Intel 80188

Lore & Background

The 80188 was designed to reduce system cost by using an 8-bit external data bus, making it less expensive to connect to peripherals while maintaining the 16-bit register set and one megabyte address range of the 8086. It was generally intended for embedded systems, functioning as a microcontroller with external memory, and included integrated features such as a clock generator, interrupt controller, timers, wait state generator, DMA channels, and external chip select lines to minimize chip count. Intel second-sourced this microprocessor to Fujitsu Limited around 1985, and it was available in 68-pin PLCC and PGA packages, with sample quantities first delivered in the third quarter of 1985.

Reader's Guide

The 80188 found use in a variety of embedded applications, including modems, oscilloscopes, and speech synthesizers. For example, the Intel 14.4EX modem released in 1991 used a 16 MHz 80188 to handle forward error correction, trellis modulation, and echo cancellation. The Tektronix 2246 analog oscilloscope employed the 80188 for processing signal measurements, and Digital Equipment Corporation's DECtalk speech synthesizer used it on its controller card. The 80188 also appeared in the second-generation SatisFAXtion board, a FAX/modem ISA card. A fully static design variant, the 80C188EB, was produced using 1-micron CHMOS IV technology, available in 3- and 5-volt versions with 84-lead PLCC and 80-lead EIAJ QFP packaging, priced at US$15.15 in 1,000-unit quantities. While the N80188 was compatible with the 8087 numeric coprocessor, the 80C188 was not, lacking the ESC control codes. Production of the 80186 and 80188 ceased at the end of September 2007, though pin- and instruction-compatible replacements may still be manufactured by third parties.

Did You Know?

• The 80188 has an 8-bit external data bus but retains the 16-bit registers and one megabyte address range of the 8086.
• It was second-sourced to Fujitsu Limited around 1985.
• The 80C188EB variant was a fully static design available in 3- and 5-volt versions.
• The 80188 was used in the Tektronix 2246 analog oscilloscope for signal measurement processing.