Editing Motorola 68000 (section)

==Applications==
IBM considered the 68000 for the IBM PC but chose the [[Intel 8088]]; however, IBM Instruments briefly sold the 68000-based [[IBM System 9000]] laboratory computer systems. The 68k instruction set is particularly well suited to implement Unix,<ref name="byte198609">{{Cite magazine |last1=Rood |first1=Andrew L. |last2=Cline |first2=Robert C. |last3=Brewster |first3=Jon A. |date=September 1986 |title=UNIX and the MC68000 |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1986-09/1986_09_BYTE_11-09_The_68000_Family#page/n189/mode/2up |magazine=[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]] |page=179}}</ref> and the 68000 and its successors became the dominant CPUs for Unix-based [[workstation]]s including [[Sun workstation]]s and [[Apollo/Domain]] workstations.

In 1981, Motorola introduced the [[Motorola 68000 Educational Computer Board]], a single-board computer for educational and training purposes which in addition to the 68000 itself contained memory, I/O devices, programmable timer and wire-wrap area for custom circuitry. The board remained in use in US colleges as a tool for learning assembly programming until the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TSYLAAAAQBAJ&dq=motorola+68000+ecbecb&pg=PA485 |title=The Atmel AVR Microcontroller: MEGA and XMEGA in Assembly and C |date=14 January 2013 |publisher=Han-Way Huang |isbn=978-1285500089 |access-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410184603/https://books.google.com/books?id=TSYLAAAAQBAJ&dq=motorola+68000+ecbecb&pg=PA485 |url-status=live }}</ref>

At its introduction, the 68000 was first used in high-priced systems, including multiuser [[microcomputer]]s like the [[Wicat Systems|WICAT]] 150,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=254 |title=museum ~ WICAT 150 |publisher=Old-computers.com |access-date=2013-09-27 |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012060639/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=254 |url-status=live }}</ref> early [[Alpha Microsystems]] computers, [[SAGE Computer Technology|Sage II / IV]], [[Tandy Corporation|Tandy]] 6000 / [[TRS-80 Model 16]], and [[Fortune 32:16]]; single-user [[workstation]]s such as [[Hewlett-Packard]]'s [[HP 9000]] Series 200 systems, the first [[Apollo/Domain]] systems, [[Sun Microsystems]]' [[Sun-1]], and the [[Corvus Concept]]; and graphics [[Computer terminal|terminals]] like [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]'s [[VAXstation]] 100 and [[Silicon Graphics]]' IRIS 1000 and 1200. [[Unix]] systems rapidly moved to the more capable later generations of the 68k line, which remained popular in that market throughout the 1980s.

By the mid-1980s, falling production cost made the 68000 viable for use in [[personal computer]]s starting with the [[Apple Lisa]] and [[Macintosh 128K|Macintosh]], and followed by the [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], and [[X68000]].

The [[Sinclair QL]] microcomputer, along with its derivatives, such as the ICL [[One Per Desk]] business terminal, was the most commercially important utilisation of the 68008. Helix Systems (in Missouri, United States) designed an extension to the [[SWTPC]] [[SS-50 bus]], the SS-64, and produced systems built around the 68008 processor. 68000<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser026-Sep84/page/n154/mode/1up |title=Acorn User September 1984 – Unicorn: Cheapest Route to Unix |publisher=Acorn User |access-date=2024-12-06}}</ref> and 68008<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/8bit_Upgrades/Cumana_680082ndProcessor.html |title=Cumana 68008 2nd processor |publisher=Chris Whytehead |access-date=2024-12-06}}</ref> second processors were released for the BBC Micro in 1984 and 1985 respectively, and according to Steve Furber contributed to Acorn developing the ARM.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thechipletter.substack.com/p/the-arm-story-part-1-from-acorns-6e2 |title=The Arm Story Part 1: From Acorns |publisher=The Chip Letter |access-date=2024-12-06}}</ref>

While the adoption of [[Reduced instruction set computer|RISC]] and x86 displaced the 68000 series as desktop/workstation CPU, the processor found substantial use in [[Embedded system|embedded]] applications. By the early 1990s, quantities of 68000 CPUs could be purchased for less than 30&nbsp;[[United States dollar|USD]] per part.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The 68000 also saw great success as an embedded controller. As early as 1981, [[laser printer]]s such as the Imagen Imprint-10 were controlled by external boards equipped with the 68000. The first [[HP LaserJet]], introduced in 1984, came with a built-in 8&nbsp;MHz 68000. Other printer manufacturers adopted the 68000, including Apple with its introduction of the [[LaserWriter]] in 1985, the first [[PostScript]] laser printer. The 68000 continued to be widely used in printers throughout the rest of the 1980s, persisting well into the 1990s in low-end printers.

The 68000 was successful in the field of industrial control systems. Among the systems benefited from having a 68000 or derivative as their microprocessor were families of [[programmable logic controller]]s (PLCs) manufactured by [[Allen-Bradley]], [[Texas Instruments]] and subsequently, following the acquisition of that division of TI, by [[Siemens]]. Users of such systems do not accept product obsolescence at the same rate as domestic users, and it is entirely likely that despite having been installed over 20 years ago, many 68000-based controllers will continue in reliable service well into the 21st century.

In a number of [[Digital storage oscilloscope|digital oscilloscopes]] from the 80s,<ref>Philips PM3320 250 MS/s Dual Channel Digital Storage Oscilloscope Service Manual, Section 8.6, ordering code 4822 872 05315.</ref> the 68000 has been used as a waveform display processor; some models including the [[LeCroy Corporation|LeCroy]] 9400/9400A<ref>LeCroy 9400/9400A Digital Oscilloscope Service Manual, Section 1.1.1.3 Microprocessor, August 1990.</ref> also use the 68000 as a waveform math processor (including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of two waveforms/references/waveform memories), and some digital oscilloscopes using the 68000 (including the 9400/9400A) can also perform [[fast Fourier transform]] functions on a waveform.

The [[Freescale 683XX|683XX]] microcontrollers, based on the 68000 architecture, are used in networking and telecom equipment, television set-top boxes, laboratory and medical instruments, and even handheld calculators. The MC68302 and its derivatives have been used in many telecom products from Cisco, 3com, Ascend, Marconi, Cyclades and others. Past models of the [[Palm (PDA)|Palm]] PDAs and the [[Handspring Visor]] used the [[Freescale DragonBall|DragonBall]], a derivative of the 68000. [[AlphaSmart]] used the DragonBall family in later versions of its portable word processors. [[Texas Instruments]] used the 68000 in its high-end graphing calculators, the [[TI-89]] and [[TI-92]] series and [[TI-92#Voyage 200|Voyage 200]].

A modified version of the 68000 formed the basis of the [[PC-based IBM-compatible mainframes|IBM XT/370]] hardware emulator of the System 370 processor.

===Video games===
[[File:burning force pcb.PNG|thumb|250px|Two Hitachi 68HC000 CPUs being used on an arcade-game PCB]]

[[Video game]] manufacturers used the 68000 as the backbone of many [[arcade game]]s and home [[Video game console|game consoles]]: Atari's ''[[Food Fight (video game)|Food Fight]]'', from 1982, was one of the first 68000-based arcade games. Others included [[Sega]]'s [[Sega System 16|System 16]], [[Capcom]]'s [[CP System]] and [[CP System II]], and [[SNK]]'s [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]]. By the late 1980s, the 68000 was inexpensive enough to power home game consoles, such as Sega's [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] console, and also the [[Sega CD]] attachment for it (a Sega CD system has three CPUs, two of them 68000s). The 68000 is also used as the main CPU of Sega's [[Sega Pico|Pico]], a young children's educational game console. The multi-processor [[Atari Jaguar]] console from 1993 used the 68000 as a support chip, however, due to familiarity, some developers used it as the primary processor. Sega's [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] console from 1994 used the 68000 as a sound co-processor. In October 1995, the 68000 made it into Sega's [[Genesis Nomad]], a [[handheld game console]], as its CPU.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Retroinspection: Sega Nomad|last=Hunt|first=Stuart|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|date=2009-10-06|issue=69|page=47}}</ref>

Certain arcade games (such as ''[[Steel Gunner]]'' and others based on [[Namco System 2]]) use a dual 68000 CPU configuration,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://code.google.com/p/nonamemame/source/browse/src/drivers/namcos2.c?r=7abd17923eae3f6ed6cc76cfbd970157b2efd882|title=Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting.|website=code.google.com|access-date=2016-01-15|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914195057/https://code.google.com/archive/p/nonamemame/source|url-status=live}}</ref> and systems with a triple 68000 CPU configuration also exist (such as ''[[Galaxy Force (video game)|Galaxy Force]]'' and others based on the Sega Y Board),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/jv4779/openlase-mame/blob/master/xmame-0.106/src/drivers/segaybd.c|title=openlase-mame/segaybd.c at master - jv4779/openlase-mame|website=GitHub|access-date=2016-01-15|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209051124/https://github.com/jv4779/openlase-mame/blob/master/xmame-0.106/src/drivers/segaybd.c|url-status=live}}</ref> along with a quad 68000 CPU configuration, which has been used by [[Jaleco]] (one 68000 for sound has a lower clock rate compared to the other 68000 CPUs)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://code.google.com/p/nonamemame/source/browse/src/drivers/cischeat.c?r=edbd288e773e4cdc2ef6d90ca6f6f5984b1574f4&spec=svne6ae7fccf21deeb280b1f25be7ea66ae6fdeb29e |title=Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting |website=code.google.com |access-date=2016-01-15 |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914195058/https://code.google.com/archive/p/nonamemame/source |url-status=live }}</ref> for games such as ''[[Big Run (arcade game)|Big Run]]'' and ''[[Cisco Heat]]''; another, fifth 68000 (at a different clock rate than the other 68000 CPUs) was used in the Jaleco arcade game ''[[Wild Pilot]]'' for [[input/output]] (I/O) processing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/mamedev/historic-mess/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/cischeat.c|title=historic-mess/cischeat.c at master - mamedev/historic-mess|website=GitHub|access-date=2016-01-15|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125070516/https://github.com/mamedev/historic-mess/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/cischeat.c|url-status=live}}</ref>