Category Archives: Ben Eater 6502

Zolatron 64 6502 homebrew – serial port part 1

So far, the Zolatron 64 6502-based homebrew computer has output (a 16×2 LCD screen) but nothing in the way of input. I have toyed with the idea of getting it to output to, say, HDMI using a Teensy as an intermediary. And also of giving it a PS/2 keyboard input (the latter still being a possibility). But in the end… Read more »

Zolatron 64 6502 homebrew computer – first boot

Okay, so the headline is overstating matters a little, but this thing is making progress. Here’s a quick series recap: I decided to brew my own 6502-based computer. Rather than start from nothing, I built a kit, with partial success. And I’ve been following along with Ben Eater’s 6502 project on YouTube. Both taught me a lot. However, even before… Read more »

Zolatron 64 6502 homebrew computer & Ben Eater’s project – changes to the ROM

In my previous post, I mentioned how, while I’m following along with Ben Eater’s 6502-based homebrew computer project, I’m also making some revisions of my own. One of these is to use my own address decoding scheme. So far, things are working okay, but that post included a note about how I’m going to have to make some changes to… Read more »

Following Ben Eater’s 6502 project – parts 5 & 6

Back in the first half of February, Ben Eater added parts 5 and 6 of his YouTube series on building a 6502-based homebrew computer. The enhancements he made gave the computer something it has been sorely lacking – memory. And the reason the computer needed memory was so it could have a stack. Up to that point, the code had… Read more »

Following Ben Eater’s 6502 project – part 4

Ben Eater’s exciting 6502 project has reached the next stage – adding a display. But before I could play along, I had some remedial work to do. I’d achieved the previous stage of being able to get the LEDs to light up, but not reliably. Something was glitching and would cause the machine to go haywire. This isn’t entirely surprising… Read more »

Following Ben Eater’s 6502 project – parts 1-3

No, this is not a post about stalking. I’ve been toying with a design for a simple 6502-based homebrew computer for a while now. I’ve built a kit and am in the middle of laying out the schematic for the first board for my own design. So I was thrilled when Ben Eater, one of the best educators on YouTube,… Read more »