etxbrfa@kk32.ericsson.se (Bj|rn Fahller TT/MLG) (03/31/89)
I've heard some rumours that Zilog recently has released a NEW version of the
Z80 processor. The new version should (according to the rumours) have a largely
expanded instruction set, with multiplication, division, SIO routines, etc...
Is this actually the case? I thought Z80 was out years ago.
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Please DO comment on my language.night@pawl.rpi.edu (Trip Martin) (04/01/89)
In article <240@ericom.ericsson.se> etxbrfa@kk32.ericsson.se (Bj|rn Fahller TT/MLG) writes: >I've heard some rumours that Zilog recently has released a NEW version of the >Z80 processor. The new version should (according to the rumours) have a largely >expanded instruction set, with multiplication, division, SIO routines, etc... > >Is this actually the case? I thought Z80 was out years ago. > You aren't thinking about the Z280? I'm pretty sure it's out on the market now. A friend of mine has preliminary specs dating back to 1984 (it was the Z800 back then). Here's a brief rundown of the new architecture from what I remember: * 16 bit bus * 16meg addressibility, although programs still only see the 64k address range of the Z80. There are 16 page registers for mapping. It can either be done by 8k pages with separate I&D mappings, or 4k pages with no distinction between I&D. * Supervisor and user modes * Support for traps and exceptions, including stack overflow, page fault, illegal instruction, etc. * Builtin UART * Hardware programmable wait-states (0-15) If anyone wants more info, I'll try to get it... Trip Martin night@pawl.rpi.edu night@uruguay.acm.rpi.edu
neal@lynx.uucp (Neal Woodall) (04/01/89)
In article <240@ericom.ericsson.se> etxbrfa@kk32.ericsson.se (Bj|rn Fahller TT/MLG) writes: >I've heard some rumours that Zilog recently has released a NEW version >of the Z80 processor. The new version should (according to the rumours) >have a largely expanded instruction set, with multiplication, division, >SIO routines, etc... >Is this actually the case? I thought Z80 was out years ago. Depends on what you mean by "out". To the magazines/periodicals (like EDN, EE Times, ESD (Electronic Systems Design, NOT Electro-Static Discharge), Computer Design, etc. the Z80 might be "out" because it is not the "newest, flashiest, most powerful 32-bitter" offered. Remember, these magazines try to "hype" the high-tech stuff because that is what is "exciting" to all of the engineers. If you read these mags a lot, then you might very well get the idea that 8-bit is "out" and the only kind of processor any self-respecting engineer would desing with is the latest 32-bit RISC machine. Actually, the 8-bit processors and single chip computers/controlers represent the largest share of revenue generated by the companies which supply processors to the commercial market...they are used in things like microwave ovens, refridgerators, copy machines, soft drink machines, etc. (note...TI still makes lots of bucks selling 4-bit micros!) It will probably be a loooong time before the 8-bitter bites the dust, if ever. I know I will probably get MANY flames for this....even though the stuff I am presently working on is 25 MHz 68030 VME, I still have a soft-spot in my heart for the good old 65C02! I catch "hell" for saying this from my co-workers all of the time! Neal P.S. Your english is fine (isn't this what you ment by "please comment on my language"...of course, I am the world's worst speller, so what do I know?
pl@etana.tut.fi (Pertti Lehtinen) (04/02/89)
From article <1055@rpi.edu>, by night@pawl.rpi.edu (Trip Martin): > > Here's a brief rundown of the new architecture from what I remember: > > * 16 bit bus > * 16meg addressibility, although programs still only see the 64k > address range of the Z80. There are 16 page registers for mapping. > It can either be done by 8k pages with separate I&D mappings, or > 4k pages with no distinction between I&D. > * Supervisor and user modes > * Support for traps and exceptions, including stack overflow, page fault, > illegal instruction, etc. > * Builtin UART > * Hardware programmable wait-states (0-15) > This one really exists as Z280. In addition to those features mentioned above it has: * Z80 object code compatible (runs Z80 code) * builtin DMA (4-channel) * 16-bit or 8-bit bus ( Z-bus or Z80-bus ) * 10 MHz clock frequency ( future 25 MHz ) * Support for Coprocessors (FPA-instructions defined) Zilog has finally released bugfree version of this. (earlier for example DMA and interrupts didn't work) ( but who needs them, anyway :-) Pertti Lehtinen pl@tut.fi pl@tut.fi ! -------------------------------- ! Pertti Lehtinen ! Alone at the edge of the world ! Tampere University of Technology ! -------------------------------- ! Software Systems Laboratory
bill@sigma.UUCP (William Swan) (04/04/89)
In article <240@ericom.ericsson.se> etxbrfa@kk32.ericsson.se (Bj|rn Fahller TT/MLG) writes: >I've heard some rumours that Zilog recently has released a NEW version of the >Z80 processor. The new version should (according to the rumours) have a largely >expanded instruction set, with multiplication, division, SIO routines, etc... > >Is this actually the case? I thought Z80 was out years ago. I just took a look at Zilog's January 1989 Z80 Family Data Book and saw: Z8400 (a.k.a Z80?): ("Advanced Information") At a quick glance this looks like a CMOS Z80, up to 10MHz. Nothing else jumps out as being different, other than packaging options. Z80180 (a.k.a Z180?): ("Product Specification") "Code compatible", with 8-bit multiply (16 bit result) and several other new instructions (test and block operations, mainly). Up to 10 MHz, on-chip MMU addressing 512k or 1Mbyte, two UARTS, two 16-bit timers, on-chip oscillator, etc. Z280: ("Preliminary Product Specification") 20 MHz CMOS pipelined Z80 superset with MMU addressing up to 16 Mbytes, 3 16-bit counter-timers, 4 DMA channels, full-duplex UART, on-chip 256-byte instruction and data associative cache, co- and multi-processor support, etc. No mention of multiply/divide... Interesting stuff (a 20 MHz Z80!!!), but working from Zilog's track record on the Z800 (I got a spec sheet in '81 - when was it that it actually came out?), I won't believe it until I actually see it... [Note: I set Followups: to comp.os.cpm only as I don't believe anyone else would be interested in a 20 MHz Z80! :-)] -- William Swan ..!grace.apl.washington.edu!sigma!bill Innocent but in prison in Washington State for 13.5 years: Debbie Runyan: incarcerated 01/1989, scheduled release 07/2002. In now: 0 years, 2 months, 2 weeks, 1 day.
SnipeHunt@cup.portal.com (Bruce H McIntosh) (04/05/89)
Check inside your fancy space-age washing machine and odds are you'll find a Z80 running the show. The same goes with things as diverse as VCRs, multiport serial port boards for PCs, traffic light controllers and a whole host of other stuff. I've seen several times in print the statement that the Z80 is still the single most widely used cpu out there. It's powerful, stable and dirt cheap; to a designer these are all very endearing qualities. :-)
knudsen@ihlpl.ATT.COM (Knudsen) (04/06/89)
I'll 2nd the notion that 8-bitters aren't dead yet -- maybe not even sick. The Motorola 6809, last & best of the 8-bitters, is still powering the OS9 multi-tasking, windowing OS in 100's of 1000 of Color Computers. It's an easy and fun chip to write assembler for (being orthogonal and having lots of PDP-11 style addressing modes on top of a 6502-type architecture for speed and simplicity) but also a very easy machine to compile C, Forth, and Pascal for. Lots of applications (data communications, word processing, MIDI music) deal in 8-bit bytes, so 16 or 32 bit architectures are overkill. -- Mike Knudsen Bell Labs(AT&T) att!ihlpl!knudsen Round and round the while() loop goes; "Whether it stops," Turing says, "no one knows!"
neal@lynx.uucp (Neal Woodall) (04/06/89)
In article <2259@sigma.UUCP> bill@sigma.UUCP (William Swan) writes: >Z80180 (a.k.a Z180?): ("Product Specification") This is indeed the Z180...a.k.a. the Hitachi 68180. One of the interesting things about this processor is that it executes many of the instructions in fewer cycles than the Z80...so it gets a speed improvement 2 ways: faster clock and executes in fewer cycles. >Z280: ("Preliminary Product Specification") I first heard about this one when I was an undergrad! It has been in "pre-release" mode for about 6 years! The Z280 is the updated name for the Z800...I think that there are actually chips available, but the first ones have problems with the cache. Neal
mlinar@eve.usc.edu (Mitch Mlinar) (04/09/89)
In article <5407@lynx.UUCP> neal@lynx.UUCP (Neal Woodall) writes:
##Z280: ("Preliminary Product Specification")
#
#I first heard about this one when I was an undergrad! It has been in
#"pre-release" mode for about 6 years! The Z280 is the updated name for
#the Z800...I think that there are actually chips available, but the first
#ones have problems with the cache.
Yep! I have seen quite a few now. As a matter of fact, I believe Xerox
was doing some internal projects with them a year or more ago.
-Mitch