Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!diemen!tasman!steveh From: steveh@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (Steven Howell) Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k Subject: Re: Zilogs Z8530 SCC - Help Required Message-ID: Date: 6 May 91 01:10:19 GMT References: Sender: news@diemen.utas.edu.au Distribution: comp Lines: 35 Thanks to those people who offered advice on the Zilog 8530 SCC chip. I have sifted thru all the info supplied, and finally came to a conclusion. Yes, the chip is cheap, its does come in a PLCC package, and is fairly popular, with routines already written, But according to people experienced with this chip, they generally disagree that the chip is a good device to program. Due to the ammount of registers, the number of lines of code just to set it up, the fact that you can not read the status of the write registers, made the firmware programmer take an axe to my idea of employing the chip. I now am back to were i started from. In need a four or 2 port serial controller chip. The SCC chips i have implimented in the past have been Motorola's MC6850 and the MC6551/SY6551. Both good in performance, but do not cover the entire baud rate range, and the 6850 requires external baud rate generator. (not to mention they only support one channel without multiplexting). anyway, since i have been threatened with excruciating pain by my programmer if i employ the Z8530, It looks like i am back on the market for a SCC. Can anybody reccommend a device that can do the job. The problem is, i am not that educated in the firmware side of things, therefor makes it hard for me to understand the programming point of view. thanks in advance. steve h