Facts
- Type: developer board
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Released: 1976
- CPU: Motorola 6800
- RAM: 256 bytes or 512 bytes
- ROM: 1 Kbyte
- Display: LED (7 segment, red color)
- Input: keyboard (hex and function keys)
- I/O interfaces: parallell, serial RS-232 for teletype terminal, audio cassette recorderÂ
Released 1976: The MEK6800D2 is a development board for the Motorola 6800 microprocessor, produced by Motorola in 1976. It featured a keyboard with hexadecimal keys and an LED display, but also featured an RS-232 asynchronous serial interface for a Teletype or other terminal. Data and programs could be loaded from and saved to an audio cassette tape.
There was an on-board monitor program called JBUG (analogous to an operating system on a modern computer) fitted in a 1K byte ROM, and the maximum RAM capacity on board was 512 bytes, but this could be expanded via the Motorola EXORciser computer bus interface.
The hardware consisted of two circuit boards. The keyboard-display module contained a 16 key (hexadecimal) data entry section, and 8 function keys labeled M, E, R, G, V, N, L, and Pl along with a 6 character LED display. The keyboard-display board connected to the microcomputer module by a 50-conductor ribbon cable.
There was also a parallel bus interface for general purpose I/O.
Another popular monitor program for this system is called MIKBUG.
My MEK6800D2
My MEK6800D2 developer kit was kindly donated to me by the original owner Jon Petter Bjerke. I picked it up in my home town. It’s built into a nice selfmade housing made of plywood that is covered with some kind of vinyl. Jon also handed over a big binder with all the original documentation.
