WHAT IS THE LABCOMP?

The labcomp is a homemade computer using the z80 processor. It runs at 4 MHz. Silicon gold. Back in the day, "building a computer" involved a soldering iron. As the ultimate nerd quest, I'm doing the same thing.
w00t!

Provided everything goes as planned, the labcomp should be a standard microprocessor computer setup. With a Z80A processor at 4 MHz, 32 kb of static RAM programmable over an LPT interface, and an easy, expandable peripheral bus, all running from inside a Sunny's Surplus ammo case, the z80 labcomp should thoroughly rock.

So by now you're probably shaking your head, thinking that this project has no use. Well, you're partially right. But I figure that I'll actually find a use for this in all the random projects I do. Since it isn't exactly easy to make cards for your normal PC, and I always have random hardware projects, the z80 labcomp would be prefect for tasks such as driving an electromagnetic tracking system or managing a flight simulator device. So yeah.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT ENTAIL?

The project has three phases:

PHASE ONE: Write a horribly inefficient compiler (Java!) to turn Z++ code into z80 machine code.
PHASE TWO: Get parts in mail. Construct main z80 computer system.
PHASE THREE: Dremel ammo box, fill with components. Build expansion cards. Find a use for this.

Easier said than... justified.


PHASE ONE:  COMPILER

06.02.2004: Wrote compiler. Tested compiler. I think it works...
Z80compiler.java   EasyReader.java   readme.txt   example.zpp (source)

PHASE TWO: BUILD

06.01.2004: Ordered parts. Should officially take forever to receive in mail.
06.03.2004: Came up with an early idea of what the expansion bus pinout will be. buspinout.txt
06.04.2004: Basic I/O system; hacked telephone keypad / 4x 7seg LED display. 
Decoder hardwired for port 0x28 - 0x2B (40d - 43d); not bugged like simpleio. basicio.gif

PHASE THREE: EXPAND

06.03.2004: Did a schematic for a simple I/O expansion; should be able to fabricate with only 4 chips.
Decoder hardwired for port 0x10 (16d). simpleio.gif
06.04.2004: Realized that I had an error in the simpleio decoder. Oops?