I built a Sol-20 by hand while working at the Byte Shop near SF Bay. I was also given two Altairs in exchange for consulting work. Your video documents the very same things I was doing 55 years ago, just out of high school. Go class of '78 !
As someone who started with a simple 6502 based computer hooked up to a small black and white TV and my audio cassette tape, I really like that dual cassette tape controller with motor controls.
Great bit of nostalgia and brings back fun memories .. used to work with Bob Marsh and Lee Felsenstein (who developed the PT products including the Sol-20).
Holy cow, this takes me back! First computer I used was, I'm pretty sure, an Altair 8800 in about 1977. The thing I remember is the guy who owned loaded everything off of tape and it had software to auto-find the file he wanted. I've never seen such a thing since....until I just saw this video. I think you've just provided me the last piece of the puzzle of what that first system was. I knew the system, based on my recollection of the front panel switches and LEDs. It was just what software it might've been running.
Thanks for visiting / reviewing Processor Technology interfaces, etc. I remember using it in Senior Year 1979 High School. I learned programming BASIC in 1979 on the PT SOL-20 Great Memories / Nostalgia! Kind Regards from Calgary Alberta Canada
I got a box with SOL software and manuals. I don't want it. I grew up with it, with two SOL (parasol board, too), but the computers were tossed when I was at university in the 80's. The box survived. I don't want to mess around with unpacking and inventorying and sharing the inventory and all that. If you (the channel owner) are at all interested, let me know, and we can work something out. No, not trying to sell. Just want to give to an enthusiast who could put it to use.
I used the Sol-20 in a computer store in London, ON Canada in the late 1970's. They later had a two bay 8" floppy drive cabinet that could be connected to it as well, if memory serves well. I also got to play with a Kim-1 and a SYM-1 as well. Very early 6502 single board computers with a hex paypad and an amazing 1K of memory. I still have my original MOS Technology 6502 programmers guide (Basically, a list of instructions and detail on their execution) Programs gopt entered in via a ROM Monitor program (Pre BIOS) that the machine would boot into leaving you at a command prompt. Single letter commands addresses and values! One of the staff at that computer store was programming an application to record amniocentesis data and do some basic analysis on it. It got to assist a by running his test scripts and making note of the results. Not bad for being 11 at the time. The store eventually moved to another part of the city taking it far away from where I was living. I also got to play with a Ohio Scientific Challenger 1P. So much history!
one of the firsts boards out was an mother board expander and their power supply upgrade kit which added a second transformer in series with the existing to raise the voltage by I believe 3v.
For the last few days I've been tinkering with these audio signals. My goal is to make a modem/tape-serial interface for my Altair replica. I made software to modulate and demodulate on PC and I'm nearly done implementing it on a microcontroller board. Unfortunately I have to sleep, leave the rabbit hole and go back to real life, the video reminded me I only looked at the Altair tape format...
The ALS-8 would be a good one to talk about sometime. Both H/W and Firmware. Then we can get into North*Stare. My issue at the time was getting the two to work at the same time, and I did do that!
Screen memory would have been dedicated RAM on the display card with circuitry to interleave CPU and CRTC accesses, typically adding wait states to CPU accesses as needed to prevent screen tearing.
All these boards resulted in Frank Hayes writing a song called "S-100," available here on UA-cam. "...it's sure to dim the lamps, at plus and minus sixteen volts and fourteen hundred amps..."
My first significant BASIC program was the game Master Mind written on a TRS80. It took 15 minutes to load from the cassette tape, and the load failed 1 in 4 tries.
il lnever own one of these , but it is neat to peak into the early days of micro compuing. as spock prime and young spock would say,"fascinating" raises left eye brow. i had a amber screen with burn in . l liked it very well.
You must have been a school teacher at some point. In the reflective front of the SOL, I can see you walking around and moving your hands as you're talking
Question, I noticed the two vertical white strips on your Altair 8800. I ASSUME you prefer to fat finger in hex as opposed to octal. If this is the case, how do you see this as an advantage for you?
I'm sure HEX became more popular with devices that have 8 bit data and 16 bit address buses, because it always fits, without leaving odd bits that have to be dealt with separately. OCTAL was more suitable to things like DEC PDP-8 with the 12 bit data and address buses. I maybe wrong of course. :)
Might want to do a side-by-side comparison of Processor Technology's Extended Cassette BASIC vs. Microsoft's BASIC, and illustrate just how _inferior_ Microsoft products were even back then.
I guess that makes it the SOL survivor
*Cary Grant "Get Out" meme here*
I built a Sol-20 by hand while working at the Byte Shop near SF Bay.
I was also given two Altairs in exchange for consulting work.
Your video documents the very same things I was doing 55 years ago, just out of high school.
Go class of '78 !
I worked for Processor Technology and laid out the first version of the SOL
Man, I was only _born_ in '78! 🤣
As someone who started with a simple 6502 based computer hooked up to a small black and white TV and my audio cassette tape, I really like that dual cassette tape controller with motor controls.
Great bit of nostalgia and brings back fun memories .. used to work with Bob Marsh and Lee Felsenstein (who developed the PT products including the Sol-20).
Holy cow, this takes me back! First computer I used was, I'm pretty sure, an Altair 8800 in about 1977. The thing I remember is the guy who owned loaded everything off of tape and it had software to auto-find the file he wanted.
I've never seen such a thing since....until I just saw this video. I think you've just provided me the last piece of the puzzle of what that first system was. I knew the system, based on my recollection of the front panel switches and LEDs. It was just what software it might've been running.
Thanks for visiting / reviewing Processor Technology interfaces, etc. I remember using it in Senior Year 1979 High School. I learned programming BASIC in 1979 on the PT SOL-20 Great Memories / Nostalgia! Kind Regards from Calgary Alberta Canada
It's always nice to see you bring these old systems back to life!
Thanks the interesting demonstration. I love those archaic 70s machines.
I got a box with SOL software and manuals. I don't want it. I grew up with it, with two SOL (parasol board, too), but the computers were tossed when I was at university in the 80's. The box survived. I don't want to mess around with unpacking and inventorying and sharing the inventory and all that. If you (the channel owner) are at all interested, let me know, and we can work something out. No, not trying to sell. Just want to give to an enthusiast who could put it to use.
Great video. Would be great to see a part two where you explain the how.
This channel is just the best! I love these videos. I am looking forward to part 2 of this video.
wow this is one of the best youtube videos I have seen in quite some time, thanks!
serial keyboard? do they have those at walmart?
I used the Sol-20 in a computer store in London, ON Canada in the late 1970's. They later had a two bay 8" floppy drive cabinet that could be connected to it as well, if memory serves well. I also got to play with a Kim-1 and a SYM-1 as well. Very early 6502 single board computers with a hex paypad and an amazing 1K of memory. I still have my original MOS Technology 6502 programmers guide (Basically, a list of instructions and detail on their execution) Programs gopt entered in via a ROM Monitor program (Pre BIOS) that the machine would boot into leaving you at a command prompt. Single letter commands addresses and values! One of the staff at that computer store was programming an application to record amniocentesis data and do some basic analysis on it. It got to assist a by running his test scripts and making note of the results. Not bad for being 11 at the time. The store eventually moved to another part of the city taking it far away from where I was living. I also got to play with a Ohio Scientific Challenger 1P. So much history!
This was the first computer I ever laid eyes on. Didn't actually get to USE one until years later.
Another great video, thanks. Looking forward to a followup.
Brings back good old memories!
Its interesting how much creativity arises from working with limited resources.
Excellent! Brought back some memories. Really wish I hadn't got rid of my S-100 box now...
I love how that thing looks.
one of the firsts boards out was an mother board expander and their power supply upgrade kit which added a second transformer in series with the existing to raise the voltage by I believe 3v.
For the last few days I've been tinkering with these audio signals. My goal is to make a modem/tape-serial interface for my Altair replica. I made software to modulate and demodulate on PC and I'm nearly done implementing it on a microcontroller board. Unfortunately I have to sleep, leave the rabbit hole and go back to real life, the video reminded me I only looked at the Altair tape format...
People were able to make so much happen with such a little amount of ram.
Thank you.
Another well-done video. Thanks!!
Somebody better tell Tech Time Traveler about this!
Iirc he has one as well
The ALS-8 would be a good one to talk about sometime. Both H/W and Firmware. Then we can get into North*Stare. My issue at the time was getting the two to work at the same time, and I did do that!
Does anyone know how the card dealt with bus contention between the display controller IC, the CPU and the screen memory?
Screen memory would have been dedicated RAM on the display card with circuitry to interleave CPU and CRTC accesses, typically adding wait states to CPU accesses as needed to prevent screen tearing.
All these boards resulted in Frank Hayes writing a song called "S-100," available here on UA-cam.
"...it's sure to dim the lamps, at plus and minus sixteen volts and fourteen hundred amps..."
My first significant BASIC program was the game Master Mind written on a TRS80. It took 15 minutes to load from the cassette tape, and the load failed 1 in 4 tries.
Not sure why I was expecting it to be about paper tape rather than magnetic cassette.
The SOL is a great looking machine. Id probably borrow that style if creating my own 8 bit computer.
Wow, that's neat!
il lnever own one of these , but it is neat to peak into the early days of micro compuing. as spock prime and young spock would say,"fascinating" raises left eye brow. i had a amber screen with burn in . l liked it very well.
You must have been a school teacher at some point. In the reflective front of the SOL, I can see you walking around and moving your hands as you're talking
Reminds me of the OSI Challenger IIP I owned at one time.
6:09 correction: four times as fast as. Three times faster.
Once i done TapeOperatingSystem on c64 in BASIC 😉 what it done was posibility to have "directory" list at start of tape
Question, I noticed the two vertical white strips on your Altair 8800. I ASSUME you prefer to fat finger in hex as opposed to octal. If this is the case, how do you see this as an advantage for you?
Pretty much everyone went to Hex over Octal after the first year or two of 8080 PCs. My Altair also has those stripes as well :)
I'm sure HEX became more popular with devices that have 8 bit data and 16 bit address buses, because it always fits, without leaving odd bits that have to be dealt with separately.
OCTAL was more suitable to things like DEC PDP-8 with the 12 bit data and address buses.
I maybe wrong of course. :)
From the thumbnail for this video, I thought it was one of the Ohio Scientific boxes from the late 70s!
Might want to do a side-by-side comparison of Processor Technology's Extended Cassette BASIC vs. Microsoft's BASIC, and illustrate just how _inferior_ Microsoft products were even back then.
I used one of these in 1979
Ohio Scientific did have the Challenger series. Based upon 6502. Simular looks as this SOL
"Game of chess?"
Nice video! I have a SOL-20 with floppy disk add-on that needs a good home. Let me know if you are interested.
It’s a great machine. You will get more money for it on eBay than from me :)