The KIM Uno is a portable, software defined dev kit to emulate (retro) microprocessors. Some time ago it came to my mind, that I wanted to build a small portable microprocessor dev kit, just like the famous KIM-1 from MOS Technology, Inc. and others. Therefore, I designed the KIM Uno as a portable device, which fits in one hand and is powered by two CR2032 batteries. It uses the ATMega328p ("Arduino") microcontroller running at 8 MHz to emulate (or simulate) a desired CPU. This architecture also makes sure, that the emulated CPUs are interchangeable to anything which fits inside the microcontroller's flash memory. So it is a multi-purpose device.
Currently this project emulates an OISC (One Instruction Set Computer) with just one instruction subleq
. The idea came to me when I watched The Ultimate Apollo Guidance Computer Talk.
There are already a ton of documentation available - checkout those pages:
- The GitHub repo with all source files and other support material to build a KIM Uno: https://github.com/maxstrauch/kim-uno
- An Instructable with detailed step on building and assembling one: https://www.instructables.com/id/The-KIM-Uno-a-5-Microprocessor-Dev-Kit-Emulator/
- The YouTube video to see it in action: https://youtu.be/oWd1w513VB8