Comment by masklinn
3 years ago
> IIRC the B777 engine controllers are still m68k. Discontinued in 1995.
That seems sensible? You’d need a really compelling reason to rewrite the entire control software and recertify the engine to match. Especially for an engine which has seen no order in 15 years.
The planes are still in service and need new engines and even existing engines require spare parts.
What I heard was that there was quite a scramble to buy up all existing supply and also talk some alternate manufacturers into continuing production at a low rate.
B777 was introduced in 1995. Having an engine controller that is obsolete and not available any more at the moment it is launched, seems a bit shortsighted to me.
Then again it works, the planes are flying in the end it's fine.
> B777 was introduced in 1995. Having an engine controller that is obsolete and not available any more at the moment it is launched, seems a bit shortsighted to me.
First, in 1995 Motorola stopped development of the ISA, that says nothing about chip manufacturing which is what RR or airlines would care for. Ti launched the 68k-powered 89 three years later, and only switched away with the N-Spire CAS in 2007. Pilots launched 68k-powered Pilots in 1997.
Second, the early 90s were a time of flux for ISA and you could not necessarily know the plans of your provider, the 68k probably looked quite reasonable when RR started developing the Trents in the mid 80s. RR launched the 777’s 800 in 1991. And even after that, 68ks powered much of the early 80s and early 90s.
All sorts of ancient architecture chips are still being made. 6502, z80, 8081, 386