This is the most capable and versatile of the Z80 retro computers I have built. It uses the Zilog Z180 CPU rather than the earlier Z80 version. It utilizes the same instruction set but is able to address 512 megabytes of ram and runs at a faster clock speed. This board also has two serial ports built in as well as two SPI ports and an I2C bus. This makes it easy to add readily available on board storage such as an SD card and Compact Flash. The main buss system is RC2014 compatible allowing for use RC2014 expansion cards. I am using the RC2014 CF expansion card and the RC2014 Digital I/O card with good success.
At $62 for the complete kit this is the best value for a retro computer. It is less than half to one third the cost of kits with a similar capability. In addition, the kit and documentation are excellent. I do prefer to add the RC2014 Compact Flash module for $32 bringing the total cost to $94. Still a great value!
The Compact Flash card that comes with the CP/M Upgrade Kit has already been formatted and had the necessary files installed on it to run CP/M. The image for the CF card is on the RC2014 GitHub page here; https://github.com/RC2014Z80/RC2014/tree/master/CPM However, for reference in case you want to install it all from scratch then this is detailed here; http://searle.x10host.com/cpm/index.html#InstallingCPM
In order to transfer files to it from your desktop computer, you will need to "package" the file. This can be done through a Windows program available on Grant Searles website from the previous link, or you can use the online File Packager on the RC2014 website here https://rc2014.co.uk/filepackage/ Simply upload the file you want to transfer and the webpage will convert it in to an ASCII file which can be pasted in to your terminal emulator. Note that for larger files you may need to set your terminal emulator to add a 1ms delay between characters to allow the RC2014 time to keep up.
