Introduction To Microprocessors and Computers

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Chapter 1

Introduction to Microprocessors
and Computers

By
RAMESH H R
Topics covered

– History of Microprocessors
– Evolution of the Intel Microprocessors

TEXT BOOKS:
1. Microcomputer systems -The 8086 / 8088 Family – Y.C. Liu and G. A. Gibson, 2E PHI -
2003.
2. The Intel Microprocessor, Architecture, Programming and Interfacing-Barry B. Brey, 6e,
Pearson Education / PHI, 2003.
What is Microprocessor ?
– Microprocessor is a controlling unit of a micro-computer, fabricated on a small chip capable of
performing ALU (Arithmetic Logical Unit) operations and communicating with the other devices
connected to it.
– Microprocessor is an integrated circuit that stores and manipulates information as dictated by a set of
instructions.

Fig: Microprocessor System


What is Microcomputer?
– -In micro-computers, one or more microprocessors serve as the central processing unit (CPU), whereas
microcontrollers coordinate all the functions of digital control devices.

– The performance of microprocessors are expressed in terms of its Bandwidth (number of bits
processed in a single instruction), Instruction set (set of instructions that can be executed) and Clock-
speed (number of executed-instructions per second
History of Microprocessors
The mechanical computer age:

– The mechanical computer age began with the advent of the abacus in 500 B.C by
Babylonians. The abacus, which was used extensively and is still in use today, was not
improved until 1642 when Blaise Pascal invented a calculator that was constructed of
gears and wheels.
– In 1801 Joseph Jacquard use punched card as input to Jacquard’s loom (computer).
– In 1823 Charles Babbage create Analytical Engine this engine was mechanical
computer that stored 1000 20-digit decimal numbers and variable program. Input to
this engine was through punched card.
The Electrical Age:

– The 1800s saw advent of electrical motor (by Michael Faraday), all based on the
mechanical calculator developed by Blaise Pascal.
– In 1889 Herman Hollerith developed the punched card for storing data. He
borrowed the idea of punched card from Jacquard.
– In 1896 Hollerith formed a company called the Tabulating Machine Company.
After a number of mergers, the Tabulating Machine Company was formed into
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
– In 1941 Zuse construct the first electronic calculating machine. His Z3 calculating
computer was used in aircraft and missile design during war II.
– The first fixed-program electronic computer system was placed into operation in
1943 to break secret German military codes. This system was invented by Alan
Turing. Turing called his machine Colossus.
Continued….

– The ENIAC (Electronics Numerical Integrator and Calculator) is the first general
purpose, programmable electronic computer
– Containing over 17000 vacuum tubes.
– System was developed in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. The ENIAC has the
following specifications:
– Containing over 500 miles of wires
– Weighed over 30 tans.
– Perform about 100000 operations per second.
– Programmed by rewiring its circuit.
– In 1948 the transistor was developed at Bell Labs, followed by the 1958
invention of the Integrated Circuit (IC) by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments.
The Microprocessor Age:

– THE MICROPROCESSOR-BASED PERSONAL COMPUTER SYSTEM


– Figure 1-1 shows the block diagram of the personal computer. The block diagram is
composed of four parts:
– 1-The Microprocessor:
– The microprocessor, sometimes referred to as the CPU (Central Processing Unit), is the
controlling element in a computer.
– The microprocessor performs three main tasks: 1- data transfer between itself and the
memory or I/O system, 2- simple arithmetic and logic operations, and 3-program flow via
simple decisions.
– 2- Buses:
– A bus is a number of wires organized to provide a means of communication among
different elements in a microcomputer system. Fig (1-6) shows the buses of 8086
microprocessor, these buses are:
– Address bus: the address bus is a group of 20-bit (A0-A19). The address bus is
unidirectional.
– Data bus: the data bus is a group of 16 lines. These lines are
– Control bus: It contains lines that select the memory or I/O and cause them to perform a
read or write operation.
– The memory:
– The memory structures of all Intel 80X86-Pentium 4 personal computer systems are
similar.
– This includes the first personal computers based upon the 8088 introduced in 1981 by
IBM to the most powerful high-speed versions of today based on the Pentium 4. The
memory system is divided into three main parts: TPA (Transient Program Area),
system area, and XMS (Extended Memory System).
Evolution of the Intel processors

Intel 4004

Year of introduction 1971


– 4-bit microprocessor
– 4 KB main memory
– 45 instructions
– PMOS technology
– was first programmable device which was used in calculators.
Intel 8008

Year of introduction 1972


– 8-bit version of 4004
– 16 KB main memory
– 48 instructions
– PMOS technology
– Slow
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 8080

Year of introduction 1973


– 8-bit microprocessor
– 64 KB main memory
– 2 microseconds clock cycle time
– 500,000 instructions/sec
– 10X faster than 8008
– NMOS technology
– Drawback was that it needed three power supplies.
– Small computers (Microcomputers) were designed in mid 1970’s using 8080 as CPU.
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 8085
– Year of introduction 1975
– 8-bit microprocessor-upgraded version of 8080
– 64 KB main memory
– 1.3 microseconds clock cycle time
– 246 instructions
– Intel sold 100 million copies of this 8-bit microprocessor
– uses only one +5v power supply.
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 8086/8088

Year of introduction 1978 for 8086 and 1979 for 8088


– 16-bit microprocessors
– Data bus width of 8086 is 16 bit and 8 bit for 8088
– 1 MB main memory
– 400 nanoseconds clock cycle time
– 6 byte instruction cache for 8086 and 4 byte for 8088
– Other improvements included more registers and additional instructions
– In 1981 IBM decided to use 8088 in its personal computer
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 80186

Year of introduction 1982


– 16-bit microprocessor-upgraded version of 8086
– 1 MB main memory
– Contained special hardware like programmable counters, interrupt controller etc.
– Never used in the PC
– But was ideal for systems that required a minimum of hardware
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 80286

Year of introduction 1983


– 16-bit high performance microprocessor with memory management &
protection
– 16 MB main memory
– Few additional instructions to handle extra 15 MB
– Instruction execution time is as little as 250 ns
– Concentrates on the features needed to implement MULTITASKING
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 80386

Year of introduction 1986


– Intel’s first practical 32-bit microprocessor
– 4 GB main memory
– Improvements include page handling in virtual environment
– Includes hardware circuitry for memory management and memory assignment
– Memory paging and enhanced I/O permissions
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Intel 80486

Year of introduction 1989


– 32-bit high performance microprocessor
– 4 GB main memory
– Incorporates 80387-like floating point coprocessor and
– 8 K byte cache on one package
– About half of the instructions executed in 1 clock instead of 2 on the 80386
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Pentium

Year of introduction 1993


– 32-bit microprocessor, 64-bit data bus and 32-bit address bus
– 4 GB main memory
– Double clocked 120 and 133MHz versions
– Fastest version is the 233MHz, Dual integer processor
– 16 KB L1 cache (split instruction and data: 8 KB each)
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Pentium Pro

Year of introduction 1995


– 32-bit microprocessor, formerly code-named P6
– 64 GB main memory, 64-bit data bus and 36-bit address bus
– 16 KB L1 cache (split instruction/data: 8 KB each), 256 KB L2 cache
– Uses three execution engines
– Intel launched this processor for the server market
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Pentium II

Year of introduction 1997


– 32-bit microprocessor, 64-bit data bus and 36-bit address bus, MMX
– 64 GB main memory
– 32 KB split instruction/data L1 caches (16 KB each)
– Module integrated 512KB L2 cache (133MHz)
– A version of P2 called Xeon; specifically designed for high-end applications
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Pentium III

Year of introduction 1999


– 32-bit microprocessor, 64-bit data bus and 36-bit address bus
– 64 GB main memory
– Dual Independent Bus (simultaneous L2 and system memory access)
– On-chip 256 KB L2 cache
– P3 was available in clock frequencies of up to 1 GHz
Evolution of the Intel processors
– Pentium IV

Year of introduction 2002


– 32-bit microprocessor, 64-bit data bus and 36-bit address bus
– 64 GB main memory
– 1.4 to 1.9 GHz and the latest at 3.20 GHz and 3.46GHz (Hyper-Threading)
– 1MB/512KB/256KB L2 cache
– Specialized for streaming video, game and DVD applications

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