Skip to the content
PCBKitNew board
2 layers198 × 278 mmQ2, the printed circuit board in 3D

12-bit single-board discrete transistor computer

Size
198 × 278 mm
Copper layers
2
Thickness
1.6 mm
Parts
1,660
Nets
989
Pads
4,604
Tracks, vias
12,552, 2,528
Pours
2
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 7 (file 20221018)
Created
13 Sep 2020
Updated
15 Dec 2024

Overview

Q2 is an open-source printed circuit board by joewing, from the joewing/q2 repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 198 × 278 mm with 1,660 parts on 989 nets, routed with 12,552 tracks and 2,528 vias.

It is built around the 2N7002K and BAT43W. Its parts include 1,016 transistors, 463 resistors, 96 diodes, 44 capacitors and 23 switches.

Main components

2

README

README.md

Q2

A home-brew 12-bit mini-computer.

text
         __       __        
        /\ \     /\ \       000 | LDA | Z | A = [X]        
       /  \ \   /  \ \      001 | NOR | Z | A = A NOR [X] 
      / /\ \ \ / /\ \ \     010 | ADD | C | A = A + [X] 
     / / /\ \ \\/_/\ \ \    011 | SHR | C | A = [X] >> 1  
    / / /  \ \_\   / / /    100 | LEA | - | A = X 
   / / / __/ / /  / / /     101 | STA | - | [X] = A       
  / / / /\ \/ /  / / / __   110 | JMP | - | P = X
 / / /__\ \ \/  / / /_/\_\  111 | JFC | - | if !F: P = X  
/ / /____\ \ \ / /_____/ /   |
\/________\_\/ \________/   OOO D Z XXXXXXX - Operand
 joewing.net                     \ \_________ Zero Page
                                  \__________ Dereference

There are currently two hardware implementations of the Q2 instruction set:

  • Q2 - The bit-serial single-board discrete transistor implementation.
  • Q2A - A faster, parallel implementation using ATF16V8 PLDs.

Compared to the DEC PDP-8, the original Q2 would be like the PDP-8/S and the Q2A would be like the PDP-8/I.

This repo contains the following subdirectories:

  • hardware - Hardware realizations.
    • q2 - The original discrete transistor Q2.
      • hdl - A Verilog model and test bench for simulating Q2 programs.
      • scad - An OpenSCAD 3d model for the case.
      • pcb - Schematics and PCB in KiCad
    • q2a - Programmable logic device implementation
      • pld - PLD files for programming the ATF16V8s and Verilog test bench
      • scad - An OpenSCAD 3d model for the case.
      • pcb - Schematics and PCB in KiCad
  • q2asm - A Q2 assembler (in Rust).
  • q2lc - A compiler for a simple language (in Rust).
  • q2prog - A Q2 programmer (in Rust) for a Raspberry Pi (this is for the Q2 only; the Q2A requires an EEPROM programmer).
  • examples - Q2 example programs (assembly and Q2L).

See joewing.net/projects/q2 for more information.

q2lc

q2lc is a compiler for Q2 programs. It is built using 'cargo build' in the q2lc directory.

The Makefile will take care of compiling and assembling Q2L programs in the examples directory automatically:

text
make examples/sieve.lst

This will compile sieve.q2l into sieve.q2 and then assemble sieve.q2 using q2asm to generate sieve.lst along with sieve.q2p.

q2asm

q2asm is the assembler for Q2 programs. It is built using 'cargo build' in the q2asm directory.

The Makefile will take care of assembling programs in the examples directory automatically:

text
make examples/hello.lst

This will generate the listing file for examples/hello.q2 as examples/hello.lst.

Instruction Set

All instructions are 1 word with the following format:

text
  FFF D Z XXXXXXX
   \  \ \    \____ Operand
    \  \ \________ Zero-Page    
     \  \_________ Dereference 
      \___________ Opcode

Instruction summary:

OpcodeNameFDescription
000LDAZA = [X]
001NORZA = A NOR [X]
010ADDCA = A + [X]
011SHRCA = [X] >> 1
100LEA-A = X
101STA-[X] = A
110JMP-P = X
111JFC-if !F, P = X

The flag is set if carry ('C'), zero ('Z'), or left unchanged ('-').

The following address modes are supported:

ValueDZMeaning
x00current-page relative
@x10indirect through current page
=x01zero-page relative
@=x11indirect through zero page

For convenience, the assembler also supports two additional address modes:

ValueDZMeaning
#x00immediate
#@x10immediate indirect

These cause an extra word to be allocated at the end of the current page for an immediate value.

Examples

text
; Negate: A = -A
  nor   #0
  add   #1
text
; Subtract: A - v
  nor   #0
  add   v       ; A = v - A - 1
  nor   #0      ; A = A - v
text
; Decrement A
  add   #-1
text
; NOT: A = ~A
  nor   #0
text
; OR: A = A | v
  nor   v
  nor   #0
text
; AND: A = A & v
  nor   #0
  sta   =t0   ; t0 = ~A
  lda   v
  nor   #0    ; A = ~v
  nor   =t0   ; A = ~(~A | ~v) = A & v
text
; Jump if F set
  jfc   $+2
  jmp   label
text
; Jump if a >= b
  lda   a
  nor   #0
  add   b
  jfc   ge
text
; Jump if a != b
  lda   a
  nor   #0
  add   b
  nor   #0
  jfc   ne
text
; Function call:
  lea   $+2   ; A = return address
  jmp   func

;...
func:
  sta   =ra   ; Save return address
  ; ...
  jmp   @=ra  ; Return
text
; Long jump
  jmp   @#addr
text
; Long call
  lea   $+2
  jmp   @#addr
text
; Rotate right function
; x0 >>> 1
ror:
  sta   =ra       ; save return address
  shr   =x0       ; A = x0 >> 1
  jfc   @=ra      ; return if no carry
  add   0x800
  jmp   @=ra
text
; Push A on to the stack
  sta   @=sp
  lda   =sp
  add   #-1
  sta   =sp
text
; Pop A off the stack
  lea   =1
  add   =sp
  sta   =sp
  lda   @=sp

I/O

I/O is handled through address 0xFFF.

LCD

Writes are directed to the LCD when the top 3 bits written to 0xFFF are zero. Writes to the LCD can be either commands or data. The low 8-bits are sent directly to the LCD and the 9th bit determines if data (0) or a command (1) is to be sent. Reads are not supported.

Buttons

There are 5 buttons. Reading from 0xFFF returns the state of the buttons in the low five bits where 0 is returned if the button is pressed and 1 is returned if the button is not pressed.

I2C

The SCL and SDA bits can be set by writing to 0xFFF with the top bit set. Bit 9 controls SCL and bit 8 controls SDA. Reads from 0xFFF return the state of the SCL and SDA bits.

Memory Extension

The memory extension device allows the Q2 to address more than 4096 words of memory. This is accomplished through the use of two additional latches: the data field (DF) and the instruction field (IF). Memory accesses for indirect loads or stores have the data field appended to the address. All other accesses have the instruction field appended.

On reset, both the data and instruction fields are set to 0. The data field can be set by writing 0xCxx to address 0xFFF (note that the field is ignored for I/O). This will set the data field to xx. The data field is copied to the instruction field when a jump takes place.

Summary

Writes:

  • 00 0 C DDDDDDDD - LCD
  • 10 C D 00000000 - I2C (C for SCL, D for SDA)
  • 11 0 0 0000000F - Field

Reads:

  • 11 C D 111KKKKK

Parts

1,660
QtyValueFootprintReferences
9402N7002Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23Q1, Q10, Q100, Q101, Q1000, Q1001, Q1002, Q1003, Q1004, Q1005, Q1007, Q1009, Q1010, Q1011, Q1012, Q1013 +924
24410kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608MetricR1, R10, R11, R12, R100, R101, R102, R104, R107, R109, R111, R114, R115, R117, R120, R121 +228
811kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608MetricR16, R106, R113, R119, R128, R136, R143, R149, R158, R165, R173, R179, R188, R195, R203, R209 +65
762N7002KPackage_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23Q2, Q114, Q116, Q117, Q118, Q142, Q184, Q186, Q187, Q188, Q212, Q254, Q256, Q257, Q1006, Q1016 +60
75YellowLED_SMD:LED_0805_2012MetricD1, D2, D10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D21, D22, D23 +59
4822kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608MetricR15, R105, R112, R118, R127, R135, R142, R148, R157, R164, R172, R178, R187, R194, R202, R208 +32
486.8kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608MetricR13, R20, R103, R110, R116, R125, R133, R140, R146, R155, R162, R170, R176, R185, R192, R200 +32
330.1uCapacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012MetricC1, C2, C3, C12, C13, C15, C16, C17, C22, C23, C25, C28, C30, C31, C32, C33 +17
31100kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608MetricR18, R108, R123, R138, R153, R160, R183, R190, R213, R220, R243, R250, R282, R283, R284, R285 +15
21BAT43WDiode_SMD:D_SOD-123D38, D39, D40, D41, D42, D43, D44, D45, D46, D47, D48, D49, D50, D51, D52, D53 +5
13SwitchButton_Switch_SMD:TA-3524S-A2SW1, SW7, SW8, SW9, SW10, SW11, SW12, SW13, SW14, SW15, SW16, SW17, SW18
104.7kResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608MetricR275, R276, R277, R301, R302, R305, R306, R308, R310, R323
10ButtonButton_Switch_SMD:SW_SPST_PTS645SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW19, SW20, SW21, SW22, SW23
81uCapacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012MetricC10, C14, C18, C19, C20, C21, C26, C29
6MountingHole_PadMountingHole:MountingHole_3.2mm_M3_Pad_ViaH1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6
210kPotentiometer_THT:Potentiometer_Bourns_3386P_VerticalRV1, RV3
2470pCapacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012MetricC11, C24
26264Package_SO:SOP-28-330U1, U2
1100Resistor_SMD:R_1206_3216MetricR274
110uCapacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012MetricC27
1BatteryBatteries:BATTCOM_20MM_PTHBT1
1CAT809JPackage_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23U3
1CLKTestPoint:TestPoint_Loop_D2.50mm_Drill1.0mmTP1
1I2CConnector_PinHeader_2.54mm:PinHeader_1x05_P2.54mm_HorizontalJ3
1LOGOq2:q2-logoG***
1ProgrammerConnector_IDC:IDC-Header_2x20_P2.54mm_VerticalJ1
1USB_BConnector_USB:USB_B_OST_USB-B1HSxx_HorizontalJ2
1WC1602ADisplay:WC1602ADS1

Questions

How big is the Q2 PCB?

It measures 198 × 278 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the Q2 use?

1,660 parts, built around the 2N7002K and BAT43W. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the Q2 KiCad files?

From the joewing/q2 repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is hardware/q2/pcb/q2/q2.kicad_pcb and its schematic hardware/q2/pcb/q2/address.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the Q2 design in my own project?

Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask joewing before reusing the design.

More from joewing/q2

3
  • 2 layers154 × 160 mmQ2a, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Q2a

    joewing/q2

    12-bit single-board discrete transistor computer

    159 parts42
  • 2 layers154 × 100 mmFrontpanel, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Frontpanel

    joewing/q2

    12-bit single-board discrete transistor computer

    78 parts42
  • 2 layers85 × 89.2 mmTerminal, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Terminal

    joewing/q2

    12-bit single-board discrete transistor computer

    22 parts42

Similar boards

  • 2 layers20.2 × 46.3 mmTcd1304pcb, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Tcd1304pcb

    Alohom/ESP32-Compatible-TCD1304-Linear-CCD-Sensor-PCB

    A custom ESP32-compatible PCB interface board to drive and read the Toshiba TCD1304 linear CCD sensor for spectrometry and optical measurement applications.

    17 parts
  • 2 layers50.8 × 25.4 mmCkt fred, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Ckt fred

    IowaScaledEngineering/ckt-fred

    Circuit for Battery/Track Powered FRED

    21 partsGPL-3.0
  • 4 layers118 × 74 mmVFODial, the printed circuit board in 3D

    VFODial

    PAPRST/VFODialHID

    Proposal for a standard HID descriptor for radio interface device (dial, knob, keypad, ...)

    96 partsMIT
  • 4 layers193 × 105.2 mmAFE V3, the printed circuit board in 3D

    AFE V3

    Pgr18/CELL_Z_SPECT_hardware

    Печатные платы для проекта клеточной импедансной спектроскопии

    293 parts
  • 2 layers27.9 × 101.6 mmHAGIWO MultiOut Main, the printed circuit board in 3D

    HAGIWO MultiOut Main

    mzuelch/CATs-Eurosynth

    Analog Synth Eurorack Modules

    60 parts166MIT
  • 2 layers100.3 × 69.9 mmHDD Synth Prototype MK4, the printed circuit board in 3D

    HDD Synth Prototype MK4

    MaverickUK/HDDSynth

    Recreate the sound of mechanical spinning HDDs on retro PCs that use a solid state drive

    46 parts16
  • 4 layers46.8 × 34.8 mmSmartWatch V4, the printed circuit board in 3D

    SmartWatch V4

    Bellafaire/ESP32-Smart-Watch

    An open source smartwatch based on the ESP32 compatible with the Arduino IDE.

    74 parts258MIT