AMD Am2900

Am2900 is a family of integrated circuits (ICs) created in 1975 by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). They were constructed with bipolar devices, in a bit-slice topology, and were designed to be used as modular components each representing a different aspect of a computer control unit (CCU). By using a bit slicing technique, Am2900 family was able to implement a CCU with data, addresses, and instructions to be any multiple of 4-bits by multiplying the number of ICs. One major problem with this modular technique was it required a larger amount of ICs to implement what could be done on a single CPU IC. The Am2901 chip was the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU), and the "core" of the series. It could count using 4 bits and implement binary operations as well as various bit-shifting operations.

Computers made with Am2900-family chips

There are probably many more, but here are some known machines using these parts:

* Data General Nova 4, which obtained 16-bit word width using four Am2901 ALUs in parallel; one of the boards has 15 Am2901 ALUs on it [http://www.wps.com/NOVA4/pitchas.html] .
* The Xerox Dandelion, the machine used in the Xerox Star and Xerox 1108 Lisp machine [http://toastytech.com/guis/star.html] .
* The GEC 4060 and 4090 [http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/geccl/4000series/processors.html]
* The DEC KS10 PDP-10 model [http://kmi9000.tripod.com/kmi_comp.htm]
* The UCSD Pascal P-machine processor designed at NCR by Joel McCormack
* The Tektronix 4052 graphics system computer
* The SM-1420, Soviet clone of PDP-11, used Soviet clone of AM2901 [Harvcoltxt|Semenenko|1993|p=124]

"Legend holds that some Soviet clones of the PDP-11 were assembled from Soviet clones of the Am2901" [http://www.microprocessor.sscc.ru/great/s1.html#2901] .

Members of the Am2900 family

*Am2901 – 4-bit bit-slice ALU (1975)
*Am2902 – Look-Ahead Carry Generator
*Am2903 – 4-bit-slice ALU, with hardware multiply
*Am2904 – Status and Shift Control Unit
*Am2905 – Bus Transceiver
*Am2906 – Bus Transceiver with Parity
*Am2907 – Bus Transceiver with Parity
*Am2908 – Bus Transceiver with Parity
*Am2909 – 4-bit-slice address sequencer
*Am2910 – 12-bit address sequencer
*Am2911 – 4-bit-slice address sequencer
*Am2912 – Bus Transceiver
*Am2913 – Priority Interrupt Expander
*Am2914 – Priority Interrupt Controller
*Am2915 – Quad 3-State Bus Transceiver
*Am2916 – Quad 3-State Bus Transceiver
*Am2917 – Quad 3-State Bus Transceiver
*Am2918 – Instruction Register, Quad D Register
*Am2919 – Instruction Register, Quad Register
*Am2920 – Octal D-Type Flip-Flop
*Am2921 – 1-to-8 Decoder
*Am2922 – 8-Input Multiplexer (MUX)
*Am2923 – 8-Input MUX
*Am2924 – 3-Line to 8-Line Decoder
*Am2925 – System Clock Generator and Driver
*Am2926 – Schottky 3-State Quad Bus Driver
*Am2927/Am2928 – Quad 3-State Bus Transceiver
*Am2929 – Schottky 3-State Quad Bus Driver
*Am2930 – Main Memory Program Control
*Am2932 – Main Memory Program Control
*Am2940 – Direct Memory Addressing (DMA) Generator
*Am2942 – Programmable Timer/Counter/DMA Generator
*Am2946/Am2947 – Octal 3-State Bidirectional Bus Transceiver
*Am2948/Am2949 – Octal 3-State Bidirectional Bus Transceiver
*Am2950/Am2951 – 8-bit Bidirectional I/O Ports
*Am2954/Am2955 – Octal Registers
*Am2956/Am2957 – Octal Latches
*Am2958/Am2959 – Octal Buffers/Line Drivers/Line Receivers
*Am2960 – Cascadable 16-Bit Error Detection and Correction Unit
*Am2961/Am2962 – 4-Bit Error Correction Multiple Buss Buffers
*Am2964 – Dynamic Memory Controller
*Am2965/Am2966 – Octal Dynamic Memory Driver,

Many of these chips also have 7400 series numbers such as the 74F2960 / Am2960.

See also

*AMD
*List of AMD Am2900 and Am29000 families
*List of AMD microprocessors
*Bit slicing

References

*harvard reference
coauthors = В.А. Семененко, Ю.В. Ступин
title = Справочник по электронной вычислительной технике
year = 1993
isbn = 5217020903
* German Wiki, Am2900 Accessed 12 Nov, 2005.
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/amd/_dataBooks/1979_AMD_2900family.pdf Am2900 Family Data Book] - Accessed 12 Nov, 2005.

External links

* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/amd/_dataBooks/1979_AMD_2900family.pdf The Am2900 Family Data Book] Bitsavers' PDF Document Archive (30MB)
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/amd/ED2900A_vol1_Jan85.pdf Introduction to Designing with the Am2900 Family of Microprogramable Bipolar Devices Vol 1] Bitsavers' PDF Document Archive
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/amd/ED2900A_vol2_Jan85.pdf Introduction to Designing with the Am2900 Family of Microprogramable Bipolar Devices Vol 2] Bitsavers' PDF Document Archive
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/amd/_dataBooks/1988_29C3xx_Series.pdf Am29C300/29300 Data Book] Bitsavers' PDF document archive
* [http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/2901/ CPU-World] photos of 2900 Family ICs
* [http://www10.dacafe.com/book/parse_book.php?article=BITSLICE/bitslcP.html Bit-Slice Design: micro-controllers and ALUs. an Introduction to the Am2900 Family]
* [http://research.microsoft.com/users/gbell/Computer_Structures_Principles_and_Examples/csp0184.htm Bit-Sliced Microprocessor of the Am2900 Family]