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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The 8086 microprocessor was first introduced in 1978 and gained rapid support as the microcom-
puter engine of choice. There are literally millions of 8086/8088-based systems in the world to-
day. The amount of software written for the 8086/8088 is rivaled by no other architecture.
By the early 1980's, however, it was clear that a replacement for the 8086/8088 was necessary.
An 8086/8088 system required dozens of support chips to implement even a moderately complex
design. Intel recognized the need to integrate commonly used system peripherals onto the same
silicon die as the CPU. In 1982 Intel addressed this need by introducing the 80186/80188 family
of embedded microprocessors. The original 80186/80188 integrated an enhanced 8086/8088
CPU with six commonly used system peripherals. A parallel effort within Intel also gave rise to
the 80286 microprocessor in 1982. The 80286 began the trend toward the very high performance
Intel architecture that today includes the Intel386 , Intel486
and Pentium
microprocessors.
As technology advanced and turned toward small geometry CMOS processes, it became clear
that a new 80186 was needed. In 1987 Intel announced the second generation of the 80186 family:
the 80C186/C188. The 80C186 family is pin compatible with the 80186 family, while adding an
enhanced feature set. The high-performance CHMOS III process allowed the 80C186 to run at
twice the clock rate of the NMOS 80186, while consuming less than one-fourth the power.
The 80186 family took another major step in 1990 with the introduction of the 80C186EB family.
The 80C186EB heralded many changes for the 80186 family. First, the enhanced 8086/8088 CPU
was redesigned as a static, stand-alone module known as the 80C186 Modular Core. Second, the
80186 family peripherals were also redesigned as static modules with standard interfaces. The
goal behind this redesign effort was to give Intel the capability to proliferate the 80186 family
rapidly, in order to provide solutions for an even wider range of customer applications.
The 80C186EB/C188EB was the first product to use the new modular capability. The
80C186EB/C188EB includes a different peripheral set than the original 80186 family. Power
consumption was dramatically reduced as a direct result of the static design, power management
features and advanced CHMOS IV process. The 80C186EB/C188EB has found acceptance in a
wide array of portable equipment ranging from cellular phones to personal organizers.
In 1991 the 80C186 Modular Core family was again extended with the introduction of three new
products: the 80C186XL, the 80C186EA and the 80C186EC. The 80C186XL/C188XL is a high-
er performance, lower power replacement for the 80C186/C188. The 80C186EA/C188EA com-
bines the feature set of the 80C186 with new power management features for power-critical
applications. The 80C186EC/C188EC offers the highest level of integration of any of the 80C186
Modular Core family products, with 14 on-chip peripherals (see Table 1-1).
1-1
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