Microcomputer Circuits and Processes

tasks (large computing 'power'), was fast, and had the ability to control
a wide range of other devices. The modern version of the 8080, the 8085
(which you can buy for a few pounds) is firmly established as one of the
standard 8-bit processors of the decade. No bigger than a baby's
fingernail, it comes packaged in a few grams of plastic with 40 terminals
tapping its enormous potential (figure 1.2).
Figure 1.2
The birth of the 8085 microprocessor chip.
Intel Corporation (UK) Ltd
RESPONSE TO THE FIRST MICROPROCESSOR
In mechanics, momentum must be conserved; but in the electronics
industry it seems to increase! It had taken only three years since the
introduction of the 4004 for.the total number of microprocessors in use
to exceed the combined numbers of all minicomputers and mainframes.
In 1974there were 19processors on the market, and one year later there
were 40. Different manufacturers aimed at different markets: RCA
developed a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
processor, using practically no current; Texas Instruments developed a
4-bit processor for games applications. Advances in design included
putting the memory, input/output circuits, and even analogue-todigital
converters on the processor chip, resulting in single-chip
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