🚀 go-pugleaf

On Mon, 23 Jul 2018, Brian Reay wrote:

> In the mid/late 70s, when I was at Uni, I had a vacation job and worked on a 
> project involving the 6100 uP.
>
> Initially, I was let loose on a simple singe board dev system (if you can 
> call it that), a simple keyboard, 7 segment display etc, as was common at the 
> time.
>
> Eventually, I was trusted to use a 'real computer' - laughable by today's 
> standards but ..... . It was a typical (at the time) 'Pizza Box' 6100 based 
> unit, I'm pretty sure it had toggle switches for data and address set up etc 
> but I used other machines around then and it was 40 years ago, the usual LEDs 
> etc. I/O was teletype etc.- no CRT etc.  I'm sure at the time, Intersil were 
> the only make of the 6100 and probably made the Pizza Box.
>
> Purely for old times sake, I'd like to try and acquire one- if the price is 
> right.
>
> Does anyone know the beast, please?
>

The 6100's big fame was that it was an IC version of the PDP-8.  It rand 
the code, but of course missed out on the front panel and probably some 
other missing bits.

Someone I knew got a contract to computerize a local vinyl record press, 
and I'm not sure how that started, but he had someone in who was very 
familiar with the PDP-8, though of course the Intersil 6100 had the 
secondary advantage of being CMOS, low current.  So they made a board, 
worked the software, with a probably expensive terminal that fitted into a 
calculator case, I can't remember any details beyond that.  So they got it 
going, tested it at the plant, and then produced a bunch.  This was 1980, 
little did they know the future was in CDs.

I don't recall a development board or system made by Intersil.  I do 
vaguely recall there was a commerical computer that used the 6100, but 
details escape me.  This wasn't a big company, so not a familiar name.  I 
think there was an article in Kilobaud about it, but maybe it was Byte.

   Michael