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Work · July 26, 2026

Discrete6502 – one thing led to another

Disclaimer, I have not yet placed the order. But JLCPCB have so far excepted all files and config so I have 1 more button to press. If anyone see some obvious mistake please send feedback. This project grew out of curiosity. Loved the https://monster6502.com/ project but that is on another level. Here I tried to stay "reasonable" and added a Raspberry Pico 2 W on the back to drive it all. But also, was curious if Claude could pull this off. Guess I will have to place that order to call the cards.

Discrete6502 – one thing led to another launched on July 26, 2026 with 15 votes, #1,090 of 24,623 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches.

Visit epatel.github.io ↗Alternativestop 4% of July 2026

In plain words

Discrete6502 is a hardware project that recreates a 6502 microprocessor using discrete components, inspired by the Monster6502 project but designed to be more practical in scale. It incorporates a Raspberry Pico 2 W to control the discrete logic circuits. The project was designed with assistance from Claude AI and is ready for manufacturing through JLCPCB, though the maker has not yet finalized the production order. It appeals to electronics enthusiasts and retrocomputing hobbyists interested in understanding processor architecture at the component level.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

A working MOS 6502 CPU rebuilt from 4,051 individual surface-mount transistors on a 291 x 322 mm six-layer board that reproduces the original die layout. It runs programs.

A MOS 6502 CPU rebuilt from 4,051 individual transistors . No chips and no FPGA. The board reproduces the original silicon die, transistor for transistor. The MOS 6502 powered the Apple II, the Commodore 64, the NES and the BBC Micro. Roughly 3,500 transistors sit inside its package, on a fingernail of silicon. This project takes that exact circuit and rebuilds it from parts you can see. Every transistor becomes a separate SOT-323 package. The board is the size of a sheet of A4 paper. It is not a simulation and not an emulation. The logic is the real thing. It is the same dynamic NMOS circuit that the original used, and it runs the same instructions. It is a few thousand times larger and a…from epatel.github.io

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