4-bit computing


4-bit computing is the use of computer architectures in which integers and other data units are 4 bits wide. 4-bit central processing unit and arithmetic logic unit architectures are those that are based on registers or data buses of that size. A group of four bits is also called a nibble and has 24 = 16 possible values, with a range of 0 to 15.
4-bit computation is largely obsolete, i.e. CPUs supporting 4-bit as the maximum size, or 4-bit data bus; 4-bit microcontrollers can though still be bought as of 2025.
4-bit processors were widely used in electronic calculators and other roles where decimal math was used, like electronic cash registers, microwave oven timers, and so forth. This is because a 4-bit value holds a single binary-coded decimal digit, making it a natural size for directly processing decimal values. As a 4-bit value is generally too small to hold a memory address for real-world programs or data, the address bus of these systems was generally larger. For instance, the canonical 4-bit microprocessor, the Intel 4004, had a 12-bit address format.
4-bit designs were used only for a short period when integrated circuits were still expensive, and were found primarily in cost-sensitive roles. While 4-bit computing is mostly obsolete, 4-bit values are still used in the same decimal-centric roles they were developed for, and modern implementations are generally much wider and process multiple 4-bit values in parallel. By the 1990s, most such uses had been replaced by general purpose binary designs.

History

A 4-bit processor may seem limited, but it is a good match for calculators, where each decimal digit fits into four bits.
Some of the first microprocessors had a 4-bit word length and were developed around 1970. The first commercial microprocessor was the binary-coded decimal Intel 4004, developed for calculator applications in 1971; it had a 4-bit word length, but had 8-bit instructions and 12-bit addresses. It was succeeded by the Intel 4040, which added interrupt support and a variety of other new features.
The first commercial single-chip computer was the 4-bit Texas Instruments TMS 1000. It contained a 4-bit CPU with a Harvard architecture and 8-bit-wide instructions, an on-chip instruction ROM, and an on-chip data RAM with 4-bit words.
The Rockwell PPS-4 was another early 4-bit processor, introduced in 1972, which had a long lifetime in handheld games and similar roles. It was steadily improved and by 1975 been combined with several support chips to make a one-chip computer.
The 4-bit processors were programmed in assembly language or Forth, e.g. "MARC4 Family of 4 bit Forth CPU" because of the extreme size constraint on programs and because common programming languages, such as the C programming language, do not support 4-bit data types.
The 1970s saw the emergence of 4-bit software applications for mass markets like pocket calculators. During the 1980s, 4-bit microprocessors were used in handheld electronic games to keep costs low.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a number of research and commercial computers used bit slicing, in which the CPU's arithmetic logic unit was built from multiple 4-bit-wide sections, each section including a chip such as an Am2901 or 74181.
The Zilog Z80, although it is an 8-bit microprocessor, has a 4-bit ALU.
Although the Data General Nova is a series of 16-bit minicomputers, the original Nova and the Nova 1200 internally processed numbers 4 bits at a time with a 4-bit ALU, sometimes called "nybble-serial".
The HP Saturn processors, used in many Hewlett-Packard calculators between 1984 and 2003 are "4-bit" machines. They string multiple 4-bit words together, e.g. to form a 20-bit memory address, and most of the registers are 64 bits wide, storing 16 4-bit digits. Operations were performed nybble-serial.
In addition, some early calculators such as the 1967 Casio AL-1000, the 1972 Sinclair Executive, and the aforementioned 1984 HP Saturn had 4-bit datapaths that accessed their registers 4 bits at a time.

Uses

One bicycle computer specifies that it uses a "4 bit, 1-chip microcomputer". Other typical uses include coffee makers, infrared remote controls, and security alarms.
The processor in Barbie typewriters that can encrypt is a 4-bit microcontroller.
Several manufacturers used 4-bit microcontrollers in their early electronic games:
Western Digital used a 4-bit microcontroller as the basis for their WD2412 time-of-day clock.
The Grundy Newbrain computer uses a 4-bit microcontroller to manage its keyboard, tape I/O, and its built-in 16 character VF alphanumeric display.
The Apple Lisa utilizes a 4-bit microcontroller to control the keyboard, mouse, RTC, and soft power switch.

Details

With 4 bits, it is possible to create 16 different values. All single-digit hexadecimal numbers can be written with four bits.
Binary-coded decimal is a digital encoding method for numbers using decimal notation, with each decimal digit represented by four bits.

List of 4-bit processors

  • Intel 4004
  • Intel 4040
  • TMS 1000
  • Atmel MARC4 core
  • Samsung S3C7 4-bit microcontrollers
  • Toshiba TLCS-47 series
  • HP Saturn
  • NEC μPD75X
  • NEC μCOM-4
  • NEC μPD612xA, μPD613x, μPD6x and μPD1724x infrared remote control transmitter microcontrollers
  • EM Microelectronic-Marin EM6600 family, EM6580, EM6682, etc.
  • Epson S1C63 family
  • National Semiconductor "COPS I" and "COPS II" 4-bit microcontroller families
  • National Semiconductor MAPS MM570X
  • Sharp SM590/SM591/SM595
  • Sharp SM550/SM551/SM552
  • Sharp SM578/SM579
  • Sharp SM5E4
  • Sharp LU5E4POP
  • Sharp SM5J5/SM5J6
  • Sharp SM530
  • Sharp SM531
  • Sharp SM500
  • Sharp SM5K1
  • Sharp SM4A
  • Sharp SM510
  • Sharp SM511/SM512
  • Sharp SM563