website/content/museum/vector-graphics-vector-1.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Vector Graphics Vector 1	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1976	Intel 8080A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts links related oc_id source Vector 1 /media/museum/photos/vectorgraphics_vector1_system_1.jpg /companies/vector-graphics Vector Graphics label value NAME Vector 1 label value MANUFACTURER Vector Graphics label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR August 1976 label value END OF PRODUCTION Unknown label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Depends on the video terminal used label value CPU Intel 8080A label value SPEED 2 Mhz label value RAM 1 Kb. expandable to 64 Kb. label value ROM 512 bytes (Bootstrap) label value TEXT MODES Commonly 80 characters x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND No built-in speaker label value SIZE / WEIGHT Unknown label value I/O PORTS 18 S-100 bus connectors label value BUILT IN MEDIA None label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in PSU 8 Volts 18 Amp. and 16 Volts 2.5 Amp. label value PERIPHERALS S-100 bus cards label value PRICE Unknown photos adverts links 557 title subtitle text image 1+ VERSION The 1+ is no more than the 1 version in which has been added an housing for a 5''1/4 F.D. drive. /media/museum/photos/vector_vector1plus_system_1.jpg title subtitle text image MEMORY BOARD Vector Graphics also sold various cards for any S-100 systems. This one is a 8 Kb. static RAM card solded for $265 in kit version and $350 assembled. /media/museum/pubs/vectorgraphics_vector1_pub_2.jpg title subtitle text image 1977 ADVERT /media/museum/pubs/vectorgraphics_vector1_pub_1.jpg title url text Vector Graphics 1976 - 1984 http://www.vectorgraphics.org.uk Web site dedicated to Vector Graphics systems title url text VECTOR-GRAPHIC List http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=VECTOR-GRAPHIC mailing list for Vector Graphic computers /museum/vector-graphics-mz /museum/vector-graphics-vector-3-vip /museum/vector-graphics-vector-4 566 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230220081305/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=566 2023-02-20

The Vector 1 was a clone of the ALTAIR 8800 based on the common S-100 bus structure and the Intel 8080A microprocessor. It was sold under kit or assembled versions.

Vector Graphics said it offered a stronger cabinet and a well-designed power supply. To reduce selling price, front panel didn't offer any switch or control led. In its basic version, the computer could be connected to a tape recorder and a serial terminal and offered a bootstrap ROM monitor.

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Additional info about the company by Dennis Ray Wingo:
Vector started in November 1976 when Bob and Lore Harp, along with Carol Ely took Vector's first product, an 8 k static RAM card along with a 256 X 256 line (High Resolution Grraphic HRG) card, to computer swap meets to sell. Bob, who at that time was the director of Hughes Research Laboratories (yes THE Hughes Research Labs), designed the Vector 1 computers that they started selling in 1977. Vector grew fast as a company (although not by today's standards), and by the time that I went to work there in manufacturing in April of 1981 they had just crossed the 3 million dollar per month revenue milestone. Vector went public later that year at $13 dollar per share. Bob and Lore divorced soon after the IPO and Bob left to found Corona Data Systems, one of the very first clone IBM PC companies.

Mike Boyd adds:
The unit was well built, like a prelude to the NorthStar Horizon; unfortunately the push buttons they used for the power and reset were terrible, and would fail - you had to sometimes hit them several times to turn them on.

About the terrible buttons, Lore Harp McGovern specifies:
The buttons were custom dyed and a big pain in the beginning. Designing a switchless front panel was not a cost reduction issue, but a human interface issue. The 1702 PROM board made those activities transparent.
User friendliness became an important design element at Vector Graphic. Simple is better for the average person!