WE32100 (was: Re: What's your coolest ISA card?)

From: Ken Seefried <ken_at_seefried.com>
Date: Fri Aug 10 08:50:42 2001

From: "Iggy Drougge" <optimus_at_canit.se>
> What a shame, I can't find the 32100 in the otherwise great "Great
> microprocessors of the past and present"
> How about an introduction?

Orginally, the We32000, but pretty qucikly moved to the We32100. This is
actually the CPU; there was a complete set of support chips. 10MHz, with a
later upgrade to 18MHz (still not very fast). Used in the AT&T 3B2, 3B5 &
3B20 machines, and also shows up in a number of other odd places (some AT&T
PBXs, 5ESS switch, etc.). CISC architecture, designed (supposedly) to
efficiently support C language compliation. There was a followon We32200
chip that I recall showed up in the 3B2/1000.

I've got the We32100 reference manual at home, if any has specific
questions.

AT&T carpet-bombed Georgia Tech with 3b2s when I was there (~1985), so I
used them quite a bit at the time. Actually really nice when used with the
5620 BLIT graphics terminals. I'd love to have one of those.

Ken
Received on Fri Aug 10 2001 - 08:50:42 BST