Filed under: Humor, Blast From the Past
TUAW 1976
TUAW Newsletter - April 1, 1976
In this Bicentennial year, technology is making big advances! You can read about it here in Technology Update Aptos Weekly, the official computer newsletter of the Aptos, CA Amateur Computer Club, delivered to your door every week. Remember to pay Steve Sande your dues, as part of that money goes towards the ridiculous rip-off that the Post Office has concocted -- 13¢ for a first-class stamp.
New micro-processor from MOS Technology
MOS Technology announced the new 6502 micro-processor, which should revolutionize the homebrew computing world. For $25, much less than Intel's $179 8080 chip, you get a 8-bit processor with a 16-bit data bus. Steve Wozniak from the HOmebrew Computer Club is basing his "Apple I" computer that he'll show at our next meeting on the 6502. Most people think he's crazy not to use the Intel 8080, but he wants to make a computer thats inexpensive (a friend of his named Steve Jobs wants to sell these computers - now there's a crazy idea!) You can ask Steve about it at the meeting at Tom's house on the 16th - I think he's going to make copies of the specs on one of the Xerox machines at HP.
At the last HCC meeting, Christopher Espinoza showed off a cool subroutine he wrote for the 6502 that prints the A-register in binary! He'll have that in the HCC newsletter sooN and we'll try to see if he'll let us reprint it for those who want to try out this cheap inexpensive mcicro processor.
In my opinion, and I am the editor of this newsletter until someone takes my IBM Selectric away, I think he should be using the Zilog Z-80 that's in the Cromemco Z-1. After all, it's a much faster chip than the 8080. I hear that Gary Kildall will have a version of his Operating System CP/M for the Z-80 and not for the 6502.
Cool new multi-function calculator from Casio!
The Japanese company Casio has just announced a breakthrough product called the CQ 1. Believe it or not, they've figured out a way to put a 4-function calculator (with memory), a digital clock, a stopwatch, AND alarm clock into one box. It's 14,000 yen, whatever that works out to in dollars.
A review of Processor Technologies SOL-20 Terminal
Lee Felsenstein, the moderator over at the Homebrew CC in the Bay Area, has designed an amazing machine called the SOL-20. He named it after Les Solomon, who is an editor at Popular Electronics (my favorite magazine, next to Playboy). You can hook a B&W TV to it, and it actually has a built-in typewriter keyboard!
I seriously doubt if computers are going to get more powerful than this! 10K of RAM, an Intel 8080A, serial and cassette ports, and 5 slots for expansion. Mike Schrayer says he's working on a "word processor" program called Electric Pencil that will run on the SOL-20. One problem with the SOL-20? You're going to have to be a millionaire to own one. It's $1649 in kit form, and if you really have the bread stashed under your waterbed, you can buy a fully-assembled SOL for $2129. That's for the rich members with money to burn and lousy soldering skills (yeah, we're talking about you, Roger!).
For Sale: KIM-1 Kit (assmebled)
For sale - Processor Technologies KIM-1. This is a complete, computer including a hex kepad and six 7-segment character display units. All you need is a 5V and a 12V power supply to get the computer operational. It is built around the 6502 processor, has 1k of RAM, a TTY interface, an audio tape interface (cassette recorder not included) and an expansion connector.It runs at about 1.8 Mhz. The kit sells for $245, I'll sell this for $200 altho I have a lot of hours invested in putting this together. Call ROn Slotnick, 408-555-1212.
News from other clubs!
We recently heard from a group in Winsconsin called the Wsconsin Area Computer Society. They've had monthly meetings for the last 5 months and have a paid membership of over 40 people already. They're putting together a software library and can communicate via Casette Tape (Tarbell, Digital Group, and K.C. Standard) and Paper Tape. Let me know if you want Don's address and you can send him tapes.
The Indianapolis Small Systems Group (ISSG) is publishing a newsletter called The Indy Byte Chaser. Send a SASE to Keith Pieper, 54 Terrence Lane, Brownsburg, IN 46112 for the newsletter. They've got some great Tiny BASIC programs typed up in the newsletter.
The Sonoma County Computer Club meets the first Tuesday of the month at the LO*OP Center at 8099 La Plaza, Cotati, CA 94928. Meetings start at 7:30 PM. If we drive to Cupertino, Steve Wozniak says we can carpool in his van and go to the meeting with him.
Video Tape Recorder from Japan
Victor Corporation of Japan has announced a new Video Tape Recorder using their new Video Home System (VHS) formatted cassettes. Only time will tell if these recorders will make it into our homes, since Sony announced their Beta recroder last year to lackluster sales. While this doesn't have much to do with computers, we thought it might be interesting to people who for some reason might want to record TV shows. They haven't announced when the HR-3300 will be available in the US, nor is a price available at press time.
(Many thanks to the Digibarn Computer Museum for their digitized archives of the Homebrew Computer Club newsletters, which can be viewed here. They supplied a lot of the fuel for this post.)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Le Big Mac said 9:34AM on 4-01-2009
Good, but should be in this font:
http://www.kreativekorp.com/software/fonts/apple2.shtml
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eric f. said 9:45AM on 4-01-2009
it would be more accurate if you used Alameda or Almaden, CA which are much closer to the original club.
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jbl said 9:46AM on 4-01-2009
Obviously this is an April Fools prank. The 6502 processor shown was produced the 45th week of 1985, not in 1976! Jeez! LOL
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Paul said 10:19AM on 4-01-2009
Wow, I remember those days, and that's not too far off. Now I miss my Selectric....
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cosmo.catalano said 10:57AM on 4-01-2009
I like the monospace font, but how did you get the JPEGs? Clearly this is job for ASCII art.
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james_t said 2:01PM on 4-01-2009
Obviously it's an april fools. The article tag at the bottom reads "aprilfools"
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theviolinist11 said 3:51PM on 4-01-2009
Dang! Where can I get me one o' those cutting-art state-of-the-edge multi-function calculators??
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ricarin said 5:21PM on 4-01-2009
Wow! I had one of those Casio calculators. It was one of those things where you could do date calculations (like *how many days to my next birthday*, etc.)
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Eugeniu said 4:35PM on 4-01-2009
Yes, seriously, I don't think 1976 had minimally compressed JPEGs. Or for that matter, "weblogs" xD
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Bob said 3:57AM on 4-29-2009
Yeah, go KIM-1! I've got one of those :) with the tape drive, PSU, and, get this, an 8Kb RAM upgrade. Still works and everything. It's not so useful, except for playing wumpus on it. It also has CGA out, but you have to type the graphics driver in when ever you start up. In hex. Whoever said Linux was hard, eh?
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John Mish said 4:13AM on 6-03-2009
It's not so useful, except for playing wumpus on it. It also has CGA out, but you have to type the graphics driver in when ever you start up. In hex. Whoever said Linux was hard.
club penguin
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John Mish said 4:15AM on 6-03-2009
It's not so useful, except for playing wumpus on it. It also has CGA out, but you have to type the graphics driver in when ever you start up. In hex. Whoever said Linux was hard.
http://www.club-penguin.org/
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peter said 8:28PM on 6-21-2009
Thank you for the information mel
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