Far from processors capable of running at nearly 5 GHz, the Zilog Z80 is a chip whose frequency oscillates between 2.5 and 8… MHz. Well, rather… which oscillated.
Two years after its founding, the Californian company Zilog launched the Z80, its first microprocessor. Very popular in the early 1980s, the chip was used on a wide variety of machines.
Alongside the Z80, Z81 and ZX Spectrum computers, it also powered the famous Amstrad CPC and served as the basis for the MSX standard. Maybe you didn’t know it was still made?
Veteran from veteran
Finally, Zilog announced a few days ago that this production would soon be interrupted and that the last orders could be taken until June 14.
Beyond this date, it will no longer be possible to order Z80 from Zilog. However, we can imagine that it will still be possible to find a few fleas in places. It should also be noted that this end of production only concerns the “standalone” Z80, but that derivatives of the chip are still produced as microcontrollers.
You should actually know that in almost 50 years of existence, the Z80 has had a particularly rich history. History that we started with many personal computers, like the Sinclair machines.
A chip used “in all sauces”
The Z80, however, was not limited to this role as a locomotive for computers in the 80s. You may not know it, but it was also used on various video game consoles.
Thus, it was on this Zilog Z80 that SEGA set its sights to design its Master System console, released in October 1985. It was a version slightly customized by Sharp which was then used by competitor Nintendo on its famous Game Boy. SEGA, once again, is renewing the Z80 on its Mega Drive console which is powered by a Motorola 68000, but relies on the Zilog chip to control the audio part.
Still in the field of audio, the Zilog Z80 is also at the heart of what we called the Rolls of consoles, the Neo Geo, but its aura logically declined during the 90s and, at the turn of the 20s 2000, it is mainly used in embedded systems: it powers various machines such as photocopiers and calculators.
A variety of uses which is reflected even in the end of life of the chip since, as we said, only the CPU is put in the closet standaloneZilog would continue to produce integrated versions in particular.
Source : Hackster.io, Olivier Poncet
Having fallen into video games at a time when it took a great imagination to see here a football match, there a tank fight in these few bars represented on the screen, I have followed all the developments for forty years. Loyal to the PC, but a fan of all genres, I only have trouble with JRPGs. Otherwise, from the driest turn-based strategy to the most spectacular FPS, including sports simulations or musical games, I can do it all... with a preference for management and games combining several styles. My video game pantheon would consist of three series: Elite, Civilization and Max Payne.
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