Re: Zilog stopping Z80 production

On Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:40:13 -0700, Don Y
<blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:

On 4/23/2024 6:09 AM, Peter Heitzer wrote:

The most difficult part is to put all into a 40 pin 300 mil package as
a drop in replacement.

>
The most common Zx80's were 600mil.
>

If all I wanted was a machinery to run Z80 software
my choice wuild be a RP2040 board.
https://github.com/djbottrill/rp2040_z80_emulator

>
You can likely emulate a Zx80's *software* faster than even the
fastest devices, nowadays.  But, for legacy software, you would
have problems supporting the I/Os -- even if you virtualized them.
>
One amusing anecdote re: MAME's nominal emulation of older games
is how they can't[1] ensure the same timing relationships that were
guaranteed in the original hardware.  Getting the functionality
correct but the timing "off" can have visual consequences.
>
Part of that is a consequence of trying to get more performance
out of the hardware than was nominally available.  And, part was
a lack of concern for "portability" (of which emulation is
probably the epitome).
>
[1] You could, of course, do so -- by dramatically increasing the
complexity of the emulator!
>
>

I miss playing with my old home built S-100 CP/M computer around 1980.
Those were really the fun days of computing and digital logic
circuits.

The other day after hearing the demise of the Z80, I ordered 2 of the
20 MHz Z80  40 pin devices.  I did not even know there was a 20 MHz
version.  Not sure what I will ever do with them but who knows ?
Maybe I'll just look at them.

boB