3 ms·

Before anyone runs out and buys a modern-day KIM-1, be sure you know what you're getting. I got one based on an Arduino (also hooked up to my Mac), and it's mo

Before anyone runs out and buys a modern-day KIM-1, be sure you know what you're getting. I got one based on an Arduino (also hooked up to my Mac), and it's more of a simulator than a re-creation. It works fine if you want to play MicroChess and a few little loops and subroutine things in the assembler, but once you get beyond what's in the PDF you find out quickly that you're in a sandbox.

JKCalhoun 1y ago
Yeah, that's the KIM Uno. At the same time, someone getting a full-on KIM-1 clone like I listed above may find that after running MicroChess, etc. that the machine is not that interesting. And that's fair — even in its day people were clamoring for graphics, color … the things the Apple II and Commodore machines followed on with. The KIM-1 is partly enjoyable because it is simple enough that you can wrap your head around the schematic, how the bus connects RAM, the processor, keypad, LED display. The 6502 chip is also knowable — the KIM-1 is a great machine to learn and play around with 8-bit assembly. And yet it is (or was!) a legitimate machine. The clones I listed can all be connected via serial to your computer (Mac/PC) of choice. I have never owned the KIM Uno so cannot say if that is possible. It would definitely crimp its utility if it cannot be connected to via serial. This wild book from 1978 had me (a young teenager) wishing I could afford the (then $400) KIM-1 as it showed how to interface it to a robot of your own creation — interfacing with motor drivers, impact sensors ("How to Build a Computer-Controlled Robot"): https://archive.org/details/howtobuildcomput0000loof https://archive.org/details/howtobuildcomput0000loof But to your point, yeah, you would need one of the clones I listed in order to interface to this degree.
- reaperducer 1y ago
  The clones I listed can all be connected via serial to your computer (Mac/PC) of choice. I have never owned the KIM Uno so cannot say if that is possible. It is. That's how I use it.
  - JKCalhoun 1y ago
    Sorry, I see you mentioned it in your previous comment. Short of hooking it to external hardware, there's probably only "authenticity" to be gained from a proper clone then? To be sure though, that authenticity is a big draw that an emulator/simulator can't provide. At the same time, perhaps you just find vintage computers boring — and I get that.

JKCalhoun 1y ago

Yeah, that's the KIM Uno. At the same time, someone getting a full-on KIM-1 clone like I listed above may find that after running MicroChess, etc. that the machine is not that interesting. And that's fair — even in its day people were clamoring for graphics, color … the things the Apple II and Commodore machines followed on with. The KIM-1 is partly enjoyable because it is simple enough that you can wrap your head around the schematic, how the bus connects RAM, the processor, keypad, LED display. The 6502 chip is also knowable — the KIM-1 is a great machine to learn and play around with 8-bit assembly. And yet it is (or was!) a legitimate machine. The clones I listed can all be connected via serial to your computer (Mac/PC) of choice. I have never owned the KIM Uno so cannot say if that is possible. It would definitely crimp its utility if it cannot be connected to via serial. This wild book from 1978 had me (a young teenager) wishing I could afford the (then $400) KIM-1 as it showed how to interface it to a robot of your own creation — interfacing with motor drivers, impact sensors ("How to Build a Computer-Controlled Robot"): https://archive.org/details/howtobuildcomput0000loof https://archive.org/details/howtobuildcomput0000loof But to your point, yeah, you would need one of the clones I listed in order to interface to this degree.

reaperducer 1y ago
The clones I listed can all be connected via serial to your computer (Mac/PC) of choice. I have never owned the KIM Uno so cannot say if that is possible. It is. That's how I use it.
- JKCalhoun 1y ago
  Sorry, I see you mentioned it in your previous comment. Short of hooking it to external hardware, there's probably only "authenticity" to be gained from a proper clone then? To be sure though, that authenticity is a big draw that an emulator/simulator can't provide. At the same time, perhaps you just find vintage computers boring — and I get that.