MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 (P/N 156-1425-00) is an 8-bit microprocessor monolithic integrated circuit introduced in 1975 that was originally developed by a team led by the engineer Chuck Peddle at MOS Technology (later purchased by Commodore).
It was second-sourced by other companies such as California Micro Devices (GTE Microcircuits), Rockwell, and Synertek. There are several less popular variants, including the 28-pin 6503, 6504, 6505, 6506, and 6507 with fewer address pins (4K or 8K address space) and various control signal options.
Western Design Center (WDC) first developed a CMOS version, which is still in production as of 2019. In addition, several implementations (commercial as well as free) are available to synthesize the core into FPGA designs.
The 6502 was a popular choice of processor because of its low price and high capabilities. It was used in multiple early computers such as the Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, Apple II, BBC micro, and many others.
Internals
The 6502 had many revisions and derivatives. Most of the revisions have either enhanced its capabilities or have added new features.
Depending on the manufacturer, the fabrication process can be CMOS, HMOS and NMOS.
The 6502 has three registers, one main register and two index registers. The original MOS 6502 had 151 "legal" opcodes. Later version included more.
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Used in
- 1230, 1225, 1220 (65C02)
- DC509, DC5009: R6504 28-pin DIP variant (156-1482-00) with 13-bit address bus (8K address space)
- DC5010
Some instruments using part MOS Technology 6502
| Instrument | Manufacturer | Class | Model | Description | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1220 | Tektronix | Logic Analyzer | 1220 | 32 channel logic analyzer | 1988 |
| 1225 | Tektronix | Logic Analyzer | 1225 | 48 channel logic analyzer | 1988 |
| 1230 | Tektronix | Logic Analyzer | 1230 | 16 to 64 channel logic analyzer | 1988 |
| DC5010 | Tektronix | Plug-in | DC5010 | 350 MHz programmable frequency counter | 1982 |
