The Motorola 14500B Industrial Control Unit - A 1-bit Microprocessor

About this Artwork

Introduced in 1977, the Motorola MC14500B Industrial Control Unit was a very unusual microprocessor. At the time when the rush was on to bring a 16-bit processor to market, a single bit microprocessor was an oddity.  The CMOS based 14500B was designed to complement Motorola’s extensive line of CMOS logic chips. The 14500B was created to provide simple decision making for serial single bit information. The 14500B had a control unit (CU) and a logic unit (LU). The 14500B had one register, one flag, and 16 instructions. Each instruction was executed in one clock cycle.

This artwork includes 3 major elements. It has a large image of a Motorola 14500B chip. On the back is a narrative describing the artwork and the 14500B, and the artist’s signature. Also, included is a Motorola 14500B chip in a black poly resin 18 lead DIP (Dual Inline Package) package. The fully functional chip is mounted with threads and is surrounded by an enlarged diagram of the chip with the electrical signal designations for each of its leads.

Framing: 

The artwork is framed in an 11"x14" black shadow box frame, with glass. All framing materials are acid-free. A narrative about the artwork that includes the artist’s signature is placed on the back of the artwork.

Please note:  The look of the artifacts in the artworks may vary, each piece is unique.