What if the 6502 had received an Altair-style front panel? In his 31-minute video published on 31 August 2026, Anders Nielsen builds and demonstrates Toggle65, a small computer whose switches and LEDs let you enter bytes and watch the processor work.
The machine uses an R6507 from the 6502 family, 32 KB of SRAM, 25 switches and 24 LEDs. You can deposit data at an address, inspect memory, and step the CPU one cycle or one instruction at a time. In the demonstration, Anders operates the finished front panel by hand—the point is to make the activity on the buses visible, not to hide it behind a keyboard or monitor.
The physical build is part of the story. Anders isolation-routed two single-sided circuit boards and engraved the aluminium front panel on a Makera Z1 desktop CNC, then fitted them into a hardwood case. The computer runs from USB-C or four NiMH AA cells. Makera supplied the Z1 used for this build.
For anyone curious about how a 6502 talks to memory, Toggle65 turns abstract bus cycles into something you can follow with your eyes and fingers. Anders has shared the Toggle65 design files; our beginner’s 6502 guide at iMania is a useful companion for the processor basics.
Watch the original: 6502 Toggle Switch Computer made using Makera Z1 — Anders Nielsen, 31 August 2026.
