Microprocessor combines 4-bit peripherals with 8-bit CPU. (NEC Corp.'s 78K0)(EDN-Processor Update) (Product Announcement)

EDN, May, 1992 by Weiss, Ray

Cost-conscious embedded-system designers have had to choose between 4-bit microcontrollers ([mu]Cs), which have peripherals, and 8-bit [mu]Cs, which have processing power. That choice may no longer be your only option, as 4-bit peripherals migrate to the 8-bit world. Taking advantage of 4-bit [mu]Cs, NEC's 8-bit line integrates peripherals from its 4-bit 75xxx family with the 8-bit 78K2 line of [mu]Cs. The 78K0 series targets low- to midrange embedded applications, delivering 4-bit peripherals backed by an 8-bit processor.

The 78K0 builds around a stripped-down 78K2; the sophisticated automatic-peripheral-handling feature is gone, and the minimal instruction cycle (1-byte instruction) is 480 nsec, up from the K2's 330-nsec cycle. The 78K0 is, however,...

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