hi steve

thanks for the responce.perhaps my question should not have
been limited to the "z80" specifically,as zilog does have several
chips with built in ctc,pio,watchdog timer etc...there are several
features that are unique to 8051/52--with advantage.. but in
first viewing of 8051/52 and comparison, my position is the
z80 is a superior machine (though improvement can be realized)--
but like cars, some would not own a chevy and others will only
buy a ford..so my question perhaps is more historically based...
and your statements in the last paragraph are interesting...
perhaps the z80 came about too late?

non the less--have you looked at the aduc812/824 yet ?
sure is nice to see an all in one--going to save a lot of
real estate with this chip..

reg-jack