# An Interview With Chuck Peddle - Charismatic Chipmaking Coryphaeus

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2015-03-20
- Length: 2h 59m
- Episode: 241
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/241-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus/

## Summary

Chuck Peddle, the inventor of the 6502 microprocessor, recounts how he designed the chip at MOS Technology to undercut Motorola’s expensive 6800, selling it for $25 to spark the personal computer revolution. He details the creation of the Commodore PET and VIC-20, his work with Atari on the Pong successor, and his role in establishing BASIC as the standard for early PCs. Peddle also discusses his later ventures, including Sirius Systems Technology’s MS-DOS machines and his current work on high-performance SSDs using repaired DRAM.

## Chapters

- [0:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=36) Introduction: Chuck Peddle and the 6502
- [6:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=378) Distributed Intelligence and Motorola's 6800
- [25:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=1528) Leaving Motorola to Build the 6502
- [29:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=1790) The $25 6502 and Commodore PET
- [49:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=2940) Commodore, MOS Technology, and the Calculator Crash
- [1:05:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=3944) The PET, VIC-20, and C64 Era
- [1:22:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=4949) Sirius Systems Technology and MS-DOS
- [1:49:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=6541) The Shift from DRAM to Flash and SSDs
- [2:05:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=7553) Current Work: DRAM-based SSDs and Manufacturing
- [2:28:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus#t=8930) Education, 3D Printing, and Industry History

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- 6502 (chip)
- Motorola (company)
- Commodore (company)
- PET (product)
- VIC-20 (product)
- C64 (product)
- Atari (company)
- Pong (product)
- MOS Technology (company)
- Sirius Systems Technology (company)
- MS-DOS (product)
- IBM (company)
- Apple (company)
- Steve Jobs (other)
- Bill Gates (other)
- Micron (company)
- Seagate (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [468: Designed to Kill All Humans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2024-01-12-468-designed-to-kill-all-humans) (Embedded.fm)
- [Federico Faggin designed the first microprocessor and the capacitive touchscreen. He joins Go/No-Go to argue that AI cannot be conscious, however capable it becomes.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-06-26-federico-faggin-designed-the-first-microprocessor-and-the-capacitive-touchscreen) (Go/No-Go)
- [424: Between Midnight and 6am](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-08-11-424-between-midnight-and-6am) (Embedded.fm)
- [Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-02-27-atari-chuck-e-cheeses-nolan-bushnell) (How I Built This)
- [This Week in Electronics History: The 1st Microprocessor](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor) (EE Times Current)

## Citing this page

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