Motorola 68030
The Motorola 68030, also known colloquially as the 030 (pronounced oh-three-oh or oh-thirty), is a 32-bit microprocessor that is part of the Motorola 68000 series of central processing units (CPUs). Released in 1987, it succeeded the Motorola 68020 and introduced several significant enhancements.
Technical Specifications
The Motorola 68030 incorporates 273,000 transistors and was fabricated using a refined manufacturing process that improved upon the 68020. Key features include an integrated Memory Management Unit (MMU), and instruction and data caches, each 256 bytes in size. This marked a significant advancement in processing power, allowing for more efficient handling of complex tasks.
One notable feature of the 68030 is its burst mode for caches, enabling four longwords to be loaded into the cache in a single operation. This feature enhances data throughput and overall CPU performance.
Variants
A lower-cost version of the 68030 was released under the name Motorola 68EC030. This variant lacks the on-chip MMU, making it more affordable but also limiting its capabilities in certain applications. Both versions were commonly available in 132-pin QFP and 128-pin PGA packages. While the QFP package had poorer thermal characteristics, limiting it to 33 MHz, the PGA package supported clock speeds of up to 50 MHz.
Performance and Applications
The 68030 could interface with the 68020 bus, providing performance comparable to the 68020. However, the 68030 introduced an additional synchronous bus interface that, when used, could accelerate memory access by up to 33% compared to an equally clocked 68020.
This microprocessor found applications in several computer systems and was notably used in products like the Apple Macintosh LC II and the Atari Falcon. It became a preferred choice for systems that required reliable and efficient processing power.
Related Technologies
The 68030 is often used alongside the Motorola 68881 or Motorola 68882 floating-point units (FPUs), which enhance its mathematical processing capability, particularly in systems requiring extensive computation such as in scientific applications.
Legacy
The Motorola 68030 served as a critical stepping stone in the evolution of the Motorola 68000 family, paving the way for its successors, such as the Motorola 68040 and Motorola 68060. Its introduction marked the continued advancement and popularity of the 68000 series in both consumer and professional computing systems.