retroelectro
retroelectro
The 6502’s cultural impact cannot be overstated when someone says it is one of civilization’s greatest inventions. While most chips may come and go, often remaining unsung except in the catalog pages of long-forgotten, decades-old data books, the 6502 continues to be a cornerstone of microprocessing for the past fifty years. The author acknowledges the help of the many historians who have cataloged this story over the years, especially Archive.org, Eric Schlaepfer, Ken Shirriff, Scene World, Team6502.org, the Computer History Museum, Clint Bridges, and others.
companies such as Atari, Apple, and Commodore. This isn’t the end of Chuck Peddle. He had a powerful computing career up until his death in 2019. His journey from a Maine farm boy to a pioneer of the low-cost microprocessor market is a testament to ingenuity, confidence, faith, and vision. His innovations laid the foundation for modern computing, influencing industries and empowering the rise of personal computers. Peddle’s impact is felt every time you power on a device or connect to the digital world – a legacy of making technology more accessible and affordable.
battling with yields in the twenties.
1937
Chuck Peddle was born in Bangor, Maine.
1938 Claude Shannon publishes ‘A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits.’
Smart layout Bill Mensch is sometimes called ‘the Best Layout Guy in the World.’ He and Peddle met at Motorola, where Mensch worked on the design and layout of the Peripheral Interfaces for the 6800 series of chips. Designs need revisions in the early stages. Engineers design the layout and mask, then wait for it to be fabricated. Once they have it in hand, they gather around and probe and prod to find the issues with it and try again. It can sometimes take as many as nine or ten attempts to get it right, but Mensch and his layout team got it perfect the very first time. Each revision could cost a couple hundred thousand dollars, especially if you didn’t have your own in-house fab shop, but Mensch did. By getting it right the first time, MOS Technology hit the starting line ahead of the competition, which had to invest millions to get their product right. Lore has it that the die for the first 6502 worked 100% perfectly on their very first try. There have been challenges to this claim and Eric Schlaepfer tells this tale on YouTube.
1950s
Attended the University of Maine, taking physics and mathematics courses without a specific career path but determined to avoid farm work.
1960
Began working at General Electric, contributing to the development of early hard disk technology and filing a patent for “Zoned Bit Recording.”
1970
General Electric sells its computer division to Honeywell.
Joined Motorola, contributing to the development of the 6800 microprocessor. 1973
Peddle starts Intelligent Terminal Systems to develop an online payment system.
Suggested reading
1. Stephen Edwards and Bill Mensch – The Genesis of the 6502 Microprocessor (Interview) 2. Computer History Museum – Oral History of Check Peddle 3. Team 6502: The Story of the Team Behind the Chip that Launched a Revolution 4. Microsystems – Here Comes the PET 5. Interview with Chuck Peddle for Scene World Magazine 6. MOS MCS6500 Microcomputer Family Hardware Manual 7. Abort Retry Fail – The History of Commodore - Part 1 8. Viatron: System 21 is NOW! 9. Embedded Related – Development of the MOS Technology 6502 A Historical Perspective 10.The 6502 and the Best Layout Guy in the World
1974
1974
Motorola planned to move the microprocessor team to Austin, Texas. Peddle and several team members left the company to join MOS Technology in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Motorola released the 6800, priced at $300. Peddle pushed for a cheaper, more accessible processor but faced resistance from Motorola’s leadership.
1975
MOS Technology released the 6501 for $20 and the 6502 for $25. Motorola sued MOS Technology over the 6501’s design. As a result, it was pulled from the market.
The ringleader of the 6502
From here, MOS Technology took its product to WESCON75, where it gained the attention of
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