THE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Circuit Cellar Online offers articles illustrating creative solutions
and unique applications through complete projects, practical
tutorials, and useful design techniques.

THE CAPTAIN IS BACK

by Tom Cantrell

Start ý Roots ý ý180s Turn ý eZ Way Out ý Captain at the Crossroads ý Sources

CAPTAIN AT THE CROSSROADS

So, itýs time for the Captain to hike up his pants (er, tights?) and go for the gusto. Some might say that the Z80 is too little too late. On the other hand, look at the other popular 8-bit chips like the PIC, 8051, and 6805. Theyýre not exactly spring chicks. In fact, as with the other chips, evolving and emerging market forces could mean that the ý180 and eZ80 make as much, or even more, sense today than the Z80 did years ago.

Where might Zilog be headed? Here are a couple of clues. First, Zilog has announced a TCP/IP stack will be available for the eZ80, though terms havenýt been disclosed. Indications areýunlike some of the extremely (and arguably overly) minimalist 8-bit solutions emergingýZilog is talking a full-blown stack with all the bells and whistles.

Next, donýt forget Zilog has a heck of a lot of modem know-how in-house. In fact, they already have chips that combine micro, DSP, and analog front end in an almost single-chip modem solution. You only need a DAA to complete the connection to the phone jack.

Throw in some commodity EPROM or flash-memory chips for page storage and youýve got the brains of quite a nifty little embedded Internet gadget, wouldnýt you say? Stay tunedý

Circuit Cellar provides up-to-date information for engineers. Visit www.circuitcellar.com for more information and additional articles.
For subscription information, call (860) 875-2199, subscribe@circuitcellar.com or subscribe online. ýCircuit Cellar, the Magazine for Computer Applications. Posted with permission.