[HN Gopher] Ashet Home Computer
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Ashet Home Computer
Author : todsacerdoti
Score : 153 points
Date : 2025-08-12 18:56 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (ashet.computer)
(TXT) w3m dump (ashet.computer)
| tuckerman wrote:
| He's still too young for something like this but I've been
| searching for something to use when we more properly introduce my
| son to computers. Using modern components to make something
| useful that still exposes the electronics side, encourages
| tinkering and exploration over media consumption, etc and it
| seems like a project like this could fit the bill nicely!
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| No doubt you've already looked into Ben Eater's various
| offerings (?).
| tuckerman wrote:
| I came across them (and they seem very cool!) but my working
| theory is that, in addition to more electronics heavy
| projects like those, I also want something that can fill the
| role of the apple ii plus that was the "family computer" when
| I was a kid without going straight to giving him access to a
| modern desktop/computer which feel so hermetic.
|
| I'm somehow very confident in this while also being sure that
| people probably thought very similar things about home radios
| destroying the youth in the 1920s :D
| uticus wrote:
| https://www.nand2tetris.org/
| ikskuh wrote:
| Creator here!
|
| That sounds exactly what i had in mind, and i really wanna do
| the same when my boy is old enough for computers.
|
| It's a teaching tool and a fun toy to tinker with
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| I like that it is using a backplane architecture.
|
| The OS made me wonder how far someone could get trying to create
| a GUI for the 6502. I suppose the Apple II (GS?) headed there
| before the Mac fully took the reins and the Apple II was left out
| to pasture.
| pinewurst wrote:
| https://www.a2desktop.com
|
| http://toastytech.com/guis/a2geos.html
| alexisread wrote:
| Well the most well known one is Geos for the C64
|
| https://youtu.be/_4nthOx8sA4?si=AiK9bRxRQwV3MB0f
|
| There's also this Atari homebrew
|
| https://youtu.be/T14dL9MeMHE?si=cGtsZGWILYi4jcql
|
| And yes the IIGS had one
|
| https://youtu.be/YvVFTpukAp0?si=UtvV3N_pKhxU-Tyb
| uticus wrote:
| > an expandable and hackable computer in the spirit of the 80's
| home computers
|
| cool!
|
| > Dual Core CPU
|
| hm that will make for some interesting first steps in learning
| ZiiS wrote:
| Tbh having a seperate io core can simplify scheduling.
| sounds wrote:
| Agree. Most computers that are a joy to learn have a handful
| of controllers that operate in parallel. That is, multiple
| cores
|
| The Apple II had a really cool disk drive because of how it
| did what it did with so little hardware. By relying on the
| single CPU for everything it was elegant, advanced,
| interesting... but perhaps not so easy to program.
|
| https://www.bigmessowires.com/2021/11/12/the-amazing-disk-
| ii...
| lysace wrote:
| The Parallax P8X32A Propeller (2006) did multi-core processing
| in a very beginner friendly way.
|
| It can be done - if you take a holistic approach to hardware +
| runtime + development environment.
|
| The Propeller probably failed because of the custom language,
| the custom assembly syntax, the custom ISA, the custom IDE font
| (!) etc. It was a very neat system though.
| duskwuff wrote:
| The Propeller was a commercial failure because it was a one-
| off part, from a small company, with very little software
| ecosystem surrounding it, a poor performance to price ratio,
| and no migration path if you needed more capabilities than it
| could provide.
| lysace wrote:
| Meh. Similar pricing and availability compared to its
| primary competitor at the time: Arduino.
|
| It was just too unusual in too many ways.
|
| In a way it's a bit like the Amiga vs the 8088/8086 PC.
| mmackh wrote:
| There's something to be said about an independent system you can
| understand and expand. What I think will be next frontier in home
| computing is truly understanding and owning the systems that run
| a smart home and that comes with understanding the environment
| (sensor data, presence detection, etc.). We live in an
| interesting time where embedded development has become so
| accessible and powerful that we can interface with multiple
| wireless protocols and state of the art sensors with not a lot of
| capital investment. If we think what can come beyond screens and
| imagine more ambient computing systems - maybe we'll see new and
| interesting innovations
| BizarroLand wrote:
| I like the eurorack-esque modular design. Not everyone will
| want the same base layout, so making it swapable like that is a
| nice touch.
| joshu wrote:
| i've been thinking about how to build a retro-style computer
| without any of the engineering compromises that made old machines
| so weird. lots of ideas, no progress. perhaps some sort of small
| riscv machine and a separate processor to manage the system
| (esp32) remotely, so you can always modify the filesystem or
| whatever from a bigger machine?
| nancyminusone wrote:
| Not ragging on the author, but I'm always confused whenever I see
| a "make your own computer" project like this that doesn't start
| with hardware first. I mean, there's already seems to be a quite
| advanced OS for it and some detailed docs, but no physical
| "computer" to speak of, just a lot of mockups.
|
| Why a hardware project at that point and not a virtual machine
| like pico-8?
|
| I'm just saying, its kinda the opposite approach a hardware
| person would take.
| wizzwizz4 wrote:
| https://ashet.computer/hardware/ looks like hardware to me.
| While not all the manufacturing considerations have been
| addressed, there's a "functional _cable clutter prototype_ ",
| and you can build your own Ashet-compatible.
| ikskuh wrote:
| Creator here.
|
| Please take a look at the gallery, where there are photos of
| the actual electronics setups!
|
| Also don't the mechanical mockups count as hardware? A pile of
| jumperwires, breadboards and devices don't make a good hero
| image, but physical hardware mockups do.
|
| Also the electronics design in its current form is actually
| iteration 5 of the system, while the OS development started
| with iteration 2.
|
| The OS does boot on the electrical prototype
| nancyminusone wrote:
| >A pile of jumperwires, breadboards and devices don't make a
| good hero image
|
| I strongly disagree! Hardware people love seeing that sort of
| thing - the more guts you show, the better. It means you've
| gotten something to work and probably know what you're
| talking about. Take pride in what you have accomplished so
| far! Ideas and concepts are a dime a dozen; working hardware
| is a worthy milestone.
| ikskuh wrote:
| Note taken!
|
| Will add a new "cleaned up" photo that isn't also entangled
| with kids stuff, and other desk content :D
|
| Sadly, it really looks atrocious and it's currently a 3D
| build which is hard to photograph.
| turnsout wrote:
| I love the general backplane architecture, which gives it a look
| similar to Apple's canceled Jonathan project [0]
| [0]: https://512pixels.net/2024/03/apple-jonathan-modular-
| concept/
| smm11 wrote:
| Got an Amiga and Trumpcard you can have cheap.
| jameszog wrote:
| We have a stack of obsolete machines from e waste that we use for
| kids to build their own. Free and reusing dumped gear.
| bevr1337 wrote:
| > Fully understandable by a single person
|
| Riddle me this, Batman.
|
| What's the scope of "fully understandable?" How much of this home
| PC could be reasonably audited by individuals or small teams?
|
| I've got no exceptional opsec needs as an individual, but I spend
| some time wondering the minimum required resources to audit a PC.
| Looking through the docs I see cases where there are multiple
| suppliers for a recommended part -- that's very cool!
|
| As a "fake programmer" and web jockey, this looks like the right
| balance of complexity to learn with.
| ilaksh wrote:
| I don't think it's really a fair claim in an educational
| context. There are at least two completely modern computers
| (which I assume means fairly complex) including the Raspberry
| PI and another one he is using the the bus or something.
|
| I just don't think modern CPUs really quite fit the claim of
| "fully understandable by a single person". I mean maybe
| technically but that is misleading in an educational context
| where there are much simpler computers that are definitely
| fully understandable.
|
| Maybe all of the stuff he wraps around the main CPU is
| understandable though. And the expansion cards are cool.
| bevr1337 wrote:
| > but that is misleading in an educational context where
| there are much simpler computers that are definitely fully
| understandable.
|
| Are there any other projects or resources in this space that
| you'd recommend?
|
| A friend and I cut our teeth on those AlphaSmart word
| processors that ran BASIC. I might could wrap my head around
| that.
| vermilingua wrote:
| Ben Eater's 6502 series (and whole channel) is the gold
| standard (imo) for understanding how a computer works in
| every detail.
|
| https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLowKtXNTBypFbtuVMUVXNR0z
| 1...
| TheAmazingRace wrote:
| I love this project! Kudos to the author.
|
| Some day, whenever I have the money to skunkworks this properly,
| I've wanted to create something like a modern spiritual successor
| to the Atari ST with enhanced creature comforts.
|
| Something with a CPU based on POWER architecture (like microwatt)
| with a simplified multicore design (no hyperthreading or weird
| BIG+little core design - just straightforward homogeneous cores),
| a simple expansion interface of some kind, and an OS baked into
| ROM. Then I'd consider it to be built around a long term support
| model, with one design that can last decades, complete with
| schematics, chip design reference guide, and an open
| specification so it can be easily cloned as desired.
|
| Especially now that Moore's Law and Dennard Scaling has slowed
| down considerably, it could be a fun platform to target for
| education or the demoscene, instead of spec chasing.
| eikenberry wrote:
| Their OS is written in Zig!
| https://github.com/Ashet-Technologies/Ashet-OS
|
| Thought it might be of interest to people learning Zig. I bet
| there are some interesting examples in there.
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