The Motorola MC 68000 family of microprocessors is used in many microcomputers ranging from single board development systems up to professional workstations. It continues to be employed in business and industrial applications. The second edition of this introduction has been totally revised to cover the latest advances in microprocessor technology.

For Design Engineers, Software Architects & Computer Designers, a Guide to Completing Software Systems Using Motorola's MC68000 Family of Microprocessors

This important revision introduces both students and practicing computer professionals to the characteristics of the Motorola 68000 family of processors. It has been widely applauded in previous editions as a text that is practical, easy to read, and designed to educate readers on the concepts as well as applied theory. In addition to its use as a learning aid, the text serves as a valuable reference in which topics are organized according to function and importance for the design of programs, interfaces or systems. This Second Edition has been updated to cover the most recent, relevant advances and developments affecting the MC68000 family of microprocessors.

This introductory level text provides the basics of computer processors for courses in introduction to microprocessors or microprocessor applications. Its orientation is not so much towards a description how microprocessors themselves are designed, but rather how microprocessors can be used to do something useful. Thus, it is aimed not at the electrical major who needs a strong understanding of the internal workings of microprocesor chips, but at the electrical or non-electrical electrical major who needs adequate background to intelligently use, program, modify, and maintain microprocessor systems or to manage those people who do so. The coverage focuses on two popular microprocessor chips, the MC6809 and the MC68000.

The Motorola MC68000 family of microprocessors is undoubtedly a revolu tionary set of devices. The MC68000 is the first advanced 16-bit microprocessor with a 32-bit internal architecture and the first with 16-megabyte, nonsegment ed, direct memory addressing. The processor's six basic addressing modes are equivalent to 14, when one considers all of the variations among these modes. Combined with the device's data and instruction types, the modes provide more than 1000 useful instructions. The book you are about to study has been developed as an aid to the hard ware designer and as a supplement to the Motorola seminars on the 68000 microprocessor. The text includes a detailed description of the MC68000 and two complete systems that show how this processor can be interfaced to the outside world. The book follows a "top-down" approach. A brief history of microprocessors is provided first. Chapter 2 details the MC68000 by describing its registers, control lines, and capabilities. Chapter 3 introduces a small MC68000-based system. Although this system is characterized in the book as hypothetical, it is indeed the Educational Computer Board, used in the various Motorola seminars. The addressing modes and instructions are explained in Chapter 4, which includes helpful hints on how instructions can be used. Chapter 5 provides an in-depth description of additional instructions and numerous examples. Chapter 6 discusses exception handling and interrupts.