1st and 2nd Generations
1st Generation
 |
| Intel 4004 |
This was the
period during 1971 to 1973 of microprocessor’s history. In 1971, INTEL created
the first microprocessor 4004 that would run at a clock speed of 108 KHz.With
only 4 bits as the word size, the 4004 could only represent signed numbers in
the range -8 to +7, which is indeed very small. So, it was not really of
practical use for arithmetic calculations. However, it found applications in
controlling devices.
2nd
Generation
Intel 8008 was the
next in the evolution, the first 8-bit microprocessor. This was in the year
1972. This was soon followed by Intel 8080, also an 8-bit microprocessor. Intel
8080 was the first commercially popular 8bit microprocessor. With 8 bits as the
word size, it could represent signed numbers in the range of −128 to +127. This
is also not a good enough range for performing arithmetic calculations. Thus,
the 8080 also was used only for control applications.
Some other microprocessors like 6800 from Motorola, Z-80
from Zilog were also Popular at this time. They were costly as they were based
on NMOS technology fabrication and also for their super fast speed.
|
Comments
Post a Comment