BitWrangler wrote on 2024-03-07, 03:22:
kinetix wrote on 2024-03-07, 01:39:
Did anyone ever build the system (MPX-16) featured in the "Circuit Cellar" section of Byte magazine, Volume 7 Number 11 , 1982 (and v7#12 , v8#1)?
Nope, but you got me looking at the first article. 120 IC, 5 layer board, that's a project and a half. I see the board listed as available for $300 unpopulated... shows you how multilayer was black magic around then. I didn't see if they published the board layouts, suspect not many people would have been able to do anything with it back then, probably had 100, even 1000 minimum order on a 5 layer. Be interesting to see what JLPCB or similar place would want now. Probably not a super trivial amount, I'd guesstimate $50 if you're lucky. Ideally you'd want to rejig the slots for standard spacing and provide for higher density memory. All the support chips are a PITA to find for a good price too.
well, they included floppy, 2 serial , parallel and printer port on board. The interesting thing would be if anyone built one, then or later, besides Ciarcia. but , as you said, for that they should have published the board layout, but they were selling the system, so nop. unless someone made their own layout. I he found some old posts around of people who have/had one system