[aklug] Re: CPU/RAM on older hardware

That was actually my first MS-dos machine. I pre-date ms-dos.

I started out helping a friend build a IMSI 8080 (S-100) w/ 2 MHz 8080
10 years earlier about 1979ish. I think we originally had 4K of ram, not
certain of the actual number and we eventually got it to 64K. We were
originally toggling in programs on the front bus until we got a
government surplus tape reader hooked up. Then we got our hands on a
digital tape drive, looked like a dual audio cassette but used digital
tapes. It (the tape setup) had on it what turned out to be CP/M 1.0 or
1.1 (somewhere in there and it wasn't called CP/M yet). Then we got our
hands on a 8" Shugart floppy drive and CP/M 1.2.

My personally owned 1st box was a California Computer Systems S-100. 4
(or was is 6) MHz Z-80, 64K ram, 12 slot mobo w/ CP/M 2.2. Put 3 Shugart
801 8" floppies on it. Hot stuff, in 1981!!

Later got our hands on a Control Data Corporation 10 MB hard drive.
Rather large 130 lb box. 10" platters, 5 fixed & 5 removable. We manged
to find some sort of universal S-100 hard disk interface for it. Had to
hand wire a 100 connector cable to hook it up. Could not use ribbon
cable as it had to be custom wired for whatever drive you'd managed to
get your hands on.

If you're feeling nostalgic... There is a guy on the list, that is/was
building replica Altair 8000 kits and selling them on eBay. They are
very similar to the IMSI I mentioned. Front panel and toggle switches
enough to put you in geek heaven.

Jim G

On Sun, 2010-09-05 at 08:03 -0800, Royce Williams wrote:
> Jim Gribbin said, on 09/04/2010 11:50 PM:
> > My first ms-dos machine was a Compaq Deskpro 8086 8 MHz w/ 10MB RLL
> > drive and 5.25 in floppy. I don't remember the RAM now. I do remember
> > paying $995 to upgrade it with a 40 MB hard drive.
>
> Cool! We cut our teeth on the same DOS system and hardware! It's like
> finding out we're cousins or something. :-)
>
> Royce
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Received on Sun Sep 5 14:14:33 2010