The Zeal 8-Bit Computer Complete Edition Is Everything You Need for Some Retro Zilog Z80 Fun
The "first finalized" version of a project that began back in 2021, the Zeal 8-bit Computer ticks a lot of nostalgic boxes.
The Zeal 8-bit Computer, which began in 2021 as a project to celebrate the longevity of the classic Zilog Z80 microprocessor, has now launched in "Complete Edition" form — delivering a working microcomputer, add-on video board, and optional 3D-printed case.
"[The project's] goal is to make a complete homebrew eight-bit computer that keeps the same simplicity of retro microcomputers, like the Commodore 64 or the ZX Spectrum, while providing more recent features like VGA graphics, TF [TransFlash/SD Card] card support or NOR flash storage," the project's pseudonymous creator, who goes by "Zeal 8-bit," explains. "This complete pack represents the first finalized version of Zeal 8-bit Computer."
The Zeal 8-bit Computer is based around the long-lived but now end-of-life Zilog Z80 microprocessor, running at 10MHz to deliver a total performance of around 1.45 million instructions per second (MIPS). There's 256kB of NOR flash memory, upgradeable to 512kB, holding a custom operating system, and a secondary 32kB EEPROM. The system as 512kB of RAM, with 16-bit logical and 22-bit physical addressing.
The original design of the Zeal 8-Bit Computer delivered a single-board computer that was compatible with range of add-ons — including any PS/2-standard keyboard — but lacked the ability to display graphics. The Complete Edition fixes this by adding on an optional FPGA-driven video board, which has 80kB of dedicated RAM and the ability to output an 80×40 text-mode or 320×240/640×480 color bitmap mode over a VGA connector.
To finish, and to get the project closer to its creator's vision of the device as as "real product," the Complete Edition can also be ordered with a 3D-printed enclosure in a range of colors — and those opting to protect their system thusly will also receive a free capacitive touch sensor for their troubles, Zeal 8-Bit says, installed in the lid.
The Zeal 8-Bit Computer is available to order now on the official Tindie store at $180; the cases start at an extra $9.90 for basic PLA, $12.90 for metallic silk PLA, or $15.90 for a white resin variant. Additional information is available on the project website. Project source code, meanwhile, is available on GitHub under the permissive Apache 2.0 license.