Commodore Plus/4
hardware: home computer
<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>
Commodore Business Machines Ltd.
H.19
world, 1984-1985
microWAT Microcomputer
computer hardware: microcomputer
<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>
Developed by the University of Waterloo, Manufactured by Northern Digital Ltd.
1980--
H.25
Ontario, Canada, 1980-1983[?]
NABU 1600 Desktop Computer
hardware: desktop computer
<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>
NABU Manufacturing Corp., NABU Network Corp.
Hardware
H.28
1981-1986
Hyperion Personal Computer
hardware: personal computer
<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>
Dynalogic Info-Tech, Bytec Management Corp.
1982-1985
Dynalogic collection
H.31, H.44
North America, 1983-1985
MOD 8 Microcomputer
hardware: microcomputer
<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.
Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL)
1974
MIL collection
H.37
1974-1977 in North America
DY-4 Challenger I Computer
hardware: microcomputer
DY-4 Systems Inc. Challenger I microcomputer model number 953 Chassis, serial number S9538303008.
DY-4 Systems Inc.
1983(?)
YUCoM Canadian Hardware
Hardware
Hardware
H.88
Commodore VIC-20
hardware: home computer
<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>
Commodore Business Machines
world, 1980--1985
The PRO-80 Computer
Hardware: single-board computer
<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>
Protec Microsystems Inc.
Canada, early 1980s