System Assembling
Bill of Materials
Integrated Circuits
| Name | Qty | Package | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74HC00 | 1 | dip-14 | quad NAND |
| 74HC14 | 1 | dip-14 | hex NOT (Schmitt-Trigger) |
| 74HC85 | 1 | dip-16 | 4-bit Comparator |
| 74HC138 | 2 | dip-16 | 3to8 Decoder |
| 74HC139 | 1 | dip-16 | dual 2to4 Decoder |
| 74HC153 | 1 | dip-16 | dual 4to1 Selector |
| 74HC157 | 1 | dip-16 | quad 2to1 Selector |
| 74HC165 | 5 | dip-16 | parallel-in Shift Register |
| 74HC273 | 1 | dip-20 | 8-bit Register w/Reset |
| 74HC574 | 4 | dip-20 | 8-bit Register w/3-State |
| 74HC590 | 3 | dip-16 | 8-bit Sync Counter |
| 74HC670 | 2 | dip-16 | 4x4-bit Register |
| 74HC4040 | 1 | dip-16 | 12-bit Ripple Counter |
| 74HCT540 | 1 | dip-20 | 8-bit Buffer (Inverting) |
| 82c54 | 1 | dip-24-wide/plcc-28 | Tripple Timer |
| 62256 | 1 | dip-28-wide | 32KiB Sram |
| 39SF040 | 3 | plcc-32 | 512KiB Nor Flash |
| 65c02 | 1 | plcc-44 | 8-bit CPU |
Sockets
| Name | Qty |
|---|---|
| dip-14 | 2 |
| dip-16 | 17 |
| dip-20 | 6 |
| dip-24-wide* | 1 |
| dip-28-wide | 1 |
| plcc-28* | 1 |
| plcc-32 | 3 |
| plcc-44 | 1 |
*1 Use either dip-24w or plcc depending on chosen 82c54 package
Passives
| Type | Value | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| 12Mhz Quartz | HC49 | 1 |
| Diode | 1n4148 | 5 |
| Led | Rectangular 2mmx5mm | 1 |
| Led Holder | 15mm Holder | 1 |
| Ceramic Capacitor | 33pF | 1 |
| Ceramic Capacitor | 47pF | 1 |
| Ceramic Capacitor | 100nF | 34 |
| Polar Capacitor | 4.7µF | 1 |
| Polar Capacitor | 10µF | 3 |
| Resistor | 75Ω | 2 |
| Resistor | 470Ω | 1 |
| Resistor | 680Ω | 1 |
| Resistor | 820Ω | 2 |
| Resistor | 1.2KΩ | 2 |
| Resistor | 3.3KΩ | 12 |
| Resistor | 5.6KΩ | 1 |
| Resistor | 10KΩ | 6 |
| Resistor | 20KΩ | 10 |
| Resistor | 27KΩ | 2 |
| Resistor | 1MΩ | 1 |
Keyboard
| Type | Value | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Diode | 1n4148 | 45 |
Switches and Connectors
| Type | Qty | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 5x2.1 DC Power Jack | 1 | Power In |
| SCART Female (no ears) | 1 | Audio/Video Out |
| PJ-325 | 1 | Audio Out |
| VGA Female Connector | 1 | Video Out |
| Right Angle 2.54mm 44Pin Edge Connector | 2 | Cartridge Slot |
| Right Angle Tactile Switch | 1 | Reset Button |
| SS-12D11-G5 Slide Switch | 1 | Power Switch |
| 8-pin 2.54mm JST Vertical | 1 | Keyboard Connector |
| 5-pin 2.54mm JST Vertical | 1 | Keyboard Connector |
Keyboard
| Type | Qty | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 8-pin 2.54mm JST Horizontal | 1 | Keyboard Connector |
| 5-pin 2.54mm JST Horizontal | 1 | Keyboard Connector |
| 2.00U Stabilizer | 1 | Return Stabalizer |
| 6.25U Stabilizer | 1 | Spacebar Stabalizer |
| MX Switch/Kailh Low-Profile | 40 | Keyboard Switches |
| 1U KeyCap | 32 | Letters, Arrows, Escape |
| 1.25U KeyCap | 3 | BackSpace, Alt, Ctrl |
| 1.5U KeyCap | 1 | BackSlash |
| 1.75U KeyCap | 2 | Shift, Math |
| 2U KeyCap | 1 | Enter |
| 6.25U KeyCap | 1 | SpaceBar |
Due to the uncommon layout of the keyboard, it is preferable to pick a set of keycaps using a profile of uniform height, such as:
- DSA
- XDA
- G20
- MOA
- KAT
Assembly
This guide approachs assembling the KITTY through a series of steps where one subsystem is built, tested and debugged, before moving on to the next step. Hoping this way to both avoid mistakes, and give you a better understanding of how the system works.
Step 1 - Power Input
Install Power Jack, Power Switch, Big Decap, Power LED & its resistor.
Step 2 - Clock and Reset
Install '14 and the passives for the clock and reset
Pierce Oscillator circuit
Step 3 - Clock Dividers
Install '590 and '4040
Step 4 - First "Video" Output
Install Sig ROM, '574, SCART and VGA Ports, Mode and Sync components
The signal ROM is controlled by the clock dividers built in the previous step, and is in charge of:
- generating the video sync signals
- determining the visible portion of the screen
- generating a CPU interrupt request when the very last character on a frame is rendered
- resetting the clock counters at the end of the frame.
Finally a '574 latch is used to buffer the output of the Sig ROM before sending it to the rest of the system (to avoid signal transition glitches)
Connecting a video cable to an appropriate known-working display, there will be no image yet, but the signal should now be recognized by the display as Progressive PAL 50fps (what your display calls may vary). If the display shows a "no signal" message then most likely a mistake was made somewhere in this building step.
Step 5 - Random Colors
Coordination '138, BOXY palette buffers, BOXY color mixer, BOXY out buffer, Color DAC
Step 6 - RAM, memory mapping, and Stable Colors
SRAM, '85, '00, '590, '590
Step 7 - Random Characters
'165, FONT ROM
Step 8 - Installing the CPU
'w65c02
Step 9 - Adding the test rom
ROM, '138, '273
Step 10 - The Keyboard
'541 + keyboard + headers
Step 11 - Sound System
82c54, '670, '670, '153, Sound DAC, Sound Filters