Artigo Acesso aberto

8 Bits, 6 chips: The Amethyst home computer is surprisingly capable - [Hands on]

2020; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Volume: 57; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1109/mspec.2020.9055906

ISSN

1939-9340

Autores

Matt Sarnoff,

Tópico(s)

Embedded Systems Design Techniques

Resumo

There's something persistently appealing about 8-bit computing: You can put together a self-contained system that's powerful enough to be user friendly but simple enough to build and program all by yourself. Most 8-bit machines built by hobbyists today are powered by a classic CPU from the heroic age of home computers in the 1980s, when millions of spare TVs were commandeered as displays. I'd built one myself, based on the Motorola 6809. I had tried to use as few chips as possible, yet I still needed 13 supporting ICs to handle things such as RAM or serial communications. I began to wonder: What if I ditched the classic CPU for something more modern yet still 8-bit? How low could I get the chip count?

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