--- title: Rockwell AIM 65 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1976' cpus: - Rockwell 6502 params: name: AIM 65 image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_r-side_s.jpg company: /companies/rockwell company_name: Rockwell specs: - label: NAME value: AIM 65 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Rockwell - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1976' - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: Unknown - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Optional Basic ROM - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke keyboard - label: CPU value: Rockwell 6502 - label: SPEED value: 1 MHz - label: RAM value: 4 KB (up to 32 KB of static RAM) - label: ROM value: 12 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 1 line of 20 chracters (LED screen) - label: SOUND value: None - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: Unknown - label: I/O PORTS value: Application bus, expansion bus, ROM connector - label: POWER SUPPLY value: 'Needs four power supply voltages: +5v, +12v, -12v, and +24v for the printer' - label: PRICE value: $375 tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - emulators - links - docs forum_thread: 74 photos: - title: AIM 65 subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_r-side.jpg - title: SYSTEM OPENED subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_2.jpg - title: TOP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_1.jpg - title: LED SCREEN CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_screen_1.jpg - title: DISPLAY CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_display_zoom.jpg - title: PRINTER CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_printer_zoom.jpg - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM... subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_complete.jpg - title: MOTHERBOARD EXPLAINED subtitle: '' text: |- The AIM-65 was intended to be used for external device control and management. Its two extension connectors give access to all the control signals of the board. Used for this purpose, a one line display and a small printer are sufficient. **(1)** This connector allows the AIM-65 to be connected to an external device and to manage it.\ **(2)** VIA-6522 chipset in charge of two I/O ports control.\ **(3)** Expansion connector. It can receive an expansion unit or a memory board.\ **(4)** 8 chips holding 4 Kb RAM of which 3 are available for user programs.\ **(5)** Microprocessor 6502 from MOS technology.\ **(6)** Sockets for additional ROM chips (for programming languages or specific software).\ **(7)** 2 ROM chips holding the AIM-65 monitor.\ **(8)** 20 characters LED display. An external monitor can be used with an optional interface.\ **(9)** Switch to turn the computer in step-by-step mode, where each microprocessor instruction is performed step by step.\ **(10)** Mechanical ASCII Keyboard.\ **(11)** 6532 chipset in charge of the keyboard management.\ **(12)** System init button (Reset).\ **(13)** 20 char./line thermal printer.\ **(14)** Power plug. An external power supply is needed. image: /media/museum/photos/rockwell_aim65_inside_1.jpg adverts: - title: ADVERT (1980) subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/rockwell_aim65_pub_1.jpg - title: FRENCH AD (JAN. 1980) subtitle: '' text: '"Computing is very simple with the AIM65 from Rockwell"' image: /media/museum/pubs/rockwell_aim65_pub_system-contact.jpg - title: ADVERT FOR THE MEMORY-MATE subtitle: '' text: dated september 1979. The Memory-Mate adds 16k or 48k (depending models), 4 programmable I/O ports, a tone generator, and sockets for 4K and PROM. image: /media/museum/pubs/aim65_memory-mate_pub-1979.jpg hardware: - title: SINGLE BOARD BUBBLE MEMORY SYSTEM subtitle: RMS 121 text: This adds memory and more features ?? image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_bubble-memory-board_1.jpg - title: PLASTIC HOUSING subtitle: '' text: Several plastic housings were sold for the "naked" Aim-65. This is one of them. image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_plastic-housing.jpg - title: '#A65-009' subtitle: '' text: This board was designed to take Rockwell's SYSTEM 65, or Motorola Exorcisor bus boards. It has 5 expansion slots. image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_expansion-motherboard-a65-009.jpg - title: WITH DISK-DRIVE CONTROLLER CAR MOUNTED subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_dd_board.jpg - title: UNIT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_dd_1.jpg - title: DISK INSERTED subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_dd-disk_1.jpg - title: COMPLETE SETUP subtitle: '' text: Disk drive is connected to its controller card, itself mounted on the expansion board. image: /media/museum/hardware/rockwell_aim65_dd-disk_complete.jpg emulators: - title: MESS url: http://www.mess.org platform: Multiplatform text: MESS somehow emulates the AIM 65 links: - title: DOCUMENTATION url: http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/my_docs.htm#RWS text: Complete AIM 65 documentation to download ! - title: Old-computers.net AIM65 page url: http://oldcomputers.net/AIM-65.html text: Very detailed and informative AIM-65 page docs: - title: INTERACTIVE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 2 url: null cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/rockwell_aim65_interactive-newsletter_issue2.jpg text: |- **INTERACTIVE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 2**\ written by Rockwell International  compiled/archived by David Wilson\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1 MB\  source : www.old-computers.com - title: INTERACTIVE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 5 url: null cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/rockwell_aim65_interactive-newsletter_issue5.jpg text: |- **INTERACTIVE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 5**\ written by Rockwell International  compiled/archived by David Wilson\  type of document : Unknown\  size : 1 MB\  source : www.old-computers.com oc_id: 58 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230224114117/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=58 date: '2023-02-24' --- This strange computer was designed to be a development system for 6502 based computers. It had no display except for a small 20 character LED screen and a very small thermal printer located directly on the motherboard which could print everything that was typed on the keyboard. The board featured five 4 KB-ROM sockets. Two of them were dedicated to the AIM monitor program, including an instant input assembler (no labels) and a disassembler. Various programming languages (BASIC, FORTH...) or custom applications could be added in the three remaining sockets. Several cards were developped for this machine, especially language cards and ROMs: a BASIC card (BASIC language with floating point mathematics capabilities), PL/65 (a mixture of the PL/1 and Algol languages), Instant Pascal (an interpreted version of Pascal), Assembler and the FORTH programming language. --- **Jacob Hertz** remembers:\ It had 3 function keys, which could be programmed with a jump instruction (assembler).\ A CRT-Card was also developed for this computer.\ I was the happy owner of one of those machines. We were a usergroup in Denmark in the late 70' and early 80'.\ It came with full documentation including as far as I remember 4 books: A complete diagram, a complete hardware manual, a full commented bios listing, users guide and another book. It was one of the first complete microcomputers around. **Mark Reardon** reports:\ I was on the support team for this system from June 1979 until Jan. 2004. When you mention 'Sound' it made me remember that this system supported the use of two audio cassette recorders for mass storage. It could perform motor control on both. It would read source files from one and write the output to the other. My boss told me that they expected to sell between 400 and 600 of these systems but the number exceeded 50,000. The original target market was embedded designers. Some of these designers actually embedded the AIM into their design. We sold a version without the keyboard, printer, and display, and with only 1k or RAM for $175. The fifth manual Mr. Hertz remembers was the programming guide. When I was hired I was given a complete set of manuals, an AIM 65, and a phone. I tried to answer all of the customer's questions from the manuals before I consulted with the engineering staff. It was a great learning experience.