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Test system programmer has multiuser capability
Test system programmer has multiuser capability A multiuser programming station capable of providing remote programming capabilities for all currently available GenRad in-circuit test and functional test systems has been announced by the company's Board Test Division. The 2294 central/programming station is an enhanced version of the existing model 2290, offering greater speed and a capability to support up to eight users. It has been designed for operation with their 2270 circuit board test system together with their 2271 and 2272 systems. The most important feature of the 2294, according to GenRad, is its use of a PDP-11/44 computer. This central processor doubles the speed of the user system and supports up to 1 Mbyte of memory and up to eight VT-100 terminals. Other features enable remote programming and editing and allow it to be used with GenRad's dedicated ATE network, Grnet, which gives overall management of test systems and programming stations. Additionally, the 2294 offers a number of storage and peripheral extras. These include a 64 Mbyte
Phoenix disc drive, with a second optional drive configured. For higher mass data storage requirements, the 2294 also supports four additional 80 Mbyte disc drives or two 300 Mbyte drives. (GenRad Ltd, Norreys Drive,
Maidenhead, Berks., UK. Tel." (0628) 39181. Telex: 848321)
Range of single-chip microcomputers based on 6502s Three single-chip microcomputers based on the NMOS 6502 microprocessor have been announced by the Electronic Devices Division of Rockwell International. Rockwell claim the microcomputers can execute a list of computer benchmarks faster than any other equivalent device currently available. The onchip features of the R6500 family ~individual designations/1 I, /12 and/13) include 3k of ROM, 192 byte of RAM, 32 or 56 I/O lines, a serial communications channel, two 16-bit counter/timers, 16k or 64k expansion bus I/O modes and six external and four internal interrupts. The devices are software-compatible with each other and the multichip 6500 family, enabling designers to move directly from earlier 6500
Stand-alone speech chip links to microcomputers General Instrument have supplemented their line of Orator speech synthesis chips with the SP0256, a complete stand-alone synthesizer. It combines the SP0250 speech synthesizer chip, 16k of ROM and controller technology. The chip interfaces with microcomputer- or microprocessor-based systems either directly or through GI interface chips. It features up to 20 s of 'naturalsounding' speech and supports linear predictive coding, format or AIIophone synthesis. Vocabulary can be expanded by using a 16k, 32k or 128k add on serial speech ROM. Also available in the Orator line is the VSM2032, a complete speech synthesis unit which combines a PIC1650A microcomputer, an SP0250 synthesizer to format the
vol 6 no 4 may 1982
speech data and an onboard ROM to store the data. (General Instrument
Microelectronics Ltd, Regency House, I - 4 Warwick Street, London W1R 5WB, UK. Tel: 01-439 1891)
579. Speech... orator, public speaker, after dinners; improviser, ad-libber Roget's Thesaurus
systems to the newer single-chip system. The claim that the single-chip devices are faster than competitive NMOS devices is based on Texas Instruments' set of benchmarks which they used with their TMS 7000 family. In comparisons with the TMS 7000, Z8, 8051,6805 and 6801 over seven benchmarks, the 2 MHz device is shown to about 15 per cent faster than its nearest rival. The enhanced 6502 CPU, on which the three devices are based, retains the original pipeline architecture, 13 addressing modes and 56 instructions, but adds four new instructiOns that handle single-bit setting, resetting and branching on bit-set or reset. Also available from Rockwell is the R6511 single-chip processor. This comprises the same enhanced 6502 chip with 192 byte of RAM and 32 I/O lines, but has no onchip ROM. Delivery of the first production models is scheduled for J une 1982. Prices vary from model to model but will be in the region of $15 for 5000 quantities.
(Rockwell International, Electronic Devices Division, 3310 Miraloma A venue, P 0 Box 3669~ A naheim~ CA 92803, USA. Tel: (714) 632 3729)
Software ROMability A software tool for creating ROMable 8080/Z80 programs is now available from Inner Access. The Metaforth crosscompiler is written in 79 standard FORTH. This system allows the user of a CP/M or Cromemco CDOS 8080/ Z80-based system to create FORTH and assembly language from any target 8080/Z80 machine. This enables one to use currently available inexpensive equipment to design a variety of products. Features of this development system include its ability to produce ROMable code and 79 standard FORTH in the target machine. The system also produces'FORTH without header or link words for a 30 per cent space saving. The system includes an 8080 and a 780 assembler, a format downloader and other utilities. (Inner
Access Coro.. PO Box 888, Belmont, CA 94002, USA. Tel: (415) 591 8295)
207
Phoenix disc drive, with a second optional drive configured. For higher mass data storage requirements, the 2294 also supports four additional 80 Mbyte disc drives or two 300 Mbyte drives. (GenRad Ltd, Norreys Drive,
Maidenhead, Berks., UK. Tel." (0628) 39181. Telex: 848321)
Range of single-chip microcomputers based on 6502s Three single-chip microcomputers based on the NMOS 6502 microprocessor have been announced by the Electronic Devices Division of Rockwell International. Rockwell claim the microcomputers can execute a list of computer benchmarks faster than any other equivalent device currently available. The onchip features of the R6500 family ~individual designations/1 I, /12 and/13) include 3k of ROM, 192 byte of RAM, 32 or 56 I/O lines, a serial communications channel, two 16-bit counter/timers, 16k or 64k expansion bus I/O modes and six external and four internal interrupts. The devices are software-compatible with each other and the multichip 6500 family, enabling designers to move directly from earlier 6500
Stand-alone speech chip links to microcomputers General Instrument have supplemented their line of Orator speech synthesis chips with the SP0256, a complete stand-alone synthesizer. It combines the SP0250 speech synthesizer chip, 16k of ROM and controller technology. The chip interfaces with microcomputer- or microprocessor-based systems either directly or through GI interface chips. It features up to 20 s of 'naturalsounding' speech and supports linear predictive coding, format or AIIophone synthesis. Vocabulary can be expanded by using a 16k, 32k or 128k add on serial speech ROM. Also available in the Orator line is the VSM2032, a complete speech synthesis unit which combines a PIC1650A microcomputer, an SP0250 synthesizer to format the
vol 6 no 4 may 1982
speech data and an onboard ROM to store the data. (General Instrument
Microelectronics Ltd, Regency House, I - 4 Warwick Street, London W1R 5WB, UK. Tel: 01-439 1891)
579. Speech... orator, public speaker, after dinners; improviser, ad-libber Roget's Thesaurus
systems to the newer single-chip system. The claim that the single-chip devices are faster than competitive NMOS devices is based on Texas Instruments' set of benchmarks which they used with their TMS 7000 family. In comparisons with the TMS 7000, Z8, 8051,6805 and 6801 over seven benchmarks, the 2 MHz device is shown to about 15 per cent faster than its nearest rival. The enhanced 6502 CPU, on which the three devices are based, retains the original pipeline architecture, 13 addressing modes and 56 instructions, but adds four new instructiOns that handle single-bit setting, resetting and branching on bit-set or reset. Also available from Rockwell is the R6511 single-chip processor. This comprises the same enhanced 6502 chip with 192 byte of RAM and 32 I/O lines, but has no onchip ROM. Delivery of the first production models is scheduled for J une 1982. Prices vary from model to model but will be in the region of $15 for 5000 quantities.
(Rockwell International, Electronic Devices Division, 3310 Miraloma A venue, P 0 Box 3669~ A naheim~ CA 92803, USA. Tel: (714) 632 3729)
Software ROMability A software tool for creating ROMable 8080/Z80 programs is now available from Inner Access. The Metaforth crosscompiler is written in 79 standard FORTH. This system allows the user of a CP/M or Cromemco CDOS 8080/ Z80-based system to create FORTH and assembly language from any target 8080/Z80 machine. This enables one to use currently available inexpensive equipment to design a variety of products. Features of this development system include its ability to produce ROMable code and 79 standard FORTH in the target machine. The system also produces'FORTH without header or link words for a 30 per cent space saving. The system includes an 8080 and a 780 assembler, a format downloader and other utilities. (Inner
Access Coro.. PO Box 888, Belmont, CA 94002, USA. Tel: (415) 591 8295)
207