This is the main landing page for Rob's 1970's and 1980's Retro-Computing Archive site on GitHub and its various repositories:

This repository contains a snapshot of some of my more interesting projects from the 1970's to late 1980's which I can say that I had actually built myself. I do have other interesting hardware projects but some of them were not built by me originally. This will provide you with a bit more visual context as to what type and extent of projects I used to build before getting distracted with a professional career in similar activities. You may also be interested to read over my Where and How Did it all Start? section and its associated photo montages.

This repository contains new firmware for the Multiflex Z80 Video Display Terminal Kit (previously sold by Exceltronix of Toronto Canada in 1984) which adds a plethora of new features and functionality, including new H19/VT52 terminal emulation support. The original stock firmware which came with the terminal was quite primitive at best, only providing very basic text sending and receiving functionality.

This repository documents my "Colossus Control Computer" which was my main go-to development machine ("It has every feature including the kitchen sink") that was started in March 1985. I call it a "beast of a Z80 machine" because it has more odds and ends + add-on gadgets than with most self-built computers. It was also the test bed and development platform for my follow-on March 1987 "Phoenix MIDI Computer". An interesting sub-project for Colossus was my Dec 1985 'Drum Pad Triggers for a MIDI Drum Machine'.

This repository documents a sub-project I designed and built in December 1985 to simulate SIMMONS electronic drum pads, "on the cheap" ($20 in parts compared to $1500). The intent was to design a physical drum pad interface that would provide digital triggers to my then-new Colossus Computer Computer which itself would create MIDI messages for a Roland TR-707 drum machine.

This repository strives to provide a historical snapshot, archive and description of the short lived Cypher Z80/68000 single board computer which was designed, built and sold by Motel Computers of Willowdale Ontario.

This repository documents the hardware expansion board that I had designed and built for the Motel Computers Cypher Z80/68000 SBC in 1986.

This repository documents the rather simple port organizer and break-out box that I had designed and built for the Motel Computers Cypher Z80/68000 SBC in 1985.

This repository explains how to boot from CP/M-3 via the HxC Floppy Emulator attached to the floppy disk controller interface connector of the 1985-era Motel Computers Cypher Z80/68000 SBC. This will allow the Cypher SBC to boot from the floppy emulator rather than its stock 8" floppy disks or 22MB hard disk.

This repository documents how to rebuild a CP/M 2.2 "SYSGEN" image, from scratch, for the Morrow DISK JOCKEY 2D S-100 8" floppy disk drive controller card. In particular, the image will be set up for the Exidy Sorcerer variation whereby the DJ2D's ROM firmware is located at D000H instead of the standard E000H.

This repository documents a universal EPROM plug-in emulator which I designed and built in July 1985.

This repository documents a variation made by RCL9 of the "OMNI-Prom" programmer outlined in the April 1983 issue of 80 Microcomputing with new software written in both Z80 assembler and a follow-on version written for Aztec-C. With the 5 personality modules, the programmer could handle 2704, 2708, 2716, 2732/2532, 2732A/462732, 2764, 27128 and 27128 EPROMs.

This repository documents a variation of the ZAP-A-PAL programmer that I designed from May 1987.

This repository provides a photo tutorial about how to replace the original Exidy Sorcerer's (version 1) linear power supply with a modern switched mode supply, hidden within the original case.

This repository documents a hardware modification I made to my Exidy Sorcerer in 1981 to increase its clock rate from 2Mhz to 3.16Mhz, switchable.

This repository provides a useful (and relatively simple) command line utility program to overlay Intel HEX files ( the boot code, the CCP, BDOS and/or CBIOS) on top of a pre-existing CP/M 2.2 SYSGEN image file. The HEX files are generated from M80.com and MAC.com from a running copy of CP/M which is documented in this associated repository.

This repository documents two designs for a programmable RAM cartridge for the Roland JX8P synthesizer which I had designed and built in late 1985. Prior to this design my only option would have been to buy an expensive Roland MC-16C Memory Cartridge which held just 16 patches. With my new design, the single plug-in cartridge could handle 256 patches and be programmed by an external computer.

This repository contains 15 Roland JX8P synthesizer patch banks, with up to 32 voices per bank, which were collected or created by me between 1985 and 1989.

This respository aims to expand upon the publicly available history for Jud Newell's "Mississauga RCP/M", "Toronto RCP/M" and "Canada Remote Systems" bulletin board (BBS) systems, starting from 1977. This history is partly from my personal experience as one of Jud Newell's first users of his "Mississauga RCP/M" (located in his home) as of February 1982. I have derived the factual information from the 1985-1991 Canada Remote Systems (CRS) member newsletters.

This repository is a complete archive of the 'Port FE' Exidy Sorcerers Users' Group of Toronto newsletters from June 1979 through to the final issue published in December 1982. I have cleaned them up a bit and made them text-searchble.