General Instrument
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
General Instrument (GI) was a Chicago, IL based diversified electronics manufacturer which specialised in semiconductors and cable television equipment. The company was active until 1997, when it split into General Semiconductor (power semiconductors), CommScope and NextLevel Systems (the cable and satellite TV division, which later reverted to GI name). The new (post-split) General Instrument Corporation was later acquired by Motorola and became the Motorola Connected Home Solutions division. Donald Rumsfeld served as CEO of General Instrument from 1990 to 1993.
[edit] American Totalisator Corporation/AmTote
American Totalisator was a division of General Instrument Corp. It manufactured tote boards for the horse racing industry. It is now owned by horse-track operator [[Magna Entertainment Corporation].
[edit] Jerrold
GI's original cable TV brand, active from 1948 into the early 1990s. Around 1993, GI dropped the Jerrold branding.
[edit] GI Microelectronics
GI Microelectronics was a manufacturer of LSI circuits and a pioneer in MOS technology and EAROM (Electrically Alterable ROM), with both off-the-shelf and custom circuits. GI spun the division off as Microchip Technology in 1989.
In 1980, their product catalog included:
- 16-bit Microprocessor: 1600 and 1610, a 16-bit CPU, used in the GIMINI TV-game set and in Mattel's Intellivision
- 8-bit Microcontroller: The PIC1650, an NMOS chip. The CMOS version of this chip is the basis of today's PIC microcontrollers
- ROM
- EAROM
- Telecommunications chips
Other products were the SP0256, a single-chip speech generator, and the famous AY-3-8910/11/12 series of sound chips.
