On Sat, 7 Jun 1997, Marvin wrote:
> Allison J Parent wrote:
> > The module was a "upgrade product for those wating a 8088 and having only
> > z80 cpu. By unplugging the z80 and putting in the card you could run 16bit
> > apps.
> Does this mean it would work in place of any 8080 CPU? Any idea what
> the 8 pin header on the component side of the board was used for? This
> is interesting since these past comments are the first I have heard
> about the module!
The 8080 is a 40-pin package. The Z-80 is a 48-pin package. If I
remember correctly (my life in computers started with the Z-80, really,
since my friend with the Altair when I was in the USAF didn't let me at
the hardware, he knew my [inclined to injure myself] soldering skills).
This generally means that an adapter was needed to plug a Z-80 into a
board designed for a 8080. But I started my real computer career when
computers showed up where you didn't have to count the pins on the CPU,
specifically the TRS-80 (later renamed the Model One). I remember the
first time I looked down into a Model 16 and saw the MC68000 and wondered
why the hell that thing wasn't climbing up the side of the Empire State
Building.
--
Ward Griffiths
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within
the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." --Claire Wolfe
Received on Sun Jun 08 1997 - 01:29:54 BST