Home computer remakes
Encyclopedia
A home computer remake is a re-creation
or re-implementation of classic
home computer
hardware, usually using updated technology, such as FPGA
s.
A remake is a hardware realization, in contrast to an emulator
, which is a virtual realization. A remake can also be described as a hardware-based emulator. Some re-makes can function as more than one computer model or architecture.
Remakes and emulators are a way to keep old software
, game
s, and operating system
s alive without having to port
them to newer computers or code
them again from scratch. Remakes and emulators are methods of digital preservation
.
Remakes are not to be confused with hardware clones. Hardware clones are made during a product's initial commercial run, intentionally competing
with the original. Remakes are revivals of old, obsolete, or discontinued models. They fill a niche market
for retrocomputing
researchers, experimenters, hobbyists, gamers, and collectors. Demand for authentic antique hardware often exceeds supply.
Examples of home computer remakes include:
Remakes of early minicomputer
s have been also made:
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
or re-implementation of classic
Classic
The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective or a noun . It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts...
home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
hardware, usually using updated technology, such as FPGA
Field-programmable gate array
A field-programmable gate array is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing—hence "field-programmable"...
s.
A remake is a hardware realization, in contrast to an emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
, which is a virtual realization. A remake can also be described as a hardware-based emulator. Some re-makes can function as more than one computer model or architecture.
Remakes and emulators are a way to keep old software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
, game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
s, and operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s alive without having to port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
them to newer computers or code
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
them again from scratch. Remakes and emulators are methods of digital preservation
Digital preservation
Digital preservation is the set of processes, activities and management of digital information over time to ensure its long term accessibility. The goal of digital preservation is to preserve materials resulting from digital reformatting, and particularly information that is born-digital with no...
.
Remakes are not to be confused with hardware clones. Hardware clones are made during a product's initial commercial run, intentionally competing
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
with the original. Remakes are revivals of old, obsolete, or discontinued models. They fill a niche market
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
for retrocomputing
Retrocomputing
Retrocomputing is the use of early computer hardware and software today. Retrocomputing is usually classed as a hobby and recreation rather than a practical application of technology; enthusiasts often collect rare and valuable hardware and software for sentimental reasons...
researchers, experimenters, hobbyists, gamers, and collectors. Demand for authentic antique hardware often exceeds supply.
Examples of home computer remakes include:
- Multiple Classic Computer (MCC), (e.g. C64 and Amiga) remake, implemented as complete Plug&Play computer / retro game console
- MinimigMinimigMinimig is an open source re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array .Minimig started in secrecy around January 2005 as a proof of concept by Dutch electrical engineer Dennis van Weeren...
and Natami, AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
remakes - Replica 1Replica 1The Replica 1 is a clone of the Apple I designed by Vince Briel with permission from the Apple I's original creator Steve Wozniak. The Replica 1 is functionally a close copy of the original, but it is designed using much more modern parts on a smaller, simplified board design. The Replica 1 is...
, an Apple IApple IThe original Apple Computer, also known retroactively as the Apple I, or Apple-1, is a personal computer released by the Apple Computer Company in 1976. They were designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. Wozniak's friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling the computer...
remake - Atari ColdfireAtari Coldfire ProjectThe Atari Coldfire Project or is a volunteer project that aims to create a modern Atari computer clone.- Reason for the project :...
and Experiment-sExperiment-sExperiment-S is a recreation of the old Atari ST / Mega ST home computer using fpga technology.The two main boards being prototyped at the moment are:- Suska-III-C :...
, Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
remakes - C-OneC-OneThe C-One is a single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer, and Jens Schönfeld from Individual Computers, who manufactured the boards themselves...
, Originally a Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
remake but now also supporting Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPCThe Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and Amiga 500Amiga 500The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST... - C64 Direct-to-TVC64 Direct-to-TVThe C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Game...
, a Commodore 64 remake built inside a joystickJoystickA joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or... - Commodore 64xCommodore 64xThe Commodore 64x is an 64-bit Intel x86 home computer sold by Commodore USA LLC in April 2011, as a successor of the original Commodore 64 8-bit home computer sold by Commodore International in 1982...
, a Commodore 64 remake with an x86 processor - 1chipMSX1chipMSXThe One chip MSX, or 1chipMSX as the D4 Enterprise distributional name for the ESE MSX System 3, is a re-implementation of an MSX-2 home computer that uses a single FPGA to implement all the electronics of an MSX-2, including the MSX-MUSIC and SCC+ audio extensions.The system is housed in a...
, an MSX-2 remake - SprinterSprinter (computer)The Sprinter is a microcomputer made by Russian Peters Plus, Ltd.; it is the last model of ZX Spectrum being produced in a factory. It's built using what the company calls a "Flex architecture"...
, a Sinclair ZX Spectrum remake. - N8VEMN8VEMN8VEM is a homebrew computing project. It features a variety of free and open hardware and software. N8VEM builders make their own homebrew computer systems for themselves and share their experiences with other homebrew computer hobbyists...
home brew single board Z80 small computer. - Micro-KIM a 6502 Single Board Computer (SBC). The KIM-1KIM-1The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based single-board computer developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. and launched in 1976...
is not really a home computer, but was often used as a basis for such.
Remakes of early minicomputer
Minicomputer
A minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
s have been also made:
- Several experimenters have re-implemented the PDP-8PDP-8The 12-bit PDP-8 was the first successful commercial minicomputer, produced by Digital Equipment Corporation in the 1960s. DEC introduced it on 22 March 1965, and sold more than 50,000 systems, the most of any computer up to that date. It was the first widely sold computer in the DEC PDP series of...
using FPGAs: