Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!vsi!friedl
From: friedl@vsi.UUCP (Stephen J. Friedl)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: RCA 1802 (was: PC history)
Keywords: history, pc, RCA, 1802
Message-ID: <772@vsi.UUCP>
Date: 4 Aug 88 02:54:33 GMT
References: <5458@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <1876@looking.UUCP> <753@applix.UUCP> <3884@sequent.UUCP>
Organization: V-Systems, Inc. -- Santa Ana, CA
Lines: 32

In article <3884@sequent.UUCP>, jjb@sequent.UUCP (Jeff Bob Berkowitz) writes:
> For many years, the 1802 was the ONLY choice for a wide variety of specialized
> applications requiring low power, high noise immunity, and so on.  It was
> also extremely simple to apply.  In general, a "technology to fit the times" -
> also, the only processor with a SEX instruction ("SEt X", yes it's true :-).

     The 1802 was a wonderful chip.  One of the electronics rags
ran a great series on building the COSMAC ELF written by the
designer of the chip, Joe Weisbecker (I think).  It had on-chip
DMA (used for hand-loading a program), and because the guts were
all static CMOS, the clock was DC to around 2 MHz - try that with
your Z80 (single-step was trivial).  If you want an easy first
processor design, use the 1802.

     Another thing: in the early 1980s, CMOS meant "low power"
much more than it does now, and the 1802 was the only guy on the
block in CMOS.  Back then, I worked for a company (Telxon) that
designed small portable data entry terminals, and for many years
the 1802 was indeed the only choice for this application.  I even
heard a rumor than in around 1981 (or so), more 1802s were sold
than any other 8-bit processor.  Because these things are hidden
away in litte black boxes, they aren't so well known outside the
microcontroller industry.

     It's been a long time on this info -- anybody got any
corrections?

     Steve
-- 
Steve Friedl    V-Systems, Inc.  +1 714 545 6442    3B2-kind-of-guy
friedl@vsi.com     {backbones}!vsi.com!friedl    attmail!vsi!friedl
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