3 Nov
2000
3 Nov
'00
9:59 a.m.
From: Richard Erlacher <richard(a)idcomm.com>
The Z80 core is about three times the size of the 650x
core and really
can't
do anything the 650x core can't do quite a bit
faster. If you clock the
two
That may be true, I don't care. It's a "but, who cares" thing. If a
manufacturer used z80 in a product and wanted an improved product
do you think they will drop z80 or find a way to to package it tighter.
Gate arrays are not relevant to the typical
microcontroller application.
The gate arrays are handy when an MCU is not fast enough, but for short
runs, where the MCU's shine, the FPGA's and CPLD's are much slower to
develop.
You only have worked with low volume stuff then. In the high volume
world it's common for vendors to suff parts into ASICs as a cost
reduction
or product design protection.
The single-chip examples I think about when I'm
considering what to use
are
frequently the Scenix SX family. They're as fast
as a core in an FPGA,
and,
Who cares. I didnt' exclusivly say speed was the issue. You did.
Allison