SC131 Pocket-sized CP/M computer kit

The SC131 is a very neat looking and compact retro computing platform built around the Z180 CPU. The Z180 is clocked at 18.432 MHz and there’s a healthy 512k bytes of RAM and 512k bytes of flash memory on board. Pre-installed to the flash is the RomWBW firmware which is described as a robust implementation of CP/M.  You can read more about RomWBW over on the RomWBW repository here.

There are lots of options over on the product page, from PCB only through to a complete kit with the needed USB serial adaptor and USB cable. With the complete kit all you would need to add is a micro SD card for some on-board storage. It’s probably fair to say this isn’t a soldering kit for an absolute beginner. There are a few tricky sections in the assembly that might be a challenge for those who haven’t assembled a few kits and projects before. It’s definitely worth reading through the excellent and detailed assembly instructions in this guide to give you a sense of what you are up against in this build.

With the built in FTDI USB to serial adaptor you’ll need, like with many retro computing platforms, to hook this up to a computer with a terminal emulator installed. Once up and running we can imagine this neat unit providing plenty of retro entertainment!