julian7Apr 20, 2024
The Retro Timer 💾

Zilog Z80, 1976 – 2024.

https://www.mouser.com/PCN/Littelfuse_PCN_Z84C00.pdf

Over its 48 year life, the Z80 found its way into inumerable devices.

It's perhaps most famous for being the CPU used in the ZX Spectrum, but could also be found as a sound co-processor in the Sega Mega Drive and SNK's Neo Geo arcade boards, among others.

I remember finding one inside my first HP inkjet printer back in the late 90's, and my parent's Sony Trinitron CRT, handling the on-screen menus (and teletext).

R.I.P. 💀

#z80 #retrocomputing

Apr 19, 2024 at 12:32pmWeb
Show threadPaul LalondeApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr Yamaha keyboard/synths of the era used them. PSR-70 comes immediately to mind.
Hate to see this one disappear.
Show threadkianryan ☑️🐙🏳️‍🌈Apr 19, 2024

@carlosefr
@rc2014 Help. I'm suffering from existential panic.

*Orders 1000 Z80s*

Show threadJohn M. GambleApr 19, 2024

@kianryan @carlosefr @rc2014

Hm. You can get Z80s for under six bucks. Z80As for under seven.

I mean, I wouldn't order a thousand of them, but a couple dozen wouldn't be out of the question.

Show threadKennethApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr Maid of all work.
Show threadJim SpathApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr Ah, memories. On this side of the pond, the RadioShack TRS-80 was also a famous consumer product leveraging the Z80. The Model 1 was my 1st.
Show threadTony WellsApr 19, 2024

@carlosefr

Fond memories of leafing through the very chunky paper manual to find out how to do a thing.

I may have to hunt one down in the wild. It belongs in a museum! Sadly.

Show threadBudleyApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr @cstross Deep within the fortress of epoxy the 8051 sits upon its throne “Thus perish all would who oppose me !”
Show threadÁngela Stella MatutinaApr 19, 2024

@carlosefr

Their modern derivatives live on. Let's hope we see a number of redesigns around the eZ80 in the next few years, for instance.

Show threadÁngela Stella MatutinaApr 20, 2024

@carlosefr

Am I really that stuffy when I'm sober?

Fuck me.

Show threadDaveApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr
I have a box somewhere containing a small collection of old, unused microprocessors. Mainly 8085 and 8086 but there's at least one Z80 in there.
They might be valuable one day 😂
Show threadCranky ClownApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr I had the instruction set memorized and just wrote in machine language because I was too cheap to buy a compiler.
Show threadElectrotopia⚡️Apr 19, 2024

@carlosefr I thought it was going to be around forever😔

Gonna have to stockpile some to keep my Z80 machines running.

Show threadElectrotopia⚡️Apr 19, 2024

@carlosefr I wonder what the chances of some company licensing the core IP off zilog and spinning their own DIP Z80s are.

I'll do it myself one day if I have to!

Show threadQCATOPR Apr 19, 2024
@tomcom @carlosefr I wonder if WDC could do it.
Show threadElectrotopia⚡️Apr 19, 2024

@timjclevenger @carlosefr it would be heresy but it's far better than seeing this legendary processor die.

I'd love it to happen

Show threadDarkstarApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr The Nixdorf Quattro was a mini computer with 4 Z80’s. The (dumb) terminals had two Z80 chips. And it did just work, financial accounting, administration of the production, invoicing, ….
Show threadLee BenningfieldApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr the Z80 was in most of Texas Instruments' graphing calculators up until 2013, and a couple of updated models use the eZ80
Show threadvampirdaddyApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr
That was the CPU for CP/M,
the business personal computer OS before there was MS-DOS.
For that compatibility there were Z80 cards for the Apple][e
Show threadGiles GoatApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr *SOB* ... *SOB* ... *SOB* ... 😢 .. I just had "a panic moment" and bought "a few" before they'll vanish ..
Show threadCraig NimletApr 19, 2024
@carlosefr Wow, I had no idea it was still being made . I built a lighting controller with on in the mid 80's when I was a student.
Show threadStefan Baur 8 * 💉Apr 19, 2024
@carlosefr Was that HP a Deskjet 5xx(C) series?
Show threadThe Retro Timer 💾Apr 19, 2024

@farbenstau My first printer was a Deskjet 660C.

But now that you mention it, a couple of years later I got hold of a bunch of broken 5xxC's that I dismantled for parts, so the Z80 might have been in one of those indeed.

Show threadStefan Baur 8 * 💉Apr 19, 2024
@carlosefr I still have 2 of them (a 500C and a 560C) in my attic, never looked inside, though …
Show threadkatzenbergerApr 19, 2024

@carlosefr
Just in case:

http://www.z80.info/zaks.html

Show threadDrYakApr 20, 2024
@carlosefr and the craziest part: only the og Z80 in DIP packaging is being discontinued. The fully compatible successors *will continue* being produced (one day, my daughter will probably use a calculator which is still eZ80 powered)
Show threadThe Retro Timer 💾Apr 20, 2024

@dryak According to the memo, that's not the case. It's the Z80 dies that will cease to be manufactured (by the foundry).

By looking at datasheets for the listed parts, it appears to include at least DIP, QFP, and LPCC packages.

It does appear to be only the OG Z80 dies – and not the updated eZ80, for example.

I also don't know if there are any non-Zilog clones of the OG Z80 still being manufactured, and whether they're affected.

Show threadMichael BrownApr 20, 2024
@carlosefr the first computer I owned was a ZX81, so I remember it well.
Also TIL: Zilog still exists 😮
Show threadPaul LApr 20, 2024

@carlosefr
It was the processor used for teaching about CPUs, buses, instruction sets and such on my early 90s University course since it was a sensible starting point compared with the 386/486.

Also because it required so few supporting components on breadboard and (the CMOS version) allowed clock speeds down to 0MHz so you could step through instruction decoding and physically watch various pin levels on a scope.

Show threadWoozle HypertwinApr 21, 2024
@carlosefr My family's first home computer (1979) -- A NorthStar Horizon, running CP/M -- used a Z-80.