Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!microsoft!brianw
From: brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: 6502 support chips
Summary: Most were made by Commodore
Message-ID: <5754@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 18 May 89 22:58:15 GMT
References: <8905131137.AA16031@crash.cts.com> <615@greens.UUCP> <2304@wpi.wpi.edu>
Reply-To: brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby)
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 37

In article <2304@wpi.wpi.edu> dseah@wpi.wpi.edu (David I Seah) writes:
	...
>Peeking into my ancient Jameco catalog, we have 6504s, 6507s, and 6512s,
>processors all!  There are 6522 versatile interface adapters 
	...
>
>Are there such support chips for the 65816?  Are the chips listed above
>horribly outdated in functionality?  What is the Complex interface adapter?
>
>Dave Seah (dseah@wpi.wpi.edu, dseah@wpi.bitnet);

Most of the JameCo catalog chips are Commodore surplus. JameCo used to
have a section for Commodore chips, but now they're listing them in with
the "real" 6500 series chips. The 6502 was designed to be 6800 bus
compatible, so I think that's why there aren't more support chips out
there.

I'd like to know if Commodore actually designed and manufactured those
65xx chips. I made the above assumptions because I haven't seen the
chips anywhere else. BTW, NCR has several 6500/ microcomputers and so
does Rockwell. (I don't know who came first, but most are compatible
between manufacturers - i.e. plug-in replacements) These companies have
a few support chips, but nothing fancy, because the microcomputer chips
they offer have RAM, ROM, parallel and serial built in.

Speaking of fancy support chips, the 65816 really NEEDS some. Imagine a
65000 Cache Controller, or even a 65000 Virtual Memory Controller! I
could really use an 8 channel 65000 DMA Controller! The 65816 has ABORT
interrupts and other features to support virtual memory, and the single
cycle memory access makes it easy to design low parts count interfaces
for a variety of speeds of memory. What we need is an Apple IIGSS, for
Graphics, Sound AND Speed. In it could be 32K Static RAMS and several
channels of peripheral DMA, if only the support chips were provided by
the Western Design Center (or Apple's custom chip factory!)!

These fanciful ramblings brought to you by Brian Willoughby,
...!uw-beaver!microsoft!brianw          brianw@microsoft.UUCP