Author Topic: How exactly does an IC work?  (Read 6830 times)

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Offline Gordo4444Topic starter

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How exactly does an IC work?
« on: August 08, 2008, 06:17:52 PM »
We all know that little black chip is the brain of our robot... but how exactly does it work? I want to cut up an old one I have (I have like 5 actually, all from misc robots/toys I've taken apart in my years so there is no way I can reprogram, and If I can, stop me now) just to see whats inside...

I think about these things alot... For instance, What was the first computer program and how was it written? I mean all modern programs are written with a compiler/program?
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Offline izua

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2008, 09:34:08 PM »
Well, it depends on what chip it is :P As you can imagine a NOT gate will not have the same thing or quantity as a microcontroller. Still, they use the same thing inside: transistors. miniaturised, fast, and a shedload of them.

you can, with enough knowledge and patience make your own MCU from transistors (or logic gate ICs). it won't be as small as the real thing, though.

the first computer programs were written on punch cards. Or wait, no, there was Babbage's analytical engine and Ada Lovelace. Check those topics out.
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Offline Gordo4444Topic starter

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2008, 05:33:20 AM »
Quote from: izua on August 08, 2008, 09:34:08 PM
the first computer programs were written on punch cards. Or wait, no, there was Babbage's analytical engine and Ada Lovelace. Check those topics out.

I know about the punch cards, im talking about programs we know and use today. Computers read in binary, they had to have uploaded a program to the computer to read the binary, right? How was that one written?
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Offline izua

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2008, 06:14:05 AM »
Punch cards, manually punched :P Those stuff represented software, more exactly, machine instructions. Untill the first editor was invented, or the first compiler. But i suppose an editor was out there first.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2008, 06:14:45 AM by izua »
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Offline kd5kfl

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2008, 12:15:34 PM »
Early computers had a bank of switches, one per bit. Enter address in binary format. Another switch told the computer to go to that address.

Use the same switches to enter code in binary format. A different switch to set that binary code into RAM.

Program via the front panel, one byte at a time.



altair 8800

IMSAI 8080

« Last Edit: August 09, 2008, 12:22:21 PM by kd5kfl »
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Offline TrickyNekro

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2008, 01:53:45 AM »
The big challenge is building up a memory!!!

hehehe... For 1kB memory you will need at least 8000+ capacitors!!!

Amen...
Also if you want to see inside the IC you need quite a scope...
So if you can ever get a schematic of the inside of an IC then you would be fine...
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Offline izua

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2008, 02:30:42 AM »
Heh, that's why the invented Delay lines
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Offline Admin

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Re: How exactly does an IC work?
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2008, 06:35:11 PM »
that Altair 8800 . . . amazes me how anyone got anything done back then . . .


Anyway here are the basics:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=72461

If you google/youtube those terms, you can find much better video and info on it.
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