
Resurrecting the 8088 Micoprocessor - tyrick
http://zixg.com/resurrecting-the-8088-micoprocessor
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userbinator
I guess he's aiming for something like this:

[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breadboard_complex.jp...](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breadboard_complex.jpg)

The 8088/8086 were probably the first - and last - "breadboardable" x86 CPUs
as everything after that came in square, non-DIP packages. However, there have
been hobbyists making their own electronics for x86-based computers up to the
486: [http://dubel.org/computer/](http://dubel.org/computer/)

Starting with the Pentium, however, things got really hairy...

~~~
kjs3
FWIW...The 80286 came in a 40-pin DIP, and of course lots of non-x86
processors came (still come) in DIP as well.

From a hobbyist perspective, PGA packages aren't really alot more difficult to
deal with than DIP. Even LCC & PLCC packages have easy through-hole sockets.

QFP & PGA are, of course, nightmares. :-)

The real problem is it becomes increasingly difficult to breadboard a machine
as processor clock goes above 10-20MHz. I've actually been puzzling how _slow_
a PCI bus can run, since prototyping something at 33MHz is really hard.

~~~
jhallenworld
32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ CPUs are available in DIPs:

28-pin:
[http://www.nxp.com/products/microcontrollers/cortex_m0_m0/lp...](http://www.nxp.com/products/microcontrollers/cortex_m0_m0/lpc1100/LPC1114FN28.html)

4-pin!:
[http://www.nxp.com/products/microcontrollers/cortex_m0_m0/lp...](http://www.nxp.com/products/microcontrollers/cortex_m0_m0/lpc800/LPC810M021FN8.html)

~~~
jacquesm
4? I think you meant 8!

~~~
jhallenworld
Oops, yes. I've been considering an lpc812 16-pin device for a project but it
would need a bunch of '595s for extra output bits. Instead I'm using a 64-pin
stm32f030.. the overall price is the same, but the stm32f030 has more flash
and RAM. Even so, NXPs development system seems more coherent (even though I'm
not an eclipse fan).

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guscost
Have to mention _Code_ by Charles Petzold which was recommended somewhere
around here. It builds up from basic logic gates (with loads of diagrams) to a
rough approximation of the 8080 series processors. A great book if you want to
know the principles and history of this technology.

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mindcrime
This is awesome. I've been wanting to get into 8-bit computing and do a
"ground up" build of something using an 8088, Z80, or something of that ilk
for a while.

Since we're on the subject... can anybody recommend any good books / websites
/ magazine articles / etc., that cover this kind of ground? That is, starting
from a raw chip (a simple one, like one of these old 8 bit ones, not a 80386
or something) and building a simple computer from scratch? I'd really like to
get my hands dirty doing something like this, to get a better feel for the
nuts and volts level stuff.

~~~
Atommota
[http://www.amazon.com/8088-Project-Book-Robert-
Grossblatt/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/8088-Project-Book-Robert-
Grossblatt/dp/0830631712)

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rasz_pl
Author went for USB oscilloscope. Do not follow his recommendation if you like
good quality usable tools. Sainsmart dds120:

[http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/sainsmart-
dds120-usb-o...](http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/sainsmart-dds120-usb-
oscilloscope-\(buudai-bm102\)/)

"scope is advertised as 50Ms/s while the ADC runs at 40MHz"

40MHz sampling means its usable for signals up to ~10MHz. Its ok'ish for
arduino level of tinkering.

If you like this type of old school hardcore hardware hacking check those
links:

[http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com](http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com)

[http://www.s100computers.com](http://www.s100computers.com)

Those guys are actively building 20-30 year old computers from scratch. Most
modern (and probably the fastest) is 386DX/486DLC board

[http://www.s100computers.com/My%20System%20Pages/80386%20Boa...](http://www.s100computers.com/My%20System%20Pages/80386%20Board/80386%20CPU%20Board.htm)

On the other end of the spectrum is virtual hardware hacking. MAME project has
a less known offshoot branch called MESS. It emulates old computers on a logic
level with single clock cycle precision (not instruction, its clock
accurate!). To get you idea of what that means imagine sound card emulation.
Sane person would map buffers and pump samples to your host sound API. MESS
people on the other hand desolder chips from old Sound Blaster 2.0,
DECAPSULATE Intel microcontroller responsible for DMA, read its rom content.
Emulated sound card runs this rom dump on virtual Intel 8048. Same with
Keyboards - they emulate 8048 with its rom content inside keyboard, and 8051
sitting on the motherboard with its individual rom content! :)

This is pretty crazy and inefficient (C++), but extremely accurate. Emulated
hardware ranges from 6502 (and all of its individual sub models like 6510,
6509 etc) to 486/586 processors and 3DFX cards (again emulating low level
functions, no opengl mapping there).

[http://www.mess.org](http://www.mess.org)

~~~
tyrick
I edited the post to add "I would not recommend buying this if you can afford
otherwise." Thanks.

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jpmattia
The other news in this article: Jameco is still in business?! Wow.

They used to supply geeks throughout the US with their mail order biz; For me,
it was late 70s/early 80s.

~~~
tyrick
Jameco is very much alive! However, My bank recently called to verify some
purchases with them. They claimed that my regular transactions with such a
company were flagged as suspicious. I suppose the everyday household is not
impulse buying this stuff as I do.

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cesarbs
Where can one still buy an 8088? Are they still being produced?

~~~
sliverstorm
I think the Z-80 is the main antique 8-bit that is still around. The 8088
supposedly shows up a lot as an IP core, but not as its own chip.

~~~
gpvos
6502s are also still being made and used in all kinds of stuff.

