QBUS Board ID? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

10 Jul 2001

On July 10, Will Jennings wrote:
...
  Um, how are the 8X305 and the PIC related? Totally
different companies, and 
 the 8X300 (which the 8X305 is descended from), is older than the original 
 PIC, to the best of my knowledge... PIC = General Instruments, while 8X300 = 
 SMS, later bought by Signetics.. or the 2650 was the SMS chip, at any rate, 
 it was a Signetics chip.. 
  GI adapted the SMS/Signetics 8x300 for use as a peripheral interface
controller (PIC) to augment the poor I/O of its CP1600 processor. GI's
IC division was spun off to form Arizona Microchip Technology (sound
familiar?) in the mid 80's, producing EPROMs, EEPROMs, and..."PIC"
processors.

          -Dave McGuire