SILICON CHIP
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus.
Editor
Gr~g Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Robert Flynn
Regular Contributors
Neville Williams, FIREE, VK2XV
Bryan Maher, M.E. B.Sc.
Jim Yalden, VK2YGY
Garry Cratt, VK2YBX
Jim Lawler. MTETIA
David Whitby
Photography
Bob Donaldson
Editorial Advisory Panel
Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW
Norman Marks
Steve Payor, B.Sc., B.E.
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2
SILICON CHIP
PUBLISHER'S LE'J-JER
Lo, the dreaded
•
m1croprocessor
Thanks to all those readers who have responded to the call for feedback in our March issue. Many have written in with requests for all
sorts of interesting projects, some of which we already had on the "list
of songs" but many others which we would not have considered.
Largely as a result of specific reader requests, a number of projects
are now under development and will be published in the next few months. Others will appear in the longer term.
If you are one of those who had considered writing but did not get
around to it, please write to us anyhow. We do value your ideas.
What has been interesting in a number of letters is that people have
congratulated us on the format, made a number of project suggestions
and then warned us to "stay away from computers". We can understand this feeling. So much of what is written about computers and
microprocessors is boring or impenetrable unless you have already
picked up a grounding in the subject.
But I have a dreadful truth to reveal. Sooner or later, articles on
microprocessors, computers or computer-related projects will appear
in SILICON CHIP. There, I've gone and said it - the truth is out. But
before you throw the magazine across the room in a rage, let me tell
you a bit more. Some of my acquaintances who have been anticomputer in the past are now deeply immersed in the subject. This is
probably as great a surprise to them as it is to me.
If you are an anti-computer person, you no doubt find that your electronics interest is in the fascinating world of analog components and
the complexities of their multifarious parameters. You may not have
thought about it that way but it's true isn't it? By comparison,
microprocessors may seem mundane and uninteresting; all those
digital inputs and outputs and a whole lot of timing diagrams to consider. But if you are immersed in computers, it is the "instruction set"
of the micro that provides the real fascination; what you can do with
it, when you know the rules.
And so it is that there are tens of thousands of people who are hyped
on the Z80 and 8080, or its later derivatives, 8086, 80286 and so on.
And there are other tens of thousands who are hyped on the 6502
(from their experience with Apple, Tandy Co-Co or Commodore
machines), many of whom are now graduating to the 68000 micro (used in the Macintosh).
All these people can't be wrong. Micros and computers can be
equally as fascinating as analog electronics and when you ultimately
read about them in SILICON CHIP there is even a chance that you, too,
might be hooked. Don't worry, we won't ram them down your throat.
And if our articles on micros leave questions unanswered, write into
us. That way you'll find out the answers and we'll see how our articles
can be improved.
Leo Simpson
