32k > NatSemiNS32032E-10G
Modified: May 30, 2005, 8:56 pm
Manufacturer:National Semiconductor
Model:NS32032E-10G
Speed:10MHz
Type:32K
Data Code:8640
Introduced:1983
Transistors:70,000
Package:68CLCC
Process:??
Architecture:32 bit
Used in:Computers
Description:Like the 68000, the 320xx family consisted
of a CPU which was 32-bit internally, and
16 bits externally (later also 32 and 8),
as indicated by the first and last two
digits (originally reversed, but 16032
just seemed less impressive). It appeared
a little later than the others here, and
so was not really a choice for the IBM PC,
but is still representative of the era.
Elegance and regular design was a main
goal of this processor, as well as
completeness. It was similar to the 68000
in basic features, such as byte addressing,
24-bit address bus in the first version,
memory to memory instructions, and so on
(The 320xx also includes a string and array
instruction). Unlike the 68000, the 320xx
had eight instead of sixteen 32-bit registers,
and they were all general purpose, not split
into data and address registers. There was a
lso a useful scaled-index addressing mode,
and unlike other CPUs of the time, only a
few operations affected the condition codes
(as in more modern CPUs).

Also different, the PC and stack registers
were separate from the general register set
- they were special purpose registers, along
with the interrupt stack, and several "base registers"
to provide multitasking support - the base data
register pointed to the working memory of the
current module (or process), the interrupt base
register pointed to a table of interrupt handling
procedures anywhere in memory (rather than a fixed
location), and the module register pointed to a table
of active modules.

The 320xx also had a coprocessor bus, similar
to the 8-bit Ferranti F100-L CPU, and coprocessor
instructions. Coprocessors included an MMU, and a
Floating Point unit which included eight 32-bit
registers, which could be used as four 64-bit registers.