Hardware Links

PIC
The PIC family from Microchip has won many design-ins where an inexpensive microcontroller with a minimal footprint is called for. A flash memory part, the PIC16F84, is very popular with hobbyists, as a very inexpensive PC parallel port programmer may be constructed, and the flash program store enables rapid development without the added expense of a UV EPROM eraser.

8051
The 8051 family is Intel's entry into the microcontroller race. A successor to the 8048 series, it has proven popular, and the essential core has been extended and updated by both Intel and a number of other manufacturers. Atmel currently offers several flash parts. The smallest, the 89C1051, is an 18 pin part usable in applications previously targeted by the PIC family.
What can you do with something that limited? Well, here is one product that I worked on.

Z80
The Z80, an enhanced version of the Intel 8080, was the hot processor for the 8 bit, CP/M generation of personal computers. It. too, has been enhanced over the years, and still finds usefulness in consumer electronics such as the TI-86 calculator and the Gameboy. Cheap and simple, it fills the gap between the 8051 family and the 186 type processors.
- 86 CENTRAL - Optic2000's TI-86 Assembly Page
- Thomas Scherrer Z80-Family Page

Miscellaneous
These links represent a couple of very active software sites with links to much more, an online IC reference, and Walz's page. If you have never been to the latter, it is bursting with good stuff, and well worth the trip. There is some great material there that is not related to electronics, also.

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