Semiconductor & Computer Engineering
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
| arch = 8-bit with support for 16/32 arithmetic | | arch = 8-bit with support for 16/32 arithmetic | ||
| isa = 6309 | | isa = 6309 | ||
| − | | word = 8 | + | | word = 8 bit |
| proc = | | proc = | ||
| tech = CMOS | | tech = CMOS | ||
Latest revision as of 23:54, 18 May 2016
| Hitachi 6309 | |
| |
| HD63C09EP | |
| Developer | Motorola, Hitachi |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi |
| Type | Microprocessors |
| Introduction | 1982 (launch) |
| Architecture | 8-bit with support for 16/32 arithmetic |
| ISA | 6309 |
| Word size | 8 bit 1 octets
2 nibbles |
| Technology | CMOS |
| Clock | 1 MHz-5 MHz |
| Package | DIP40, CG40, CP44, FP52, FP54 |
The 6309 was a family of 8-bit CMOS microprocessors designed by Hitachi and released in late 1982. The 6309 was advertised and marketed as a licensed low-power CMOS version of the Motorola 6809. This chip was also compatible with rest of the components in Hitachi's HMCS-6800 family.
Renewed interest in the 6309 was brought about during the late 1980s (Japan) and 1992 (US/Europe) when a number of previously unknown and undocumented features surfaced. Some of those features were quite considerable for the time - including hardware support for 32-bit arithmetic, block transfer, bit manipulation, and faster operations.
History[edit]
Hitachi released the 6309 in late 1982 as a licensed second source for the 6809. The 6309 was advertised and sold as 100% compatible CMOS version of 6809. Being more power efficient and cooler, the 6309 became quite popular in the CoCo community as a replacement in their systems. Various observable differences in the two microprocessors were spotted very early on - particularly in the way illegal instructions were being handled. Those reports were simply seen as possible bugs in the Hitachi version.
One of the earliest publications explaining some of the differences in the 6309 came from the Japanese Personal Computer Magazine "Oh!FM" published by SoftBank. In their April 1988 issue, it was revealed that the 6309 actually run in emulation mode by default and could in fact be switched to run in native mode which had a large set of extended features including additional registers, 32-bit quad-word arithmetic, and a number of trap modes. It wasn't until 4 years later in 1992 when Hirotsugu Kakugawa, a computer engineering graduate student from Japan, posted a memo named "A MEMO ON THE SECRET FEATURES OF 6309" to comp.sys.m6809 exposing those features in English from the Oh!FM magazine.
possible reasons[edit]
There has been a number of speculations as to why Hitachi never documented those features. In fact, even to date, Hitachi has never officially confirmed their existence. Hitachi has been known to make minor tweaks and adjustments to products they license whenever they see fit. It has been speculated that their contract with Motorola simply restricted them from doing the same with the 6809. It's entirely possible Hitachi chosen to not document those features to steer clear of legal issues.
Members[edit]
| Part | Clock | OP Temp | Packages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD63B09 | 2 MHz | -20 °C - 75 °C | HD63B09P - DIP40 | |
| HD63B09E | 2 MHz (Ext.) | -20 °C - 75 °C | HD63B09EP - DIP40 | External clock |
| HD63C09 | 3 MHz | -20 °C - 75 °C | HD63C09P - DIP40 | |
| HD63C09E | 3 MHz (Ext.) | -20 °C - 75 °C | HD63C09EP - DIP40 | External clock |
Design[edit]
 |
This section is empty; you can help add the missing info by editing this page. |
ISA[edit]
- Main article: ISA
| |
This section is empty; you can help add the missing info by editing this page. |
See also[edit]
| designer | Motorola + and Hitachi + |
| first launched | 1982 + |
| full page name | hitachi/6309 + |
| instance of | microprocessor family + |
| instruction set architecture | 6309 + |
| main designer | Motorola + |
| manufacturer | Hitachi + |
| name | Hitachi 6309 + |
| package | DIP40 +, CG40 +, CP44 +, FP52 + and FP54 + |
| technology | CMOS + |