DREAM 6800 (now 6809) re-Creation

[Editor]

My first "hands-on" Microprocessor experience was way back in the late 1970's, with Michael.J.Bauer's creation of the DREAM 6800.

The DREAM 6800 was published as a project series in the 'Electronics Australia' magazine, in 1979. It was inspired by the American RCA 'COSMAC' VIP system, running a CHIP-8 Interpreter. It was in fact one of the earliest microprocessor systems to provide a Video Graphics interface and an inbuilt high level language (CHIP-8), to allow for the easier programming of chunky Video Graphics based games.

With this nostalgic background, and the recent addition of my MECB OLED Display 128x64 Card and my updated Hexidecimal 4x5 Matrix Keypad, I'm now busy working on a DREAM 6800 re-Creation. But, also being inspired by several retrospective thoughts, such as implementing higher resolution 128x64 graphics, and also implementing the MECB based re-Creation as 6809 based (instead of the original 6800).

Stay tuned, as I currently work through both hardware design and software coding challenges. But, it's a heap of FUN!

A full weekly progress blog and my RetroChallenge 2025 (RC2025) entry for the project, can be followed here:
RetroChallenge 2025/10 (RC2025) – DREAM 6800 (6809) re-Creation

My Project's two part video / blog can be found here:
Part 1: DREAM 6800 (6809) re-Creation – Part 1
Part 2: DREAM 6800 (6809) re-Creation – Part 2

[PaulShipley]

Hi Greg,

I wanted to build one of those back then! However, money was an issue ("pocket money" as a student was always an issue), and Dad said there was "no way you are plugging your electronic junk into my TV!!!". So that was the end of that. Though I think I did refer to their design for my own 6800 creation.

Interested to see how this progresses.

Thanks.

[Editor]

I wanted to build one of those back then! However, money was an issue ("pocket money" as a student was always an issue), and Dad said there was "no way you are plugging your electronic junk into my TV!!!". So that was the end of that. Though I think I did refer to their design for my own 6800 creation.

Hi Paul,

Yes, I was in my mid-teens and earning money from a milk round and school holiday jobs. Luckily I was allowed to use an old B&W portable TV (probably 10"), as I suspect I also wouldn't have been allowed to plug it into the expensive lounge TV.

If you have any memories of the DREAM 6800, I feel pretty sure you'll enjoy what I've re-created. I've been having a huge amount of nostalgic fun with coding, entering, running, and saving programs, just like we did in those early days.

It's reminded me just how exciting it was back then, when having the power of a computer and a graphical display for the first time, was just like science fiction (and nobody else you knew had one).
It really seemed that anything was possible, if you put your mind to it! No doubt why it inspired lifetime careers for many!

My project is now all ready for sharing. I'm now focussed on finalising making a video explaining what I've done, and what it does.

This should be completed pretty soon now.

[PaulShipley]

That's great Greg. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have done. I didn't ever get to use a DREAM 6800 at the time - just reading about it in Electronics Australia and hearing about people who had one.

It was indeed an exciting time. Just making an LED blink was like magic! And my 6800 with 2K RAM could have been the most powerful computer in the suburb. I love reading the stories of the early homebrew computers (like Steve Wozniak in the other Steve's garage) and thinking that I was only a couple of years behind them.

[Editor]

That's great Greg. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have done. I didn't ever get to use a DREAM 6800 at the time - just reading about it in Electronics Australia and hearing about people who had one.

It was indeed an exciting time. Just making an LED blink was like magic! And my 6800 with 2K RAM could have been the most powerful computer in the suburb. I love reading the stories of the early homebrew computers (like Steve Wozniak in the other Steve's garage) and thinking that I was only a couple of years behind them.

I'm still working on the video, so that I can fully share my DREAM 6800 (now 6809) re-Creation project.

However, you may be interested to know that I received an email from the RetroChallenge 2024 folk, to advise me that my entry last year (for my CreatiVision re-Creation project), was a Prize Winner!!! Yay!!!

Interestingly enough, I had completely forgotten about the annual October RetroChallenge. RC2025 was actually coinciding with my October work on my DREAM 6800 re-Creation, and the project was a perfect fit for RetroChallenge.

So, to get to my point, they have now accepted me as a "late entry" for RetroChallenge 2025. This creates more work for me in formally documenting my progress over the October month (as required by RetroChallenge). But the project and the timing seemed like such a logical fit!

Anyway, you can read more about it here: RetroChallenge 2025/10 (RC2025) (which I'm currently working on updating).

[djrm]

Greetings Greg, well deserved prize earned by your faithful recreation. I've noticed you being quite on here and I'm eagerly waiting to see the new project working. I hadn't realised just how much work you have been doing until I read your latest post. I have been consolidating my MECB computers (4) so I can put them away in a working state and restoring some oscilloscopes (HP 1740A, Tektronix 2236, Philips PM3217), computers (Epson px-4), terminals (TeleVideo), and a monitor (Hitachi). recently. I've never had so much test equipment! Best regards, David.

[Editor]

Greetings Greg, well deserved prize earned by your faithful recreation. I've noticed you being quite on here and I'm eagerly waiting to see the new project working. I hadn't realised just how much work you have been doing until I read your latest post. I have been consolidating my MECB computers (4) so I can put them away in a working state and restoring some oscilloscopes (HP 1740A, Tektronix 2236, Philips PM3217), computers (Epson px-4), terminals (TeleVideo), and a monitor (Hitachi). recently. I've never had so much test equipment!

Greetings David. Thank you. Yes indeed, I have been quiet, but only because I’ve been so engrossed in my current re-creation project.

It’s actually been great to work on a project that covers so many aspects, from analog & digital hardware design, through to Assembly coding.

I still have many outstanding MECB plans (Z80 and 68008 CPU Cards are up there on the list), so I’ve still a long way to go with my MECB platform.

Note, my latest post is still incomplete, as it has been relatively quickly put together, to more formally document my October month (for RetroChallenge), so be sure to re-visit it for an update.

My project is more or less finished, just now the big challenge of completing a video to document what I’ve created, and its use. Plus, all the other administrative work for sharing my creation.

It sounds like you certainly have a lot of restoration work on your hands!

[epaell]

It was indeed an exciting time. Just making an LED blink was like magic! And my 6800 with 2K RAM could have been the most powerful computer in the suburb. I love reading the stories of the early homebrew computers (like Steve Wozniak in the other Steve's garage) and thinking that I was only a couple of years behind them.

Oh absolutely, I recall my first attempts at playing with a PIA back in the day and doing exactly this and it felt like the best thing since sliced bread! I too spent much of my youth reading about home-brew computers (particularly in hand-me-down copies of Electronics Australia and BYTE magazine) and especially drooling at the possibility of ever having something capable of generating graphics (or being able to one day afford one that could).

[Editor]

For anybody interested in following this project, note that my "RetroChallenge" weekly progress blog, is now (almost) complete.

My last update (today: Thu 6 Nov), confirms the Video release plans.

Basically, I've completed nearly 30 mins of video editing, and I've made the decision to now release the video in 2 parts.

I want to do the project justice, but I don't want to inflict an hour long video on anybody!

So, if interested, read the blog here:
RetroChallenge 2025/10 (RC2025) – DREAM 6800 (6809) re-Creation

And, expect a Part 1 video in the next couple of days (once I've had time to share some resources etc.).

[epaell]

Awesome - can't wait for the movie to come out on the big screen! Sounds like you had quite the adventure