Systems based on Fairchild 9440 / 9445

[Chuck Guzis]

On 5 Nov 2008 at 13:52, Tim  Shoppa wrote:

> General Instruments certainly took a very similar microcontroller (now
> known as the PIC) and built it up and out in several directions.

Did GI ever do anything much with the 1640/1650 before spinning the 
micro division off as Microchip?  Until the PIC micros were 
announced, I was only vaguely aware of it, only that GI did the 1640 
as an I/O processor for the (miserably slow) 1600.

GI did make use of the CP1600 in the Intellivision game boxes and 
(ISTR) a couple of set-top boxes for the cable trade.  Another CPU 
with a nice architecture (aside from 10-bit instructions) that could 
have been a lot more, but wasn't.

I think that one can see the same sort of thing happening now with 
the TI MSP430 uC.  A nice architecture (resembles the CP1600 in a lot 
of ways, inclduing the absence of an inclusive-OR instruction), but 
TI seems to not be interested in promoting it or expanding 
capabilities.

Cheers,
Chuck