BNR XMS Workstations
computer hardware: workstation
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br />(by Z. Stachniak)<br /><br />In 1971, Bell Canada and Northern Electric (renamed Northern Telecom in 1976) established Bell-Northern Research (BNR) -- a common telecommunications research and development entity. BNR played a crucial role in Northern's evolution into a leading global provider of fully digital telecommunications solutions. In 1975, Northern launched the BNR-designed SL-1 -- the first digital switching system in commercial service. Four years later, Northern introduced the DMS-100 digital switch, which seamlessly integrated switching and transmission capabilities (DMS: digital multiplex switch). The widespread adoption of the DMS-100 propelled Northern to the forefront of the global telecommunications industry.<br /><br />The experience gained during the design of the DMS-100 prompted BNR to establish a Computing Technology Development Group in 1979. As described in [2], the group's objectives were:<br />
<ul>
<li>creating the foundational computing components for Northern Telecom's future products;</li>
<li>developing tools essential for software development for these products;</li>
<li>exploring emerging computing technology trends and ensuring a continuous flow of relevant technologies into BNR's operations.</li>
</ul>
Initially, the Computing Technology Development Group, informally referred to as the XMS group, was comprised of Peter Cashin, who previously led the original core development team for the DMS computer systems, Neil Gammage (systems software: OS and systems), Jean Jervis (systems software: OS), Ragui Kamel (software: compilers), Bill Williams (software architecture), and Rick Workman (hardware/software integration). Shortly thereafter, Liam Casey (distributed software architecture) and Kerry Zoehner (file systems) joined the group. Over time, the XMS group expanded to include more than 100 engineers primarily based in Ottawa.<br /><br />The primary task of the group involved researching and defining hardware and software architectures that could form the basis of a distributed computing network to support the development of future BNR products. The resulting architecture, named XMS (eXtended Multicomputer System), was defined as a cluster of processing nodes (such as workstations, file servers, communication servers, printing servers, etc.) interconnected by a single high-speed local area network and operated under concurrent software. As articulated in [2], "XMS creates a single, powerful system from loosely coupled microcomputers. Programs work together across nodes, making systemwide resource management transparent and distributed-system design simpler." Detailed information regarding both the hardware and software architectures of XMS can be found in [1] and [2].<br /><br />The first XMS system was deployed at BNR in 1981. It was the XMS Software Development Environment (SDE) whose main purpose was to provide the computing facilities and resources essential for supporting XMS-based projects. The system comprised several XMS personal workstations, a file server, a print server, and a communications server. The majority of XMS SDE software was developed using BNR Pascal. This language, an extension of UCSD Pascal (designed at the University of California, San Diego), incorporated ADA-like tasks and concurrency features implemented in XMS. Alongside XMS system software and the BNR Pascal, the SDE environment featured a robust file system called Helix and an array of software development utility programs, including:<br />
<ul>
<li>editors: text and graphics editors,</li>
<li>software development tools: compilers, assemblers, dissassemblers, linkers, etc.,</li>
<li>analysis tools: debuggers, profilers, test tools, cross referencers, etc.</li>
<li>document preparation package: support for text and graphics, spellcheckers, index generator,</li>
<li>LAN communication: messaging and bulletin board,</li>
<li>IBM communication: passthrough and file transfer,</li>
<li>project management tools: source management, problem database and project tracking.</li>
</ul>
The XMS was a proprietary platform. Although built from commercially available components, initially it could not take advantage of commercially available software, or engaging external development groups. In response, the XMS group developed a facility called Distributed Unix (or DUX), enabling the loading and execution of Unix applications within the XMS system.<br /><br />The SDE offered a robust and adaptable environment for software development. It also demonstrated the effectiveness of the XMS platform when combined with suitable software. As emphasized in [1], "A major benefit of the deployment of XMS SDE systems has been the designer's ability to both develop and test systems on the same hardware."<br /><br />According to data provided in [2], by 1985, approximately 2,000 workstations in 25 XMS networks were operational across 15 geographic locations spanning from California to Europe. However, despite numerous successful applications of the XMS platforms, such as the Nortel Meridian PBX family, significant factors ultimately led to the decline of XMS developments at BNR. In the February 2024 interview for the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, University of Auckland, Peter Cashin summarized the root cause of the disbanding of the XMS group in the late 1980s as follows:<br /><br /> <em>The [XMS] project was technically successful... We thought we had a </em><em>better solution<br /> than Unix, with nice multi-computer inter-process </em><em>messaging...</em><br /><br /><em> But the writing was on the wall, the use of C and Unix was spreading, </em><em>and the<br /> commercial computing industry was going to be able to supply </em><em>the needs for<br /> telecom. The necessity for our own hardware was gone, </em><em>and the advantages<br /> of our own systems software was shrinking. It was </em><em>a computer industry opportunity, <br /> and Nortel made the decision that it </em><em>was not getting into the computer business.</em><br /><br /><strong>The XMS Workstations</strong><br /><br />The XMS SDE systems utilized workstations designed at BNR by John Perry. These workstations were conceived to function as development platforms as well as the foundation for future products. Over the course of the XMS project, four distinct models were developed. Each of these models was built around a microprocessor from the Motorola 68000 family. Initially, all XMS prototypes and models 1 and 2 featured the Motorola 68000-x microprocessors. However, in later iterations, models 3 and 4 incorporated the Motorola 68010 and 68020 CPUs. For external storage, the workstations initially relied on 8" floppy drives but later also incorporating a 10M-Byte Winchester hard disk. User interaction was facilitated through a standalone video display terminal, which provided both keyboard input and display.<br /><br />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Model</th>
<th>CPU</th>
<th>ROM</th>
<th>RAM</th>
<th>external<br />storage</th>
<th>display/<br />keyboard</th>
<th>exp.<br />slots</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0</td>
<td>MC6800-06</td>
<td>65,536 bits<br />MM2716<br />eproms</td>
<td>4 SIP-like<br />memory cards<br />294,912 bits each,<br />AM9016 RAMs</td>
<td>two 8" floppy<br />disk drives</td>
<td>external<br />terminal</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>MC6800-08</td>
<td>137,072 bits<br />HN462732G<br />eproms</td>
<td>4 memory cards<br />1,179,648 bits each,<br />HM4864-2 RAMs</td>
<td>two 8" floppy<br />disk drives</td>
<td>external<br />terminal</td>
<td>8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<strong>Table</strong>: Technical specifications of one of the XMS prototypes ("model 0") and of model 2. <br /><br /><strong>Museum Holdings</strong><br /><br />
<ul>
<li>XMS prototype ("model 0", second image below),</li>
<li>XMS Model 2 (first image below),</li>
<li>8" floppy disk drive (x 2) for XMS mode 1,</li>
<li>other related items are listed in the Nortel archive.</li>
</ul>
<br /><br /><strong>Bibliography</strong><br /><br />[1] Gammage N. and Casey, L., XMS: A Rendezvous-Based Distributed System Software Architecture, <em>IEEE Software</em>, vol. 2, no. 3 (1985), pp. 9-19.<br /><br />[2] Kamel, R.F., Software Development in a Distributed Environment: The XMS System, In: Conradi, R., Didriksen, T.M., Wanvik, D.H. (eds) <br /><em>Advanced Programming Environments,</em> Springer LNCS, vol 244 (1987), pp. 126-141.<br /><br />[3] Cashin, P. and Carpenter, B.E., <em>An Overseas Experience with Hypertext and Packet Switching</em>, CDMTCS-577, Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand (February 2024).
1980s, North America, Europe
J.L.S. Computers
computer hardware
<strong>Historical context</strong><br />(by Z. Stachniak) <br /><br />The North American personal and home computer market of the late 1970s and early 1980s, witnessed a proliferation of manufacturers and rapid growth in computer sales. In 1980, Apple Computer sold 130,000 Apple ][s while Tandy sold 175,000 of its TRS-80 computers. By the end of 1982, there were over 800,000 Commodore VIC-20s world-wide. The sales reached the one million mark in early 1983. These numbers were particularly noteworthy when juxtaposed with the global sales of mini and mainframe computers during the same period. <br /><br />On August 12, 1981, IBM entered personal computer market with its announcement of the Personal Computer (PC). Much to IBM's surprise, the business community, traditionally hesitant to adopt microcomputers, responded with overwhelming enthusiasm. By the close of 1981, IBM had sold tens of thousands of its PCs, facing challenges in keeping up with the escalating demand. The momentum persisted as IBM sold 538,000 PCs in 1983, a figure that more than doubled in the following year with sales climbing to 1,375,000 units (see [1]). The success of the IBM PC in the marketplace, coupled with its informal adoption as de facto industry standard for business desktop computers, had a positive impact on software and hardware compatibility. Numerous software and hardware companies promptly capitalized on the PC's surging popularity and IBM's disclosure of the machine's design. IBM PC-compatible systems began cropping up everywhere, offering compatible functionality and performance at a lower price. However, the introduction of the IBM PC also had a detrimental effect on the diverse microcomputing landscape. Many computer manufacturers, opting to resist IBM's entry into the PC market and defend the unique hardware platforms of their computers, were forced out of the personal computer market or closed their doors altogether. By the mid-1980s, the vast and lucrative PC market became saturated with IBM PC-compatible computers and IBM PC clones — affordable microcomputers that were both hardware and software compatible with IBM PC (and later, IBM XT and AT) products.<br /><br />Possibly the earliest IBM PC compatible computers were manufactured by Compaq Computer Corp. in the U.S. (the Compaq Portable) and Dynalogic Info-Tech. in Canada (the Hyperion). These two companies were soon followed by a fast growing group of other manufacturers who were cloning not only the IBM PC hardware but also its case and documentation. In many cases, the only visual distinction between these IBM PC clones and the IBM PC was the absence of the `IBM PC' logo on the computer's case. Notably, even the documentation and packaging for these clones mimicked the style and packaging of the original IBM PC documentation. <br /><br />The Canadian PC cloning industry was particularly strong in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Compiling a comprehensive list of Canadian manufacturers of IBM clones proves challenging due to the clandestine nature of the industry. Many clones were offered with unauthorized copies of the Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) program compelling the "cloners" to conceal any traces that could reveal their identity. Nevertheless, the list of reputable cloners adhering to industry regulations is long and includes, among other manufacturers, Microelectronics (Richmond, BC), Aftek (North York, ON), Computech Micro Designs (Mississauga, ON), Dynalogic (Ottawa, ON), ECS Computers (Mississauga, ON), IDM Research Industries (Etobicoke, ON), COR BIT Computer Industries Ltd. (Toronto, ON), Dynasty (Mississauga, ON), Exceltronics Components and Computing (Toronto), HAL Computer Company (Toronto, ON), J.L.S. (Toronto, ON), Lanpar (Toronto, ON), Soltech Industries Inc. (Surrey, BC), Solare (Quebec, QC), and Universal Computer Systems (Montreal, QC). <br /><br />In 1983, Joe Loren Sutherland founded J.L.S. Research (later renamed as J.L.S. Computers) in Toronto while he was working at Exceltronix—a prominent electronic store in 1980s Toronto—repairing computer hardware. Sutherland began his professional carrier as an electrical designer and detailer working at Ontario Electric on lightning and power installations. Then came his involvement with film industry and photo-electric art during his studies at Toronto's Ontario College of Art. However, the rapid development of desktop and home computing industry turned Sutherland attention to computer hardware design. His first single-board computer was the result of the major redesign of the popular Big Board II single-board computer designed by Jim Ferguson. Operating under the CP/M operating system, Sutherland's computer seamlessly ran "classic" CP/M software, including the Wordstar word processor from MicroPro International Corp., the Supercalc spreadsheet from Sorcim Corp., and MBASIC from Microsoft. When it was offered in 1983, the J.L.S. board was arguably one of the most advanced and cost-effective Z80-based computers in the Canadian market. In a 1983 article titled "The Legend of J.L.S." published in <em>Computing Now!</em>, Steve Rimmer characterized Sutherland's company as follows:<br /><br />"J.L.S. Computers has the distinction of being the world's most unknown computer company. This, and possibly the distinction of making the world's best value in powerful, low cost computers." (see [2])<br /><br />By the end of 1983, Sutherland had designed yet another comouter, this time producing an IBM PC compatible hardware — the J.L.S. OBM-100. The computer's design differed from that of the IBM, opting for readily available components, ultimately resulting in a more cost-effective desktop solution. The J.L.S. PC was functionally identical to the IBM PC, could be interfaced with PC compatible peripherals and run all of the software developed for the IBM computer. Sutherland's IBM PC compatible motherboards, packed in IBM-look-alike cases, began appearing not only in Ontario but also beyond, with diverse model and company name stickers affixed to the cases. Manufacturers such as Aftek and HAL Computer were among those which built their products around Sutherland's clones of the IBM PC motherboard.<br /><br />In 1984, J.L.S. introduced a clone of the IBM XT — the second generation of IBM's PCs. It was the first made-in-Canada desktop compatible with the XT. The final product released by J.L.S. was the clone of the IBM AT motherboard offered by Sutherland in 1985. <br /><br /><strong>Museum Holdings</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>J.L.S. OBM100 (IBM PC compatible matherboard), 1983,</li>
<li>Aftek XT (J.L.S. IBM XT compatible matherboard designed for Aftek),</li>
<li>64-256KB System Board (J.L.S. IBM XT compatible matherboard),</li>
<li>J.L.S. AT board (IBM AT compatible unpopulated matherboard),</li>
<li>HAL Computer memory/serial card,</li>
<li><em>The JLS Single Board Computer: Assembly Instructions and User's Manual</em>, JLS Research, March 1983,</li>
<li><em>BIG BOARD II Assembly Manual, </em>preliminary draft, Cal-Tex Computers, 198?</li>
<li><em>Assembly and Instruction Manual for the HAL Computer and HAL Computer Memory</em>, preliminary edition, HAL Computer, 1983.</li>
</ul>
<br />References:<br />[1] Cringely, R. X., <em>Accidental Empires</em>, Harper Business, 1996. <br />[2] Rimmer, S., The Legend of J.L.S., <em>Computing Now!,</em> August 1983. <br />[3] Rimmer, S., The Further Legend of J.L.S., <em>Computing Now!</em>, December 1983. <br />[4] Rimmer, S., Fables of Three Blue Clones, <em>Computing Now!</em>, June 1984. <br />[5] Campbell, S. and Stachniak, Z., <em>Computing in Canada: Building a Digital Future</em>, Canada Science and Technology Museum Transformation Series 17, 2009.
J.L.S. Computers
Canada, 1983-1985
Burroughs Bookkeeping Machine
hardware: electromechanical calculator
<strong>Historical context</strong><br />(by Z. Stachniak)<br /><br />The industrial revolution of the 19th century brought new manufacturing methods and with them the ability to produce high quality precision instruments and mechanical devices in large quantities. The first typewriters appeared in the early 19th century and the first wave of useful calculators soon after in Europe and a few decades later in America.<br /><br />America entered the age of mechanical calculators in late 19th century, much later than Europe. When major European countries were undergoing extensive industrialization, the United States was still primarily involved in agriculture while Canada was not even on the map as a country. The Civil War of 1861-1865 did not help with the industrialization either, delaying the effects of the industrial revolution on the North American continent for a decade.<br /><br />It was not until after the Civil War when new forms of manufacturing (steam-powered) allowed the American industry to grow and spread across the nation. It was at that time, when a vibrant office equipment industry was created with calculator manufacturing centers in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and Philadelphia. Large businesses, agencies, and institutions were expanding fast, putting more and more people into their offices. It quickly became evident that ever increasing number of calculation tasks could not be handled cost-effectively without appropriate calculating aids. <br /><br />While American institutions were looking for efficient ways for conducting their business, inventors and entrepreneurs were determined to supply them with all sorts of office gadgets. Two individuals—Dorr E. Felt and William S. Burroughs—played a key role in establishing the calculator industry. Both were determined to provide businesses with just the right kind of calculators: fast, accurate, easy to operate and, in the case of Burroughs' calulators, with printing capabilities. In the end, they created calculator empires that dominated the American calculator market well into the next century.<br /><br />When William S. Burroughs was working as a bank clerk, he envisioned the process of tedious arithmetic operations mechanized to such a degree that the results would also be automatically printed on paper. In the end, Burroughs not only designed such a machine—the Arithmometer (1884)—but also co-founded American Arithmometer Company in St. Louis to manufacture it. By the end of the 1800s, his company was successfully selling several hundred machines a year.<br /><br />In 1917, Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Detroit (formerly American Arithmometer Company of St. Louis) opened its Canadian subsidiary in Windsor, Ontario. Three years later, the Canadian branch moved to the newly constructed facility in Windsor at the corner of McDougall St. and Elliott St. Over the years, the Canadian subsidiary manufactured several calculators including motor-driven adding and listing Bookkeeping Machine and a range of portable adding machines.<br /><br /><strong>Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines<br /></strong><br />The Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines were some of the most impressive adding machines made. Although they were large and heavy, their bevelled glass walls on three sides allowed viewing of their internal mechanical operations during calculations, certainly aimed at creating a "WOW" effect with a machine priced at between $615 to $715. The calculators offered between 6 to 17 columns of keys, a numeric display, and a printing mechanism with a wide carriage featuring a paper length setting and an end of page bell. <br /><br />These calculator could perform addition only. The multiplication could be done by repeated additions. Apart from numeric keys, Burroughs Bookkeeping Machines offered several "function" keys. A column could be cleared by pressing the red key at the top of that column. Other keys were designed to clear the entire keyboard, to perform repeated additions for multiplication, to calculate total and subtotal results as well as other functions depending on the calculator's model. <br /><br />Several options were provided including electric drive that eliminated manual use of a crank handle to perform calculations. This option offered a tabular steel frame with the motor and gearbox mounted underneath.<br /><br /><strong>Museum holdings</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Burroughs Bookkeeping Machine (17 columns, electric), model/serial number C2-1286030, manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada, Windsor, Ontario,</li>
<li>Burroughs Portable Adding Machine, model/serial number 03-370060, manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada (?)</li>
</ul>
Burroughs Adding Machine Company of Canada
1920s(?)
The calculator was donated by Unisys Canada Inc. in 2016
World, the early 1900s
Gandalf SAM 201 modem
hardware: modem
<strong>Historical context</strong><br />(by Z. Stachniak)<br /><br />The rapid development of computer technologies and applications in the 1950s and 1960s created demand for sharing data and resources by connecting computers and computer equipment together over short as well as long distances. A pair of dedicated hardware devices called modems (<strong>MO</strong>dulator/<strong>DE</strong>Modulators) were used to encode digital information originated at one end of the communications link and to decode such information using the second modem on the other end without degradation in accuracy of transferred data.<br /><br />By the end of the 1960s, there were over 2,000 digital computers installed in Canada and the number of new installations was steadily increasing in the following years. This advancement as well as the trend towards distributed processing and on-line remote access to data processing resources provided an opportunity to supply these new installations with made in Canada modems and other electronic data transmission devices. ESE Ltd. of Toronto and Gandalf Technologies Ltd. of Nepean were among the earliest and best known Canadian manufacturers of such products.<br /><br /><strong>Gandalf Technologies</strong><br /><br />In April 1971, Desmond Cunningham and Colin Patterson incorporated Gandalf Data Communications Ltd. (later renamed as Gandalf Technologies, Inc.) with headquarters in Manotick, Ontario (later moved to Nepean). Gandalf's first product was the LDS 100 asynchronous modem (called Local Data Set or LDS). It's competitive price relative to the rental of modems offered by phone companies resulted in lucrative sales to major Canadian corporations and institutions including the federal government's Communication Research Centre, McGill University, Bell Northern Research, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Atomic Energy of Canada. The following year, Gandalf offerd the synchronous version of its modem -- the LDS 200. The success of these products led to the name 'Gandalf box' being adopted as a generic term for these and future Gandalf modems.<br /><br />The PACX data switch (<strong>P</strong>rivate <strong>A</strong>utomatic <strong>C</strong>omputer e<strong>X</strong>change) introduced in late 1972, was Gandalf's first product that put the company on the international map. The device allowed multiple user terminals to access any one of a number of available computers. Each terminal was connected to a Gandalf LDS 126 data set which, in turn communicated with a PACX switch. The data set had two thumb wheels on the front panel. To access a specific computer connected to a PACX switch, the user rolled the wheels to the two-digit number assigned to the selected computer. The PACX switch quickly found world-wide acceptance and made Gandalf one of the world's most innovative companies in the data communications industry of the 1970s. <br /><br />Throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, Gandalf offered successive generations of modems (including the SAM 201), multiplexers, and PACX switches with enhanced performance features. These new products were manufactured and distributed through Gandalf manufacturing and sales facilities in Nepean as well as through newly established Gandalf Sales Inc. in Chicago, and Gandalf Digital Communications Ltd. located in Warrington UK. Gandalf's clients included some of the world's largest organizations such as British Steel, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Shell in the UK alone. <br /><br />Although by 1981 annual revenues had reached $40 million, the company decided to go public in order to stay competitive in the data communications market which by then was already crowded with companies ranging from small enterprises such as Develcom of Saskatoon to large corporations including 3COM, AT&T, Northern Telecom, and British Telecom. By 1985, the company had grown into a multinational corporation with annual sales of approx. $85 million and subsidiaries in the US, UK, France, and the Netherlands.<br /><br />Despite a wide range of innovative hardware and software products introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, including end-to-end network management system--Gandalf Passport--and the StarMaster local and wide area digital networking system (designed to carry a variety of traffic types such as video, data, voice, fax, LAN), the company could not sustain intense competition from companies such as Cisco Systems and Cabletron Systems in the rapidly developing remote access market. Financial losses incurred by the company in the 1990s forced Gandalf into bankruptcy in 1997.<br /><br /><strong>Gandalf SAM 201 technical specifications and product information</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>year of introduction: the early 1980s,</li>
<li>price: $1,300-$1,450,</li>
<li>data rate: 1200, 2400 bps,</li>
<li>modulation method: DPSK,</li>
<li>transmission mode: full duplex,</li>
<li>synchronization: asynch/synch,</li>
<li>calling mode: orig/auto answer,</li>
<li>diagnostics: analog, digital loopback,</li>
<li>features: Bell 201 C and CCITT compatible; V.26 compatible.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Museum holdings</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Gandalf SAM 201 modem,</li>
<li>Gandalf Access Series 24S modem,</li>
<li>Gandalf LDM 408 modem,</li>
<li>Gandalf TTS 400C, modem,</li>
<li><em>Gandalf 1980-81 Catalogue</em>.</li>
</ul>
Gandalf Technologies, Inc.
1980s
world-wide, 1980s
Wang 320SE calculator at York University
hardware: electronic calcuator
<strong>Historical context </strong>(by Z. Stachniak)<br /><br />The commercialization of the transistor in the first half of the 1950s had a dramatic impact on the decade-old computer industry. The all-transistor computers were offered as early as 1953 and, by the end of the 1950s, all major computer manufacturers were building transistorized machines. Similar shift to solid-state technology was made across consumer electronics industry (for example, in the mid-1950s, all-transistor radios quickly began to replace large and bulky vacuum tubes-based radio sets).<br /><br />Despite clear advantages that solid-state electronics had to offer to calculator manufacturers (if built, transistor-based calculators would be smaller, quieter, more versatile, and virtually maintenance free when compared with the traditional desktop electro-mechanical calculators), the calculator industry was much slower in adopting the new technology. Calculator manufacturers were quite reluctant to venture into electronics when no competitors, even those with electronics divisions (such as Olivetti, Burroughs, Sony, and Canon), were putting any electronic calculators on the market. They were simply unwilling to go against their main core products that still delivered corporate wealth and prestige, they had no desire to invest substantial resources into concurrent divisions of electronic calculators that would internally compete with their best-performing divisions of electro-mechanical calculators. <br /><br />It was not until the early 1960s that the first solid-state calculators appeared on the consumer market and almost instantly gained consumer acceptance. While most of the early electronic calculators supported only rudimentary arithmetic operations with, in some cases, one or two memory registers for storing intermediate results, several firms introduced calculators with functionality that went far beyond that. The execution of short sequences of instructions (programs) was the most notable of these new features. Programs for such calculators could be keyed-in by an operator or read from an external storage media (such as punch cards) and, then executed as many times as desired by a single press of a key.<br /><br />In 1964, Massachusetts-based companies Mathatronics Inc. and Wang Laboratories Inc. introduced their first programmable calculators: the Mathatron and the LOCI-2, respectively. The following year, an Italian manufacturer of office equipment Olivetti introduced its Programma 101. <br />All these programmable calculators were positioned to bridge the gap between ordinary desk-top calculators that offered instantaneous, personal, and easy to use operations but no substantial information processing capabilities, and the large and complex mainframe computers that required high-degree of training and long waiting times to perform users' computational tasks. Some of these calculators could be interfaced with a range of peripherals including printers, plotters, and external storage. Libraries of ready to run programs were also offered.<br /><br />Wang announced its new 300 Series programmable calculator in 1967. The calculator's more advanced models in the 300 series were offered in 1968. In their basic configuration, all these systems consisted of the central processing unit (CPU, referred to as "electronic package" in Wang's literature) and of up to four keyboard consoles remotely connected to the CPU. Using a standard keyboard console (model "K") a user could execute programs composed in terms of rudimentary arithmetic operations as well as square root, logarithmic and exponential functions. Programs of up to 80 steps were stored on dedicated punch cards and could be executed by reading them using an optional CP-1 Card Programmer interfaced with the calculator. Using a trigonometric keyboard unit (model "KT") a user could include trigonometric functions in programs. The calculator also offered random access storage (in up to four random access registers) and automatic summation of products, multipliers, and/or entries. Wang published a library of applications programs in areas ranging from engineering to finance. <br /><br /><strong>Wang 320SE at York University</strong><br /><br />In the mid-1960s, York was rapidly growing and establishing new key departments. In 1965, Ralph W. Nicholls joined York University from the University of Western Ontario to form a new Department of Physics. In the same year, he became founding director of York's Centre for Research in Experimental Space Science (CRESS, later renamed the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science) that quickly gained prominence in North America. Unfortunately, York's first computer--the IBM System/360 Model 30--was only installed in November 1966 and, until then, CRESS members had to rely on calculators and computer resources offered by the University of Toronto. <br /><br />In 1968, the Department of Physics moved into a newly constructed Petrie Science Building by which time a new IBM System/360 Model 40 was operational. In order to reduce the access to the new shared computer in cases that did not require full computational power of a mainframe computer, CRESS installed a Wong 320SE system in Petrie building. The 320SE system simulatneously supported four keyboard terminals. The calculator's CPU was located in one of the utility rooms. Each of the four terminal keyboards was placed in the hall of each floor. <br /><br />The calculator was decommissioned in the early 1990s.<br /><br /><strong>Museum's holdings</strong><br /><br />Hardware:<br />
<ul>
<li>Wang 320SE central processing unit,</li>
<li>Wang 320K conventional keyboard terminals (3 units),</li>
<li>Wang 320KT trigonometric keyboard terminal.</li>
</ul>
<br />Manuals and promotional literature:<br />
<ul>
<li><em>300 Series WANG Electronic Calculators -- Instruction Manual,</em> Wang Laboratories Inc., 1967,</li>
<li><em>300 Series Program Library, vol. 1</em>, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1967,</li>
<li><em>300 Series electronic calculator -- instruction manual</em>, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968,</li>
<li><em>370 Series Programmable Calculating System</em>, promotional brochure, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968,</li>
<li><em>370 System Reference Manual, vol. 1</em>, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968,</li>
<li><em>370 Calculating System Program Library, vol. 1</em>, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968.</li>
</ul>
Wang Laboratories Inc.
1968
York University, 1968-199?
SIM8-01 based prototype of the MCM/70
computer hardware: microcomputer
<strong>Historical context </strong>(by Z. Stachniak)<br />The MCS-8 microcomputer set was announced by Intel in late 1971.<br /><br /><em>Everyone in systems engineering has been waiting for the under \$100 computer. Today it's here!</em> [the alternative, Intel, 1971]<br /><br />The set consisted of a single-chip CPU—the 8-bit 8008 microprocessor—and standard semiconductor ROM's, RAM's, and shift registers. It was the MCS-8 and, in particular, its first implementation in Intel's SIM8-01 prototyping system that generated the first wave of design activities aimed at the development of microprocessor based architectures for general purpose programmable computers. In just a few months, the prototypes of such computers powered by the 8008 chip were already working on site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris and at Micro Computer Machines (MCM) with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto. These firms fully recognized, articulated, and acted upon the immense potential of the budding microprocessor technology for the development of a new generation of cost effective computing systems. However, it was MCM which built the first microprocessor-based computer designed specifically for personal use — the MCM/70, the first PC.<br /><br />The SIM8-01 was marketed as a complete prototyping system for the development of MCS-8 applications. It was offered in April 1972 and, at that time, its schematic diagram included in the premiere edition of the <em>8008 8-Bit Parallel Central Processor Unit</em> manual was the only published design of an 8-bit computer with a single-chip CPU. It was inevitable that MCM would use the SIM8-01 to attempt at implementing the core features of the company's future PC. In mid-1972 MCM’s chief hardware engineer Jose Laraya built the first prototype of the MCM/70. His computer utilized an Intel SIM8-01 simulation board as well as an Intel MP7-02 Eprom programmer which was used by MCM's software engineer Gord Ramer during the development of the MCM/APL interpreter that the production model of the MCM/70 would feature. Although the SIM8-01 architecture proved inadequate to achieve MCM’s design objectives, this first prototype confirmed that building a versatile microprocessor-based computer was feasible.<br /><br />The official announcement of the MCM/70 came on September 25, 1973, in Toronto. Its manufacturing commenced in mid 1974.<br /><br /><strong>Recommended readings:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Stachniak, Z. <a href="http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=2643"> <b>Inventing the PC: the MCM/70 Story</b> </a>, McGill-Queen's University Press (2011).</li>
<li>Stachniak, Z. <i>Intel SIM8-01: A proto-PC IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, </i>January-March 2007 (vol. 29 no. 1), pp. 34—48.</li>
</ul>
Micro Computer Machines
1972
Ontario, Canada, 1972
Alias|Wavefront Maya 1.0
software: 3D animation and visual effects software
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br /><br />Since the 1950s, computer operators had used a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) terminals for displaying information in a rudimentary graphical form during the execution of data processing tasks. Some computer users went further and, in their spare time, experimented with the use of computers and CRTs for entertainment. In 1958, an American physicist William Higinbotham created <em>Tennis</em> <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span> possibly the first video game. As rudimentary as it was, it attracted much attention during visits to Brookhaven National Lab where Higinbotham was employed as an engineer in charge of instrumentation design. Then came more sophisticated video games such as <em>Spacewar!</em> developed in 1962 at MIT by Steve Russell in collaboration with other MIT students, as well as the first experimentation with computers for the purpose of art creation and animation. By the early 1970s, these experiments resulted in the first generation of commercial-grade computer image editing systems (such as Richard Shoup's <em>SuperPaint,</em> 1973) and animation programs (such as National Research Council Canada's computer animation program, 1971). These developments were possible in large part due to the advancements in computer and semiconductor industries, such as the arrival of affordable minicomputers and the introduction of semiconductor memories.<br /><br />Computer animation in Canada began in 1971 when the National Research Council Canada (NRC) scientists Nestor Burtnyk and Marceli Wein offered their animation software that greatly simplified a traditional and labor-intensive frame-by-frame animation process, requiring animation artists to draw every single frame. Instead, their program required an artist to draw only key frames leaving the generation of frames linking the key ones entirely to the computer. Peter Foldès was the first artist to use NRC's animation software. His 1973 film <em>Hunger</em> won, among other distinctions, a Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival in 1974, the Best Animated Film award at the 1975 British Academy of Film & Television Awards, and an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy) nomination in 1974 in the Best Animated Short Film category. In 1996, Burtnyk and Wein were presented with an Academy award for "for their pioneering work in the development of software techniques for Computer Assisted Key Framing for Character Animation."<br /><br />Burtnyk’s and Wein’s work was just the beginning of what would become one of the most innovative and impactful sectors in the Canadian software industry. Toronto-based Alias Systems Corporation founded in 1984, Softimage established in Montreal in 1986, and Side Effects Software incorporated in Toronto in 1987 quickly established themselves at the forefront in the development of tools supporting ever growing needs of digital artists and animators.<br /><br /><strong>Maya<br /></strong><br />The work on Maya 3D animation and visual effects software started in 1993 at Alias Systems Corporation <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span> the company founded a decade earlier as Alias Research by Stephen Bingham, Susan McKenna, Nigel McGrath, and David Springer. The company's early objective was to produce a practical software package for the creation of realistic 3D video animations and to support computer-aided design. Alias' first products<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>the Alias/1 (1985) and Alias/2 (1986) 3D software packages<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>were acquired by several automotive companies and employed in the production of special effects in blockbuster feature films including <em>The Abyss</em> <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span> a science fiction movie awarded the Academy's Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1989. Alias' new 3D animation software<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>the PowerAnimator introduced in 1990<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>was even more successful. It was used in the production of special effects in <em>Terminator 2: Judgment Day</em> (1991) and <em>Jurassic Park</em> (1993), earning both movies Oscars in the Best Visual Effects category. In 1994, six blockbuster films employed PowerAnimator-generated special effects: <em>Forrest Gump, The Mask, Speed, The Flintstones, True Lies, and Star Trek: The Next Generation<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>A Final Unity</em> with the Oscar awarded to <em>Forrest Gump</em>. <br /><br />The growing competition from other 3D companies as well as continuous pressure exerted by the entertainment and gaming industries upon 3D companies to deliver tools for even more realistic and sophisticated animation stimulated Alias to begin evolving its PowerAnimator into the next generation 3D animation software, Maya. In 1995, under the umbrella of Silicon Graphics, Alias merged with Santa Barbara, California-based Wavefront<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>another successful computer graphics company<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span>to form Alias|Wavefront with headquarters in Toronto. This merger opened the door to an even more sophisticated world of 3D animation. In January 1998, the company released Maya Versio 1.0 <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span> its new 3D animation software package. The software was primarily based on Alias' PowerAnimator and Wavefront's successful Advanced Visualizer. In the subsequent years, Alias|Wavefront was continuously upgrading and expanding Maya beginning with the release of Maya Builder, Maya Complete, and Maya Unlimited in 1999.<br /><br />"<em>Maya Unlimited extends the realm of possibility for digital artists who want to shape the frontier of advanced 3D technology</em>," <br /><br />stated Alias|Wavefront in its corporate history published by the company in 2004.<br /><br />And indeed, it did. Maya quickly became the 3D modelling and animation software of choice for the animation and gaming industries. Since 1999, it has been used for the creation of special effects in numerous popular movies including <em>Matrix</em> (1999, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>Star Wars: Episode I <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span> The Phantom Menace</em> (1999, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>Stuart Little</em> (1999, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>Dinosaur</em> (2000, the fifth highest-grossing film of that year), <em>The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring</em> (2001, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within</em> (2001), <em>Shre</em>k (2001, Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category), <em>The Birds</em> (2001, Oscar in the Best Animated Short Film category), <em>The Lord of the Rings: The Two Tower</em>s (2002, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>Spider-Man</em> (2002, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>Ice Age</em> (2002, Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category), <em>The ChubbChubbs!</em> (2002, Oscar in the Animated Short Film category), <em>Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones</em> (2002, Oscar nomination in the Best Visual Effects category), <em>The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King</em> (2003, Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category), and many others.<br /><br />In 2002, Alias|Wavefront, was awarded an Oscar in the Technical Achievement category for its development of Maya. While this was Alias|Wavefront's first time to receive an Oscar, several employees had been honoured by the Academy previously for their achievements in the Scientific and Technical Awards categories. These Academy recognitions would continue to be bestowed upon the company's employees in the following years.<br /><br />In July 2003, the company changed its name to Alias. In October 2005, it was acquired by Autodesk of San Rafael, California. Since then, Autodesk has continued to develop Maya and other Alias' popular software packages including StudioTools, ImageStudio, and PortfolioWall <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">—</span></span> Alias' key solutions for design and visualization.<br /><br /><strong>Maya major releases:<br /></strong><br />Maya version 1.0 (Alias|Wavefront, January 1998)<br />Maya Complete (Alias|Wavefront, 1999)<br />Maya Unlimited (Alias|Wavefront, 1999)<br />Maya 3 (Alias|Wavefront, June 2000)<br />Maya 4.5 (Alias|Wavefront, June 2002)<br />Maya 5 (Alias|Wavefront, April 2003)<br />Maya 6 (Alias, 2004)<br />Maya 6.5 (Alias, January 2005)<br />Maya 7 (Alias, August 2005)<br />Maya 8 (Autodesk, 2006)<br />Maya 8.5 (Autodesk, 2007)<br />Autodesk Maya 2009 (Autodesk, 2008)<br />Autodesk Maya 2010 (Autodesk, 2009)<br />Autodesk Maya 2011 (Autodesk, 2010) <br />......<br />Autodesk Maya 2023 (Autodesk, 2022)<br /><br /><strong>The museum has:</strong><br />- Maya 1.0, (box set), Alias|Wavefront, January 1998; the box set <br /> includes:<br /> * <em>Learning Maya Version 1.0</em>, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * Using Maya Modelling, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Maya 1.0 Release Notes</em>, Alias|Wavefront, February 1998<br /> * <em>Maya 1.0 Developer's Kit Release Notes</em>, Alias|Wavefront,<br /> February 1998<br /> * <em>Maya 1.0 Installing & Licensing</em>, Alias|Wavefront, 1998<br /> * <em>Maya 1.0 F/X, Artisan, and Developer's Kit</em> (DVD-ROM), <br /> Alias|Wavefront, 1998<br /> * <em>Using Maya Version 1.0, Basics</em>, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Using Maya Version 1.0, Animatio</em>n, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Using Maya Version 1.0, Dynamics</em>, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Using Maya Version 1.0</em>, HyperGraph, Sets & Expressions,<br /> Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Using Maya Version 1.0</em>, Rendering, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>VIZPAINT 2D User's Guide 3.3</em>, Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Using MEL, ver. 1.0,</em> Alias|Wavefront, January 1998<br /> * <em>Discover Maya</em> (DVD-ROM), Alias|Wavefront, 1998<br /> * <em>Composer 4.5M</em> (DVD-ROM), Alias|Wavefront, 1998<br /> * several promotional and reference brochures, 1998<br />- <em>Character Animation in Maya,</em> Alias|Wavefront, January 1999; the front<br /> cover has a stamp "Property of Lucas Arts Entertainment Company Art<br /> Department"<br />- <em>Learning Maya 5, Foundation</em>, Alias|Wavefront, 2003; includes <br /> DVD-ROM<br />- <em>Learning Autodesk Maya 8, Foundation</em> (DVD-ROM), Autodesk, 2006<br />- G. Maestri and M. Larkins, <em>Maya 8 at a Glance</em>, Wiley Publishing<br /> Inc., 2006; includes DVD-ROM<br />- <em>Autodesk Maya 8.5</em>, (DVD-ROM), Autodesk, 2007<br />- <em>Learning Autodesk Maya 2009</em>, The Special Effects Handbook, <br /> Autodesk, 2008<br />- Eric Keller, <em>Mastering Maya 2009</em>, Wiley Publishing Inc., 2009; <br /> includes DVD-ROM<br />- Silicon Graphics Indigo^2 workstation, model nr. CMNB007BF195, with <br /> PowerAnimator installed.
Alias|Wavefront
1998
Artifacts donated by Robertson Holt
world, 1998--
Volker-Craig VC204 Video Display Terminal
computer hardware: video display terminal
<strong>Historical Context:</strong><br /><br />In the 1950s, the operators of mainframe computers used dedicated consoles, hardcopy terminals (such as teletypes and modified electric typewriters), and a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays to run and control data processing tasks. Computer consoles typically featured rows of switches and associated lights that allowed operators to run and control the execution of programs, analyze data stored in memory, and to control other hardware interfaced with computers. Hardcopy terminals were used to print on roles of paper information such as operator's commands, computer responses, and other console messages. Finally, CRTs were used to displaying information (e.g. memory contents) in a rudimentary graphical form.<br /><br />The "glass teletype" that appeared in the mid-1960s was the first attempt at providing a single device allowing computer operators to run their systems having all the essential control and data processing information displayed on a screen. However, it was not until the early 1970s, when the first "dumb" video display terminals, featuring limited editing capabilities, were introduced (one of the earliest such terminals was the 7700A Interactive Display Terminal introduced by Lear Siegler Inc. in 1973). All these terminals shared the same basic keyboard-display-interface design: each featured a keyboard, a CRT screen that could display full sets of alphanumeric characters, and each had the capability to send and receive data via communication lines to a remote host computer. By the mid-1970s, video terminals became the most effective human-computer interface devices and they remain so until the mid-1980s, when they were displaced by microcomputers that could be interfaced with mainframes and minicomputers to perform terminal jobs in addition to microcomputing tasks, when PC monitors had become a common occurrence worldwide. <br /><br />In Canada, the design and manufacturing of computer display terminals began in the early 1970s. Comterm Inc. (Montreal), Cybernex Ltd. (Ottawa), Electrohome (Kitchener), Lektromedia (Pointe Claire), NORPAK (Kanata), TIL Systems Ltd (Toronto), and Volker-Craig (Waterloo) were some of the pioneering companies.<br /><br />Volker-Craig Ltd. was a Canadian manufacturer of video terminals, founded in 1973 by Michael C. Volker and Ronald G. Craig, both graduates from University of Waterloo. The company's early objective was to manufacture inexpensive video terminals. In a 2020 interview by Steven Forth for Ibbaka market blog, Volker recollects that<br /><br />"<em>In those days... video displays were very, very expensive and being a student, I thought, this [video terminal manufacturing] needs to be done in a way that is economical for students</em>."<br /><br />Volker's fourth-year engineering project to design an electronic circuitry for a video terminal that would allow the presentation of characters on the screen of a rudimentary television set was an entrepreneurial trigger. By the end of the 1970s, Volker-Craig was selling its terminals around the world through its offices and distributors in, among other countries, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and US.<br /><br />In January 1982, Volker-Craig merged with five other companies to form NABU Manufacturing Ltd. with headquarters in Ottawa, and continued to develop video terminals including the popular VC4404. In 1984, as a result of NABU's restructuring, Volker-Craig became once again a fully independent company renamed as Volker-Craig Technologies Ltd.<br /><br />The VC204 video display terminal was one of the earliest products offered by Volker-Craig. It was an alphanumeric terminal designed to operate with an external monitor. It was implemented using TTL technology and offered both ASCII and APL language character sets.<br /><br /><strong>Technical specifications:<br /></strong><br />not available<br /><br />The museum has a VC204 video display terminal without documentation.
Volker-Craig
mid-1970s
VC204
Canada, 1970s
Multiflex Video Display Terminal Kit
computer hardware: video display terminal
<strong>Historical Context:</strong> <br /><br />Multiflex Technology Inc. was one of the companies of the Exceltronix group controlled by Eugen Hutka. In 1979, Hutka founded Exceltronix with its retail office at 319 College Street in Toronto. In the early 1980s, Multiflex was developing complete computer systems based on the Zilog Z80, Motorola 68000, and Intel 8086 processors together with a variety of peripheral and expansion cards. The company also manufactured stand-alone intelligent terminals, video display kits, as well as a range of other electronic products including peripheral and expansion cards for the Apple ][ computer. In 1984, Multiflex designed its first in the line of BEST computers compatible with the IBM PC and AT desktops, making Exceltronics one of the largest Canadian manufacturers of microcomputers of the 1980s. <br /><br /><strong>Multiflex Video Display Terminal Kit -- technical description</strong> (from the Exceltronix Catalogue Supplement, Spring 1983): <br /><br />The video display terminal is "originally designed as a low cost access unit for our [Exceltronix] soon to be operational computerized mail-ordering and bulletin board system." The terminal "is controlled by a Z80A microprocessor and a 6845 CRT controller chip. The keyboard is fully ASCII encoded and the character generator contains the full 128-character set as well as a 128-character alternate set both of which are in 5x7 dot matrix format. The screen display is 80 characters by 24 lines if the unit is hooked to an external monitor or 64 by 24 if run through an RF modulator to a TV. There are 3 software selectable attributes (dim, reverse video, and alternate character set) which can be chosen one at a time for the whole screen... Also included are 2 RS232 ports: one for a modem and one so that a printer can be attached to the terminal... The MULTIFLEX Video Display Terminal has provisions for an on board modem freeing a serial port." The Multiflex Video Display Terminal Kit was offered in 1982 and sold by Exceltronics. <br /><br />The museum has a complete Multiflex Video Display Terminal Kit as well a Multiflex Video Display board (without a built-in keyboard) and a keyboard in a separate enclosure.
Multiflex Technology Inc.
1982--
computer hardware
MULTIFLEX03
Canada, 1980s
Ryerson 6800 Microcomputer
computer hardware: educational computer
<strong>Historical context:<br /></strong><br />Microprocessor-based computers (microcomputers) were built at educational institutions as soon as the first 8-bit microprocessors became commercially available. They were initially constructed as educational aids, as microprocessor trainers, and even as digital laboratory workstations set up at some universities to expose students to the principles of the emerging discipline of microprocessor systems design.<br /><br />These early educational microcomputers were built around microprocessor demonstration boards offered by semiconductor companies as a low cost hardware aid to assist systems engineers in programming microprocessor-based devices. In 1973, Intel offered its SIM-8 demonstration board. Soon after other semiconductor companies offered their demonstration boards to support their microprocessors: Microsystems International Ltd. introduced its MOD-8 demonstrator in 1974, Motorola released its MEK 6800 in 1976 and so did MOS Technology and NEC which offered their demonstrators (the KIM-1 and the TK-80, respectively) in the same year. In the 1970s, these demonstrators were popular with computer hobbyists.<br /><br />The Ryerson 6800 microcomputer was designed and constructed in the late 1970s at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University) to support its digital electronics course. According to a former Ryerson professor Peter Hiscocks. "The unit was put together to support the teaching of microprocessors when that was brand new in the EE curriculum at Ryerson. The person that put the unit together was Augustine [Lee], I believe." The course was coordinated by Jack Miller and taught by, among other instructors, Augustine Lee and Doug Hawkes. <br /><br />The Ryerson 6800 was built around the Motorola MEK 6800D2 demonstration board. It was one of several single-board microcomputers used by students of Ryerson's Electrical Technology Department.<br /><br /><strong>Technical Specifications (for the MEK 6800D2):</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU - Motorola 6800, 8-bit</li>
<li>RAM - 1KB (4 x MCM 6810AP)</li>
<li>ROM - SCM44520L with JBUG Monitor</li>
<li>PORTS - asynchronous serial RS232, parallel I/O, audio cassette tape interface</li>
<li>keypad - hexadecimal: 16 keys for data entry section and 8 function keys</li>
<li>display - 6 hex digit LED display.</li>
</ul>
<br />Software: Motorola 6800 JBUG Monitor
Motorola and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
1970s
R6800
Toronto, Canada