yann64andClaude Opus 5.5
b274874139
1,289 discussions, 9,527 archived comments; pages no longer carry the comments themselves. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
95 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
95 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: MARK-8 Minicomputer
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categories:
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- Computers
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types:
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- Home Computer
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origins:
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- U.S.A.
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years:
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- '1974'
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cpus:
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- Intel 8008
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params:
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name: Minicomputer
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image: /media/museum/photos/mark8_minicomp_system_1.jpg
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company: /companies/mark-8
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company_name: MARK-8
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specs:
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- label: NAME
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value: Minicomputer
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- label: MANUFACTURER
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value: Mark-8
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- label: TYPE
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value: Home Computer
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- label: ORIGIN
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value: U.S.A.
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- label: YEAR
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value: July 1974
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- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
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value: None
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- label: KEYBOARD
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value: 16 switches on front panel
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- label: CPU
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value: Intel 8008
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- label: SPEED
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value: 0.5 Mhz
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- label: CO-PROCESSOR
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value: None
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- label: RAM
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value: 256 bytes
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- label: ROM
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value: None
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- label: TEXT MODES
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value: No display interface
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- label: SOUND
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value: No sound interface
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- label: I/O PORTS
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value: 1 x I/O port
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- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
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value: None
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- label: POWER SUPPLY
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value: External power supply
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- label: PRICE
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value: About $300
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tabs:
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- photos
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forum_thread: 724
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photos:
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- title: MANUALS & SHEMAS
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subtitle: ''
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text: Mark-8 with Jon Titus instruction manual and circuit diagrams.
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image: /media/museum/photos/mark8_minicomp_manual_1.jpg
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- title: CASE KIT
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subtitle: ''
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text: The case and board kit as it was received from Techniques Inc, of Englewood.
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image: /media/museum/photos/mark8_minicomp_kit_1.jpg
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- title: BACK SIDE
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subtitle: ''
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text: Power supply back panel and logic boards
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image: /media/museum/photos/mark8_minicomp_back_1.jpg
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- title: RADIO-ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE
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subtitle: ''
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text: front cover of the July 1974 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine where the Mark-8 computer appeared for the first time.
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image: /media/museum/photos/mark8_minicomp_magazine_1.jpg
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oc_id: 741
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source:
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url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230529194732/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=741
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date: '2023-05-29'
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---
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**"Build your own Mark-8"**. This title appeared on the front cover of the July issue 1974 of an electronic hobbyist magazine called **Radio-Electronics.**
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The Mark-8 was an Intel 8008 / 256 bytes RAM memory based system without neither ROM monitor, power supply, case, video, keyboard, nor backup interface. Consequently, the user had to enter program instructions each time he turned the system on.
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To build this computer, the home computing fanatic had first to buy for $5.50 the 48 pages instruction manual written by **Jon Titus**, the creator of the system, from Radio Electronics. Then order the circuit board from an Englewood, New Jersey based company for $47.50, and finally provide himself with various components, including the Intel 8008 processor for about $250. About 7500 home computing fanatics ordered the instruction manual and 400 of them the main board. Very few of them succeeded in running the final assembled system as it was a very long and full of traps job.
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The LED display featured 4 rows of 8 leds. The two upper rows displayed the address bus (14 leds) and processor cycle state (2 leds). The third row displays an 8-bit memory data, and the fourth, the 8-bit value available from the output port 0.
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Most of the fanatics who tried to bring the Mark-8 to a running state gave up and bought a few months later the first versions of the [Altair 8800](/museum/mits-altair-8800/), the first real personal home computer.
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If you want to learn more about the Mark-8 computer, you should read the [page](http://www.his.com/~jlewczyk/adavie/mark8b.html) written by Jon Titus, the Mark-8 designer.
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**To note:** Pictures of this page show a Replica version of the Mark-8, not an original system. The Replica was made by Steve Gabaly of Apalacia, NY and sold in the late 2000.\
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Original pictures needed!
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