This is kinda an unorganized post, so sorry for that.
Recently, I've been thinking about creating a computer in the form factor of the "Handheld PCs" that were around during the 1990s. It's mainly just for me but I wouldn't mind selling a few to the small community of nerds who like those things. I'm trying to avoid making another PC or ARM device like someone would normally do just because I'm not really a fan of either of those architectures or the monopoly they represent.
I've been considering the MIPS-compatible X2000 from the Chinese semiconductor firm Ingenic but unfortunately that chip doesn't have an external memory controller so you're limited to just the 128M/256M of DRAM in the package which is less than ideal.
So, has anyone heard of any weird chips lately? Idk where else to ask. I don't know where people who make computers discuss things like this.
(Btw if you're interested in this topic you may enjoy www.greenarraychips.com. It's Charles H. Moore's outfit, the guy who invented Forth. They make cute little chips with many independent stack machines on them. Not useful for this project but still pretty cool. This is not an ad, I just like weird computers.)
i've been thinking about something similar (my notes is here, but its only a partial spec). i've been collecting softcores for whenever i decide to revive the hardware project. i have a bunch of junk computers that i need to do something with first lol granted my approach is a little funky, since i kinda want everything to be a softcore.
Cool project! And I love your mothra-compatible website too lol.
I really appreciate seeing unorthodox hardware projects and ways of computing, especially more sustainable ways.