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Did you know that Intel is still manufacturing 386 and 486 microprocessors?

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Originally posted by: MS Dawn
LOL there's a lot of programmable interface panels (PIP's) using Zilog Z-80 CPU's running at a blistering 4.33 MHz.
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That's the same CPU that was used in the GameBoy (nearly 20 years ago) and I believe it is still being used in the GameBoy Advance (to play old Gameboy games only)
 
Anyone know what this is out of?

Originally posted by: mugs

That's the same CPU that was used in the GameBoy (nearly 20 years ago) and I believe it is still being used in the GameBoy Advance (to play old Gameboy games only)
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It would definitely have to be a much smaller package - the PIP's still have 40 pin DIP's! :Q

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Where was that Autobahn song that was on Putfile?
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Which one?
 
Originally posted by: chuckywang
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Originally posted by: Random Variable
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Damn, now you tell me. I just bought a 186!
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What are you going to do with it? Eat it?
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I keep it on my desk at work and listen to Kraftwerk's 1981 song Homecomputer.

"I program my home computer...beam myself into the future..."
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Where was that Autobahn song that was on Putfile?
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http://media.putfile.com/Kraftwerk---Autobahn---Live

 
Originally posted by: keeleysam
Originally posted by: Eli
Of course. 🙂 So does AMD.

I wonder if they've shrunk the processes at all. I can only imagine what a 486 would be like on even "old" 0.13 micron technology.
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Fvcking tiny.
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heh the 386 had only 275,000 transistors. the 486 1.2million

core 2... 291 million transistors
😉
 
I've got a bunch of 8080 CPUs. I've designed with the 74S481 (yes, a TTL processor) - look that up on google.
 
I took a class with Steve Squyres at Cornell. He's in charge of the Mars Rover project.

He said that most technology (from CPUs to cameras) used in satellites is from the early 1990's or even late 1980's. One reason is that takes years for these devices to get to their destinations and be tested on the ground.

Also, the radiation up in space is so intense that clunky old tech with bigger transistors is often better able to handle it than today's latest and greatest microprocessors.
 
Originally posted by: Paddington
I took a class with Steve Squyres at Cornell. He's in charge of the Mars Rover project.

He said that most technology (from CPUs to cameras) used in satellites is from the early 1990's or even late 1980's. One reason is that takes years for these devices to get to their destinations and be tested on the ground.

Also, the radiation up in space is so intense that clunky old tech with bigger transistors is often better able to handle it than today's latest and greatest microprocessors.
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Also, you don't need a C2D to control a machine that contains only a camera and a radio (or whatever), the old tech works fine so why not?
 
Originally posted by: Random Variable
It sounds like the 186 has been heavily modified since it was relased in 1980, while the 386 and 486 haven't been modified much at all.
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You're really trying now.

All of them have been heavily modified since their release. The case for the 186 is no different than the case for the 386 and 486. All of them have had die shrinks, process revisions, tweaked cores to run more efficiently, etc.

The version of the 386 that's out now is a low power embedded version that was introduced a full 8 years after the 386 first came out. It has evolved over time to meet market demands just like the 186 has.

Just admit that you're wrong instead of trying to fabricate excuses.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
Originally posted by: keeleysam
Originally posted by: Eli
Of course. 🙂 So does AMD.

I wonder if they've shrunk the processes at all. I can only imagine what a 486 would be like on even "old" 0.13 micron technology.
Click to expand...

Fvcking tiny.
Click to expand...

heh the 386 had only 275,000 transistors. the 486 1.2million

core 2... 291 million transistors
😉
Click to expand...


Keep in mind that much of that transistor count is from the cache, not from the logic.
 
There are a lot of old processors that are still in production long after they quit being offered in the retail market. I was ordering new Z80's in 1996. If you are going to get a government contract to supply processors for some defensive system, your contract will probably state that you will keep it in production for 20 years (or at least have enough stock on hand to cover that long). At a fab I worked at once, we had the capabilities to fire up old lines to make old stuff, and did it sometimes.
 
Im working with an Intel 8051 in my embedded system design class, that bad boy came out in 1980. Yay for 26 year old 8 bit processors.

my final project will be 2 player battleship utilizing 2 VGA adapters and 2 screens with the 2 8051s 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
Originally posted by: Random Variable
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
Originally posted by: Random Variable
The 386 has been in production for 20 years, while the 486 has been in production for 17 years. They're still being used in embedded systems. Production will end next year, though.
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what do you think controls the Hubble Space Telescope?
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It was launched 16 years ago.
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don't forget; it had an upgrade a few years back. I believe its a 486. All of the electronics have to pass rigorous tests before they can be put into space.
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I personally have seen these tests done, they're almost always sent up so long as coffee isn't spilt on them during the test phase. About 75% of electronics that fail the tests are due to coffee spillage.
 
Originally posted by: Mark R
Does anyone know where to get schematics for old CPUs - like 8086s and 80186s?
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Good luck, they are copywrited and patented. Odds are that if you get them lawyers will show up at your house and give you a hard time.
 
Processors still made by Intel (as listed in their current products page)

Intel® Core?2 Duo Processors
Intel® Core? Duo Processors
Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5100 Series
Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor LV and ULV
Intel® Xeon® Processors
Intel® Pentium® M Processors
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processors
Intel® Pentium® III Processors
Intel® Pentium® II Processors
Intel® Celeron® M Processors
Intel® Celeron® Processors
Intel® Pentium® Processors with MMX? Technology
Intel486? Processors
Intel386? Processors
Intel® 186 Processors



http://www.intel.com/products/embedded/processors.htm?iid=process+embed

All are avalable via Intel's Wafer Program
http://www.intel.com/design/shared/classic/wafer.htm
 
So, I'm ignorant on the subject, but don't patents and copyrights run out? Some of these chips are 25+ years old.
 
Originally posted by: getbush
So, I'm ignorant on the subject, but don't patents and copyrights run out? Some of these chips are 25+ years old.
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I am slightly rusty on the subject but the information I am going to give you is about 90% accurate.

Patents last for 7 years on most inventions except for pharmasudiacals that have 15 year patent expirations. However, copyrights (in the USA) last for 70 years after a company or corporation has created it. If it were created (owned) by an individual it would last for that individuals lifetime then it would be set to expire 70 years after his death. So his heirs would enjoy some of the royalties from his/her work(s). An example: George Gershwin's family to this day still makes millions on his music even though he has been dead for quite some time now.

Copyright laws vary from country to country. So it may be less or more in some countries.

NOTE: I did not spend much time fact checking and gave most of these facts from my rusty memory. But most of what I have told you should be fairly accurate.

http://www.copyright.gov/
http://www.uspto.gov/ <---- Very Helpful site on all trademark, patent, and copyright information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_patent
 
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