The 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was first introduced in 1975 by MOS Technology. It became one of the most widely used CPUs of the 1980s due to its low cost, high performance, and versatility.
The 6502 was used in a variety of popular home computers and game consoles of the era, including the Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari 2600, and Nintendo Entertainment System. It was also used in some industrial and scientific applications.
The 6502 has a 16-bit address bus and an 8-bit data bus. It has a clock speed of up to 3.5 MHz and can address up to 64KB of memory. It has a simple, elegant design that makes it easy to understand and program, even for beginners.
The instruction set of the 6502 is relatively small and efficient, with only 56 instructions. It uses a stack-based architecture and supports various addressing modes, including absolute, zero page, and indirect.
Despite its age, the 6502 is still used by hobbyists and retro enthusiasts today. Its simplicity and popularity make it a popular choice for homebrew computers and retro gaming projects.