Blog
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An enclosure for Calculon/80
Almost a year after finishing the PCB for the computer and a lot of hours of programming it, I saw a need for an enclosure. Mostly because it would be easier to connect all the cables and to turn it on and off, but also because my precious computer would be protected. I thought first that it would be a huge project that seemed far away, but after some research I found out that it may be quite easy... read more »
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A real-time clock addon for Calculon/80
I wanted the Calculon/80 to have a real-time clock and some battery backed RAM for storing BIOS settings so I decided to use the Dallas DS12887 RTC with built-in lithium battery. It keeps track of time and date even when the computer is unplugged from the power supply. There are other alternatives available but it is the one used in the IBM AT computer, which makes it the right kind of retro that ... read more »
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Make your own jumper wires that last
Pretty much all of the jumper wires I have bought and used for prototyping are of really bad quality. If they don't fall apart the moment you pick them up, they only lasts a few connection cycles before totally giving up ang getting loose enough to not have a connection at all. Debugging faulty wires is not only time consuming, it is also boring and a great motivation killer. So I decided to get r... read more »