{"id":262,"date":"2025-07-31T19:22:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T00:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/?p=262"},"modified":"2025-09-10T23:27:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T04:27:25","slug":"rc2014-project-update-does-it-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/?p=262","title":{"rendered":"RC2014 Project Update – Does it work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

First things first<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So first, before revealing if the thing works or needs more work, the first part of the update is that I finished the Backplane Pro. The Backplane Pro has 12 40-pin slots for the modules. It took a while to solder in 12 40-pin headers, 4 20-pin extended headers (the number of extended headers depends on how many extended bus modules you’re using. I have three at the moment, but I put in four), and a number of other small parts, a couple resisters, a power switch, power LED, a power jack, a reset button, and so on. I didn’t count all the solder points, At least 580 solders. I might have mentioned I’m a slow solderer; it took me most of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"RC2014
The RC2014 Backplane Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then I buzzed it out (using continuity testing of my Multi-Meter Oscilloscope, a ZOYI ZT-703S<\/a>). I made sure all the header points had the signal they should, and didn’t have bleed over they shouldn’t. That took a while too. When I finished that, and did not find problems, I applied 5 volts to the power jack and checked the power LED did light, and the +5 and GND points all showed the power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairly sure the backplane was good I went about checking the module circuit boards. I put them one at a time in a slot on the backplane and checked that power routed cleanly to the points in the sockets (without the integrated circuits plugged in). Everything looked good there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I plugged all the ICs into their respective modules. I did the Z80 CPU first (only one IC, the actual Z80 CPU) on that module). Then the SIO\/2 board, and so on. The only board I didn’t get completed is the Real Time Clock module – I don’t have a spare 2032 Coin Cell for it. Then I put the extended bus cards, the Z80 CPU, the Z80 SIO\/2 board, and the DUAL Clock in the first three extended bus slots (Slots 5, 6, and 7). The ROM\/RAM Memory module is in Slot 8, an extended bus slot but that board doesn’t need the extended bus. Finally I put the Compact Flash module in slot 4, a standard bus slot. I left the Real Time Clock out for the moment, given it doesn’t have it ‘s backup battery yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finallly, I attached the FTDI cable<\/a> to my computer and into the RC2014. I had to find the com port Windows assigned to it – which took it a while. It’s Com5. I fired up putty terminal software<\/a> and configured a session to Com5 at 115200 bps and pressed reset on the RC2014. I got my first boot up results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"First
RC2014 Power up Boot – SUCCESS!!! It WORKS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SUCCESS!!! IT’S ALIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was very happy, especially given the trouble the silver based solder gave me to start with (and two destroyed modules that I had to repurchase).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did put the Real Time Clock (RTC) onto the board for the “photo op” where you can see the assembled system all together. But I didn’t power it up at that point (I thought about it so you could see the glowing power lights and such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The full RC2014 assembled – so far.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While I had the system powered up, I launched the Z-System operating system<\/a> (not the IBM Mainframe Z-System<\/a> OS…) and explored the compact flash. I also tried out Microsoft Basic and made it print:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello,World!
RC2014 - is ALIVE!!!!!!
John Sandlin 250731<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I meant to make it print the full year, 20250731, but made a typo and didn’t fix it the right way. The backspace key doesn’t work correctly in Basic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Next<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of things I want to do still. I want to get the RC2014 Front Panel Kit <\/a>(and a back panel kit too), a Sound Module<\/a> that uses a vintage sound module that were popular with the MSX Z80 based computers<\/a>, and a video \/ keyboard interface<\/a>. The Front Panel Kit gives it a proper vintage Kit Computer look. My first computer was a HeathKit H89, which I built while studying MicroComputers through an NTS training course, but the Front Panel is even more primitive than the H89.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I might also want to see about making the RC2014 work with MSX software. That’s down the road a bit though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First things first So first, before revealing if the thing works or needs more work, the first part of the update is that I finished the Backplane Pro. The Backplane Pro has 12 40-pin slots for the modules. It took a while to solder in 12 40-pin headers, 4 20-pin extended headers (the number of … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “RC2014 Project Update – Does it work?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[63,35,60,62,61],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computing","tag-cp-m","tag-electronics","tag-rc2014","tag-vintage","tag-z80"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions\/271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandlinsplace.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}