Early microcomputers Early microcomputers The Acorn System 1, initially called the Acorn Microcomputer (Micro-Computer), was an early 8-bit microcomputer for hobbyists, based on the MOS 6502 CPU, and produced by British company Acorn Computers from 1979. ...more on Wikipedia about "Acorn System 1"
The Rockwell AIM-65 computer was a trainer and development computer based on the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor and ...more on Wikipedia about "AIM-65"
The MITS Altair 8800 was a microcomputer design from 1975, based on the Intel 8080A CPU. Sold as a kit through Popular Electronics magazine, the designers intended to sell only a few hundred to hobbyists, and were surprised when they sold over ten times that many in the first month. Today the Altair is widely recognized as the spark that led to the personal computer revolution of the next few years: The computer bus designed for the Altair was to become a de facto standard in form of the S-100 bus, and the first programming language for the machine was Microsoft's founding product, Altair BASIC. ...more on Wikipedia about "Altair 8800"
The Apple I was an early personal computer, and the first to combine a keyboard with a microprocessor and a connection to a monitor. ...more on Wikipedia about "Apple I"
The Bigboard was a Z80 based single-board computer designed by Jim Ferguson. It provided interfaces for: ...more on Wikipedia about "Bigboard"
The COSMAC ELF was a very early personal computer. It was operated without built-in ROMs and programs were entered directly with help of the CPU integrated dma. ...more on Wikipedia about "COSMAC ELF"
The COSMAC VIP (1977) was an early microcomputer that was aimed at video games. For a price of US$275, it could be purchased from RCA by mail order. It came in kit form, and had to be assembled. Its dimensions were 8.5 by 11 inches, and it had a RCA 1802 processor; along with a crystal clock operating at 1.79MHz ( NTSC colorburst divided by 2). It had 2 KB (2,048 bytes) of RAM, which could be expanded to 4K on-board, and 32 KB via an expansion slot. Its 5 V DC CDP18S023 power supply had an ouput of 600 mA. I/O ports could be added to connect to sensors, interface relays, an ASCII keyboard, or a printer. ...more on Wikipedia about "COSMAC VIP"
The Educ-8 was an early microcomputer kit published by Electronics Australia in a series of articles starting in August 1974 and continuing through 1975. Electronics Australia initially believed that it was the first such kit but later discovered that Radio-Electronics had just beaten it with their Mark-8 however Electronics Australia staff believed that their TTL design was superior to the Mark-8 as it did not require the purchase of an expensive microprocessor chip. ...more on Wikipedia about "Educ-8"
The Netronics ELF II was an early microcomputer trainer kit introduced about 1977 featuring an RCA 1802 microprocessor, 256 bytes of RAM, 0 bytes of ROM, DMA based based bit mapped graphics, hex keypad for user interaction and DMA based program loading, a two digit hexadecimal LED display, an LED on the special ...more on Wikipedia about "ELF II"
The IMSAI 8080 microcomputer, manufactured by IMS Associates, Inc. (later renamed to IMSAI Manufacturing Corp.) in 1976, was an early Intel 8080, S-100 bus based computer, compatible with its main competitor, the earlier MITS Altair 8800, by which it was inspired. ...more on Wikipedia about "IMSAI 8080"
K-202 was the first Polish microcomputer invented by Jacek Karpiński in 1971. ...more on Wikipedia about "K-202"
The Kansas City standard (abbreviated KCS) for storage of digital (micro) computer data on an ordinary compact audio cassette is also known as the BYTE standard, from its connection with BYTE magazine, or the Processor Technology CUTS (PT Computer Users
The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based microcomputer kit developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. and launched in 1975. It was very successful in terms of that period, due to its low price (following from the inexpensive 6502) and easy-access expandability. ...more on Wikipedia about "KIM-1"
The is a list of early microcomputers encompassing the microprocessor-based development system/hobbyist microcomputers being made and sold as " DIY" kits or pre-built machines in relatively small numbers in the mid- 1970s, before the advent of the later, simpler to operate, significantly hotter-selling home computers (listed in List of home computers). Most early micros came without keyboards or displays, which had to be provided by the user, usually at great expense. RAM was typically 4–16 KB. ...more on Wikipedia about "List of early microcomputers"
The Mark-8 is a microcomputer design from 1974, based on the Intel 8008 CPU (which was the world's first 8-bit microprocessor). The Mark-8 was designed by graduate student Jonathan Titus and announced as a 'loose kit' in the July 1974 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine. ...more on Wikipedia about "Mark-8"
The MCM/70 was a pioneering microcomputer first released in 1973, making it one of the first microcomputers in the world, the first to be shipped in completed form, the first portable computer, and arguably the first truly usable microcomputer system. Nevertheless this machine remains virtually unknown. ...more on Wikipedia about "MCM/70"
The MEK6800D2 was a development board for the Motorola 6800 microprocessor, produced by Motorola in 1976. It featured a keyboard with hexadecimal keys and a LED display, but also featured an RS-232 asynchronous serial interface for a Teletype or other terminal. There was an on-board debug program called JBUG fitted in a 1k ROM, and the maximum RAM capacity on board was 512 bytes, but this could be expanded via the Motorola EXORciser computer bus interface. ...more on Wikipedia about "MEK6800D2"
Microprofessor I (MPF 1), introduced in 1981, was Acer's first branded computer product and probably one of the world's longest selling computers. As of early 2005, it is still on market. The MPF I is a simple and inexpensive training system for the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. Acer was named Multitech at that time. ...more on Wikipedia about "Microprofessor I"
Microprofessor II (MPF II), introduced in 1982, was Acer's (then known as Multitech) second branded computer product and also one of the earliest Apple clones. It does not look like most other computers. The case of the MPF II was a slab with a small chiclet keyboard on its lower part. ...more on Wikipedia about "Microprofessor II"
The MYCRO-1 was a microcomputer manufactured and sold by Mycron of Oslo, Norway. Built around the Intel 8080 CPU, it was probably the first commercial single-board computer. ...more on Wikipedia about "MYCRO-1"
The Lucas Nascom 1 and 2 were single-board computer kits issued in 1977 and 1979, respectively, based on the Zilog Z80 and including a keyboard and video interface, as well as a serial port that could be used for storing data on a tape cassette using the Kansas City standard. The inclusion of a full keyboard and video display interface was uncommon in this era, most microcomputers at the time only being delivered with a hexadecimal keypad and 7-seg display. ...more on Wikipedia about "Nascom" Be happy with shortopedia shortopedia
Introduced in 1979, the NorthStar Horizon was an 8-bit computer system based on the ZiLOG Z80A microprocessor. It was produced by NorthStar Computers. ...more on Wikipedia about "NorthStar Horizon"
(PMI-80) A primitive microcomputer, produced by Tesla Piešťany, Czechoslovakia, since 1982. It was based on the MHB 8080A CPU (a Tesla clone of the 8080 processor), clocked at 1 MHz. Instead of a monitor output, it only had a segment LED display, mere 1kB of RAM and same ROM. ...more on Wikipedia about "PMI-80"
The S-100 bus was an early computer bus designed in 1974 as a part of the Altair 8800, generally considered today to be the first " personal computer". The S-100 bus was the first "industry standard" bus for the microcomputer industry, and S-100 computers, processor and peripheral cards, were produced by a number of manufacturers. The S-100 bus formed the basis for homebrew computers whose builders (e.g. the Homebrew Computer Club) implemented drivers for CP/M and MP/M. These S-100 microcomputers ran the gamut from hobbyist toy to small business workstation and were the zenith of the microcomputer world until the advent of the IBM PC (which some of them outperformed). ...more on Wikipedia about "S-100 bus"
The U.S. company SWTPC started in 1964 as DEMCO (Daniel E. Meyer Company). It was incorporated in 1967 as Southwest Technical Products Corporation of San Antonio, Texas. ...more on Wikipedia about "SWTPC"
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia . Direct links to the original articles are in the text.
If you use exact copy or modified of this article you should preserve above paragraph and put also : It uses material from
the Shortopedia article about "Early microcomputers".
| MAIN PAGE | MAIN INDEX | CONTACT US |