The Beginnings

The first generation chip was developed in 1985 as the HCTL-1000. Soon after, it was replaced by the HCTL-1100 with only minor changes. The HCTL-1100 gained wide acceptance initially but has not kept pace with industry improvements.

How the Industry Changed

The HCTL-1100 motion control IC has not been updated or internal problems corrected over the last 20 years. Mektronix saw an opportunity to provide a new design that offers plug-in compatibility with state-of-the-art features. The MCP-1200 offers an easy upgrade path for existing users so their designs may benefit from the high performance of the chip. The chip design is optimized for high volume / low cost applications.

Spin-offs and Buy-outs

Hewlett Packard spun off the chip business and formed Agilent Technologies in 1999. Then in 2005 KKR and Silver Lake Partners took over the chip business. The chip has now been discontinued. Greg Mayworm of Mektronix Technology, Inc. has stated "Mektronix will continue to support the HCTL-1100 as well as offer an upgrade path with our new MCP-1200 chip".

Current Industry Offerings

The new backwards compatible MCP-1200 chip with enhanced features may be ordered from Mektronix with part number MCP-1200EPJ. The advanced chip is available in PLCC and micro lead-frame (QFN) packages and costs less than $10 in OEM quantities. The MCP-1200 has many unique features and performance enhancements.

Learn more about the MCP-1200»