Nick Bild’s Vectron65 Plus home computer project uses at least one 6502, depending on the add-ons. The project, which moved from a breadboard to a PCB, has been developed since 2019 with the Plus version featuring more RAM and GPIO ports. Bild also produced the VGA Plus Text Mode card with a 6502 auxiliary processor, along with two versions of a VGA graphics card capable of outputting 640×480. V2 doubles the RAM compared with the previous 7400 series-based card and provides a more stable image. Working together with the Text Mode card, the VGA card can display 40-column text without burdening the main processor, thanks to the character ROM and second 6502. The fact that the graphics cards can also be used with different systems creates uncertainty over how the entries should be counted in the competition. The 2026 Retrocomputing competition has multiple categories.
Why it matters
The importance of the project lies in demonstrating how the capabilities of a 6502-based home computer can be expanded with graphics and text cards that can operate independently of the main system. The text mode card using an auxiliary processor introduces a separate architecture that reduces the load on the main processor during image generation; the memory increase and more stable image in V2 also show that these improvements are not limited to adding new features. However, the fact that the graphics cards can also be used with different systems leaves open the question of whether the project should count as a single computer entry in the competition or as hardware contributions spanning multiple categories. This uncertainty directly concerns how the categories and project scope will be interpreted in the 2026 Retrocomputing competition.
Background
Plus, FikirPilot is not a new name in the archive: we have published 3 articles mentioning this name in the past 90 days; the latest is dated October 1, 2026.