6570 / 6571. What is it?

[KC9UDX]

Other than just "Keyboard Processor", is it a 6502 plus 6532 in one package, or something like that?

Someone who does really know what he's talking about told me there was a 6502 in the Amiga. I know Amigas pretty well and found this very hard to believe. But then he said it was the keyboard processor. I never paid close enough attention to the keyboard, I guess.

[GARTHWILSON]

Who made it? It's not in the datasheet archive at http://6502.org/documents/datasheets/, and it's not in my 1987-88 Commodore product guide that has oodles of 65xx ICs.

[floobydust]

I found this link which confirms it as a keyboard micro controller but no data sheet. A pin out is shown however.

http://www.amiga-stuff.com/hardware/6500_1.html

Wikipedia also has it listed but no details.

[KC9UDX]

GARTHWILSON wrote:

Who made it? It's not in the datasheet archive at http://6502.org/documents/datasheets/, and it's not in my 1987-88 Commodore product guide that has oodles of 65xx ICs.

All the ones I have say CSG, which of course is MOS Technology after Commodore bought them.

floobydust wrote:

I found this link which confirms it as a keyboard micro controller but no data sheet. A pin out is shown however.

http://www.amiga-stuff.com/hardware/6500_1.html

Wikipedia also has it listed but no details.

That's very interesting!

[KC9UDX]

GARTHWILSON wrote:

Who made it? It's not in the datasheet archive at http://6502.org/documents/datasheets/, and it's not in my 1987-88 Commodore product guide that has oodles of 65xx ICs.

It is, here: http://archive.6502.org/datasheets/mos_ ... t_1986.pdf

What an interesting chip. I'd never heard of it before. Now, if only someone still made one like that with an equivalent 6502, 6532, and 6522, I'd have a project for it. I probably couldn't afford it in low quantities, though.

[GARTHWILSON]

There are the 65134 (65c02-base microcontroller) and the 65265 ('816-based microcontroller). They're quite nice, and they're being made today, but unfortunately their onboard ROM is not programmable on the workbench, so you have to forfeit a bunch of the I/O pins for external memory. There also aren't a lot of different variations like there are of the common microcontrollers like PICs and AVRs.

[GARTHWILSON]

KC9UDX wrote:

GARTHWILSON wrote:

Who made it? It's not in the datasheet archive at http://6502.org/documents/datasheets/, and it's not in my 1987-88 Commodore product guide that has oodles of 65xx ICs.

It is, here: http://archive.6502.org/datasheets/mos_ ... t_1986.pdf

What an interesting chip. I'd never heard of it before. Now, if only someone still made one like that with an equivalent 6502, 6532, and 6522, I'd have a project for it. I probably couldn't afford it in low quantities, though.

The 6500/1 is not a 6570 or 6571 by any means. But if you like it...

[KC9UDX]

GARTHWILSON wrote:

The 6500/1 is not a 6570 or 6571 by any means. But if you like it...

I'm guessing the only difference is the 6570 is already programmed. But then I've only skimmed over the datasheet.

GARTHWILSON wrote:

There are the 65134 (65c02-base microcontroller) and the 65265 ('816-based microcontroller). They're quite nice, and they're being made today, but unfortunately their onboard ROM is not programmable on the workbench, so you have to forfeit a bunch of the I/O pins for external memory.

Correct. I have a 65134. I tried to use it, to save space, only to determine I could do the same thing in less space with a 6502, 6522, and separate ROM and RAM. The big killer of the '134 in my opinion is the lack of a shift register.

[BigEd]

If it's from CSG and it looks like a microcontroller, it very likely does have a 6502 core. Quite recently there was a successful effort to dump the ROM from a 6500/1 using the test mode. See
http://e4aws.silverdr.com/hacks/6500_1/

[John West]

This was discussed on the cbm-hackers mailing list last year. Someone sent Jim some Amiga keyboard controllers (6570/1), and he was able to extract the ROM from them.

FFFE points to 48, a9, ff, 85, 80, a5, 81, ... which looks like 6502 to me.

[silverdr]

It is confirmed - the Amiga keyboard controller is a variant of 6500/1, which in turn is a 6502 based microcontroller. The content's been dumped, reversed, etc.

[KC9UDX]

John West wrote:

This was discussed on the cbm-hackers mailing list last year. Someone sent Jim some Amiga keyboard controllers (6570/1), and he was able to extract the ROM from them.

FFFE points to 48, a9, ff, 85, 80, a5, 81, ... which looks like 6502 to me.

TAX (maybe?)
LDA #$FF
STA $A580
and I can't remember what $81 is. Possibly STA $__ (zero page)

Thanks everyone, this is very interesting and good to know.

[BigEd]

Using http://www.masswerk.at/6502/disassembler.html I get

Code: Select all

                  * = 0000
0000   48         PHA
0001   A9 FF      LDA #$FF
0003   85 80      STA $80
0005   A5 81      LDA $81
0007              .END

(Of course the code isn't at 0000)

[brain]

Seems like an eternity ago... The code should be available somewhere, but I think I still have it here in my archives if not.

Jim

[BigEd]

brain wrote:

Seems like an eternity ago... The code should be available somewhere, but I think I still have it here in my archives if not.

Jim

It's in one of the mailing list archives, here: "ROM Dump of Amiga Keyboard controller". Or here.

Great work BTW! Related write up for the 6500/1 firmware of the VC-1520 device.