If you read about the history of private computing, you listen to a couple acquainted names like Microsoft, Apple, and even Commodore. But there were a host of corporations that ended up well recognized and effectively regarded back again then that are all but forgotten now. Godbout computing, Ohio Scientific, and Southwest Technological Solutions (SWTP). SWTP is in all probability greatest remembered for owning a reasonably low cost printer and “TV typewriter”, but they also designed a 6800-based mostly computer system and [Adrian] takes us inside of of 1.
The 6800 was Motorola’s entry into the microprocessor fray, competing with the Intel 8080. The computer system came out scant months just after the introduction of the famous Altair 8800. While the Altair is typically credited as staying the first hobbyist-quality pc, there had been a handful of before kinds dependent on the 8008, but the Altair was the very first to be profitable.
The SWTP was notable for its working day for its blank appearance. Most computers in individuals days experienced heaps of switches and lights. The SWTP has a blank front with only a power switch and a reset button. A ROM observe let you use the device with a terminal. For about the exact price as a bare-bones Altair that experienced no interfaces or memory, you could pick a person of these up with most of the extras you would require. The memory was only 2K, but that was 2K more than you acquired with an Altair at that value place.
The $450 appears pretty cheap, but in the early 70s, that was a lot of lawns to mow. Of class, even though you’d need to have to insert memory to the Altair, you’d have to add some type of terminal to the SWTP. Nevertheless, you’d wind up with a little something far more usable but the whole bill was likely likely to method $1,000 to get a doing work procedure.
Inside the box had been some aged-fashioned-on the lookout Personal computer boards and connectors that will look common to any person who has been inside 1970s gear. Will it operate? We never know yet, but we hope it does. [Adrian] guarantees that will be in the future movie.
It is remarkable how far we have occur in a lot less than 50 years. A postage-stamp sized $10 laptop or computer now has adequate speed and memory to emulate a bunch of these aged equipment all at once. The SWTP has been on our pages before. A good deal of these aged machines and firms are all but overlooked, but not by us!