Actually, it's not as unusual as you may think. Some folks don't know how to do
anything useful, so they get more advanced degrees instead. I know of several
folks who have multiple PhD's, not that it increases my respect for them, but it
does indicate they've completed a major piece of academic work with a minimum of
supervision.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Duell" <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: CBM 8032 SK
Back in a past
life, I worked on a program (written by a very clever chap
with more PhD's than I've had hot dinners) which ran on a HP computer (I
Since it's unusual to have more than 1 Ph.D. I guess it means you like
cold food :-)
> >> >It may be painful to learn, but it's very satisfying when you
breathe
Actually, FWIW, this is the sort of learning that I consider fun...
Me too. There's nothing quite like "hands-on" learning, much more
interesting than straight lectures or even student lab work.
Yes. As I said a few days ago it's important to have some idea as to what
you are doing (randomly changing things will help nobody), but you do
need some real practical experience.
> >> Definitely. And with Z80s (in particular) being so cheap, as well as DRAM
> >> chips, building ones own becomes quite appealing too. I know a chap who
> >> already does that sort of thing (although I think he uses older Intel
> >> processors on the whole); but I like the idea of a 40-pin processor -
nice and
simple.
I haven't a clue how the bus works though....
Might I recomend the book 'The student manual for the Art of Electronics'
(or some similar title), 2nd edition, by Hayes and Horowitz.
You can: Amazon is my friend... It doesn't say which edition it is, but I
assume it's the newest one.
The authors are different for the 2 editions (I think the first is
Horowitz and Robinson, but I am not going to run upstairs to check ;-)
(yes, I have both editions, and both editions of 'The Art of Electronics
:-))).
The last few
sections get you to build a 68008-based computer from scratch.
A QL? :)
No, rather simpler than that. A 68008 + 256 bytes of RAM (IIRC) and a
hardware frontpanel (hex keyboard, which was supplied to students ready
made, but there is a schematic in the book) + TTL chips to load the RAM
independantly of the microprocessor.
I
can't
remember what chip the first edition used (8085? Z80?). The related book
'The Art of Electronics' is, of course, well worth reading as well...
I shall order that too, I think. There's also an "Art of Electronics:
Standard Manual", does anyone have any knowledge of that one?
NEver heard of it. I wonder if 'standard' is a misprint for 'student'
:-(
It reminds me of the time I ordered the Options and Adapters Technical
Reference from IBM. I asked them to search for 'Options and Adapters' and
they told be there was no such manual listed. I thought it might well be
out of print and unavailable, but as I had the Form Number to hand, I
asked them to look for that. They told me that such a manual was still
available (at a rather high price) and that it was the Technical
Reference Questions and Answers. I ordered it anyway, and needless to say
it was the Options and Adapters manual.
What seems to have happened is that :
Options and Adapters was abreviated to O&A
O&A was typo'd to Q&A
Q&A was expanded to Questions and Answers
(!)
Thanks! Any more book recommendations BTW?
Sure... Mick&Brick 'Bit Slice Microprocessor Design' is a classic if
you're interested in microcoded CPU internals. It's not that easy to
find, though (well, I don't buy things on the internet, so it might be
easy to get there, I've never looked).
You also should start collecting data books (or data sheets) on all the
chips you might be interested in. You'll need them for the CPU, any
peripheral chips you like, and so on. And of course a TTL databook is
essential (don't rely on things like the Maplin Catalogue, there are
plenty of chips not listed in there).
-tony