Mini PET now up for pre-order

[rpiguy2]

I am sure folks here already know, but in case you haven't, the Mini PET is up for pre-order and shipping in about 2 weeks.

https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/mini-pet.html

You can grab a new motherboard for your PET that uses the PET power supply, monitor, and keyboard or a standalone kit with chicklet keyboard and composite out.

Includes everything, IEE488, tape interface, etc.

Prices are a bit high, I'd almost rather see this as a PCB kit that I could source parts for myself, but overall it is an amazing effort and great looking device.

 

[HammysHangout]

ugg, yeah, same, rather just buy a blank pcb. already own most of those parts .

 

[Hutch]

Link to Tynemouth Blog: http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2020/05/the-mini-pet-pre-order-open.html

It's ~220 GBP or ~270 USD for the KIT
True you could probably buy a used PET logic board and repair it for less but I don't begrudge them a profit and it gives you options.
You could make a project out of it and put it in a custom case or do some hardware hacking without damaging your real PET.

Photos are prototype/pre-production boards. Changes to the final product are likely.

 

[zippysticks]

The price is a little high for me and is actually in the territory of some 'REAL' PETs so I'm not entirely sure what 'market' this will appeal to.

Having said that its a good effort of course.

 

[HammysHangout]

i would be ok with paying 100USD for a blank PCB, plenty of profit there, also zero labor.

 

[rpiguy2]

i would be ok with paying 100USD for a blank PCB, plenty of profit there, also zero labor.

Agree! I also wish the keyboard weren't micro-switch based. I know the Brits love them ala the Speccy, and that the original PET had calculator switches, but a simple PCB with through holes for MX switches instead of soldered micro-switches would be several orders of magnitude more useable.

 

[alank2]

I think it looks sharp!

 

[ajacocks]

I ordered an A version.

As far as the keyboard goes, it’d be _very_ easy to make up a PCB that uses whatever modern mechanical key switches float your boat.

- Alex

 

[simplex]

Aww man. Got excited till I saw it was Tynemouth, which almost always means expensive / closed source.

I know that work goes into these, and there's no way I could design it myself - but after seeing how he "borrowed" Nicolas Weltes 6502 ROM/RAM design and sold it as his own, I'll not be giving him any of my money.

 

[Agent Orange]

Link to Tynemouth Blog: http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2020/05/the-mini-pet-pre-order-open.html

It's ~220 GBP or ~270 USD for the KIT
True you could probably buy a used PET logic board and repair it for less but I don't begrudge them a profit and it gives you options.
You could make a project out of it and put it in a custom case or do some hardware hacking without damaging your real PET.

Photos are prototype/pre-production boards. Changes to the final product are likely.

I like it and I don't think it's cost prohibitive. :thumbsup:

P.S. Might be a nice project when the next plague come around.

 

[Hutch]

Not sure if everyone heard or not, but the first boards that shipped (V1.42, V1.44) had a mistake in the user-port layout. The user port connector was mirrored so it's backwards.
For anyone who already bought one, they are sending out a connector/adapter that flips the pins around. For v1.45 and later the user port pins are correct.

I did a video of my build and test.
https://youtu.be/oHeQc1RgPFk

Tynemouth has a new blog post today mentioning the user port error and showing the re-designed Kit B board.
http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2020/07/mini-pet-update.html

 

[dave_m]

Hutch,
You did a great job on the video. I wasn't that interested in the project until seeing your video. Now I want one. Tynemouth did a great job on this board.
-Dave

 

[Hutch]

Hutch,
You did a great job on the video. I wasn't that interested in the project until seeing your video. Now I want one. Tynemouth did a great job on this board.
-Dave

Thanks.
You're lucky you waited until the next revision to get one.