Galaksija — 1983 Z80 home computer
Galaksija — 1983 Z80 home computer is a runnable microcontroller simulation example on SensBench — open the wired circuit, inspect the code, and compile real firmware in your browser, no install needed. Last updated Aug 14, 2026.
FREE SIMULATOR EXAMPLE · ADVANCED
Galaksija — 1983 Z80 home computer
This example boots a Galaksija — the 1983 Yugoslavian Z80 home computer — from its original ROM: 4 KB of character generator and 4 KB of BASIC, running instruction-for-instruction. Type HELP at the READY prompt.
| Board | Galaksija — Z80 home computer (Zilog Z80A @ 3.072 MHz) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | advanced |
| Category | circuits |
| Libraries | None — just the Arduino core |
| Runs in | Sensbench browser simulator — free, no account |
The exact circuit you get when you open this example — already wired, ready to run.
The sketch
// Galaksija — 1983 Z80 home computer (ROM image)
// This example boots the machine from its embedded ROM image.
// The ROM is binary data (4 KB A/B char ROM + 4 KB BASIC), not source:
// it is the original Yugoslavian home computer firmware, running
// instruction-for-instruction on the emulated Z80 core.
//
// There is no sketch to edit — press Run and the machine boots
// to the BASIC READY prompt. Type HELP and press Enter.How it works
The emulated Z80 boots the Galaksija’s ROM: the 4 KB A/B character generator and the 4 KB BASIC interpreter, running the original machine code. The canvas shows the computer’s display output — type HELP at the READY prompt and the original 1983 BASIC answers.
The boot sequence is the real one: the Z80 reads the ROM, initializes the display hardware, and drops to the BASIC prompt — all in emulated instruction steps. The Galaksija’s character set is its own, rendered from the ROM’s bitmaps, so the screen looks exactly like the Yugoslavian original.
Before you build it for real
The Galaksija is hardware-faithful emulation, not a reimplementation: its quirks are the original’s quirks — the custom character set, the cassette-tape storage model, the limited BASIC dialect. The ROM is binary firmware, not editable source; the machine is studied by using it, not by modifying it. And the keyboard mapping follows the original’s layout — a QWERTY-minus-a-few-keys arrangement that surprises anyone expecting a modern terminal.
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FAQ
What is the Galaksija?
A Z80-based home computer designed in Yugoslavia in 1983, famous for being a kit computer anyone could build — its schematics and firmware were published openly at a time when that was rare. This example boots the machine’s actual ROM image, so the emulated Z80 starts up into the original BASIC prompt.
Why is there no source code to edit?
Because the machine’s program is its ROM — a binary firmware image, not source text. The 4 KB character ROM and 4 KB BASIC are the original code, executing instruction-for-instruction on the emulated Z80. There is nothing to edit; there is a machine to boot.