Author Topic: This Tektronix 465 oscilloscope was used to design Pong and the Apple II  (Read 1535 times)

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Offline Gary350zTopic starter

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This video just showed up in my YouTube feed.

This particular Tektronix 465 oscilloscope was used by Al Alcorn at Atari to design Pong, and by Steve Wozniak to design the Apple II.

YouTube Video
This oscilloscope made history! Used to design both Pong and the Apple II


For sale at Manhattan Rare Book Company; Price: $135,000.
Tektronix 465 Oscilloscope
“Used to design Pong and lent to Woz to design Apple II” –Al Alcorn, written on this oscilloscope
https://www.manhattanrarebooks.com/pages/books/2732/computer-history-apple-atari-steve-jobs-al-alcorn-steve-wozniak/tektronix-465-oscilloscope

Read the letter of provenance at 2:20 in the video, and in the sale description.
 

Offline SiliconWizard

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I would have thought the sale price would be even higher than this.

I personally find interesting to know what type of oscilloscope and otherwise gear was used to design these iconic products, but I'm not a fetishist, so I see no point in obsessing (and shelling out that much cash) on a specific item. But that's just my opinion of course.
 

Offline VK3DRB

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Does it come with a warranty?  :-DD
 

Offline SiliconWizard

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Does it come with a warranty?  :-DD

I suspect that people buying that kind of item will not even try powering it on.
 

Offline SL4P

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You could probably swab the corners of the graticule to retrieve Al and WozDNA - just imagine what you could do with that !

Along with 50 years of cockroaches, glass cleaner and dust.
Don't ask a question if you aren't willing to listen to the answer.
 

Online BrianHG

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Darn, I gave away my 465B to a friend.  Since it was the B version, should I have gotten double that...
 

Offline ebastler

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Strange. The TekWiki states that the 465 scope was introduced to the market in November of 1972, and the TekScope journal (fall 1972 edition) supports that. Atari's PONG was already up and running at that time, with a first test unit installed in a bar in August and full market launch in November.

So the 465 can't have played a role in "inventing" or "designing" PONG. Maybe it was used in ironing out some final glitch, or in developing later spin-off versions of the game?

Al Acorn's letter states that the scope was introduced in 1970, but his memory does not seem to be correct in that respect. The letter also states that the scope was bought "so I could design video games like Pong". I wonder whether he chose that wording deliberately, since he did not use the scope on Pong itself, but on later games only?

https://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/465
https://w140.com/tekwiki/images/7/7a/Tekscope_1972_V4_N5_Sep_1972.pdf
 
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Offline BrokenYugo

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Offline ebastler

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Maybe he used it on development of the home pong ASIC?  That's at least possible.

Right, the timing would work nicely for that one. By the way, there is a nice account by Al Alcorn on the early days at Atari. Among other things, it describes how Atari had the lead in designing the custom chip for Home Pong, and tried to use "universal design rules" so they had flexibility in chosing the manufacturing partner: https://ethw.org/First-Hand:The_Development_of_Pong:_Early_Days_of_Atari_and_the_Video_Game_Industry
 

Offline Bud

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That scope looks suspiciously clean for what it went :-// through.
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