Intel Pentium Mechanical Sample – 1994

Intel and other processor companies spend a vast amount of time testing a processor design before it is released.  They want to be sure that it meets the specifications set forth in the datasheets and is free of undocumented errata.  Intel gained fame, or notoriety for the FDIV bug int he original Pentiums that caused a certain set of floating point calculations to result in an incorrect answer.  This led to the recall and replacement of many millions of processors.

Operational testing however is only one part of the testing a processor undergoes.  The package itself must also be tested.  It is tested for proper fit and function in a socket and with a variety of cooling apparatuses.  Its thermal characteristics must also be tested.  The original Pentiums were a ceramic package but quickly moved to a package with a heatspreader as they ran very hot.  In additional sample are made for testing the electrical supply of the mainboard, so that mainboard manufacturers may test their VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) design to ensure it can meet the demands of the processor.

A Mechanical Sample, like the early Socket 5 Pentium above, were used to test heatsinks, sockets, and other tasks that did not require a functioning chip.  Usually these samples did include a die (as does this one) they just are pulled from the line before final testing and speed binning.  Mechanical Samples were also used by Intel in their ‘The Journey Inside: The Computer’  education kits which typically included a processor sample, a wafer and some cut processor dies as well as some basic electronics for students to conduct experiments with.  Sometimes Mechanical Samples are devoid of marking, or like this one clearly state what they were intended for.  Some processor companies also made Marketing Samples, which were non-functioning, but often marked with color logos/graphics to advertise the processor.  Both are ivery rare to find as they were made in very limited quantities and were not widely distributed.

Western Electric WE212B – BELLMAC-8 Processor – 1979

Many great technologies have came out of Bell Labs including the C programming language and UNIX.  Bell Labs was the R&D arm of AT&T and developed most everything in house for AT&T.  Bell was loathe to use any product that was not their own, so when the computing age of the 70s came, it was only natural for them to develop an in-house microprocessor to run their telecom systems.

The first processor Bell developed was the BELLMAC-8 in 1977.  The BELLMAC-8 was a fairly simple 8-bit processor containing over 7000 transistors and made on a 5 micron CMOS process.  It ran at up to 2 MHz at 5V (5V and -5V supplies).  It implemented 40 instructions most taking around 4 cycles to complete.  the MAC-8 used a 8-bit data bus and a 16-bit address bus (capable of addressing up to 64 Kbytes of RAM). The BELLMAC-8 is a register based design

BELLMAC-8 Die

with 16 general purpose 16-bit registers.  These registers are stored off chip in memory and an on chip Register pointer register (rp) contains the address of their beginning location in memory.  One could perform register ‘saves’ for IRQ handling by simply changing the value in the register pointer register (and storing the old value on the stack).

There is not a great amount of information on the BELLMAC-8 as it was intended for use within Bell/AT&T.  It was not designed or intended to be a commercial processor.  It was used (and branded) be Western Electric (which was the production arm of AT&T) in many telecom products.  Despite its wide use, very little documentation exists, at least outside of AT&T.  It is not a processor covered in any of the standard books/catalogs (such as IC Master, Osborne or other period microprocessor selection guides), most likely because it was for Bells use exclusively.  There was a trainer system made for the BELLMAC-8 used to teach engineers how to use the processor.  Most produced BELLMAC-8s are labeled as WE212 (or F-60789 on the trainers) and are found in Western Electric products.  The WE212 came in several 40-pin packages, including a version with a gold lid, and a version with a black ceramic lid.   Western Electric made several versions (though no documentation on the differences).  These included both the WE212C and the WE212B.

Western Electric WE32100 – BELMAC-32 Processor

In 1979 Bell released the BELLMAC-4, a microcomputer version of the BELLMAC-8 containing on chip ROM and RAM.  It was made on a 3.5 micron process.  In 1980 Bell announced the BELLMAC-80.  The BELLMAC-80 was made on a 2.5 micron process (using domino logic CMOS) and contained over 150,000 transistors.  It was Bell’s first 32 bit processor (completely skipping over 16 bit designs) and was later renamed the BELLMAC-32.  A product improved version was called the BELLMAC-32A.  Better known as the 32100 and 32200 processors these CPU’s were used well into the 1990’s.  Unlike the mysterious BELLMAC-8 there is some documentation and wider use of the 32100 series of processors.

Mostek MK3850P-3 – F8 Processor – 1977

In September 1974 Fairchild Camera and Instrument’s Fairchild Semiconductor division announced they were throwing their hat into the microcontroller market.  The same Fairchild whom created ‘Silicon Valley’ whom many of the ‘greats’ of the industry originally worked, including Gordon Moore, and Robert Noyce, of Intel fame.   In April 1975 Fairchild began sampling the F8 processor with production quantities available in the fall of 1975.

Fairchild knew the importance of having second sources available and in June 1975 reached an agreement with Mostek to allow Mostek to produce the F8 as well.  The 10 year agreement with Mostek included complete mask set transfers as Mosteks NMOS isoplanar process was completely compatible with Fairchilds.  The agreement also called for continuing development of the F8 processor system, allowing each company to develop F8 products independently of each other as well as together (this is important down the road).

Fairchild 3850PC – 1977

Mostek was able to rapidly produce the F8 system, faster, cheaper, and more reliable than Fairchild.  The F8 introduction price was $130 per unit.  When Mostek began production in 1975 prices were down to $85 per unit.  In February 1976 Mostek lowered prices to $55 per unit ($64 to $28 if you bought more than 100 pieces).  The F8 was also licensed to SGS-Ates of Italy in 1976.

Also in February of 1976 Fairchild signed a agreement with Olympia Werke A.G., a German company, allowing production and sharing of information on the F8 processor.  It also allowed Fairchild (and any of its second sources, including Mostek) to use any of Olympia’s processor technology and products. So why did Fairchild reach such an agreement with Olympia, a relatively small company?  Because General Instruments was suing Fairchild at the time.

AEG Telefunken U3870M – F8 Processor

It gets a little messy here but try to follow along. A man named Dr David Chung (head of GI’s microprocessor division) was dispatched to Olympia to pick up some proprietary information on a top secret 8-bit processor Olympia was developing called the CP 3-F.  GI had an agreement to license this processor technology from Olympia and it was Chung’s job to get the information to make that possible.  Very shortly after Chung’s return from Germany he quit GI.  Who hired him? Fairchild of course.  GI accused Fairchild (and Chung) of using the proprietary information on the CP 3-F to develop the F8 processor.  By reaching an agreement with Olympia, Fairchild now was legally covered if in fact they HAD used information on the CP 3-F in the design of the F8.  Unfortunately very little information exists on the CP 3-F but it is widely believed that it was the basis of the Fairchild F8.

Updated with new info from comments 07/17/2021

The CP 3-F was a 4 chip design, very similar to the F8, with a CPU/Control Chip (RSE), a ROM (Program Storage Unit) RAM (Data Storage Unit) and an I/O Chip.  The CPU supported 48 8-byte instructions and has a 48 byte RAM.  The PSE was a 1024x 8 bit ROM and the DSE contained a 128 x 8 bit RAM, the address register, and an 8-bit I/O channel. They were all made using a PMOS process (needing -5V and -17V) and packaged in 40 pin DIPS.  They used an 800KHz clock which was internally divided by 4 resulting in a internal 200KHz (5 microsecond) cycle time.

Its clear that perhaps the general idea of the CP 3-F was used, but it was updated and expanded (switched to NMOS, new instructions added, faster, etc)

The court case went on into the 1980’s by which time it didn’t really matter.  I was unable to determine who ‘won’ but by production dates of the F8, it didn’t matter one way or another.

So what about the processor?
Read More »

Thomson TS68040MFTB/C 33 5962-9314302MYC

Since its Memorial Day here in the United States, the CPU for the day needed to be something mil-spec.  This is a very nice Thomson-CSF (part of STMicroelectronics) 68040 processor.  The 68040 was released in 1990 by Motorola and was the first of the 68k line to include a full FPU on chip (as opposed to using the 68881/2).

This Thomson part was made in 1999. It is full military temp range (-55 -> 125C) with MIL-STD-883 Class  B screening running at 33MHz. Its in a fairly rare (and available by special request only) ‘flat tie bar package’  This is similar to the more common ceramic quad flat pack (CQFP) but the leads are contained and supported by tie bars on the ends.  These tie bars are physically attached to the board offering a very strong mechanical support for the processor in environments where high vibrations or higher then normal g-forces may be encountered.  The life of a soldier is not an easy one, so electronics must be made to support them, and not fail.

Apple 1 computers, one of the first personal computers, were introduced in 1976. Now 37 years old they are setting records for auction sales.  In September 2010 one fetched over $20,000 on eBay.  A few months later one with the original box and papers cleared $200,000.  And this week an auction house in Germany sold one for 516,000 Euros (around $670,000 depending on the exchange rate).  Apparently a refurbished and now working model. this is one of the highest prices ever for a vintage computer.

Who knows, in 30 years the original iPhone 2G may set records for sales, but considering the number built, who knows how many will be around in 2040, or how many will have the original box.

Jack Ganssle wrote an article on the continued demand for 4 and 8-bit microcontroller.  Every year the ‘experts’ and sales people claim will be the end of the 8-bit microcontroller.  Companies have strived to make upgrade paths to 32 bit.  But the fact remains, basic microcontrollers, sold for pennies, are all that is needed for the majority of applications, applications that we use everyday without a single thought of the processor in it.

Ken Olson, head of Digital Equipment Corporation, said in 1977 (six years after the first commercially-successful microprocessor was introduced) “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”

Count the processors in your home and ponder that statement.  Unless you live in a cave you do not have enough fingers and toes to count all the computers in your home.  Its a good read, check it out.

8-bit 8MHz w/ ADC and 16K EPROM

One of the most well known microcontroller families is the Intel MCS-51.  It was introduced in 1980 and is still being made in many many forms.  It, however, is not the only popular 8-bit microcontroller.  Motorola made many microcontroller versions of the famous 6800 CPU.  Namely the MC6804 and the still in production 68HC05 series.

ST, which was formed by the merger of SGS of Italy, and Thomson of France, also makes a wide range of 8-bit microcontrollers which are very popular and widely used.  The ST7 microcontroller is a 8-bit Von Neumann architecture (shared address/data bus) MCU.  It is a serial accumulator design (so all operations occur in the accumulator, rather than in a wide set of registers like the 8051).  The ST7 was introduced in the early 1990’s as an upgrade to the ST6 Family of microcontrollers.  The ST7 added more high level programming support, and better interrupt handling.  The ST7 provides higher performance then many competing architectures and in various performance tests such as IRQ handling, returns, instruction execution times etc, it even beats the venerable 80C51.

Both the ST6 and ST7 families are based on the Motorola MS680x microcontroller family.  The ST6 closely resembles the 6804 and the ST7 is upwards code compatible with the MC68HC05 (assembly level translators exist to port the raw code).  The ST7 has 63 instructions and the 6805 has 62 (depending on version).  It is not an uncommon practice for one MCU to be based off, or even compatible with another.  It provides more familiarity for programmers and design engineers.  What really sets a MCU apart is the peripherals that surround the core, and its operating parameters.  The ST6 and ST7 are both highly respected for their ESD protection and high noise immunity.  These features were both carried over into the ST8M family that was introduced in 2008 to replace the aging ST7.  The ST7 can be found in many applications such as automotive  appliance control, motor control, and other embedded systems that most people forget are run by a processor.

B2120A Floating Point ALU 1989 33MHz

Bipolar Integrated Technology Inc. (BIT) was founded in 1983 in Beaverton Oregon by former Floating Point Systems, Intel, and Tektronix engineers.  Their goal was to develop fast floating point processors based on a bipolar process (rather then the more common NMOS and CMOS of the time.  The bipolar process is used to make TTL, and ECL type products, and had been used in several previous processors, including the AMD 2901 and the SMS300 (Signetics 8X300).

The B2120 was part of a complete floating point chip set that was released in 1987.  the B2120 handled all the ALU functions, while the B2110 was the multiplier.  It was designed by Bob Elkind who was one of the original employees of BIT and oversaw the development, layout, and packaging of most of their early products. The B2120 was a TTL compatible device while the B3120 and B3110 made using ECL 10KH instead.  Both were made using Bipolar’s proprietary P111 1.2 micron process.  The B2120A-30 had a typical cycle time of 30ns, giving it an effective clock rate of 33MHz.

In 1990 BIT introduced the B2130 (TTL) B3130 (ECL 10KH) and B4130 (ECL 100k) which were 100MHz single chip versions of the 2110/2120

BIT would later make a SPARC chipset called the B5000 (which at 80MHz was the fastest processor of its time) and a follow on version called the B6000.  Both were made using ECL. Reliability problems and the eventual catchin up of CMOS in speed led to their demise, and in 1996 BIT was purchased by PMC-Sierra (who ended up consolidating a lot of 80’s and 90’s companies).

Rockwell 10660EC PPS-4 – 1986

The Intel 4004 processor gets much attention for being the ‘first’ processor, however, there were others.  The Rockwell PPS-4 was introduced in 1972, making it one of only 4 processors of the time (IMP-16 from National Semiconductor, Intel 8008 and Intel 4004 being the others.

The original PPS-4 came in a 42 pin Quad Inline package, compared to the 4004s somewhat limiting 16 pins.   A complete system could be built using 3 chips, a 10660 (later the 12660) PPS-4 processor, a ROM, and a clock generator (10706).  The PPS-4 was manufactured on a metal gate process (vs the silicon gate process of the 4004).  It required a single -17VDC power supply and ran at 256KHz.

In 1975 Rockwell introduced the PPS-4/2 (aka the 11660).  The ‘/2’ denoting the 2 chip version of the PPS-4.  The clock generator was now moved onto the processor itself, and a memory/IO chip (part # A17xx) that provided 2048×8 bits of ROM 128×4 bits of RAM and 16 1 bit I/O ports.  Clock speed was 200KHz, slightly less than that of the 3 chip PPS-4.

Rockwell was not done with the PPS-4.  In 1976 they released the PPS-4/1, which was a single chip microcomputer version, integrating ROM onto the processor so that a system could be built with one chip.  The standard version (the MM76) had 64×8 bits of ROM and 48×4 bits of RAM.  Clock frequency could range from 40KHz to a blistering 120KHz.  The PPS-4/1 was compatible with peripherals of the newly released PPS-8 as well.  Additional versions were made including:
MM75: Reduced I/O 28 pin version
MM76E: Extended memory 1024x8bits of ROM
MM76C: Included a high speed counter and expanded I/O in a 52 pin package (140KHz max speed)
MM76D: Includes a ADC 52 pin package
MM76L/EL: Low voltage/low power version (-11 – -6.4 volts vs -15 of the standard parts)
MM77: 1344×8 ROM 96×4 RAM
MM78: 2048×8 bit ROM 128×4 RAM

Rockwell B7699 PPS4/1 Low power External ROM Development device – 1981

A7699: Development version without on board ROM – requires external clocking
A7698: Development version without on board ROM – Can use internal clock
B769x: Development version for the MM76L/EL Low power versions

Unlike the Intel MCS-4/40 the Rockwell PPS-4 and its derivatives continued to be made and used well into the late 1980’s

Master Modder Bacteria recently completed ‘Unity’ a single cabinet integrating 15 classic consoles, and capable of playing games from 18 different systems (sme consoles can run more then one type of game.  It an impressive feat especially considering he managed to make it work off a single controller, and a single video/audio output.  A custom 15-position switch tops off the console.

The consoles range from a Intellivision and its oddball CP1610 General Instruments (based on the PDP-11) processor, to the wildly successful 299MHz Sony PS2.  Below you can see the variety of systems, and the processors (this IS the CPU Shack after all) that run them.

As you can see a few processors are common. Five of the consoles run Zilog Z-80 processors, and 4 run on some variation of the MOS 6502 made famous by the Apple 1 computer.  Later consoles shifted towards the RISC based designs of MIPS, PowerPC and the SuperH series by Hitachi (now Renesas). Today’s console continue to use RISC processors albeit at speeds of over 3GHz.