The MEGA Omega MSX2 Is the Luggable Microcomputer the 1980s Never Got to Enjoy
Built around the Omega Home Computer, this "kitchen sink build" includes a luggable housing, CRT display, and custom keyboard.
Pseudonymous programmer and vintage computing enthusiast "nullvalue" has built an MSX-compatible microcomputer with a difference: it's a luggable machine for use on-the-go, inspired by the Commodore SX-64.
"To the best of my knowledge, there was never a portable MSX-compatible computer ever released," nullvalue explains, referring to the MSX home computer architecture launched by the ASCII Corporation in partnership with Microsoft in 1983. "This project seeks to right that wrong. I am trying to stay as close to what could have actually been feasible around the time of the MSX2 release in 1985, but in the most over the top, spare no expense way."
While "portable" would these days mean either a notebook or a smartphone, nullvalue's design is more of a "luggable" — a hefty box with detachable keyboard and a compact display to one side, inspired primarily by the Commodore SX-64 but with design notes of the Compact Portable and Kaypro IV too.
Rather than design something from scratch, though, nullvalue opted to repurpose an off-the-shelf housing — a modular nVent Schroff 4U 84P enclosure, which handily looks not-dissimilar to the Commodore SX-64's housing, complete with a carry handle which doubles as a way to angle the case towards the user.
Inside the housing is Sergey Kiselev's Omega Home Computer, a modern single-board computer built to the MSX standard using primarily original parts. To this, nullvalue attached a Sony KV-8AD12 cathode-ray tube (CRT) display, removed from its original housing and modified to accept an S-Video signal for maximum image quality.
A daughterboard brings out the important ports from the Omega motherboard, with a combination of 3D-printed and CNC-milled mounts and fascias completing the build — bar a numerical keypad, "a total hack" that "involves wiring up the keys to the main part of the keyboard" for easier data entry. Next to the display is a real floppy drive and a USB emulator, with a cartridge slot in the top of the chassis for good measure.
Full details on the build are available on nullvalue's project page, along with the design files for the 3D-printed and CNC-milled components.
