An Introduction to Microcomputers
A microcomputer is a personal computer. It's considered a personal computer because people can use it in their homes. Microcomputers were invented in the 1970s. Before the invention of microcomputers, people used mainframes and minicomputers. They were big, bulky, expensive computers used at companies and universities. Microcomputers were smaller and cheaper than mainframes and minicomputers.
Size wasn't the only differentiator among microcomputers, minicomputers and mainframes. Minicomputers used core memory technology and a transistor, a piece of metal with wires that moved electrical currents back and forth. Mainframes used vacuum tubes that looked like light bulbs to move electrical currents. To store information, mainframes used punch cards or magnetic tape. Microcomputers use a microprocessor, which is an integrated circuit that's referred to as the central processing unit. The microprocessor is able to move information back and forth through its transistors.
When people purchased a microcomputer in the 1970s, they had to buy it as a kit. If they were successful in putting it together, they could use the programming language Basic to give the computer instructions. A black-and-white TV was used to display the instructions on a screen.
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Identification
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The integrated circuit was co-invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The integrated circuit was a controller chip that operated like an on-off switch to perform a specific task. More than one integrated circuit was placed in an electrical device to perform a task. Integrated circuits were used to control traffic lights, taxi meters and digital scales. Since the integrated circuit used a piece of metal and wires to transmit electrical currents, it burned out easily. The microprocessor replaced the integrated circuit.
A microprocessor is made from silicon, which is glass particles made from sand. The design of the microprocessor is a silver, square-shaped wafer that has pins on both sides. A transistor, made up of wires, lies flat on each silicon wafer. The transistor lets the flow of electricity currents move back and forth from one microprocessor to another. The microprocessors are attached to a circuit board or motherboard that enables the microprocessors to communicate with one another.
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Microprocessor First Use
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Microprocessors were used to make a desk calculator. The calculator used more than one microprocessor to perform a specific task. Microchips were made to type information on the keyboard, display the data, perform the math operation and print.
The four microprocessor parts of the calculator were the central processing unit, which would give instructions; the read-access memory, which would refresh the memory but could not save the information once the machine was turned off; the read-only memory stored the data for the next task; and the input/output register.
Ted Hoff, an engineer at Intel, helped design microprocessors for the calculator. He was knowledgeable about integrated circuits and how to program them to perform specific tasks. With his knowledge of microprocessors and the PDP-8 minicomputer, he knew that a computer could be built with a microprocessor.
Types of Microprocessors
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Intel and Motorola took center stage in the development of microprocessors in the 1970s, although Zylog and Texas Instruments made microprocessors. Intel's first microchip, the MCS4 or 4004, had four 16-pin chips with 2,300 transistors and 45 instructions and could handle a word length of up to 4 bits.
Intel's 8008 microchip made it possible for one microprocessor to perform multiple tasks. Intel 8008 microprocessors had 3,500 transistors, 66 instructions and 8-bit register, meaning it could hold up to eight word lengths of information.
Development
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Mark-8 was one of the first microcomputers to use the Intel 8008 microchip, in 1974. The computer came in parts and was sold as a kit. When Intel developed the Intel 8800 microchip, it was used in 1975 with the Altair 8800 computer kit. Bill Gates and Paul Allen developed the Basic Interpreter for the Altair 8800. IBM used Intel 8088 to design its first microcomputer and called it a personal computer. In 1980, Gates and Allen supplied IBM with the DOS operating system software to be used with their computer model.
Motorola began competing with Intel when it developed its MC6500 microprocessor. In the 1970s, Apple and Commodore computers used Motorola's MC6502 microchip with their computers. Texas Instruments and RadioShack also built microcomputers.
Significance
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Intel has become the leader microprocessor maker. The Intel Core 2 Extreme can carry up to 820 million transistors, and the smallest microprocessor, the Intel Atom, can carry up to 47 million. The high-power microprocessors let people use more than one application on a computer, display graphics, play video games, save battery life and control energy usage. The phrase "computer on a chip" has allowed microcomputers to be placed in many other products besides desktop, laptop and netbook computers. Microcomputers are used in automobile GPS tracking devices and cell phones.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ""Blue & White" Power Macintosh G3 poster " is Copyrighted by Flickr user: blakespot (Blake Patterson) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
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