A computer whose processing unit is based on a microprocessor chip, as we all know is a Microcomputer. It is a complete tiny computer processor digital device with a single integrated-circuit chip with a capacity smaller than that of a microcomputer. It originally had an increasing variety of applications in the home, office and many other areas. Although they are smaller than minicomputers and mainframe computers, multiprocessor and parallel micro systems now compete in power and price.
The term "Microcomputer" came from small digital computer not usually based on a single processor chip, or what we called minicomputer, which is larger than a microcomputer and smaller than mainframe computer.
Minicomputer is a complete desktop digital computer processor device with a minimum capacity of 4096 bytes and a limit of 8-16 bit words.
Microcomputer Architecture is the basic interrelationships between the principal parts of the micro system and the methods by which data can be made to flow within a system. Architecture includes:
• Number of the registers available
• How registers are used
• Instruction sets
• Input / output operations
• Number of stacks available
• How stacks are used
• Hardware interrupt structure
• Data paths into memory
• Data paths into CPU
Most architecture are classified into either CPU oriented, memory oriented or bit-slice.
Microcomputer components is a general term referring to a complete tiny computer system, consisting of hardware and software whose main processing blocks are made if semiconductor integrated-circuits and that is similar in function and structure to a minicomputer but is at least several order cheaper due to mass production. Components are:
• ALU (arithmetic logic unit)
• Memory
• Peripheral circuits such as input/ output
• Clock
• Control devices
Microcomputer development system was often purchased by large users of microprocessors for program development and debugging. They are specially designed tools to employ software such as exercisers, emulators to eliminate manual I/O and the need for the user to be fluent in hexadecimal. They often include terminals, tape systems, floppy disks, and other peripherals.
As I had read in Wikipedia.com and based for our lecture in ECE11, SAP 1 (Simple as Possible 1) is a type of computer specially designed for academic purpose and nothing has to do with commercial use. SAP1 architecture is 8 bits and comprises of 16x8 memory, it can only perform addition and subtraction and no logical operations. Those arithmetic operations are performed by an adder/ subtracter unit. B-Register is one general purpose register used to hold one operand of the arithmetic operation while another is kept by the accumulator register of the SAP1. There are 8 LEDs, work as output unit and connected with the 8-bit output register. Controller sequencer was perform all timely moment of data or activities in SAP1. The components based on our class discussions are:
• Program counter which a part of control unit that counts from 0000 to 1111 or from 0 to F in Hex form. It sends address to the memory. A computer register that contains the identification of the next instruction to be executed
• Input MAR includes the address and switch registers. These switch registers which are part of the input unit allow you to send an address bits to the RAM.
• The RAM allows to stores a data in memory before a computer or program runs.
• Instruction Register is a part of a control unit.
• Controller Sequencer controls the operation of the computer.
• Accumulator is a buffer register that stores intermediate results of a computer operation.
• The Adder/ Subtracter is a device that forms a sum/ difference as an output from two or more inputs.
• B-Register is a buffer register used in arithmetic operations.
• Output Register is an interface t the outside system of a computer.
• Binary Register
• Binary Display is a row of 8 bit LED.
Microcomputer and SAP1 Architecture had some similarities with their components as we can see. The Microcomputer was design for commercially purpose unlike SAP1 which designed for academic purposes.
References: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_sap_1_architecture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HjW_OMFu4M
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=microcomputer&ni=20&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-701&fr2=tab-web&xargs=0&pstart=1&b=1&fb=1
Webster dictionary/2001
No comments:
Post a Comment