WHY WE DO THIS
Computers you can fully understand
Modern systems hide everything behind layers of abstraction. We offer educational computers as open DIY kits — with no black boxes: real processors, buses, memory, and interfaces you can measure, break, fix, and understand.
[ CPU ] -> [ RAM ] -> [ ROM ] | |[UART] [Storage]CPU
CISC/8-bit cores, real buses
IO
UART, GPIO, timers
STORAGE
SD, flash, ROM
DEBUG
Flashing + console
From 68010 and 6502 kits to automotive electronics—open, hackable, repairable, and meant to be learned from.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
Solder Demon — more than just DIY computers
Real processors, real hardware
Everything runs on actual 68010, 6502, and other chips — no emulators, no hidden magic.
Transparency at every level
Schematics, firmware, board layout — everything is open. You can inspect and modify any part.
Hands-on learning
This isn’t museum retro. It’s a tool that teaches you to think like an engineer and work with systems directly.
Repair-friendly architecture
Modular, understandable blocks. Any component can be replaced, resoldered, or modified.
Live outputs
Real UART logs and memory checks
Snapshots from the serial console and the memory test utility running on the board.
UART console output
Boot and diagnostic messages streaming over serial during bring-up.
ROM / RAM test
Memory verification tool in action checking ROM and RAM integrity.
Utility
SolderDemon Link
A small desktop utility for serial console access and file transfer over Kermit. Useful well beyond rosco_m68k when you need a straightforward serial tool.
See it run
rosco_m68k in action
A terminal recording of life and adventure games running on the real board.
Platforms
Multiple CPU architectures. One learning platform.
Pick the core you want to master and stay on the same approachable board layout.
WHO IS IT FOR
Who are these computers made for?
People curious about technology
If you like understanding how things work and want to see a computer without all the black-box magic — this is for you.
Developers and engineers
Useful for anyone working with software, systems, or electronics who wants a deeper understanding of CPUs, memory, and how components interact.
Those who are learning
Great for students and anyone studying the fundamentals of computing — from signals and instructions to system behavior.
Hands-on learning
Learn by Building
🔩 Assemble
From components to a working board. Solder, wire, and power up.
💾 Program
Write bootloaders and drivers. Talk to memory, UART, and GPIO.
⚙️ Understand
Interrupts, buses, addressing, timing — real computing without abstractions.
ROADMAP
Where Solder Demon is heading
ROSCO M68K Batch #1
Ready units and DIY kits. Available now.
Expansion Board
RAM expansion and peripheral board for the ROSCO M68K. Coming soon.
Lilka
ESP32-based game console. Handheld and hackable. Coming soon.
Super V9958 Video Card
SolderDemon take on the V9958. No open gerbers exist — building our own version. Timeline TBD.
Wideband lambda
First hardware tool beyond the retro sphere.
Documentation and guides
Instructions, videos, and practical examples.