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From: gbs@voder.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.16k
Subject: Re: National's ICM-3216 Board Set
Message-ID: <1351@voder.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-May-86 21:38:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: voder.1351
Posted: Wed May 14 21:38:21 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 16-May-86 02:01:26 EDT
References: <746@usl.UUCP> <253@spar.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: National Semiconductor, Santa Clara
Lines: 40
Keywords: NS32000
Summary: description from data sheet

In article <253@spar.UUCP>, faunt@spar.UUCP (Doug Faunt) writes:
> There was an article in mod.computers.workstations 
> <8604291207.AA19518@caip.rutgers.edu> that said there was
> a 4.2 available for this board (or set?).  Does this
> board(s) have a standard buss?

The following description is taken from the ICM-3216 data sheet
dated December 1985:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MiniBus
MiniBus is a high performance, synchronous 16-bit bus with
full support for multiprocessors, complete with parity on
address and data lines and physical addressing of all MiniBus
masters (8 maximum).  The MiniBus interface is provided through
the MiniBus Interface Controller (MBIC).  This single CMOS LSI
compatible component attaches directly to the NS32016 bus and
provides the complete bus interface.

MiniBus is not designed to compete with any of the 32-bit buses
whose purpose is to satisfy the bandwidth requirements of multiple
32-bit processors.  Rather, it is intended to provide a low cost,
low power, low real estate bus with similar multiprocessor system
characteristics on a smaller scale (16 bits of data, 8 masters).

Virtually all the LSI peripheral chips to support LAN's, disks,
terminals, floppies, tapes, GPIB and other system requirements
are designed in 8-bit or 16-bit widths and are cheaper and
more convenient to implement on a 16-bit bus when bandwidth
permits.  MiniBus is designed for these types of applications
and provides very cost effective solutions in these situations.
The MIBC is available to the customer for design of custom
boards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The connector used for the MinBus has 96 pins.  The documentation
for the ICM-3216 is:

ICM-3216-M    ICM3216 Hardware Reference Manual (420610289-001)