BUILD
EVERYTHING.
STM32, ESP32, Z80 homebrew computers, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining. One person, a thousand projects.
Project Status Board (recent):
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Naz80-A
Idea stage
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Dodeca Timer
In progress
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MZ80K Retro Cassette Project
On hold
Articles
(LATEST)
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Power on Reset - Capacitor calculations
October 16, 2024
Why your homebrew Z80 sometimes refuses to start until you mash the reset button — and the simple RC circuit that fixes it. A maths-and-all walkthrough of power-on reset timing, with a Schmitt trigger thrown in to clean up the ramp and debounce the button.
Schmitt Trigger Oscillator
April 30, 2019
One Schmitt trigger, one resistor, one capacitor — and a working oscillator. A hands-on walkthrough of how hysteresis turns a humble RC circuit into a clean square wave, with the maths, the scope traces, and an honest take on its quirks.
First computer experience
January 21, 2019
A flashing cursor in a glass cabinet, an electronics kit on the kitchen table, and a paper-round-funded ZX81. The story of how a kid in 1970s South Africa fell hopelessly in love with computers — and the childhood dream still waiting on the workbench.
Power on Reset - Capacitor calculations
Capacitor, Electronics, Hysteresis, Inverter, Power-On Reset, RC Circuit, Retro Computing, Schmitt Trigger, Tutorial, Z80
October 16, 2024
Why your homebrew Z80 sometimes refuses to start until you mash the reset button — and the simple RC circuit that fixes it. A maths-and-all walkthrough of power-on reset timing, with a Schmitt trigger thrown in to clean up the ramp and debounce the button.
Schmitt Trigger Oscillator
Capacitor, Electronics, Falling edge, Hysteresis, Inverter, Oscillator, RC Circuit, Retro Computing, sawtooth, Schmitt Trigger, Tutorial
April 30, 2019
One Schmitt trigger, one resistor, one capacitor — and a working oscillator. A hands-on walkthrough of how hysteresis turns a humble RC circuit into a clean square wave, with the maths, the scope traces, and an honest take on its quirks.
Projects
(LATEST)
View All →
Naz80-A
Electronics
October 8, 2024
Not Another Z80 (yes, that’s what the N stands for) — a homebrew retro computer starting at a hex keypad and an LCD, with plans to climb to CP/M and a floppy drive. No microcontrollers allowed to do the heavy lifting, just a childhood ZX81 dream finally being built one revision at a time.
Dodeca Timer
Electronics
April 8, 2024
A dodecahedron that tracks your day — flip the face for the task you’re on and an STM32 logs the time, lights the side, and saves it to flash. The capstone build from Elecia White’s Making Embedded Systems course, with DMA-driven NeoPixels, an accelerometer for orientation, and a CLI over xBee RF.
MZ80K Retro Cassette Project
Electronics
April 8, 2024
Decoding Sharp MZ80K tapes the hard way — a Commodore 64 cassette deck, an STM32, and a hand-built PCB, with no SD cards or fast loaders allowed. An ongoing reverse-engineering log of the real MZ80K tape format, including all the bits the documentation got wrong.
Naz80-A
computer, Homebrew, kit, Z80
October 8, 2024
Not Another Z80 (yes, that’s what the N stands for) — a homebrew retro computer starting at a hex keypad and an LCD, with plans to climb to CP/M and a floppy drive. No microcontrollers allowed to do the heavy lifting, just a childhood ZX81 dream finally being built one revision at a time.
Dodeca Timer
laser cut, led
April 8, 2024
A dodecahedron that tracks your day — flip the face for the task you’re on and an STM32 logs the time, lights the side, and saves it to flash. The capstone build from Elecia White’s Making Embedded Systems course, with DMA-driven NeoPixels, an accelerometer for orientation, and a CLI over xBee RF.