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RC2014 Bootloader for SD Cards

So, the RC2014 is great.  I can run Microsoft BASIC and program it from there, and as long as I am using a terminal emulator, I can copy & paste to save and load programs.  Alternatively, I can write Z80 code using an online compiler then download it, copy it to USB stick, move it to my old Windows 2000 laptop (which has a parallel port) so I can burn it on to EPROM to see if it works, make adjustments and repeat with another EPROM.

I will be the first to admit, however, that this is probably not the most efficient workflow.  Not to mention the time and effort involved in wiping the limited stock of aged EPROMS.

So, I am in the process of designing an SD Card based bootloader.

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RC2014 with ZX Printer interface

My original plan had never been to design and build my own computer.  I had, however, planned to build a clone of the Sinclair ZX80, which has been on my bucket list of things to own for year, and which I had found plans for online.  Whilst collecting the parts and reading up on simple Z80 computers I got kind of sidetracked and ended up with the RC2014.

The print out shown was what was left from the last time this was connected to a ZX Spectrum!

The heart of the RC2014 is a Zilog Z80 CPU, which is the same one that Sinclair used in the ZX80, ZX81, ZX Spectrum and Z88.  If the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum can run a ZX Printer, then surely it follows that the RC2014 will be able to too?

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