Last Updated or created 2024-09-17
I’ve got two friends who make old retro computers.
They like to use old chips and use only THT.
What is my take on this?
I like to use THT when possible. Exceptions are:
- Size constrains
- No THT parts available
- New gadgets
Old versus new chip solutions
- CPU : never a new alternative
(I’m not going to replace a 6502 using Arduino emulation, for example) - Yes, I’m using static ram instead of dynamic
- Address decoder using 74xx ? Yes, I want to test at least once.
But using a ATF22v10 has my preference. (Not using GALs anymore)
I only replace with newer alternatives when it does NOT interfere with how a system is performing. CPU has its own quirks, also chips like the SID. I never emulate when it can be avoided.
Address decoding, RAM or ROM yes please 🙂
Old untrusted UV Eproms are sh*t. Give me the new flash-able alternatives any time
I can emulate everything, but I need real hardware.
- Real 6502
- Real 68000
- Real 8088
- Real 8086
- Real 80386
I still want a real VGA monitor because I used to write VGA manipulation programs which only work on CRTs.