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Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer

From jeffj@panix.com (Jeff Jonas)
Newsgroups comp.os.cpm
Subject Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer
Date 2023-09-07 03:50 +0000
Organization ferretronix.com
Message-ID <udbhal$3qm$1@reader2.panix.com> (permalink)
References <0b23887c-d521-4424-8e62-8758cb92c763n@googlegroups.com> <72829363-c906-4557-ac1c-50a925bc1639n@googlegroups.com> <uc25h5$2chfn$1@dont-email.me>

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> Let's not forget the Z80 itself was a new processor
> built upon an old design and became popular for that reason.

Yes, no, kinda, maybe?
8080 compatibility definitely helped on the software side,
running CP/M and such.

But the Z80's hardware was tremendously easier to use,
almost like silicon-chip Lego, thus becoming the favorite for embedded systems
such as "smart modems", SCSI controllers, terminal servers.
In a way, the Z80 peripherals were "the tail wagging the dog"
because they were so popular, particularly the SIO dual-channel serial I/O chips.

    Z80 hardware features:

+5 volts only, no +/- 12v

single phase clock: no special clock generator required

Z80 native peripheral chips self-arbitrated DMA and vectored interrupts via daisy-chain.
No interrupt controller required.

built in dram refresh cycle, making RAM interfacing easier.

The Z80 signals were so direct and easy to use
that they formed the basis of the STD bus (which was later extended).

I/O address space was separate from the 64k memory address space
due to IN, OUT instructions asserting the /IORQ signal instead of /MREQ

and other things :-)

--

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The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-07-25 02:30 -0700
  Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-07-25 04:39 -0700
    Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Phil G <philg@talk21.com> - 2023-07-25 06:18 -0700
    Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Phil G <philg@talk21.com> - 2023-07-25 06:48 -0700
      Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-07-25 07:10 -0700
        Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Douglas Miller <durgadas311@gmail.com> - 2023-07-25 07:20 -0700
          Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Roger Hanscom <norwestrzh@gmail.com> - 2023-07-25 11:05 -0700
            Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Bozo User <anthk@disroot.org> - 2023-07-30 18:53 +0000
              Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-07-31 00:11 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-11 05:26 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-12 00:16 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Bozo User <anthk@disroot.org> - 2024-04-05 22:00 +0000
      Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Douglas Miller <durgadas311@gmail.com> - 2023-07-25 07:11 -0700
  Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Adam Sampson <ats@offog.org> - 2023-07-25 19:34 +0100
    Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Udo Munk <udo.munk@freenet.de> - 2023-07-25 12:39 -0700
      Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-07-25 23:05 -0700
  Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer yeti <yeti@tilde.institute> - 2023-07-28 05:01 +0000
  Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-19 10:47 -0700
    Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-19 22:02 -0700
      Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-20 01:19 -0700
        Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-20 11:36 -0700
          Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-20 12:40 -0700
          Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-20 13:03 -0700
            Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-21 00:08 -0700
              Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-21 01:03 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-21 03:01 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-21 03:11 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-21 20:31 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer ladislau szilagyi <ladislau_szilagyi@euroqst.ro> - 2023-08-21 05:09 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Tadeusz Pycio <tapy@wp.pl> - 2023-08-22 02:34 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-22 21:17 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Tadeusz Pycio <tapy@wp.pl> - 2023-08-22 04:44 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-22 05:23 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Tadeusz Pycio <tapy@wp.pl> - 2023-08-22 05:56 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-22 06:07 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer "rwd...@gmail.com" <rwdeane@gmail.com> - 2023-08-22 10:00 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-23 03:36 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Tadeusz Pycio <tapy@wp.pl> - 2023-08-22 11:41 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-23 16:10 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Chris Syntichakis <csynt8bit@gmail.com> - 2023-08-24 23:37 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-25 20:39 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Chris Syntichakis <csynt8bit@gmail.com> - 2023-08-26 00:29 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-27 08:48 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-28 21:35 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-24 11:51 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer "fridtjof.ma...@gmail.com" <fridtjof.martin.weigel@gmail.com> - 2023-08-26 09:40 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Roger Hanscom <norwestrzh@gmail.com> - 2023-08-26 14:39 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Zbig <zbigniew2011@gmail.com> - 2023-08-26 16:03 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-08-27 12:20 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Greg Holdren <greg.holdren@gmail.com> - 2023-08-26 18:52 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer jeffj@panix.com (Jeff Jonas) - 2023-09-07 03:47 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer jeffj@panix.com (Jeff Jonas) - 2023-09-07 03:50 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-09-07 19:20 +1000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> - 2023-09-07 16:03 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer yeti <yeti@tilde.institute> - 2023-09-07 18:03 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> - 2023-09-08 21:29 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Roger Hanscom <norwestrzh@gmail.com> - 2023-09-08 08:51 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> - 2023-09-08 21:31 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer Bill McMullen <mcmullenbill0@gmail.com> - 2023-09-08 16:47 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer "mrgcm...@gmail.com" <mrgcms2001@gmail.com> - 2023-09-19 08:35 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer pH <wNOSPAMp@gmail.org> - 2023-09-20 03:04 +0000
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer "pbi...@gmail.com" <pbirkel@gmail.com> - 2023-09-19 23:22 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer "mrgcm...@gmail.com" <mrgcms2001@gmail.com> - 2023-09-20 12:51 -0700
                Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer dxforth <dxforth@gmail.com> - 2023-09-09 10:34 +1000
  Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer andrei-n <andrei.nesterov@gmail.com> - 2023-08-29 09:08 -0700
    Re: The ideal standalone Z80-based retro computer yeti <yeti@tilde.institute> - 2023-08-29 16:29 +0000

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