ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the design and construction of a micro controlled mini-computer used as peripheral processor unit for the PDP-11/20 in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The instruction set for this computer is determined by the micro code in a read only memory (ROM) and is therefore flexible: Changing the ROM results in a different set of machine instructions. The instruction set currently implemented while general purpose in nature, has been chosen so that the machine can function as a Graphics Processor Unit (GPU). The GPU can run concurrently with the PDP-11 and process display files in the PDP-11's virtual memory space of 64K1,2.
- 1.Chase, Timothy D., and Glorioso, Robert M., "Virtual Memories for Minicomputers," Proceedings of the A.C.M. Conference, Vol. I, 1970, Boston, Massachusetts. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 2.Chase, Timothy D., and Glorioso, Robert M., "On the Design of Virtual Memory for Small Computers," to be published in Computer Design.Google Scholar
Index Terms
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A micro controlled peripheral processor
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