79 adverts that feature the MOS Technology 6502

Designed by a team led by Chuck Peddle, and including Bill Mensch and several other ex-Motorola engineers, the 6502 - launched in September 1975 - was in essence a budget version of Motorola's 6800 CPU.

Much cheaper than any of its competition, its launch triggered a significant drop in CPU prices and helped to kick off the home computer revolution. It ended up - along with the Zilog Z80 - dominating the market throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s.

The 6502 and its variants ended up in many of the top sellers of the era including the Atari VCS/2600, plus Atari's other micros up until the ST, most of Commodore's machines including the PET, VIC-20, C64 and Plus/4, the Nintendo Famicom, the Apple II, and many of Acorn's micros including the Atom and BBC Micro.

Its use at Acorn was said to have directly inspired the development of the ARM architecture - the processor that powers billions of mobile phones.


MOS Technology

Ohio Scientific

Ohio Scientific

Apple

Commodore

Commodore

Ohio Scientific

Atari

Apple

Atari

Commodore

Acorn

Apple

Acorn

Commodore

Acorn

Commodore

ITT

Compukit

ACT / Computhink

Tangerine

Acorn

Acorn

Rockwell

Commodore

Apple

Acorn

Commodore

Commodore

Tangerine

Commodore

Commodore

Commodore

Pearcom

Acorn

Commodore

Commodore

Commodore

Commodore

Commodore

Commodore

Commodore

Apple

Apple

Atari

Franklin

Acorn

Commodore

Oric

Acorn

Apple

Tangerine

Commodore

Commodore

Multitech

Acorn

Commodore

Atari

Oric

Acorn

Microtanic

Commodore

Apple

Commodore

Atari

Acorn

Atari

Oric

Xcalibur

Acorn

Acorn

Oric

Acorn

Torch

Acorn

Acorn

Acorn

Commodore

Acorn