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Zx50 FrontPanelCard

mmosko·Zx50·boards/Zx50_FrontPanelCard/Zx50_FrontPanelCard.kicad_pcb

Zx50 FrontPanelCard PCB layout, top view — open source RP2040/RP2350 board by mmosko

About the Zx50 FrontPanelCard PCB

Zx50 FrontPanelCard is an open source RP2040/RP2350 PCB design by mmosko, published on GitHub. It is a 4-layer board measuring 133.5 × 68.8 mm, with 22 components from 15 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the RaspberryPi_Pico, from the RP2040/RP2350 family. Other key parts include the 74AHC1G14, SN74ABT245BN, Z84C00XXP and MCP1316MT-46LE/OT. By type, the board carries 10 capacitors, 7 ICs, 4 connectors and 1 module.

From the project

The Zx50 is a custom 8-slot, passive backplane Z80 computer. It uses a "Shadow Bus" architecture where a Raspberry Pi Pico can take over the bus via DMA (~BUSRQ / ~BUSAK) to load RAM, debug, and monitor the system.

The Zx50 is a custom 8-slot, passive backplane Z80 computer. It uses a "Shadow Bus" architecture where a Raspberry Pi Pico can take over the bus via DMA (~BUSRQ / ~BUSAK) to load RAM, debug, and monitor the system.

* Backplane: 8 slots. Fully terminated with 10K SIP pull-up resistors on Address, Data, and Control lines. Includes an ~IEI/~IEO interrupt daisy chain and heavy bulk capacitance (1000µF).

Main components on the Zx50 FrontPanelCard

74AHC1G14SN74ABT245BNZ84C00XXPMCP1316MT-46LE/OTRaspberryPi_Pico

Zx50 FrontPanelCard bill of materials (BOM)

22 components, 15 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

QtyPartRefs
1
74AHC1G14
74LVC573
U1
1
SN74ABT245BN
AMS1117-3.3
U2
3
SN74ABT245BN
74LVC573
U3, U5, U7
1
Z84C00XXP
74LVC573
U4
1
MCP1316MT-46LE/OT
74LVC573
U6
1
RaspberryPi_Pico
A1
1
ZX50_EDGECONNECTOR
Zx50_EdgeConnector
J1
1
FrontPanelConnect
J2
1
Front Panel 2
J3
1
Front Panel
J4
1
0.1UF
100uf
C1
6
0.1UF
0.1uF
C2, C5, C6, C7, C8, C10
1
0.1UF
22uF
C3
1
0.1UF
10uF
C4
1
100UF
0.1uF
C9

Zx50 FrontPanelCard design files

The KiCad project lives in the mmosko/Zx50 repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

Zx50 FrontPanelCard: common questions

What microcontroller does the Zx50 FrontPanelCard use?

The Zx50 FrontPanelCard is built around the RaspberryPi_Pico, from the RP2040/RP2350 family.

How big is the Zx50 FrontPanelCard PCB?

The Zx50 FrontPanelCard measures 133.5 × 68.8 mm, has 4 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the Zx50 FrontPanelCard?

22 components, from 15 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.

Where can I download the Zx50 FrontPanelCard design files?

From the mmosko/Zx50 repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.

Can I use the Zx50 FrontPanelCard design in my own project?

The repository has no license, so all rights stay with mmosko. Use it as a reference, and ask the author before reusing the design.

Can I test firmware for the Zx50 FrontPanelCard without the hardware?

Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug RP2040/RP2350 firmware against it before you order a PCB.

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