--- title: AM International Jacquard Systems J100 - J500 categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1980' cpus: - Four AMD 2900 bit slice ALUs params: name: J100 - J500 image: /media/museum/photos/jacquard_j500_system_1.jpg company: /companies/am-international-jacquard-systems company_name: AM International Jacquard Systems specs: - label: NAME value: J100 - J500 - label: MANUFACTURER value: AM International Jacquard Systems - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1980' - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke keyboard - label: CPU value: |- Four AMD 2900 bit slice ALUs (16-bit)\ The Jacquard engineers wrote the microcode on the proms that provided the higher level instructions. - label: RAM value: 128 KB - label: ROM value: Unknown - label: TEXT MODES value: 80 chars. x 24 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: None - label: COLORS value: Monochrome - label: SOUND value: No sound - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: Unknown - label: I/O PORTS value: |- 1 x Parallel printer 12-bit port (maybe 2), 2 x RS232\ 2 x external disk interfaces normally used with Pertec 14 - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: 2 x 8 - label: OS value: proprietary DOS - label: POWER SUPPLY value: PSU built-in - label: PERIPHERALS value: Hard-disks, printers - label: PRICE value: Unknown tabs: - photos - adverts forum_thread: 521 photos: - title: 'J-100 WORKSTATION #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/jacquard_j100_terminal_1.jpg - title: 'J-100 WORKSTATION #2' subtitle: '' text: From a Jacquard brochure image: /media/museum/photos/jacquard_j500_terminal_2.jpg - title: J-500 SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/jacquard_j500_system_2.jpg - title: J-500 WORKSTATION subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/jacquard_j500_terminal_1.jpg - title: PERTEC H.D.D. subtitle: '' text: 14", 20 MB hard disk unit image: /media/museum/photos/jacquard_pertecfdd_1.jpg adverts: - title: JACQUARD SYSTEMS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_brochure_6.jpg - title: 'ADVERT #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_pub_1.jpg - title: 'JACQUARD BROCHURE #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_pub_2.jpg - title: 'JACQUARD BROCHURE #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_pub_3.jpg - title: 'JACQUARD BROCHURE #3' subtitle: '' text: Strange logo isn't it? image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_brochure_3.jpg - title: 'JACQUARD BROCHURE #4' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_brochure_4.jpg - title: 'JACQUARD BROCHURE #5' subtitle: '' text: |- The brochure says:\ During Jacquard's early years, as a "system house", the company developed communications and peripheral devices that were not available from any other sources. Some of these are still available only from Jacquard. Through these devices, Jacquard acquired hardware design and production skills, thus becoming experienced in integrating 'pieces' into systems that worked, and worked well. These years of experience enabled Jacquard to design the first truly affordable and multi-functional small business system - the Jacquard Videocomputer... image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j500_brochure_5.jpg - title: 'AMTEXT BROCHURE #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j100_amtext_1.jpg - title: 'AMTEXT BROCHURE #2' subtitle: '' text: |- The brochure says:\ When you buy, lease or rent word processing equipment from AM Jacquard Systems, you get our total commitment, now and in the future, that assures the successful installation and operation of your AMtext word processing system. To support that commitment, we have offices in over 100 cities throughout North America staffed with skilled professionals ready to meet your neads with planning, training. supplies, and service... ...The AMtext 100 is a true shared resource, multifunction information system capable of supporting multiple work stations and peripherals simultaneously. The Amtext 425 and 425A are powerful stand-alone work stations with a full-page video display The AMtext 225 is a low-cost system that turns electric typewriters into flexible text editors. The AMtext product line includes a complete selection of peripheral devices, including telecommunications, an optical character reader. magnetic card reader, phototypesetters, daisy wheel printers. high-speed line and matrix printers, as well as mass storage on floppy and hard disk drive units. image: /media/museum/pubs/jacquard_j100_amtext_2.jpg oc_id: 527 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230208113648/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=527 date: '2023-02-08' --- The Jacquard J100 and J500 Videocomputer line was developed at the home offices of Jacquard Systems, Inc. in Santa Monica, California. Development started in 1975 and by 1977 the first units of the J100 were installed. The base unit included two 8" single-sided floppy drives and could be expanded to up to 14 users. The OS was Jacquard's own DOS. The CPU of the J100 was National Semiconductor's IMP16 microprocessor and the J500 - a follow-on single-user system - was implemented using the AMD Bit-slice technology CPU architecture. The J500, thus a multifunction monopost system, could be used for wordprocessing, mass-mailing, accountancy or stock control. The J505 version featured the same motherboard plus a piggyback that allowed 2 additional terminals to be connected. The AM Jacquard J-500 was composed of a central unit keyboard/monitor and two disk-drives. From 1 to 4 optional hard-disks could be added. The hard drives were the Pertec 14" with (I think) 10MB fixed and 5MB removable ans also the Control Data 14" 80MB drive. The parallel printer port was a 12-bit port, unlike the standard 8-bit Centronics. The Xerox Diablo 1640 daisy wheel printer could be attached to it as well as many other printers. The J500 was unique at its time because all of the CPU and ALU was stored and executed from a bank of 32 Proms (Programable Read Only Memory). The J100 could actually handle 64 interupts.This included stations and printers. It was limited to 16 because of hashing. Display was performed by the same ROM/microcode/ALU that provided the main processing, timesliced in alternate 'quads' - 4 microcode instructions per process cycle. Special thanks to **Randy Larson** who sent us many pictures and information.