[Home] [This version is outdated, a new version is here]
*Title...
*Search:...
*Read Me/FAQ/General Info...
**Why this document is not GPL or a wiki
The document is copyright,  it is NOT GPL'ed text. While  the GPL is a
fantastic  idea, I  have chosen  not to  make this  freely copied  and
modified. The reasons are as follows:

1. GPL text tends to be  copied...EVERYWHERE. For example, if you look
   up a subject  on wikipedia, then try to get  more information, or a
   different perspective on  say about.com.  There you  find the EXACT
   SAME  TEXT.  This  is what  mirrors  are for.   It's an  unintended
   consequence,  but  it  can  lead  to  misinformation  being  spread
   everywhere. A bigger problem.

2. There seems to be fewer  and fewer informative websites. It used to
   be that  if you  searched for  something you  would find  a website
   about a particular  subject. Now you tend to  find the encyclopedia
   and often nothing else (well quickly).

In addition the majority of this text is quotes.

The wiki  concept is a good  idea, but they have  problems. Because no
one "owns" the  work they seem to  go to two extremes.   Either no one
maintains them, or there are edit wars. Also anyone can edit them.

**Definition of a chip set:...
**'chip set', 'chip-set' or 'chipset'?...
**What's not included:...
**Who made the first chip set?
By the  criteria of (2.)  in  'Definition of a chip  set' many sources
state this  to be the  Chips and Technologies  NEAT chip set.  I don't
know why this is stated as it is most definitely incorrect. The CS8221
NEW   Enhanced  AT   (NEAT)  chip   set  consisting   of  the   chips;
82C211/82C212/82C215/82C206  was  as far  as  I  can establish,  first
released sometime in 1986. 

C&T itself have an earlier chip set called the CS8220 PC/AT compatible
Chip  Set,  and  consists   of  the  following  chips;  82C201/82C202/
82A203/82A204/82A205.  It was  first  available  in OCT-85.  (see:C&T>
CS8220>Notes for further info.)

That is, AFAIK, the first motherboard  chip set from C&T and AFAIK the
worlds first chip set that meets the criteria of (2.). However C&T did
already have on the market their  popular EGA chip set, but that isn't
a motherboard chip set.

By the criteria of (1.), IBM, or Intel, see IBM>PC/XT chip set.

Another pre-'86 chipset is the  Faraday FE2010. The datasheet includes
a schematic on the very last  page dated 11/22/85. This only indicates
the chip set was on paper at that date. An acutal release date has not
been found.

**Spelling errors/mistyped words...
**Info needed on:...
**A note on VESA support of 486 chipsets....
**Datasheets:...
*_IBM...
*ACC Micro...
*ALD...
*ALi...
*AMD . . . . . . . [no datasheets, some info]...
*Chips & Technologies...
*Contaq  . . . . . [no datasheets, some info]...
*Efar Microsystems [no datasheets, some info]...
*ETEQ...
*Faraday...
*Forex . . . . . . [List only, no datasheets found]...
*Intel...
**82495XP/490XP Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for i860)       06/05/91
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Features:...
**82496/491     Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P5 Pentium) 03/22/93...
**82497/492   Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P54 Pentium)    <Nov94...
**82498/493   Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P54 Pentium)    <Nov94...
**
**Later chipsets (basic spec):
**440 series:...
**450NX  (?)            06/29/98:...
**?????  (Profusion)    c:99...
**800 series...
*Headland/G2...
*HMC (Hulon Microelectronics)...
*Logicstar...
*Motorola...
**IBM AT: MC146818 Real Time Clock                                 <84
***Info:...
***Versions:...
***Features:
o   Low-Power, High-Speed, High-Density CMOS
o   Internal Time Base and Oscillator
o   Counts Seconds, Minutes, and Hours of the Day
o   Counts Days of the Week, Date, Month, and Year
o   3 V to 6 V Operation
o   Time Base Input Options: 4.194304 MHz, 1.048576 MHz, or 32,768 kHz
o   Time Base Oscillator for Parallel Resonant Crystals
o   40 to 200 uW Typical Operating Power at Low Frequency Time Base
o   4.0 to 20 mW Typical Operating Power at High Frequency Time Base
o   Binary or BCD Representation of Time, Calendar, and Alarm
o   12- or 24-Hour Clock with AM and PM in 12-Hour Mode
o   Daylight Savings Time Option
o   Automatic End of Month Recognition
o   Automatic Leap Year Compensation
o   Microprocessor Bus Compatible [this means absolutely nothing]
o   MOTEL Circuit for Bus Univerality
o   Multiplexed Bus for Pin Efficiency
o   Interfaced with Software as 64 RAM Locations
o   14 Bytes of Clock and Control Registers
o   50 Bytes of General Purpose RAM
o   Status Bit Indicates Data Integrity
o   Bus Compatible Interrupt Signals (IRQ)
o   Three Interrupts are Separately Software Maskable and Testable
      Time-of-Day Alarm, Once-per-Second to Once-per-Day
      Periodic Rates from 30.5 us to 500 ms
      End-of-Clock Update Cycle
o   Programmable Square-Wave Output Signal
o   Clock Output May Be Used as Microprocessor Clock Input
      At Time Base Frequency /1 or /4
o   24-Pin Dual-In-Line Package



*OPTi...
*PC CHIPS/Amptron/Atrend/ECS/Elpina/etc...
*SIS...
*Symphony...
*TI (Texas Instruments)...
*UMC...
*Unresearched:...
*VIA...
*VLSI...
*Western Digital...
*Winbond...
*ZyMOS...
*General Sources:...