Vintage Computer - Datapoint 1100 - 8 bit computer

Datapoint 1100

Bugbooks

I received this Datapoint 1100 from the same person that provided the Datapoint 2200 terminal/computer and was told it was a prototype. I made some assumptions about this computer that were wrong and I also called it a 2100 in some of my information.  Gordon Peterson was kind to correct me on this and the Datapoint 1100 is a version of the 2200 without the tape storage drives in the case. It did have a storage drive but it was in a separate case or operating table. This is not a prototype but is a nice unit and I am glad to have it in my collection. Thank You - Gordon for getting me on board with the correct information.

I have made several post (listed below) here on my blog about the Datapoint 2200 and it is a very interesting story of perhaps the start of personal computers - long before MITS ALTAIR 8800, Apple , Microsoft or IBM.


To enlarge "CLICK" on photo

Datapoint 1100

This looks like a Datapoint 2200 without the cassette tape decks for mass storage.

Datapoint 1100

The inside looks very similar to the Datapoint 2200 without the 2 audio cassette drives for mass storage.

Datapoint 1100

This unit was tested April 1975.

Datapoint 1100

This name and serial number tag  indicates it is an 1100 and serial number #100.





Here is some great research about the first microprocessor - Ken Shirriff's Blog 


Older post about the Datapoint 2200:

Intel 8008 Microprocessor began as a 'Computer Terminal Corporation 2200" - an Electronic Data Terminal

Vintage Computers - The Datapoint 2200 & "Computer Terminal Corporation" THE REST OF THE STORY!!

"The Lost Story of the Texans Who Invented the Personal Computer Revolution"  a 327 page book by Lamont Wood & published in 2010.

                                                    Video about the Datapoint 1100
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We always have interesting visitors in our Computer Museum with great stories about their experience with vintage computers - Here is a video with Virginia Tech Professor Bill Green. He makes some nice comments about our museum.  "CLICK TO VIEW"

During the late 80's I was able to find  this fine Datapoint1100 & Datapoint 2200. They are both in the   "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Collection".

 ^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}     Send Message    Like us on Facebook  My Blog about hometown Floyd VA

MARK 8 Vintage Computer

Bugbooks

Radio Electroics Magazine July 1974

Here are five MARK8 computers all very different in the construction. These MARK-8's are in our Bugbook Microcomputer collection.

The MARK 8 computers are all very unique - some made by people skilled to do a very good work and some inexperienced in building electronic devices.

You will see a real variety in the construction of the 5 MARK 8 computers in our collection.

Click on photo's to enlarge

MARK8 Computer

MARK8 #1    This is most likely the most complete and complex use of the MARK8 cards ever. Of course I don't know for sure and would like to hear from others about there knowledge of MARK8 Computers.

I can not imagine how many hours went into building and testing this computer. It was built for a specific use with many special cards. I have been researching for information about this computer and sent an email to WA4GVT- you will see in the next photo his amateur radio call letters are on the top front of the computer. I just received this reply today 5-5-14. Hi, Guilty as charged !! BUT with one exception, we owned that machine for a lot of years but I did not personally construct it. We were in the process of building one when this fell in our lap. I will try very hard to remember who I got it from and will let you know asap. Would love to see ur Museum some day and see some of the treasures there.
Perhaps we will find out who actually built this machine.

MARK8 Computer

The front panel looks like it is operator friendly - with numbered keys to operate the computer and not the toggle switch register on the other Mark 8 computers.  The builder must have written a lot of code for the machine including a custom BIOS operating program -- just for the front panel.

MARK8 CPU card 8008 microprocessor

The simple wire bus that John Titus used was directed to this add on board for a real computer bus system. All the cards plugged into this bus. The card here is the 8008 CPU card.

Bus extender card for trouble shooting

A bus extender card came with the computer to ease the trouble shooting of various boards and software.

MARK8 Computer

The computer is self contained with some custom cards and power supply built in.

MARK8 Computer

I would like to know what the computer was used for as it has  a lot of I/O connectors on the back side.





                  
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Original Mark 8 Computer 

MARK 8 #2
This a very good example of a all the MARK 8 cards assembled into the basic MARK 8.  To have a working computer you had to add power supply, a case, and some way to enter data into the computer and execute programs.

Original Mark 8 Computer 

 A switch register front panel ( You see this in computer #4) was the simple approach.  You could add a serial interface and with software driver and use a teletype or other serial terminal to operate the computer.

This computer is on display in our "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" in Floyd Virginia.



     
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              Click on photo's to enlarge 

MARK8 Computer

MARK 8 #3 This is an exact copy of John Titus's computer on display in the Smithsonian Museum.
The computer was built by Roy Justus of Christiansburg, Virginia. Roy was a student in my 'Electronics for Scientist' course at Virginia Tech in about 1973. Roy called me one day in 2007 and told me about the MARK8 he had built and would like me to have it in our "Bugbook Computer Museum. I felt very privileged to have this opportunity of such a fine gift. Needless to say when I viewed the computer I was really amazed at the great detailed construction Roy had done on the project.

MARK8 Computer

Roy did not purchase these cards from the vendor John Titus used in his 1974 Radio Electronics article. Roy made the cards himself from the layouts furnished with the construction book you could purchase for about $5 at the time the article came out in 1974.  The boards and the wiring are a first class job -- take a look up close and see he even put strain releaf shrink wrap on each connection.

MARK8 Computer

This is a working computer with an excellent manual of about 50 pages Roy wrote just for this project.

I am very proud to have this MARK 8 computer on display in our "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum. The museum is located in downtown the Village Green in downtown Floyd Virginia. Come on by and take a look-- if you can't maybe my audio tour will be a help "CLICK".       THANK YOU  Roy Justus for this wonderful contribution to the museum.

We are using QR codes in our museum with audio description for each display case. If you would like to test and see -- here is what you get by clicking on the QR code with a smart phone -- this is display case #8 with the Roy Justus computer - click on photo to enlarge while hearing the audio tour to this cabinet. "CLICK to hear test"

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MARK8 Computer

MARK8 #4 This MARK 8 computer was built by George Overfelt in 1975.  Very nice constuction of the basic computer with power supply, front panel and serial interface built in.

This MARK 8 is on loan to the "Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyist"  - 'MARCH'  group and is on display in their museum.

A video tour of this computer "CLICK"

MARK8 Computer

When I received the computer in the late 80's it was still operational.







Here is a telephone conversation with George Overfelt about the MARK 8 and other computer topics 8-15-13 - Nice that George is still active at his age - We chat now and then by phone about this MARK 8 computer he built 38 years ago in 1976 - This added 8-15-13 

I think you will enjoy this conversion with George he tells his experience building the MARK8 and with other early computers.
Here is one of my first interviews 1-28-13 with George Overfelt 25 years after we acquired the MARK8 from him. Added here 8-22-13

MARK8 Computer

George did a nice job of wiring . He was a professional electronics person.

MARK8 Computer

You can see the power supple as it was built below the computer in the case.




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MARK8 Computer

MARK8 #5
This MARK8 is a good example of how hobbyist were willing to try building their own computer. A minicomputer was the only alternative in 1974 and these cost thousands of dollars - most hobbyist could not make this kind of expensive purchase -- the MARK8 gave them an opportunity to build a computer for less then $1000.

MARK8 Computer

I don't know if this computer ever worked but the builder put a lot of work into this project. It is rather crude in the packaging and the switch register on the front.

MARK8 Computer

The rack holding the cards in fiber board and it is now starting to disintegrate. Real wood would have lasted just fine.

I have to give the builder credit for really putting a lot of work into having his own computer - I hope it worked for him.

MARK8 memory board

Molex type connectors were used for the integrated circuit sockets and these are well known to fail often.

MARK8 Computer

I do not know what the blue card is -- it is  not a standard MARK8 card. Looks like the builder had some skills to use this card.






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Other MARK-8 computers "CLICK"
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Terry Ritter tells his experience building a MARK8 in 1974 - It was a lot of work to get one into operating condition - interesting story.


The MARK 8 was available as a construction article in Radio Electronics July 1974.  John Titus designed this computer to satisfy his desire to have a computer of his own. This was the first time detail instructions were available to build a microcomputer using a microprocessor chip - the Intel 8008.  Several hundred sets of boards were sold however you had to gather the parts on you own to assemble the computer.  Not many were actually assembled and even less were made operational.  Perhaps less 50  exist today.  We are fortunate to have 5 in the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" collection .

These 5 MARK 8 computers are a result of many years of collecting. I remember in the mid 80's I had given away my MARK8 computers and started to look into adding one back into  the collection and over the last 26 years have  been very fortunate to gather these 5.  The 5 are an eclectic group all very different. Two are in our museum, one at MARCH and 2 still have their life in our Bugbook museum warehouse.

  

   ^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}     Send Message    Like us on Facebook  My Blog about hometown Floyd VA

Vintage Computer - 8008 Intel microprocessor

Intel Corporation Logo

Bugbooks

It seems like I am always locating an interesting find in our museum warehouse. I have been spending a lot of time choosing  equipment to display in our expanded viewing area at the museum. A bag of (34) Intel 8008 chips  just said HI FRIEND to me.

                    A very short story about the 8008
The 8008 was the first 8 bit microprocessor by Intel Corporation and  introduced in April of 1972 for $120. This chip was commissioned by Computer Terminal Corporation (CTC) and was originally  labeled 1201. CTC designed the 'Datapoint 2200 Programmable Terminal' with TTL logic that  contained the logic of a tiny computer. The idea was to have the computer logic put on a single chip as a microprocessor. The engineers at CTC

8008 microprocessor

approached Intel and Robert Noyce agreed to produce a design for $50,000 in 1970. CTC also went to Texas Instruments as a second source.  Interestingly it is reported that Robert Noyce thought it was a dumb idea to do a single chip design for this purpose--- saying a single chip would hurt chip sales--- of course the reality was microprocessors took of like a rocket in just a few years and became the major source of income for Intel.

The 1201 chip was slow to be developed and did not work as intended. CTC gave up the intellectual rights to the 1201 and did not pay the $50,000. Intel went on to use the ideas of the 1201 to develop the 8008 microprocessor.  The 8008 is an 18 pin chip and needed several external chips to use the 14-bit address bus & control signals. It still proved that microprocessors were a real product and Intel quickly developed the 40 pin 8080 microprocessor.  The 8080 proved to be a great product and microprocessors as the heart of a microcomputers were out of the gate. Now they are invading the world as smart devices by the billions.

Some of this information is from  wikipedia Intel_8008

Today I located the 2200 Data point terminal in the Bugbook Computer Museum warehouse and will put it on display at our museum in Floyd Virginia. 4-4-14

Click on photos to enlarge 

8008 Microprocessor

A close look at one of the 8008 microprocessor chips in the group of 34 in the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Musuem" warehouse.

8008 Microprocessor

Here is the whole group - in the plastic holders. I have not tested these chips and hope they are all functional.

8008 microprocessor manual

The manual for the 8008 microprocessor development systems made by Intel Corporation.   We have both the systems as shown on the cover in our museum display.

Intel 8008 development system in our museum

This is one of the first Intel 8 bit microprocessor development systems as it resides in our "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum"

CTC 2200 

The 'Datapoint 2200 Programmable Terminal' made by  Computer Terminal Corporation (CTC). We have several of these in the museum warehouse and will put one on display in the new expanded museum. This programmable data terminal was the start of the 8008 microprocessor development.
Today I located the 2200 Data point terminal in the Bugbook Computer Museum warehouse and will put it on display at our museum in Floyd Virginia. 4-4-14

Here is the 2200 Data Point terminal  pulled off the shelf in the warehouse and still in the museum wrap. This is inventory number 92A so it was very early addition to the our warehouse.  I set it on top of an ASR 33 teletype for the photo and will get it out an get better photo when moved to our Computer Museum in Floyd Virginia.

MARK 8 microcomputer 

The Mark 8 by John Titus.  John was not the first to use the 8008 microprocessor in a computer however he was the first to build and publish a construction article on how to build your very own computer. This was published in Radio Electronics in June 1974. The computer in this photo is the one he build for the article and is on display at the Smithsonian. More info here "CLICK"



Way back in the 70/80's I worked with John Titus in a small group of 4 called "The Blacksburg Group". This article which was the last column John wrote for "Direct Design" before he retired. He mentions that early work together in a very complementary way. Sure makes me pleased John was helped by our relationship.

I am always amazed when I visit our museum what  45 years of collecting and saving microcomputers for historical purposes has become for me. We have the inventory on a professional museum database "Past Perfect" and there are over 10,000 entries -- of course only a small part of this number are computers however it is still a hard for me to wrap my mind around all these items. Some day we will have a really complete microcomputer historical museum - here in the little Blue Ridge mountain community of Floyd Virginia. If you would like to know a bit more about Floyd take a look at this very good video that was just published about Floyd Virginia.

   ^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}     Send Message    Like us on Facebook  My Blog about hometown Floyd VA