The Great Search: Z80 Processors

This week we saw a lot of chatter about Zilog's End-of-Life Notification (mm.digikey.com/Volume0/opasda...) for their Z84C series chips. These chips were pretty cool because they were true Z80 processors and available in DIP format!
They are still in stock at DigiKey for now (www.digikey.com/en/products/d...) and there's a last-time-buy, so if you happen to want some large quantity, it's possible to put in a request for one last batch.
There are also other Z80 processors available, so you're not totally out of luck if you need some 8-bit goodness. In theory, you could even wire-wrap or breadboard using a QFP-to-DIP adapter plate. (www.digikey.com/en/products/d...)
See the chosen parts on DigiKey www.digikey.com/short/z3j19bmf
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[@hbengineer]

I think you have to look closer at the Z84013 you referenced… those integrated Z80’s have peripheral devices integrated into them and may not expose all of the processor pins you would expect to find on the 40 pin DIP to the 100 QFP package… Even if it does, you’ve got those peripherals to contend with that may create unintentional conflicts with the address space…

[@r2db]

The ventilators in the ICU when I was doing residency around the turn of the century were Z80-based, with RS232 interfaces, and as with many older technologies they had stacks of manuals that detailed the schematics, the interface protocol, etc. If it was not for some of the solenoids failing over time, with replacements entirely unavailable, I would have expected them to continue doing their job.

[@pebbleschan6085]

😂 Also bring back the SID chip for the C64 enthusiasts!

[@tconiam]

Sad news for the 8-bit Retro scene...
FWIW, They still show "Active" on the Zilog website.
Many Z84C-series chips are also available in PLCC and LQFP packages.

[@deeliciousplum]

And, roughly 1,700 in Canada's DigiKey inventory.

[@deeliciousplum]

I clicked on this recent Adafruit Industries upload so as to experience a heap of nostalgia on the Z80. Nostalgia is what I experienced. 🌸

[@alexanderwingeskog758]

Did not think I would have had any Z80's ever... on the top of my head... had C64 not a Spectrum or C128, never had Sega or Nintendo... Could not think of anything else... But then I read the Wiki... and yes I do have an older Adaptec SCSI card laying around... and it does have Z80 :-)

[@alabamacajun7791]

It would seem that we have enough 8/16 bit enthusiasts to warrant moving these older chips to the 65nm or smaller masks. I could even see creating a Z80 with extended instructions to handle 24 or 32 bit addressing. Another option is multi-core processors with 64K cache. Add multi-port RAM and you have the option to put a GPU and HDMI out. Then again we have so many other juicy chips flooding the market.

[@badwolf197]

Recall programming a Z80 with its Z80 PIO I/0 chip . This was used on one of the first kit home computers - the Nascom1 .
Had all the official ( green) books to go with the processor too

[@therealjpster]

Pretty sure that chip you called up is a full SoC - a Z80, a PIO, a SIO, a Counter/Timer, etc. If the peripherals sit on I/O addresses you want to use externally it might not work.