The RCA 1600 is a discontinued
16-bit
16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors.
A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two mos ...
minicomputer
A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a class of smaller general purpose computers that developed in the mid-1960s and sold at a much lower price than mainframe and mid-size computers from IBM and its direct competitors. In a 1970 survey, ...
designed and built by
RCA in
West Palm Beach, Florida and
Marlboro, Massachusetts.
It was developed to meet the needs of several RCA divisions, including the Graphics Systems Division (GSD), Instructional Systems, and Global Communications.
It was introduced in 1968, and at the time of
UNIVAC's purchase of the RCA Computer Division in 1972 the 1600 was estimated to be in use by 40 customers.
The 1600 was intended for use in
embedded systems, and was retained by UNIVAC and used in products such as the ''Accuscan''
supermarket checkout system in the 1970s.
Description
The 1600 uses
magnetic-core memory with a cycle time on 1.6μsec, structured as
words of 18 bits—16 data bits, one
parity bit
A parity bit, or check bit, is a bit added to a string of binary code. Parity bits are a simple form of error detecting code. Parity bits are generally applied to the smallest units of a communication protocol, typically 8-bit octets (bytes) ...
, and one
memory protection bit. Four configurations offered memory sizes of 8 K, 16 K, 32 K, and 64 K bytes (4,8,16,and32 KW).
Individual words of memory can be protected by setting the associated protection bit. Attempts to store into protected memory are trapped if memory protection is enabled by a console switch.
The processor has sixteen 16-bit "standard" registers, eight for each ''program state''. Program state one is used for normal execution, program state two is used for
interrupt service routines. Because each state has an independent set of registers, switching states can be done "essentially instantaneously." Register 8 is the
instruction counter in both states. If high-speed I/O is used, registers 6 and 7 in program state two are used for I/O address and byte count respectively.
The architecture defines 29 instructions in three groups. All instructions are 16 bits, must be located on a word boundary, and therefore can be accessed in one machine cycle of 1.6μsec.
There are also seven "special" registers serving particular functions which can also be read and written programmatically.
References
External links
RCA 1600 Users Guide Preliminary
Minicomputers
RCA brands
16-bit computers
Computer-related introductions in 1968
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