Michael Wessel
PicoRAM 2090
A Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040)-based 2114 SRAM Emulator and Multi-Expansion for the Busch
2090 Microtronic Computer System.
Latest News / Updates
Claude created a new set of games for the 1981 Busch Microtronic 4bit computer from 1981 - these games are using my PicoRAM 2090 extension for the Microtronic and hence even add OLED graphics, sound and speech. The new Tic-Tac-Toe uses a 2nd bank of memory, offered by PicoRAM - AI created AI!
None of this would have been possible in 1982... super intelligence has already arrived. Claude also instructed me how to add text-to-speech (TTS) and speech recognition (ASR) with a push-to-talk capability to its Claude code environment, so that I could interview it live on camera.
It seems Claude enjoyed the YouTube experience, and definitely projected a sense of "pride" for it's own original and unique game creation: the new graphical Lunar Lander. Amazing times!
The emerging AI capabilities we are witnessing are fascinating and concerning at the same time. I hope you will get a sense of what is feasible by now with Agentic AI and frontier models for retro computing these days. Finally, we have tools that can make our software dreams come true - in record times, impossible to match for humans. Wow.
Final Demo Video on YouTube:
I have written about the Microtronic here before, and done a few Microtronic-related projects:
- https://hackaday.io/project/11560-the-talking-microtronic-computer-system-emulator
- https://hackaday.io/project/176466-microtronic-the-next-generation
- https://hackaday.io/project/180252-a-retro-authentic-microtronic-emulator
The final PicoRAM 2090 in the Microtronic:
The firmware is attached to the project, as are the Gerber files. Please also have a look at the Github repo.
Early Prototype Pictures: 
Older News / Updates
It's done! PicoRAM 2090 is finished. The GitHub repo has been updated and now contains an extensive README, the Gerbers, and the firmware. I'll upload the source code a little bit later. But for now, Makers / builders have everything they need to replicate it!
Here's the final demo video on YouTube:
Log Entries for RetroChallenge 2023/10 Participation
It's done - the RetroChallenge 2023/10 October month is coming to an end! This is my final video for the challenge which wraps it up - a full demo of most of the implemented features (with the exception of the RTC - see Log Entry 4 for that instead). I implemented everything I promised here: https://www.retrochallenge.org/2023/10/rc202310-halftime-update.html
All RetroChallenge 2023/10 Log Entries
Some more details in the final RetroChallenge log entry: https://hackaday.io/project/192655-picoram-2090/log/224691-retrochallenge-202310-log-entry-6-final-wrap-up-demo-video
DS3231 Real Time Clock: https://hackaday.io/project/192655-picoram-2090/log/224507-retrochallenge-202310-log-entry-5-ds3231-for-microtronic
Text, Speech, & Graphics Demo: https://hackaday.io/project/192655-picoram-2090/log/224486-retrochallenge-202310-log-entry-4-demo
Extended Op-Codes, Bank Switching: https://hackaday.io/project/192655-picoram-2090/log/224467-retrochallenge-202310-log-entry-3
SD Card Memory Dumps: https://hackaday.io/project/192655-picoram-2090/log/224327-retrochallenge-202310-log-entry-2
Overall Idea and Setup: https://hackaday.io/project/192655-picoram-2090/log/224259-retrochallenge-202310-log-entry-1
By now, the SD card interface, banked memory, graphics, text, speech, and sound extensions are working! Here is a little demo:
About
This project started out as an attempt to emulate the 2114
SRAM found in the Busch
2090 Microtronic Computer
System - a fully
compatible "drop in" replacement using the Raperry Pi Pico. A Pico-based SRAM emulator facilitates SD card-based storage of Microtronic memory dumps / its program memory, and hence of programs. Saving to and loading back of programs to SD card is much faster and...
Ken Yap
Alex Bowen