5 ms·
It would destroy the Z80. It's a 32bit, dual core CPU running at 133MHz. Even single cored it'll thrash a Z80. Heck, I bet you could create a drop-in replacemen
by burnte 8mo ago
It would destroy the Z80. It's a 32bit, dual core CPU running at 133MHz. Even single cored it'll thrash a Z80. Heck, I bet you could create a drop-in replacement board for the Z80 using an RP2040.
- ge96 8mo agoCrazy what you can buy nowadays like the Teensy 4.0 with 600MHz base clock Granted that's $20 not $1
- fortran77 8mo agoThe key here is the "PIO" which you won't find on a Teensy. It lets you do extreme "bit banging" tricks including generating video. People have even implemented Ethernet on it. I've used it for some custom serial protocols ("Weigand") used by alarm panels.
- ge96 8mo agoReally I guess I don't know what that is then as I buy the Teensy since it has so much IO, multiple UART, multiple I2C busses, sd card reading, etc... edit: interesting (Teensy | Pico) Special Features: CAN Bus (3x), SDIO, S/PDIF | PIO (Programmable I/O) (8 SMs)
- fortran77 8mo agoThe Pico PIO has an instruction set and can be programmed. You write PIO assembly that runs autonomously on a state machine, with explicit timing (e.g., out, in, set, mov, jmp, wait) and cycle‑accurate interfaces. The CPU communicates via small FIFOs, and interrupts are optional; the PIO can be “fire‑and‑forget” for many protocols.
- ge96 8mo agoThat's cool, I'm not at that level right now, side note I bought an FPGA like 5 years ago and still haven't used it.
- MPSimmons 8mo agoMy sweet spot of choice between power and price is the ESP32 S3 (2x core @ 240mhz) at ~$6 per board, but yeah, the power to dollar ratio is crazy these days, across the board. And they are absolutely tiny and sip power if you write the code well.
- PaulHoule 8mo agoNote it was possible to use a Z80 to function as a display controller, people used to do it back in the day... https://archive.org/details/Cheap_Video_Cookbook_Don_Lancaster https://archive.org/details/Cheap_Video_Cookbook_Don_Lancast...
- TapamN 8mo agoThe Galaksija computer used it's Z80 to help generate the video signal. I'm not sure how its implementation compares to your link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaksija_(computer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaksija_(computer) https://media.ccc.de/v/29c3-5178-en-the_ultimate_galaksija_talk_h264 https://media.ccc.de/v/29c3-5178-en-the_ultimate_galaksija_t...
- burnte 8mo agoThe Z80 was a very powerful CPU for the day. Its still used here and there.
- sgerenser 8mo agoApparently the Zilog Z80 just stopped being produced in 2024: https://www.techspot.com/news/102684-zilog-discontinuing-z80-microprocessor-after-almost-50-years.html https://www.techspot.com/news/102684-zilog-discontinuing-z80...
- zahlman 8mo agoYes, there was considerable HN discussion, and I chose it for the example specifically because of its long reign.
- zahlman 8mo agoYes, I understand that, but I wonder about the multiple (obviously there is more to it than clock speed). I chose the Z80 because of its long-standing reputation.
- burnte 8mo agoI know, I 'm just saying the RP would dominate the Z80 in literally every way. You could design a Z80 replacement with the RP as the CPU and it'd blow away everything.