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CPU family tree - help needed

@kuro68k
Great effort, this will be quite useful to everyone to better understand how the families developed over time.

My feedback:
IBM was producing copies of the Intel 486 too: https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/80486/MANUF-IBM.html

Zilog Z80000 - I still think this was only a paper-design and was never taped out. I've asked any Zilog people I've bumped into about this, and kept watchful for any evidence that it ever made it into silicon but I see nothing so far. If anyone knows different I would be glad to learn about it.
 
nigwil said:
Zilog Z80000 - I still think this was only a paper-design and was never taped out. I've asked any Zilog people I've bumped into about this, and kept watchful for any evidence that it ever made it into silicon but I see nothing so far. If anyone knows different I would be glad to learn about it.
Click to expand...

There are references that say it was never “commercially released”, but it did supposedly make it into sampling. There was also supposedly a CMOS version of it called the Z320; here’s a website that has a picture of a chip package labeled “Z320 MPU” that matches the physical description in a “Preliminary Product Specification” of the part in a 1988 Zilog data book, but I can’t read the text or otherwise comment on authenticity. If not a fake it could still just be a marketing mock-up, but the evidence for it at least getting very close to production seems decently solid.

IC collection Z320

IC Collection
www.itofamily.com

Edit: Databook with the Z320 and Z80000. Includes references to an in-circuit-emulation support chip called the Z328. So again, looks pretty real.

 
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@nigwil, are the IBM 486s just second source or were they marketed separately? They seem to have the "Blue Lightning" branding on some of them, and Intel on others. Perhaps they were just for IBM machines. Fully pin compatible I assume.
 
kuro68k said:
@nigwil, are the IBM 486s just second source or were they marketed separately? They seem to have the "Blue Lightning" branding on some of them, and Intel on others. Perhaps they were just for IBM machines. Fully pin compatible I assume.
Click to expand...
Good question. I don't know much about where these IBM branded CPUs were used. I would interpret them as third-source since AMD already had their license.
 
Eudimorphodon said:
There are references that say it was never “commercially released”, but it did supposedly make it into sampling.
Click to expand...
Interesting, certainly looks like a physical chip.

There is a thread here from 1987, and as you can see no follow-up from the person claiming that it was released to market:

Zilog Z320 32-bit chip

groups.google.com groups.google.com

Still surprising that is has disappeared so completely; hopefully more physical examples will turn up. Certainly even this thread existing might prompt someone to later find it and jump in with more evidence.
 
It seems like a lot of really wacky stuff picked out of recycle bins shows up for sale on the streets of Shanghai, maybe one of these days a pile of dev boards and a couple tubes of Z320s will see the light of day again.
 
I've been working on the computer timelines too, but it's the copyright clearance for the images that is a problem. I'm trying to think of ways to make it open source so people can contribute their own images.

The main issue with that is that Github has a limit of 100MB per file, and the Inkscape .svg files are bigger than that even with images reduced to 600 DPI.

I might make a compact version with just the text, or maybe just Wikipedia images. It's a fair bit of work though.
 
nigwil said:
Zilog Z80000 - I still think this was only a paper-design and was never taped out. I've asked any Zilog people I've bumped into about this, and kept watchful for any evidence that it ever made it into silicon but I see nothing so far. If anyone knows different I would be glad to learn about it.
Click to expand...
A UK Zilog distributor offered to sell me a Z80,000 in Dec '85 or '86 (sorry I can't remember which; I couldn't afford it). I'd previously built a Z8000-based computer using parts from the distributor. In a Zilog catalogue, the Z80,000 was described as "new for 1984", so it was rather late, and only 10MHz, which was slow for a "high-end" CPU then. I'm sceptical that the Z320 was a CMOS version as some Web sites say. More likely it was just a Z80,000 die in a PLCC instead of a PGA.
 
I have some questions.

Was the Data General microNOVA ever used in any non-mini-computers?
Was the Essex SX 200 every used in anything? I can find announcements for it, but no evidence of it being used.
Were the Monolithic Memories bit slice CPUs used in anything? Can't find any evidence.
Was the Motorola 10800 used in any micro computers?
Did the Transitron 1601 make it into any micros? I can't even find a release date for it.
 
MC10800 is an ECL ALU for fast bit-slice CPU.
To build a processor, you also need MC10801, MC10802, MC10803 (or equivalent)
I've never seen a computer using the MC10800.
I have a card with 4 of them on it, but I don't know where it came from.

MC10800.jpg
 
Thanks. The criteria for inclusion is that it was used in a microcomputer, or is historically significant in relation to a CPU that was. So for now I'll leave that one out.

I did add a couple from your list, I'll post it tomorrow if I remember.
 
Very cool. I can tell it's taken a lot of work.

I think I found a typo (from the last update you posted), the PPS8 by Rockwell International was an 8-bit processor, it looks like you have it listed as 4-bit a la the PPS4 that was it's predecessor.
 
Bruce Mardle said:
A UK Zilog distributor offered to sell me a Z80,000 in Dec '85 or '86 (sorry I can't remember which; I couldn't afford it). I'd previously built a Z8000-based computer using parts from the distributor. In a Zilog catalogue, the Z80,000 was described as "new for 1984", so it was rather late, and only 10MHz, which was slow for a "high-end" CPU then. I'm sceptical that the Z320 was a CMOS version as some Web sites say. More likely it was just a Z80,000 die in a PLCC instead of a PGA.
Click to expand...
The Z80K and the Z80320 where not really marketed in North America, but these chips did make it into some systems out side of North America. Mostly Latin America and some Asian countries. Zilog omitted some of the signal pins and deleted some of the 16-bit version instructions which lead customers to use the hybrid Hitachi OEM, NEC OEM versions. If not you need the 3Rd parity fix chip to solve these bugs.
There is another website that starts with a F that has some of them listed, but I forget who it was.
Yes there was some Aerospace/Avionics that do have those chips in them. (mostly Mil. Std related devices). Their also is some suppliers that still have them listed as available, but just
forget about because they are all reserved. You could check out https://planetonecomponents.com/index_about_en.phtml and search for Z8070, Z80000, Z80320 and find its 8MHZ and 10MHz version listed. But with a out a active (military) cage code and Government related Po to prove your order is ujit plus a hole lot of funds you wont be able to get any.
By the way some Mil. Defense Suppliers back in the 2000 where charging 6k pre 32-bit Z8000 chip in US funds.
 
nigwil said:
Interesting, certainly looks like a physical chip.

There is a thread here from 1987, and as you can see no follow-up from the person claiming that it was released to market:

Zilog Z320 32-bit chip

groups.google.com groups.google.com

Still surprising that is has disappeared so completely; hopefully more physical examples will turn up. Certainly even this thread existing might prompt someone to later find it and jump in with more evidence.
Click to expand...
nigwil said:
@kuro68k
Great effort, this will be quite useful to everyone to better understand how the families developed over time.

My feedback:
IBM was producing copies of the Intel 486 too: https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/80486/MANUF-IBM.html

Zilog Z80000 - I still think this was only a paper-design and was never taped out. I've asked any Zilog people I've bumped into about this, and kept watchful for any evidence that it ever made it into silicon but I see nothing so far. If anyone knows different I would be glad to learn about it.
Click to expand...
Unformatlly some of the chips did make it into a short production run but mostly not for North American civilian markets.
 
Eudimorphodon said:
There are references that say it was never “commercially released”, but it did supposedly make it into sampling. There was also supposedly a CMOS version of it called the Z320; here’s a website that has a picture of a chip package labeled “Z320 MPU” that matches the physical description in a “Preliminary Product Specification” of the part in a 1988 Zilog data book, but I can’t read the text or otherwise comment on authenticity. If not a fake it could still just be a marketing mock-up, but the evidence for it at least getting very close to production seems decently solid.

IC collection Z320

IC Collection
www.itofamily.com

Edit: Databook with the Z320 and Z80000. Includes references to an in-circuit-emulation support chip called the Z328. So again, looks pretty real.

Click to expand...
Ya the 32-bit version did have a short production run, but in North America most of them where not in civilian products.
If you can find anybody that has the old Zilog OEM (defense/aerospace) component price list form 1983 to 1986 they are there. Its even in the old Zilog Canada's Office product listings.
 
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