Vintage (CPU's that started it all)

Ok, this is just cool! Bill Rowe has taken the stripped down 8-bit computer kit called the Membership Card that is powered by the RCA 1802 and created a shield for it so that it can use Arduino shields. Not only that but he's developed a C compiler to make the job of writing code easier. He's used this tech to interface colour LCD displays, ultrasonic sensors, and currently, he's running it as a web server and you can toggle the hardware remotely. This is nearly 40 year old technology. Amazing!

Here's another 1802 Cosmac Elf related web page. Lee Hart has been designing and building 1802 based systems since about the day when the chips first became available. Recently he released a computer (in an Altoids tin) kit that contains all the parts and instrcutions for building a real 8-bit programmable computer just like the first ones that came out more than 30 years ago but it fits in your shirt pocket and runs on a couple of AAA batteries.     

Another 1802 informational website. If you're looking for highly technical information about the 1802 chip, this is a great place to start looking. The author of this site also developed a disc operating system (DOS) for 1802 based computer systems called ElfOS plus application software and hardware ideas.

I got my start with real computers by purchasing a computer kit called an ELF II from a classmate when I was in grade 10. The CPU used in it was an 8-bit single chip uProcessor called an 1802. The chip was very innexpensive for the time (1976 - 1982) and was detailed in most electronics magazines with various hobby computer construction articles.