Nelma Persona
hardware: desktop computer
<strong>Historical Context:<br /></strong><br />Nelma Data Corporation was a desktop computer manufacturer based in Mississauga Ontario. In 1982, the company announced its Persona desktop computer (the NDC 100 Persona). In Fall 1983, the computer was shown at computer expo trade show COMDEX'83 held in Las Vegas, and advertised as "the professional small business computer." The Persona was distributed through ComputerLand which, at that time, was possibly the world’s largest computer retail chain.<br /><br />Since its introduction in August 1981, the IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly referred to as the IBM PC) had been rapidly gaining in popularity despite the fact that it operated under little known DOS operating system from Microsoft instead of the popular CP/M operating system from Digital Research. The main idea behind the Persona's development was to offer an affordable desktop computer with capabilities (and appearance) similar to that of the IBM PC but running CP/M instead of DOS.<br /><br />Later, to deal with the popularity of the IBM PC and rapidly expanding IBM PC clone market, Nelma offered a hardware kit to turn the Persona into an IBM PC compatible computer.<br /><br />The Nelma Persona was designed by Jose Laraya -- the same engineer who in the early 1970s was leading the design of the MCM/70 personal computer at Micro Computer Machines of Toronto.<br /><br /><strong>Technical specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU: Zilog Z80A</li>
<li>RAM: 64Kb</li>
<li>external storage: two 180Kb floppy drives</li>
<li>ports: serial and parallel</li>
<li>keyboard: QWERTY-style, detachable, with keypad and 11 program function keys</li>
<li>display: a stand alone 12 inch CRT, monochrome (green)</li>
</ul>
Nelma offered a range of optional hardware for Persona including:<br />
<ul>
<li>Intel 8086 processor kit</li>
<li>360Kb floppy diskette drives</li>
<li>10Mb Winchester hard drive</li>
<li>additional 64Kb or 128Kb RAM</li>
<li>high resolution color graphics</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CP/M operating system version 2.2, Digital Research</li>
<li>WordStar word processor, MicroPro</li>
<li>MailMerge mailing list handler, MicroPro</li>
<li>CalcStar spreadsheet, MicroPro</li>
<li>InfoStar database, MicroPro</li>
<li>SpellStar spelling checker, MicroPro</li>
<li>MBasic, Microsoft</li>
<li>Persona communications package, Nelma</li>
<li>Persona Professional Accounting, Nelma</li>
</ul>
<br /><br />The museum has a NDC 100 Persona (serial number 8300321) with a keyboard and monitor. It was manufactured in March 1983.
Nelma Data Corporation
1982
North America
D.G.A. Electronics D156-SS Single Board Computer
hardware: single board computer
<strong>Historical context:</strong><br />D.G.A. ELECTRONICS LTD. was founded by Doug Atkinson in 1977 in Toronto, Ontario, as an electronics design firm. It specialized in the development of custom computer hardware and software including single board computers.<br /><br /><strong>The D.G.A. ELECTRONICS D156-SS specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU - Motorola 6802, 8-bit</li>
<li>RAM - eight 14-pin sockets; two populated with HM472114 1024 x 4-bit memory chips</li>
<li>ROM - two 24-pin EPROM sockets</li>
<li>buss architecture: STD</li>
<li>ports/connectors: serial and parallel, expansion buss connectors</li>
<li>manufacturing data: 1980</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2><br /><span style="color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"> MICROPROCESSOR BASED EMBEDDED CONTROL SYSTEMS<br /> AUDIO/VIDEO SWITCHING<br /> RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATIONS<br /> SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT<br /> MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS<br /> INFRARED DEVICE CONTROL</span></h2>
D.G.A. ELECTRONICS LTD
1980
North America
NABU 1100 Computer System
hardware: computer system
<strong>Historical context<br /></strong><br />The NABU 1100 system was manufactured by NABU Manufacturing Corp. in the early 1980s. The system consisted of the the NABU 1100 computer (designed by Toronto-based Andicom -- one of the companies amalgamated into NABU) and the NABU 4404 display terminal (designed and manufctured by Volcer-Craig Ltd. -- another Canadian company merged into NABU). <br /><br />Apart from being sold to Canadian customers through the Ottawa-based Computer Innovations retail stores (which become part of NABU as well), the system was internally used as software development platform for the NABU Network -- a novel cable TV-based delivery method for software and information using world's first cable-ready computers.<br /><br />The NABU 1100 computer hardwer was hosted in a large cabinet with casters on it for manoeuverability. A drawer at the bottom of the cabinet was provided to store software and manuals.<br /><br />The NABU 4404 display terminal was a stand-alone, ASCII, serial asynchronous computer peripheral that could be connected to any computer equipped with an RSC232C interface. NABU recommended other display terminals to be used with the NABU 1100 computer as well, such as the NABU 404, 3100, and 4416 terminals.<br /><br /><strong>NABU 1100 technical specifications</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Bus: S-100</li>
<li>CPU: Zilog Z80A CPU at 4 MHz</li>
<li>RAM: 62 Kbytes</li>
<li>ROM: 2 Knytes</li>
<li>card slots for: CPU board (ACP-1101) floppy disk controller board (AFC-1100), I/O board (AIO-1100), and memory board (ADM-1000), and additional 4 user supplied boards</li>
<li>external storage: two buil-in 8" Shugart diskette drives (SA850), double sided, capacity = 1600 Kbytes (unformated)</li>
<li>ports: two RS-232C serial I/O, and parallel I/O</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>NABU 4404 Terminal specifications</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CPU: Zilog Z80A</li>
<li>display: 12" anti-glare, 24 lines, 80 characters per line, normal or revers video</li>
<li>keyboard: detachable, QWERTY, upper/lower case characters</li>
<li>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>
<br /><strong>NABU 1100</strong> <strong>software and documentation</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>CP/M operating system,</li>
<li><em>NABU 1100 User's Manual</em>, Manufacturing Corp., 1981December 1981,</li>
<li><em>The NABU 1100 System: A Technical Guide</em>, Nabu Manufacturing Corp., 1981,</li>
<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, 198?</li>
<li><em>SA850/851 Bi-Compliant Double Sided Diskette Storage Drive Service Manual</em>, Shugart,</li>
<li>NABU 3100 Users Manual, NABU Commercial Terminals Ltd., 198?</li>
<li><em>NABU 3100 Service Manual</em> (preliminary), NABU Commercial Terminals Ltd. August 3, 1983.</li>
</ul>
The museum has a NABU 1100 computer with the above mentioned software and documentation as well as NABU 4404 and 404 terminals.
NABU Manufacturing Corp.
donated by D.J. Knigh
H.16
Canada, 1980-1986
Gravis PC GamePad
hardware: computer peripheral, game controller
<strong>Historical context</strong><br /><br />In the last two decades of the last century, personal computer industry was making rapid technological advances which, among other innovations, included the development of high performing input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (or ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) can serve as examples of world's leading manufacturers of such products.<br /><br />In Canada, several companies besides ATI and Matrox successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One of such companies was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis) founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed as International Gravis Computer Technology Inc. and, after amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, the company changed its name to Advanced Gravis Computer Technology, Ltd. In 1997, Gravis was acquired by Kensington Computer Products Group which incorporated the Gravis brand of entertainment gamepads and joysticks into its line of products. <br /><br />The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way<br /><br /><em>"Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found the joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide real arcade feel or precision, and they typically broke down within weeks of intensive game use. This started them on the quest to build a better joystick."</em><br /><br />In the period between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and game pads for desktop computers offered by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product was the Gravis Analog Joystick introduced in 1985 which quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad offered in 1991 was equally successful (adopted by many electronic entertainment companies such as Nintendo and Sega) and so was the Firebird programmable game controller offered in 1996.<br /><br />By 1996, the number of storefronts carrying Gravis products crossed 11,000 worldwide making the company one of the world's largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads (according to some reports, e.g. by PC Data).<br /><br />The Gravis PC GamePad was introduced in November 1991. It was the first gamepad for the IBM and IBM compatible computers and one of the most popular gamepads for these platforms. The device offered a fast digital direction pad, 4 quick response digital buttons, left- or right-hand play switch, and a switch selectining a single or two pleyer use. A variant of the PC GamePad for Macintosh personal computers was introduced by Gravis under the name Mac GamePad.<br /><br />The museum has:<br />
<ul>
<li>Gravis PC GamePad manufactured in 1991, its user's manual and<em> Gravis Utilities </em>floppy diskette,</li>
<li>Gravis PC GamePad manufactured in 1998 and its <em>Quick Install</em> manual</li>
</ul>
Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd.
donated by Zbigniew Stachniak
1991
world, 1991--
Gravis Firebird 2 joystick
hardware: computer peripheral, game controller
<strong>Historical context</strong><br /><br />In the last two decades of the last century, personal computer industry was making rapid technological advances which, among other innovations, included the development of high performing input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (or ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) can serve as examples of world's leading manufacturers of such products.<br /><br />In Canada, several companies besides ATI and Matrox successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One of such companies was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis) founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed as International Gravis Computer Technology Inc. and, after amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, the company changed its name to Advanced Gravis Computer Technology, Ltd. In 1997, Gravis was acquired by Kensington Computer Products Group which incorporated the Gravis brand of entertainment gamepads and joysticks into its line of products. <br /><br />The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way<br /><br /><em>"Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found the joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide real arcade feel or precision, and they typically broke down within weeks of intensive game use. This started them on the quest to build a better joystick."</em><br /><br />In the period between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and game pads for desktop computers offered by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product was the Gravis Analog Joystick introduced in 1985 which quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad offered in 1991 was equally successful (adopted by many electronic entertainment companies such as Nintendo and Sega) and so was the Firebird 2 programmable game controller offered in 1996.<br /><br />By 1996, the number of storefronts carrying Gravis products crossed 11,000 worldwide making the company one of the world's largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads (according to some reports, e.g. by PC Data).<br /><br />The Gravis Firebird 2 programmable game controller offere 13 programmable buttons and 8-way hat switch giving a player direct access to the majority of functions required by games of the late 1990s. The Firebird 2 software allowed an assignment of a single or a series of commands to a single button bypassing keyboard commands. <br /><br />The museum has a Firebird 2 programmable joystick together with the<em> Quick Install</em> manual and <em>The Gravis Game CD</em> (1997) which includes a full manual.
Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd.
donated by Szabolcs Albertini
world, 1996--
Images for Computer Hobby Movement in Canada Exhibit
Hyperion EX chassis
computer hardware: extension module
<strong>Historical Contex</strong>t<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'' compatible with the imensly popular IBM PC introduced in August of 1981. <br /><br />Because the Hyperion was designed to be IBM PC compatible, hardware configurations of both the Hyperion and the IBM PC were similar. However, in March 1983, soon after the Hyperion appeared on the market, IBM released an improved version of its PC—the XT—with new hardware features such as an internal hard drive and eight expansion slots, features not offered by the Hyperion. To remain competitive, Bytec Management Corp.—the manufacturer of the Hyperion—announced the Hyperion EX expansion chassis the following month. The Expansion Chassis provided room for up to seven IBM compatible expansion cards, and a 5, 10, or 20 Mbyte hard disk.<br /><br />The EX expansion chassis directly connected to the Hyperion's expansion connector located at the back of the computer. It not only provided so needed hard drive storage and expansion slots but it also allowed the use of sophisticated operating systems such as QNX.<br /><br />The Hyperion EX was released in late 1983. The data concerning the unit in the museum's collection is given below.<br /><br /><strong>Model number</strong>: 4001<br /><br /><strong>Serial number</strong>: 437<br /><br /><strong>Manufacturing date</strong>: October, 1984<br /><br />I<strong>nstalled hardware</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>20 Mbyte MiniScribe hard drive,</li>
<li>Mountain hard drive controller card,</li>
<li>512 Kbytes RAM card,</li>
<li>US Robotics MICRO-LINK 2400 modem card, Rev. B,</li>
<li>Async I/O card, SIB8408,</li>
<li>Bytec Hyperion I/O Interface card, PWA 100075-00</li>
</ul>
Donated by George Brown College, Toronto
Bytec
1983-85
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
SBC6809 Lab-mate computer
computer hardware
The SBC 6809 Lab-mate single-board computer was designed by Peter Bubonja, research associate in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto (U of T), between 1984 and 85. The computer was designed and developed at the U of T Power Group computer applications lab to enhance the capabilities of the U of T 6809 Board (a single-board computer designed at the university in 1979 and sold by Exceltronix Components and Computing of Toronto). The Lab-mate was used in digital electronics labs at, among other places, the University of Toronto and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. One of the main differences between the U of T Board and the Lab-mate was that the latter was designed around the STD bus allowing a range of off-the-shelf STD cards to be directly used with the computer. This provided an effective way to expand and tailor the system towards the user's needs.<br /><br />Technical Specifications:<br /><br />CPU - Motorola 6809, 8-bit<br />RAM - up to 48K using six memory slots<br />ROM - 16K<br />ports and interfaces:<br />
<ul>
<li>two STD bus expansion ports,</li>
<li>STD bus I/O port,</li>
<li>two parallel I/O ports (MOS Technology 6522 Versatile Interface Adapter)</li>
<li>programmable parallel peripheral interface (Intel 8255)</li>
<li>universal interrupt controller (Advanced Micro Devices AM9519A)</li>
<li>two serial ports (MOS Technology 6551 Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter)</li>
<li>programmable timer (Motorola MC6840)</li>
<li>counter/timer peripheral (Advanced Micro Devices 9513A)</li>
<li>cassette tape interface</li>
</ul>
Software - monitor, editor, and assembler in ROM<br /><br />Documentation - extensive documentation including SBC6808 Operating Manual by Peter Bubonja, 1986.<br /><br />The museum has two Lab-mate computers (serial numbers 18 and 19) used at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in the second half of the 1980s.
Peter Bubonja
1986
kobo eReader
ereader
The first Kobo ereader introduced in May 2010.<br /><span class="summary content"> <br />The device was a compact, lightweight, and affordable ereader with </span>Bluetooth connectivity allowing for short-range cable-free transfers of eBooks, newspapers, and magazines to the device. The eReader also offered a USB connection to PCs for updates. The device was shipped with 100 free ebooks pre-loaded (over 2 million additional items were available from the Kobo Store). <br /><br />Specifications:<br />
<ul>
<li>display: 6-inch E Ink display with 8 level grayscale; 600x800 resolution</li>
<li>display formats: ePub and PDF</li>
<li>fonts: 5 font sizes and two types: Georgia (serif) and Trebuchet (sans-serif)</li>
<li>processor: Freescale Semiconductor (?)</li>
<li>memory: 1 GB; SD card slot up to 4 GB</li>
<li>storage capacity: up to 1000 eBooks</li>
<li>connectivity: USB and Bluetooth (with selected smartphones and tablets)</li>
<li>battery life: up to 8,000 page turns (approx. 2 weeks)</li>
<li>dimensions: 120mm x 184mm x 10mm.</li>
<li>weight: 221g</li>
</ul>
Kobo Inc., 82 Peter Street, Toronto, ON
ereader
2010 --