Date   : Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:12:39 +0100
From   : kortink@... (John Kortink)
Subject: 32016 + 32082

On Sat, 17 Dec 2011 04:21:09 -0000, "David Hunt"
<dm.hunt@...> wrote:

>> I've just acquired a 32016 Second Processor, and I've noticed that this
>> one has a 32082 MMU on board.
>> 
>> Anyone know in what contexts this provides any benefits ?
>> Because no pictures on the net seem to show one (it's just an empty
>> space, not even a socket). So I suppose it is
>> (optionally) useful when running some version of Panos (I have both 1.1
>> and 1.4).
>
>Just a thought, but I seem to recall that the 32016 and support
>chips were a real hassle to get working together, they were also
>hideously expensive.

Looking on Eekbay, they're not that cheap even now
(although, relatively speaking, they probably are).

>Adding the MMU would have probably reduced the chances of working
>system, hugely increased the cost of an already difficult to sell
>product

I can believe it. The 32016 apparently was notorious
itself, for being a weird and whacky CPU (and that
probably exhausts the kind terms).

>and looking at the datasheet for the 32082, it decreases the
>performance of the already cripplingly slow 32016.

Every instruction by one cycle, yes. Although these
days, the entire system seems glacially slow anyway,
so nobody will probably notice ...

>Of course, you can disable it and if you haven't got Xenix for it (lost
>in the mists of time) then there would be little point in an MMU so best
>leave solder pads for geeks and nerds to ponder over :)

Well, the pondering over the solder pads is kind of
over. We know what's supposed to be there, now. :-)


John Kortink

-- 

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