Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!inducom!meindert From: meindert@inducom.UUCP (Meindert Kuipers) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Looking for a really odd computer Message-ID: <2018@inducom.UUCP> Date: 4 Oct 90 06:54:30 GMT References: <2721@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> Organization: Inducom Systems BV, Oss Netherlands Lines: 33 From article <2721@crdos1.crd.ge.COM>, by davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.COM (Wm E Davidsen Jr): > > There has been discussion of computer word size, does the number of > bits have to be a power of two for new systems, etc. I was looking at a > discussion in another group and saw a really nice way to solve the > problem, but rejected it because it wasn't portable to any system. The > question is, has anyone ever made a general purpose computer with and > odd word size? No one doesn't count, thank you bit slicers. Although not odd word size, my good old HP-41 calculator has a little CPU with 12-bit instructions. The memory space for these "assembly" programs is completely 12 bits. The data space however has words of 56 bits, allowing 7 bytes of data, or 10 digit precision (with exponent). The CPU (and all the memory chips and ROMS) all have a 1-bit databus (serial bus) with a special protocol. I once built a ROM/RAM expansion box, and a lot of hardware went into decoding the serial bus. Do HP's new calculators use the same principle? I have understood that the 10-series (HP12, HP16) use the same processor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-----+ Inducom Systems B.V. | < Raadhuislaan 27 NL - 5341 GL Oss, Netherlands | o | P.O. Box 627 NL - 5340 AP Oss, Netherlands | INDUCOM SYSTEMS Phone: (31)-(0)4120-41922 +-----+ Fax: (31)-(0)4120-22640 Specialists in OS-9, VMEbus and G-64 Meindert Kuipers, Inducom Systems B.V. UUCP: meindert@inducom.UUCP ...!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!inducom!meindert -- Coming soon to a VMEbus system near you: VMEtro BusBusters -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------