1
10
8
-
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1d20d33f4ca7eb9e4ae0151a6ddf436c.jpg
d3e65ff402c7328caa474b72781a50f5
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Commodore VIC-20
Subject
The topic of the resource
hardware: home computer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical context</strong><br /><br />Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. <br /><br />In 1947, the company's founder<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>Jack Tramiel<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955.<br /><br />His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont.<br /><br />During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>the 202<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators.<br /><br />Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices.<br /><br />Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>one of the main suppliers of calculator chips<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>the 6502's chief designer's<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982.<br /><br />By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation.<br /><br /><strong>Commodore VIC-20<br /></strong>The VIC-20 home computer was one of the most successful Commodore products. Its prototype was previewed at the National Computer Convention in Chicago in June 1980 but, as a product, it was first launched three months later in Japan as VIC-1001. ``You are about to meet a friendly computer! Friendly in price, friendly in size, friendly to use and learn on and experience" proclaimed Commodore introducing its VIC-20 microcomputer. [From<em> Personal Computing on the VIC-20: A Friendly Computer Guide,</em> Commodore Business Machines, 1982, p. II.]<br /><br />Commodore sold 8000,000 VIC-20s world-wide in 1982, reached the one million mark early in 1983 when they were being shipped at the rate of 100,000 units per month, making the VIC-20 one of the best-selling computers of all times.<br /><br />Designed in the `computer-in-keyboard' style, the VIC-20 featured the MOS Technology 6502A processor, a BASIC interpreter in ROM, and easy to use QWERTY-style keyboard. The computer used an ordinary color TV set for the display. The high-resolution color graphics capabilities of the VIC-20 made the computer an attractive family entertainment box to rival the supremacy of gaming consoles. Indeed, in spite of its limitations the addition of an external disk drive, a low cost printer, and of a popular VICModem, made the VIC-20 ``the most user friendly computer on the market...friendly in price, friendly in size, friendly to use and expand.'' [From the back cover of <em>Personal Computing on the VIC-20: a friendly computer guide</em>, Commodore Business Machines, 1982.]<br /><br />From the start, Commodore provided the VIC-20 with the diverse software libraries on easy to use ROM cartridges and cassette tapes. Modems for the VIC-20, such as the VICmodem, allowed users to get on line and try electronic mail for the first time or to browse through the libraries of information available on computer bulletin board systems and commercial computer networks. A number of on-line services such as CompuServe, Delphi, Dow-Jones, Genie or The Source owed their popularity and growth to the low-cost VICmodem. <br /><br />In North America, the VIC-20 was sold for the strategically low price of $299.95 through mass merchandise retail outlets (such as K-Mart, Sears, and Toys-R-Us) as well as computer dealers and selected electronics stores. Some of the VIC-20s were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. <br /><br /><strong>VIC-20 specifications</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU: MOS 6502 at approx. 1 MHz</li>
<li>RAM: 5KB expandable to 32KB</li>
<li>ROM: 20 KB occupied by BASIC 2.0 *8KB), KERNAL (8KB), and character set (4KB); external ROM cartridges,</li>
<li>video processor: MOS 6560/6561 VIC,</li>
<li>display: text node: 23 rows and 22 column</li>
<li>graphics mode: 176×184 pixels</li>
<li>sound: MOS 6560/6561 VIC,</li>
<li>keyboard: 62 key QWERTY-style keyboard with additional four function keys,</li>
<li>ports: expansion port (for various types of cartridges), Audio/Video port, floppy disk drive/printer port,</li>
<li>cassette tape storage port, user port (general purpose serial/parallel port),</li>
<li>serial bus IO port, game port (for connecting a joystick, a paddle, or a lightpen),</li>
<li>peripherals: modems (e.g. the VICmodem), floppy disk drives (e.g. the VIC-1540), cassette tape drives (e.g. the C2N), printers (e.g. the 1525 printer),</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Museum holdings</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Commodore VIC-20, serial nr 662878 manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada,</li>
<li>Commodore VIC-20, serial nr P1105919 manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada,</li>
<li>Commodore Datassette, serial number S796519,</li>
<li>Commodore C2N Cassette, serial nr 1734692, with operating instructions,</li>
<li>Commodore VIC 1541 floppy disk drive, serial nr 2092779, with user's manual and guide,</li>
<li>Commodore 1520 printer, serial nr 007931,</li>
<li>Commodore VICmodem, Model 1600, serial nr. 060749,</li>
<li>Pocket Modem for Commodore systems,</li>
<li>Commodore VIC 1211A Super Expander, 3KB (with documentation),</li>
<li>Xetec Super Graphix Jr printer interface,</li>
<li>extensive library of educational, entertainment, and personal software on VIC-20 ROM cartridges and cassette tapes,</li>
<li>VIC-20 manuals, guides, books, and promotional literature.<strong><br /></strong></li>
</ul>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Commodore Business Machines
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
world, 1980--1985
Commodore
home computer
microcomputer
-
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/f9b1a7c59b06c1c94d02bf67d4354402.jpg
663e7f40a889e947dbb176d6dde37317
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Commodore Plus/4
Subject
The topic of the resource
hardware: home computer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical context</strong><br /><br />Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada. <br /><br />In 1947, the company's founder<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>Jack Tramiel<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955.<br /><br />His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont.<br /><br />During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>the 202<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators.<br /><br />Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices.<br /><br />Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>one of the main suppliers of calculator chips<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>the 6502's chief designer's<span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf">—</span>considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982.<br /><br />By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation.<br /><br /><strong>Commodore Plus/4</strong><br /><br />In 1984, Commodore followed its successful VIC-20 and C64 computers with a series of low cost Commodore 16, 116 and Plus/4 computers designed to compete with the entry-level home computers manufactured by scores of companies around the world. In the end, none of these new Commodore computers could match the success of the VIC-20 or the C64 and their production was soon discontinued. While the Commodore 16 and 116 were rudimentary home computers, the Plus/4 came with ROM-resident office software suite consisting of a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a graphics program. Unfortunately, with the arrival of desktops offering a much richer and advanced applications (such as the Apple Macintosh and the IBM AT), the era of `computers-in-keyboard' was coming to an end. The Pus/4 was discontinued in 1985.<br /><br />Some of the Plus/4 computers were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada.<br /><br /><strong>Commodore Plus/4 specifications<br /></strong>
<ul>
<li>CPU: MOS Technology 7501/8501 at approx. 1.8 MHz,</li>
<li>RAM: 64 KB,</li>
<li>ROM: 64 KB (with built-in Commodore BASIC 3.5, a machine language monitor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and graphics program),</li>
<li>video processor: MOS Technology TED (TED 7360)</li>
<li>display in text mode: 40×25 characters; three text modes: standard, extended color, and multicolor,</li>
<li>display graphics mode: 160x200 (multicolor) and 320×200 (hi-resolution) with 121 colors (16 primary colors, 8 luminance levels),</li>
<li>sound: two tone sound generators,</li>
<li>keyboard: QWERTY-style, simplified, 59-key with additional 4 programmable function keys and four cursor keys,</li>
<li>ports: serial bus (IEEE-488, port for a disk drive or printer), cassette tape storage port, user port (RS-232 general purpose serial/parallel port), memory expansion port (for various types of cartridges), two game ports (for use with joysticks), audio/video port (to connect a monitor,</li>
<li>peripherals: disk drives (e.g. Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive), cassette drives (e.g. Commodore 1531 Datassette), monitors (Commodore 1801 and 1802), modems (e.g. Commodore Modem 300), printers (e.g. Commodore MPS-802 printer), game controllers, mouse (e.g. Commodore 1351).</li>
</ul>
<strong>Museum holdings</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Commodore Plus/4, serial nr. CA1043221, manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada</li>
<li>Commodore Plus/4 basic documentation.</li>
</ul>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Commodore Business Machines Ltd.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
H.19
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
world, 1984-1985
Contribution Form
The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form.
Online Submission
Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form.
No
Commodore
home computer
microcomputer
personal computer
-
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/afff82e26fe21e4a363a8c6c2b521fb2.jpg
9a350978b92b93ce88cbe1c53aab8ecf
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
microWAT Microcomputer
Subject
The topic of the resource
computer hardware: microcomputer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical context:</strong><br /><br />Early microprocessor-based computers (microcomputers) presented a cost-effective and low-maintenance alternative to high-performance minicomputers that dominated the computer scene of the 1970s. Their utilization was confined largely to applications that did not require the full processing power of the minis. Microcomputers also presented a unique opportunity to expand and enrich academic computing programs and environments.<br /><br />A 1979 study conducted at the University of Waterloo (UW) on possible use of microcomputers for academic applications concluded that "many of the jobs run on computers at Waterloo could be done using the computational capacity possessed by microcomputers." [1] However, "none of the inexpensive, mass-manufactured microcomputers had the appropriate hardware to operate our planned software, mainly because the memory was not large enough, and because there was insufficient flexibility, particularly with respect to input/output." [1] The study set in motion two microcomputer development projects at the<br />Computer Systems Group (CSG) of UW -- the microWAT and the SuperPET.<br /><br />The microWAT was designed jointly by CSG and Jerry Krist of Northern Digital Ltd. of Waterloo. The computer was demonstrated in December 1980 and subsequently manufactured by Northern Digital. The microWAT was a small CPU unit that required a separate keyboard, display, and external storage to form a computer system. At UW, MicroWATs used Volker-Craig video display terminals and Commodore IEEE disk drives. Several microWATs were installed inside "dumb" display terminals converting them into versatile desktop computers that could operate with diskette drives, printers, plotters, and could be networked with other systems such as the IBM Series/1 minicomputers operating at UW. <br /><br />The computer was built around the Motorola 6809 microprocessor and all its hardware was deposited on several printed circuit boards including the CPU, I/O, ROM, and RAM boards. An additional small ROM card sealed from tampering (referred to as the "key" card or the "chocolate bar") was a software security device containing a key required to access software written at UW including micro BASIC, Pascal, FORTRAN, COBOL and APL. According to former Northern Digital employee Heinz Wolter <br /><br />"<em>The most interesting thing in that whole system was that Wes Graham (of Watfor fortran compiler fame) had written a copyrighted poem (Haiku) that was an unencrypted key required to run the software.</em>"<br /><br />The microWATs were used, among other places, at UW for academic teaching and research. The introduction of the IBM PC in August 1981 and the subsequent rapid growth of IBM PC-compatible computer market put an end to the microWAT and SuperPET programs.<br /><br /><strong>microWAT technical specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU -- Motorola 6809, 8-bit</li>
<li>RAM -- three memory cards, 32Kb each</li>
<li>ROM -- 60Kb</li>
<li>ports -- two RS-232 compatible serial ports (implemented using MOS Technology 6551 Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter),</li>
<li>a single parallel port (implemented using the MOS Technology 6522 Versatile Interface Adapter)</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>microWAT software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>monitor</li>
<li>micro BASIC, Pascal, FORTRAN, COBOL and APL languages</li>
</ul>
The museum has a microWAT computer with a CSG "key" card.<br /><br /><strong>References:</strong><br />
<p>[1] D.D. Cowan and J.W. Graham, Waterloo Microcomputer Systems for the 1980's, <em>Proceedings of the ACM '82,</em> pp. 13–17 (1982). <br /><br />[2] R.L. Hughson, Alternations in the oxygen deficit-oxygen debt relationship with beta-adrenergic receptor blockade in man", <em>J. Physiol</em>. 349, pp. 375-387 (1984).</p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Developed by the University of Waterloo, Manufactured by Northern Digital Ltd.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1980--
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
H.25
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Ontario, Canada, 1980-1983[?]
Contribution Form
The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form.
Online Submission
Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form.
No
microcomputer
microWAT
Northern Digital
University of Waterloo
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
DY-4 Systems Collection
Description
An account of the resource
DY-4 Systems Inc. was an Ottawa-based high technology company founded by four engineers Garry Dool, Terry Black, Kim Clohessy, and Steve Richards in 1979. In the early 1980s, DY-4 designed and manufactured a variety of products including microcomputers (the ORION series), graphics terminals, and STD bus board level products (including single-board computers). In the second half of the 1980s, the company shifted its attention to the development and manufacturing of products for harsh environments. A wide range of products based on VME bus architecture was offered for applications in areas such as air traffic control, tactical command, control and communication, flight management for airborne applications, ground tactical support, process control, and robotics. The products included single-board computers, memory modules, intelligent peripheral controllers, special function modules, and I/O modules. By 1993, when DY-4 went public, the company was already a technological leader in the ruggedized embedded computing market providing open systems board-level products, support systems and related software to harsh environment systems integrators. DY-4 products found their way to new generations of tanks, submarines, airplanes and spacecraft in many countries around the world. <br /><br />The company entered the 21st century retaining its premier position as embedded computing solutions provider in the defense and aerospace industries. In 2004, after a series of acquisitions, DY-4 business was bought from Solectron (Milpitas, Ca) by defense contractor Curtiss-Wright Corp. (Roseland, N.J.). <br /><br /><strong>Acquisition:</strong> The objects in the collection have been donated or acquired from: Dave Dunfield, Mati Sauks, and Zbigniew Stachniak.<br /><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>HARDWARE, computers (excluding single-board computers) </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>Challenger I microcomputer</li>
<li>DSM 6816 microcomputer</li>
<li>Orion V microcomputer</li>
<li>Standalone DY-4 SVME-bus computer, model 126LF [MS]. The computer contains the following DY-4 SVME modules: 101, 155, and 203.</li>
<li>Rack mounted SDK computer system consisting of 2 cages of SDK boards and 2 power supply's. DY-4 Systems, Product Number FA-85-0159. The system includes the following STD modules: 102, 188, 325, 401, and 711. It also includes the XYZFL-II board.</li>
<li>DY4 LSI chips: DY4401, DY4403, DY4404</li>
</ul>
<strong>HARDWARE, single-board computers, modules and cages </strong>
<ul>
<li>DY00475-H-A1-3 board (1983)</li>
<li>DSTD764 single board microcomputer (1982)</li>
<li>STD modules: 102, 187, 188, 199, 325, 328, 401, 406, 469, 711</li>
<li>DVME single-board computers and other modules: 102, 105, 134, 201, 490, 677, 704, 706, 712, 715, 750</li>
<li>SVME modules: 101, 155, 203, 677</li>
<li>DSTD-812, 12 Slot STD compatible system card cage</li>
<li>DY-4 Board Cage DY00448-D-11-1</li>
<li>DY-4 6 Slot back plane DY00447-H-A1-4</li>
<li>DY-4 6 Slot back plane DY00447-D-A1-6</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>SOFTWARE </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>DY-4 Orion software (1980s), created by DY-4 Systems Inc. and Carleton University</li>
<li>DY-4 Orion software (1982-3) created by Craig Honegger and Mati Sauks</li>
<li>DY-4 Dynasty related software (three 5.25" floppy disks)</li>
<li>DY-4 Dynasty 2.10 software (three 8" floppy disks)</li>
<li>Various DY-4 software (on Micropolis hard drive, model Number 1302)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>MANUALS and GUIDES </strong></span>
<ul>
<li><i>DSTD-101 CPU and Parallel I/O Operators Manual</i> (copy), DY00439, DY-4 (January 15, 1983)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-102 CPU and Parallel I/O Operation Manual</i> (copy), DY00459, DY-4 (January 18, 1983, and July 1983</li>
<li><i>DSTD-188 CPU and Serial I/O Operations Manual</i> (copy), oM918800-XX-1, DY-4 (April 10, 1983)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-201 Serial/Parallel I/O Operations Manual,</i> rev. B(copy), DY00438, DSTD-201-M, DY-4 (April 10, 1983)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-202 Quad Serial Communications Module Operations Manual,</i> rev. B(copy), DY00446-H-A1-1, OM-STD202-999-1, DY-4 (January 24, 1983)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-328 256K Dynamic Memory for the DSTD-188 8088 Card,</i> rev. A, DY00513, DSTD-328-M, DY-4 (April 10, 1983)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-401 RS-422 Serial Interface with DMA Operations Manual,</i> rev. C (copy), DY00460, DSTD-401-M, DY-4 (August 31, 1984)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-402 Parallel Interface Adapter (Winchester Interface),</i> rev. A (copy), DY00461, DSTD-402-M, DY-4 (198?)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-503 Bytewide Memory Card</i> (copy), DY00489, DY-4 (December 3, 1982)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-703 Multi Functional Calendar/Clock Card</i> (copy), OM970300-XXX-4, DY-4 (December 10, 1983)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-711 Dual Density Floppy Disk Controller with DMA and 64K Dynamic RAM,</i> rev. A (copy), DY00483, DSTD-711-M, DY-4 (December 1, 1982)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-777 High Resolution Graphics Controller Operations Manual,</i> rev. A (copy), OM977700-XXX-2, DY-4 (198?)</li>
<li><i>DSTD-806 8=Slot STD Card Cage Operations Manual</i> (copy), OM-STD806-999-003, DY-4 (March 7, 1983)</li>
<li><i>Orion V Operations Manual,</i> rev. B (copy), no. DY00468, DY-4 (198?)</li>
<li><i>Challenger I dynasty Users Manual</i> (copy), no. DY00497 revision B, DY-4 (January, 1983)</li>
<li><i>Harmony RTOS reference manual</i>, Taurus Computer Products a division of DY-4, (1989)</li>
<li><i>DYNASTY 3.0 Reference Manual</i>, release 3.0, Beta 003, no. RM-OS:DYN-3.0-001, DY-4 (1984)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li><i>DY-4 1982 Product Line Short Form Catalogue</i></li>
<li><i>From Boards to Systems... the Short Form Catalogue from DY-4,</i> DY-4 (1986)</li>
<li><i>DY-4 1987 Product Catalogue</i></li>
<li><i>DY-4 Systems, A Profile</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (1988)</li>
<li><i>DME, From Boards to Systems... the Short Form Catalogue from DY-4</i>, DY-4 (198?)</li>
<li><i>DYNASTY, Investigate the alternative computer system</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (198?)</li>
<li><i>a folder of six DY-4 promo documents</i> (c. mid 1980s)</li>
<li>Folder with DY-4 promotional brochures (VGT-100H terminal, Dynasty computer system, STD product line)</li>
<li><i>DY4 Delivers</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (1993)</li>
<li><i>DY-4 VME 1995 product catalog</i></li>
<li><i>DY4 COTS Charges Ahead On Abrams Enhanced Battle Tank</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (1997)</li>
<li><i>DY4 VME Product Overview</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (1999)</li>
<li><i>Upgrade to VME: Upgrade Solutions for your next upgrade program</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (199?)></li>
<li><i>"Off-the-shelf" VMR Solutions!</i>, DY-4 promotional brochure (199?)</li>
<li><i>a folder of DY-4 promotional brochures</i> (2001, 2002)</li>
<li><i>DY-4 Systems Inc. 2003 Product Catalog</i> (CDRom)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>CORPORATE and OTHER DOCUMENTS </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li><i>DY4 Systems Inc. 1999 Annual Report</i> (digital copy)</li>
<li><i>DY4 Systems Inc., Initial Public Offering and Secondary Offering</i> (March 25, 1993)</li>
<li>folder with DY4 LSI chip designs</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong> NEWSLETTERS and OTHER PUBLICATIONS </strong></span>
<ul>
<li><i>DY4 "DYJEST</i>, vol. 1, nr. 1 and 2 (1992); vol. 2, nr. 1 and 2 (1993)</li>
<li><i>DY-Jest</i>, vol 1, issue 1 (1989), issues 2--10 (1990); vol. 2, issues 1--3 (1990), 4--7 (1991); vol. 3, issues 1 and 2 (1991); 3 and 4 (1992); Summer, Fall (1993); Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (1994); Spring, Summer, Winter (1995); Spring, Winter (1996) Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (1997); Spring, Summer, Fall (1998); Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (1999); Winter (2000);</li>
<li><i>DY-jest</i>, December (1985); September, December (1986) Match, May, September--December (1987); February--October, December (1988); January--March, July, September (1989)</li>
<li><i>DY-4 Newsletter</i>, July (1983</li>
<li><i>DY4 News</i>, November (1983); December (1984)</li>
<li><i>Connections, DY 4 Employee Newsletter</i>, June (2002); Spring, Winter (2004)</li>
<li><i>DY4 News</i>, November (1983); December (1984)</li>
<li><i>DY-4 Dyalogue</i>, vol.2, issues 2 and 3 (1986), vol.2, issues 4 and 5 (1987), issue 7 (1988); Vol. 3, issue 1 (1990)</li>
<li><i>EC Xchangee</i>, Curtiss-Wright, Summer, Fall, Winter (2005)</li>
<li><i>DY4 Systems Investor Insight</i>, vol. 1, no 1, no 1 supplement, and 2 (1998); vol. 2, numbers 1--4 (1999); vol. 3, no 1 (2000)</li>
</ul>
Subject
The topic of the resource
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/Dy4Logo2.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="40%" height="40%" border="0" /></p>
Objects manufactured or published by DY-4 Systems Inc.
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
DY-4 Challenger I Computer
Subject
The topic of the resource
hardware: microcomputer
Description
An account of the resource
DY-4 Systems Inc. Challenger I microcomputer model number 953 Chassis, serial number S9538303008.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
DY-4 Systems Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1983(?)
Relation
A related resource
YUCoM Canadian Hardware
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Hardware
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Hardware
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
H.88
Canadian
dy-4 Systems Inc.
microcomputer
-
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cb50ac1cb157173bbbaecc14bda4f04a
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/7eefc0e51a869377a578b54d3ffa6e17.jpg
afeac60568ddb5cde6e9a8fc8ff87ba7
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Dynalogic Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Dynalogic Corporation was among the first Canadian microcomputer manufacturers. Founded by C. Murray Bell in 1973 in Ottawa, it initially focused on the design of floppy disk systems and interfaces for minicomputers and desk-top calculators. In 1975, Dynalogic embarked on the design of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of minicomputers via the industry standard RS-232C interface. The result of these design and development efforts--the Series 7000 DynaTermDisk--was shown at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) -- an advanced microcomputer that employed Motorola's 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated proprietary DYNAMO operating system (designed by Donald C. Lindsay). The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic. In the same year the work had begun on the design of a portable desktop microcomputer--the Hyperion--and continued in a new Bytec subsidiary called Dynalogic Info-Tech. The Hyperion was unveiled at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the "most powerful, portable, business computer in the world'' compatible with the IBM PC. The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. <br /><br /><b>Acquisition:</b> The objects in the collection have been donated by Walter Banks, Murray Bell, Diane Bruce, Dan Cohow, Robert S. Elliot, Terence Gordon, Don C. Lindsay, Brian Mahoney, Dennis Mullin, and Zbigniew Stachniak. <br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>HARDWARE </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042B</li>
<li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042C</li>
<li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7082</li>
<li>Dynalogic disk drive system, model 4002B</li>
<li>Hyperion microcomputer</li>
<li>Hyperion Ex [Hyperion expansion unit]</li>
<li>Acoustic Cups for Hyperion [data communication]</li>
<li>HyperRam [Hyperion memory module by Technovation]</li>
<li>Hyperaccess (by Technovation)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>SOFTWARE </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li>
<li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li>
<li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li>
<li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li>
<li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li>
<li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li>
<li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li>
<li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li>
<li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li>
<li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li>
<li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li>
<li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li>
<li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li>
<li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li>
<li>IN:SCRIBE [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li>
<li>IN:TOUCH [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li>
<li>LOTUS 123 [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li>
<li>LOTUS 123, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li>
<li>LOTUS 123, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li>
<li>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li>
<li>LOTUS 123 Tutorial for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li>
<li>DOS, EDLIN [DOS 1.25 for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li>
<li>Hyperion DOS(2.11), ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li>
<li>BASICA, Assembler [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li>
<li>Aladin [for the Hyperion], Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983</li>
<li>Various Hyperion related software</li>
<li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>MANUALS, GUIDES, REPORTS </strong></span>
<ul>
<li><em>Dynalogic Microcomputer System Manual</em>, release 1.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1976, printed between 12 October and 1 December, 1976</li>
<li>MICRO BASIC I, USERS MANUAL, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li>
<li><em>How to use DYNAMO</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1977</li>
<li><em>How To Use The EDITOR</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1977</li>
<li><em>MICRO BASIC I</em>, reference card, Ryan-McFarland Corp. and Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977(?)</li>
<li><em>How To Use DYNAMO</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 January, 1978</li>
<li><em>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July, 1978</li>
<li><em>Advanced Programming Package</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1978</li>
<li><em>How To Use The EDITOR</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1978</li>
<li><em>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor</em>, preliminary blurb, version 1J, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1979</li>
<li><em>How To Use DynaBASIC I</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1979</li>
<li><em>How to Use the Laboratory Microcomputer System</em> (LMS), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March, 1979</li>
<li><em>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor</em>, preliminary blurb, version 1F, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 5 March, 1979</li>
<li><em>R2.4PAK: Interface from DynaBASIC I to DYNAMO R2.4</em> addendum to <em>How to Use DynaBASIC I</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1979</li>
<li><em>How To Use DynaSCRIPT</em>, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 May, 1979</li>
<li><em>How To Use DynaMENU Application Program Shell</em>, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., June 1979</li>
<li><em>How to use DYNAMO</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li>
<li><em> Dynalogic Microcomputer System </em>(DMS) Model 7042B Documentation Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li>
<li><em>How To Use DynaSCRIPT</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1979</li>
<li><em> Disk Controller PCB</em>, schematic diagrams and board layouts, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 Nov.--4 Dec., 1979</li>
<li><em>How To Use DynaSORT</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 December, 1979</li>
<li><em>Additional SCRED Features</em>, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 18 December, 1979</li>
<li><em>DMS Memory Tests</em>, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 January, 1980</li>
<li><em>DYNAMO Operating System: Introduction to the Source</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., March 1980</li>
<li><em>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980</li>
<li><em>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) Product Specification</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 30 June 1980</li>
<li><em>Style Manual for Assembler Programming</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 12 January, 1981</li>
<li><em>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 February, 1981</li>
<li><em>How to Use DynaBASIC D</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1981</li>
<li><em>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) To Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Interface Specification</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1981</li>
<li><em>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1981</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH</em>,<em> Guide</em>, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1 June, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH</em>,<em> Guide</em>, ver. 00, rev. 01, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, published by Bytec Management Corp., 10 October, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide</em>, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1 June, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide</em>, ver. 00, rev. 01, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1 August, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, Multiplan, Electronic Worksheet</em>, Microsoft Corp. and Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1982</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, Setup Guide</em>, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 8 August, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion User Guide MS-DOS/EDLIN</em>, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 5 September, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion Programmer Guide</em>, ver. 00, rev. 03, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li>
<li><em> LOTUS 123 User's Manual for the Hyperion Business Computer</em>, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li>
<li><em>LOTUS 123 Quick Reference for the Hyperion Business Computer</em>, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion Technical Reference Guide</em>, Bytec Management Corp., ver. 00, rev. 00, 15 November, 1983</li>
<li><em>Hyperion Aladin Guide</em>, Bytec Management Corp.(?), 1983</li>
<li>Hyperion DOS(2.11) Guide, ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li>
<li><em>Acoustic Cup Installation Instructions</em>, 2 pages</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>CORPORATE DOCUMENTS </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li><em>Introduction to: word processing software</em>, note by (?) 26 September, 1976, 3 pages</li>
<li><em> D.M.S. Release 2.0 Specifications </em>(preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 16 March, 1977, 3 pages</li>
<li><em>Memo on Bubble/CCD Possibilities </em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 24 January, 1978, 3 pages</li>
<li><em>Converting to DYNAMO 2.1 </em> (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1978(?), 1 page</li>
<li><em>Mount/Dismount Questions </em>, note, D. Lindsay(?) 16 January 1979, 2 pages</li>
<li><em>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 2.4 from 2.3</em>, note by D. Lindsay (?), 13 March, 1979, 3 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li>
<li><em>Memory Swapping for DynaBASIC-D</em> note, D. Lindsay(?) 9 August, 1979, 3 pages</li>
<li><em>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 3.1 from 2.4</em>, note by D. Lindsay (?), 28 September, 1979, 7 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li>
<li><em>DYNALOGIC Ethernet </em>, note by (?) 2 January 1980, 2 pages</li>
<li><em>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.0 from 3.1</em>, note by D. Lindsay (?), 16 February, 1980, 8 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li>
<li><em>Engineering Project Codes</em>, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980, 10 pages</li>
<li><em>DYNAMO: Chronology and Statistics </em>, Donald C. Lindsay, three versions dated: February 1981 [included in DYNAMO Source], 2 pages; August 1981, 3 pages; May 1982, 3 pages</li>
<li><em>Proposal to Mitel: Voice Mail</em>, Dynalogic Corporation, 28 August 1981, 5 pages</li>
<li><em>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.1 from 4.0</em>, note by D. Lindsay (?), 14 August, 1981, 2 pages; another note dated 27 August, 1981, 2 pages</li>
<li><em>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.2 from 4.1</em>, note by D. Lindsay (?), 18 March, 1982, 1 page</li>
<li>A letter to F. Mozer by D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 1 October, 1981, 2 pages</li>
<li>A letter from F. Mozer to D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 25 October, 1981, 1 page</li>
<li><em>Technical Evaluation: Context Management Systems</em>, memo by D. Lindsay, file context 3, 29 March, 1982, 1 page</li>
<li><em>Product Definition -- DYNACOM 2000 Series</em>, rev. 1, Dynalogic, January(?) 1982(?), 17 pages</li>
<li><em>Hyperion Editor Key Mapping </em>, memo by P. Matthews to G.K. Holman, 3 September, 1982</li>
<li><em>Status of Hyperion Editor Project</em>, 4 October, 1982 to 23 January, 1983, 5 notes by D. Lindsay (?)</li>
<li>A letter from Maurice Jolicoeur, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bytec, to Hyperion owners regarding the change of company name from Dynalogic to BYTEC -- HYPERION Division, July (?) 1983</li>
<li>A formal announcement of the merger of Bytec Management Corp. and Comterm Inc. to form Bytec-Comterm Inc., January(?) 1984</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, System Summary [for series 7032/7042 DMS], brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li>
<li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li>
<li>DynaBASIC I Compiler, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li>
<li><i>Laboratory Microcomputer System</i> System Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li><i>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System</i> Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li><i>DynaBASIC I Compiler</i> Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li><i>DynaBASIC L Compiler</i>, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li><i>Structured DynaBASIC Preprocessor</i>, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li><i>Advanced Programming Package (APP)</i>, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li><i>Software Licensing Policy</i>, Dynalogic, 1 page, 1979</li>
<li>Price List: Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), 2 pages, 1979</li>
<li>Price List: Dynalogic Licensed Software and manuals, 1 page, 1979</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows the final production model of Hyperion]</li>
<li><em>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages</li>
<li><em>Hyperion</em>, promotional brochure [possibly] distributed during the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City, booth number 1843, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 5 pages</li>
<li>Hyperion: Tested Software, July/August 1983, published by Compterm Inc. [list of software available for the Hyperion], 6 pages</li>
<li>A letter from Stephen J. McGill, Vice President, Percom Publishing, to Hyperion owners regarding the introduction of the <em>Hyperion PC Magazine</em>, 1983(?)</li>
<li>Hyperion price list from Compumart, Ottawa, 2 pp (198?)</li>
<li>Hyperion retail price list, Ottawa, 2 pp (May 1983)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>ORAL HISTORIES </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>Interview with Murray Bell, Ottawa, October 2000 (analogue cassette recording)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong>BOOKS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES, NEWS LETTERS </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>B. Foster and B. Southern, A College Microcomputer Facility, <i>BYTE</i> April 1978, pp. 90--96</li>
<li>D.C. Lindsay, <em>DYNALOGIC LOG</em>, 3 volumes, 1976--1983</li>
<li>D. Thomas, The Sale of a New Machine, <em>Quest</em>, November 1983, pp. 32d--32n</li>
<li>D. Thomas, <em>Knights of the New Technology. The Inside Story of Canada's Computer Elite</em>, Key Porter Books, 1983, pp. 165--183></li>
<li>R. Laver, <em>Random Excess:</em> <em>The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel</em>, Viking Penguin, 1998, pp. 44--51</li>
<li>Z. Stachniak, The Making of the MCM/70 Microcomputer, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 25, issue 2 (April-June 2003), pp. 62--75</li>
<li><em> THUG TIPS The Official Newsletter of the Toronto Hyperion Users Group (THUG) </em>, Toronto, November 1985</li>
<li><em> HUGO NEWS: Newsletter for the HYPERION USERS GROUP OF OTTAWA</em>, Ottawa, 1985--1988</li>
<li>Various newspaper and magazine articles on Dynalogic</li>
<li><em>Hyperion PC </em>magazine, vol. 1, nr. 1 (1984)</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OTHER </span></strong>
<ul>
<li><em>M6800 Linking Loader Reference Manual</em>, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., October 1976</li>
<li><em>M6800 Programming Reference Manual</em>, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li>
<li><em>M6800 Co-Resident Assembler Reference Manual,</em> M68CRA(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li>
<li><em>M6800 Micro Assembler Reference Manual</em>, M68ASM(D), Motorola Inc., February 1977</li>
<li><em>DYNAMO 2.0: Material for Blurb</em>, note by D. Lindsay, 7 September 1977</li>
<li><em>M6800 Resident Assembler Reference Manual</em>, M68CRA(D2), Motorola Inc., May 1979</li>
<li><em>Micro BASIC I Users Manual</em>, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li>
<li>Document folder, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd</li>
<li>Design drawing of the Hyperion case (by David Kelly?), color photocopy</li>
<li>LOTUS 123 Customer Assurance Plan, Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li>
<li>Purchase receipt for Hyperion issued by <em>Le magasin</em> Xerox, Montreal, 25 October, 1984</li>
<li>Hyperion pin</li>
<li>Assorted paper documents related to custom software developed for the DMS system.</li>
<li>Various source codes of Dynalogic software for the DMS systems</li>
<li>Various <em>Aladin</em> related documents</li>
</ul>
Subject
The topic of the resource
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/dynalogic_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="15%" height="15%" border="0" /></p>
The collection documents the microcomputer development activities at Dynalogic Corp.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Zbigniew Stachniak
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hyperion Personal Computer
Subject
The topic of the resource
hardware: personal computer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br /><br />Between November 1971 and April, 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, California, introduced its first two microprocessors — the 4-bit 4004 and the 8-bit 8008. Soon after, the prototypes of the first general purpose computers powered by microprocessors were already working on site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris, at Micro Computer Machines with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto, and at Microsystems International Ltd. headquartered in Montreal. These and other 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 computer hardware.<br /><br />In 1973, C. Murray Bell incorporated Dynalogic Corporation in Ottawa to design, develop, and manufacture floppy disk drive systems that could be interfaced with a range of computers and programmable calculators. The floppy diskette systems shipped up to mid-1975 had hardwired controllers designed to work with specific computers. This solution was costly since different computer models typically required different floppy drive controllers that would have to be designed and assembled. In 1975, the company entered the microprocessor market with its release of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of computers. The new floppy drive system could be programmed to operate with a specific computer instead of building a dedicated controller to provide such functionality. The system was unveiled at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show & Conference.<br /><br />In the following year, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) — an advanced microcomputer that employed the Motorola 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated UNIX-style proprietary DYNAMO operating system. <br /><br />In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic, renamed it Dynalogic Info-Tech, and initiated the work on the design of a portable desktop microcomputert — the Hyperion. The computer was unvailed at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the ``most powerful, portable, business computer in the world''. In the same year, the computer was shown during the <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">Canadian Computer Show in Toronto and the fall COMDEX in Las Vegas. <br /><br />The Dynalogic Info-Tech Hyperion was one of the first 'luggable' computers compatible with the imensly popular IBM PC. The computer was hosted in a plastic case and featured a buit-in display and two diskette drives. Detachable keyboard slid inside the case for storage. Optional 300 bit/s modem and an acoustic coupler were available.<br /><br /></span>The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. Several Hyperion user groups were formed across Canada including:<br />
<ul>
<li>Calgary Hyperion User Group (CHUG), Calgary, AB</li>
<li>Hyperion User Group of BC, Richmond, BC</li>
<li>Hyperion Users Group of Saskatoon, Saskatoon, SK</li>
<li>Hyperion Users Group of Laurentian Uuniversity, Sudbury, ON</li>
<li>Hyperion Users Group of Montreal, Montreal, QC</li>
<li>Hyperion Users Group of Ottawa (HUGO), Nepean, ON</li>
<li>Toronto Hyperion Users Group, Toronto, ON</li>
<li>Welland Hyperion User's Group, Welland, ON.</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Hardware:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU - Intel 8088,</li>
<li>Math co-processor - Intel 8087 (optional),</li>
<li>RAM - 256 Kbytes (expandable to 640 Kbytes) ,</li>
<li>ROM - 8 Kbytes,</li>
<li>VRAM - 16 Kbytes,</li>
<li>diskette drives: double sided double density, 360 Kbytes 5.25",</li>
<li>display: 7-inch, amber, with built-in screen blanker; display resolutions: 320x200, 320x250, 640x200, and 640x250,</li>
<li>keyboard: QWERT, detachable,</li>
<li>internal 300-baud modem opertaed under IN:TOUCH communication software (optional),</li>
<li>hardware expandable using the Hyperion EX Expansion Unit.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Software/Guides</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li><em>DOS 1/25, EDLIN</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983,</li>
<li><em>Hyperion DOS 2.11,</em> ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li>
<li><em>IN:SCRIBE</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982,</li>
<li><em>IN:TOUC</em>H communication software, Bytec-Comterm Inc., 1982,</li>
<li><em>LOTUS 123</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li>
<li><em>LOTUS 123</em>, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li>
<li><em>LOTUS 123</em>, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li>
<li><em>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion</em>, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983,</li>
<li><em>BASICA Assemble</em>r, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983,</li>
<li><em>Aladin</em>, Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983.</li>
</ul>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Dynalogic Info-Tech, Bytec Management Corp.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1982-1985
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
H.31, H.44
Relation
A related resource
Dynalogic collection
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
North America, 1983-1985
Contribution Form
The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form.
Online Submission
Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form.
No
Canadian
Dynalogic Info-Tech
Hyperion
IBM PC
IBM personal computer
microcomputer
PC
personal computer
-
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/2ea1396f3ddecbbfe5da0c2ec66deaa8.jpg
33d5ab81ee90b4390129c774fbeccd0e
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/8756862c54424dd77f962a86e0ddc289.png
613e13c56553411e549b7813ba091d68
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Microsystems International Limited (MIL) Collection
Description
An account of the resource
In October of 1968, with $48 million package from the Canadian Treasury Board, Northern Electric transformed its Advanced Devices Center into a new company called Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL). In March of 1969, MIL opened its doors with its headquarters in Montreal and the manufacturing facility in Ottawa. The company's focus was to be on new semiconductor technologies and products. In a short period of time, MIL acquired state of the art integrated circuit technologies and the second source rights to a number of products. The company's memory products, such as MF1101, MF1103, MF1701, or MF1702, and the MF8008 microprocessor, placed the company among the semiconductor leaders on the international market. <br /><br />Between 1970 and 1972, MIL developed and manufactured Canada's first microprocessor -- the MF7114. It also produced three microcomputers: the CPS/1 system designed around the MF7114 microprocessor as well as the MOD8 and the MOD80 computers. The MOD8 microcomputer, developed in 1974, was based on the MIL MF8008 8-bit microprocessor. This computer (as well as its refinement -- the MOD80) consisted of the MOD8-8 PCB backplane mounted in an aluminum case. The backplane contained the Eprom programmer and nine connectors for the CPU, memory, interface, and I/O cards. The MOD8 computer and its MONITOR8 software were aimed at the development of the MF8008-based applications. To MIL's surprise, it was the North American computer enthusiasts who made the MOD8 a popular 8008-based microcomputer kit in 1975-1976. MIL's <em>MF8008 Applications Manual </em>was one of the most widely read early documents on 8-bit microprocessors. The MOD8 influenced other early microcomputer designs for the hobbyists' market such as the Mike2 computer from Martin Research or a range of C-MOD computers from Celetron Corporation which were sold by MiniMicroMart of Syracuse, NY. <br /><br />The company closed its operations in June 1975. However, MIL's demise seeded the Canadian high-technology sector with scores of semiconductor, computer, and telecommunications start-ups founded by former MIL employees. <br /><br /><b> Acquisition:</b> The artifacts have been donated to YUCoM by several individuals including John Freeman, John Hackman, Kelly Hamilton, William Kindree, Mark Silver, Zbigniew Stachniak, and Candi Trefero. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">HARDWARE</span></strong>
<ul>
<li>MOD8 microcomputer</li>
<li>MOD80 microcomputer with a variety of additional home made boards and passive backplane</li>
<li>MP-1 chip set (it includes the MF7114 microprocessor)</li>
<li>MF8008 microprocessor</li>
<li>various MIL integrated circuits including the MF7114 and MF8008 CPUs as well as the MF1702A Eproms.</li>
<li>MOD8-8 backplane</li>
<li>A set of replicated MOD8 printed circuit boards</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">MANUALS, GUIDES, APPLICATIONS NOTES </span></strong>
<ul>
<li><i>MC-1 Microcomputer Handbook (Preliminary), </i>MIL (197?)</li>
<li>How to Use the CPS/1 Micro-Computer System, Bulletin 50001 (MIL, 1972)</li>
<li>Techniques for the CPS/1, Microsystems International Ltd., preliminary edition, 1973(?)</li>
<li>CPS/1 Application Guide, Microsystems International Ltd. , June 26, 1972</li>
<li><i>Short Form Catalogue Catalogue</i>, Bulletin 80001, Microsystems International Ltd., March 1971</li>
<li><i>Selected Linear I.C. Catalogue</i>, Bulletin 80004A, Microsystems International Ltd., 1974 edition</li>
<li><i>MF8008 Central Processing Unit Applications Manual</i>, Microsystems International Ltd., preliminary edition, 1974(?)</li>
<li><i>MOS Memory Catalogue</i>, Bulletin 80005, Microsystems International Ltd., 1974</li>
<li><em>MOS LSI Memory</em>, Bulletin 23006, Microsystems International Ltd., 1972(?)</li>
<li><em>MOS LSI Memory Fully Decoded Static Random Access 1024 Bit Memory MF2102</em>, Bulletin 23032, Microsystems International Ltd., 1972</li>
<li><i>MF8008 Central Processor Applications Manual</i>, Bulletin 80007, Microsystems International Ltd., 1974 edition</li>
<li><em>Microprocessor Control of the Singer Telerex 30PMI Matrix Printer</em>, MIL Applications Note, HRM 1468-00, November 16, 1973</li>
<li>J. Freeman, <em>MF 7114 Central Processing Unit Product Specification</em>, Design Report P-F-7114, Issue 1, Microsystems International Ltd., October 1973</li>
<li>J. Freeman, <em>MF 7115, 64x4 RAM Product Specification</em>, Design Report P-F-7115, Issue 1, Microsystems International Ltd., October 1973</li>
<li><i>MOD8 Manual</i>, Moducomp Inc., 1975(?)</li>
<li><em>MOD8/Audio Cassette Interface Manual</em> (Moducomp?)</li>
<li><i>MOD80 Supplement</i>, Moducomp Inc., 1975(?)</li>
<li><i>GNC 8: Modular Micro Computer User's Manual</i>, Great Northern Computers Ltd., 1975</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong>SOFTWARE and HARDWARE NOTES </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>L. Schweizer,<i> MPS/1, Mini Processor System/First Try, </i>Microsystems International Ltd. (1972?)</li>
<li><i>CPS/1 Software Notes, </i>draft copy, Microsystems International Ltd. (1973?)</li>
<li><i>New Super Component: MOD8-9 </i>(MIL?, 6pp)</li>
<li><em>MOD 8-8, Backplane/PROM Programmer</em> (MIL?, 16 pp)</li>
<li>Notes on the MOD-80 version2, revision 1 and other 8080-related hardware/software by Tom Dale (c. 1977)</li>
<li>B. Warren, 4006 Design Report, Intel, December 16, 1971</li>
<li>J. Freeman, <em>A Microprocessor Prototyping System for the 8080</em> (1974?)</li>
<li>J. Heckman, <em>Interupts for CPS/1</em> (handwritten notes)</li>
<li>J. Heckman, <em>Tech Note - COMBUS</em> (handwritten notes)</li>
<li><i> The MOD 8 Data Package </i>, by Robert Swartz (1975). It includes:
<ul>
<li><i>The MOD 8 Data Package</i> cover page</li>
<li><i>MOD 8-8 Backplane/PROM Programmer</i> documentation</li>
<li><i>Audio Cassette/MOD8 Interface</i></li>
<li><i>Errors in MIL Application Manual, Bulletin 80007 - 1974 Edition</i></li>
<li><i> Helpful Hints in Getting a Running System</i></li>
<li>MOD 8 Parts List, 1/5/75</li>
<li><i>Additional Notes on MOD 8</i>MIL.htm</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The MOD 80 CPU board schematic diagram and board layout; designed by Robert Swartz (1975), layout by Nano Systems, manufactured by Space Circuits</li>
<li><i>The MOD8 software and notes</i> by Brother Thomas McGahee (1975/76):
<ul>
<li><i>Notes on Using the MIL-MOD 8 System</i>, 6 pages</li>
<li><i>Minimal Monitor for Scientific Calculator</i>, 12 pages</li>
<li><i>How it Works: Parallel I/O for MOD-8</i>, 14 pages</li>
<li><i>Monitor-8P Parallel I/O</i>, 8 pages</li>
<li><i>Scientific Calculator Software</i>, 36 pages</li>
<li><i>Proposed C-MOD8-2P</i>, (February 1976), 7 pages</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><i> Datapak: LED Display</i>, MiniMicroMart, 1976 (discusses LED display board for MOD80, C-MOD 80)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong> SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS</strong></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li>CPS1-1, February 6, 1973</li>
<li>MOD-4 CPU board, Microsystems International Ltd., June 25, 1974</li>
<li>MOD-4 Exoander board, Microsystems International Ltd., June 21, 1974</li>
<li>MOD-4 debug board, Microsystems International Ltd., June 21, 1974</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong>SOFTWARE <br /></strong></span>
<ul>
<li>MONITOR 8 (on eight Intel 1702 Eproms)</li>
<li>MONITOR 8 (2K x 8, 8316 ROM) from MiniMicroMart (not in the YUCoM's collection)</li>
<li>MONITOR 80 (3 2708 Eproms) from MiniMicroMart (not in the YUCoM's collection)</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong> CORPORATE DOCUMENTS </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>
<ul>
<li>Microsystems International Ltd. share certificate, February 23, 1970</li>
<li>Minutes of CPS/1 Meeting, May 18, 1972</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong> MOD8/80 related articles in MiniMicroMart publications </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li>MOD8 discussed in <em>MiniMicroMart Newsletter</em>, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 2-3</li>
<li>Monitor-8 Software including Audio Cassette Interface, <em>MiniMicroMart Technical Bulettin</em> B101-4/75</li>
<li>MOD8, C-MOD8/80 discussed in Special issue C A 75</li>
<li>MONITOR 8 and Tape Cassette Interface for MOD8 discussed in <em>MiniMicroMart Newsletter</em>, special issue C101A-5/75</li>
<li>C-MOD 8 Boards, C-MOD 80 Boards: Modular 8 Bit Microprocessor, <em>MiniMicroMart Product Bulletin</em>-A103-9/75</li>
<li>RM 6800 -- C-MOD 6800 Mini System,<em> MiniMicroMart Product Bulletin</em> (preliminary), November 1975</li>
<li><i>C-MOD System>, Product Bulletin, Sep. 1976 </i></li>
<li>Monitor 80, 80A, and RM 8080 discussed in<i> Product Bulletin, Nov. 1976 </i></li>
<li>C-MOD 80 system discussed in Product Bulletin<i>, July, 1977 </i></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong> MOD8/80 related articles in Toronto Association of Computer Enthusiasts (TRACE) <i> Newsletter</i> </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>TRACE group purchase of MOD8 and MOD80 PCBs as well as MOD 80 based TV typewriter and color graphics terminal; a note by B. Kindree, <em>TRACE</em> <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 3, May 1976.</li>
<li>MOD8/80 user group; a note by J. Szilock, <em>TRACE</em> <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 4, June 1976.</li>
<li>B. Kindree, MOD 8 and MOD 80 Bus Display Board. <em>TRACE</em> <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 5, July 1976.</li>
<li>B. Kindree, The MOD 8 and MOD 80 Microcomputers: a short summary. TRACE <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 5, July 1976.</li>
<li>A note on MOD80 CPU board by B. Kindree. <em>TRACE</em> <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 7, August 1976.</li>
<li>MOD 80 Tips, <em>TRACE</em> <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 8, October 1976.</li>
<li>B. Kindree, From the Editor's Desk. A note on the status of TRACE MOD8/80 User's Group. <em>TRACE</em> <i>Newsletter</i> nr. 13, March 1977.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong>OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>T.A. Dale, <em>Monitor 68 Users Guid</em>, University of Waterloo, 1977</li>
<li><em>Phoenix-8</em> promotional brochure, HRB (Goderich, ON), 197?</li>
</ul>
Subject
The topic of the resource
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/mil_logo.png" alt="MCM_logo" width="30%" height="30%" border="0" /></p>
This collection documents corporate history of Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL).
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Zbigniew Stachniak
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
MOD 8 Microcomputer
Subject
The topic of the resource
hardware: microcomputer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br />(by Z. Stachniak)<br /><br />In October of 1968, with $48 million package from the Canadian Treasury Board, Northern Electric transformed its Advanced Devices Center into a new company called Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL). In March of 1969, MIL opened its doors with its headquarters in Montreal and the manufacturing facility in Ottawa. The company's focus was to be on new semiconductor technologies and products. In a short period of time, MIL acquired state of the art integrated circuit technologies and the second source rights to a number of products. The company's memory products, such as MF1101, MF1103, MF1701, or MF1702, and the MF8008 microprocessor, placed the company among the semiconductor leaders on the international market.<br /><br />Between 1970 and 1972, MIL developed and manufactured Canada's first microprocessor -- the MF7114. It also produced three microcomputers: the CPS/1 system designed around the MF7114 microprocessor as well as the MOD8 and the MOD80 microcomputers. The MOD8, developed in 1974, was based on the MIL MF8008 8-bit microprocessor. This computer (as well as its refinement -- the MOD80) consisted of the MOD8-8 PCB backplane mounted on top of an aluminum case, and several cards inserted into the backplane's connectors. These cards provided the CPU, memory, interface, and I/O functions. The backplane also contained built-in EPROM programmer. The MIL MOD80 microcomputer had the same architecture as the MOD8 with the exception of the CPU module. While the MOD8 employed the MF8008 microprocessor, the MOD80 was built around the MIL MF8080 CPU (a clone of the Intel 8080).<br /><br />The MOD8 computer and its MONITOR8 software were aimed at the development of the MF8008-based applications. To MIL's surprise, it was the North American computer enthusiasts who made the MOD8 a popular 8008-based microcomputer kit in the second half of the 1970s. MIL's <em>MF8008 Applications Manual</em> was one of the most widely read early documents on 8-bit microprocessors. The MOD8 influenced other early microcomputer designs for the hobbyists' market such as the Mike2 computer from Martin Research or a range of C-MOD computers from Celetron Corporation which were sold by MiniMicroMart of Syracuse, NY.<br /><br />The company closed its operations in June 1975. However, MIL's demise seeded the Canadian high-technology sector with scores of semiconductor, computer, and telecommunications start-ups founded by former MIL employees. The MOD8 and MOD80 microcomputers continued to be sold by companies such as Great Northern Computers Ltd., Moducomp Inc., and HRB (Goderich, ON).<br /><br /><strong>Museum holdings</strong><br /><br />For the MOD8 and MOD80 museum holdings, consult the MIL collection.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974
Relation
A related resource
MIL collection
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
H.37
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1974-1977 in North America
Contribution Form
The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form.
Online Submission
Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form.
No
microcomputer
Microsystems International Ltd.
MIL
-
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/a25d141ee58a8fb0d13b7a081eee5bac.jpeg
4bada6c11630b197334cd145e71282cc
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
NABU Network Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The NABU Network was designed and implemented by an Ottawa-based company NABU Manufacturing between 1981 and 1983. The underlying idea behind the network was to link home personal computers to cable television networks that would supply a continuous, high speed stream of computer programs and information to homes. NABU Manufacturing identified cable television as uniquely ideal technology to deliver digital information services to homes and educational institutions because of cable's high bandwidth and wide coverage in North America. <br /><br />On October 15, 1983, NABU Network was launched on Ottawa Cablevision -- an 85,000-subscriber company where much of NABU's testing was performed. Soon thereafter, the network made its US debut in Alexandria, VA, on Tribune Cable -- a 5,000 subscriber service. A year later the network was available on Ottawa's Skyline Cablevision and in Sowa, Japan, via a collaboration between NABU and ASCII Corp. <br /><br />NABU Network subscribers could rent or buy a NABU Personal Computer and dedicated network adaptor, and use an ordinary television set as a display monitor. Once connected to the network, a user could choose from various application programs and services in categories including entertainment, information and guides, education, and professional programs. Dedicated NABU magazines, newsletters, programming guides, and user groups provided subscribers with supplementary information and support. The NABU Network's public launch in 1983 marked the creation of the first commercial computer network to provide high-speed access to information and services directly to homes of personal computer users. Financial difficulties lead NABU Network Corp. (formerly NABU Manufacturing) to close down its operations in 1986. <br /><br />
<p><b> Acquisition:</b> The objects in the collection have been donated by D. Adkinson, J. Amanatides, R. Banks, J. De Carlo, M. Kenzie, B. McNally, D. Sawyer, T. Shepard, A.G.M. Smith, Zbigniew Stachniak, and R.J. Tremblay.</p>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>HARDWARE </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>NABU Personal Computer, 4K ROM</li>
<li>NABU Personal Computer, 8K ROM</li>
<li>NABU Adaptor</li>
<li>NABU 1100 workstation</li>
<li>NABU 1600 desktop computer with external disk drives</li>
<li>Various S-100 boards for the NABU 1100 computer made by Andicom Corp.</li>
<li>Joysticks for the NABU Personal Computer</li>
<li>External disk drive station for the NABU Personal Computer</li>
<li>NABU 4404 terminal</li>
<li>NABU 3100 terminal</li>
<li>NABU 3116 terminal</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>SOFTWARE </strong></span>
<ul>
<li>NABU CP/M Plus operating system and utility software for the NABU Personal Computer, NABU Network & Digital Research</li>
<li>CP/M operating system for the NABU 1600 computer</li>
<li>CP/M operating system for the NABU 1100 workstation</li>
<li><i> Heli Tank </i> computer game, NABU 1983 (ASCII Corp. version)</li>
<li>NABU Network cycle for CABSERVE development system (1982--1986)</li>
<li>Software development tools for CABSERVE development system (1982--1986)</li>
<li>NABU Network DOS (historical software reconstruction), YUCoM 2008</li>
<li>NABU Network main menu (1983 version, historical software reconstruction), YUCoM 2008</li>
<li>XENIX 1.1 NABU 1600 Release Note, 1983.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>MANUALS and GUIDES </strong></span>
<ul>
<li><i>NABU Personal Computer User's Guide</i>, first edition, November 1982, NABU Manufacturing</li>
<li><i>NABU Personal Computer User's Guide</i>, Second edition, September 1983, NABU Manufacturing</li>
<li><i>NABU Basic User's Reference Manual</i>, first edition, September 1984, NABU Network Corp.</li>
<li><i>NABU Network Guide</i>, first edition, November 1982, NABU Manufacturing Corp.</li>
<li><i>CP/M Plus (Operating System) User's Guide</i>, version 3, Digital Research, 1983</li>
<li><i>CP/M Plus (Operating System) Programmer's Guide</i>, version 3, Digital Research, 1983</li>
<li><i> CP/M Plus (Operating System) System Guide</i>, version 3, Digital Research, 1983</li>
<li><i>Programmer's Utilities Guide For the CP/M Family of Operating Systems </i>, Digital Research, 198?</li>
<li><i>Symbolic Instruction Debugger Productivity Tool Reference Manual for the CP/M-80 Family of Operating Systems </i>, Digital Research, 1981</li>
<li><i>NABU Logo Learner's Guide</i>, Interim Version, NABU Network, 1983</li>
<li><i>NABU PC Disk Drive User's Guide</i>, Interim Version, NABU Network, May 1984</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network: Technical Specifications</i>, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>NABU Personal Computer Application Programmer's Manual</i>, NABU Manufacturing report 50-90020490, June 8, 1984</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network Product Training Kit,</i> NABU Manufacturing, October 10, 1983</li>
<li>NABU 3100 Users Manual, Nabu Manufacturing, 1982(?)</li>
<li>< NABU 1600 User's Operating Guide, Nabu Manufacturing, 1982</li>
<li>NABU 1600 MS-DOS User's Guide, Nabu Manufacturing, 1982</li>
<li>NABU 1600 Word Processing Reference Guide, Preliminary Draft, NABU Manufacturing, 1983</li>
<li>NABU 1600 XENIX Command Guide, Preliminary Draft, NABU Manufacturing, 1983</li>
<li>NABU 1600 User's Operating Guide, Preliminary Draft, NABU Manufacturing, 1983</li>
<li>NABU 1600 XENIX Pre-Release Technical Supplement, Preliminary Draft, NABU Manufacturing, 1983</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <strong>CORPORATE DOCUMENTS </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li>D. Sawyer. Report on the Conference on the Electronic Mall (New York, December 9--10, 1981), December 15, 1981</li>
<li>D. Sawyer. Report on the Western Cable Show (Anaheim, December 14, 1981), December 14, 1981</li>
<li>D. Sawyer. HOME NABU: A Proposal for the Initial Product Line. August 1981</li>
<li>D. Sawyer. NABU: Proposed Product Planning Process. August 1981</li>
<li>D. Sawyer. HOME NABU: Four Perspectives on the Home NABU. 1st draft, August 1981</li>
<li>NABU Manufacturing Corporation. Wood Gundy Ltd. prospectus for a public offering of securities, October 26, 1981</li>
<li>NABU Manufacturing Corp. Financial Statements, 1982</li>
<li>D. Sawyer. Report on the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (Las Vegas, January 7--10, 1982), January 15, 1982.</li>
<li>Portfolio of early documents describing the NABU Network sent by P.A. Wilson and E.R. Goodwin to S. Paterson, June 9, 1982</li>
<li><i>NABU Introduces Personal Computer</i>, news release, Nabu Manufacturing, May 1982</li>
<li><i>Acquisition of Volker-Craig by NABU Manufacturing Corp.</i>, a letter from A. Werenko, VP Sales, Volker-Craig, to distributors, OEM's, and House Accounts, January 29, 1982</li>
<li><i>Volker-Craig Limited Announces Acquisition by NABU Manufacturing Corporation</i>, news release, Volker Craig, January 7, 1982</li>
<li>A.M. Chitnis. Broadcast data transmission methods (NABTS, DIDON, etc.). Memorandum, June 8, 1982</li>
<li>D. Sawyer. Trip Report on the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (Las Vegas, 1983), January 14, 1983</li>
<li>A.M. Chitnis and W.D.M. Sawyer. Cable Computing Comes of Age. Presentation notes for the BNR Old-Boys Club (date unknown, possibly 1983)</li>
<li><i>Consumer/Education Division. Market and Business Analysis,</i> Release 1.0. NABU Manufacturing, August 31, 1983</li>
<li>Neil Telling. Products and Services for CATV Products, memorandum (date unknown)</li>
<li><i>NABU and Rogers Launch the NABU Network in Vancouver</i>, news release, NABU Manufacturing, August 18, 1983</li>
<li><i>Rogers Cable TV-Vancouver launches the NABU Network broadcast software service this fall in Vancouver</i>, news release, August 18, 1983</li>
<li>NABU Network Corporation Common Shares certificate, February 15, 1984</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL </strong> </span>
<ul>
<li><i>MicroCable Plus: Right for the Times</i>, promotional brochure, Nabu Manufacturing, 1982</li>
<li><i> Introducing MicroCable Plus</i>, promotional brochure, Nabu Manufacturing, 1982</li>
<li><i>Order Entry/Billing, General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Sales Analysis</i>, software promotional brochure, Nabu Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network... a business so right for cable</i>, promotional brochure, Nabu Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>NABU Manufacturing Corporation</i>, corporate brochure, 1982</li>
<li><i>The NABU 1600: The Beginning of a New Era of Computers</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU 3116 Video Display Terminal</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU 3055 Letter Quality Printer</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU 3201 Correspondence Quality Printer</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network: A technological breakthrough. Our technology. Your breakthrough</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>Tune in to a continuing adventure in computer programming</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network</i>, promotional brochure, NABU Manufacturing, 1982</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><strong> NEWS LETTERS, NETWORK GUIDES, and OTHER PUBLICATIONS </strong></span>
<ul>
<li><i>The Hard Copy</i>, vol. 1, no. 1, 2, 4, 1986 (monthly newsletter)</li>
<li><i>The Changing Times</i>, March 1985 (bi-monthly newsletter)</li>
<li><i>The Education Channel, Computers, Children & Education</i>, the education channel guide, NABU Network, 198?</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network Content Guide</i> (monthly guide), August 15--September 15, 1984</li>
<li>P. O'Connor, NABU: the brains network; in <i>Canadian Bu$iness</i>, March 1982</li>
<li>C. Nesbitt, <i>Nabu Manufacturing Corporation</i>, McLeod Young Weir, January 31, 1984</li>
<li>Nabu Network price list, August 18, 1983</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> OTHER DOCUMENTS </span></strong>
<ul>
<li><i>NABU's Writer Tutorial</i>, original screen print, 198?</li>
<li><i>NABU CALC</i> application program information pages, original screen print, 198?</li>
<li><i>Fancy Font</i> application program information pages, original screen print, 198?</li>
<li>< <i>Music Maker</i> application program information pages, original screen print, 198?</li>
<li><i>Kiddy Park</i> game information pages, original screen print, 198?</li>
<li><i>Fancy Font</i> NABU Network subscription receipts, 1985-1986</li>
<li><i>The NABU Network is changing for you</i>, letter to customers, Richard Haas, NABU Network, August 9, 1985</li>
<li>A letter to NABU subscribes, Ottawa CableVision Ltd., October, 1983</li>
<li>A letter to NABU subscribes, Ottawa CableVision Ltd., March 16, 1984</li>
<li>A letter to a customer regarding purchasing of the NABU CP/M Plus operating system, May 22, 1984.</li>
<li><i>Share the NABU Experience</i>, a note to customers, 198?</li>
<li>The NABU Network CCTA Satellite Demonstration, one page handout prepared for the 26th Annual Convention and CABLEXPO, Calgary Alberta, May 16--19, 1983.</li>
<li>Correspondence between Terry Shepard and the NABU Network, September-October, 1985</li>
<li><i>Cable Options... We've only just begun. 26th Annual Convention and CABLEXPO</i>, Calgary Alberta, May 16--19, 1983</li>
<li>A.M. Chitnis and W.D.M. Sawyer. Cable Computing Comes of Age. In <i>Cable Options... We've only just begun. 26th Annual Convention and CABLEXPO,</i> Calgary Alberta, May 16--19, 1983, pp. 13--19</li>
<li>A binder documenting the use of a NABU 1600 system by D.J. Adkinson.</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> PHOTOGRAPHS and VIDEOS </span></strong>
<ul>
<li>NABU Personal Computer, a photograph, 1983, CJOK CTV video, 1984</li>
<li><i>Leo Binkowski September 29/84</i>, CJOK CTV video, 1984</li>
</ul>
Subject
The topic of the resource
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/nabu_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="20%" height="20%" border="0" /></p>
The collection documents the development and installation of the NABU Network created by Nabu Manufacturing.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Zbigniew Stachniak
hardware
A computer (or a calculator), its components and
peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc).
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
NABU 1600 Desktop Computer
Subject
The topic of the resource
hardware: desktop computer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br />NABU Manufacturing (incorporated in June 1981 in Ottawa) was created through the amalgamation of three companies: Bruce Instruments Ltd. (manufacturer of cable TV converters based in Almonte), MFC Microsystems International Inc. (a distributor of computer hardware and software for small business systems), and Computer Innovations Ltd. (which operated computer retail stores across Canada). Soon after, the company acquired Andicom Technical Products Ltd. (a manufacturer of small business computers based in Toronto), Consolidated Computer Inc. (a manufacturer and distributor of key-edit systems), Mobius Software Ltd. (an Ottawa-based software consulting company), and Volker-Craig (a Kitchener-based manufacturer of video-display terminals).<br /><br />NABU's business plan was to capture a sizable share of the microcomputer market by offering the world's first cable-ready computers and by implementing a novel system for electronic delivery of software and information to home computer users -- the NABU Network. The company announced its network during the 1982 National Cable & Telecommunications Association conference in Las Vegas. In May 1983, the company transmitted its programming via satellite from Ottawa to terminals installed at the 26th Annual Convention of the Canadian Cable Television Association in Calgary. The NABU Network was officially launched on 15 October 1983 on Ottawa Cablevision, an 85,000-subscriber company where much of NABU's testing was performed. Soon thereafter, the network made its US debut in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tribune Cable, a 5,000 subscriber service. The launch marked the creation of the first commercial computer network to provide high-speed access to information, software, and digital entertainment directly to homes of personal computer users.<br /><br />While NABU's focus was on cable TV-based delivery of software and data, the company also designed and sold desktop and workstation computers.<br />One of such computers was the NABU 1600 designed by NABU's Andicom brunch. It was a 16-bit multi-user, multi-tasking desktop business computer supporting up to three user terminals. It was released by NABU Manufacturing in 1982. The system consisted of the CPU unit, the mass storage unit, and up to four terminals (e.g. the NABU 4404 terminals).<br /><br /><strong>The NABU 1600 technical specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU: Intel 8086 at 4.916 MHz,</li>
<li> <span class="aCOpRe"><span>floating-point</span></span> co-processor: Intel 8087,</li>
<li>RAM: 256 Kbytes expandable to 512 Kbytes,</li>
<li>ROM: 8 Kbytes,</li>
<li>mass storage unit: two diskette or hard drives in a separate unit,</li>
<li>hard drive: Seagate ST412, 10 Mbytes (formatted) with Western Digital WD 1001 disk controller,</li>
<li>diskette drive: Tandon TM 100-4,</li>
<li>diskettes: 5.25 inch, double-sided, double-density, 800 Kbytes,</li>
<li>communications: synchronous, aynchronous, 4 RS 323C ports.</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>operating systems: MS-DOS, Xenix, and CP/M-86,</li>
<li>programming languages: C, FORTRAN, BASIC, Pasal, COBOL,</li>
<li>applications: DOC text editor, Q-Mail (mail software), Q-Spell (spell checker), electronic spreadsheet, accounting, database management.</li>
</ul>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
NABU Manufacturing Corp., NABU Network Corp.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Hardware
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
H.28
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-1986
Contribution Form
The set of elements containing metadata from the Contribution form.
Online Submission
Indicates whether or not this Item has been contributed from a front-end contribution form.
No
microcomputer
NABU
NABU 1600
-
https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/00cef3d05da2d151e6d158ecfdf79359.JPG
f69e37864c5bbd3d1d810dc389067f82
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The PRO-80 Computer
Subject
The topic of the resource
Hardware: single-board computer
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Historical context</strong><br />(by Z. Stachniak)<br /><br />PROTEC Microsystems Inc. (or PROTEC) was founded 1981 and incorporated in January 1982 in Point Clair, Quebec. The company's first products were single-board microcomputer kits. The PRO-80 kit was offered in 1981, the PRO-83 in 1984, and the Multi-Lab in 1984. All these computers were designed for the educational and computer hobby markets.<br /><br />In 1986, PROTEC switched its focus from single board computers to smart sharers -- devices that allowed computers to share peripherals. In the 2nd half of the 1990s, the company addressed the growing popularity of local area networks and the Internet by introducing its new generation of intelligent device sharers, including the WebShare, SOHOLink, and WebBeetle, to provide a shared access to these services. An extensive distribution networks in North America and Europe positioned PROTEC as a provider of choice for such devices.<br /><br />The WebShare was launched in 1996 at COMDEX/Fall in Las Vegas. It allowed two or three PCs to simultaneously access the Internet using a single modem, a single telephone line, and a single Internet account. The second version of this sherer, more compact and with optional integrated modem was announced during the PC Expo trade show in New York in June 1997.<br /><br />The SOHOLink was designed to meet the connectivity needs of a small business or a home office operating with multiple computing platforms. It integrated all the features of the WebShare but offered Ethernet ports for networking of up to six computers. <br /><br />Finally, the WebBeetle was developed to address the demand for Internet and fax access in a local network environment were the demand for such access was high across the network. The sherer was launch during COMDEX/Fall held in Las Vegas in 1998 <br /><br /><strong>PRO-80 Microcomputer</strong><br />The PRO-80 single-board computer kit was PROTEC's first product. Offered in 1981, it was distributed by, among other companies General Electronics of Willowdale, Ontario. According to the PRO-80 assembly manual, the computer was designed to be<br /><br /> <em>a truly economical and educational system that meets the needs of students, teachers, experiments or anyone who wishes to know<br /> or evaluate at a reasonable price the performance of the wonderful machine, the Z-80 [microprocessor].</em> <br /> [from <em>The PRO-80 Assembly and </em><em>Operations Manual</em>]<br /><br />The computer was designed around the popular Zilog Z80 microprocessor and the S-100 bus that allowed the user to expand the system with a variety of S-100 boards available on the market.<br /><br /><strong>Hardware specification</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU: Zilog Z80A,</li>
<li>RAM: 1Kb expandable to 2 Kb,</li>
<li>EPROM: 1Kb containing the monitor software,</li>
<li>ports/interfaces: 2 parallel I/O ports, audio cassette interface,</li>
<li>keyboard: 16-key Hex with 8 additional keys,</li>
<li>display: 6-position Hex.</li>
</ul>
<br />PROTEC also offered the PRO-VIDEO expansion card for the PRO-80 that provided:<br />
<ul>
<li>video controller for a standard color or B/W TV,</li>
<li>Eprom programmer,</li>
<li>up to 22 Kb of RAM.</li>
</ul>
The card was supported with an 8 Kb editor/assembler. In April 1983, the computer was priced at $169 while its expansion card at $249.<br /><br /><strong>Software and documentation</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><em>The PRO-80 Assembly and Operations Manual,</em> PROTEC, 1981,</li>
<li>monitor (1Kb),</li>
<li>editor/assembler (8Kb).</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Museum holdings</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>PRO-80 single board computer,</li>
<li><em>The PRO-80 Assembly and Operations Manual</em>, PROTEC, 1981.</li>
</ul>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Protec Microsystems Inc.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Canada, early 1980s
microcomputer