I think a class that started with the fundamentals of microcomputer architecture (with the examples Neil gave) would be a great start. It would be a great launching point toward understanding any early platform, as that knowledge is easily built upon. On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 4/26/24 14:33, Jonathan Chapman via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Starting from "I bought this Altair on eBay!" would be a week-long course, assuming the individual(s) taking it had enough background for the material in the first place! There's a lot involved in getting them fully operational and *stable* and having an unstable machine is a nightmare for someone who's just getting started on S-100.
and S50s
I'd say it somewhat depends on your background. I started in the industry as an EET. Worked in a small company and learn every step of embedded systems.
With the exception of things like the 4004/4040 I can look at a computer and figure it out. The 4004/4040 is strange software. The rest of various processors don't look that different to me. TTL or transistor computers are a bit harder to follow. :-)
Now someone who started in software but wants to play with hardware is going to have a different view of the world. I know I've seen a lot of software folks struggle with the hardware. I'm not always good at explaining the hardware to help them understand.
Assuming you mean SS-50, these things aren't really related, the (usually) completely different processor architecture changes a lot of things.
Start with the basics, Serial (RS232, current loop, TTL 5v0/3v3) and parallel. Then work in to the logic.
I will agree starting with an unstable system is not a great place to start but it will teach you how the systems work. And that's where the repair workshops come into play.
-- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry kd2zrq@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies KD2ZRQ