Products > Vintage Computing
What was your first computer?
SiliconWizard:
--- Quote from: globoy on December 03, 2022, 08:23:48 pm ---A Quest Electronics Elf kit that my Dad bought me for $99USD. I think I may still have it but can't remember where and haven't looked at it in a long time. It had 256 bytes of RAM and a 32 byte ROM (with 3 commands entered using the switches). Based around the quirky RCA CDP1802 microprocessor that sports an instruction called Set X (opcode SEX) which made my pre-adolescent self giggle every time.
--- End quote ---
I had a kit similar to this a long time ago, with an accompanying book that I still have in my library. It was my introduction to low-level microprocessor design. The book was pretty detailed in how the CDP1802 worked internally and its design was easy to understand. As can be seen, the book shows signs of use and abuse. I don't have the board anymore sadly.
pcprogrammer:
For as far as I can remember my first computer was a Casio PB100. Not very exiting but it gave me my first programming experience in basic. Got a Tandy/Radio Shack TRS-80 soon after and made all sorts of extensions for it. Eventually ended up with two of them. Ditched them 5 or 6 years ago after trying them since not being used for ages. One failed altogether and the other one started but had some problems. The extension box with floppy drives also did not work anymore.
Also had a bunch of Apple II's but they also had problems with magic smoke and I could not be bothered to fix them or sell them via evil bay. So together with a bunch of old PC's it all went to the recycle station.
Have had many computers throughout my live. When we moved to France I offloaded a station wagon full of Apple Macintosh computers and peripherals onto some enthusiast, so those went to a good home.
elecdonia:
The first computer I interacted with one-on-one for a considerable length of time and wrote code for was a DEC PDP-5.
Word length: 12 bits
Memory: 4k words of magnetic core
Language: BASIC
I/O: Teletype
The PDP-5 completely filled up a 6-foot rack because it was constructed with discrete transistor logic circuits. It did not contain any integrated circuits. Its successor (the PDP-8) was much smaller do to the invention of TTL logic chips.
I succeeded at writing a BASIC program to solve a 4th-order differential equation with the results “plotted” by the position of a “*” on each line printed by the TTY. It used nearly all of the available memory. My program used the “Thiele/Small equations” to model the frequency response of a simulated loudspeaker.
elecdonia:
--- Quote from: rbm on February 21, 2018, 11:44:32 am ---Home built Z80 using wirewrap sockets and perfboard. Also reused parts from a discarded IBM 3270 Model 5, including the 8" floppy drive, enclosure and keyboard.
--- End quote ---
We should have a separate topic for “What was your first DIY single-board computer?”
Mine had an Intel 8080, EPROM chips with the window for UV erasing, 4k of static RAM, and a serial port. Like yours, the construction method was IC sockets and wire-wrap.
dobsonr741:
Commodore CBM around 1987 when I was an intern.
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