4 10 106 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/4fc29622fbf5625e3dd17c78763def57.jpg ba88226685ea37b7c3eee2b0220d595d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dynalogic 4002B Dual Drive Unit Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: disk drive system Description An account of the resource Dynalogic 4002B Dual Drive Uniit manufactured for Canadian National-Canadian Pacific Telecommunications (CNCP Telecommunications) in 1980. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dynalogic Collection Description An account of the resource Dynalogic Corporation was among the first Canadian microcomputer manufacturers. Founded by C. Murray Bell in 1973 in Ottawa, it initially focused on the design of floppy disk systems and interfaces for minicomputers and desk-top calculators. In 1975, Dynalogic embarked on the design of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of minicomputers via the industry standard RS-232C interface. The result of these design and development efforts--the Series 7000 DynaTermDisk--was shown at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) -- an advanced microcomputer that employed Motorola's 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated proprietary DYNAMO operating system (designed by Donald C. Lindsay). The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic. In the same year the work had begun on the design of a portable desktop microcomputer--the Hyperion--and continued in a new Bytec subsidiary called Dynalogic Info-Tech. The Hyperion was unveiled at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the "most powerful, portable, business computer in the world'' compatible with the IBM PC. The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. Acquisition: The objects in the collection have been donated by Walter Banks, Murray Bell, Diane Bruce, Dan Cohow, Robert S. Elliot, Terence Gordon, Don C. Lindsay, Brian Mahoney, Dennis Mullin, and Zbigniew Stachniak. HARDWARE <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042B</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042C</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7082</li> <li>Dynalogic disk drive system, model 4002B</li> <li>Hyperion microcomputer</li> <li>Hyperion Ex [Hyperion expansion unit]</li> <li>Acoustic Cups for Hyperion [data communication]</li> <li>HyperRam [Hyperion memory module by Technovation]</li> <li>Hyperaccess (by Technovation)</li> </ul> SOFTWARE <ul> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li> <li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li> <li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li> <li>IN:SCRIBE [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>IN:TOUCH [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>LOTUS 123 [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Tutorial for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>DOS, EDLIN [DOS 1.25 for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11), ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>BASICA, Assembler [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Aladin [for the Hyperion], Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983</li> <li>Various Hyperion related software</li> <li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li> </ul> MANUALS, GUIDES, REPORTS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System Manual, release 1.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1976, printed between 12 October and 1 December, 1976</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, USERS MANUAL, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1977</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1977</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, reference card, Ryan-McFarland Corp. and Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977(?)</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 January, 1978</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July, 1978</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1978</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1978</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1J, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1979</li> <li>How to Use the Laboratory Microcomputer System (LMS), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1F, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 5 March, 1979</li> <li>R2.4PAK: Interface from DynaBASIC I to DYNAMO R2.4 addendum to How to Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaMENU Application Program Shell, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., June 1979</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li> Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Model 7042B Documentation Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1979</li> <li> Disk Controller PCB, schematic diagrams and board layouts, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 Nov.--4 Dec., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSORT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 December, 1979</li> <li>Additional SCRED Features, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 18 December, 1979</li> <li>DMS Memory Tests, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 January, 1980</li> <li>DYNAMO Operating System: Introduction to the Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., March 1980</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) Product Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 30 June 1980</li> <li>Style Manual for Assembler Programming, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 12 January, 1981</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 February, 1981</li> <li>How to Use DynaBASIC D, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1981</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) To Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Interface Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1981</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1981</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, published by Bytec Management Corp., 10 October, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, Multiplan, Electronic Worksheet, Microsoft Corp. and Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1982</li> <li>Hyperion, Setup Guide, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 8 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion User Guide MS-DOS/EDLIN, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 5 September, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Programmer Guide, ver. 00, rev. 03, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li> LOTUS 123 User's Manual for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Quick Reference for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Technical Reference Guide, Bytec Management Corp., ver. 00, rev. 00, 15 November, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Aladin Guide, Bytec Management Corp.(?), 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11) Guide, ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>Acoustic Cup Installation Instructions, 2 pages</li> </ul> CORPORATE DOCUMENTS <ul> <li>Introduction to: word processing software, note by (?) 26 September, 1976, 3 pages</li> <li> D.M.S. Release 2.0 Specifications (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 16 March, 1977, 3 pages</li> <li>Memo on Bubble/CCD Possibilities , Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 24 January, 1978, 3 pages</li> <li>Converting to DYNAMO 2.1 (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1978(?), 1 page</li> <li>Mount/Dismount Questions , note, D. Lindsay(?) 16 January 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 2.4 from 2.3, note by D. Lindsay (?), 13 March, 1979, 3 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Memory Swapping for DynaBASIC-D note, D. Lindsay(?) 9 August, 1979, 3 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 3.1 from 2.4, note by D. Lindsay (?), 28 September, 1979, 7 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>DYNALOGIC Ethernet , note by (?) 2 January 1980, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.0 from 3.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 16 February, 1980, 8 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Engineering Project Codes, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980, 10 pages</li> <li>DYNAMO: Chronology and Statistics , Donald C. Lindsay, three versions dated: February 1981 [included in DYNAMO Source], 2 pages; August 1981, 3 pages; May 1982, 3 pages</li> <li>Proposal to Mitel: Voice Mail, Dynalogic Corporation, 28 August 1981, 5 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.1 from 4.0, note by D. Lindsay (?), 14 August, 1981, 2 pages; another note dated 27 August, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.2 from 4.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 18 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>A letter to F. Mozer by D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 1 October, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>A letter from F. Mozer to D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 25 October, 1981, 1 page</li> <li>Technical Evaluation: Context Management Systems, memo by D. Lindsay, file context 3, 29 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>Product Definition -- DYNACOM 2000 Series, rev. 1, Dynalogic, January(?) 1982(?), 17 pages</li> <li>Hyperion Editor Key Mapping , memo by P. Matthews to G.K. Holman, 3 September, 1982</li> <li>Status of Hyperion Editor Project, 4 October, 1982 to 23 January, 1983, 5 notes by D. Lindsay (?)</li> <li>A letter from Maurice Jolicoeur, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bytec, to Hyperion owners regarding the change of company name from Dynalogic to BYTEC -- HYPERION Division, July (?) 1983</li> <li>A formal announcement of the merger of Bytec Management Corp. and Comterm Inc. to form Bytec-Comterm Inc., January(?) 1984</li> </ul> PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, System Summary [for series 7032/7042 DMS], brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>Laboratory Microcomputer System System Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC L Compiler, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC Preprocessor, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package (APP), Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Software Licensing Policy, Dynalogic, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Licensed Software and manuals, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows the final production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages</li> <li>Hyperion, promotional brochure [possibly] distributed during the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City, booth number 1843, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 5 pages</li> <li>Hyperion: Tested Software, July/August 1983, published by Compterm Inc. [list of software available for the Hyperion], 6 pages</li> <li>A letter from Stephen J. McGill, Vice President, Percom Publishing, to Hyperion owners regarding the introduction of the Hyperion PC Magazine, 1983(?)</li> <li>Hyperion price list from Compumart, Ottawa, 2 pp (198?)</li> <li>Hyperion retail price list, Ottawa, 2 pp (May 1983)</li> </ul> ORAL HISTORIES <ul> <li>Interview with Murray Bell, Ottawa, October 2000 (analogue cassette recording)</li> </ul> BOOKS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES, NEWS LETTERS <ul> <li>B. Foster and B. Southern, A College Microcomputer Facility, BYTE April 1978, pp. 90--96</li> <li>D.C. Lindsay, DYNALOGIC LOG, 3 volumes, 1976--1983</li> <li>D. Thomas, The Sale of a New Machine, Quest, November 1983, pp. 32d--32n</li> <li>D. Thomas, Knights of the New Technology. The Inside Story of Canada's Computer Elite, Key Porter Books, 1983, pp. 165--183></li> <li>R. Laver, Random Excess: The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel, Viking Penguin, 1998, pp. 44--51</li> <li>Z. Stachniak, The Making of the MCM/70 Microcomputer, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 25, issue 2 (April-June 2003), pp. 62--75</li> <li> THUG TIPS The Official Newsletter of the Toronto Hyperion Users Group (THUG) , Toronto, November 1985</li> <li> HUGO NEWS: Newsletter for the HYPERION USERS GROUP OF OTTAWA, Ottawa, 1985--1988</li> <li>Various newspaper and magazine articles on Dynalogic</li> <li>Hyperion PC magazine, vol. 1, nr. 1 (1984)</li> </ul> OTHER <ul> <li>M6800 Linking Loader Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., October 1976</li> <li>M6800 Programming Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Co-Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Micro Assembler Reference Manual, M68ASM(D), Motorola Inc., February 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0: Material for Blurb, note by D. Lindsay, 7 September 1977</li> <li>M6800 Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D2), Motorola Inc., May 1979</li> <li>Micro BASIC I Users Manual, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>Document folder, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd</li> <li>Design drawing of the Hyperion case (by David Kelly?), color photocopy</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Customer Assurance Plan, Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li>Purchase receipt for Hyperion issued by Le magasin Xerox, Montreal, 25 October, 1984</li> <li>Hyperion pin</li> <li>Assorted paper documents related to custom software developed for the DMS system.</li> <li>Various source codes of Dynalogic software for the DMS systems</li> <li>Various Aladin related documents</li> </ul> Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/dynalogic_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="15%" height="15%" border="0" /> The collection documents the microcomputer development activities at Dynalogic Corp. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Zbigniew Stachniak hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dynalogic 4002B Dual Drive Unit Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: disk drive system Description An account of the resource Historical Context 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 via the industry standard RS-232C interface. 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. Dynalogic disk drive systems were sold to several major Canadian governmental organizations and corporations including Canadian National-Canadian Pacific Telecommunications. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) — an advanced microcomputer that employed 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. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic and renamed it Dynalogic Info-Tech. At the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City the company unveiled its IBM PC-compatible Hyperion as the ``most powerful, portable, business computer in the world''. Dynalogic 4002B dual drive unit Dynalogic DMS computers featured two built-in disk drives that provided sufficient storage for a range of applications. To support operations that required more external storage, Dynalogic offered several disk expansion units such as the 4002B and 7004A, which featured two additional disk drives that could be interfaced with either a DMS computer. The Dynalogic 4002B disk drive unit in YUCoM's Dynalogic collection was manufactured in 1980 for Canadian National-Canadian Pacific Telecommunications (CNCP Telecommunications). It was built around two M17861-001 disk drives manufactured by California Computer Products (CalComp). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dynalogic Corp. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980 Relation A related resource Dynalogic Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Hardware Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1973-1980 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 Apple hard drive ProFile https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/42ea4b399c883f203f814bda946800b7.jpg 8db9bfa528f14ab909529a96b3a2e704 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dynalogic Collection Description An account of the resource Dynalogic Corporation was among the first Canadian microcomputer manufacturers. Founded by C. Murray Bell in 1973 in Ottawa, it initially focused on the design of floppy disk systems and interfaces for minicomputers and desk-top calculators. In 1975, Dynalogic embarked on the design of a firmware controlled, microprocessor-based floppy disk system that could be interfaced with a range of minicomputers via the industry standard RS-232C interface. The result of these design and development efforts--the Series 7000 DynaTermDisk--was shown at the 1975 Canadian Computer Show. In 1976, the company moved into the general-purpose computer market. On October 1, 1976, it announced the Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) -- an advanced microcomputer that employed Motorola's 6800 processor. The DMS was among the earliest microcomputers with built-in floppy disk drives. It operated under a sophisticated proprietary DYNAMO operating system (designed by Donald C. Lindsay). The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic. In the same year the work had begun on the design of a portable desktop microcomputer--the Hyperion--and continued in a new Bytec subsidiary called Dynalogic Info-Tech. The Hyperion was unveiled at the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City as the "most powerful, portable, business computer in the world'' compatible with the IBM PC. The first Hyperions were manufactured in January of 1983 and retailed at US $4,955. The sales continued throughout 1983 and 1984 in Canada and the U.S. Acquisition: The objects in the collection have been donated by Walter Banks, Murray Bell, Diane Bruce, Dan Cohow, Robert S. Elliot, Terence Gordon, Don C. Lindsay, Brian Mahoney, Dennis Mullin, and Zbigniew Stachniak. HARDWARE <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042B</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7042C</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), model 7082</li> <li>Dynalogic disk drive system, model 4002B</li> <li>Hyperion microcomputer</li> <li>Hyperion Ex [Hyperion expansion unit]</li> <li>Acoustic Cups for Hyperion [data communication]</li> <li>HyperRam [Hyperion memory module by Technovation]</li> <li>Hyperaccess (by Technovation)</li> </ul> SOFTWARE <ul> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li> <li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li> <li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li> <li>IN:SCRIBE [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>IN:TOUCH [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1982</li> <li>LOTUS 123 [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, System Backup for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123, utility software for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 PrintGraph for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Tutorial for the Hyperion, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., 1983</li> <li>DOS, EDLIN [DOS 1.25 for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11), ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>BASICA, Assembler [for the Hyperion], Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp. and Microsoft Corp., 1982, 1983</li> <li>Aladin [for the Hyperion], Bytec Management Corp. and ADI America Inc., 1983</li> <li>Various Hyperion related software</li> <li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li> </ul> MANUALS, GUIDES, REPORTS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System Manual, release 1.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1976, printed between 12 October and 1 December, 1976</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, USERS MANUAL, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1977</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 December, 1977</li> <li>MICRO BASIC I, reference card, Ryan-McFarland Corp. and Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977(?)</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 January, 1978</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July, 1978</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1978</li> <li>How To Use The EDITOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1978</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1J, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1979</li> <li>How to Use the Laboratory Microcomputer System (LMS), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor, preliminary blurb, version 1F, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 5 March, 1979</li> <li>R2.4PAK: Interface from DynaBASIC I to DYNAMO R2.4 addendum to How to Use DynaBASIC I, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 May, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaMENU Application Program Shell, Preliminary, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., June 1979</li> <li>How to use DYNAMO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li> Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Model 7042B Documentation Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October, 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSCRIPT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 November, 1979</li> <li> Disk Controller PCB, schematic diagrams and board layouts, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 Nov.--4 Dec., 1979</li> <li>How To Use DynaSORT, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 7 December, 1979</li> <li>Additional SCRED Features, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 18 December, 1979</li> <li>DMS Memory Tests, SCRED Addendum, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 January, 1980</li> <li>DYNAMO Operating System: Introduction to the Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., March 1980</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) Product Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 30 June 1980</li> <li>Style Manual for Assembler Programming, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd.(?), 12 January, 1981</li> <li>How To Use DYNAMO: User Manual, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 16 February, 1981</li> <li>How to Use DynaBASIC D, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 February, 1981</li> <li>Floppy Diskette Controller (FDC) To Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS) Interface Specification, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1981</li> <li>How To Use The LSI-11 DynaSTOR, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1981</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:TOUCH, Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, published by Bytec Management Corp., 10 October, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, published by Dynalogic Info-Tech Corp., 1 June, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, IN:SCRIBE Guide, ver. 00, rev. 01, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion, Multiplan, Electronic Worksheet, Microsoft Corp. and Dynalogic Info-Tech Corporation, 1982</li> <li>Hyperion, Setup Guide, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 8 August, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion User Guide MS-DOS/EDLIN, ver. 00, rev. 04, published by Bytec Management Corp., 5 September, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Programmer Guide, ver. 00, rev. 03, published by Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li> LOTUS 123 User's Manual for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Quick Reference for the Hyperion Business Computer, Lotus Development Corp., Release 1A, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Technical Reference Guide, Bytec Management Corp., ver. 00, rev. 00, 15 November, 1983</li> <li>Hyperion Aladin Guide, Bytec Management Corp.(?), 1983</li> <li>Hyperion DOS(2.11) Guide, ver. 00, rev. 00, Compterm Inc., 1 July 1984</li> <li>Acoustic Cup Installation Instructions, 2 pages</li> </ul> CORPORATE DOCUMENTS <ul> <li>Introduction to: word processing software, note by (?) 26 September, 1976, 3 pages</li> <li> D.M.S. Release 2.0 Specifications (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 16 March, 1977, 3 pages</li> <li>Memo on Bubble/CCD Possibilities , Dynalogic Corporation Ltd. (?), 24 January, 1978, 3 pages</li> <li>Converting to DYNAMO 2.1 (preliminary), Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1978(?), 1 page</li> <li>Mount/Dismount Questions , note, D. Lindsay(?) 16 January 1979, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 2.4 from 2.3, note by D. Lindsay (?), 13 March, 1979, 3 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Memory Swapping for DynaBASIC-D note, D. Lindsay(?) 9 August, 1979, 3 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 3.1 from 2.4, note by D. Lindsay (?), 28 September, 1979, 7 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>DYNALOGIC Ethernet , note by (?) 2 January 1980, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.0 from 3.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 16 February, 1980, 8 pages [in DYNAMO source]</li> <li>Engineering Project Codes, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 2 September 1980, 10 pages</li> <li>DYNAMO: Chronology and Statistics , Donald C. Lindsay, three versions dated: February 1981 [included in DYNAMO Source], 2 pages; August 1981, 3 pages; May 1982, 3 pages</li> <li>Proposal to Mitel: Voice Mail, Dynalogic Corporation, 28 August 1981, 5 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.1 from 4.0, note by D. Lindsay (?), 14 August, 1981, 2 pages; another note dated 27 August, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>DIFFERENCES: DYNAMO 4.2 from 4.1, note by D. Lindsay (?), 18 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>A letter to F. Mozer by D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 1 October, 1981, 2 pages</li> <li>A letter from F. Mozer to D. Lindsay regarding Voice Mail, 25 October, 1981, 1 page</li> <li>Technical Evaluation: Context Management Systems, memo by D. Lindsay, file context 3, 29 March, 1982, 1 page</li> <li>Product Definition -- DYNACOM 2000 Series, rev. 1, Dynalogic, January(?) 1982(?), 17 pages</li> <li>Hyperion Editor Key Mapping , memo by P. Matthews to G.K. Holman, 3 September, 1982</li> <li>Status of Hyperion Editor Project, 4 October, 1982 to 23 January, 1983, 5 notes by D. Lindsay (?)</li> <li>A letter from Maurice Jolicoeur, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bytec, to Hyperion owners regarding the change of company name from Dynalogic to BYTEC -- HYPERION Division, July (?) 1983</li> <li>A formal announcement of the merger of Bytec Management Corp. and Comterm Inc. to form Bytec-Comterm Inc., January(?) 1984</li> </ul> PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, System Summary [for series 7032/7042 DMS], brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler, Software Summary, brochure, 2 pages, 1977(?)</li> <li>Laboratory Microcomputer System System Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO Diskette Operating System Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I Compiler Software Summary, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC L Compiler, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC Preprocessor, Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Advanced Programming Package (APP), Dynalogic, 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Software Licensing Policy, Dynalogic, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Microcomputer System (DMS), 2 pages, 1979</li> <li>Price List: Dynalogic Licensed Software and manuals, 1 page, 1979</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, The Most Powerful, Portable, Business Computer in the World promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows an older production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 8 pages [shows the final production model of Hyperion]</li> <li>Hyperion, Making Decisions Has Never Bees So Easy promotional brochure, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 2 pages</li> <li>Hyperion, promotional brochure [possibly] distributed during the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City, booth number 1843, Dynalogic Info-Tech, 1982(?), 5 pages</li> <li>Hyperion: Tested Software, July/August 1983, published by Compterm Inc. [list of software available for the Hyperion], 6 pages</li> <li>A letter from Stephen J. McGill, Vice President, Percom Publishing, to Hyperion owners regarding the introduction of the Hyperion PC Magazine, 1983(?)</li> <li>Hyperion price list from Compumart, Ottawa, 2 pp (198?)</li> <li>Hyperion retail price list, Ottawa, 2 pp (May 1983)</li> </ul> ORAL HISTORIES <ul> <li>Interview with Murray Bell, Ottawa, October 2000 (analogue cassette recording)</li> </ul> BOOKS, RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES, NEWS LETTERS <ul> <li>B. Foster and B. Southern, A College Microcomputer Facility, BYTE April 1978, pp. 90--96</li> <li>D.C. Lindsay, DYNALOGIC LOG, 3 volumes, 1976--1983</li> <li>D. Thomas, The Sale of a New Machine, Quest, November 1983, pp. 32d--32n</li> <li>D. Thomas, Knights of the New Technology. The Inside Story of Canada's Computer Elite, Key Porter Books, 1983, pp. 165--183></li> <li>R. Laver, Random Excess: The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel, Viking Penguin, 1998, pp. 44--51</li> <li>Z. Stachniak, The Making of the MCM/70 Microcomputer, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 25, issue 2 (April-June 2003), pp. 62--75</li> <li> THUG TIPS The Official Newsletter of the Toronto Hyperion Users Group (THUG) , Toronto, November 1985</li> <li> HUGO NEWS: Newsletter for the HYPERION USERS GROUP OF OTTAWA, Ottawa, 1985--1988</li> <li>Various newspaper and magazine articles on Dynalogic</li> <li>Hyperion PC magazine, vol. 1, nr. 1 (1984)</li> </ul> OTHER <ul> <li>M6800 Linking Loader Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., October 1976</li> <li>M6800 Programming Reference Manual, M68PRM(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Co-Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D), Motorola Inc., November 1976</li> <li>M6800 Micro Assembler Reference Manual, M68ASM(D), Motorola Inc., February 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0: Material for Blurb, note by D. Lindsay, 7 September 1977</li> <li>M6800 Resident Assembler Reference Manual, M68CRA(D2), Motorola Inc., May 1979</li> <li>Micro BASIC I Users Manual, Ryan-McFarland Corp., 1976</li> <li>Document folder, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd</li> <li>Design drawing of the Hyperion case (by David Kelly?), color photocopy</li> <li>LOTUS 123 Customer Assurance Plan, Bytec Management Corp., 1983</li> <li>Purchase receipt for Hyperion issued by Le magasin Xerox, Montreal, 25 October, 1984</li> <li>Hyperion pin</li> <li>Assorted paper documents related to custom software developed for the DMS system.</li> <li>Various source codes of Dynalogic software for the DMS systems</li> <li>Various Aladin related documents</li> </ul> Subject The topic of the resource <img src="http://museum1.eecs.yorku.ca/www_decorations/dynalogic_logo.jpg" alt="MCM_logo" width="15%" height="15%" border="0" /> The collection documents the microcomputer development activities at Dynalogic Corp. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Zbigniew Stachniak hardware A computer (or a calculator), its components and peripherals (displays, printers, pointing devices, modems, external storage devices, etc). Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dynalogic DMS 7042B Microcomputer Subject The topic of the resource hardware: microcomputer Description An account of the resource Historical Context 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. 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 via the industry standard RS-232C interface. 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. 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 designed and implemented by Don Lindsay. The first DMS was delivered to Algonquin College of Technology in Ottawa in fall of 1976. Other DMS systems were sold in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Between 1976 and 1980, several models of the DMS-8 small business systems were offered including the 7032A, 7042A, 7042B, 7042C, and LSM (the Dynalogic Laboratory Microcomputer System) as well as the DynaScript word processing system. The computers could operate with a range of terminals and printers sold separately. In addition, the company introduced several floppy diskette subsystems such as the DynaSTOR and DynaTermDisk models 7001A, 7002A, 7011A, 7012A, 77111 and 7112. In 1981, Bytec Management Corp. took over Dynalogic and renamed it Dynalogic Info-Tech. At the 1982 spring Comdex computer show in Atlantic City the company unveiled its IBM PC-compatible Hyperion as the ``most powerful, portable, business computer in the world''. Dynalogic DMS 7042B technical specifications The DMS 7042B in YUCoM's Dynalogic collection was manufactured in 1980. It includes 5 PCB boards designed between 1977 and 1980 and assembled between 1979 and 1980. The boards are: <ul> <li>MPU board - the microprocessor unit with a Motorola 6800 microprocessor and DMS-8 firmware (3.1K9) stored in three EPROMs (dated 1976) ,</li> <li>32K RAM board (c 1977), assembled in 1979,</li> <li>16K RAM board (c 1977), assembled in 1979,</li> <li>Disk controller board (c 1979) with a Motorola 6800 microprocessor and DMS-8 firmware (FDC 02) stored in two EPROMs (dated 1976),</li> <li>Disk Data board (c 1980).</li> </ul> Dynalogic DMS software at York University Computer Museum <ul> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/DO/32K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.0/D1/24K, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>DynaBASIC 2.0/AO, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 21 November 1977</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1977</li> <li>Forms Entry, Source, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 25 January, 1978</li> <li>Dynalogic Advanced Programming Package 2.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 May 1978</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.3, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1978</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>DynaBASIC I 2.1/E5, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 March 1979</li> <li>Structured DynaBASIC I Preprocessor 1.0, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 May 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 2.4, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 31 March 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 October 1979</li> <li>DMS Utility Programs, 1979</li> <li>DYNAMO 3.1, Diagnostic Programs, Dynalogic Corporation Ltd., 1 July 1980</li> <li>Source codes of various Dynalogic software including DYNAMO operating system</li> </ul> The museum has the following Dynalogic DMS-related hardware: <ul> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, model 7042B (1980),</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, model 7042C,</li> <li>Dynalogic Microcomputer System, model 7082,</li> <li>Dynalogic Dual Drive Unit, model 4002B (1977).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dynalogic Corporation Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-1980 Type The nature or genre of the resource computer hardware Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context H.32 Relation A related resource Dynalogic collection Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Canada, US, Europe 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 DMS-8 Dynalogic https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/32811645e684a067d1e7d42dfb250fea.png 37b44fa7b8a26f6b2ba7d83a6148c422 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/4c9bd8f1076244ce624ba0f1e4f1828e.jpeg d26168a3eea05013726b0d91d6689db3 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/91b04dee86f47d29a884ded2627399e1.jpeg f461214f54b2d4a0f999bf7f82cedca7 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/32ff0036ab19add54d262adb0295a671.png 47c0c375a855b9e388915fe18260141a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/baba9f3b23ffe96aaa3015fc57c04f08.jpg d11a0e6d0395e30b8808af64168e1c84 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/59c4b3b1feab439b68044d1d32afe0aa.jpg 1c75a654071ae52e6c16818ff6447698 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/5ab92903b6a5931956c1a7c7ef8a6c38.jpg 635b019fa8e1e47fbb55e925ec379b55 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/e0334731d6cff4e9852d9c54be29509c.jpg b207b66d1e65d1ef77d4b95eb5aa2694 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/09ccc5e59045ad59cb2c1f1635783a32.jpg 0b3eca0173b8b6bcf4eb233b1a157699 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/95b876b2685feca0d11c030f78bd9047.jpg 57f8ec3d9594ad98d7cbcaecd48b98f5 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/30e315f1ca44cf6508af75cf7fac2ef4.jpg a01e7a5b6c7aa0c86d49dab2acddeb38 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/6faebab09f2660c6dbd9ae3549c46049.jpg 4a53941946205ef29d70cd728c348b50 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/0f7fd325969b5b70bc3ad1bced2ef2d2.jpg df840a419713bc1408fd16d71b2fb74d https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/9a4a857cbd0e2ac1ba1c1289b3b46583.jpg e14c746a399a253cae7255372e2e0198 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/bc594bd0180fd1d7e0bff27f7f767148.jpg 70c1cdf9fec17e96057d3386844ba790 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/10dfe0d4689364303f7b81bfad30b769.jpg 9c17ef588fd126e50fecc37b7b9df77e https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/1ee27ee88eea23cbb7dbcffabdb753db.jpg 8f4cef6478b0e5620006942592bb3d45 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/fb251ab835899a4a97a9c6febb5d2933.jpg fa23f4e9b2801c57956c65bce39f6154 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/cd8f0d0826bc9f3220b017f2881cedef.jpg 87b30d0c9b412d774cdfcbba9bd3c41b https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/studentkeypunchroomjan73_da05e4d98a.jpeg 1b49d17272bf4ea94b0a64bcbc0b20a1 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/4a222b15e0c718145c4504e910c1297a.jpeg e57db6a6b561efce521d8a771e4718c9 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/af5f2b23ed47d709999ebe5dd53af6ce.jpeg 957e4da810d38945c579e6b1f7b8b5b7 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/6ca740b4424f4edd95972c9934245ce4.jpeg cdacd538ceff03f596d319ea3ae49aca 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 Early Computing at York University -- Photographs Subject The topic of the resource computing infrastructure: photographs Description An account of the resource Historical context: Academic computing in Canada started to develop in the early 1950s. The first commercial digital electronic computer—a Ferranti Mark I (nicknamed FERRUT)—was installed at the University of Toronto in 1952. For several years, FERRUT was the only digital electronic computer operated by a Canadian university. In 1957, the University of British Columbia installed its first computer—the ALWWAC III-E—and the University of Alberta its LGP-30 computer. York University was established in 1959 at a time when there were just 40 electronic digital computers working in the entire Canada. However, it was not until October 1966 when York installed its first computer—the IBM System \360 Model 30—and established its Computation Center. The computer was replaced by a more powerful IBM System/360 Model 40, and then by Model 50 in the following two years. In 1971, York installed an IBM System/370 Model 155 — a computer from a new line of IBM mainframes. This computer, in turn, was replaced by a high-end Model 158 in the mid 1970s. The photographs in this collection were taken in the early to mid 1970s. They depict the computing room of York's Computation Center as well as students'  keypunch room. Identity of photographers not currently known. The photograph descriptions from top to bottom, left to right: <ul> <li>IBM System/370 with an IBM 3215 Console Printer-Keyboard at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM System/370 with an IBM 3215 Console Printer-Keyboard at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>Memorex 660 Disk Drive storage at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM 3420 tape drive systems at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM 1403 printer (foreground), IBM 3705A communications controller (background left) and IBM 3420 tape drives (background front) at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>HP 2000 computer operator at York's Computer Center; on the right, an HP 2000 computer (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM System/370 Model 158 operator at computer's terminal at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM System/370 Model 158 operator at computer's terminal at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM 3420 tape drives at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM 3333 disk drive storage units at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?)</li> <li>IBM 3333 disk drive storage units at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>Backup disk storage at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM 3705A communications controller at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>HP 2000 Data System at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?)</li> <li>IBM 3213 console printer and Datacom 100 teleprinter at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>IBM 2741 terminal at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>modems at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>Vucom I display terminal at York's Computer Center (mid 1970s?),</li> <li>students' keypunch room at York University (1972?),</li> <li>students in keypunch room at York University (1972?); the person on the right is Enio Presutto, one of the promoters of the APL programming language at York University,</li> <li> IBM 2741 APL terminal in student's keypunch room at York University (1972?),</li> <li>IBM 29 punch card terminal in students' keypunch room at York University (1972?).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource photographer unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1972 (?) Relation A related resource York University Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource digital image of photographs Type The nature or genre of the resource digital image 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, Toronto, 1972-1973 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 York University https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/684b688bcde589eecf03410a7c7ca298.jpg cae09a850061f69774c3d4eaa77fd55a https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/00dc8319f8736047cd4bf91de36b6a71.jpg c667c03ae102c5bdf288221ceff6272b https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/024af284624ecad7a03dd5b07fbf123c.jpg a4647c290637f8e14d33180087055778 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 Exceltronix catalogs Subject The topic of the resource promotional documents Description An account of the resource Founded in 1979, Exceltronix was one of the largest and popular electronics stores of the 1980s in Toronto. From a retail store specializing in electronic components, Exceltronix had expanded into a group of companies (Exceltronix, Multiflex, Toronto Computing Center, Versa-Digital Technology, Digi Media) covering research and development, manufacturing, retailing, and mail order. Exceltronix offered a vast range of products from electronic components and digital signage to computers and computer peripherals. The company offer its own computers (including the Multiflex Z80, Exceltronix Super 6502, and the Best line of computers) as well as those designed and/or manufactured by other companies (including the University of Toronto M6809 single-board computer, the Osborne 1, the Apple and Macintosh computers, and the IBM PC). Museum Holdings Fall 1982/83, Spring 1983, Fall 1983, Spring 1984, Fall 1984, Spring 1985, Spring 1986, 1987, and Summer 1989. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Exceltronix Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Exceltronix Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-1989 https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/211cb4f044a2c4e7c3a6fd61f909ad4f.jpg c41526d29799ab904cd658671456412e Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. 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 Franklin hobby computer Subject The topic of the resource computer hardware: microcomputer Description An account of the resource The introduction of the first commercial microprocessors to the market in the early 1970s prompted several companies and individuals to design small, inexpensive, general-purpose computers around these novel semiconductor devices. When the first such computers (commonly referred to as microcomputers) began to appear between 1973 and 1975, they caught attention of electronics hobbyists. Their enthusiasm for the ‘computers of their own’ gave birth to a strong microcomputer hobby movement that played a pivotal role in the social acceptance of personal computing. These were the computer hobbyists who challenged the traditional boundaries of computing and its social status, and helped making personal computer use and ownership a reality. Canada was not an exception. Several Canadian electronics hobbyists were members of the first amateur computer club -- the Amateur Computer Society formed by Stephen B. Gray in 1966. In 1974, a Torontonian electronics hobbyist Howard Franklin designed and constructed a fully functional microcomputer using MIL MF8008 8-bit microprocessor. His computer was possibly the earliest example of a Canadian hobby microcomputer and is one of the earliest hobby microcomputers ever designed. <img src="https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/211cb4f044a2c4e7c3a6fd61f909ad4f.jpg" height:="" auto="" width="400" border="0" /> Howard Franklin reconnecting the boards of his MIL MF8008-based hobby microcomputer which he constructed in 1974. Photograph by Zbigniew Stachniak, 2004. Franklin was one of many Canadian electronics enthusiasts reading popular hobby electronics magazines, most notably Radio Electronics and Popular Electronics, and working on construction projects published in them (building radios, amplifiers, etc.) During his high school days he had an opportunity to learn about computers and their programming thanks to educational initiatives such as the University of Waterloo computer days, the Toronto Board of Education summer computer programs, and the North York board of Education special computer clubs. In 1973, Franklin learned about the Intel 8008 microprocessor and decided to build his own computer using its clone--the MF 8008--manufactured by Microsystems International Ltd. (MIL) of Montreal. There was sufficient technical literature on the 8008 which included schematic diagrams of rudimentary microcomputers based on this microprocessor: the Intel SIM8-01 and the MIL MOD-8. The study of published circuitry was the starting point for Franklin's computer project. The most innovative contribution to the design was the front panel circuitry that allowed data and short programs to be keyed-in directly into his computer using the switches of the front panel. Franklin began the design of his computer in early 1974. His first set of schematic diagrams was ready on March 14th but it was revised on May 6th. The computer was operational by the end of that year and modified further through 1975. In 2004, Franklin recollected that the design and construction process was a great learning experience. He found debugging of the design time consuming but not frustrating: I would sit there and patiently debug wire by wire the design -- oh this is interesting because you have never done anything of that scale before. So debugging took a while. Although Franklin designed his computer completely by himself, he built it with the assistance of some of his colleagues. "Here is the design, would you like to help building it, programming it?" recollected Franklin in a 2004 interview. Acquiring all the components for Franklin's project wasn't an easy task. They were expensive not only for him but for many electronics hobbyists. According to Franklin, two companies that (indirectly) contributed to "solving" the computer components supply problem and inevitably supported the growth of the Canadian computer hobby movement were MIL and Consolidated Computer Inc. (CCI) of Ottawa. Components that were out of specs were finding their way into the hobbyists' hands through the backdoor. Some of the circuit boards used by Franklin came from CCI, the MF8008 CPU and memory from MIL. Franklin suspected that The management most likely knew about this, did not worry about things that were going on at the backdoor; they knew who the chips were going to, they were not going onto the grey commercial market, they were going out to students who were building things as hobbyists. Franklin's computer was assembled using wire wrap technique. Electronic components mounted on printed circuit boards were interconnected by wires, with the connections made by wrapping several turns of uninsulated sections of the wire around a component lead or a socket pin. Wire wrap tools and chip sockets were available via mail order or from numerous electronics stores that offered inexpensive wire wrap equipment to the hobbyists. This made the completion of Franklin's project feasible as soldering of all the connections would require the production of PCBs and would make debugging much more complicated. The primary I/O device interfaced to Franklin's computer was the Teletype Model 15 made by the Teletype Corporation (introduced by the company in 1930). In the 1960s, computer industry was switching from early teletype models, such as the 15, to newer models including the Teletype Models 33 and 35. Franklin recalled that in the early 1970s, The junkyards were full of the 15s and were happily given away rather than accumulated in storage. The hobbyists became quite skilled in making the 15s operational and quickly learned how to interface them with their hobby computers. Howard Franklin graduated from the Electrical Engineering program at the University of Toronto. One of his most successful projects was a microcomputer-based voting system for the Borough of North York completed in 1977 and in operation for several years. (The museum has full documentation of the system.) Franklin was also an active member of the Toronto Region Association of Computer Enthusiasts  (TRACE)-- arguably the earliest Canadian computer hobby organization. He was writing a column for the TRACE Newsletter on computer hardware. Franklin's computer specification: <ul> <li>CPU - MIL MF8008, 8-bit,</li> <li>RAM - 16 KB (8 x MIL MF2102),</li> <li>Interface - Teletype Model 15,</li> <li>Software - monitor (including teletype I/O).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Howard Franklin Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974-1975 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource York University Computer Museum https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/2fe8b1e04c7eed79b7cfa64f80fe66c1.jpg 9b8f18cec70f2574cc0e0a6dd0e633a2 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 Gandalf SAM 201 modem Subject The topic of the resource hardware: modem Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) The rapid development of computer technologies and applications in the 1950s and 1960s created demand for sharing data and resources by connecting computers and computer equipment together over short as well as long distances. A pair of dedicated hardware devices called modems (MOdulator/DEModulators) were used to encode digital information originated at one end of the communications link and to decode such information using the second modem on the other end without degradation in accuracy of transferred data. By the end of the 1960s, there were over 2,000 digital computers installed in Canada and the number of new installations was steadily increasing in the following years. This advancement as well as the trend towards distributed processing and on-line remote access to data processing resources provided an opportunity to supply these new installations with made in Canada modems and other electronic data transmission devices. ESE Ltd. of Toronto and Gandalf Technologies Ltd. of Nepean were among the earliest and best known Canadian manufacturers of such products. Gandalf Technologies In April 1971, Desmond Cunningham and Colin Patterson incorporated Gandalf Data Communications Ltd. (later renamed as Gandalf Technologies, Inc.) with headquarters in Manotick, Ontario (later moved to Nepean). Gandalf's first product was the LDS 100 asynchronous modem (called Local Data Set or LDS). It's competitive price relative to the rental of modems offered by phone companies resulted in lucrative sales to major Canadian corporations and institutions including the federal government's Communication Research Centre, McGill University, Bell Northern Research, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Atomic Energy of Canada. The following year, Gandalf offerd the synchronous version of its modem -- the LDS 200. The success of these products led to the name 'Gandalf box' being adopted as a generic term for these and future Gandalf modems. The PACX data switch (Private Automatic Computer eXchange) introduced in late 1972, was Gandalf's first product that put the company on the international map. The device allowed multiple user terminals to access any one of a number of available computers. Each terminal was connected to a Gandalf LDS 126 data set which, in turn communicated with a PACX switch. The data set had two thumb wheels on the front panel. To access a specific computer connected to a PACX switch, the user rolled the wheels to the two-digit number assigned to the selected computer. The PACX switch quickly found world-wide acceptance and made Gandalf one of the world's most innovative companies in the data communications industry of the 1970s. Throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, Gandalf offered successive generations of modems (including the SAM 201), multiplexers, and PACX switches with enhanced performance features. These new products were manufactured and distributed through Gandalf manufacturing and sales facilities in Nepean as well as through newly established Gandalf Sales Inc. in Chicago, and Gandalf Digital Communications Ltd. located in Warrington UK. Gandalf's clients included some of the world's largest organizations such as British Steel, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Shell in the UK alone. Although by 1981 annual revenues had reached $40 million, the company decided to go public in order to stay competitive in the data communications market which by then was already crowded with companies ranging from small enterprises such as Develcom of Saskatoon to large corporations including 3COM, AT&T, Northern Telecom, and British Telecom. By 1985, the company had grown into a multinational corporation with annual sales of approx. $85 million and subsidiaries in the US, UK, France, and the Netherlands. Despite a wide range of innovative hardware and software products introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, including end-to-end network management system--Gandalf Passport--and the StarMaster local and wide area digital networking system (designed to carry a variety of traffic types such as video, data, voice, fax, LAN), the company could not sustain intense competition from companies such as Cisco Systems and Cabletron Systems in the rapidly developing remote access market. Financial losses incurred by the company in the 1990s forced Gandalf into bankruptcy in 1997. Gandalf SAM 201 technical specifications and product information <ul> <li>year of introduction: the early 1980s,</li> <li>price: $1,300-$1,450,</li> <li>data rate: 1200, 2400 bps,</li> <li>modulation method: DPSK,</li> <li>transmission mode: full duplex,</li> <li>synchronization: asynch/synch,</li> <li>calling mode: orig/auto answer,</li> <li>diagnostics: analog, digital loopback,</li> <li>features: Bell 201 C and CCITT compatible; V.26 compatible.</li> </ul> Museum holdings <ul> <li>Gandalf SAM 201 modem,</li> <li>Gandalf Access Series 24S modem,</li> <li>Gandalf LDM 408 modem,</li> <li>Gandalf TTS 400C, modem,</li> <li>Gandalf 1980-81 Catalogue.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gandalf Technologies, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980s 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-wide, 1980s Gandalf modem https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/c7e69656462c7347909fb57b4286579e.jpg 87500b34baef215765ef4efd8c42de56 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 Gravis Analog Joystick Subject The topic of the resource hardware: game controller Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the final two decades of the twentieth century, the personal computer industry experienced rapid technological advances that included, among other innovations, the development of high-performance input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) are examples of leading manufacturers of such products. In Canada, several companies—besides ATI and Matrox—successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One such company was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis), founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed International Gravis Computer Technology Inc., and following its amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, it adopted the name 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 product line. The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found that joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide a 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. Between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and gamepads for desktop computers produced by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product, the Gravis Analog Joystick, introduced in 1985, quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad, released in 1991, was equally successful and was adopted by numerous electronic entertainment companies, including Nintendo and Sega. Similar success followed with the Firebird programmable game controller, introduced in 1996. By 1996, the number of retail outlets carrying Gravis products exceeded 11,000 worldwide, making the company one of the world’s largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads, according to reports such as those published by PC Data. Gravis Analog Joystick The Gravis Analog Joystick was introduced in 1985 for a range of personal computers including the IBM and compatibles as well as the Tandy and the Apple II lines of computers. It was equipped with a handle tension adjustment wheel and three buttons, each with an individual "Button Function Selector" allowing each button to be configured as Button 1, Button 2, or turned off. In the 1990s, the joystick was sold with Game Utilities software that included a free copy of Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons, Episode One "Marooned on Mars," a highly successful game published by Apogee Software Productions. Museum holdings <ul> <li>Gravis Analog Joystick (manufactured in 1990),</li> <li>Gravis Utilities software, and documentation.</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985s-1990s game pad joystick https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/10f80d7ef859d1ec11992d6746e4c6c8.jpg 7542e18188d1b2795c94eca65e2c28c8 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 Gravis Firebird 2 joystick Subject The topic of the resource hardware: computer peripheral, game controller Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the final two decades of the twentieth century, the personal computer industry experienced rapid technological advances that included, among other innovations, the development of high-performance input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) are examples of leading manufacturers of such products. In Canada, several companies—besides ATI and Matrox—successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One such company was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis), founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed International Gravis Computer Technology Inc., and following its amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, it adopted the name 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 product line. The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found that joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide a 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. Between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and gamepads for desktop computers produced by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product, the Gravis Analog Joystick, introduced in 1985, quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad, released in 1991, was equally successful and was adopted by numerous electronic entertainment companies, including Nintendo and Sega. Similar success followed with the Firebird programmable game controller, introduced in 1996. By 1996, the number of retail outlets carrying Gravis products exceeded 11,000 worldwide, making the company one of the world’s largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads, according to reports such as those published by PC Data. Gravis Firebird 2 The Gravis Firebird programmable game controller was introducewd in 1995. The Firebird 2 followed in 1997. It offered 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. Museum holdings <ul> <li>Firebird 2 programmable joystick, rev. 2, 0398,</li> <li>Firebird 2 Quick Install manual, Gravis, 1997,</li> <li>The Gravis Game CD , Gravis, 1997 (includes a full manual).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived donated by Szabolcs Albertini 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, 1996-- https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/9649e212fff9002eabe38e6025458b91.jpg 4478fcf69522100cc466d60d4c08be34 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 Gravis PC GamePad Subject The topic of the resource hardware: computer peripheral, game controller Description An account of the resource Historical context (by Z. Stachniak) In the final two decades of the twentieth century, the personal computer industry experienced rapid technological advances that included, among other innovations, the development of high-performance input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) are examples of leading manufacturers of such products. In Canada, several companies—besides ATI and Matrox—successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One such company was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis), founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed International Gravis Computer Technology Inc., and following its amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, it adopted the name 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 product line. The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found that joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide a 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. Between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and gamepads for desktop computers produced by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product, the Gravis Analog Joystick, introduced in 1985, quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad, released in 1991, was equally successful and was adopted by numerous electronic entertainment companies, including Nintendo and Sega. Similar success followed with the Firebird programmable game controller, introduced in 1996. By 1996, the number of retail outlets carrying Gravis products exceeded 11,000 worldwide, making the company one of the world’s largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads, according to reports such as those published by PC Data. Gravis PC GamePad  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. Museum holdings <ul> <li>Gravis PC GamePad manufactured in 1991, its user's manual and Gravis Utilities floppy diskette,</li> <li>Gravis PC GamePad manufactured in 1998 and its Quick Install manual</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived donated by Zbigniew Stachniak Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991 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, 1991-- https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/files/original/baee17d12fe80fd9d834cf428e596d28.jpg 1aad8f0df4d472b7e58b33c489380675 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 Gravis UltraSound Subject The topic of the resource hardware: sound card Description An account of the resource Historical Context (by Z. Stachniak) In the final two decades of the twentieth century, the personal computer industry experienced rapid technological advances that included, among other innovations, the development of high-performance input devices (such as game controllers) as well as sound and video cards. Array Technology Inc. (ATI, founded in 1985), Creative Technology (1981), Logitech International (1981), Matrox Graphics (1976), and NVIDIA (1993) are examples of leading manufacturers of such products. In Canada, several companies—besides ATI and Matrox—successfully designed and manufactured input devices and add-on cards for personal computers. One such company was Gravis Computer Peripherals Inc. (Gravis), founded in 1982 in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1985, the company was renamed International Gravis Computer Technology Inc., and following its amalgamation with Abaton Resources Ltd. in 1987, it adopted the name 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 product line. The "Company Background" published on Gravis' ftp site in 1997, described the company's origins this way Gravis originated in 1979 from the passion for computer games shared by two childhood friends, Grant Russell and Dennis Scott-Jackson. They soon found that joysticks and paddles on the market did not provide a 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. Between 1985 and 1997, Gravis designed and manufactured several award-winning joysticks and gamepads for desktop computers produced by companies such as Amiga, Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy. Its first product, the Gravis Analog Joystick, introduced in 1985, quickly became a popular choice among computer gamers. The Gravis PC GamePad, released in 1991, was equally successful and was adopted by numerous electronic entertainment companies, including Nintendo and Sega. Similar success followed with the Firebird programmable game controller, introduced in 1996. By 1996, the number of retail outlets carrying Gravis products exceeded 11,000 worldwide, making the company one of the world’s largest suppliers of computer joysticks and gamepads, according to reports such as those published by PC Data. Gravis UltraSound In 1992, the company entered the computer sound card market with the introduction of the UltraSound, a 16-bit, 32-voice card that delivered CD-quality sound for IBM and IBM-compatible personal computers. The board was powered by the Gravis GF1 chip, with the underlying technology licensed and later acquired from Forte Technologies. Gravis also licensed Recording Session for Windows from Midisoft Corporation, a music authoring application, which was bundled with the UltraSound card. This bundle enabled users to conveniently compose, record, play, and edit MIDI music on personal computers. Introducing the Gravis UltraSound product, Grant Russell, Advanced Gravis president, commented that "A large percentage of our sound card customers are Windows users anxious to experiment with music composition and MIDI. These customers are going to find our CD-quality sound and Midisoft's revolutionary software hard to beat, especially at the price." The UltraSound was built around wavetable synthesis technology. Unlike FM synthesis, which generates approximate, chip-produced sounds, wavetable synthesis uses a library of original instrument samples to create audio, playing it back in real time. This technology was particularly well-suited for music-oriented games and applications that required a MIDI sound module. Gravis UltraSound cards became especially popular within the demoscene, BBS-based underground art, and tracker music communities of the 1990s, which the company actively supported through event sponsorships and product donations. However, despite this strong support and the successful collaboration with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) on the development of the next-generation sound chip—the AMD InterWave, announced in April 1995—sales of Gravis sound card products remained below expectations and were declining. Ultimately, fierce competition from companies such as Creative Technology (the manufacturer of the SoundBlaster family of sound cards), combined with technical and marketing challenges, forced the company to withdraw from the sound card market. Other Gravis sound products included: <ul> <li>the UltraSound Max, an advanced UltraSound product featuring 16-bit recording and  built-in CD-ROM interfaces (1994);</li> <li>the UltraSound ACE low cost wavetable upgrade sound card for owners of earlier FM-based sound cards (1995);</li> <li>the UltraSound Plug & Play card (1995);</li> <li>the UltraSound Plug & Play Pro card (1995).</li> </ul> With the introduction of the Gravis UltraSound Plug & Play and Plug & Play Pro sound cards, the earlier models of the UltraSound and the MAX have been discontinued. Museun holdings <ul> <li>UltraSound card, rev. 2.2., serial number K5830,</li> <li>UltraSound software, v2.06a (6 3.5" floppy diskettes).</li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1992-95, world wide 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 sound card