11 10 106 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/68d48fb17e5450671621c290ca3f7370.jpeg eb588c61d90bd4ebe430283b9174d28d 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 TRACE Archive Description An account of the resource The microcomputer hobby movement in Canada had begun soon after the first computer clubs and groups were formed in the U.S. It was a part of the global North American computer hobby activities, going through similar phases of the microcomputing's development while retaining its separate regional character. TRACE was formed on January 23, 1976 by employees of the Canadian Development Division of Control Data Corporation located in Mississauga, Ontario. In the following months the membership was growing rapidly crossing the one hundred member mark by the end of 1976. The club played a significant role on the Canadian computer hobbyists' scene contributing to the development and popularization of personal computing. Several TRACE members became prominent entrepreneurs and promoters of personal computing. Throughout its decade-long existence, the club published the TRACE Newsletter, was a member of Midwest Affiliation of Computer Clubs (MACC), and organized and participated in popular events such as MACC's Computerfests (in 1983, the Computerfest took place in Toronto and was organized by TRACE). TRACE NEWSLETTER <ul> <li>TRACE Newsletter; holdings: no. 1, March 15, 1976 to 68, March-April 1984; February 1985</li> <li>Gifford Toole, TRACE it is (manuscript, 1976), published in TRACE Newsletter, no. 3, pp. 1 and 4 (1976).</li> <li>Harold Melanson, Altair add-on power supply (manuscript, 1976), published in TRACE Newsletter, no. 6, pp. 3--4 (1976).</li> <li>Phil Olynyk, Impressions of Atlantic City and the Personal Computing Convention'76 (manuscript, 1976), published in TRACE Newsletter, no. 7, p. 6 (1976).</li> <li>Dave Baird, An Open Letter to Trace (manuscript, 1976), published in TRACE Newsletter, no. 8 (1976), pp. 4-5.</li> <li>Bill Kindree, Highlights of the APL 76 Conference (manuscript, 1976), published in TRACE Newsletter, no. 9 (1976), pp. 1-2.</li> <li>Terry O'Brien, Build your own computer system or How I learned to love the bits (and pieces); (manuscript, 1976), published as How I learned to love the bits (and pieces) in TRACE Newsletter, no. 9 (1976), pp. 2-3.</li> <li>Phil Olynyk, Choosing a Micro Computer (manuscript, 1977), published in TRACE Newsletter, no. 12, p. 4 (1977).</li> <li>Stan Witkowski, Free Help (manuscript, April 15, 1977).</li> <li>Where can I get BASIC for the 8008, (manuscript, 1976?).</li> </ul> TRACE DOCUMENTS <ul> <li>Minutes of the May 14, 1976 TRACE meeting.</li> <li>Minutes of the October 1, 1976 TRACE executive meeting.</li> <li>Minutes of the October 15, 1976 TRACE meeting.</li> <li>Minutes of the October 31, 1976 TRACE executive meeting.</li> <li>Topics of Interest survey (197?).</li> <li>TRACE membership list (197?).</li> <li>TRACE computer industry questionnaire 197? (possibly taken during the Personal Computing Convention'76); responses from: AID Microsystems, IL., Pioneer Standard (WA), Motorola SPD, National Multiplex Corp. (NJ), Hal Communications Corp. (IL), Texas Instruments (TX), Innovex Corp. (MA), Mini Micro Mart (NY).</li> <li>TRACE questionnaire and Newsletter subscription form (197?).</li> <li>An early TRACE questionnaire form (1976?).</li> <li>Letter to TRACE members from Ross Cooling, November 13, 1979.</li> <li>TRACE executive list, 197?</li> <li>Early list of TRACE members, 1976.</li> <li>Sketched maps of TRACE meeting locations, 197?</li> <li>Information on Bill Pettit's presentation of a MOD8 microcomputer boards, April 1976.</li> </ul> MIDWEST AFFILIATION OF COMPUTER CLUBS <ul> <li>A letter from Gary Coleman, President of the Midwest Affiliation of Computer Clubs to TRACE, September 1982.</li> <li>Minutes of the December 1980(?) MACC meeting.</li> <li>Minutes of the January 17, 1981 MACC meeting.</li> <li>Minutes of the February 21, 1981 MACC meeting.</li> <li>List of MACC officers, trustees, and representatives (19??).</li> <li>Information on the MACC Computerfest in Cleveland, Ohio, June 11-13, 1976, for TRACE members.</li> </ul> COMPUTERFEST'83, TORONTO <ul> <li>Computerfest'83 Poster, Toronto, July 8-10, 1983.</li> <li>Eight five photographs taken during the Computerfest'83 event in Toronto, July 8-10, 1983 (photographer unknown).</li> </ul> OTHER DOCUMENTS <ul> <li>Letter from Gifford Toole, president of TRACE, to Walter Banks, 1 October 1976</li> </ul> Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/trace_logo.jpeg" alt="MCM_logo" width="30%" height="30%" border="0" /> The Toronto Region Association of Computer Enthusiasts (TRACE) Archive documents the activities of one of the earliest and most influential Canadian microcomputer hobby clubs. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. 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 TRACE Newsletter Subject The topic of the resource computer publication Description An account of the resource TRACE Newsletter was an official publication of the Toronto Region Association of Computer Enthusiasts. It was published monthly or semimonthly between March 1976 and February 1985. Holdings: nr. 1 (March 1976) — nr. 68 (March-April 1984), and nr. ? (February 1985). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Toronto Region Association of Computer Enthusiasts Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Toronto Region Association of Computer Enthusiasts Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-1985 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/14bc93b89a91efd79936a0718bdafd1e.jpg 151d5b2a36069d9c79db3236e6c52ccc 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 University of Toronto M6809 computer Subject The topic of the resource single board microcomputer Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In April 1972, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, CA, announced its first 8-bit microprocessor, the 8008. Shortly after, the company introduced the 8008-powered SIM8-01 single-board computer designed as a trainer and a software development system for the 8008-based applications. The introduction of this novel hardware marked more than just a leap in microprogrammable controller technology. Within months, prototypes of the first general-purpose computers powered by the 8008 chip were operational on-site at the French company Réalisations et Études Électroniques located in the suburbs of Paris and at Micro Computer Machines with headquarters situated on the outskirts of Toronto. The SIM8-01 board generated the first wave of computer hobby activities in North America. It also became an educational tool that enabled electrical engineering students to gain a deep understanding and appreciation of this new microprocessor technology. In 1973, the SIM8-01 board became the primary hardware at the newly established digital design labs at the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. These labs broadened the digital system design curriculum, introducing students to microprocessor technology recognized as a crucial component in computer engineering education. Other universities opted for various microprocessor development and demonstration systems, such as the Motorola MEK6800 single-board computer introduced in 1975, or developed and constructed their own hardware to support their microprocessor laboratories. The University of Toronto M6809 computer In the late 1970s, the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto developed and built the M6809 single-board microcomputer for its microprocessor lab. "Peter Pereira [a Senior Technologist at the University of Toronto] and I developed the hardware and Robert MacKay [a Ph.D. student] developed a Monitor Program that made it easy to use the board," recollected Zvonko Vranesic, a University of Toronto professor. "At that time I was teaching courses on Logic Design and Computer Organization in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Computer technology was developing rapidly, boosted by the emergence of powerful microprocessor chips. I was in charge of organizing a new Microprocessor Laboratory. Since commercially available equipment was expensive, we decided to develop our own board using the 6809 microprocessor. Our new laboratory was a huge success." The computer was introduced alongside comprehensive lab materials that included the computer's technical specifications, software descriptions, and a series of laboratory exercises. The M6809 board was manufactured by Exceltronix Components and Computers — one of the largest and popular electronics stores of the 1980s in Toronto. Until 1984, the computer, initially developed as a lab tool for instructing microprocessor technology to electrical engineering students, was also commercially sold by Exceltronix to commercial customers and computer hobbyists. "It turned out that the board was quite powerful and easy to use," Vranesic added. "We gave the Exceltronix company a licence to sell the board to commercial customers, which included industrial companies and several other universities. The board found uses that would otherwise have required a PDP-11 minicomputer (at a much higher cost)." Between 1984 and 1985, Peter Bubonia, a research associate in the University of Toronto's Department of Electrical Engineering, revamped the M6809 computer. His new computer, the SBC6809 Lab-mate, supported experimentation with microprocessor technology at, among other institutions, the University of Toronto and Ryerson Polytechnic Institute. M6809 hardware specifications <ul> <li> CPU: Motorola MC6809, 8-bit,</li> <li> RAM: 16, 32, or 48Kbytes,</li> <li> ROM: slots for three TMS-2532 EPROMs,</li> <li> display chip: Intel DL1416, 64 characetr display,</li> <li> ports: two RS-232 compatible serial ports (used to communicate with a terminal and auxiliary devices such as printers, modems, and computers); two VIA 6522 chips providing two parallel ports each (for audio cassette recorder, keyboard, parallel printer, etc.); 16-bit I/O connector providing access to data, address, control lines and signals;</li> <li>switches: RESET switch, to reset hardware and enter the monitor software, and NMI switch to interrupt a program and enter the monitor software,</li> <li>power supply: +5V, +12V and -12V.</li> </ul> M6809 software The M6809 software package TEACH  included: <ul> <li>monitor — allowed the user to test the memory, dump blocks of memory, examine and modify single memory locations, read and write from the cassette port, set and examine the breakpoints, single sterp or/and execute machine language programs, and set the examine the processor registers,</li> <li>editor/assembler — allowed the user to develop programs in the M6809 assembler (full screen),</li> <li>wire mode  — allowed the user to up and download text files to or from remote computer as well as to download machine code in Motorola's S-record format.</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>M6809 computer with hand written code "UT0180" and a sticker "2/13/87 BN",</li> <li>Robert MacKay, Peter Pereira, and Zvonko Vranesic, University of Toronto M6809 MIcroprocessor Laboratory Notes and Experiments, v. 1.1, University of Toronto, 1982,</li> <li>SBC6809 Lab-mate computer.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource University of Toronto Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived donated by Arlen Michaels 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, 1979 to mid 1980s 6809 University of Toronto https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/59c8bca8dca795e9e9c5fb2cc259ba45.jpg 12eb1d49013e65707386b627e1ebedaa 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 Volker-Craig VC204 Video Display Terminal Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: video display terminal Description An account of the resource Historical Context: In the 1950s, the operators of mainframe computers used dedicated consoles, hardcopy terminals (such as teletypes and modified electric typewriters), and a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays to run and control data processing tasks. Computer consoles typically featured rows of switches and associated lights that allowed operators to run and control the execution of programs, analyze data stored in memory, and to control other hardware interfaced with computers. Hardcopy terminals were used to print on roles of paper information such as operator's commands, computer responses, and other console messages. Finally, CRTs were used to displaying information (e.g. memory contents) in a rudimentary graphical form. The "glass teletype" that appeared in the mid-1960s was the first attempt at providing a single device allowing computer operators to run their systems having all the essential control and data processing information displayed on a screen. However, it was not until the early 1970s, when the first "dumb" video display terminals, featuring limited editing capabilities, were introduced (one of the earliest such terminals was the 7700A Interactive Display Terminal introduced by Lear Siegler Inc. in 1973). All these terminals shared the same basic keyboard-display-interface design: each featured a keyboard, a CRT screen that could display full sets of alphanumeric characters, and each had the capability to send and receive data via communication lines to a remote host computer. By the mid-1970s, video terminals became the most effective human-computer interface devices and they remain so until the mid-1980s, when they were displaced by microcomputers that could be interfaced with mainframes and minicomputers to perform terminal jobs in addition to microcomputing tasks, when PC monitors had become a common occurrence worldwide. In Canada, the design and manufacturing of computer display terminals began in the early 1970s. Comterm Inc. (Montreal), Cybernex Ltd. (Ottawa), Electrohome (Kitchener), Lektromedia (Pointe Claire), NORPAK (Kanata), TIL Systems Ltd (Toronto), and Volker-Craig (Waterloo) were some of the pioneering companies. Volker-Craig Ltd. was a Canadian manufacturer of video terminals, founded in 1973 by Michael C. Volker and Ronald G. Craig, both graduates from University of Waterloo. The company's early objective was to manufacture inexpensive video terminals. In a 2020 interview by Steven Forth for Ibbaka market blog, Volker recollects that "In those days... video displays were very, very expensive and being a student, I thought, this [video terminal manufacturing] needs to be done in a way that is economical for students." Volker's fourth-year engineering project to design an electronic circuitry for a video terminal that would allow the presentation of characters on the screen of a rudimentary television set was an entrepreneurial trigger. By the end of the 1970s, Volker-Craig was selling its terminals around the world through its offices and distributors in, among other countries, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and US. In January 1982, Volker-Craig merged with five other companies to form NABU Manufacturing Ltd. with headquarters in Ottawa, and continued to develop video terminals including the popular VC4404. In 1984, as a result of NABU's restructuring, Volker-Craig became once again a fully independent company renamed as Volker-Craig Technologies Ltd. The VC204 video display terminal was one of the earliest products offered by Volker-Craig. It was an alphanumeric terminal designed to operate with an external monitor. It was implemented using TTL technology and offered both ASCII and APL language character sets. Technical specifications: not available The museum has a VC204 video display terminal without documentation. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Volker-Craig Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource mid-1970s Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context VC204 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, 1970s https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/9bcb23ea745d459b6d41a0be25ad056e.jpg 1c52213e1e8861ddf85f01f8dcfa8c64 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 Volker-Craig VC404 Video Display Terminal Subject The topic of the resource hardware: video display terminal Description An account of the resource Historical Context: In the 1950s, the operators of mainframe computers used dedicated consoles, hardcopy terminals (such as teletypes and modified electric typewriters), and a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays to run and control data processing tasks. Computer consoles typically featured rows of switches and associated lights that allowed operators to run and control the execution of programs, analyze data stored in memory, and to control other hardware interfaced with computers. Hardcopy terminals were used to print on roles of paper information such as operator's commands, computer responses, and other console messages. Finally, CRTs were used to displaying information (e.g. memory contents) in a rudimentary graphical form. The "glass teletype" that appeared in the mid-1960s was the first attempt at providing a single device allowing computer operators to run their systems having all the essential control and data processing information displayed on a screen. However, it was not until the early 1970s, when the first "dumb" video display terminals, featuring limited editing capabilities, were introduced (one of the earliest such terminals was the 7700A Interactive Display Terminal introduced by Lear Siegler Inc. in 1973). All these terminals shared the same basic keyboard-display-interface design: each featured a keyboard, a CRT screen that could display full sets of alphanumeric characters, and each had the capability to send and receive data via communication lines to a remote host computer. By the mid-1970s, video terminals became the most effective human-computer interface devices and they remain so until the mid-1980s, when they were displaced by microcomputers that could be interfaced with mainframes and minicomputers to perform terminal jobs in addition to microcomputing tasks, when PC monitors had become a common occurrence worldwide. In Canada, the design and manufacturing of computer display terminals began in the early 1970s. Comterm Inc. (Montreal), Cybernex Ltd. (Ottawa), Electrohome (Kitchener), Lektromedia (Pointe Claire), NORPAK (Kanata), TIL Systems Ltd (Toronto), and Volker-Craig (Waterloo) were some of the pioneering companies. Volker-Craig Ltd. was a Canadian manufacturer of video display terminals, founded in 1973 by Michael C. Volker and Ronald G. Craig, both graduates from University of Waterloo. The company's early objective was to manufacture inexpensive video terminals. In a 2020 interview by Steven Forth for Ibbaka market blog, Volker recollects that "In those days... video displays were very, very expensive and being a student, I thought, this [video terminal manufacturing] needs to be done in a way that is economical for students." Volker's fourth-year engineering project to design an electronic circuitry for a video terminal that would allow the presentation of characters on the screen of a rudimentary television set was an entrepreneurial trigger. By the end of the 1970s, Volker-Craig was selling its terminals around the world through its offices and distributors in, among other countries, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and US. In January 1982, Volker-Craig merged with five other companies to form NABU Manufacturing Ltd. with headquarters in Ottawa, and continued to develop video terminals. In 1984, as a result of NABU's restructuring, Volker-Craig became once again a fully independent company renamed as Volker-Craig Technologies Ltd. In 1978, Volker-Craig introduced its VC404 line of video display terminals including the VC404 standard terminal, the VC414 Editor -- a microprocessor-based display terminal, and the VC424 terminal that, in addition to all the standard features of the VC404 and VC414, offered an independent printer port and pooling capability. The VC404 technical specifications: <ul> <li>display: 12" anti-glare, 24 lines, 80 characters per line, normal or revers video, character highlighting</li> <li>keyboard: detachable, QWERTY, upper/lower case characters, 16-key numeric key-pad and 6 function keys</li> <li>ports: serial EIA RS232C</li> <li>data rates: from 110 up to 19200 baud</li> <li>options: a bidirectional serial interface controlled from the remote computer or keyboard, parallel input port for bar code readers and other peripherals, APL and other character sets (French, German, and Swedish).</li> </ul> The museum has a VC404 terminal (model number KB 05101 G1, serial number 01745-159) without documentation. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Volker-Craig Ltd., Waterloo, Canada Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H.17 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, 1978-- 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 terminal Volker-Craig https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1c43615c42ff9d10d7698bbfc91936b3.jpg 6524dba11a7164cae5043f1c4ae60b28 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 Volker-Craig/NABU 4404 Video Display Terminal Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: video display terminal Description An account of the resource Historical Context: In the 1950s, the operators of mainframe computers used dedicated consoles, hardcopy terminals (such as teletypes and modified electric typewriters), and a variety of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays to run and control data processing tasks. Computer consoles typically featured rows of switches and associated lights that allowed operators to run and control the execution of programs, analyze data stored in memory, and to control other hardware interfaced with computers. Hardcopy terminals were used to print on roles of paper information such as operator's commands, computer responses, and other console messages. Finally, CRTs were used to displaying information (e.g. memory contents) in a rudimentary graphical form. The "glass teletype" that appeared in the mid-1960s was the first attempt at providing a single device allowing computer operators to run their systems having all the essential control and data processing information displayed on a screen. However, it was not until the early 1970s, when the first "dumb" video display terminals, featuring limited editing capabilities, were introduced (one of the earliest such terminals was the 7700A Interactive Display Terminal introduced by Lear Siegler Inc. in 1973). All these terminals shared the same basic keyboard-display-interface design: each featured a keyboard, a CRT screen that could display full sets of alphanumeric characters, and each had the capability to send and receive data via communication lines to a remote host computer. By the mid-1970s, video terminals became the most effective human-computer interface devices and they remain so until the mid-1980s, when they were displaced by microcomputers that could be interfaced with mainframes and minicomputers to perform terminal jobs in addition to microcomputing tasks, when PC monitors had become a common occurrence worldwide. In Canada, the design and manufacturing of computer display terminals began in the early 1970s. Comterm Inc. (Montreal), Cybernex Ltd. (Ottawa), Electrohome (Kitchener), Lektromedia (Pointe Claire), NORPAK (Kanata), TIL Systems Ltd (Toronto), and Volker-Craig (Waterloo) were some of the pioneering companies. Volker-Craig Ltd. was a Canadian manufacturer of video display terminals, founded in 1973 by Michael C. Volker and Ronald G. Craig, both graduates from University of Waterloo. The company's early objective was to manufacture inexpensive video terminals. In a 2020 interview by Steven Forth for Ibbaka market blog, Volker recollects that "In those days... video displays were very, very expensive and being a student, I thought, this [video terminal manufacturing] needs to be done in a way that is economical for students." Volker's fourth-year engineering project to design an electronic circuitry for a video terminal that would allow the presentation of characters on the screen of a rudimentary television set was an entrepreneurial trigger. By the end of the 1970s, Volker-Craig was selling its terminals around the world through its offices and distributors in, among other countries, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and US. In January 1982, Volker-Craig merged with five other companies to form NABU Manufacturing Ltd. with headquarters in Ottawa, and continued to develop video terminals. In 1984, as a result of NABU's restructuring, Volker-Craig became once again a fully independent company renamed as Volker-Craig Technologies Ltd. In 1982, Volker-Craig introduced the VC4404 display terminal -- the Chat. It was a low cost stand-alone, ASCII, serial asynchronous computer peripheral that could be connected to any computer equipped with an RSC232C interface. The terminal offered comptibilty with the company's popular VC404 and the Lear Siegler ADM-3A -- an influential early video display terminal. VC4404 technical specifications: <ul> <li>CPU: Zilog Z80A</li> <li>display: 12" anti-glare, 24 lines, 80 characters per line, normal or revers video, character highlighting</li> <li>keyboard: detachable, QWERTY, upper/lower case characters, 10 program function keys, 8 switches to control the screen display</li> <li>ports: EIA RS232C communications interface</li> <li>data rates: from 110 up to 19200 baud</li> <li>options: serial and parallel interfaces, numeric key-pad and function keys, APL character set, ccoloured anti-glare display screen (amber or green)</li> </ul> NABU 4404 documentation: <ul> <li>VOLKER-CRAIG User's Manual, VC4404 The CHAT Video Display Terminal, Volker-Craig/NABU, Rev. 3, March 1982,</li> <li>VC4404 Video Display Terminal, Service Manual, Volker-Craig, 1982,</li> <li>VOLKER-CRAIG VC4602 User Manual, Volker-Craig, 1982</li> </ul> The museum has a VC4404 terminal and the above mentioned documentation. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Volker-Craig Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980s Relation A related resource NABU Collection https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/799b3d889e9d66edfee9c752434f24bb.jpg 8650aae07d84bf4724123fbc3514f4b0 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/056a1ad2a2d817137bee4d0f9eb853d9.jpg fbb87648b4cdc24139248f5d97de5681 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 Wang 320SE calculator at York University Subject The topic of the resource hardware: electronic calcuator Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The commercialization of the transistor in the first half of the 1950s had a dramatic impact on the decade-old computer industry. The all-transistor computers were offered as early as 1953 and, by the end of the 1950s, all major computer manufacturers were building transistorized machines. Similar shift to solid-state technology was made across consumer electronics industry (for example, in the mid-1950s, all-transistor radios quickly began to replace large and bulky vacuum tubes-based radio sets). Despite clear advantages that solid-state electronics had to offer to calculator manufacturers (if built, transistor-based  calculators would be smaller, quieter, more versatile, and virtually maintenance free when compared with the traditional desktop electro-mechanical calculators), the calculator industry was much slower in adopting the new technology. Calculator manufacturers were quite reluctant to venture into electronics when no competitors, even those with electronics divisions (such as Olivetti, Burroughs, Sony, and Canon), were putting any electronic calculators on the market. They were simply unwilling to go against their main core products that still delivered corporate wealth and prestige, they had no desire to invest substantial resources into concurrent divisions of electronic calculators that would internally compete with their best-performing divisions of electro-mechanical calculators. It was not until the early 1960s that the first solid-state calculators appeared on the consumer market and almost instantly gained consumer acceptance. While most of the early electronic calculators supported only rudimentary arithmetic operations with, in some cases, one or two memory registers for storing intermediate results, several firms introduced calculators with functionality that went far beyond that. The execution of short sequences of instructions (programs) was the most notable of these new features. Programs for such calculators could be keyed-in by an operator or read from an external storage media (such as punch cards) and, then executed as many times as desired by a single press of a key. In 1964, Massachusetts-based companies Mathatronics Inc. and Wang Laboratories Inc. introduced their first programmable calculators: the Mathatron and the LOCI-2, respectively. The following year, an Italian manufacturer of office equipment Olivetti introduced its Programma 101. All these programmable calculators were positioned to bridge the gap between ordinary desk-top calculators that offered instantaneous, personal, and easy to use operations but no substantial information processing capabilities, and the large and complex mainframe computers that required high-degree of training and long waiting times to perform users' computational tasks. Some of these calculators could be interfaced with a range of peripherals including printers, plotters, and external storage. Libraries of ready to run programs were also offered. Wang announced its new 300 Series programmable calculator in 1967. The calculator's more advanced models in the 300 series were offered in 1968. In their basic configuration, all these systems consisted of the central processing unit (CPU, referred to as "electronic package" in Wang's literature) and of up to four keyboard consoles remotely connected to the CPU. Using a standard keyboard console (model "K") a user could execute programs composed in terms of rudimentary arithmetic operations as well as square root, logarithmic and exponential functions. Programs of up to 80 steps were stored on dedicated punch cards and could be executed by reading them using an optional CP-1 Card Programmer interfaced with the calculator. Using a trigonometric keyboard unit (model "KT") a user could include trigonometric functions in programs. The calculator also offered random access storage (in up to four random access registers) and automatic summation of products, multipliers, and/or entries. Wang published a library of applications programs in areas ranging from engineering to finance. Wang 320SE at York University In the mid-1960s, York was rapidly growing and establishing new key departments. In 1965, Ralph W. Nicholls joined York University from the University of Western Ontario to form a new Department of Physics. In the same year, he became founding director of York's Centre for Research in Experimental Space Science (CRESS, later renamed the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science) that quickly gained prominence in North America. Unfortunately, York's first computer--the IBM System/360 Model 30--was only installed in November 1966 and, until then, CRESS members had to rely on calculators and computer resources offered by the University of Toronto. In 1968, the Department of Physics moved into a newly constructed Petrie Science Building by which time a new IBM System/360 Model 40 was operational. In order to reduce the access to the new shared computer in cases that did not require full computational power of a mainframe computer, CRESS installed a Wong 320SE system in Petrie building. The 320SE system simulatneously supported four keyboard terminals. The calculator's CPU was located in one of the utility rooms. Each of the four terminal keyboards was placed in the hall of each floor. The calculator was decommissioned in the early 1990s. Museum's holdings Hardware: <ul> <li>Wang 320SE central processing unit,</li> <li>Wang 320K conventional keyboard terminals (3 units),</li> <li>Wang 320KT trigonometric keyboard terminal.</li> </ul> Manuals and promotional literature: <ul> <li>300 Series WANG Electronic Calculators -- Instruction Manual, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1967,</li> <li>300 Series Program Library, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1967,</li> <li>300 Series electronic calculator -- instruction manual, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968,</li> <li>370 Series Programmable Calculating System, promotional brochure, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968,</li> <li>370 System Reference Manual, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968,</li> <li>370 Calculating System Program Library, vol. 1, Wang Laboratories Inc., 1968.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wang Laboratories Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant York University, 1968-199? calculator