On Saturday, Dec 21, 2002, at 17:32 Europe/London, Dana Sibera wrote: > > On Sunday, December 22, 2002, at 04:02 AM, the pickle wrote: > >>> Real-Time handling by the OS. I seem to recall it had a complete >>> 68000 >> >> Yep. Mac Token Ring cards often had 68HC000s on them. Not sure why >> all the >> computational power was required but whatever. Not that anyone really >> uses it >> any more ;) > > Just completely off topic for this thread (but vaguely on topic in a > wider sense :) An apple-branded HP Tape drive from a Q950 that I peeked > into has a 16Mhz 68000. > > That seemed kinda interesting, so I patted it and put it back together > :)
I'm sure most people can harp on about several other computers that ran off 68k CPUs. My vote for the best non-Mac 68k Platform is the Commadore Amiga. Watch all the Atari zealots kick me to death ;). As for non-computer applications the 68k technology is widely used in embedded technology. 'epicenter' was way off the mark when he said some high end Cisco routers use 68030s, they are old and very slow these days (unless in a Mac of course ;) ). Most new routers (including my SMC ISDN Router) use 68k Coldfire chips running an embedded Linux or BSD or proprietary OS. I have a D-Link DSL router at work that also does this. The Coldfire, as has been previously discussed here, is a 68k variant based on the 060 that runs at some pretty wicked speeds. I personally know, and regularly talk to on IRC, a guy that is attempting to build a Coldfire upgrade card for the Amiga that runs at 300MHz. Imagine that, all the advantages of a 68k and almost 10 times as fast as Quadra 950!! The Coldfire chip also supports SDRAM (168-pin 3.3v), PCI and a lot of other wicked newer gadgets. That'd be a tasty upgrade for an 840av or a IIci, a 300MHz Coldfire with 2 SDRAM slots :), if only someone'd make one! Anyone fancy designing one and offering it as a licensed project to Sonnet (who'd cack it up) or Powerlogix (who probably wouldn't care)? hehe :) One that sits in the 040 socket would be best as it'd fit more machines. -- Mark Benson AIM - SilValleyPirate Visit FlatPackMacs online: <http://fpm.gotdns.com> Visit my Homepage: <http://homepage.mac.com/markbenson> "Never send a human to do a machine's job." -The Matrix -- Vintage Macs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Vintage Macs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/vintage.macs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
