Backplate Musings
My original plan for the LINK_01... my first homebrew computer... was to ultimately have it built using a single PCB. But the more I think about that decision and the limits that would impose on the machine the more I want to go another direction. I'm heavily influenced by the RC2014 Z80 based homebrew machine which has been going since 2013... and the backplate design which the RC2014 uses goes right back to the birth of home computers. Breaking a machine down into discreet modules and making them all connect to a standard connector is a great way of managing both development and post-launch expansion. As long as the backplate supports enough signals so that you don't limit yourself the sky is literally the limit. The extra connection length may mean that you can't crank the speed up quite as high as a single-PCB machine, but maximum performance isn't something I'm aiming for with this machine... I just want to get something working which I can build upon. I'm ...