Hardware Good CPU for Homebrew Computer

[gudenau]

I have been looking into making a computrr from scratch, I found a spec sheet for the z80000; but it never existed. I was wondering if anyone here know of a good CPU for a homebrew computer. Preferably with support for multiple processors, 32 bits (i'll settle for 16/8 if need be), memory segmentation and memory protection.

 

[raystriker]

http://www.mycpu.eu/

Just make your own cpu

 

[gudenau]

http://www.mycpu.eu/

Just make your own cpu

I'd prefer a premade CPU...

 

[FAST6191]

"memory segmentation and memory protection" might make this a bit harder if you want to do more embedded hardware type things. Without it there are any number of development boards with ARM processors of various stripes, usually the older ones as might have appeared in the GBA or DS rather than more modern stuff seen in Android type devices (and I guess the 3ds as well). On said boards you could stick anything you like.
Intel did release a sort of embedded version of X86 which would have all that but they are a bit fiddly
http://uk.mouser.com/Semiconductors...-6hpef?Keyword=143236997&FS=True&Ntk=P_MarCom
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...-which-intel-processor-fits-your-project.html
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/do-it-yourself/edison.html
http://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/do-it-yourself/galileo-maker-quark-board.html
AMD do have some stuff as well
http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/embedded/processors/lx/geode-lx-db800

"good CPU for a homebrew computer"
I kind of went there above but just to say it that will depend entirely upon what you want to do, and such things run from stuff like the microcontrollers, through FGPAs, into ARM and traditional embedded processors which is massive field all before landing on things that basically are X86/x64 desktop processors, power requirements, computing ability, cost, ease of coding and more all vary within each of those. Unless you make a clone or very nearly a clone of something else then chances are you will be doing all the software for it and that means you will probably not have a lot unless you want to go 24/7 on it. On "memory segmentation and memory protection" I should also mention you can do quite a bit of this in software -- http://www.uclinux.org/ being a port of Linux that those without memory controllers can use more easily.

Multiple processors is at once something special and nothing special. The trick is getting them to talk to each other in a useful way -- if you only have them tied together by something with high latency and low throughput it will be a mutli processor system but depending upon what computing task you are doing it might not be any good -- if they need the results of each other then not good, if it just needs to say "yes it is complete" then that is different. Amdahl's law is more for parallel computing/supercomputing but the underlying logic will be the same as what you face.

 

[gudenau]

"memory segmentation and memory protection" might make this a bit harder if you want to do more embedded hardware type things. Without it there are any number of development boards with ARM processors of various stripes, usually the older ones as might have appeared in the GBA or DS rather than more modern stuff seen in Android type devices (and I guess the 3ds as well). On said boards you could stick anything you like.
Intel did release a sort of embedded version of X86 which would have all that but they are a bit fiddly
http://uk.mouser.com/Semiconductors...-6hpef?Keyword=143236997&FS=True&Ntk=P_MarCom
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...-which-intel-processor-fits-your-project.html
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/do-it-yourself/edison.html
http://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/do-it-yourself/galileo-maker-quark-board.html
AMD do have some stuff as well
http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/embedded/processors/lx/geode-lx-db800

"good CPU for a homebrew computer"
I kind of went there above but just to say it that will depend entirely upon what you want to do, and such things run from stuff like the microcontrollers, through FGPAs, into ARM and traditional embedded processors which is massive field all before landing on things that basically are X86/x64 desktop processors, power requirements, computing ability, cost, ease of coding and more all vary within each of those. Unless you make a clone or very nearly a clone of something else then chances are you will be doing all the software for it and that means you will probably not have a lot unless you want to go 24/7 on it. On "memory segmentation and memory protection" I should also mention you can do quite a bit of this in software -- http://www.uclinux.org/ being a port of Linux that those without memory controllers can use more easily.

Multiple processors is at once something special and nothing special. The trick is getting them to talk to each other in a useful way -- if you only have them tied together by something with high latency and low throughput it will be a mutli processor system but depending upon what computing task you are doing it might not be any good -- if they need the results of each other than not good, if it just needs to say "yes it is complete" then that is different. Amdahl's law is more for parallel computing/supercomputing but the underlying logic will be the same as what you face.

I am looking for somthing like the z80000, since that was never made so I can not use it.

 

[raystriker]

@FAST6191 Just how much do you know of everything

 

[FAST6191]

@FAST6191 Just how much do you know of everything

I know very little when all is said and done, however what I do know tends to line up well with what people around here want to do. In this case I have followed things like the GCW zero, gp32, DSTwo/ISMM development and all that, I quite like being able to get up to speed for ROM hacking a system new to me so that usually means a working knowledge of the various types of embedded hardware and it is usually less than 10 devices but I occasionally get to make small devices to replace or improve old legacy ones in cars, industrial/diagnostic equipment and things that people might want that also benefit from that (window displays, building automation...).

 

[raystriker]

but I occasionally get to make small devices to replace or improve old legacy ones in cars, industrial/diagnostic equipment and things that people might want that also benefit from that (window displays, building automation...).

Is that a hobby or do you really do cool stuff for a living?

 

[FAST6191]

Bit of both really. I would love to do it as my main thing but even if I charged properly I would probably still not have enough to make a proper go of it around here.

 

[gudenau]

I know very little when all is said and done, however what I do know tends to line up well with what people around here want to do. In this case I have followed things like the GCW zero, gp32, DSTwo/ISMM development and all that, I quite like being able to get up to speed for ROM hacking a system new to me so that usually means a working knowledge of the various types of embedded hardware and it is usually less than 10 devices but I occasionally get to make small devices to replace or improve old legacy ones in cars, industrial/diagnostic equipment and things that people might want that also benefit from that (window displays, building automation...).

Simmaler boat, just it is not my job at all.