> I'm posting this based on the slim hope that someone in 
> PICList land
> actually has heard of the Z8...
>
> Ok, I'm not sure I believe this one either, but I have a 
> client who
> seriously needs a code rewrite for their, get this... Z8 
> based system;
> specifically a Z86E0812PEC microcontroller. They are 
> locked into the chip
> and need new code to interface via a new protocol over the 
> exiting hardware.


Tell him to trash his evil processor and take up farming.
It's not the processor itself that's evil - just all the 
rest that does or doesn't go with it.

DVH will tell him the same.

Failing that, there are free C compilers with some of the 
new Z8's that may or may not be some sort of a match for the 
older ones. The Zilog Z8 Encore kit was one such. I have one 
poised sword of Damocles like above my head (OK, it's on a 
shelf) as I write.
May be too far away in architecture. .

FWIW I suspect that the Z86E0812PEC is somewhat more 
powerful than the 16C54. And, if not, it's a somewhat nicer 
architecture without the utter weirdness that the PIC 
inherited from it's historic path. eg it knows how to 
context save in interrupts without having to use really 
stupid code sequences which have to be used to stop flags 
getting corrupted. Different than Z80. A reasonably nice 
system overall fwiw.

But, why are they locked into that hardware?
The ...PEC part is an 18 pin DIP with a -40C/+105C rating.
It has 14 I/O.
Two comparators. Two timers.

    http://www.zilog.com/docs/z8/z86e04.pdf

One can imagine a drop in PCB with an SMD part of some other 
device.
Something with overwhelmingly greater hardware capability 
and speed and Flash is liable to still be cheap compared to 
the cost of the code.

As the original is an OTP you MUST replace the processors so 
... .



            Russell


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