ADAM Universal Interface (SPI) — Schematic Capture

A component-level transcription of Richard F. Drushel's hand-traced prototype schematic (serpar_working_bitmap2.tif, 15 July 2005), prepared as the basis for a KiCad re-capture and a buildable reproduction of PCB X00257 REV 0.

ColecoVision & ADAM Archive & Museum · AdamArchive.org · ColecoVisionADAM.com
Schematic by Richard F. Drushel (2005). Transcription by Richard DiRocco with Claude (Anthropic), 2026.

What this document is. This is a faithful, evidence-tagged transcription of the circuit on Drushel's schematic — every identifiable component and the major nets between them — organised so it can be re-drawn in any CAD tool. It is a first-pass capture: the scan is a working pencil drawing, not a board-house master, so a handful of values and one or two device identities are flagged OPEN for confirmation against the physical board. Nothing here is invented; where the drawing is ambiguous, the ambiguity is recorded rather than resolved.
CONFIRMED legible on the schematic and/or corroborated by firmware and board photos   INFERRED deduced from pinout, function, and standard practice   OPEN genuinely uncertain — needs a board trace or a higher-resolution scan

1. Functional overview

The board is a single-MCU AdamNet peripheral built around an MC6801 running in expanded mode. The 6801's on-chip SCI is the AdamNet transceiver (analog front end around an LM339 comparator and a small transistor driver); a memory-mapped SCN2661A USART provides the RS-232 serial port through a 1488/1489 level-shifter pair on the DB-25; and a Centronics parallel port exposes the printer side on a 36-pin ribbon. External 2114 SRAM and the USART are addressed through a 74LS open-collector wired-AND decode in which A2/A3 are deliberately left undecoded (the source of the documented USART register mirror). A single +5 V input feeds an on-board DC-DC converter that makes the ±12 V RS-232 rails. A three-position switch routes output to Serial, Parallel, or straight-through SmartWriter.

2. Component inventory

RefPartType / valueFunction
U1MC68018-bit MCU, 40-pinMain processor. Internal 2 KB mask/EPROM at $F800-$FFFF (the prototype runs the external 24-pin EPROM in expanded mode), 128 B internal RAM, three timers, and the on-chip SCI used as the AdamNet transceiver. Ports P3=AD0-AD7 (multiplexed), P4=A8-A15.CONFIRMED
U2SCN2661AUSART (EPCI), 28-pinSignetics enhanced programmable communications interface — the RS-232 serial engine. Memory-mapped at $0100-$0103 (DATA/STATUS/MODE/COMMAND); A2/A3 undecoded so it mirrors. Baud clock from Y2.CONFIRMED
U374LS373Octal transparent latch, 20-pinAddress latch for the 6801 expanded multiplexed bus: captures A0-A7 from the AD0-AD7 lines on AS (address strobe). Pin 20=Vcc, pin 10=GND, LE from 6801 AS. Identity inferred from 8-in/8-out pinout and the presence of external memory-mapped devices that require an address latch; exact role to be confirmed on the board.INFERRED
U421141024x4 SRAM, 18-pinExternal static RAM, low nibble. Paired with U5 for 1 KB x 8. R/W and chip-select from the decode logic.CONFIRMED
U521141024x4 SRAM, 18-pinExternal static RAM, high nibble (paired with U4).CONFIRMED
U6MC1488Quad RS-232 line driver, 14-pinTTL-to-RS-232 driver for TxD/RTS/DTR. Runs on the +/-12 V rails from U14. Inferred from the TTL->RS-232 driver block feeding the DB-25.INFERRED
U7MC1489Quad RS-232 line receiver, 14-pinRS-232-to-TTL receiver for RxD/CTS/DCD. Inferred from the RS-232->TTL receiver block on the DB-25 inputs.INFERRED
U8LM339Quad comparator, 14-pinAdamNet analog front end: squares up the differential AdamNet line into the 6801 SCI receive pin and generates the 1 V VREF. Labelled near the J3 AdamNet input.INFERRED
U974LS05Hex inverter (open-collector), 14-pinOpen-collector inverters wired-AND to form the memory/IO address decode (RAM select, UART select). A2/A3 are intentionally not decoded.CONFIRMED
U1074LS04Hex inverter, 14-pinBuffers R/W and the system RST line (RST inverter feeds the printer-reset and internal reset).CONFIRMED
U1174LS08Quad 2-input AND, 14-pinCombines decode terms for chip selects.CONFIRMED
U1274LS09Quad 2-input AND (open-collector), 14-pinAdditional decode/strobe gating. Inferred from the 'LS09' gate labels in the decode array.INFERRED
U1374LS01Quad 2-input NAND (open-collector), 14-pinDecode/strobe gating, open-collector for the wired-AND select rails. Inferred from the 'LS01' gate label.INFERRED
U14DC-DC+5 V -> +/-12 V converter moduleGenerates the +/-12 V RS-232 rails from the single +5 V supply. Marked 'DC-DC CONV' with +12 VDC and -12 VDC outputs.CONFIRMED
Q12N3904NPN transistorPrinter-reset open-collector driver to the Centronics RESET line (J1-31), and/or AdamNet transmit assist. 2.2K collector pull-up, 10K base.CONFIRMED
Q22N3906PNP transistorAdamNet analog transmit driver stage (with U8).CONFIRMED
Q32N3904NPN transistorBaud-rate oscillator buffer around Y2 (4.9152 MHz). Transistor type inferred.INFERRED
Y1XTAL6801 clock crystalMain 6801 oscillator crystal. Value not legible on the scan — likely the ColecoVision-family 3.579545 MHz or a 4 MHz part.OPEN
Y2XTAL4.9152 MHz crystalUSART baud-rate clock (4.9152 MHz divides cleanly to standard bauds incl. the 38.4 k max annotated on the schematic).CONFIRMED
J1CONN_3636-pin Centronics ribbonParallel printer port: D0-D7, Data Strobe, Paper Out, Select, Busy, and Printer Reset (J1-31).CONFIRMED
J2DB2525-pin D, RS-232Serial port: TxD(2), RxD(3), RTS(4), CTS(5), DSR(6), SG(7), DCD/Carrier(8), DTR(20), and the 'Trapp'd Data'/'Request To Send' lines annotated by Drushel.CONFIRMED
J3CONN_99-pin D, AdamNet + powerAdamNet bus and power: pin 3=+5 V (through a 10 uH filter inductor), pin 7=AdamNet data, pin 6=AdamNet, pin 8=DC GND, pin 9=PWR GND. J3-7/J3-9 carry the net transmit/receive pair.CONFIRMED
SW1SW_3POS3-position mode switchSelects Serial / Parallel / SmartWriter-passthrough output routing.CONFIRMED
L110uHFilter inductorSeries inductor on the +5 V input rail at J3-3.CONFIRMED
D1LEDPower indicator LEDON-indicator on the +5 V rail at the connector.CONFIRMED

3. Power rails

RailDescription
+5VLogic supply, from J3-3 through L1 (10 uH). Feeds all TTL, the 6801, 2661, 2114s, and the DC-DC converter input.CONFIRMED
+12VRS-232 positive rail from U14 (DC-DC). Drives U6 line driver.CONFIRMED
-12VRS-232 negative rail from U14 (DC-DC). Drives U6/U7.CONFIRMED
DGNDDigital ground (DC GND, J3-8).CONFIRMED
PGNDPower ground (J3-9).CONFIRMED
VREF1 V reference generated by U8 for the AdamNet comparator threshold.CONFIRMED

4. Netlist by block

Each row is a net (or bus) with the pins it connects. Bus members are abbreviated (AD0..AD7 rather than eight rows). This is the connectivity a CAD re-capture must reproduce.

NetConnectsNote
AD0..AD7U1 (P30-P37 (mux AD0-7)); U3 (D0-D7 in); U2 (D0-D7); U4 (I/O0-3); U5 (I/O0-3)6801 multiplexed address/data bus. Latched to A0-A7 by U3 on AS; data phase shared with the 2661 and the 2114 nibbles.INFERRED
A0..A7U3 (Q0-Q7 out); U2 (A0-A1 (RS)); U4 (A0-A9); U5 (A0-A9); U9 (decode inputs)Latched low address. A0-A1 select the 2661 registers; A0-A9 address the 2114s; high bits feed the decode.INFERRED
A8..A15U1 (P40-P47); U9 (decode inputs)High address from 6801 port 4, into the address decode.INFERRED
ASU1 (AS); U3 (LE)Address strobe latches U3.INFERRED
EU1 (E (enable clock)); U2 (clock-qualified CE path); U9 (decode timing)6801 E clock, qualifies bus cycles.INFERRED
R/WU1 (R/W); U10 (inverter); U2 (R/W); U4 (R/W); U5 (R/W)Read/write, buffered by U10 to the RAM and USART.CONFIRMED
RSTU1 (RESET); U10 (RST inverter); Q1 (printer-reset path)System reset; the inverted RST also drives the Centronics printer-reset.CONFIRMED
UART_CSU9 (wired-AND output); U2 (CE)USART chip-select decoded to $0100-$0103 (A2/A3 undecoded -> mirrors).CONFIRMED
RAM_CSU9 (wired-AND output); U4 (CS); U5 (CS)2114 chip-select.INFERRED
TXD_TTLU2 (TxD); U6 (driver in)USART transmit, TTL, into the RS-232 driver.CONFIRMED
RXD_TTLU2 (RxD); U7 (receiver out)USART receive, TTL, from the RS-232 receiver.CONFIRMED
TXD_232U6 (driver out); J2 (pin 2 TxD)RS-232 transmit to the DB-25.CONFIRMED
RXD_232U7 (receiver in); J2 (pin 3 RxD)RS-232 receive from the DB-25.CONFIRMED
RTS_232U6 (driver out); J2 (pin 4 RTS)Request To Send.CONFIRMED
CTS_232U7 (receiver in); J2 (pin 5 CTS)Clear To Send.CONFIRMED
BAUDCLKY2 (4.9152 MHz); Q3 (osc buffer); U2 (BRCLK)Baud-rate clock to the USART.CONFIRMED
PD0..PD7U1 (port (GPIO) or U3 path); J1 (D0-D7)Centronics data lines. Whether driven from a 6801 GPIO port or a memory-mapped latch is not fully resolved on the scan.OPEN
DSTROBEJ1 (Data Strobe); U1 (handshake)Centronics data strobe.CONFIRMED
PAPEROUTJ1 (Paper Out); U8 (input buffer chain)Paper-out status, filtered/buffered (RC + inverter) into the 6801.CONFIRMED
SELECTJ1 (Select); U8 (input buffer chain)Printer select status.CONFIRMED
BUSYJ1 (Busy); U8 (input buffer chain)Printer busy status.CONFIRMED
PRSTQ1 (collector); J1 (pin 31 reset)Printer reset, open-collector NPN with 2.2K pull-up.CONFIRMED
NET_RXJ3 (pin 7); U8 (comparator in); U1 (SCI RxD)AdamNet receive: differential line squared by U8 into the 6801 SCI.CONFIRMED
NET_TXU1 (SCI TxD); Q2 (driver); J3 (pin 7)AdamNet transmit: 6801 SCI out through the analog driver onto the bus.CONFIRMED
+5VJ3 (pin 3 via L1); U1 (Vcc); U2 (Vcc); U4 (Vcc); U5 (Vcc); U14 (Vin); D1 (anode)Main logic supply.CONFIRMED
+12VU14 (+12 out); U6 (Vcc+)RS-232 positive rail.CONFIRMED
-12VU14 (-12 out); U6 (Vcc-); U7 (Vcc-)RS-232 negative rail.CONFIRMED

5. Open questions for board verification

QuestionHow to resolve
Address latch vs. parallel-data latch (U3)The 20-pin octal latch on the bus is captured here as the 6801 expanded-mode address latch (74LS373), because external memory-mapped devices require one. It is possible it doubles as, or is, a parallel-data latch. Resolve by tracing AS/LE and the Centronics data source on the physical board.
Exact decode part numbers (U12/U13)The decode array clearly uses 74LS05 and 74LS04; the 'LS09' and 'LS01' gate labels are read with lower confidence. Confirm against the board's silkscreen/part marks.
Y1 crystal valueThe 6801 main-oscillator crystal value is not legible on the 2005 scan. Read it off the prototype, or compute it from the firmware's AdamNet/timer constants.
Parallel data source (PD0..PD7)Whether the Centronics data byte is driven from a 6801 GPIO port or a memory-mapped latch is unresolved. A short continuity trace on the board settles it.
Component Designation ListDrushel's title block carries a component value table, but it is below the legible resolution of this scan. A higher-DPI rescan of just that corner would recover the exact R/C values.
Line-driver/receiver exact parts (U6/U7)Captured as the industry-standard MC1488/MC1489 pair on functional grounds; confirm the actual markings on the board.
On using this capture. The companion file ADAM_Universal_Interface.kicad_sch renders this netlist as a KiCad 9 schematic with connectivity expressed through global net labels (rather than fragile drawn wires), so it opens cleanly and can be re-laid by hand in Eeschema. Run Tools → Annotate and Inspect → ERC after opening; resolve the OPEN items above against the physical board before committing a PCB layout.

Prepared for the ColecoVision & ADAM Archive & Museum.