8-bit Workbench™ ED ~ Assembled

This is a fully assembled and working version, limited early stock. Please join the pre-order campaign on Lectronz if you want the kit version and solder it yourself.

Explore the computer byte with this educational device. Toggle in the eight bits and see their decimal, hexadecimal or octal value. Annotated LEDs help you to understand how number systems work and make it easy to do conversions. Powered by USB-C or a 9-volt battery. Game included!

for Retro Hobbyists

Altair-like input switches take you down memory lane. Select Octal mode, play the game and guess the bits. Recall how machines from the seventies did it. Want more? Explore the full 8-bit Workbench™ platform with clocks, byte full adders, hex keyboards and breadboards.

for Programmers

Have it sitting around on your desk. Especially handy with the low-level work. What is the hex value of these bits? How many will fit in a nibble? Why is this backwards relative jump in assembly going wrong, have I miscounted?

in the Classroom

Enables focused learning by doing, on a dedicated device. A great STEM-kit, in the field of computer science, electronics or mathematics. Sample lessons are provided. A game is there for students that need the extra motivation.

The kit is an easy solder exercise with no tiny parts. Launch a course quickly by ordering a pre-assembled batch. Contact us for the possibilities.

Functionality

The mode button selects one of the three number systems (decimal, hexadecimal or octal) to be displayed by the three digits. Hold the button to turn the digits ON or OFF. Handy for training purposes. The active mode is indicated by a green SMD LED. Please note that the three digits look a little faint on the pictures, this is because of the photography, they are clear and strong in real life.

With a built-in game. The objective is to toggle in the bit-value of the random number that is displayed by the digits. Be quick and score higher! The game can be played in each of the three modes. It keeps a separate high score for each mode.

The board operates at 5V, directly from USB-C or powered from a battery source. An input voltage of 6.5V to 12V is supported and is further regulated on the board. This means a 9-volt block battery can be used or two 18650 Li-Ion batteries. The kit comes with a 9-volt battery clip. It can be stowed away nicely at the back using an integrated cable reel.

At the core of the board there is a microcontroller, the little black rectangle with 28 shiny legs. This little computer runs at 4 MHz and has a small memory of around 2 KB. It comes pre-programmed to let the board operate as it is intended to. For advanced use it can be reprogrammed using the ICSP header connector.

What's in the box?

Provided as an easy to solder kit, it includes:

1. Printed Bill of Materials (BoM),
2. Schematics,
3. Assembly Manual,
4. Operation Manual with sample lessons (work in progress, will be released later),
5. Main PCBA with pre-soldered tiny parts (like the USB-C connector and SMD parts, see the BoM),
6. Front panel PCB that holds the toggle switches (can be left out if you prefer slide switches),
7. Microcontroller, flashed to the latest firmware.

Plus all parts that have to be soldered, like the LEDs, switches and digits. See the BoM for details. The provided manual guides you trough the process of building it in 12 easy to follow steps. Batteries are not included.

Also see the project on Hackaday.io.

Contact us

Just send us a message if you have any questions, we are human. Determining worldwide shipping costs can be cumbersome, we are always happy to double check, just send us a request to do so for your country. Contact us if you need a classroom-batch, to quickly launch a course or when you just don't want to solder it yourself.