I went ahead and assembled the prototype even with the known flaws. I have learned a lot and I can't wait to refine the boards. I have now been working on this thing off and on for 6 months and I sort of just made it up as I went along. I now have a clear picture of what I want this thing to be and I know exactly what changes I want to make for the final version. (At least of Dodo I...) I can't help but think about an even more ambitious project.

Here is what I want to do to refine the boards:

• Ditch the 7805 voltage regulator and instead use a Max756 so that it will run off of AA batteries. It should be portable right? I will still provide a 5V connector for externally powering the board, but it will need to be regulated.
• Move the 3.3v regulator, level shifters, and a logic chip to the I/O board. That circuitry is only needed for the display and it would leave the main board more generic so that it could be used on other projects.
• Get rid of the IDC connectors and instead use a 20x2 pin header to directly mate the two boards. (This will get them closer together)
• Move the DB9 connector away from the the lower left corner, it interferes with gameplay.
• Move the edge connector to the main board
• Make a cutout in top board under the display (there are some critical jumpers under the display that should be accessible)
• Switch to better buttons (And be extra careful to space them appropriately!)
• Stop using the clock output of the 65C02 for the peripheral chips, WDC doesn't recommend it.
• Connect the RTS/CTS lines up from the 6551
• Wire the EEPROM so that it can be programmed on board, this way I can support flashing both system firmware and the game cartridges over Serial. Once the boards are mated using a ZIF socket won't be possible