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2019 Reviewed

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2019 has been a good year for the homebrew retro computer community.

In the RC2014 universe there have been quite a few new releases, including kits:

RomWBW has become widely available on RC2014 related designs bringing a great CP/M environment to the masses.

I’ve also made significant progress this year.

I started selling kits on Tindie in February 2019 but things really got moving in mid-July when I launched SC126 Z180 SBC/motherboard kit. I have now sold 180 SC126 kits. With some sales of the PCB only, and others getting their own boards manufactured, I believe there are now more than 200 of this design out there.

One downside of selling kits is that I have had much less time for new projects 😦

The RC2014 based community now includes many very talented, experienced, and active members. During the last year or two, the sophistication of many community generated add-ons for RC2014 has increased significantly. This ultimately led to Spencer restating his goals for the RC2014. With many of the new RC2014 based activities clearly not consistent with Spencer’s goals for the RC2014, a new google group was formed for those wanting to go further.

So what will 2020 have in store for our community?

I fully expect the level activity to increase and for the limits to be pushed further. Personally, I’m not particularly focused on exotic designs and applications. I’ve always liked the idea that designs and products should improve the experience for the majority, rather than push the limits for the few.

I hope to design some more kits and I know some others are planning their own developments. I’m sure many in the community will be doing great things for their own satisfaction and not to design “products” for others. Some of these we will probably never hear about. Fortunately, there is room for all interests and motivations.

So 2020 is looking like another good year for our community.

Happy New Year,

Steve