3 ms·

> Aside from my vic20 and c64 I’ve only ever owned intel CPUs, and those two may have been intel as well, I wouldn’t know. At that time, few home computers wer

> Aside from my vic20 and c64 I’ve only ever owned intel CPUs, and those two may have been intel as well, I wouldn’t know. At that time, few home computers were based on Intel processors because they were too expensive. Commodore's early computers, like Atari's, were based on the MOS Technology 6502 (made by ex-Motorola engineers as a cheaper and easier-to-integrate alternative to the Motorola 6800; the corresponding Intel-killer was the Zilog Z80 notably used in various CP/M and MSX computers). Commodore eventually acquired the company, rebranding it Commodore Semiconductor Group. A CMOS version of the 6502 is still sold by the Western Design Center [1]. [1] http://www.westerndesigncenter.com/wdc/w65c02s-chip.cfm http://www.westerndesigncenter.com/wdc/w65c02s-chip.cfm

exikyut 8y ago
One click-chain of curiosity later, and I learned that they sell a little educational SBC based on the 6502. http://wdc65xx.com/boards/w65c02sxb-engineering-development-system/ http://wdc65xx.com/boards/w65c02sxb-engineering-development-... Pro: it looks like an AT motherboard from 1985 Con: it's $189 :s
- peteri 8y ago
  They do have some cheaper ones ($29 & $99) problem is I can't quite figure out why I need one. https://www.tindie.com/stores/dcwdc/ https://www.tindie.com/stores/dcwdc/
  - exikyut 8y ago
    TIL. I understand what you mean though. Architecture itself isn't _that_ critical; peripherals and batteries-included capabilities are. In this case, when I read "for developing educational and industrial strength microcontrollers." in the product description I immediately concluded that the "educational" is quite possibly part of a product pitch to companies making 6502-based control equipment, along of course with educational institutions still using the 6502 as a teaching aid. As for devkits I do want, the Forth GA144 is definitely up there near the top, and the KISS-68030 (https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org/doku.php?id=boards:ecb:kiss-68030:start https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org/doku.php?id=boards:ecb:ki...) is floating around in there as a very unsure "maybe".
SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
Zilog was of course famously founded by ex-Intel people to provide a cheaper alternative to the 8080. The UK's Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC were famously Z80-based, as well as the MSX spec (as you've mentioned) which was huge in Japan. It was also used in a lot of arcade machines either as a main CPU or as a sound chip.
- CaptainZapp 8y ago
  The Sinclair ZX80 (predecessor of the Spectrum) was Z80 based. I know, because it was my very first computer. Not really ideal for word processing and somewhat limited with 1KB (yes as in one kilobyte) of RAM. You could get a rather expensive 16KB memory extension. Alas ,this had the problem of disconecting every 30 minutes or so, due to thermal issues. So you had to be really sure to save your work to datasette (don't ask!) in very regular intervals. Fun times!

exikyut 8y ago

One click-chain of curiosity later, and I learned that they sell a little educational SBC based on the 6502. http://wdc65xx.com/boards/w65c02sxb-engineering-development-system/ http://wdc65xx.com/boards/w65c02sxb-engineering-development-... Pro: it looks like an AT motherboard from 1985 Con: it's $189 :s

peteri 8y ago
They do have some cheaper ones ($29 & $99) problem is I can't quite figure out why I need one. https://www.tindie.com/stores/dcwdc/ https://www.tindie.com/stores/dcwdc/
- exikyut 8y ago
  TIL. I understand what you mean though. Architecture itself isn't _that_ critical; peripherals and batteries-included capabilities are. In this case, when I read "for developing educational and industrial strength microcontrollers." in the product description I immediately concluded that the "educational" is quite possibly part of a product pitch to companies making 6502-based control equipment, along of course with educational institutions still using the 6502 as a teaching aid. As for devkits I do want, the Forth GA144 is definitely up there near the top, and the KISS-68030 (https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org/doku.php?id=boards:ecb:kiss-68030:start https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org/doku.php?id=boards:ecb:ki...) is floating around in there as a very unsure "maybe".

SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago

Zilog was of course famously founded by ex-Intel people to provide a cheaper alternative to the 8080. The UK's Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC were famously Z80-based, as well as the MSX spec (as you've mentioned) which was huge in Japan. It was also used in a lot of arcade machines either as a main CPU or as a sound chip.

CaptainZapp 8y ago
The Sinclair ZX80 (predecessor of the Spectrum) was Z80 based. I know, because it was my very first computer. Not really ideal for word processing and somewhat limited with 1KB (yes as in one kilobyte) of RAM. You could get a rather expensive 16KB memory extension. Alas ,this had the problem of disconecting every 30 minutes or so, due to thermal issues. So you had to be really sure to save your work to datasette (don't ask!) in very regular intervals. Fun times!