adafruitDec 13, 2024

🎄💾🗓️ Day 12: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Cromemco Z-1🎄💾🗓️

A different one today! Cromemco was founded in 1974 by Stanford Ph.D. students Harry Garland and Roger Melen to develop a series of peripherals for early microcomputers, such as the Cyclops digital camera and the Dazzler color graphics interface.

Show threadadafruitDec 13, 2024
In 1976, they came out with their first full microcomputer, the Z-1, which used the same chassis as the IMSAI 8080 but fitted with a 4 MHz Zilog Z80 processor instead of the Intel 8080. The Z-1 was very flexible for the time, with 8 KB of static RAM and 22 S-100 bus expansion slots. This allowed the computer to immediately function upon power-up, without manually loading a boot program.
Show threadadafruitDec 13, 2024

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Pournelle

Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

Jerry Pournelle - Wikipedia

Show threadRod
@adafruit My first home computer was a Heathkit Microprocessor Trainer which I bought because I loved writing machine language programs at work in the late 1970s. #firstcomputer #retrocomputing
Dec 13, 2024 at 7:08pmWeb
Show thread@stevewfoldsDec 13, 2024
@NorwayJose @adafruit Started w/a Heathkit H88 Z80 also with asm before the textbook in 1981. Met one of the Z80’s designers on a dialup BBS and asked a couple questions which freaked out my CS prof.
Show threadRodDec 13, 2024
@stevewfolds @adafruit I followed the Microprocessor Trainer with an H89 CP/M kit and then an H150 DOS machine. Sometimes I miss having full schematics but it's been a while since I've had much time for hardware tinkering, I do have a few Raspberry Pi machines now which I play with now in case I feel the need.
Show threadTim McMahonDec 14, 2024
@NorwayJose @adafruit
The ET--3400? That was my first computer too.