Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Large Collection of Rare Microcomputers

Do You Remember These Bugs?
These “Bugs” were on every book, article and column written from 1974 to 1984 and on every piece of hardware produced. Many from the Boomer generation would have seen these “Bugs”, and may have a memory of the materials they were associated with. Bugbooks, which later evolved into more than seventy books in the “Blacksburg Continuing Education Series”, were used in electronics and computer education.

Why Bugs?
In a book called “Computer Literacy” by John V. Lombardi, the author describes that in the heart of
every microcomputer resides an electronic device known as a microprocessor. That chip of plastic, loaded with circuits, has an appearance like a rectangular bug.  This microprocessor “bug-looking thing” is the brain of the microcomputer.

A Picture of Technology From an Earlier Time- 
David Larsen and the LCF Group have arranged items for display which describe the newest  technology as it was pre-1980 before cell phones and iPods.

Also showcased are all of the popular `BugBooks` and `Blacksburg Continuing Education` series of books. In the `70s and `80s, these books were a staple for technicians, engineers and  users of microcomputers-- an important part of the digital revolution.

A Retelling of History...
of microcomputers and related electronics  is  interesting indeed! It has been a dream to share these stories, which have been written over a number of years.

Not Only Computers…
Other electronics and artifacts, timeline and histories from the microcomputer revolution, and other tools of the period are represented within the museum.

A Large Collection!
We strive to show a historical collection which is of `Smithsonian quality`. The pieces at the museum represent some of a very large collection amassed over 40+ years by David and associates, which is stored in a Floyd County warehouse. We hope you enjoy the displays and exhibits; invite your friends to come and see!
"by David Larsen"