Chuck Peddle

Charles Ingerham Peddle<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (November 25, 1937 – December 15, 2019)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was an American electrical engineer best known as the main designer of the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, the Template:Nowrap single-board computer, and its successor, the Commodore PET personal computer, both based on the 6502.<ref name="NYT 2019">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Byte>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Biography

Peddle was born in Bangor, Maine, United States on November 25, 1937. He worked in a radio station while in high school.<ref name=Byte/>

In 1955, Peddle joined the United States Marine Corps. He attended the University of Maine where he earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in engineering physics. Afterward, he went to work for General Electric working with time-sharing systems.<ref name=Byte/>

In 1973, Peddle worked at Motorola on developing the 6800 processor.<ref name=Byte/>

Peddle recognized a market for a very low price microprocessor and began to champion such a design to complement the $300 Motorola 6800. His efforts were frustrated by Motorola management and he was told to drop the project. He then left for MOS Technology, where he headed the design of the 650x family of processors; these were made as a $25 answer to the Motorola 6800. The most famous member of the 650x series was the 6502, developed in 1975, which was priced at 15% of the cost of an Intel 8080, and was subsequently used in many commercial products, including the Apple II, PET, VIC-20, Atari 8-bit computers, arcade video games, Oric computers, and the BBC Micro.<ref name=Byte/><ref name=History>Template:Cite web</ref> The Atari 2600 uses the closely related 6507 CPU, the Commodore 64 uses the also closely related derivative 6510, and the Nintendo Entertainment System uses a custom ASIC which includes an altered 6502 core (with the decimal mode deleted).

In 1980, Peddle left MOS Technology, together with Commodore Business Machines (CBM) financer Chris Fish, to found Sirius Systems Technology. There, Peddle designed the Victor 9000 personal computer.<ref name=History/>

Legacy

Peddle, along with the 6502's co-designer Bill Mensch, are regarded as personal computer pioneers, in that both the 6502 technology and business model were instrumental in helping launch the personal computer revolution. After Peddle's death, Mensch wrote in memoriam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Group coded recording

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book

External links

• The Legendary Chuck Peddle, Inventor of the Personal Computer
• Video: Interview with Chuck Peddle for Scene World Magazine (2014)
• Video: An Interview with Chuck Peddle (The Amp Hour #241)
• Video: Oral History of Chuck Peddle (Interviewed by Doug Fairbairn and Stephen Diamond on 2014-06-12 in Mountain View, CA)
• Video: VCF East 4.0: History of Commodore, Pt 1: Chuck Peddle (2007)