Signetics 2650 Test Boards Now Available
Continuing our goal of having test boards available for pretty much every common architecture of the 1970’s we now have a board available for testing Signetics (and later Philips) 8-bit NMOS processor, the 2650, 2650A and 2650B. Made on a cool black PCB they are a fairly simple system, but are capable of testing some of the special features of the 2650 as well as the added features of the 2650B (if anyone happens to locate one)
These chips did not achieve the wide microcomputer success hoped for (likely due to a lack of second sourcing) they did find their way into many industrial/embedding systems, as well as many arcade/video games (including some made by ATARI).
These boards are in stock, and ship world wide for $94.95. Head on over to the 2650 page to grab one.
July 17th, 2016 at 3:02 am
I am the designer of the 2650. It was done in 1972, but Zignetics would not take the chance on it. All the design money went into Dolby and his work. If you now evaluate the design for 1972, would you rate it different?
July 17th, 2016 at 3:31 am
I am ex-IBMer, and worked every day with the 1130. If you look at the 2650 it is an IBM 1130. The 1130 is a desktop large CPU. IBM will of course sue me for the design copy. I think you can call up the 1130 in the internet and you will see it is the same. That is the reason for the strange addressing, as we needed it for scientific research.
I was hired in 1972 by the same man that did the ‘WOM’ joke.
July 17th, 2016 at 10:57 am
That would certainly make sense, as it is very mini-computer like architecture. And for 1972 a very advanced design. Intel was still doddling with the 8008 then.
October 14th, 2016 at 1:39 am
Actually Kent Andreas was the silicon designer. He gave me many helpful tips.
He is now retired in Florida.
October 14th, 2016 at 2:02 am
I’m probably going to need to do an article just for the 2650, as its a pretty interesting beast.
I did one a while ago on Signetics(SMS) 8X300 and the almost unknown SPC-16/10
http://www.cpushack.com/2016/01/06/signetics-spc-1610-another-mini-goes-micro/
December 25th, 2018 at 1:35 pm
Thanks J. Kessler.
I had a really pleasant introduction with the 2650 to the world of micro-processing during my final thesis at the polytechnic in 1978. I was introduced to it during the last year of study at Philips Eindhoven, that just purchased Signetics. Large numbers of this processor and accompanying docs where spread around in the Application Laboratory at that time. It enabled me to create a 19″ rack version of the 1 Mhz processor, featuring 4kB of dynamic memory, a keyboard 8-bit parallel, a metal foil printer and a 256×256 pixel graphics card. It was quite some time before Apple II and IBM and at the time of the KIM-1.
July 19th, 2021 at 4:01 am
Is there some hoe have a Manuel from the 2650 CPU tester
I can not fond on the web
July 19th, 2021 at 10:19 am
Bottom of the page:
https://www.cpushack.com/signetics-2650-test-boards-for-sale/