special with this module is that it is accompanying a 4 part article, showing the design from conception to finished product. Needless to say, the product is supported by a detailed assembly guide and instructions on how to use it.

Randall | Nov. 23, 2019

Awesome

Cool little kit that coalesces into a cool little Z180 RomWBW CP/M machine perfect for learning or experimenting.

Easy to build and with brilliant documentation that leaves nothing but an evenings worth of therapeutic soldering and testing. Well worth the money and time.

Randall | Nov. 23, 2019

The perfect start on the road to controlling the universe.

Great little I/O board for any of the RC2014 compatible systems. The kit was a joy to assemble and works beautifully with my SC130 and my SC126.

The assembly guide and all of the documentation is great and will get to a working I/O solution allowing a plethora of cool projects to control from your Z80 beasts.

Well worth the money.

Michael | Nov. 22, 2019

Excellent board and great documentation

For SC115 RCBus-40pin+ Breakout Module Kit for RC2014

When I was a kid, I had a few home computers, but the one I remember the most was the Coleco Adam (with a Z80 processor). I stayed up late writing BASIC programs and even ventured into CP/M 2.2 and assembler at one point.

Fast forward to 2018, when I started following the retro computer scene. I watched ebay for some classic computers, but I wanted something that I could build myself. So I searched around for a kit based on the Z80. I eventually found Steve's Small Computer Central website which led me to his Tindie store. I bought myself the SC126 a few weeks ago. I chose it over the SC130 because it has Small Computer Monitor in addition to ROMWBW, even though it's a more complicated kit to assemble.

He shipped it the same day I ordered it and it arrived in the USA a week later. The kit was packaged well in a compact box with a great parts list with images of all of the parts on it and a link to the build instructions. After checking that I had all the parts, I printed out the instructions and started soldering. I must warn beginner and intermediate hobbyists, you should follow his testing procedures carefully. I thought I knew what I was doing and started poking a live 5v wire around the resistor on the power LED and managed to blow it. I should have read the instructions first.

Aside from the blown power indicator LED (which was completely my fault), the kit ran on the first power up.

I've already spent hours playing with the onboard LEDs and writing code in BASIC as well as C using the great z88dk and the newly minted SC130/SC126 capabilities it offers. I also ordered the SD card reader so that I can have "hard disk" storage with CP/M. I'm having a total blast with this kit.

I'm looking forward to ordering some PC boards from the various community designs that are out there for the bus and even designing my own at some point.

That leads me to documentation. Steve's documentation is incredible. I've not only been able to easily build this kit, but I've also learned a lot about how the board addressing and the Z80 processor works from his website.

The community around these boards is friendly and welcoming and they've got some amazing ideas. I'm probably going to buy the SC130 just because I want to build another kit. This one is a lot of fun.

Michael | Nov. 15, 2019

Useful design

This PCB has proved very useful for testing and fault finding RC2014 based systems. The user guide that Steven has provided on his web site covers building instructions and a useful tutorial with an example of how it can be used. Although it is possible to buy the PCB direct from the fabricators, I think Steven's low price and quick delivery makes buying form him a better option.

Michael | Nov. 14, 2019

Good quality backplane kit.

For SC116 3-slot Backplane Kit for RC2014

If you need a small full 80 pin RC2014 bus backplane with different power supply connector options, power switch and reset button then this fits the bill. Easy to assemble, good quality board, great price. Prompt shipping, great documentation.

Richard | Oct. 28, 2019

Amazing kit, a must buy for tinkerers!

Fantastic kit, and incredibly well documented. I found this to be a "medium" skill level assembly, but if you're patient and follow the instructions you will have no issues. Check out the documentation on the website first to ensure you are comfortable assembling. Great price, worked flawlessly, would definitely purchase from seller again!

Martin | Oct. 25, 2019

Very well put together kit for Z180

The documentation is excellent, it was very easy to put together correctly. Worked on first try. I highly recommend this kit for anyone wanting to get into Z80 type RC2014 echo system of retro computers. /Martin

Michael | Oct. 16, 2019

Great value kit

For SC114 RCBus-40pin Z80 SBC/Motherboard Kit

Like all of Stephen's kits, this is well designed, well documented and complete. The simple, problem free assembly makes this kit suitable for all skill levels. Its also great value, so I plan to order another for one of my other RC2014 computers. Recommended.

Harold | Oct. 4, 2019

Stephen C Cousins has a range of well documented products.

A lot of work has gone into the design and support of the products from scc.me.uk. If you care to visit you will be greeted by a wide range of options, with detailed instructions and links to other places to explore relating to RC2014.

Both hardware and firmware have been meticulously documented for function and their interrelationship with other devices for the path you have chosen within RC2014.

With my product the assembly was easy and it nearly worked first time. The trouble shooting section quickly led me to the problem I had created for myself and I was up and running within about ten minutes.

The level of support for such a small investment is staggering. scc.me.uk is a hidden gem in plain sight.

Randall | Sept. 23, 2019

Just get one!