12-bit computing: Difference between revisions

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References: Probably "odd" enough to be mentioned in the context of 12 bits, although FAT12 is typically implemented on 16-bit and 32-bit machines (also some 8-bit and 64-bit ones)
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Possibly the best-known '''12-bit''' CPU is the [[PDP-8]] and its relatives, such as [[Intersil 6100]] microprocessor produced in various incarnations from August 1963 to mid-1990. Many [[Analog-to-digital converter|analog to digital converters]] (ADCs) have a 12-bit resolution. Some [[PIC microcontroller]]s use a 12-bit word size.
 
12 binary digits, or 3 nibbles (a 'tribble'), have 4096 (10000 [[octal]], 1000 [[hexadecimal]]) distinct combinations. Hence, a microprocessor with 12-bit memory addresses can directly access 4096 [[Word (computer architecture)|words]] (4 Kw) of [[word-addressable]] memory. At a time when [[six-bit character code]]s were common a 12-bit word, which could hold two characters, was a convenient size.
 
==List of 12-bit computer systems==