Bank switching (also known as "paging", but only loosely related to the ordinary meaning of "paging" in computing) was a technique common in 8-bit microcomputer systems, to increase the amount of addressable RAM and ROM without extending the address bus. In computer operating systems, paging memory allocation algorithms divide computer memory into small partitions, and allocates memory using a page as the smallest building block. ... 8-bit refers to the number of bits used in the data bus of a computer. ... The Commodore 64 was one of the most popular microcomputers of its era, and is the best selling home computer of all time. ... Different types of RAM. From top to bottom: DIP, SIPP, SIMM 30 pin, SIMM 72 pin, DIMM, RIMM RAM redirects here. ... Read-only memory (ROM) is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. ...

Since 8-bit CPUs such as the Zilog Z80 and the MOS Technology 6502 series, with their 16-bit address registers, could only address a maximum of 64 KB of memory, 8-bit systems containing more than 64 KB of memory addressed the memory in 64 KB banks (or "pages") — in other words, although the system may have contained 128 KB or more, only 64 KB was ever addressed directly at one time. This scheme offered access to more memory at the cost of more complicated programming and somewhat poorer performance. CPU redirects here. ... One of the first Z80 microprocessors manufactured; the date stamp says well before July 1976. ... The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by MOS Technology in 1975. ... In computer science, 16-bit is an adjective used to describe integers that are at most two bytes wide, or to describe CPU architectures based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. ... A kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix kilo-, meaning 1000) is a unit of information or computer storage equal to either 1024 or 1000 bytes. ...

While bank switching was less efficient than switching to a processor with a wider address bus would have been, it was an inexpensive way to increase the shelf life of several computer lines of the 1980s and it provided a high degree of backward compatibility with earlier systems: for example, the Apple //e, //c, and Apple /// could run software written for the Apple II+, and the Commodore 128 could run all the software of its much more prevalent predecessor, the C64 (which had already employed bank switching to allow for 64KB of RAM and still provide for ROM as well). Accessing the lower 64 KB part of memory was as simple as addressing the first (lowest) bank. The Atari 130XE used a similar technique, but added the ability for its two processors (the 6502 and the ANTIC) to access separate banks. This allowed programmers to make large playfields and other graphic objects without using up the memory visible to the CPU. MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1977 Apple II, complete with integrated keyboard, color graphics, sound, a plastic case, and eight expansion slots. ... Apple III The Apple III, or Apple /// as it was sometimes styled, was the first completely new computer designed by Apple Computer, Inc. ... The Commodore 128 is a home/personal computer, also known as the C128. ... For the hip hop group, see Commodore 64 (band). ... An Atari 800XL, one of the most popular machines in the series. ... AntiC (or JLint) is a programming tool for finding programming errors in source code. ...

In 1988 the companies Lotus, Intel and Microsoft agreed on a specification called Expanded Memory System (EMS, also stated as LIM-EMS) for use in IBM PC compatible computers running MS-DOS. It was a form of bank switching technique that allowed more than the 640 KB of RAM foreseen by the original IBM PC architecture, by letting it appear piecewise in a 64KB "window" located in the Upper Memory Area. Some computer games made use of this, and the feature is nowadays emulated by later Microsoft Windows operating systems to provide backwards compatibility with those programs. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lotus Software (called Lotus Development Corporation before its acquisition by IBM) is an American software company with its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC, SEHK: 4335), founded in 1968 as Integrated Electronics Corporation, is an American multinational corporation that is best known for designing and manufacturing microprocessors and specialized integrated circuits. ... Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is an international computer technology corporation with 2005 global annual sales of US$42. ... EMS or Expanded Memory Specification is an IBM PC memory paging scheme enabling access to memory other than conventional memory in real mode, through the use of an add-on peripheral holding the additional memory. ... One of the first PCs from IBM - the IBM PC model 5150. ... Microsofts disk operating system, MS-DOS, was Microsofts implementation of DOS, which was the first popular operating system for the IBM PC, and until recently, was widely used on the PC compatible platform. ... The Upper Memory Area (UMA) is a feature of the design of IBM PC-compatible x86 computers. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... This article is about emulation in computer science. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... An operating system (OS) is a software program that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer. ...

Bank switching was also utilized in some video game consoles. The Atari 2600, for instance, could only address 4 KB of ROM, so later 2600 game cartridges contained their own bank switching hardware in order to permit the use of more ROM and thus allow for more sophisticated games (via more program code and, equally important, larger amounts of gameworld data such as graphics and sound). The Nintendo NES contained a modified 6502 but its cartridges sometimes contained a megabit or more of ROM, addressed via bank switching called a Multi-Memory Controller. Game Boy cartridges used a chip called MBC (Memory Bank Controller), which not only offered ROM bank switching, but also cartridge SRAM bank switching, and even access to such features as infrared links or rumble motors. A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ... The Atari 2600, released in 1977, is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. ... In a variety of electronic equipments, a cartridge (in video game terms, cart, game pack, or Game Pak) can be one method of programming different functionality, providing variable content, or a method by which consumables may be replenished. ... NES redirects here. ... The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by MOS Technology in 1975. ... The megabit is a unit of information storage, abbreviated Mbit or sometimes Mb. ... Multi-Memory Controllers (MMC) are different kinds of special chips designed by various video game developers for use in Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) cartridges. ... The original Game Boys design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles. ...

Bank switching was later replaced by segmentation in 16-bit systems, which in turn was replaced by paging memory management units. On the Intel x86 architecture, a memory segment is the portion of memory which may be addressed by a single index register without changing a 16-bit segment selector. ... In computer operating systems, paging memory allocation algorithms divide computer memory into small partitions, and allocates memory using a page as the smallest building block. ... MMU, short for Memory Management Unit, is a class of computer hardware components responsible for handling memory accesses requested by the CPU. Among the functions of such devices are the translation of virtual addresses to physical addresses (i. ...

Computers using bank switching

• Amstrad CPC
• Amstrad PCW
• Apple //e & //c
• Apple ///
• Commodore 128
• ZX Spectrum 128 models