Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Jim Turley

In This Issue:

• 3Dfx Settles Lawsuit Over Sega Game Graphics
• Philips Drops Price of 8051XA-G3 to $4.00
• MPC860 Controllers Get Smaller, Faster
• Motorola PowerPC 603e-266 Gets Hot
• Industry Resources: DSP Conclave in
• Industry Resources: Y2K Books, Consulting, and Web

3Dfx Settles Lawsuit Over Sega Game Graphics

3Dfx has settled its suit against Sega, NEC, and VideoLogic over an alleged breach of contract regarding development for Segaâs newest home video game system, called Dreamcast. The terms of the settlement are being kept secret, but all parties concerned say they are happy with the resolution.

The conflict arose after an article appeared in Microprocessor Report that revealed Sega was switching from 3Dfx to NEC's PowerVR graphics chips for Dreamcast (see Microprocessor Report 7/14/97, p. 5). The stock of 3Dfx, which had gone public just a few days earlier, lost 43% of its value on the news. 3Dfx subsequently sued Sega, accusing the company of gaining access to 3Dfx proprietary information and then canceling its contract. The suit also named NEC and later included VideoLogic (the designers of PowerVR), for interfering with the Sega relationship.

Although the Sega Dreamcast does, in fact, use NECâs PowerVR graphics controllers, losing the Sega business does not seem to have wounded 3Dfx too seriously. The companyâs Voodoo and Voodoo 2 graphics chips are still among the most popular for PC graphics, and the company's financial situation has rebounded strongly.

Philips Drops Price of 8051XA-G3 to $4.00

Philips Semiconductors has hacked 30% off the price of its popular 8/16- bit 8051XA-G3 microprocessor. In quantities of 1,000, the chip now has an MSRP of $4.00; distributor pricing is probably cheaper.

The XA-G3 is the first and oldest member of the 8051XA product line that Philips introduced four years ago. The 'XA family, which includes the larger XA-S3 chip, is intended to be a 16-bit upgrade for users of the popular 8051 line of 8-bit microcontrollers. As such, it competes directly with Intel's 80251 line of 16-bit chips, which are also upgrades from the venerable 8051.

Unlike Intel's '251 family, Philips' XA chips are not binary compatible with the original 8051. Instead, Philips chose to reorganize the binary instruction encoding to increase performance and improve code density. The XA is instruction-set compatible with the 8051 at the assembly level, but cannot run unmodified 8051 binaries. The '251 family, in contrast, is completely binary compatible with the 8051, in typical Intel fashion.

MPC860 Controllers Get Smaller, Faster

Motorola has shifted production of its MPC860 family of PowerPC-based network/communication controllers (see Microprocessor Report 9/11/95, p. 9) from 0.5-micron to 0.42-micron processing. As a result, the chips have gotten smaller and faster. Instead of being clocked at 25, 40, and 50 MHz, the entire chip family now runs at 33, 50, and 66 MHz. Relative pricing for the three speed grades stays the same, ranging from $33 to $62. In other words, the faster clock rates and lower power consumption are free.

All the chips are built in the same MOS-11 fab in Austin (Texas) as before, but Motorola has upgraded the plant with newer equipment as demand for its 0.5-micron devices dwindles. All seven chips in the MPC860 family maintain their 3.3-V supply voltage and 5-V-tolerant I/O in spite of the minor process shrink. The newer devices are sampling now; production will begin in 3Q98. The shrink should be welcomed by customers, who can take advantage of the faster speed grade if they desire or simply drop the new parts in and leave their systems unchanged.

Motorola PowerPC 603e-266 Gets Hot

Extending its agreement with two subcontractors (see Microprocessor Report 7/14/97, p. 12), Motorola is now offering its 266-MHz PowerPC 603e chip in industrial (from ö40 degrees to 85 degrees C) and military (from ö55 degrees to 125 degrees C) temperature ranges. Previously, the 603e was available in these temperature grades at 200 MHz. In lots of 1,000, the industrial version sells for $289, a hefty 2.5x premium over the price of a "normal" commercial-grade 250-MHz chip. Pricing for the military version is top secret :-)

Industry Resources: DSP Conclave in Toronto

The ninth annual International Conference on Signal Processing Applications and Technology (ICSPAT) & DSP World Expo comes to the Toronto (Ontario) Metro Convention Center September 13-16. As before, the conference will include workshops, lectures, practical training, and the results of scientific research. A conference agenda can be found on the Web at http://www.dspworld.com/icspat.htm.

Registration costs range from free (for the exhibits only) to $1,295 for a full conference package. For more information, or to register, visit http://www.dspworld.com or call 817.255.8070.

Industry Resources: Y2K Books, Consulting, and Web

"Year 2000: Best Practices for the Millennium" is a 660-page book edited by Dick Lefkon and published by Prentice Hall. The book includes well over 100 articles and chapters contributed by representatives of NIST, Ernst & Young, the U.S. Department of Defense, IBM, the State of California, and, in one case, the U.S. Congress. The $40 book (ISBN 0- 13-646506-4) is available through the publisher at http://www.phptr.com.

Ian S. Hayes and William M. Ulrich, self-described authors of the #1 Year 2000 bestseller, have completed "The Year 2000 Software Crisis: The Continuing Challenge." This 440-page treatise includes chapters on risk mitigation, legal issues, protections, testing basics, and contingency planning. The $40 book (ISBN 0-13-960154-6) is available through Prentice-Hall at http://www.phptr.com.

MBS2000, a London-based consultancy specializing in Y2K issues has opened what it describes as the first Web site dedicated to millennial bug product compliance. Located at http://www.mbs2000.com, the site lists hardware and software products in compliance, and fixes for those that aren't.