A 50-year-old hardware enthusiast has built a homebrew ISA accelerator card for the Intel 8086 and 8088 CPU systems, significantly improving integer multiplication performance by 250%. The card uses a TRW MPY12HJ parallel multiplier chip from the 1980s to offload MUL instructions from the CPU. This allows for faster multiplication processing, which can be beneficial for retro gaming and other applications that rely on these older systems. However, the accelerator only works with custom-coded apps or those using source code, as pre-compiled apps will not utilize its capabilities.
The creator’s project is an interesting example of how hobbyists continue to tinker with outdated hardware to improve performance. While it may not be necessary in modern times, this project showcases the ingenuity and resourcefulness of enthusiasts who still work with vintage technology.
Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/hobbyist-builds-a-homebrew-intel-8086-isa-accelerator-card-makers-project-improves-integer-multiplication-on-these-retro-systems-by-250-percent