I’d like to know more about this! One early note is from June 1975, Volume 3 Issue 2 of the Amateur Computer Club’s newsletter, which talks about the instruction set design and other points. It seems the design is a club effort.
I see the October 1975 ACC newsletter contains ALGOL-60 source code for a WB2 simulator. Also notes that the WB1 is a later cost-reduced design, about £50 component cost.
It’s not yet a complete design, but is heading towards 3 boards, 8" by 8" with at least 58 connections between. Will need 1.5A at 5V. There’s a note that more LSI components have been used in preference to MSI, to save costs.
Interesting - Part 2 of the hardware design appears in December 1975, but the same issue notes the announcement or availability of quite a number of 8 and 16 bit microprocessors.
(These PDFs I’ve found on the website of the South Manchester Radio and Computing Club, still a going concern, meeting weekly in person and also on-air. Specifically the ACC newsletters collected at G4UGM's Vintage and Classic Computer Pages)
I think, it’s worth pointing out this artifact highlighting the social (and geographical) dynamics around this project, found on the front page of the newsletter containing the Algol emulator:
Still interesting. To me it suggests that face-to-face meetings were important (so you really had to be located in the London area to participate in an after work seminar) and that there was some organizational structure, namely an inner circle or committee, which would probably had the last word on the architecture and proceedings. (About all the proper ingredients for a project to start with collective enthusiasm, just to stall on its way. But, how could it have been done else?)
As for the UK understatement: where is the shack?!?
I have a copy of the Bear Computing document describing the WB1 and an extra document which just contains the circuit diagram.
Bought the various ICs needed but never built a WB1. Converted the Algol60 coded simulator into Pascal but that was about 4 PCs ago.
Looking at the newsletter now, I notice you need a 2.5A power supply.
I have current project with about the same average current. I needed to get a 4.0 Amp 20 watt
5V wall-wart for a reliable power supply.
I just came across this thread, my Dad was the man behind Bear Microcomputer Systems! He designed the Newbear 77-68.
Very interesting to find so much information online!
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