Intro
ECB Bus is a standarized bus for Z80 computers, similar to the ISA bus used on 80x86 computers. In theory, ECB cards could be used with different computers - however, in practice, different computer systems have different memory and I/O maps, so one would need to modify the I/O or memory address decoding (on the ECB cards) in order to get them working on other computers.
ECB originally stands for "Einfach Europaformat Computer Baugruppen" (Simple Europaformat Computer Modules; where "Europaformat" refers to a standarized circuit board size of 160x100mm). ECB is sometimes also referred to as "Europa Bus" or "Europe Card Bus". The ECB bus was invented in 1977 by the german company Kontron. And, it's still used in some situations (for example, as by 2010, www.reichelt.de still sells "Euro Bus" mother boards).
ECB Bus Hardware for CPC
- Schneiderware DIY series (CPC Schneider International magazine)
- Sikos ECB Bus (reviewed in CPC Schneider International 8-1986, page 67)
Weblinks
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_Card_Bus - wikipedia (german) - saying it was invented in 1977
- http://www.hardwarebook.info/ECBbus - hardwarebook (pin-outs) - saying it was invented in 1984 (which is wrong)
- http://fixunix.com/cp-m/526627-article-different-versions-german-ecb-bus.html - notes on ECB variants from 1982