Having proven the LCD display and QWERTY keyboard design on breadboard, I have designed a PCB in KiCAD and have now sent off an order to JLCPCB. As planned, the BeanZee Z80 homebrew, and an LCD module will plug into this new PCB, forming a small self-contained computer.

I have some misgivings about the choice of buttons. Originally I was looking at using small tactile buttons, but was worried they would be too fiddly for my large digits.

I've gone for larger tactile buttons, which has made the PCB quite large (327 mm x 199 mm). Given the size of the PCB, I could switched to Cherry MX keyboard buttons, but these would have pushed the overall price up. I have compromised and stuck with the tactile buttons. We shall see!

(29 March 2025)