Computer Collector and Historians Resource Hub

Computer History Resource Sites 

                                                                                     

one the Apple-1 computers
as a part of my collection.
See Video about my 4 Apple-1 computers.

I have listed "Computer Collector and Historical Information"  collected and used during the past 12 years used in producing Videos and Writing Blog post. Blog post & videos cover several topics of my interest including, historical computers, amateur radio, land for sale by owner, tiny homes and Chantilly Farm. I have been involved with digital computers for the past 63 years. It all started with my attending a training class at Remington Rand Computer Corporation in St. Paul Minnesota in 1957.  Teaching "Electronic Instrumentation and Automation" for 33 years at Virginia Tech and collecting microcomputers for more than 45 years . You will find more than 200 web sites in the links below.  I hope you find this information useful - have fun.

Pioneers - Microcomputer & PC Revolution          Computer History - Web sites & Blog's

Computer Books for Collectors                             Dave's 200 Computer Blog Postings 

125 Videos about my Computer Collection.         39 Videos about my 4 Apple-1's Collection 

My entire computer collection is now located at "The Computer Museum of America" in Roswell, Georgia. 

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For Radio Amateur operators 

127 Videos my Amateur Radio Activity         59 Videos My Dominica Amateur Radio

82 Videos "Foundation for International Radio Service" FAIRS

9 Videos - Basic electronic tutorials                       My 66 years of Amateur Radio 

Bug Logo for my
 Bugbooks and Museum

David Larsen
 Blog Author

"by David Larsen"  Chantilly Farm owner, Computer Historian, and amateur radio operator -KK4WW   & N4USA .  I work out of one of the Tiny Homes at Chantilly Farm. A great place to work if you like the to be out in nature. I am 81 and ready to sell Chantilly Farm - I have a few more  projects I would like to do - if you have an interest to know more give me a call. 540 392 2392

Amateur Radio Pioneer 'Wayne S. Green' 91,died 'W2NSD SK' September 13th - First Publisher of '73' & 'Byte' Magazines.

Wayne Green

Bugboooks

Wayne Green died September 13th 2013, he was 91 and lived a long an interesting eclectic life. Wayne  (W2NSD ) was a champion of early use of single sideband (SSB), repeater technology which he said was the idea for cell telephones and more. I remember one story about him convincing the military by flying around the world in a military plane  transmitting with SSB with high ranking officers that SSB was the wave of the future . Wayne will be remembered by Amateur Radio operator for many of his pioneer ideas in radio technology and publishing a variety of publications. His most visible work was the publication of 73 magazine for radio hams.  His editorials in 73 magazine were usually controversial creating a following that thought he was a bit crazy or others that thought he was on the money for many of his ideas and theories.

Byte Magazine

Wayne joined the microcomputer revolution very early and suggested  folks could make real money in this new field. Wayne started several businesses in the computer field and early on had some success selling software to microcomputer users. He better known for his computer magazines starting with Byte Magazine  September 1975. His wife at the time hijacked the magazine from him in the first few months and this created  dozens of intriguing stories.  He immediately started Kilobyte only to be sued by his former wife to not use the word Byte and he had to change the name to Kilobaud. He started and published many more magazines about computers and ham radio.

Wayne was always interesting to talk with and at one time he suggested he accompany my FAIRS group on a visit to the Soviet Union - He was sure he could be a help them do better at amateur radio.

Here is a post by former Wayne Green employee Robert Mitchell - it tells a lot about Wayne Green.

I liked Wayne and he was truly a pioneer and deserves a lot of credit for his computer and amateur radio contributions.  Many folks would do well to use some of the many useful ideas he presented in his magazines and lately his blog postings.

David Larsen

Good by Wayne you made us all think more about the life we live and how we could do better.

   ^{"By David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}  

MMD-1 Vintage 8080 Microcomputer reported to be the First Single Board Computer

 The first single board computer - MMD1
Click on photos to enlarge

Original Prototype MMD1

 The Microcomputer Trainer MMD -1 designed by John Titus is in the Wikipedia listing for Single Board Computers as the first single board microcomputer.

Production Model

We originally called the computer "Dyna -Micro" and the the production units were called "MMD1" - that was just short for 'Mini Micro Designer'. The Wikipedia listing for the single board computer does not mention John Titus as the designer - it does mention the computer was made popular by  Bugbooks. Bugbooks 5 and 6  used with this computer. An
original prototype is on display in our "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum".


John Titus tells in his own words the development of the MMD-1 computer

 The second item about the microcomputer pioneering work by John Titus ----

Dr. John Titus

The  MARK8 computer construction article published in the July 1974 Radio Electronics  by John Titus was a Milestone for the magazine in the computer revolution. According to Wikipedia - Radio-Electronics featured audio, radio, television and computer technology. The most notable articles were the TV Typewriter (September 1973)^[1] and the Mark-8 computer (July 1974).^[2] These two issues are considered milestones in the home computer revolution.^[3]

^{Here is where you can get a real good view of John's 'MARK8' work - this was put together by authors at Florida Gulf Coast University and was copyright 2007.}   

Here are some really nice comments John made about our work together more than 35 years ago.

Me - David

 It has always been a great pleasure for me to be a colleague of Dr. John Titus. The work we did together in the 'Blacksburg Group' 38 years ago was a real highlight in my electronics and computer journey. John is retired and living in Utah near family. Thank you John for the memories.
^{"By David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}  
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Vintage Calculator / Computer Historical Information

Nigel Tout has put together a  whopping amount of information for us on his "Vintage Calculator Web Museum"  web site. This site is fun to read and learn about calculators.  I learned about this calculator site searching for information for my collection of about 1000 calculators.

This site is useful for just about any collector or historian of vintage electronic or mechanical calculating  devices.  I liked the story about how the Intel 4004 microprocessor chip was developed as a first for Intel. I linked this story in my blog about Intel Intellec 4 microcomputer.
Send a Tweet'CLICK' hashtag #KK4WW if you enjoy the blog or have a comment


Information from Nigel's website - "A revolution in calculating machines took place between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. It was during this vintage period that the electronics for calculators was at the cutting edge of electronics research. Calculators evolved from large, expensive, mechanical machines to cheap, electronic, credit card sized devices. The development of micro-electronics for calculators was an important phase in the history of technology, which included the development of the microprocessor.
This fascinating story is illustrated here with -

• Mechanical calculators - both electrically driven and hand operated.
• Early electronic calculators - using vacuum tubes (cold-cathode tubes/valves), discrete transistors, cathode ray tube displays, delay-line memories, small- & medium-scale integrated circuits.
• Early hand-held calculators with LED, fluorescent, and early LCD displays.

The increasing capability of the electronic integrated circuits can be seen, which led to the microprocessor and the personal computer.
This site is dedicated to those who had to use slide-rules and mechanical calculators at school, university, and at work, back when the idea of a pocket electronic calculator was just a dream, and when they were eventually developed and went on sale having one was still a dream since at that time they were unaffordable for most people." (from vintagecalculator.com)



Here is another site about calculators  http://www.devidts.com/be-calc/





Thank you for reading my blog - if you like info, news and stories about vintage computers please subscribe or follow by email.

Here I am with my wife Gaynell on a cool fall day last year. We  have a lot of fun doing things together. I would guess we have traveled to about 30 countries and operated ham radio and visited friends. We still travel but as we get older we like staying home near family. About one or two trips a year outside the US is about it for now. I  will be 75 this year and my wife does not tell  her age. This is  our LCF Group.
"by David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector / Historian

Computer First Microcomputer in USA - 4 bit MCS-4 Intellec 4 Microcomputer - Vintage Intel

We are fortunate to have  an MCS-4 Intellec 4 Intel Microcomputer  

MCS-4 Intellec 4

development system in our historical collection.  The Intellec 4 computers are possibly the first commercial microcomputers manufactured (1972) in the USA. The 4004  microprocessor (a 4 bit processor) chip used  in the MCS-4 was introduced in November of 1971 and was the first Intel microprocessor chip.  Only a few of the MCS-4's still exist. The Intel museum does not have one or at least it did not in 1992 when an Intel representative  contacted me to borrow our MCS-4.  They kept the microcomputer for 18 months and used it in some litigation process.  Intel did introduce an additional development computer in 1977 - the MCB8-10 and it looked like a home built system. The MCS -4 was followed by the MCS-8 which used the 8008 8 bit microprocessor. The Bugbook Historical Museum also has one of the MCS-8 computers.

Inside the MCS-4

Serial number 136

The MCS-4 uses a 100 pin bus and has a dozen or so card slots for expansion. It is an operational computer for developing and testing software and hardware.  This was the very beginning of commercial development tools for the microcomputer revolution. Engineers were slow to realize the potential of the microprocessor. The first time user found the MCS-4 a rather complicated   system to use - not much educational information or training was available.  It did not take long before it was clear the microprocessor and the microcomputer were a really big and important new electronic design device.  Now you could write a program to preform any digital or math function and change it with a new program.  For example the early digital calculators used a none programmable Large Scale Integrated Circuit (LSI) and every new calculator required a new design for the LSI chip.

Indeed it was the Japanese company Busicom that sparked the design of the Intel 4004 for their next calculator. Busicom Story here.(from nigel.tout@vintagecalculators.com ) It seems so obvious now but it was about 3 years before the microcomputer was more than a toy for hobby folks to use.

4k RAM memory

4004 microprocessor chip

CPU Card

The CPU card also contains 4 EPROM chips and each chip is 250 bytes or 1kbyte for the 4 white 1702A chips on the board.

     Change in technology 43 years after the 4004 microprocessor
 The MCS -4 memory card is only 4 kilobyte - that is the whole card. This is a good time to try and make a comparison of the 1972 technology with today.   In 1964 Gordon Moore (Moore's Law) predicted integrated circuit technology would double the circuit density on a chip every 2 years. Today a memory card for a laptop computer may contain 4 Gbyte of  RAM memory.  It would take 1,000,000 - yes one million of the 4kilobyte RAM cards like the one in the in the Intellec 4 to have the same amount of memory as the 4 Gbyte card.
Now if you laid the 1,000,000 Intellec cards out end to end it be a string of cards 2300 miles long.
One more calculation - a common 64Gbyte USB memory stick would require a string of these Intellec cards 36,000 miles - that is circling the earth 1.5 times.  The USB Memory stick cost about $35 -- these comparisons are just amazing and just give it 5 more years WOW.

The first Intel Microprocessor was the 4004 chip and a little later they came out with the 4040 microprocessor. The 4040 was still a 4 bit microprocessor but much faster in operation.  The same hardware as the Intellec 4 shown in this blog was upgraded to use the 4040 - it was called the Intellec 40 Mod. Here are some photos of the 40 Mod that give you a good look at the computer hardware. The 40 Mod is basically the same except for the CPU card as the Intellec 4.


 Here is a video of the Intellec 4 in our Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum"CLICK"


Here is a video story about the 4004 and Intellec 4 by Intel - interesting about the first commercial microprocessor "CLICK"

Please go to my Museum Page on Facebook and do a like for me.  Thank You for the help.

This weekend my wife Gaynell and I are flying out to Missouri to visit my 91 year old brother.
He is doing well but we like to visit at least once per year. The Birthday party we went to in NC last weekend for our 1 year old Great grandson Tucker Helms was fun. The weather was nice most of the time but at the end of the day it did rain on our outdoor party. Weekend before we were in MD for the16th Birthday of our twin Grand daughters Natalie and Emily.  Lots of travel but worth every minute. Looks like we will be home for a few weeks after this trip and looking forward to being home.
"by David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector/Historian





                                                                                          

S100 Computers - Great web site for S100 and other Vintage Microcomputers

 John Monahan is the host of a web site that is full of information for S100 computer enthusiast . John's site is loaded with very useful and interesting information.  I have always been interested in the history of microcomputers and microprocessors and John has a really nice "Short History of Microprocessors".

John Monahan

You can learn  about historical microcomputers by viewing this site - Some of the things included are; Other web sites for computer collectors, Forum where you could ask your own questions, Many software programs for S100 systems, S100 Boards for sale - you can sell your own as well and much more.


Here is example of information from the web site about S100 history.
S-100 Bus Components:-The Bus & Motherboards ( This is direct from John's web site )

The reason the S-100 bus became the de facto standard for early computer hobbyists back in the 1970's and early 80's was that one was not aligned to any one manufacturer. During that time there was an explosion of information and interest in home computers. Early companies were very creative in designing boards with unique features. They all could function together if they were plugged into a S-100 motherboard. The IMSAI computer probably being the best known example of this. Early motherboards were nothing more than 100 pin connectors wired in parallel. The first home computer the Altair, had a bus structure like this. A small motherboard of 4 board slots could be joined to multiples of these boards to make a bus of up to about 16 board slots.  This arrangement worked fine for a low clock speed 8080 CPU running at 2 MHz. Soon afterwards another company IMSAI came out with a more noise resistant data bus with all connectors on one board. This quickly became the de-facto "S-100 bus computer".  While it is easy to look back now at the early Altair S-100 computer and see how it could have been improved, we should remember however, that when Ed Roberts started there was severe price constraints of what the system could cost.  It was this low cost that got the home computer concept going amongst hobbyists and launched the industry.

However soon people wanted to increase the speed of the bus. Longer multiple board slots soon appeared. It was not long until other electronic engineers got involved and started producing "active terminated" signal lines.   The Godbout 19 slot S-100 bus board was one of the most popular. This motherboard had pull up and down resistors on each of the data, address and control lines to reduce signal noise.  A schematic of this arrangement is illustrated here. Later many commercial and homebrew S-100 systems had at least 16-18 slots in a board cage to which multiple boards from multiple manufactures were added. This became the standard home computer setup of the late 1970's. 

Take the time to look at the S100Computers web site for interesting  and useful information about S100 bus  and other vintage computers. Thank you John for listing a link to this blog on your site. I have a link to S100computers on the tab  "Web sites and Blogs" so users will always easily find John's web site from  this blog.

I just got started on my "Basic Electronics" video course - here is beginning "Electricity - What is it?"

Send a Tweet'CLICK' hashtag #KK4WW if you enjoy the blog or have a comment  Appreciate a like on Museum Facebook Page.

 I am really enjoying writing this computer informational blog. I have met many vintage computer hobbyists and learned more about historical microcomputers. One is never too old to learn - I have been a involved with computers for more than 55 years and am  always excited to find new information.  I am looking for good weather now as the "Floyd Auto Fair" is at our Chantilly Farm this weekend. It is a busy month for me as we also have our 3rd annual "Bluegrass and BBQ"   Festival  at the farm  on the 25th. Gosh I guess I am still going strong at 74 but having the time of my life.

"by David Larsen", KK4WW Computer Collector/Historian in Floyd County Virginia.

Vintage Computer Pioneer "Adam Osborne"

                                                                     - News items at bottom of post-                                                                     
Adam Osborne had many professional credits and the most visible are the "Osborne" computer and his book series. (his Biography & more ) I never new him in person but he wrote many books during the time I was working with the "Blacksburg Group". You can see by the links about his biography that he lived a very different and interesting life than most of us.

The Osborne computer had new & creative features. The computer made a really big entry into the personal computer

market for a short time. The Osborne 1 was one of the first computers to come bundled with a number of useful software packages ready to operate. The Osborne was one of the earliest  potable computers and had an optional battery pack. The price was remarkable because the software if purchased independent of the computer was more than the $1795 cost of the computer.  Lee Felsenstein designed the computer and incorporated revolutionary concepts in his work. The computer took the market by storm in 1981 and reached sales of $80 million per year. Management decisions resulted in several problems that could not be resolved and the company quickly went out of business.   One of the bad decisions was to announce the new Osborne Executive & Vixen computers early and not being able to sell the older Osborne 1 inventory. This is became known as the "Osborne Effect". The Osborne story is fascinating and you can read much more in the links provided in the blog.

 (From Wikipedia) Osborne was also a pioneer in the computer book field, founding a company in 1972 that specialized in easy-to-read computer manuals. By 1977, Osborne & Associates had 40 titles in its catalog. In 1979, it was bought by McGraw-Hill and continued as an imprint of McGraw-Hill, "Osborne/McGraw-Hill".

Bob Denton in his book "The PC Pioneers" reports that Adam Osborne produced all the supporting documentation for the Intel MCS-4 (1971). The MCS-4 is the 4004 Intel microprocessor and the 3 support integrated circuits that can be made into a  working microcomputer. This was early in Adam's writing career and it is not clear if he worked directly for Intel or as a consultant.

Bob Denton's book "The PC pioneers" is 542 pages of great reading for cyber history folks.
 

                                Video of the Osborne computer I produced in October 2010

 Adam Osborne passed away in March 2003 (3/39-3/03). His passing reminds all of us that the pioneers in the early days of microcomputers will soon all be gone. We will have only the history recorded in books and on the Internet.  It also reminds me of my age as an active computer collector/historian & makes me looks like an  old timer - 75 in November.


NEWS :
The untold story behind Apple's $13,000 operating system This story about the Apple 11 operating system is just out on the cyberpath of CNET April 3,2013. Posted by Daniel Terdiman  - be sure to look at the comments - all interesting for cyber history folks.

Vintage Computer Festival Southeast - April 20 and 21, 2013- Apple Pop-Up Museum
This story posted  on cyberpath of Arstechnica March 29,2013 by Jacqui Cheng.

 Here I am with my wife Gaynell on one of our Radio Mission visits to Dominica in the Caribbean.  We are directors of the "Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service" (FAIRS) and have been at this for 21 years with mission visits to many countries. We had a great Easter weekend and hope you enjoyed your Easter.
"by David Larsen" - Computer Collector/Historian