Draft:Commander X16
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 Commander X16 Developer Edition board with VERA module (up left) | |
| Type | Personal computer |
|---|---|
| Operating system | A custom version of KERNAL |
| CPU | WDC 65C02 @ 8MHz |
| Memory | 512 KB or 2 MB RAM banked RAM 512 KB ROM (Up to 3.5MB of RAM/ROM) |
| Removable storage | SD card |
| Display | Up to 640x480 resolution; 256 colors from a palette of 4096; 128 sprites; VGA, NTSC and RGB output |
| Graphics | VERA video controller |
| Sound | Yamaha YM2151/YM2612: 8 channels, FM synthesis VERA PSG: 16 channels, 4 waveforms VERA PCM: 48 kHz, 16 bit, stereo |
| Website | commanderx16.com |
Commander X16 is an 8-bit home computer. Initially designed by David Murray as his dream computer, it is developed with a team of 5 people as a complete computer kit with motherboard, case and software.[1] It gained wider attention via David's YouTube channel The 8-Bit Guy, attracting developers and retrocomputing enthusiasts.[2][3]
History[edit]
On April 11, 2018, David wrote an article titled "What is my dream computer?" on his blog. He mentioned specifications of his 8-bit dream computer as capable of running Commodore BASIC and consisted of off-the-shelf components, an 6502 or compatible CPU, 128K or 256K of static RAM, VGA or HDMI video and without FPGA or microcontrollers.[4]
Nearly a year later, he started a video series on his YouTube channel about building his dream computer.[5] As the series went on, many people from the community made suggestions regarding hardware and software aspects of the dream computer that shaped the development of the project.[2] Several notable people in the retrocomputing community such as Christian Simpson of Retro Recipes and Kevin Williams of TexElec got directly involved in the design process along with David.[6][7][8]
Design process[edit]
Most of the parts of the computer were intended to be parts that are already in production. For CPU, David decided to use W65C02 chip designed and produced by Western Design Center that has backward compatibility with the original 6052. For memory, Commander X16 uses several 512K RAM chips and an SD card slot for storage medium that can enable relatively large storage for the system's relative tiny file sizes. For video card, the team settled down to designing an FPGA based daughterboard that they dubbed "VERA card" which also works as a sound card with 2 channels.[9] YM2151 sound chip was chosen to provide a third sound channel and its retirement from production by Yamaha created supply issues for the team. As a result, some X16 units have YM2612 that has ~99% compatibility with the former. Several FPGA implementations are made by the community to substitute YM2151 as well.[10]
Debut[edit]
Commander X16 Gen 1 debuted on October 12, 2022, with the announcement of the first 100 PCBs being arrived from production.[11] The initial price of the first 100 development boards in the Kickstarter campaign was set to be $500, with the first 10 given for free to selected developers and people that took part in the project.[12] In one of his update videos in 2023, David told the audience that there will be 3 generations of X16 and the price will decrease with time to under $100 by the release of Gen 3.[13]
After the first 100 boards, pre-orders for Gen 1 were started on October 1, 2023 and the price was dropped to $349.99.[14][15][16]
See also[edit]
- Mega65, a remake of Commodore 65
- Arduboy, a modern 8-bit handheld based on ATMega32u4
- Telmac 1800, an early microcomputer delivered in kit form
- Homebrew Computer Club
- Fantasy console
References[edit]
- ^ "Commander X16 Community". Commander X16 Community. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Commander X16: A Dreamy 8 Bit Computer Comes Closer To Reality". August 19, 2021.
- ^ The Commander X16 Is a Brand-New Computer Built From 1980s Technology - IGN. April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via www.ign.com.
- ^ Guy, The 8Bit (April 12, 2018). "What is my dream computer?". The 8-Bit Guy. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Barela, Anne (October 25, 2019). "The new 8-bit Commander X16 computer – Philosophy and Specification @pagetable".
- ^ "Commander X16 Community". Commander X16 Community. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ "FAQ | Perifractic | Christian Simpson". www.perifractic.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Speakers 2023". VCF Southwest. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ By (May 24, 2023). "Commodore 64 Upgrade In Modern Package". Hackaday. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "AURA FPGA: The replacement of YM2151 – Wired && Coded;". November 25, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ The Commander X16 has finally arrived!. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Commander X16 Developer Board - Pre Release Bundle". TexElec. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ Commander X16 2023 update. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Williams, Kevin (October 1, 2023). "Pre-Order the Commander X16 Developer Edition now!". TexElec. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ My Dream Computer is Finally on Sale!. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Commander X16 Developer Edition". TexElec. Retrieved April 30, 2024.